1 top skill for each of the four new free agent additions

Mark Canha has eagle eyes at the top of the Mets' lineup.

In 2021, Mark Canha posted a 12.3% walk rate, a .358 on-base percentage, and .746 OPS. Those are good numbers, yet they are the lowest he’s had in three years.

Canha’s best season was in 2019 when he slashed .273/.396/.517/.913 with a 146 OPS+, 26 homers, 80 runs scored, and a 4.1 WAR. That was an outlier season for him, but he’s still had four consecutive seasons with an OPS+ over 111 and walk rates over 12%.

Canha’s Baseball Savant page shows great patience. He’s in the 91st percentile in chase rate, 87th in walk rate, and 72nd in whiff rate. He simply doesn’t swing out of the zone.

It will be interesting to see where he hits in the Mets lineup, since Starling Marte and Brandon Nimmo are also tablesetters. I would assume that two out of those three would hit at the top, and one will be sent to the nine slot as a second leadoff man.

Combine his on-base skills with his defensive prowess (74th percentile in Outs Above Average) and versatility (played all three outfield positions in 2021 and has played first in the past) and the Mets have one of the most underrated talents in baseball.