Amazin’ things ahead for the Mets in 2023?
Top 3 Storylines As Pitchers & Catchers Report
Steve Cohen spent Scrooge McDuck money this offseason to bring a championship to Queens in 2023. But there’s no guarantee breaking the bank will equate to a World Series title for the Amazins. Here are the the top 3 storylines to look out for in 2023.
Is Age Just A Number?
40 & 39. That’s how old Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer will be before the dog days of summer hit Citi Field. We just saw Tom Brady hang it up at 45 after holding off father time for a decade. Can Verlander and Scherzer do the same? Mad Max ended the season on a sour note, giving up a career high 4 home runs to the Padres in the Wild Card round. He also missed significant time with an oblique strain. When he was on the mound he was great, posting a 2.29 ERA with 10.7 K/9.
Meanwhile, at the age of 39 Verlander might have had his best season ever as he won his third Cy Young. Look at some of his key stats compared to 2011 when he won the Cy Young & MVP for the Tigers:
K/9: 2011: 9.0 2022: 9.5
ERA: 2011: 2.40 2022: 1.75
FIP: 2011: 2.99 2022: 2.49
Sure the innings were down in 2022, but we’re talking about a 39-year-old who just came off Tommy John surgery. The Mets are likely going to need at least the same level of production from Verlander to replace Jacob deGrom who left for Texas in the offseason. But deGrom was rarely healthy for the Mets anyway. If Verlander and Scherzer can do enough to get the Mets to the postseason and be healthy for the playoffs all you can is good luck to opposing offenses, but that’s a BIG IF.
2. Can The Prospects Live Up To The Hype
Brett Baty smashed his way onto the scene when he launched a home run in his first at-bat in the majors. After that it was a rough start to his Major League career. Baty hit .184 in 38 ABs in the regular season and he’s going to have to show some major improvement to earn some playing time in 2023. Luis Guillorme is penciled in as the starting third baseman for the Mets after the deal to bring in Carlos Correa fell through in the offseason. While Guillorme has one of the best gloves in the game, he doesn’t provide the pop the Mets truly need in the lineup. Can Baty emerge in spring training to steal a spot on the opening day roster? We’ll have to wait and see.
In addition to Baty, the Mets are hoping Francisco Alvarez can bring some of his minor league prowess to the majors. Alvarez tore the cover off the ball at every level, basically forcing the Mets to bring him up in 2022. It was a very small sample size, but he struggled to provide the same production at the plate in the majors. It was also telling the Buck Showalter was hesitant to use him behind the plate. If Alvarez is not ready to call a game and his defense struggles, his production at the plate won’t be enough to earn him a spot on the roster. The Mets could learn a lesson from the Yankees headaches with Gary Sanchez in years past.
Finally, Mark Vientos appears to be a man without a home for the Amazins. Vientos has spent time at first and third but the Mets have plenty of players ahead of him at both positions. Plus, while Vientos has shown pure power at the plate, he still strikes out too much to warrant a big role for this team. We’ll see if he can cut down on the K’s in spring training and whether or not he has to sacrifice some of his power to do it.
3. The Health Of Starling Marte
There’s no denying Starling Marte’s impact on the Mets offense. He is a rare combination of power and speed and provides depth for a lineup that can look thin at the bottom. Marte had another all-star season in 2022 before he hit a speed bump at the end of the year with a fractured finger. Marte was back for the Wild Card round but was not at 100%. Now he’s recovering from abdominal surgery in the offseason. Marte is 34-years-old and if he can’t come back as the same dynamic player that could be an issue at the top of the Mets lineup. Showalter says he’s optimistic that Marte will be ready for opening day, but we’ve heard that optimism about players returning for the Mets before. Even if he is ready to go for the opener, there’s no telling if he’ll be up to speed after missing a majority of spring training. Marte helped the Mets jump out to a lot of leads early when he was on the field in 2022. They’ll need that spark in 2023 if they’re going to compete with the Braves and the Phillies in a loaded NL East.