KEYS TO A TURNAROUND

BY: Mike Rifkin

The New York Mets had high expectations entering the 2023 season after winning 101 games last season. But the Mets will enter the second half of the season with a record of 42-48, and every time you think they’re making a run, something else happens. The team enters the second half seven games out of the Wild Card Race, but to be positive, they are 6-4 in their last ten games. Here are five keys to a second-half turnaround. 

1. Aces High – Yes, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are future Hall Of Famers, although both have yet to find consistency this season. Scherzer is 8-3 but has a 4.31 ERA and has had to deal with a 10-game suspension due to a “sticky substance usage.” Verlander, the reigning AL CY Young Award winner, is 3-4 with a 3.60 ERA in 12 starts because he missed the season’s first month. The Mets have committed to these guys, and they need to be the future Hall Of Famers. They are this second half if the Mets want to get to October. 
2. Resurgent Squirrel – Jeff McNeil won the NL Batting Title last season, hitting .326; this year, McNeil is hitting .253. I don’t know if the lack of a shift is hurting his approach, but the Mets need Jeff McNeil to become the hit machine they thought they were extending this spring, especially if Buck Showalter will keep him in a high position in the order. 
3. Reservation For A Marte Party – Starling Marte was fantastic in his first year in Queens and was an All-Star. But Marte has had a sophomore slump after Core Muscle Surgery this offseason. Marte had a first-half slash line of .256/.309/.336. Here’s a positive on Marte, he is 23-27 in stolen bases. 
4. Youth Gone Wild – Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty were heavily talked about during Spring Training. Despite not making the team right out of Spring Training, both have been positives since being inserted into the lineup. Alvarez coming off a road trip where he homered four times in six games, has had a knack for clutch hits. Baty has also played solid since becoming the full-time third baseman since Eduardo Escobar was traded. The two twenty-somethings have been a bright spot. If other guys in the lineup continue to struggle, will the Mets call up Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio? We’ll have to wait and see. 
5. Home Sweet Home – The Mets are 20-19 at home this season. Last year they won 54 games at home. The Mets will have 42 games at home during the second half, including the first six out of the break against the Dodgers and White Sox. The Mets must take advantage of their home schedule in the second half.