inside the mets The Mets remade their defense in the name of ‘run prevention’ — where has it worked and how much? By Mike Puma Published May 15, 2026, 6:40 a.m. ET Bo Bichette makes a throw to first base from shortstop during the Mets' win over the Tigers on May 13, 2026. AP The Mets have shown improvement in run prevention from last season, even if it isn’t always evident to the naked eye.
The Fielding Bible, which ranks teams by defensive runs saved, had the Mets seventh in MLB as Thursday’s play began at plus-13. Last season, the Mets finished 15th at plus-25.
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That said, defensive evaluation remains an inexact science, and if we go position by position (and also consider Statcast metrics), it’s maybe difficult to discern great improvement.
Maybe the biggest overall takeaway is the Mets have stopped playing Mark Vientos at third base (where he was woefully inadequate) and moved him to first, where The Fielding Bible’s metrics have been kind to him.
