Tuesday, October 20

Welcome back to the Mets Beat newsletter! Anthony DiComo has covered the Mets for MLB.com since 2007, including the past 17 seasons full-time on the beat.

ATLANTA -- From the moment A.J. Ewing entered the big leagues, it seemed inevitable that his blend of speed and plate discipline would inevitably result in him becoming the Mets’ leadoff man. 

The coronation happened without much fanfare Friday at Truist Park, where Ewing bumped up to the top spot of the lineup, supplanting Carson Benge. In the eyes of Mets officials, Ewing has the potential to stay there for years. Interim manager Andy Green, who oversaw most of Ewing’s development from 2023 fourth-round Draft pick to 2026 leadoff hitter, trusted Ewing with the role this quickly due to his performance against right-handed pitching. 

• Mets phenom scoffs at power grade, goes 405 feet for 1st HR

“When you step back and take a look at what he’s done in a short stint in the big leagues, he’s putting up a .380, .390 on-base percentage against right-handed pitching -- that is incredibly rare for a rookie,” Green said. “[The role] fits his long-term skill set. It’s [his] speed, he sees pitches, grinds out at-bats, shoots the ball around the yard. And it also fits Carson to be a middle-of-the-order type of guy.” 

Green went on to call Ewing’s package of abilities “a very top-of-the-order type skill set,” which is precisely what made him a Top 100 prospect before breaking into the big leagues. As a regular leadoff hitter in the Minors, Ewing produced a career on-base percentage of .392 with 101 steals in 251 games. While he hasn’t been quite that successful so far as a big leaguer, Ewing -- still more than a month shy of his 22nd birthday -- has consistently flashed those same capabilities. 

So when Green told Ewing he would become the Mets’ leadoff man against right-handed pitchers, his message to the rookie was simple: “Don’t change.” 

“I think I see a lot of pitches no matter where I’m at,” Ewing said. “I don’t think that where I’m hitting is necessarily going to change my approach. But I’m comfortable being at the top of the order, and I’m excited for that.” 

For now, the Mets will roll with Ewing as their regular leadoff hitter against right-handed pitchers, while subbing Francisco Lindor into that spot against lefties. (Since the time of the decision, the Mets have only faced one right-handed starter, but Ewing should lead off for at least four consecutive games this week.) Given how rapidly the Mets have fallen out of realistic playoff contention, they can afford to be patient with Ewing as he perfects the nuances of batting first at the Major League level.

“We’d love to give him some time to adjust to that spot,” Green said. “He doesn’t complicate life too much. He’s just going to step up and have his at-bat, and his at-bat profiles really nicely in that spot.” 

In the third inning of 2015 World Series Game 3, Curtis Granderson’s go-ahead, two-run homer gave the Mets a lead they would never relinquish. Who scored the tying run on that play? 

A)Michael Conforto

B)Travis d’Arnaud

C)Wilmer Flores

D)Noah Syndergaard

Each of Juan Soto’s two Home Run Derby appearances have been memorable. In 2021, a 22-year-old Soto clubbed 31 homers in the first round to shock top seed Shohei Ohtani, before bowing out against eventual winner Pete Alonso. A year later, Soto won all three of his matchups by a single homer to take the title. 

He hasn’t been back since. Yet when asked about the Derby after making his fifth career All-Star team last weekend, Soto spoke like a man seriously considering it. 

“I’ve definitely been thinking about it,” Soto said. “We’re still thinking. Philadelphia, it seems like it’s going to be fun. But I will see. I will see.” 

Asked what will factor into his decision process, Soto replied: “I’ve got to check where my body’s at, how much I need as recovery to be ready for the second half. Definitely, we’ve got to think on everything. We’ve got to think on every situation, and we’ll go from there.” 

Since Soto’s first full campaign in 2019, only five players -- Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Alonso, Ohtani and Matt Olson -- have more regular-season home runs than him. Although Soto doesn’t currently rank in the Top 20 in the Majors in homers, that’s partially due to the calf strain that cost him two and a half weeks in April. Since mid-May, he has mostly kept pace with the league leaders. 

Opponents aside, Soto is right to be intrigued by Citizens Bank Park. He’s gone deep 18 times with a 1.125 OPS over 48 regular-season games there, to go along with two homers in three playoff appearances in Philadelphia. 

One of the coolest events each summer at Citi Field is the Battle of the Badges, a charity baseball game between the FDNY and NYPD. This year’s event will take place on Aug. 19, following the Mets’ 1:10 p.m. ET game against the Padres. Tickets are available at Mets.com/BattleOfTheBadges, with $5 from each one benefiting FDNY and NYPD charities. 

“The Battle of the Badges game gives each of us an opportunity to say thank you to the unsung heroes of our community,” said former Mets captain David Wright, who will host the proceedings for the third consecutive year. “While most of us would run away from trouble, these brave and heroic men and women run towards it. I can’t think of a more worthy cause than to come together to celebrate New York’s Finest and Bravest while raising money for their charities.” 

• Love him or hate him, you must admit that Kodai Senga is fascinating. Just when Senga seemed at risk of falling out of the Mets’ pitching plans forever, he responded with two sharp relief outings to keep himself in the conversation. It remains to be seen if Senga will ever make it back to New York’s rotation, but as long as he’s throwing in the upper 90s and focusing on his fastball-forkball combo, Senga figures to continue receiving chances. 

D) Syndergaard

The Mets’ starting pitcher in Game 3, Syndergaard singled to lead off the third inning, setting the table for Granderson’s go-ahead homer. 

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