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It’s been a long and trying season for the\u00a0<\/span>New York Mets<\/span><\/a>. Expectations of a World Series getting blown up in smoke, and the team is now in a different position than they imagined they would be. If you were to tell the Mets they would be out of contention in the middle of August with the\u00a0<\/span>Atlanta Braves\u00a0<\/span><\/a>coming to town, they wouldn’t believe you. Now, the Mets, after selling off the season along with two future Hall of Fame pitchers traded, are in a bit of a rebuild. Too many things led to this. Bad management, inconsistent pitching and offense, lousy defense, and errors. You name it. However, through all the bad, there is some good. So, let’s look at some of the notable positives of this Mets season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Let’s start with the best free agent acquisition New York made in the offseason, Kodai Senga. They brought him in as the third starter after Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Eventually, when their times as Mets were done, he would take over as the staff’s ace. Sports, and especially baseball, make their own rules. Verlander would miss the season’s first month with an injury, and Scherzer struggled out of the gate. Leaving Senga to carry a floundering rotation also saw Tylor Megill, Carlos Carrasco, and David Peterson struggle. Senga has proven to be up to the challenge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n In 21 starts, Senga is 8-6 with a 3.24 ERA with 142 strikeouts in 116 innings pitched. His 142 strikeouts brought stability and consistency in his first year as a Met. The ghost fork pitch has taken the league by storm and is almost unhittable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n NL ERA leaders among starters:Three Positive Takeaways of the 2023 Mets<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
Kodai Senga<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
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1. Blake Snell (2.61)
2. Justin Steele (2.68)
3. KODAI SENGA (3.24) pic.twitter.com\/7vO8ZVs6NA<\/a><\/p>\r\n\u2014 SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 8, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n