2 Mets players who will continue to surprise us in the second half, 2 who will decline

The first half is over. The New York Mets embark on a second half where they’ll hope the successes of the first half continue. This is a team with a starting pitching staff that has in the eyes of many overachieved. Meanwhile, the offense is about as awesome as it can possibly get.

We know where the Mets’ issues lie. They’re in the bullpen dirt, circling like vultures whenever a pitch count nears triple digits.

From the group of surprise successes for the Mets this season, one pair will see their first half continue for the final two and a half months while two others are bound to have their numbers go on the decline.

Mark Vientos will remain one of the key Mets hitters

Mark Vientos couldn’t have had a much better first half for the Mets. Smashing 12 home runs in only 199 plate appearances, his .291/.347/.549 slash line is as perfect as you could script it. His strikeout rate is right around 25% which is more than acceptable for a guy whose OPS is almost .900.

Nothing was handed to Vientos this year. On the contrary, a lot was taken. It took until the team signed J.D. Martinez for him to see reality. He wasn’t a part of the plan for 2024.

Plans have a funny way of falling apart. Early offensive struggles from multiple Mets players in addition to Brett Baty’s bat going completely cold had the Mets pivoting back to Vientos. His reputation as a poor defender at third base hasn’t lived up to its reputation. Vientos has been perfectly fine at the hot corner.

His presence in the lineup has helped lengthen the starting nine and made the absence of Starling Marte tolerable. Finally, we’re seeing the kid who raised his own hype in Triple-A countless times.