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3 Mets players we should raise the bar for in 2024
The New York Mets entered this past season with a bar as high as any team in the majors. They had just won 101 games and began the year with a record-setting payroll. Expectations were World Series or bust, and the Mets didn't even make the playoffs. What's worse is they gave up before the trade deadline by selling off several of their key players.
Despite the disappointing 2023 season, the Mets will once again have a high bar in 2024. They're going to expect to get back to the postseason. They have a core with some of the game's best players as well as ascending young talent that should continue to improve. The Mets should also be active this offseason to improve some of the glaring holes that exist on this team.
For the Mets to be the team we all hope they will be in 2024, they'll need players who have earned higher expectations to match them. These players all had fantastic 2023 seasons and will need to be just as good if not better next season.
1) Kodai Senga
Things couldn't have gone much better for Kodai Senga in his first season with the Mets. He started slowly, but finished the year with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts and 166.1 innings of work. He fanned 202 batters in those innings and was an all-star. While he likely won't win the Cy Young, there's a good chance he'll be a finalist. He was that good.
Senga entered last season with expectations that were pretty hard to pinpoint. Who knew how well he'd adjust to the majors after pitching in Japan for so long? Everyone figured he'd have an up-and-down year as he adjusted but he really was dominant for most of the season.
Last season, Senga had less pressure pitching behind Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Now, he's the unquestioned ace. Sure, the Mets will make additions in free agency but how likely is it that someone else will start on Opening Day? Senga pitching as well as he did was awesome to see, but now after seeing it, has become the expectation. The Mets don't need him to be in the Cy Young conversation necessarily, but he's got to pitch like an ace for this team to go anywhere.
2) Francisco Alvarez
Francisco Alvarez is another guy who took a little while to get going in the majors but once he did, there was no looking back. He went through some rough patches here and there, but overall he exceeded his lofty expectations in 2023.
Alvarez slashed .209/.284/.437 with 25 home runs and 63 RBI in 123 games. Obviously he wasn't perfect, but Alvarez hitting 25 home runs as a 21-year-old rookie catcher certainly got Mets fans fired up. He led the National League and was second in all of baseball in home runs for a catcher. He wasn't as good overall offensively as guys like Adley Rutschman or Will Smith, but he was among the best catchers in baseball without a doubt.
Having as good of a rookie year as Alvarez did means fans will expect him to not only replicate what he did, but improve upon it. Alvarez should hit for a higher average than .209. He should try to find a way to limit his strikeouts a little better. He can make a push for 30+ home runs. He can do a much better job against left-handed pitching. Let's not forget some improvements that could be made behind the dish as well.
At just 22 years old Alvarez is now expected to be a key power bat in the middle of the lineup while also catching just about every day. He has the full reigns with no threat behind him to take his job. Let's hope that in 2024 Alvarez can be more consistent offensively. He had three separate months this season in which he posted a sub-.550 OPS. That can and should be improved.
Expecting Alvarez to take a leap into the all-star conversation shouldn't be out of the question. He's earned these lofty expectations thanks to his play.
3) Jose Quintana
Jose Quintana signed a two-year deal to be the Mets fourth starter in 2023. He was expected to slot in behind Scherzer, Verlander, and Senga and right in front of Carlos Carrasco in what was supposed to be an outstanding rotation. Unfortunately, Quintana suffered a rib injury in Spring Training that cost him the first half of the season.
By the time the southpaw returned from the IL, the Mets were already planning on selling. He made just two starts before the trade deadline when the Mets shook up the roster. While it was disappointing to see Quintana jump into things so late, his performance made fans wonder how things would've gone if he was healthy. He was consistently awesome for the Mets in a rough time.
In 13 starts with the Mets Quintana posted a 3.57 ERA in 75.2 innings of work. The team went just 4-9 in his starts, but most of that had to do with some horrific run support. Despite that clear obstacle, he did a fine job keeping the Mets in pretty much every game he started.
Quintana went at least six innings in nine of his 13 starts. He went at least five innings in all but one. He allowed three runs or fewer in 11 of his 13 starts and allowed two runs or fewer in nine of his 13 starts. If you take his rough starts against the Phillies out of the equation, Quintana had a 3.02 ERA in 11 starts. Not bad at all.
Quintana was supposed to be a back-end of the rotation guy entering this season, but he's now going to be the guy they turn to when they need a solid outing. He's going to have to consistently give them six innings and allow three runs or fewer. He's the stopper. He doesn't have Senga's ace stuff, but Quintana knows how to pitch deep into games and pitch effectively. The Mets will add some pitching in free agency that should relieve some of the pressure off Quintana's shoulders, but expectations are clearly much higher than they were entering the 2023 season.
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