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

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.