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

Making the New York Mets a better team in 2024 will require more than an active front office willing to add from outside of the organization. The Mets will need help from the guys they already have. Bigtime help. The kind that drives you to the airport, moves a couch, and breaks up with your middle school significant other kind of assistance.

Improvement is an absolute must for several members of the roster. We've already seen how much free agency alone fails to get the job done. Some major changes could be afoot this winter. The Mets will be active in adding while hoping the players they retain can take a step forward.

Not everyone will have that ability. In 2024, expect these three Mets players to get better while these other two stay around here they were.

Francisco Alvarez will take a step forward

Francisco Alvarez had a successful rookie campaign. There were some areas to improve. However, his awareness behind the plate and power combined to put him on the best path. The man can seriously hit. He's no bum on defense either like we were told.

Many of those overall season numbers weren’t that great for Alvarez. He slashed only .209/.284/.437. The 25 home runs were greatly appreciated yet the lone headliner in his offensive campaign. He had only a dozen doubles which is a bit low.

Alvarez did post a 0.2 WAR on defense but it came paired with a league-high 8 passed balls. The rookie growing pains were present. No one should hold them against him nor does it seem like anyone has.

Throughout his professional career, the pattern for Alvarez has been to struggle for a season at one level before exploding the next. Ripping out a .300+ batting average season is unlikely in 2024, however, we should expect him to escape a flirtation with the Mendoza Line.

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.

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.