Stumped by the NY Mets Starting Lineup? You’re Not Alone!

The phrase "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it" doesn't apply when discussing tonight’s New York Mets starting lineup. Spectators were puzzled to find Luisangel Acuna sitting out and Starling Marte serving as the designated hitter with a slot at bat fourth. Despite securing a slim win against the Arizona Diamondbacks thanks largely to Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso’s offensive efforts, this did not prompt significant alterations to the team composition. Instead, the sole modification involves shifting McNeil up one position in the batting order and lowering Francisco Alvarez’s place within it.

Fans are primarily frustrated by Acuna's ongoing absence from the daily lineup at second base. As the April NL Rookie of the Month, they have been both thrilling and effective. Given that Jesse Winker won’t play either, this opens up additional opportunities for them to push McNeil into the starting position. Why not consider having him start in left field with Brandon Nimmo taking over designated hitter duties instead? Ultimately, since Marte continues to be among the less proficient batters on the team and bats clean-up, it only amplifies the puzzling nature of these choices.

Why exactly is Starling Marte once again serving as the designated hitter and batting fourth for the Mets?

Marte has shown improvement when facing right-handed pitchers this year, though his overall performance remains weak; he is batting just .195 with an on-base percentage of .306 and a slugging average of .317 across 49 plate appearances. Typically consistent in where he prefers to bat within the lineup, Marte has received four opportunities to fill the cleanup role for the Mets this season. However, these attempts have yielded very poor outcomes as evidenced by his record of two hits out of sixteen at-bats.

He hasn't performed any better when hitting fifth. In that position in the lineup, Marte has hit only one out of his last 25 at-bats. Conversely, placing him sixth seems more suitable; there he has managed seven hits out of his past 15 attempts.

Without Winker, the Mets haven't rushed to provide Brett Baty with a chance, and they also aren't making use of McNeil’s ability to play multiple defensive positions. This presents an ideal scenario for giving Nimmo or Soto some rest and putting forth the strongest possible lineup on both offense and defense.

Marte's fatigue doesn't seem to dissipate anytime soon. It appears that despite his recent struggles which led his batting average to drop to .167 on April 15th and fluctuate slightly before returning to this mark until scoring two hits on Sunday, he stands as the epitome of disappointment for 2025. His sole defensive appearance lasting five innings further highlights his shortcomings as an all-around player. This does not mean people look forward to seeing him take the field; during his time playing defense last year, he ranked among the poorest defenders in Major League Baseball.

Choices such as these often result in an all-or-nothing scenario with fans feeling either vindicated in their skepticism or delightedly surprised. It’s puzzling to have Marte batting fourth, particularly consecutively, considering his lack of success in that position. Currently shorthanded, the role of the cleanup batter should be reserved exclusively for Nimmo against right-handed pitchers from opposing teams. When facing a left-hander, however, Mark Vientos ought to step into that slot. Allow Marte to face later batters where he has shown more proficiency.

The article was initially posted on risingapple.com. It’s understandable to feel confused by the New York Mets' starting lineup decisions. .