Carlos Mendoza’s New York Mets only managed to capture one win in their first series of 2025. They only allowed six total runs against a Houston Astros powerful lineup, while New York only put together five runs. Juan Soto was the only member of the Mets to record a hit in Saturday night’s brutal loss.
Across three games, there isn’t much to panic about. However, early signs do worry some. The Mets lineup should eventually come through with all the talent they have. Adding to that, their starters and bullpen pitched great. That said, Mendoza’s squad should have no problem winning a surplus of games in 2025. Nevertheless, fans should keep a close eye on a few things in the upcoming games.
1. Brett Baty’s elite spring might not mean much
In Spring Training, Brett Baty looked ready to have a breakout season. He hit .353 with a 1.186 OPS. The 25-year-old infielder has all the tools to be a great player in MLB, but he’s gotten numerous chances before. In 171 career games, Baty holds a lackluster .213 batting average and a .602 OPS.
Eyes were locked on Baty in the first series, as the Mets were hopeful he’d come through with a few good at-bats. Baty struck out three times and didn’t get on base in the team’s first series. If he wants to stay on the roster this season, he’ll need to perform at a much higher level than in the past. Of course, he’ll have more chances in the coming days to turn it around. At the same time, it’s now or never for him. David Stearns quickly moved him to AAA in 2024 after a subpar start. With McNeil’s return looming, Baty needs to change the narrative around his play.
2. Concern of another Francisco Lindor slow start has arose
Francisco Lindor finished second in National League MVP voting last season. He might’ve shocked the world and taken the award from Shohei Ohtani if he didn’t have a slow start to 2024. Before May 13th last season, the star shortstop posted a .214 batting average with a .638 OPS. After that stretch, Lindor played like Lindor. He put up a .296 batting average with a .906 OPS.
If the Mets get the best version of Lindor in the first half, they’ll set themselves up for a ton of wins. Even though some don’t mind early losses, they can come back to bite later on. In 2022, an extra Mets win in March or April would’ve given them the NL East and a postseason bye. Every win will matter, with the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies looking to battle with the Mets for the division this season.
Across the first series, Lindor went 0-11. There’s no doubt when Lindor is on, he’s one of the very best hitters in baseball. As great as Soto is, they need more than just him. The Mets shortstop is one of the main reasons many expect the team to have such a dominant lineup. Therefore, they need Lindor to produce consistently.
3. New York’s pitching has shown great early signs
After resurging Luis Severino’s and Sean Manaea’s careers, Jeremy Hefner and the Mets look to do it again with some new faces. Clay Holmes had a great spring and earned the Opening Day start. He had some blunders, but he kept New York in a position to win. Tylor Megill looked dominant in Friday night’s outing, pitching five innings while allowing just one run. Griffin Canning was brought over to the Mets in the offseason, and everyone knew he’d be an interesting project. He pitched stellar, allowing two runs and four hits across 5.2 innings of work.
The best part is they haven’t seen the starters they expect to perform well even pitch yet. David Peterson, who pitched to a 2.90 ERA last season, is scheduled to have his first outing Monday night against the Miami Marlins. Kodai Senga, who finished fifth in ERA in MLB across 2023 with a 2.98 ERA, will pitch Tuesday night in Miami. Manaea, who had his best season in 2024, should return in late April.
It wasn’t just the starters that put together solid performances in their opening series. New York’s bullpen looked electric. Edwin Diaz looked like his 2022 self in his save on Friday night. Last season, Diaz was reliable, but he wasn’t at his best.
Expecting him to be his dominant self after missing the prior season would be unfair now. If he returns to a shade of what he was, they’d have one of the most dominant closers in MLB. AJ Minter, their offseason addition, looked great. Max Krannick showed off in Saturday night's loss, working out of a bases-loaded jam after coming in.
It’s only three games, but the pitching has been phenomenal. Stearns emphasized building a system to help pitchers use their best stuff to get outs, and it worked last year. If it’s the same or better in 2025, they’d change the entire narrative around their team. Many expected their pitching to hold them back, but it might not be with how they looked in spring and their opening series.