Players Of The Month: Nimmo, Severino Headline a Red-Hot June
June was quite the month for the surging New York Mets.
Coming hot on the heels of the dark days of May, the Mets finished with the second-best record in baseball in June at an impressive 16-8. Houston claimed the best record thanks to a series victory at Citi Field this past weekend.
Despite ending the month with two tough losses, June was still one for the ages for the Mets. They made up a lot of ground in the wild card race, finishing the month just two games back of the Cardinals for the final wild card spot. Once 11 games under .500, the Mets climbed back to just one game in under four weeks.
Furthermore, New York owned one of the best and most lethal lineups in MLB for much of June, first in a slew of offensive rankings. The ball club was first in batting average (.283), on-base percentage (.358) and OPS (.865). The Mets also blasted the third-most home runs in June (41) and finished the month with the second-highest RBI total (148) in June.
There is no doubt that much of the Mets’ success last month can be attributed to the red-hot offense, which shows no real signs of slowing down. However, some solid pitching also helped. As a result, Brandon Nimmo and Luis Severino are the MMO Players of the Month, with both players enjoying a big June.
Jun 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets center fielder Brandon Nimmo (9) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two run home run to tie the game in the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
HITTER OF THE MONTH
Like the team’s other big hitters, Nimmo struggled mightily for the first couple of months of the year. Through May 30, he owned a .209 average and .721 OPS. It was arguably the worst statistical start of his career. However, as was the case with the rest of the lineup, June brought about better days for Nimmo. The outfielder went on an absolute tear last month, hitting .315/.406/.598/ with a 1.004 OPS. He also hit six doubles, six home runs and one triple with 11 walks, 21 RBIs and 24 runs scored. Furthermore, Nimmo ranked sixth in MLB in runs scored in June, and seventh in RBIs. He also collected his 100th career homer on the final day of June, capping off a big series against the Astros.
Honorable mention to Francisco Alvarez, who was almost unstoppable in June. The catcher returned from the IL and went on an all-time heater, hitting .375/.456/.667 with a 1.123 OPS, three homers, eight walks, five doubles, 12 RBIs and seven runs scored. Alvarez only played 16 games in June, or else he would have won Player of the Month honors.
Jun 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Luis Severino (40) pitches in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Severino went 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA and 1.140 WHIP in June. He struck out 20 and walked just five in 33.1 innings pitched. What was most impressive about Severino’s June was the fact that he was able to give the Mets some much-needed length. He pitched at least six innings in all five of his June starts, including going eight deep against the Nationals. He gave up one earned run or less in three of his five starts while striking out a season-high ten batters against the Cubs.
Adrian Houser gets the honorable mention for pitching in June. The veteran tanked as a starter but has been a revelation in the bullpen for the Mets. He pitched to a stellar 1.08 ERA in 16.2 innings last month. Houser struck out 11 and walked just four batters, allowing three runs (two earned). More importantly, he pitched two or more innings six times in June, giving the bullpen the long man they desperately needed. Talk about a turnaround.
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