3 Mets players who will be better in 2024, 2 who will be worse

What does your crystal ball tell you about the 2024 New York Mets? Shine it long enough and it may reveal which three players will be better in 2024 and which two are going to have a worse season.

Or maybe you don’t have a crystal ball and you’re just going to go with your gut feeling.

Not up for discussion are any players who have “nowhere to go but up” or “nowhere to go but down.” Case in point: Luis Severino was so bad last year with the New York Yankees he can’t possibly look worse. Edwin Diaz didn’t even play! They have nowhere to go but up. Kodai Senga, despite beginning the year on the IL, was so amazingly terrific he could have a worse season and still be an All-Star yet again. It’s too easy to expect him to not be as good.

Francisco Alvarez will make huge improvements in 2024

Francisco Alvarez has already been anointed by many fans as one of the best catchers in baseball. Not quite. As electric as he is, the .209/.284/.437 slash line left a lot to be desired. The power is for real. However, Alvarez has plenty to work on. His league leading 8 passed balls and a low 13% of attempted base stealers caught are two of the obvious weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball.

One could say he is a case of “things can only get better.” But that’s not the reason. Alvarez has continually seen his numbers dip a lot upon a promotion. Not uncommon, there are a lot of conclusions to come to. When he went from hitting .277/.368/.553 in Double-A and then turned in a .234/.382/.443 performance in Triple-A back in 2022, was it because he wasn’t ready or was the midseason change in environment throwing him off his game?

Needless to say, Alvarez showed enough in 2024 for the Mets to guarantee him the starting catcher gig this year yet again. He’s a hard worker. Something as non-baseball related as learning English proves it.

Alvarez might not have the equivalent improvement of hitting .247 in High-A and then batting .277 in Double-A the next season like he did previously. A jump in batting average from a lowly .209, however, seems likely to occur.

The key may be getting off to a good start. The grind of a full season might be one explanation to why he has started off hot and fallen following promotions. Last year’s second half with the Mets proved this as a possibility. Batting just .174/.270/.343 in 196 plate appearances, he was a much less dangerous threat in the lineup.