3 Mets players who fell short of expectations in the first 81 games, 2 who exceeded them

5) NY Mets outfielder Starling Marte has fallen short of expectations through the 1st 81 games of the 2023 season

Much like McNeil, I'm befuddled with what's gone on with Starling Marte. I don't know if it's the offseason surgery, I don't know if it's his age, he just doesn't look anything remotely close to the player he was last season.

Marte was an all-star for the Mets, hitting .292 with 16 home runs and an .814 OPS. He even received some MVP consideration, finishing 19th in the NL ballot. Marte was an extremely productive table setter all season for the Mets in 2022, and has fallen off a cliff this season.

The 34-year-old is slashing .253/.305/.329 with four home runs and 24 RBI. Much like McNeil, Marte's extra-base hit ability has completely vanished. He has just seven doubles after hitting 24 last year, one triple after five last year, and four home runs after 16 last year.

Marte has never hit below .277 in a full season, he's at .253 now. He's never had an OPS lower than .780 in a full season, it's at .634 now. His bat has slowed down dramatically, as has his defense as Marte ranks in the third percentile in outs above average according to baseball savant.

We've seen Marte fail to make certain plays in right field that he made with regularity last season. We've seen him fail to hustle down the line making me believe there might be some injury bugging him. We've seen his sprint speed go from the 68th percentile to the 45th percentile. Yes, he has below average speed now.

Francisco Lindor's average is low, but his OPS is only around 30 points lower than his mark from last season. Marte's OPS has fallen off a cliff.