3 Mets who will shatter expectations in 2023

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It has been a tumultuous spring for the New York Mets. The injuries have begun to pile up, putting immense pressure on the healthy Mets.

Mets stars Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Francisco Lindor will shoulder the majority of the burden, but it is often the unheralded players that make or break a season.

Here are three three unheardled Mets players posied to shatter expectations in 2023.

1) NY Mets player who will shatter expectations: Mark Canha

The most underappreciated player on the New York Mets roster is Mark Canha. Canha had a sneaky good 2022 season, posting a .266\.367\.403 slash line. Canha scored the sixth most runs on the Mets and walked the fourth most last season.

Canha also has a serious knack for getting hit by pitches. The outfielder got drilled a career-high 28 times in 2022.

The primary skillset Canha provides the Mets is his ability to get on base. Canha is patient and makes pitchers work deep into counts, which tires them out. Canha saw 4.09 pitches per plate appearance in 2022, the 16th most in the National League, and second most on the Mets.

The outfielder hits at the bottom of a deep Mets order, which forces pitchers to pitch to him. In 2022, Canha hit 24 doubles, a career-high. On most teams, Canha would hit near the top of the order, due to his exceptional prowess to get on base.

With Brandon Nimmo's recent knee injury and Starling Marte's lengthy injury history, Mark Canha's versatility could be key. The veteran can play all three outfield positions, and will likely play center field on days Nimmo is not in the lineup. center field.

Canha is underrated in baseball circles and primed to have a massive 2023 season.

2) NY Mets player who will shatter expectations: Brett Baty

The young New York Mets third baseman will play a significant role this season, even if he starts at Triple-A. Baty is tearing up the Grapefruit league this spring. Baty's defense has really shined this spring, something many around the Mets indicated needed significant development this spring.

Eduardo Escobar struggled last season, but had a fantastic September, which makes him the favorite to open the season at third base. If Baty continues to tear the cover of the baseball during the last week of spring training, it is conceivable he beats out Escobar for the third base job.

Baty is the ultimate five tool-player. He flashed his raw power and ability in 2022. Baty hit 19 home runs and slashed .312/.406/.544 in Double-A, which quickly led to his promotion to Triple-A and the Big Leagues.

Baty will fit perfectly into the Mets lineup. Similar to Canha, Baty is disciplined and makes pitchers work hard. He walked in 11.7% of his at-bats at Double-A and 11.5% of his bats at Triple-A. Those numbers are both well above the MLB league average.

If given the chance, Baty will post some gaudy numbers over a 162-game sample size.

3) NY Mets player who will shatter expectations: Carlos Carrasco

Carrasco had a very strong 2022 season, going 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA in 152 innings. He also struck out 152 batters. Carrasco threw over 100 innings in 2022 for the first time since 2018. The right-hander had a great first five months, but ran out of gas toward the end of the season.

Carrasco was projected to be the Mets' number five pitcher this season, but with the injury to Jose Quintana, will move up to number four.

Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Kodai Senga headline the Mets rotation, which makes many forget about Carrasco. Carrasco is a veteran MLB starting pitcher, who still has above-average stuff.

According to Baseball Savant, Carrasco ranked in the 94th percentile in chase rate, 75th in curve spin, 74th in limiting walks, and 65th in whiff rate.

Pitching after the big three will also take a ton of pressure off Carrasco's shoulders. After facing Verlander, Scherzer, and Senga, teams will be desperately searching for a victory, but Carrasco won't allow that. Carrasco had 15 wins in 2022, tied for the Mets among the Mets pitching staff.

Carrasco had a career resurgence in 2022, and he will build upon that in 2023.

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