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The New York Mets are struggling with the worst record in the National League, largely due to offensive issues. Bo Bichette's recent knee injury has compounded the team's problems after high expectations for his performance.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 08: Bo Bichette #19 of the New York Mets looks on during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field on April 08, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)
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The New York Mets are perhaps baseballās most disappointing team to open the season, after an offseason of star acquisitions has resulted in the National Leagueās worst record going into Friday.
And while there is plenty of blame to go around, one of the biggest issues has been the teamās offensive ineptitude. Fans might have expected better from new third baseman Bo Bichette, in particular, after he served as Major League Baseballās hits leaders with the Toronto Blue Jays last year before going down with a knee injury.
Bichette is slashing just .228/.271/.304 with a single home run in his Mets tenure, and experts are flagging some advanced analytics to suggest he still hasnāt fully recovered from that injury.
Bo Bichette's expected contribution has been hindered by a knee injury, significantly affecting the Mets' offensive output.
The Mets have the worst record in the National League despite offseason star acquisitions, primarily due to their offensive struggles.
Before his injury, Bo Bichette was a leader in hits in Major League Baseball while playing for the Toronto Blue Jays.
As of now, the New York Mets hold the worst record in the National League, indicating a challenging start to the season.
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āAccording to Baseball Savant, Bichetteās sprint speed is down to 25.4 ft/sec this season, which is quite slow,ā Pat Ragazzo noted for New York Mets On SI. āBichette's sprint speed was 26.1 ft/sec last year in the regular season before he injured his knee in September. Upon returning for the World Series in October, Bichette's sprint speed was 24.0 ft/sec and he averaged 23.2 ft/sec on base-to-base sprints.ā
Ragazzo reported that a National League scout told him Bichette did not appear to be healthy in his start to this season.
And MLB.comās Mark Feisand reported that at least one National League executive agrees, adding that Bichetteās bat speed seems to have suffered as well.
ā(Bichetteās) sprint speed is down,ā the executive said, according to Feinsand. āAnd even accounting for his injury, it still seems off. Heās never been a bat-speed guy, but heās even down a tick from last year there. Heās not barreling balls at all, and his swing decisions have been even poorer than usual.ā
Facing multiple issues at the plate, Bichette has not quite lived up to his three-year, $126 million contract. But fans might take some solace in the fact that Bichetteās problems can be explained by the lingering injury, which should heal in time and allow the infielder to get back to his best self at the plate.
āA 7-12 start is by no means a death sentence when it comes to reaching the postseason,ā Feinsand added. āJust last year, the (Cincinnati) Reds reached October with just 83 wins, while in 2023 the D-backs reached the World Series in a year in which they won 84 games.ā
Bichette might be carrying some unwanted baggage from his final season with the Blue Jays into his debut with the Mets, but thereās still plenty of time for him and his new team to turn things around.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com