Stars took the light

Juan Soto's return let the Mets see Soto, Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette click together. That trio has owned the late-season spotlight.

Ewing is hotter

A.J. Ewing has been the quieter bat on a bigger tear. In 11 September games, he is hitting .359/.422/.641 with a 1.063 OPS.

“one player who has been on an even greater tear at the plate has largely gone unnoticed: A.J. Ewing.”

The numbers jumped

Ewing has added 40 points to his season OPS this month, climbing from .663 to .703. For the year, he has 10 homers, 19 doubles and 23 steals.

He just turned 22

Ewing only turned 22 in August, which makes the September surge feel less like a fluke and more like a glimpse of what could come next.

“His recent surge may only be scratching the surface of the player he can eventually become.”

The call-up was fast

When Ewing debuted on May 12, he had played only 12 games at Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets still asked him to help rescue their season.

He arrived patient

Pitchers tried to bait him off the plate in his debut, but he refused to chase. His strike-zone feel produced three walks right away.

“Ewing didn't flinch.”

Pitchers adjusted quickly

Once teams saw he would take strikes, they attacked him in the zone. Ewing had to shift from patient rookie to earlier-count aggressor.

June and July worked

That first adjustment paid off. Across June and July, Ewing hit .278/.340/.439 and launched six homers.

August exposed him

Pitchers found holes in his swing, and the rookie hit just .171/.243/.219 with no home runs in August. His first full big-league grind seemed to show.

September changed the read

Ewing has answered by making better swing choices and showing more power. Add speed, defense and contact skills, and the Mets may still be early on him.

“he has proven that narrative completely wrong.”