Breakout rookie Pete Alonso is the Mets’ leader in RBIs through practically a quarter of the season, but the man right behind him in that category might be even more of a pleasant surprise.
Amed Rosario’s defense has been shaky this season, but the third-year shortstop has emerged as a productive offensive contributor wherever he’s been used in Mickey Callaway’s lineup, with 24 RBIs and a team-best .359 batting average with runners in scoring position through the Mets’ first 39 games.
“Oh yeah, he’s been swinging the bat really well,” Callaway said after Sunday’s game against Miami was rained out. “He hit the big grand slam the other day (in Friday’s 11-2 win over the Marlins). I think his approach at the plate has been pretty consistent all season.”
The 23-year-old Rosario carries a seven-game hitting streak into Tuesday’s visit to Washington, and he’s now hit safely in 21 of his last 23 games since April 13 to push his overall average to .278 with a .739 OPS, a sizable jump from the .674 he posted over his first two seasons.
“I think the funny thing about Rosario is he stays in that .260 to .270 range, and you don’t see tons of games where he gets multiple hits,” Callaway said. “It’s like he gets one a night, one a night, one a night. And then lately we’ve been seeing him break out and getting a little bit more of those multiple-hit games, which is very encouraging. It’s nice to see that consistent performer that’s getting that one ‘on-base’ or that one hit a night, but start realizing that he’s capable of a little bit more.”
Rosario certainly is capable of more defensively; his 10 errors leave him behind only Seattle’s Tim Beckham (11 through Saturday) for the most by a shortstop in MLB this season. But his improvement at the plate continues to open eyes, prompting Callaway to feel comfortable moving him around the lineup. Rosario has started 23 games in the seventh spot in the order, but he’s also batted first, second, sixth and eighth this season.
“If he can get on base twice [in a game], that’s not bad. That’s fun to see, because that just tells me that he’s maturing, he understands that, ‘I can go up there every at-bat and grind away,’” Callaway said. “The other day when he hit the grand slam, the next at-bat I think he struck out on three pitches, and he didn’t look quite as locked in.
“That’s just still a young kid trying to get through a season. He’s slowly understanding what it takes to hit is to grind out every single at-bat and give yourself the best chance to continue to get on base. Even if you got on base your first time, you’re going to have three more at-bats. Go get on base the second time, go get on base the third time. I think he’s really starting to understand that, and we’ve seen more success lately because of that.”