As all Mets fans know, the 2023 season didn’t quite go as planned. I’ve already taken a look at the starting pitching woes in a previous article, now let’s move on to the infielders.

The 2023 Mets Infield – The Model of Consistency

Going into the 2023 season, the Mets infield was projected with Omar Narvaez at catcher, Pete Alonzo at first base, Jeff McNeil at second base, Francisco Lidor at shortstop and Eduardo Escobar at third base. To end the 2023 season, Francisco Alvarez took over the catchers position, and Brett Baty took over the third base position.

Let’s break down the offensive output from the catchers position first. According to FanGraphs, Narvaez was projected to post a slash line of .248/.328/.369 with 8 home runs and 37 RBIs, in 375 plate appearances.

To complement Narvaez, Alvarez was anticipated to make his way to the show and post a slash line of .220/.318/.411 with 13 home runs and 69 RBIs, in 500 plate appearances. In reality, Narvaez posted a .211/.283/.297 with 2 home runs and 7 RBI, in 146 plate appearances. On the other hand, Alvarez ended up with 423 plate appearances, batting .209/.284/.437 with 25 home runs and 63 RBIs.

Moving on to first base, the Polar Bear was projected for a .261/.349/.515 slash line with 38 home runs and 112 RBIs in 647 plate appearances. Alonso posted a final line of .217/.318/.504 with 46 home runs and 118 RBIs, in 658 plate appearances. Alonso pulled his weight all season, outperforming his projections, while playing in all but 8 games in 2023.

The contact hitter, Jeff McNeil, was project a .289/.353/.419 slash line with 10 home runs and 59 RBIs, over a total of 538 plate appearances. McNeil was slightly under his projections, posting a slash line of .270/.333/.378 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs, in 648 plate appearances. McNeil’s home runs and RBI totals were right around projected numbers. However, McNeil is the type of player who needs to be on base more to create opportunities for the big boppers on the team. Like Alonso, McNeil played in all but 6 of the Mets games in 2023.

Despite all of the Carlos Correa rumors, Francisco Lindor knew he was going to be the starting shortstop. Lindor was projected to slash .255/.328/.440 with 25 round trippers and 89 RBIs, over 649 plate appearances. Lindor ended up with 687 plate appearances with a .254/.336/.470 with 31 home runs and 98 RBIs. Lindor played in all but 2 games last season, and either met or over performed his projections.

Eduardo Escobar started at third base, as a placeholder until Brett Baty was ready to take over. Escobar was projected at .232/.292/.417 with 21 home runs and 47 RBIs, in 548 plate appearances. Baty was projected at .253/.331/.424 with 19 home runs and 69 RBIs, over 484 plate appearances. Escobar under performed posting a .236/.286/.409 slash line with just 2 home runs and 16 RBIs, in 120 plate appearances for the Mets before being sent to the Angels to finish the season. Baty also struggled in his first real stint in the majors, posting a .212/.275/.323 slash line with 9 home runs and 34 RBIs, in 389 plate appearances.

The Mets Infield of 2024

The Mets infield of 2024 is going to look very similar to the infield of 2023, and that isn’t a bad thing. You’ve got the sophomore seasons of Alvarez behind the plate and Baty at the hot corner, coupled with the consistency of Alonso, McNeil, and Lindor going from first base to shortstop.

I think Alonso is going to have a monster season, considering his impending free agency. If that comes to fruition, McNeil gets back to hitting around .300 like his career numbers suggest, and Baty and Alvarez really find themselves this season, the Mets infield in 2024 isn’t going to be something that needs to be worried about.

By Brian Handzel

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Stats by FanGraphs

***Have you tried Dubby?? Are you looking for a Pre-Workout??
Use our promo code : WeLikeSportz for 10% off!****

***Are you interested in sports betting? If so make sure to use our promo code below where you can get your deposit matched (up to $1000), use promo code Sportz***