A week ago, the first Metro Series race of the year was shaping up to be a snoozefest. Or at least a potential coup de grace.
The New York Yankees, owners of the best record in the American League, are riding high after another series victory. Aaron Judge on one of his heaters. Ben Rice looks like an MVP candidate. A rotation of different makers led to one high-quality start after another. Even the last-place teams seem to be heating up from a slow start. Ask someone on the Yankees about their clubs and their eyes will widen and a knowing smile will appear on their face.
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Meanwhile, things are not going well for the New York Mets. When play began on May 8, the Mets were 14-23, tied for last in all of baseball. Their roster itself is a pathetic excuse, an ugly hodgepodge of underperforming youth and washed-up veterans. It doesn’t help that New York obviously has multiple injury-prone players injured. Juan Soto’s style and a much-improved run defense weren’t enough to overcome the Mets’ offensive woes.
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Things were so dire and the fanbase so agitated that president of baseball operations David Stearns had to publicly reiterate that no, he was not planning to fire manager Carlos Mendoza. In some ways, the Mets trusted the process, but in truth, they had no choice.
Oh, what a difference a week makes.
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Suddenly, the Mets were energized by a home sweep of the Detroit Tigers. Their cross-division rivals, on the other hand, have now lost five of their last six games and are two games behind the high-flying Tampa Bay Rays in the AFC East.
These recent events make this weekend even more enticing. A sweep by the Yankees would get their strong start back on track while sending the Mets back into despair. On the other hand, a Mets sweep would be a sure sign of a rebound and add to the turmoil in the Bronx.
For Yankees, given their continuity, many of the characters are the same as past Metro series. The same cannot be said for the Mets, who replaced half their roster last winter. As always, the players will define this series, so let’s take a look at five names that are sure to determine the course of the game.
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Juan Soto – Mets outfielder
Remember when Juan Soto was a Yankee all season? A drunk guy wearing pinstripes is sure to do that. Even though this weekend’s game will be at Citi Field, the Yankees faithful are sure to give it their all.
The man himself has had a somewhat strange start to the season. He started the game in typical Soto fashion but was injured on April 6 against a calf strain at Illinois. The Mets nearly collapsed in his absence. While things have improved since the club’s return on April 22, Soto himself has posted a relatively uninspiring .221/.333/.412 batting line in 81 games. He exited Wednesday’s game early with a foul ball on his ankle, but started and homered Thursday.
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With Bo Bichette still in a huge slump and Illinois having so many Mets regulars, the weight will once again fall on Soto’s well-paid shoulders. He’s faced moments like this many times throughout his career.
Cam Schlitler — Yankees starting pitcher
New York’s 25-year-old Beanstalk is the biggest pitching breakthrough of the season. Schlitler posted a 1.35 ERA in 53 1/3 plate appearances in nine starts and had more than one strikeout per inning. Most importantly, he fills a huge early-season void for the Yankees, who are still awaiting the return of Gerrit Cole and just signed Carlos Rodon out of Illinois. Max Fried left Wednesday’s game early with elbow soreness, and the team is keeping a close eye on his situation. Schlitler had an amazing season last season, capping off his rookie season with a memorable, dominant performance in the wild-card game against the Red Sox. Yet, this guy has somehow gotten better; there’s a good chance he’ll start the All-Star Game.
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But with Schlitler making his debut two games into the 2025 Metro Series, he still hasn’t had a stellar performance against the Mets. Schlitler is a hyper-confident guy who can occasionally be a troublemaker for Schlitt, and he’ll certainly benefit a lot in Queens’ road games. He’ll be a staple of this rivalry for years to come, which means his start Friday night could be the start of an unforgettable era.
Carson Benge — Mets outfielder
This will also be the first Metro Series game for Benji, a rookie who made the big league club debut out of spring training a few months ago. Although the 23-year-old is widely regarded as the club’s best batting prospect, he got off to a rather slow start after taking the field on the opening day. Neither Benji nor the Mets front office moved an inch during these melees. Benji continued to work hard and the club continued to deliver this talented young man.
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That call has paid off. The Oklahoma State product has been one of New York’s best hitters since April 23, posting a .333/.375/.875 line in 64 games. That’s what newbies do sometimes. Even the most talented players need an adjustment period to get used to major league pitching. But when it clicks, it can click big. That seems to be what happened to Benji, who was recently promoted to the lead.
This guy shouldn’t even be here.
Volpe, the Yankees’ everyday shortstop the past three seasons, was optioned to Triple-A Scranton on May 3 after completing his rehab from offseason shoulder surgery. But the 25-year-old didn’t even last two weeks of serious minor league action, as he was recalled from the 10-day IL earlier this week after his replacement, Jose Caballero, suffered a broken finger.
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The former top prospect and childhood Yankees fan didn’t make any noise in his first game back, going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts on Wednesday. But he does have a chance to reset his season as the Yankees travel to Queens for three high-stakes games. Mets fans will certainly let Volp hear this; his struggles are their punchline. However, a big weekend against a strong opponent will provide a huge confidence boost for players who desperately need it.
AJ Ewing — Mets centerfielder
Oh my god, the sparkle!
Ewing has provided much-needed momentum in three games since making his MLB debut on Tuesday. The former fourth-round draft pick won’t single-handedly turn around the Mets’ season, although it certainly felt that way at some points in the Detroit series. That’s because the 21-year-old Ohio native has traits in his game that the Mets are sorely lacking.
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He’s a burner, a spark plug, a high-energy catalyst who uses his legs to make things happen. Ewing stole 70 sacks in the minor leagues last season and has already stolen one (and three times more) in his brief major league career. With Luis Robert Jr. stuck in Illinois and a vague schedule, Ewing looks poised to become New York’s everyday midfielder. For neutral viewers, this is good news. This kid is electric, a retro slash dash type that sprays the ball across the diamond. Ewing has already endeared himself to the Mets faithful with an impactful first series, but he could be in for some clutch at-bats against the Yankees.
Ben Rice — Yankees first baseman
This is Aaron Judge’s ninth full campaign in pinstripes. He was New York’s best offensive player that year. But every season, Judge has a different top partner. There was Gleyber Torres’ year, Gary Sanchez’s year, DJ LeMahieu’s year, and of course Juan Soto’s year. This season, that role will be filled by Rice, whose offensive breakthrough is one of the greatest stories in the sport.
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In 39 games, the former Dartmouth star hit 13 home runs and led the league with 29 runs batted in with a 1.079 OPS. Basic statistics support the legitimacy of Rice’s offensive outburst. It looks real, very real.
But Rice missed four games last week with a hand injury, although the issue was not serious enough to play at Illinois. Since returning to the lineup, the first baseman has gone just 3-for-24 with just two walks and nine punches in six starts, easily his worst mini-slump of the season. Rice did perform well in Monday’s series opener against Baltimore, but it’ll be worth keeping an eye on to see if he’s truly healthy again.