Shakin’ up the lineup: What the Mets’ batting order should actually be

After finishing fifth in MLB in runs per game last season, Buck Showalter’s New York Mets have dropped to 12th this season. Fans are concerned and complaining. So what should the Mets’ optimal batting order be? 

Off to a wobbly 16-13 start this season — with the highest payroll in Major League history — the much-hyped Mets are worrying many of their fans.

After finishing sixth in OPS last season, New York has dropped to 15th this year.

After finishing 15th in homers, they have dropped to 20th this year.

And last but not least — and most dramatically — the Metropolitans have plummeted from second to 18th in batting average. So what exactly is going on?

It’s my belief that this is once again a management issue: I don’t believe the organization employs the optimal batting order, one that would ultimately maximize their run production.

I still strongly believe that Buck Showalter is holding this club back from its full potential, and I’m happy to propose some alternative solutions here. Against right-handed pitching, Buck is generally running this lineup out there:

1. Brandon Nimmo
2. Starling Marte
3. Francisco Lindor
4. Pete Alonso
5. Jeff McNeil
6. Daniel Vogelbach
7. Brett Baty
8. Luis Guillorme
9. Francisco Alvarez/Tomas Nido

Here are my issues with that lineup:

1. If you’ve been watching the Mets this season, then you know that Marte (34 years old) looks like a shell of his former self. He’s hitting .226 with just one homer on the season.
2. Lindor, after hitting .230 in 2021 (his first season with NYM) and bouncing back some last year (.270), now looks worse than ever at just .215. His OBP is also terribly low at just .325.
3. Vogelbach is not a long-term answer for this club. He does not deserve middle-of-order treatment.
4. I would never, ever have Nido in there unless Alvarez required a day off.

Mets preferred lineup against right-handed pitching

1. Nimmo
2. Lindor
3. Alonso
4. McNeil
5. Baty
6. Marte
7. Alvarez
8. Vogelbach
9. Guillorme

Seasoned baseball eyes know a professional hitter when they see one, and I think it’s overtly clear that the Mets have one in Brett Baty. He needs to be getting as many MLB at bats as possible. It’s also a bonus to put him into a key RBI spot.

Same idea with Alvarez: The youth needs to be cultivated and promoted. Put these kids in there, leave them alone and let them grow with quality big-league reps.

Here is Buck’s current lineup against left-handed pitching (May 3 lineup vs. Joey Wentz of the Tigers):

1. Nimmo
2. Marte
3. Lindor
4. Alonso
5. Pham
6. McNeil
7. Canha
8. Baty
9. Nido

Here are my issues with that lineup construction:

1. Again, Marte is not himself.
2. Pham – despite hitting a homer today – is way too high.
3. Both McNeil and Baty are too low.

Mets ideal lineup against left-handed pitching

1. Nimmo
2. McNeil
3. Lindor
4. Alonso
5. Baty
6. Marte
7. Alvarez
8. Canha
9. Pham

I don’t care about lefty vs. lefty because Nimmo, McNeil and Baty are all better against left-handed pitching than most lefty batters. The key is leaning on the core seven of the team: Nimmo, McNeil, Lindor, Alonso, Baty, Marte and Alvarez.

Canha, Vogelbach, Guillorme and Pham simply need to be rotating in the bottom two slots of the order.

In my proposed batting orders here, the Mets are killing two birds with one stone: Putting the best possible lineups out there while simultaneously pumping their rookies and young players full of confidence.

John Frascella is a published baseball author who has been covering MLB for 19 years. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things Mets, MLB, NFL and NBA throughout the year.