3 NY Mets players fans were ready to replace who are actually having a productive May

3) Tyrone Taylor

Tyrone Taylor mostly served as a part-time fourth outfielder in 2024. He stepped to the plate 345 times across 130 games and produced about league-average results, including a .701 OPS, .304 wOBA, and a 98 wRC+. Taylor’s outfield defense was outstanding, with +10 DRS and +4 OAA. He was also in the 90th percentile of arm strength and graded out well in terms of his jump on flyballs.

While Mets fans may not have been entirely ready to throw in the towel on Taylor, they likely wanted the Mets to look for a replacement by the end of April. He was only hitting .222/.259/.333 with a 67 wRC+ in 85 plate appearances. He struck out a total of 19 times but also only took a pair of walks. His role also expanded when offseason acquisition Jose Siri, who was slated to be one of the Mets’ go-to answers in center field, suffered a tibia fracture.

But Taylor’s month of May should be changing the doubters’ minds. It’s only been 66 plate appearances, but he has 17 hits, including four doubles. While he still has not drawn many walks, with only two more in May, he’s also only struck out 12 times. Taylor hasn’t hit a home run yet, but his production at the dish has been more than enough to cover center field.

However, his defense continues to be his strongest suit. He already has +4 DRS and +3 OAA in less than 500 innings in the outfield, with nearly all of his playing time coming from center field. He is still getting good jumps on fly balls and is in the 85th percentile of arm strength. Taylor has already made four outfield assists from center field.

Taylor’s average offensive production plus strong defense made him a good fourth outfield type last season for the Mets. But if he can hit well while still maintaining his stellar defense, the Mets won’t need to find a replacement or overpay at the deadline for a center fielder on the trading block.