3 Mets players who will take a step forward next year, 2 who won't

David Peterson has already peaked

It’s easy to get fooled by the way David Peterson finished his 2023 season. The lefty had very pedestrian numbers on the year, going 3-8 with a 5.03 ERA in 111 innings of work mostly as a starter. Coming off of an impressive 2022 season which saw him pitch as a starter and reliever as well while bouncing more irregularly between the majors and minors, expectations were for Peterson to improve with a rotation spot locked in from the start due to injury. He failed to do so. His yo-yo career continued.

Now four seasons into his career, Peterson has posted seasons of a 3.44 ERA, 5.54, 3.83, and 5.03. It doesn’t guarantee next season falls below 4.00. In fact, we shouldn’t expect it to.

Peterson has been a model of inconsistency. He remains a bit too wild. The far bigger problem this past year were the hits. He gave up 10.1 per 9 innings of work.

We know Peterson can occasionally run into an awesome start. He has steadily increased his strikeout rate as well. The man can be a major league pitcher. It just might continue to come as a fifth starter or if the Mets feel so inclined, a move to the bullpen where maybe they unlock a different level.

Ronny Mauricio keeps getting better

Ronny Mauricio introduced himself to big league pitchers red hot and eventually cooled as the season neared its end. He wrapped up his first 108 plate appearances hitting .248/.296/.347. It’s all of the other tools Mauricio brought to the field that can help him excel on the Mets roster and find a permanent place.

The Mets weren’t hesitant to use Mauricio at a variety of positions. He was mostly a second baseman but also saw himself playing third base and even shortstop. The question of “where can the Mets play Mauricio?” hasn’t been fully answered yet. Perhaps it’s one of those multi-answerable questions where instead of marking one bubble you can select multiple checkboxes.

Unlike some of those other Baby Mets, Mauricio seems far more flexible defensively and a solution rather than a problem. He has speed, too, which was on full display as he stole 7 bases in a short period of time with the ball club.

The power didn’t fully take off with only 4 doubles and a pair of home runs to begin his big league career. Nevertheless, this was the best beginning stretch of baseball played by any of the club’s exciting young rookies. Mauricio can make himself valuable for more than just his bat. Continuing to become a good fielder at more than one position and running fast will help him stand out from some of the others.

Brett Baty raised too many questions in his rookie year

Brett Baty is one of those Mets players who Mauricio can win starts away from. He had every chance possible to establish himself as the unquestioned starting third baseman in 2023. The year ended up being incredibly flat and even included a demotion.

Baty slashed .212/.275/.323 on the year with 9 home runs and 34 RBI. By every measure, he put together the kind of defensive performance where if you live by the “if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all” theory, we’d have nothing to say. Questions about his defense were already present before he was a major leaguer. They’ve only been confirmed through his first 901.2 innings at third base. Does he belong somewhere else?

The unfortunate part of Baty’s season is how there really isn’t a major highlight. Alvarez struggled, but put on a power display and looked sharp at catcher. Not Baty. He didn’t do much of anything to have fans insisting he’s the starting third baseman moving forward.

With Mauricio breathing down his neck and a front office regime with a different viewpoint, Baty’s time as the starting third baseman for the Mets could be over before it even got started. How much longer of a leash will they give him?

Kodai Senga will be even better as a sophomore

Kodai Senga had a fantastic freshman year. Will the sophomore slump come to bite him? Don’t expect it. With his experience playing over in Japan and not being a “true rookie,” his 2023 season was more of a bouncing off point than a time to figure things out.

On the topic of figuring things out, the rest of Major League Baseball will have their work cut out for them trying to figure out Senga. The book on him has been written, but even as the season progressed and teams saw him again, it didn’t do them much good.

Senga’s season included a 12-7 record, 2.98 ERA, and 202 strikeouts. He hit the marks in every which way possible all while adjusting to life in a new country, a different baseball on the mound, and all of those MLB rule changes that were brand new to everyone.

Exactly how good will Senga be in 2024? Fans would accept a repeat. Many will predict an improvement.

The places where Senga can improve are fairly obvious. His control both in walks and his league-leading 14 wild pitches were an issue. Being able to take the mound without any extra rest can benefit the Mets, too, but it should be something they cater to as much as possible.

It’s easy to gush over and get excited about what he can offer the Mets next year. His 2.58 ERA, decrease in the second half is a sign of how much he improved and what the best of 2024 could look more like.