2 Mets players we want to see play more, 2 we want to see play less this spring

The New York Mets have a plethora of new faces that have arrived in Port St. Lucie over the past few weeks. A new manager has suited up wearing the number 28 in Carlos Mendoza, while the former number 28, Daniel Murphy, has made his debut in the SNY booth. Harrison Bader has showcased his new beard, while Francisco Alvarez is impressively giving interviews in English as if it were his native language. Most of all, the franchise's legends have left their annual marks with Darryl Strawberry and David Wright making appearances in the dugout.

Now that spring training games have officially started, fans and media personnel can begin to critique the new roster assembled by David Stearns. Through just a handful of games, we have early impressions of new and incumbent Mets that have taken the field. Since veteran players like Pete Alonso are just going through the motions, fans are more intrigued to watch the fringe players and prospects. Already, there are a couple of notable faces we want to see more of and others we are already sick of watching.

One player we want to see more of is Drew Gilbert

The prospects we never have an opportunity to watch on television are the most intriguing of the new faces. Acquired at the trade deadline in August from the Houston Astros, outfielder Drew Gilbert had an impressive start with the Mets' AA affiliate Binghamton Rumble Ponies. In 35 games, Gilbert hit .325 with 6 home runs and 21 RBI. He played an integral part in helping the Rumble Ponies make the playoffs, going 5-for-17 with a home run in 4 postseason games. For this effort, Gilbert has become the 53rd-best prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline's top 100.

The electric start from Gilbert has fans back home in New York asking to see him play more often this spring. Given the lack of enthusiasm for the new offseason acquisitions, fans have turned their attention to the younger talent. Gilbert figures to be the closest to major league-ready since he is 23 years old and will start the season in AAA Syracuse. Mendoza was quick to credit the young outfielder's talent by saying, "He's got speed, he's got the arm, he's a gamer". Gilbert has already displayed this quality with his 2-run single on February 27th against the Miami Marlins.

Another player we want to see more of is Kevin Parada

Every summer, we read endless headlines about the new players selected in the MLB Draft. Without having a chance to evaluate them for ourselves during their collegiate years, our opportunity comes during spring training. Selected in the first round of the 2022 draft, catcher Kevin Parada has yet to meet expectations as an 11th-overall pick. In 105 games last season between Single-A Brooklyn and AA Binghamton, Parada hit .248 with 14 home runs and 54 RBI. His defense was considered a liability given the lack of arm strength and continued progress at pitch framing.

Even though Parada has struggled since entering professional baseball, he is still highly regarded by the organization as an integral part of the Mets' future. Parada's power potential is still an intriguing part of his game, one that will put him in the designated hitter conversation come 2025. Catchers also take longer to develop both their offensive and defensive games, leading the Mets to believe Parada will improve with experience. He recently described an offseason regimen to improve his pop-up time and work alongside the coaching staff. Taking these efforts into consideration as well as his status as a young prospect, fans want to see more of Parada in March.

One player we want to see less of is Tomas Nido

One area where the Mets do not have much depth is the catching position. The team went into 2022 with the expectation Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido would hold down the fort until Alvarez was major-league-ready. This process was expedited as Narvaez missed most of the first half due to injury. The Mets allowed Nido to platoon with Alvarez, but the 29-year-old backstop hit just .125 through 22 games.

Never known for his offense, Nido's defensive decline has been startling since the 2022 season. With the days of being the personal catcher to Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard long gone, Nido has no role on the 26-man roster. While the Mets sought to trade Narvaez during the offseason, he is a better bounceback candidate in a backup role than Nido. For the remainder of spring training, fans would rather see playing time go to a prospect like Parada.