5 “Under The Radar” New York Mets Players Can Make A Big Impact This Year

Written By: Aidan Wohl

Twitter: @Aidan_Wohl

The New York Mets will aim to improve in the 2023 season after a previous season that saw them fall short in the Wild Card round to the San Diego Padres. A large focus for New York has been its depth, and considering there has been a been a wide history of the injury bug plagued within the organization, it is safe to say that the club will need to rely on some “not so big names” this season; players that have the potential to help add to the Mets’ firepower that helped the team finish with the third-best record in the league last season.

Here are the 5 under the radar Mets players that can make a big impact this season:

1. Brett Baty

Since the Mets called Brett Baty up from Triple-A Syracuse, the 23-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down since hitting .400 and five home runs in nine games for the minor league affiliate. Baty has a plethora of potential with a strong presence at the plate, able to make consistent contact for a New York team that is struggling at the moment in that dimension.

Baty isn’t so under the radar so to speak, as he is only played a total of 14 games for New York, meaning that he has not yet fully broken into his game yet and has a great deal of room to improve which can be paramount for the team’s future. The third basemen also brings the Mets more depth in the lineup and more trouble for left-handed pitchers, batting lefty, as well as the ability to hit the long ball with his strength and power off the bat. His recent surge, which saw him deliver an RBI against the red-hot Los Angeles Dodgers illustrates that he is capable of being a solid contributor for the club as well as someone that can potentially show up in a big way down the stretch later in the season.

2. Luis Guillorme

Entering his 6th season for the Metropolitans, Luis Guillorme has seen it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Guillorme has been the unsung hero at times, hitting clutch homeruns and singles to begin his career. Thus far, the veteran second baseman has been playing “his role), batting .250 with 7 RBIs, but has shown that his development takes place towards the latter half of the season, where the games count more. Guillorme doesn’t get nearly as talked about as some of the other Mets in the rotation, but he does possess the ability to show up and produce at the highest level and it should be interesting to see how much his presence will be known not only at the plate but on the field as well.

3. Mark Canha

The Mets’ designated hitter/outfielder Mark Canha has aged like fine wine throughout his nine-year career so far, coming off his most productive season with his first season in a New York jersey, where he had a career-high 123 hits and his second career-best .266 BA. Despite not putting up “Pete Alonso or Brandon Nimmo type” numbers, Canha has proven that he is a valuable player that is worth to be played consistently in the lineup — with his unique prowess of being dynamic and playing multiple different positions, as well being a consistent hitter — already delivering an RBI just short of four times every 1o games so far this young season. Canha will be a player to keep an eye on and for Mets fans, and it wouldn’t be surprising to rise from a .210 hitter to a .245 slugger as the season progresses. It will also be intriguing to see how much Canha, with his years of MLB experience, can help and guide the younger players such as rookie catcher Francisco Alveraz and Baty.

4. Tommy Pham

Entering his first season with the Mets after 10 seasons with now his 6th different MLB club, the 35-year-old left fielder Tommy Pham has taken a step back from his 21 home runs, 68 RBI season in 2019, as his age is progressing. However, Pham has a component of his game that has started to pick up in the later stages of his career: his ability to get on base.

Pham is actively batting.250 which is tied with Guillorme for fourth-best on the roster. He is refining his game into a more contact-based hitter which has done wonders for New York thus far as they have struggled to get on base, which has cost them many games in the first few weeks of the season.

5. Eduardo Escobar

Commentator Gary Cohen called September, “the month of Eduardo” after Escobars infamous month last season for New York, which saw him deliver a walk-off RBI in the 10th inning. This year Escobar, despite not being one of the anchors of the club, has the opportunity to have many more fruitful months as one of the main contributors to the Mets’ offense. He has started slow this season, only batting .120 but every season, especially to begin a season, comes with rough patches, and Escobar for one knows how to fine-tune his game to take the Mets to greater

heights.