Why these 3 Mets free agent additions will have a better year in 2023
The New York Mets had an active offseason with some obvious needed additions and some surprise ones along the way. The team did a mix of buying players coming off of strong seasons while also throwing some money at players they’re hopeful will be better in 2023.
With the players they re-signed eligible for this list as well, it’s these three Mets free agent additions from the offseason we should most believe will have a better year in 2023 than they did in 2022.
1) NY Mets catcher Omar Narvaez had an atypically bad season in 2022
Nobody should doubt what Omar Narvaez can do behind the plate. At 31 with a good track record on defense, it should be business as usual for him this season.
What’s a bit of a mystery is how he’ll perform at the plate. Narvaez’s career has included some major extremes. Last year was one of the extremes on the ugly side. He slashed .206/.292/.305 with the Milwaukee Brewers following an All-Star campaign the year prior.
Narvaez carries a lifetime slash line of .258/.343/.386 with him to the Mets this year. I don’t see this being the same situation as James McCann whose offensive numbers exploded with the Chicago White Sox in the juiced ball season of 2019 and continued into the shortened 2020 year. While Narvaez benefited greatly from the enhanced balls in 2019 as well, he has been a far more consistent hitter in his career, at least in terms of batting average and OBP.
Something close to Narvaez’s season in 2021 is what the Mets should hope to get. It was actually the third lowest batting average of his career at .266. After two years of McCann, we’ll take it happily.
Being able to play more regularly against right-handed pitchers could help Narvaez as well. More than anything, the resume speaks for itself.
2) NY Mets outfielder Tommy Pham will benefit from situational at-bats
Tommy Pham is another veteran free agent signing coming off of a down year. He has had a couple of them in a row. It’s probably closer to the player he is now than anything else. The .236/.312/.374 slash line from last season is okay for a part-time player. With the Mets possibly planning to only start him every so often and mostly against left-handed pitchers, Pham might put up some fatter numbers.
Despite the struggles at the plate last season, Pham continued to excel against left-handed pitchers. A weakness for many Mets players, the .273/.338/.446 he slashed in 154 plate appearances would be a welcomed addition to this lineup. Exactly replicating those numbers would be an immense help.
His career numbers are even better versus southpaws. In 918 chances, Pham’s lifetime slash line is .276/.392/.450 versus lefties. It’s the kind of production the Mets had a tough time finding in 2022 from that side of the plate in a part-time role.
Injuries could thrust Pham into more frequent action than planned resulting in more frequent appearances versus right-handed pitchers. Either way, performing well in his fourth outfielder role is all we’ll need from him. It’s a step down from the starter gig he has been playing for several years.
3) NY Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo has been much better in the past
Brandon Nimmo is back with the Mets and it doesn’t look like he’ll be going anywhere anytime soon. Narvaez and Pham each had notable struggles in 2022. Nimmo was a bit different. He played well, stayed healthy, and delivered pretty much what the Mets needed. However, each of his slash line numbers were down from the previous two years. Was it a case of extra playing time to lower them or has Nimmo lost some mojo?
The most surprising drop from Nimmo’s stat line last season was his OBP. At .367, it was an incredible number yet nowhere near the previous totals. Only his 32 game stint with the Mets in 2016 was lower. What happened?
Nimmo walked in 10.6% of his plate appearances which is on the other side of his career average of 13.6%. He did, however, cut his strikeout rate down to a career low of only 17.2%. Nimmo is putting the ball in play. It’s just not resulting in any extra trips to first base or beyond.
From skipping the WBC to delaying his spring training debut, Nimmo seems to be taking this year more seriously than any other. Although unreported, we should all believe he’s cooking his chicken more thoroughly as well.
Nimmo might not blow last season’s numbers out of the water but we have seen him perform better in the past. There’s no reason to doubt he can’t get back to the near or over .400 OBP player he has been regularly in previous years.