Michael Cuddyer has admitted himself he hasn’t performed well to this point in the season.
Coming into Friday’s game against the Brewers, He had just eight extra-base hits in 33 games, was hitting .233/.298/.358 and hadn’t had an extra-base hit since April 29 against the Marlins, a span of 12 games. And during those 12 games, he was hitting just .209/.277/.556 with 11 strikeouts in 47 plate appearances.
It’s especially hurt considering the Mets have been without two key bats in Travis d’Arnaud and David Wright for the bulk of the season to date.The Mets had counted on guys like Cuddyer to step up in their absence, and he simply had not done so for the most part.
Cuddyer has seen a lot of pitches outside the strike zone, presumably because he has minimal protection around him in the lineup. The problem is, he’s swinging at way too many of those pitches. As a result, his swing rate is up from last year to 12 percent (and is currently pacing towards a career-high), and his contact rate is way down. That would help explain the uptick in strikeouts and the overall lack of productivity, particularly with runners in scoring position – he only has one extra-base hit this year with runners in scoring position with 12 strikeouts (.229/.357/.257 overall).
On Thursday, after the Mets miserable series against the Cubs in Chicago, Terry Collins called upon Cuddyer among those who must step up now.
“To be honest, that’s why some of those big guys are out there,” Collins said on Thursday. “This is when they need to step up. This is when the Michael Cuddyers and the [Daniel] Murphys need to step up to where all that leadership we talked about, this is the time we need it most.”
But, perhaps the tide is starting to turn for the 15-year veteran.
While it’s a small sample size, Cuddyer showed signs this weekend he could be breaking out of his daze at the plate. He went 4-for-12 in the team’s three-game series against the Brewers and recorded that elusive extra-base hit during Saturday’s 14-1 win over the Marlins. He scored two runs and drove in four, while striking out three times.
The Mets need both Wright and d’Arnaud to return. There’s no debating that. But they’re not going to come back here with any magic potions. Eventually, the Mets need Cuddyer to show the consistency he showed this weekend against Milwaukee. Otherwise, teams won’t have any reason to pitch to Wright in particular when he does eventually return.
Just Mets 