Mets Stars Claims High Rankings In Top 10 Right Now
The New York Mets had four players — including a pair in transition — at the conclusion of MLB.com and MLB Network’s Top 10 Right Now series.
Those two players in transition are closer Edwin Díaz and first baseman Pete Alonso.
Díaz missed all of last season due to a knee injury he suffered during a celebration at the World Baseball Classic. Going into last season, he was ranked as the game’s top reliever after a 2022 in which he became a sensation after he passed 200 career saves and signed a new five-year deal.
Going into 2024 he’s ranked No. 6, reflecting the quality of his work even though he didn’t play last season. Milwaukee’s Devin Williams was ranked No. 1.
Alonso was ranked No. 6 at first base. He was ranked No. 5 at the position last year.
He has been one of the game’s top power hitters in his first five seasons in the Majors. But, entering his final year of arbitration, he’s agreed to a $22 million contract and can become a free agent after the season. It’s not clear if president of baseball operations David Stearns will negotiate an extension, trade him to get value for him or allow him to hit the free market.
The other two Mets were named No. 2 at their positions.
Francisco Lindor was the second-ranked shortstop, behind only Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager. Lindor was ranked No. 5 last season. While he missed out on a Gold Glove last season, he did win a Silver Slugger for the third time in his career.
Brandon Nimmo was second in left field, even though he was ranked No. 4 in center field a year ago. With the shake-up in the Mets’ outfield, there seems to be an expectation he will play in left. The only player ahead of him was Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, who actually played more games at designated hitter than in the outfield in 2023.
The rankings were based on data collected by the MLB Network research team. The rankings were based on past player performance, a number of offensive and defensive metrics, both advanced data and traditional numbers.
