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

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.