2024 Mets outlook: Tyrone Taylor expectations and predictions

Tyrone Taylor was one of the many new adds this offseason by the New York Mets new front office this offseason. The Mets acquired Taylor (and pitcher Adrian Houser) in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in December, with Taylor serving as much-needed outfield depth on a roster that didn't have much at the time. It was strengthened even further when they added Harrison Bader a couple of weeks later.

What does that mean for Taylor in terms of playing time and how can he contribute in a positive way for the 2024 Mets?

New York Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor will be the team's fourth outfielder, and will play more corner outfield.

Taylor adds a power and speed dynamic that will be useful in late and close situations for the Mets. His biggest strength of his offensive game is his baserunning. He has great speed, is aggressive, and has never been thrown out trying to advance other than steal attempts. By the way, he has 18 steals in 21 career attempts. Look for Carlos Mendoza to call him on occasionally as a pinch-runner late in games.

Taylor's power is a huge part of his offensive game, given that he averaged 21.7 at bats per home run over the past three seasons in Milwaukee, and his average launch angle has increased every year since reaching the majors in 2019. He did have the benefit of American Family Field in Milwaukee, one of the most home run friendly ballparks in baseball. Citi Field does not have as favorable of a home run environment. Taylor is also a free swinger and doesn't walk much, and can be quite streaky.

Taylor's defensive game is significantly above average, and it fits into David Stearns' philosophy of team defense. In each of the past two seasons, his fielding run value and arm strength was north of the 70th percentile. In all five seasons of his career, he registered a positive outs above average, too. In 2022, Taylor played mostly in center field. Last year, the debut of top prospect Joey Wiemer led Taylor to play primarily in the corner outfield spots.

For the time being, the starting outfielders will be Brandon Nimmo, Harrison Bader, and Starling Marte, but Taylor will occasionally be called to play late-inning defense and potentially start against left-handed starting pitching. It also wouldn't be a surprise if Marte is moved before the trade deadline and Taylor gets additional playing time in right field.

2024 stat predictions: .245 AVG, 7 HR, 30 RBI, .710 OPS