How eye doctor helped Mets' Tommy Pham improve at the plate

It turns out New York Mets veteran outfielder Tommy Pham may have just needed a visit to the eye doctor to reclaim his form at the plate. 

"I feel like I am seeing the ball better," Pham said after the Mets defeated the Miami Marlins 5-1 on Sunday to begin the season with a 3-1 record, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. "My eye doctor out here, she kind of fine-tuned my lenses for me and when I got my new lenses on Friday I felt like everything was way different in a good way. My other lenses from the spring had a little bit too much astigmatism. A little too much 'residual cylinder' is the term, and she kind of eliminated some of that for me, so now I can see." 

Pham signed a one-year contract reportedly worth $6M with $2M in incentives with the Mets this past January, and the 35-year-old explained that he has dealt with keratoconus since 2008. According to the Mayo Clinic, keratoconus "is an eye condition in which your cornea — the clear, dome-shaped front of your eye — gets thinner and gradually bulges outward into a cone shape." 

Pham spent the 2022 season with the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox. Across 144 games, he slashed .236/.312/.374 with 17 home runs and 63 RBI. To compare, Pham went 4-for-9 with one home run, three RBI and a 1.389 OPS across New York's first series of the current campaign. 

"They’re great," Pham added about his previous lenses. "This is probably the best I have seen on defense in years, but they still needed a little fine-tuning and the doctor here fine-tuned them for me." 

Manager Buck Showalter will hope Pham can continue to impress either as a designated hitter or when starters such as Brandon Nimmo need the occasional off day. 

The Mets get right back to work following the weekend and play at the 2-1 Milwaukee Brewers on Monday afternoon.