4 Mets players most likely to have a breakout year in 2023

A breakout season can be defined in a couple of ways. Some of the New York Mets players capable of having what could fall into a list like this have already had big league success. A true breakout year, however, requires a little more than playing well.

The Mets are a team made up largely of veterans with some younger players mixed in there. Someone like Brooks Raley could have a career year but he seems disqualified from being a candidate to breakout. He’s closer to 35 than he is 34 at this point.

Fortunately, there are other Mets players who have the capability of being a true breakout success. It’s these four who seem most destined to do it.

1) NY Mets player most likely to have a breakout year: Brett Baty

The bustling Brett Baty bandwagon brakes for no one. He has taken over as the prospect many believe will have the biggest year in 2023 if only because the Mets aren’t equipped to have Francisco Alvarez on the major league roster as a catcher. Baty tore up pitchers during the spring and looks ready to get regular at-bats in the majors.

The excitement level for Baty grew more so last year when he swatted a home run in his first MLB at-bat against the Atlanta Braves. An injury sidelined him not long after. Fans have been curious ever since where he’d fit in with the team moving forward.

When Carlos Correa almost became a member of the Mets, it looked like Baty was either getting traded or moving more toward becoming a starting left fielder. He should still be a candidate to play some outfield along with third base. If there is one rookie to put your faith in this year, it’s Baty.

2) NY Mets player most likely to have a breakout year: David Peterson

David Peterson hasn’t quite “broken out” just yet. He was very good for the team in 2020 and again in 2022 while bouncing between the majors and minors. What Peterson has yet to do is establish himself as a true major league starting pitcher. Many other clubs would probably have planned to have him as the fifth starter to begin this season. Not the Mets. They had different plans.

Those blueprints did change when they learned they’d be without Jose Quintana for several months. It pushes Peterson forward on the depth chart. He’ll have every chance he can get early on to prove he is worthy of a rotation spot. This season is his opportunity to show Mets management they don’t have to overpay in free agency for a pitcher next winter; they’ve already got a pretty good one in Peterson.

Peterson’s ceiling still has him closer to a back-end rotation arm than someone at the front of the line. Guys like him are necessary, though. And while he’ll have a long way to go before jumping over other current Mets starting pitchers presently on the roster or future players they may bring in, there is room for Peterson to make a claim to the 26-man roster and prove he belongs.

This season could still include a few trips to the minors. His remaining minor league options can come in handy when the club is at full strength with the veteran starters. No worries. He’ll get his innings.

4) NY Mets player most likely to have a breakout year: John Curtiss

Mets fans may be falling in love with John Curtiss this year. Although a relief pitcher’s contributions don’t compare to what a position player or starting pitcher can do, Curtiss has a chance to differentiate himself from so many other relievers who’ve been through Queens in recent years.

Curtiss is probably already a fan of Mets management who took a chance on letting him rehab throughout 2022 from Tommy John Surgery. A strong spring could put him in the thick of opportunities to pitch in any late and high-leverage situations for the Mets this coming year. He’s not a throwaway addition to the organization. Curtiss is a guy who has had previous big league success. He’ll begin his Mets career with a 3.63 ERA in 86.2 innings of work.

Exactly what we’ll get from Curtiss is a bit of a mystery. His two best stretches came in 2020 when he tossed 25 innings for the Tampa Bay Rays and had a 1.80 ERA then had a 2.48 ERA in 40 innings for the Miami Marlins in 2021. He last appeared in a big league game for the 2021 Milwaukee Brewers but got hurt after only 4.1 innings of work.

Curtiss could turn into an absolute steal for the Mets. With Edwin Diaz out for the whole year, they’ll need guys like him available and pitching strongly. He may not be able to top what he did with the Rays or Marlins. Staying on the field and compiling some innings for New York this year is what we could constitute as a true breakout year.