NY Mets: 2 players that have redeemed themselves, 1 with something to prove

2 of 3

The 2022 New York Mets have seen their fair share of redemption stories as they have raced out to the best record in the National League at 41-23.

But anytime the Mets have a number in the loss column, there is always something to prove, especially in an era where everything in someone's game can be scrutinized using video.

But there are two Mets that have redeemed themselves following rough 2021 seasons, while one Met still has someone still with something to prove.

Mets infielder Jeff McNeil has reverted to the hit machine we all thought he was.

Jeff McNeil was the subject of many trade rumors during the offseason following a rough 2021 campaign that saw him hit just .251 a year after three straight seasons of batting over .310.

So McNeil entered 2022 in what was his most critical season to date because of his underachieving season last year. And he has been excellent, as he is on pace for a 5.1 WAR season, is second in the National League with his .324 batting average and already has 23 multi-hit games in 60 appearances.

Buck Showalter has utilized him in a lot of different areas both in the batting order and on the field. McNeil has batted in six of the positions in the lineup from leadoff to eighth, most frequently batting fifth to protect Pete Alonso in the lineup and eighth to lengthen the lineup. His defense at second base and left field has been very good as well.

The Mets needed a dude who could bat over .300 in the lineup at will and get on base to apply pressure on the opposing pitcher. That’s exactly what McNeil brings to the lineup and is one of the reasons the Mets lead the majors in team batting average, on base percentage and runs scored.

Mets pitcher Carlos Carrasco is quietly making a case for Comeback Player of the Year with consistent pitching.

Let’s face it. Carlos Carrasco’s season in 2021 was doomed before it started. He missed the first four months of the season with a torn hamstring, and by the time he threw his second pitch as a Met on July 30, he already had an earned run average against him. In 12 starts, he was 1-5 with a 6.04 ERA. And it was later revealed that Carrasco was pitching with a bone fragment in his elbow.

But any Mets fan would have been wise to throw away the tape from last year because of his injuries and that he would have a normal offseason. And that’s exactly what he had, and it was needed to bounce back from his rough first season following the big trade.

Carrasco has responded with a solid start to the 2022 campaign, as he is 7-2 with a 3.93 ERA in 68.2 innings that is inflated because of a couple of bad innings. But his consistency has helped the Mets out in a big way with the injuries the Mets are dealing with. He will have another chance to pad his win total tomorrow when he faces the Marlins.

Carrasco pitching well is such a good sign for this team and is a feel-good story following his leukemia diagnosis in 2019, and he is such a fun pitcher to root for.

Mets pitcher Taijuan Walker is off to a strong start, but his season will be evaluated by his second half performance.

It is never too early to look ahead to after the All-Star break, but there will be pressure on Taijuan Walker to perform in the second half.

In 2021, his performance between the first and second half of the season were opposites of each other.

He went 7-3 with a 2.66 ERA in the first half on his way to his first All-Star nod following an injury to Jacob deGrom.

But in his first start after the break, he only recorded just one out while giving up five earned runs, setting the tone for a rough second half. He compiled an 0-8 record and a 7.13 ERA after the break with the home run ball killing him, and it left fans questioning his longevity and worth of his contract.

This year, he is once again off to a good start, with a 4-2 record and a 3.08 ERA in 10 starts, and he is coming off his best start of the season, in which he struck out 10 batters on Sunday night in Anaheim against the Angels.

Over these next few weeks, Walker must prove he can consistently give his team quality innings because when Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom return from injuries, there will be tough decisions to be made on who will stay in the rotation between him, Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco, and Tylor Megill. So Walker is pitching with something to prove.

Next. 3 players from last year's Mets teams that have failed miserably on other teams. dark

Home / New York Mets News