PHILADELPHIA—The Mets probably won't finish the season with an impressive batting average. They might not hit many home runs, either.

To compensate, the Mets seem content with taking an unorthodox approach at the plate: They just won't swing.

Watching boatloads of pitches whiz by might not look pretty, but for the Mets it just might work. They entered Tuesday's game against the Phillies leading baseball with 34 walks. So even though they ranked 13th in hits, the Mets have somehow emerged as one of the game's most prolific offenses so far—chiefly because of their unyielding dedication to standing there and doing nothing.

Whether the Mets can sustain this level of production is another story, but their success so far raises an important question: Are the Mets a patient team? Or have they simply faced pitchers who can't throw strikes? At this point, the numbers bode well for the rest of the year.

"It's our philosophy that we're not going up there swinging out of control and getting ourselves out early in the count," Mets third baseman David Wright said. "'Patiently aggressive' is a good way to describe it."