NEW YORK \u2014 He makes no excuses. There are no excuses. Not when you\u2019re healthy and newly minted with a three-year, $126 million contract.<\/p>\n
Yet, New York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette stands as the latest example of the difficulties that free agents sometimes face when changing teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of things I didn\u2019t anticipate,\u201d Bichette said. \u201cJust dealing with everything. New teammates. New organization. Staff. New fan base. Just everything, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Mets, pummeled by one injury after another, are playing better. Their come-from-behind, 7-6 victory Sunday over the New York Yankees in 10 innings left them with a surprising series triumph over their crosstown rivals, a 5-1 homestand and a 10-5 record in May.<\/p>\n
Bichette, though, continues to stumble. His ninth-inning single Sunday enabled Tyrone Taylor\u2019s two-out, three-run homer to tie the score. But prior to that, he went 0-for-4 and failed to catch a potential inning-ending popup in the sixth that extended the Yankees\u2019 lead to 5-1.<\/p>\n
He is batting .210 with a .531 OPS, the fifth-worst mark in the league. He has only seven extra-base hits and none in 61 at-bats since April 28. This, from a player who finished last season with 63 extra-base hits, starred offensively in the World Series and played a new position, second base, after missing nearly six weeks with a sprained left knee.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s been the toughest stretch of my career,\u201d Bichette said. \u201cBut it\u2019s up there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bichette, 28, isn\u2019t the only nine-figure, free-agent hitter performing below expectations. The Los Angeles Dodgers\u2019 Kyle Tucker and Chicago Cubs\u2019 Alex Bregman also have struggled. The Baltimore Orioles\u2019 Pete Alonso, while better in May, remains below his career norms. The Philadelphia Phillies\u2019 Kyle Schwarber and Yankees\u2019 Cody Bellinger, on the other hand, are pretty much playing the way they usually do.<\/p>\n
What do they have in common? They didn\u2019t change teams.<\/p>\n
One executive says teams that sign big-money free agents should anticipate paying a \u201ctax\u201d in the early months of the deal, not financially, but in the player\u2019s statistics. For players coming to New York, the tax often is even higher. Bichette, rarely jeered during his seven years in Toronto, heard boos in his very first series at Citi Field.<\/p>\n
Still, he\u2019s better than this. Everyone knows he\u2019s better than this. So what gives?<\/p>\n
Some theories:<\/p>\n
Bichette is pressing<\/p>\n
Well, sure. Players who change teams naturally want to succeed as quickly as possible. Players who change teams on big contracts want to justify the money. And players who change teams on big contracts, then find themselves playing for a struggling club beset with numerous injuries, are even more desperate to make an impact.<\/p>\n
Bichette fits all of those descriptions.<\/p>\n
The Mets were without Juan Soto early. They\u2019re currently without shortstop Francisco Lindor, first baseman Jorge Polanco, center fielder Luis Robert Jr. and catcher Francisco Alvarez, nearly half their projected lineup.<\/p>\n
Two of their current regulars are rookie outfielders Carson Benge, who began last season at High A, and A.J. Ewing, who started it at Low A.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing on a new team, I just want to help the team, first off,\u201d Bichette said. \u201cBut I think naturally I want to impress people and show people what I can do. Not being able to do that is tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bichette is unlucky<\/p>\n
No one would dispute that point. Bichette, based on his expected stats, is among the most unlucky hitters in the league.<\/p>\n
Entering Sunday, the 67-point drop from Bichette\u2019s .277 expected batting average to his actual .210 mark was the fifth largest in the league among hitters with a minimum of 150 plate appearances. The 127 point drop from his expected .398 slugging percentage to his actual .271 mark was the second largest.<\/p>\n
Sports Info Solutions offers another way to measure Bichette\u2019s poor luck, citing the number of Good Fielding Plays against him. As SIS\u2019 Mark Simon wrote<\/a>, \u201cGood Fielding Plays vary in nature but share the common thread of a play requiring extra effort that netted a positive consequence.\u201d<\/p>\n Entering Sunday, Bichette led the majors with 14 such plays against him. He had only eight all of last season.<\/p>\n Players crave positive results. When those results are elusive, it can damage their confidence, compel them to try even harder, make matters worse.<\/p>\n Bichette might not know all of the numbers, but he\u2019s aware of his general misfortune. Asked if it bothers him, he said, \u201cI think recently more so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEarly on, I was able to keep it in pretty good perspective, that it\u2019s just how the game goes,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the end of the day, the luck is the luck. I definitely haven\u2019t put my \u2018A\u2019 at-bats every single day, every single pitch. I can be better.\u201d<\/p>\n