10 bold Mets predictions for the 2023 season

Opening Day for the New York Mets is fast approaching. The players are getting all stretched out and warmed up down in Florida. It’s time to start making some bold predictions for the 2023 season.

What do you think the Mets will do in 2023?

1) Bold NY Mets prediction: Brett Baty becomes the number five hitter by the end

Brett Baty has grown on me a lot. He seems like the perfect hitter to bat behind Pete Alonso in 2023 once ready for regular MLB action. His powerful left-handed bat behind the righty stick of Alonso will provide some fantastic protection for one of the league’s best sluggers.

Admittedly, this prediction is more heart than head. Baty is unlikely to begin the season on the 26-man roster. However, I do think he’ll get significant playing time at some point. The ability to play third base and left field makes him an early promotion candidate. He’s a single injury to an infielder or outfielder from making his way into the big leagues. 

2) Bold NY Mets prediction: Starling Marte plays less than 81 games in right field

Not every Mets prediction will be a positive one. When it comes to Starling Marte, we should have some concerns about an injury. He missed a lot of time late in 2022 and core surgery earlier this offseason has him in rehab mode at the moment.

I do think we’ll see Marte play fewer than 81 games in right field. Take note, this doesn’t include his regular starts as the DH. As long as Marte hits, he should be able to start for the team as the right-handed DH regularly.

5) Bold NY Mets prediction: Pete Alonso bats .290+

Let’s get back to some bold and specific predictions. For Pete Alonso, he’s going to hit .290 or better. File this in the heart over head category. Alonso’s best batting average was the .271 he hit last year. As a lifetime .261 batter, it’s outrageous to expect him to raise his batting average so much in one year.

The change in the shift rules might slightly benefit Alonso, but it’s his constant ability to improve each year that has me thinking so highly of his 2023 outlook. Alonso has cut down on his strikeout rate each season. The dimensions at Citi Field will benefit hitters a little more in 2023 and beyond. Some warning track fly balls may now become round-trippers.

6) Bold NY Mets prediction: Mark Vientos is traded for a controllable bullpen arm

Not every player is going to make it from start to finish with the Mets. Mark Vientos is one of those guys. An imperfect fit for what they’re building, it has felt like he is sure to get traded for several seasons already. In 2023, he becomes the guy they move for a controllable bullpen arm.

Vientos definitely has the ability to become a big league hitter and someone, for the cost of a controllable bullpen arm, would be wise to take a chance on him. Whether he’s a DH or starting first baseman in the league, Vientos is an intriguing power hitter a more patient team could hand at-bats to. To the Pittsburgh Pirates for David Bednar or Arizona Diamondbacks for Joe Mantiply? Let’s check back in July and who’s available.

7) Bold NY Mets prediction: Darin Ruf is DFA’d then traded in May

It’s very hard to imagine a scenario where Darin Ruf survives the entire year with the Mets. They’re going to need the roster spot for one of the young kids. His is the easiest to move on from. Ruf is certain to get DFA’d by the Mets and I actually predict they’re able to find a trade partner in May.

Think of Ruf as an emergency addition for a playoff-hopeful team who loses their starting first baseman or right fielder to an injury. Clubs without much depth could turn to the Mets and Ruf for a little bit of help, especially if they have a left-handed platoon partner to pair with him. Ruf isn’t a good fit for the Mets roster and what they have behind him on the depth chart. Somewhere else, when all options are exhausted, he could be their Billy McKinney.

8) Bold NY Mets prediction: Kodai Senga finishes the year in the bullpen

One of the Mets starting pitchers is bound to land in the bullpen this year. Questions about Kodai Senga in a Major League Baseball rotation could have him changing roles, but not necessarily because he isn’t pitching well.

Senga last pitched over 150 innings back in 2019 when he made 26 starts for Softbank. On the Mets, unless they regularly skip his spot in the rotation, year one could have him moving to the bullpen in September. This plan could also keep him fresher for the postseason. In whatever role he’s assigned, the Mets will want him available.

9) Bold NY Mets prediction: 97 wins and a second-place finish

The Mets aren’t going to win 101 games again this year. I’m predicting 97 and a second-place finish in the division. I’m not sold on whether it’s the Atlanta Braves or Philadelphia Phillies that overtake them. Both clubs got better this offseason, as did the Mets.

As we saw in the 2023 season, a Wild Card spot isn’t such a bad thing to grab. The NLCS featured the Phillies and San Diego Padres, the other two Wild Card clubs against one another. Those two underdogs battled their way through the National League side of the postseason. Even if the Mets are settling for not winning the NL East title, they can go far as long as they get past the first round.

10) Bold NY Mets prediction: A trip to the NLCS

No list of bold predictions for a team is complete without declaring how it ends. For the Mets, it comes to a close in the NLCS. They get through the Wild Card round and the NLDS only to fall short in the NLCS.

Who is it against? That’s a tough one. The Braves or Phillies could always put the dagger into the Mets’ hearts. The Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and St. Louis Cardinals are favorites to make the postseason and deliver the deathblow, too. The National League has stayed relatively the same in terms of contenders. As good as the Mets got, this coming year feels more like a deeper sip of championship success than one that ends in a parade.

Don’t worry. I could be wrong and probably am. Just hope I’m correct in already believing a 2024 World Series Championship season is coming up for this ball club.