Amed Rosario is well ahead of schedule.
Breaking open Wednesday’s 7-0 win over the Giants with a three-run homer, the Mets shortstop hit his seventh home run of the season. Last year, Rosario didn’t hit his seventh home run until Aug. 25 (122nd game).
“We know he’s got very good power. It’s starting to really come along,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “He’s got a chance to have 20-plus home run season. I think he’s probably even capable of more of that, just from a raw power side. This approach is allowing him to square the ball up a little bit more and hit the ball out of the park.”
With two on, and the Mets leading 2-0 in the fourth inning, Rosario took a 3-1 fastball from Tyler Beede to right center field. It traveled 417 feet and had an exit velocity of 105.9 mph.
After hitting just nine home runs in his first full season, the 23-year-old said his altered approach to drive to the the opposite field has dramatically improved his confidence.
“That’s where my approach lies every time I go up to bat. I think that’s what I’ve been doing very well this year,” Rosario said. “I think I’ve been able to use the whole field. It’s also helped me with my control of the strike zone. I just let the ball get a little bit deeper so I can take advantage of the whole field.”
In the second game back from a hamstring injury which kept him out 12 games, Jeff McNeil went 3-for-5 with a run scored, opening the game with a hit for the second straight night. McNeil leads the Mets with 19 multi-hit games this season, and 13 career three-hit games, marking the most in franchise history through 111 games.
“He just rakes. He’s a pure hitter,” Callaway said. “He comes in, didn’t go on a rehab assignment, hadn’t faced live pitching, and he has [four] hits already in two games. It’s a special bat.”
Michael Conforto went 1-for-3 with two RBIs, hitting his 11th home run of the season, and adding a sacrifice fly. Before leading off the fourth with a homer, Conforto had gone 6-for-37 since returning from a concussion.
Aaron Altherr was designated for assignment. The 28-year-old outfielder appeared in six games, batting .100 (1-for-10) with six strikeouts.
