3 Mets players who have already raised our expectations for the second half

Atlanta Braves v New York Mets - Game One
Atlanta Braves v New York Mets - Game One / Elsa/GettyImages
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The New York Mets still have a few games to finish off in the first half of the 2022 schedule but we have certainly seen enough to know who we should lower or raise our expectations for.

A guy like Pete Alonso has lived up to the exact expectations we had. He’s hitting for power, producing runs with regular hits, and looking much like the slugger we have seen each year since his 2019 debut.

These three others Mets, however, are playing better than I think most people expected them to. Or at least they’re doing things well that few believed they could.

NY Mets infielder Luis Guillorme has raised our expectations

Luis Guillorme isn’t just a nice fielder anymore. He can hit, too. While he is rarely going to lean into one and award a fan in the bleachers with a souvenir, Guillorme has developed into an old-school style of hitter. He makes good contact, draws walks as regularly as he strikes out, and hits the ball wherever it is pitched.

In the absence of any infielder, Guillorme has stepped up big over the last two years. We have seen him take over for Francisco Lindor at shortstop, Jeff McNeil at second base, and replaced Eduardo Escobar at third base. He remains a wizard with the glove. And while he does make errors occasionally, he also seems to get himself involved in many highlight reels, too.

Guillorme is exactly what you’d want on your team as a fifth infielder. Building a roster with him as an everyday starter might not be ideal. However, if someone gets hurt on your infield, he is a more than suitable long-term replacement.

Consider the bar for Guillorme raised high enough where you may prefer to crawl under it than climb over it.

NY Mets outfielder Mark Canha has raised our expectations

The Mets signed Mark Canha this offseason and quickly people began to point out his weaknesses. In just under 2500 plate appearances for the Oakland Athletics, Canha hit .244/.344/.431. Only the OBP was solid enough to convince some that they should give him a chance.

Canha has maintained his good standing at reaching base but he has increased his ability to pick up hits as well. The early returns on his slugging aren’t as good as they were in Oakland but the switch to Citi Field can sometimes do damage to players’ power numbers.

Last year’s 17 home runs in 625 plate appearances might not be attainable. For sure, he won’t get to the 12 bases he stole either. In exchange for hitting well over the .244 he finished while with Oakland, it’s a reasonable enough trade off.

Canha has been a mostly singles hitter for the Mets which might disappoint some. The expectations for him haven’t been raised enormously high. But any doubts should be tucked away.

The lighter-hitting version of Canha is acceptable because of the other things he does well. A regular option for the Mets in center field whenever they have been without Brandon Nimmo, he plays a good role on the Mets and does indeed belong in the lineup each day.

NY Mets relief pitcher Adam Ottavino has raised our expectations

One of the more curious and sometimes forgotten additions by the Mets this offseason was the free agent signing of Adam Ottavino. The Mets had a far greater need in the bullpen: a lefty. Instead of signing one of the big name southpaws, they gave Ottavino a nice one-year contract.

Ottavino has lived up to it with regular strong performances on the mound. He hasn’t been completely dominant. In the absence of Trevor May for most of the year and Seth Lugo looking much more average than ever, adding him has been a great help for Buck Showalter.

The Mets have been using Ottavino regularly in the eighth inning this season with occasional appearances a little earlier as well. Coming off of a 5.89 ERA in 2020 and a 4.21 ERA performance in 2021, he has been far more reliable at run prevention for the Mets this year.

There is little doubt the Mets can turn to Ottavino for big high-leverage innings now and in the future. They’ve suffered plenty of injuries to their pitching staff so having him has been even more important.

If not for the dominance from closer Edwin Diaz or even the rise of Drew Smith into a reliever of equal status as Ottavino, he’d be the most positive story out of the bullpen this year. Instead, it takes a quiet bronze star.

Next. 15 worst free agent signings in Mets history. dark

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