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2 Mets players we should lower the bar for in 2022

By Tim Boyle |
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New York Mets v Washington Nationals / Mitchell Layton/GettyImages
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Nobody raises the bar for the New York Mets more than owner Steve Cohen. It’s refreshing but should also cause some fans to think this might not be the best way to hype up the team. The higher the expectations, the greater the fall. I know a few Mets fans who feel like they break their spines every year.

Those expectations were immensely high this past season. Based on everything the club did over the winter and the players we saw returning, the 2021 season was supposed to be one with some deep October baseball.

Instead, many players failed to reach those lofty goals we set for them. So, to make things a little easier, I’m going to lower the bar for two players in 2022.

Honorable Mention: Let’s lower the bar for possible returning Mets J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith

Maybe we were kidding ourselves to think these two were as spectacular as they were in 2019 (Davis) and 2020 (Smith).

Each took a step or five back last season. Injuries played a large part in Davis’ struggles while Smith simply seemed to forget what made him so special a season earlier.

These two get an honorable mention because I have zero confidence either will be back in 2022. Odds are that one is but both can’t possibly find a spot on the team’s bench or much worse: in the starting lineup!

Either way, I’m preemptively lowering the bar for these two. And if they both end up getting traded, I’ll lower it for what the Mets can expect to get in return.

New York Yankees v New York Mets
New York Yankees v New York Mets / Rich Schultz/GettyImages

Lowering the bar for Mets catcher James McCann

Sometimes I wonder if I am the biggest James McCann hater on the planet. From the moment the Mets signed him, I was hesitant to get on board. His days with the Detroit Tigers had me curb my enthusiasm about what he could do during his days in New York.

McCann lived up to my worst predictions possible. He was a good defender but a mess at the plate. At one point, things were so rough that he was losing playing time to Tomas Nido.

The season ended with McCann hitting .232/.294/.349 in 412 trips to the plate. This hardly matched up to the .276/.334/.474 he slashed in two seasons with the Chicago White Sox. In fact, he was worse than the .240/.288/.366 he posted in parts of five seasons with the Tigers.

The 18 home run, 60 RBI guy he was in 2019 and the 7 home run guy in only 111 trips to the plate with a .289 average man he was in 2020 aren’t what he really is. McCann’s bat much more closely resembles the .246/.299/.387 hitter he has averaged throughout his career.

To accept that he will be the Mets’ catcher for at least a few more seasons means lowering the bar. If he can provide them with good defense, he’d be a fine eight-hole hitter and nothing more.

New York Yankees v New York Mets
New York Yankees v New York Mets / Rich Schultz/GettyImages

Lowering the bar for Mets pitcher Carlos Carrasco

Remember how I said I might be the biggest McCann hater? Quite the opposite could be said about Carlos Carrasco. When the Mets picked him up last winter in the Francisco Lindor trade, I was almost more excited to get him. He seemed to fit exactly what the team needed. He was a consistent veteran with a good reputation on and off the field. What could go wrong?

An injury struck Carrasco in the preseason and he didn’t debut for the Mets until the end of July. In those 12 starts he did make, Carrasco went 1-5 with a 6.04 ERA.

This wasn’t the same guy from Cleveland. His 3.77 ERA he had prior to 2021 went up to 3.86 because of his poor performance. Carrasco spent his first few starts essentially rehabbing before finally stretching himself out enough to possibly go longer. However, in many of his starts, he would get shelled early and exit unceremoniously before some fans even settled in.

It was a rough dozen games for Carrasco in a season where we can blame injuries as a factor. However, with another year on his body and no guarantee he’ll remain healthy, I have to lower the bar for him in 2022.

Maybe it’s not so low that it’s impossible to limbo under. But it has definitely dropped to the point where you might bruise your shin if you bump into it.

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