Early Mets Slumps: Which three are cause for some concern?

Mets catcher James McCann might not be such an excellent hitter

Over the last two seasons, James McCann has blossomed into an excellent hitting catcher. He slashed .276/.334/.474 with the Chicago White Sox while clobbering 25 home runs in 587 plate appearances.

When the Mets inked him to a deal this offense, there was a lot of excitement about his overall game. His defense was the primary focus. Many were also eager to see what he could do to help out the offense.

Thus far, McCann has been much closer to his early Detroit Tigers days where he hit .240/.288/.366. Could it be that the last two seasons in Chicago were an outlier of what lies ahead?

It’s hard to pinpoint a particular reason as to why McCann might struggle with the Mets. I can’t say the change of scenery hurts him. His best full campaign came after going from Detroit to Chicago. So, to use an adjustment year as an excuse doesn’t make much sense.

I have never thought McCann was destined to be one of the better offensive players on the 2021 Mets. Late bloomers do exist, however, the beating a catcher can take behind the plate can contribute to them being a different animal.

McCann has never played in more than 118 games in a season which means we’ll either see him set a new personal record in 2021 or have the treat of more Tomas Nido than I think many would prefer to see.

McCann has struck out often throughout his career and doesn’t have a shiny enough resume for me to at least not consider this might be a lost season on offense.