2 Mets players who will exceed expectations and 2 who will fall short

Tyrone Taylor will be one of the more productive outfielders on the Mets roster

Tyrone Taylor has been good enough in his major league career to warrant a platoon job in the major leagues. Pair him with a left-handed hitting outfielder and he could improve the position he shares with a teammate.

That’s not to suggest Taylor has been limited against right-handed pitchers. An OPS difference of only 10 points better versus lefties than righties, he’s a guy who’ll have an average year if he bats .245 with an OBP just under .300. This isn’t superb but neither is the Mets’ outfield picture as a whole.

The expectations for Taylor aren’t immense, exciting, or even something a casual Mets fan has thought about. His talent is hitting for power off the bench and playing truly immaculate defense. He’s not the same wizard with the glove as Harrison Bader is. An arguably better hitter than the team’s starting center fielder, we’re going to get to a point this year where we wonder why the Mets are sitting Taylor over Bader when the offense scuffles.

Taylor will look more important to the Mets than the numbers show. Remember how legendary Kevin Pillar was in 2021 despite some pedestrian numbers? This is the kind of guy Taylor has potential to be.

An occasional big home run late in games plus some exciting defensive plays will have Taylor exceeding everyone’s expectations except for mine: only because they’re higher than they should be.