New York Mets DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty took to video scouting of himself after his rookie season to get a better sense of what went wrong in 2023 and how he can fix it. "My top hand was a huge thing. I just needed to get that stronger and really just try to be more direct with the top hand," Baty said. He hit just .212 with a .275 on-base percentage and .323 slugging percentage in a rookie season that saw him get demoted to the minors at one point. Despite his struggles, the 24-year-old will be given every chance to win the majority of playing time at third base this spring, especially with Ronny Mauricio (knee) out for the year. Baty will be hoping to keep his bat in the strike zone longer and produce fewer groundballs. He'll need to improve against offspeed pitches and against left-handers in order to improve in his sophomore season.

New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte (groin) played winter ball last month and is confident in his health and ability to play right field every day for the start of the 2024 season after missing most of the final two months of 2023 with a right-groin strain. The 35-year-old veteran underwent double-groin surgery the previous winter. "I know that I am good [physically]," Marte said Sunday. The Mets will probably consider Marte for designated hitter at-bats in 2024, but his preference is to play right field. Marte appeared in only 86 games last year and slashed .248/.301/.324 with five homers and 28 RBI. According to manager Carlos Mendoza, Marte is still viewed as a full-time right-fielder. Marte can be a solid power/speed player for fantasy managers when he's healthy, but his age and injury history make him a pretty risky fantasy selection.

New York Mets infielders Jett Williams and Luisangel Acuna are drawing a lot of interest as Mets camp gets underway in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. Williams is the Mets' highest-rated prospect (No.45 in the Top 100) but Acuna is also considered a high-end prospect. Williams was a first-round pick back in 2022 and slashed .263/.425/.451 with 13 home runs, 55 RBI, and 45 steals in 121 minor-league games across three levels. Williams will see time at center field and shortstop while Acuna will get reps at second and shortstop as well. Williams' speed could play well in center field. According to beat writer Anthony DiComo both Acuna and Williams have an outside chance to appear in the majors at some point late in the season. They are must-draft players in dynasty formats but there's no need to rush and draft them in redraft leagues. Both are names to keep an eye on, however, if they do indeed get called up later in the year.

New York Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea has been refining his pitch arsenal during spring training. The 32-year-old lefty spent the 2021 and 2022 off-seasons at Driveline Baseball in Kent, WA to work on his velocity and pitch mix. The hard work during the offseason paid off as he put together a solid 4.44 ERA (3.90 FIP), 1.241 WHIP, and 128:42 K/BB ratio over 117 2/3 innings (37 appearances, 10 starts) with the San Francisco Giants. His sweeper and changeup were two of his best pitches last season and he's added a cutter to his arsenal as well. The Mets plan to have Manaea start the year in their rotation so their plan during spring training is to optimize and refine his pitches to give him a solid plan on how to deploy them all against batters. Given his recent resurgence, Manaea is worth a dart throw late in fantasy drafts this spring.

New York Mets second baseman/outfielder Jeff McNeil (elbow), who ended last year on the injured list due to a partial UCL tear in his left elbow, said that his follow-up MRI in December showed the continued presence of a tear, which is normal. Doctors cleared him for full activity, and he's a healthy player in spring training. First and foremost, the injury is to McNeil's non-throwing arm, which is good news, but it doesn't mean it won't affect him as a hitter if the injury persists in 2024. The 31-year-old should be New York's primary second baseman, but he'll occasionally see time in the outfield. The two-time All-Star won an NL batting title in 2022, but he disappointed with a .270 average in 2023 while still making plenty of contact and rarely striking out. Power isn't a big part of his game, so fantasy managers will be banking on his average bouncing back and that he's healthy in 2024.