Players of the Week: Nimmo Powers Up, Quintana Delivers on Mound

The Mets’ offense caught fire this week, racking up 67 hits and 41 runs across six road games split between Globe Life Field and Wrigley Field. The team put together another week on the right side of the scorecard with a 4-2 record, elevating their season record to 37-39. They now find themselves within one game of the third wild card spot in the National League heading into the final week of June.

Offensive Player of the Week: Brandon Nimmo

Nimmo has found himself on a power trip, swatting four home runs in his last six games. In those games, he went 9-for-24 (.375 BA) with eight RBIs and nine runs scored and hit five extra-base hits.

His most impressive game came Monday night in the Mets’ 14-2 whomping of the Texas Rangers. Nimmo went 3-for-4 in the game, hitting his first long ball of the week while bringing in four runs. All three hits came with at least one RBI, including two run-scoring singles. On national television Sunday night, Nimmo hit the second of back-to-back jacks after Francisco Lindor homered, with both four-baggers landing in the left-center field seats.

It was a slow start for Nimmo, but he has turned it up in June with 24 hits, the most hits he’s had in a single month this season, boasting a .342 batting average. With Francisco Lindor and J.D. Martinez both having success at the plate, it looks to be rubbing off on Nimmo, who has taken residence between the two in the lineup. The top half is producing at a much more efficient rate than they have for the bulk of the first half of the 2024 season, Nimmo being a big reason why.

Pitcher of the Week: Jose Quintana

Quintana has put up back-to-back stellar starts, earning his second consecutive Metsmerized Pitcher of the Week nomination. Just a few weeks ago, his season had been mostly dark and gloomy, causing many to wonder how much longer he would stay in the rotation or even on the roster. He has bounced back, showing he can be relied upon to produce again.

He recorded his season high in strikeouts with eight across 6 1/3 innings at Wrigley Field in the Mets’ 11-1 victory on Friday, allowing just one unearned run. Over his last 12 1/3 innings, he has combined for 14 strikeouts and three walks while allowing one earned run. He looked extra sharp in a city he is familiar with, playing his first nine seasons with the White Sox, including three and a half seasons with the Cubs.

His ability to pitch deeper into games has been a big help to a Mets team that has featured an up-and-down-performing bullpen. Quintana has always been an important piece to their rotation, otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten the ball on Opening Day. If he can keep up this level of performance the starting rotation is in more than adequate shape heading into the summer.

Honorable Mention: Francisco Álvarez

The impact that Alvarez has had on this Mets team offensively and in his handling of the pitching staff cannot be talked about enough. What might have been seen as more of a coincidental correlation to the team’s success early in the year has proven to be a legitimate cause for the Mets looking like a playoff team. When Alvarez is playing, the Mets win. The Mets have a 20-8 record when Alvarez appears in a game this season, including the abysmal 0-5 start. The Mets have won 9 of 12 games since he returned from the Injured List. While Grimace has certainly added an entertaining aspect to the recent Mets’ run, perhaps it was just a matter of getting back their stud-catcher.

Alvarez’s biggest highlight of the week was his game-tying two-RBI double in the eighth inning that sparked the Mets’ come-from-behind win over the Rangers. The Mets trailed Texas by four runs heading into the sixth inning before going on to win. Alvarez had his fingerprints all over this game, finishing 3-for-4 at the dish.

Alvarez went 11-for-22 (.500 BA) over six games this week, hitting two home runs, three doubles, six RBIs and three runs scored.

Up Next

Look to catch the 7 Line a bit earlier on Tuesday as the Mets will host the Yankees for the first two-game set of the 2024 Subway Series. The Mets will look to ride their hot streak against their crosstown rivals, who just so happen to have the best record across Major League Baseball at 52-28. David Peterson will square off against reigning American League Cy Young award winner Gerrit Cole, who looks to make only his second start of 2024.

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