As part of our regular season coverage here at Metstradamus, I hand out a Met of the Month award for who the best New York Mets player was over the course of the previous calendar month. The shortened season means that there were really only two of these up for grabs, making the first one count for the action in July and August. There were some strong contenders, including Jacob deGrom (2-1, 1.76 ERA), Robinson Cano (.375, 6 HR, 17 RBI) and Michael Conforto (.317/5/17). In the end, however, the first Met of the Month for 2020 goes to Dominic Smith.
Over the Mets’ first 35 games, Smith hit .326 while leading the team in home runs (7) and RBI’s (26). Those figures are very impressive when you consider the fact that Smith barely played for the first two weeks of the season as the Mets struggled to find playing time for him. Yoenis Cespedes’ decision to opt-out of the season opened up regular at-bats for Smith, and he has taken advantage of the opportunity to become a dependable presence in the lineup.
Smith’s ascension has been very valuable for the Mets as guys like Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil go through sophomore slumps. The Mets have also rallied around Smith throughout the course of the season as he has become the true heart of the team. Smith has a chance to really make a bid for regular playing time again next season and his strong start to the year makes him the first Met of the Month for the 2020 season.
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