NY Mets: 1 hitter meeting, 1 exceeding, 1 coming up short on expectations

What a long, strange trip it has been. We haven’t gotten to the destination yet, though. The New York Mets still have games to be played. Anything—good or bad—can happen.

A major storyline for this season has been the lack of offense for the Mets. Even during the brightest points of the year, runs were hard to come by. This has continued all year long even as grey clouds begin to form overhead.

Although the Mets have had a lot of guys come up short on expectations, there are some players we could say met or even exceeded expectations. I want to discuss all three tiers of hitters and what we may be able to expect from them in the final weeks of 2021.

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso has met expectations

I know Pete Alonso may not have met everyone’s expectations, but his overall totals are at least close to what we should hope for from the slugging first baseman. Likely to reach 30 home runs this season, it might not be close to what he did in 2019 but it’s still a realistic end-of-season total for him.

The yearly expectations for Alonso should always focus on two areas: power and run production. Alonso has done each of these well even if they aren’t about to set any franchise records or even compete with the league leaders. Often found dead center in any Mets starting lineup, he’s the guy whose job it is to clear the bases with a big hit.

In some areas, Alonso has actually exceeded expectations. His defense has improved and his eye at the plate has had stretches where he has not been a strikeout burden.

Averaged out, Alonso is doing exactly what I think we should have expected.

Jonathan Villar is the Mets hitter who has exceeded expectations more than anyone else

The number of games Jonathan Villar has played is certainly the biggest change from what anyone could have predicted. The club’s primary third baseman this year due to lengthy injuries to J.D. Davis, Villar has stepped up in some big ways for the Mets all year long.

Although his numbers aren’t quite eye-popping, Villar has been one of the team’s best answers when a home run is needed. Both a testament to his production and a lack of home runs from the players around him, I would prefer to look at this from a positive perspective.

Villar hasn’t done much more than save the Mets from having a gaping hole in their lineup. I get that we would all prefer to see much more from a third baseman. However, with his ability to also play second base and shortstop, he has proven to be a valuable commodity on the roster. Add in a dozen home runs already, Villar has far exceeded the low expectations he came into the season with.

This is, of course, all a matter of perspective. I knew Villar could give the Mets some quality at-bats and maybe help them survive a lengthy absence. However, with over 300 plate appearances and more games played than nearly everyone else on the team, I’m willing to tip my cap in his direction and say thanks.