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NEW YORK METS
New York Mets

Mets owner Steve Cohen takes a swing at hitters: Is it too late to save their season?

Justin Toscano
MLB Writer

The New York Mets are on the ropes. They're hanging off the cliff, with fewer fingers hanging on by the day. They're on the brink of massive disappointment, if they haven't already reached that point. 

And now, their boss is as unhappy as can be.

With the Mets trying to save their season, owner Steve Cohen on Wednesday morning took a swing at the hitters with perhaps his most honest and unfiltered tweet. 

"It's hard to understand how professional hitters can be this unproductive," Cohen tweeted. "The best teams have a more disciplined approach. The slugging and OPS numbers don't lie."

The Mets on Tuesday lost a season-worst fifth consecutive game when they dropped a 3-2 decision to the Giants in San Francisco. They are now 0-5 to begin a 13-game stretch against the Dodgers and Giants. Provided an opportunity to prove they can hang with two of the best teams in the league, the Mets have not capitalized. 

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It could end their season if they don't turn it around. They're  4 ½ games back of the first-place Atlanta Braves entering Wednesday. They are 59-60, which marks their first sub-500 record since May 5. 

Cohen's tweet could do one of two things: Light a fire under the lineup or piss off his players. If it's the second one, manager Luis Rojas' job just became tougher with one tweet. 

To give credit where it's due, Cohen has seemingly connected with Mets players since purchasing the team last November. He called many of them after the sale, reached out to free agent signings, showed up at spring training to chat with them and has told them he's on their side. Two weeks ago in Philadelphia, he visited them in the clubhouse an hour before the game with a message that Pete Alonso described as "onward and upward."

But in under 280 characters on Twitter, he made his hitters look bad. Embarrassed them. While what he said was true — and most fans may appreciate the honesty — the players are the ones working every day to sort out the issues. Have they posted the results? No. But Cohen's tweet could be viewed by some as the billionaire boss publicly attacking the employees doing the actual work. 

The Mets had all the time in the world to run away with this division. Now, their competitors might be leaving them in the dust for good. 

Enough of this, though. If you're a fan, you know the situation. You're probably frustrated. 

Mets' Kevin Pillar after striking out against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning of a game on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

How can the Mets stop their slide? 

The offense needs to show up. Plain and simple. This is the solution. 

The rotation is without Jacob deGrom, and Carlos Carrasco hasn't yet performed up to par. The bullpen has, for the most part, done a fine job. 

It's the offense's turn to pick up the rest of the team. 

The issue: The Mets, who only score 3.78 runs per game, aren't hitting well with runners in scoring position, and they're not hitting for power. 

Entering Tuesday, the Mets were 24th in the majors with a .239 team batting average with runners in scoring position. Their .698 on-base plus slugging percentage in those spots ranked 25th. This is before they went 1-for-5 with men in scoring position in Tuesday's loss. At one point over the last few days, the Mets were 0-for-their-last-28 with runners in scoring position. 

When the Mets do hit, it doesn't seem to be for power. Their .693 OPS ranks 24th in the sport. Their .380 slugging percentage checked in at 27th and, in that category, they're only better than the cellar-dwelling Arizona, Miami, Texas and Pittsburgh clubs. The Mets have only hit 125 home runs, which ranks 26th in baseball. 

Another telling offensive stat: The Mets are 25th in exit velocity, according to Baseball Savant. Exit velocity is, in the simplest terms, how hard the ball is hit. The Mets simply aren't hitting balls hard enough. 

Yes, they have dealt with tons of injuries this season. 

But these figures are terribly disappointing for a lineup that entered the season with Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto and others with track records.

The Mets might need to improve their approach. This is difficult to say because none of us are behind the scenes, but their offense has produced a few discouraging numbers. 

Entering Tuesday, the Mets were tied for the seventh-highest chase rate in baseball, according to FanGraphs. As a team, they were swinging at 32.7 percent of pitches outside of the zone. They sit in the middle of the pack in strikeout rate. 

Manager Luis Rojas has lamented his club's "fastball mentality." It's clear the Mets aren't hitting the pitch as well as they should. In recent weeks, Rojas has talked about how his hitters almost need to sit fastball and then adjust to whatever else comes. 

The Mets need to hit balls harder and strike out less, which could become a product of hitting fastballs better and more regularly. They've got to gain the ability to hang crooked numbers or they won't survive against good teams like the Dodgers and Giants. 

Alonso has 26 home runs, but can't carry the offense alone. The Mets need more from Jeff McNeil (only six homers and a .697 OPS) and Dominic Smith (hasn't homered since July 31, though his recent batting average is good). Conforto appears to be coming around, but the Mets must hope it's not too little, too late. And of course, Francisco Lindor — batting .228 with a .702 OPS this season — must hit much better when he returns from the injured list. 

It hasn't helped that the catchers, James McCann and Tomás Nido, have not produced much offensively. They aren't playing for their offensive strengths, but the Mets could use more from them. 

To be clear: This probably isn't for lack of effort. The Mets seem to work hard, from Rojas to hitting coaches Hugh Quattlebaum and Kevin Howard to the players. They seem to be hunting for the same answers we are regarding this team. They try hard every day. 

Something just isn't clicking. 

The Mets' pitching has carried their offense for most of the season. The club improved its defense from previous seasons. 

It's the offense's turn to prove it can reach the high expectations it faced entering this season. 

The Mets are collapsing. They have lost three of five games in this losing streak by a run — two in 10 innings — and while that could be viewed as encouraging, losses are losses.

We are a couple weeks away from September and this slump is jeopardizing the Mets' postseason chances. 

Will this freefall doom the Mets' 2021 season? 

That's up to their offense. 

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