DENVER — The message has gotten through to the Mets loud and clear.
After a spring training in which manager Terry Collins was "yelled at five times a day" by front office personnel about the team's offensive approach, according to a club source, the Mets are again showing the kind of selectivity at the plate that has been a hallmark of general manager Sandy Alderson's career.
The Mets have seen an average of 156.91 pitches through 11 games this season, up from 145.82 last year, when hitting coach Dave Hudgens says players shunned the organizational philosophy of showing patience at the plate, particularly in the second half of the season.
Paul J. Bereswill
PATIENCE IS VIRTUE: David Wright is one of several Mets seeing more pitches per plate appearance this season than last after a spring emphasis on selectivity at the plate.
"Guys started chasing hits and numbers," Hudgens said, before snow postponed last night's game between the Mets and Rockies at Coors Field.
The team goal, according to Hudgens, is to see 150 pitches per game.
"The pitcher ultimately is the one that allows that to happen," Hudgens said. "But if you see 150 pitches a game, there is a good chance you are going to win."
The Mets (7-4) are averaging 6.27 runs — some of that skewed by a 16-5 demolition of the Twins on Friday — to lead the National League in that category going into last night.
But Alderson downplayed the 3.99 pitches per plate appearance the Mets have seen — the National League average this season is 3.84 — and said hitters have simply been more disciplined at the plate.
"It's getting a good pitch to hit, and these guys are sorting through the pitches they are seeing to get something to hit," Alderson said. "That approach is what really made us successful offensively in 2011 and the first half of 2012, and then we lost the approach. We couldn't generate any offense in the second half of last year."
Alderson cited Daniel Murphy as someone who is concentrating on driving the ball for power this season instead of settling for singles to the opposite field. That has come as Murphy has actually seen fewer pitches per plate appearance this season than last (a dropoff from 3.69 to 3.20).
Jordany Valdespin has been the team's most improved player in terms of pitches seen per plate appearance. Valdespin has jumped from 3.84 last year to 4.58 in 2013.
"I salute him for that," Collins said. "He's taken a couple of first-pitch fastballs that normally he would try to hammer."
Mike Baxter, Ruben Tejada, Ike Davis, Lucas Duda and David Wright are among the Mets who are seeing more pitches this season than last.
"You want kind of a controlled aggressive," Wright said. "If you get a good pitch early in the count, we want you to pull the trigger, but you can't go up there with the idea of trying to draw a walk. I think that's the result of having a good at-bat and having a plan."
Alderson said the key is ingraining the team's patient offensive approach in players as they come up through the minor league system.
"What makes it a lot easier to adopt this at the minor league level is they see it happening at the major league level," Alderson said. "That's what we saw in 2011 and about half of last year, and we're seeing it this year."
mpuma@nypost.com
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