Mets Players With Most to Prove for Rest of 2023 Season

The New York Mets have been nothing short of wildly disappointing this season, but there is still enough season left for them to turn things around and make a postseason push.

Players up and down the roster could be pointed to as potential X-factors for the second half of the campaign, but there are a few names in particular with something to prove.

Whether it's an underperforming or injured star, an upcoming free agent, or a breakout performer at a key position who needs to maintain his level of production, there are many reasons why a player might want to make a point.

Ahead, we've highlighted three such players on the Mets roster.

3B Brett Baty

David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 06: New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (22) bats during the Tuesday evening MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets on June 6, 2023 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Mets sent Brett Baty to Triple-A to begin the 2023 season after he made his MLB debut down the stretch last year, and he hit .400/.500/.886 with five home runs and 15 RBI in nine games before he was recalled to the majors.

The 23-year-old had a .938 OPS through his first 11 games back, but he is hitting .241/.317/.355 with four home runs and 20 RBI in 186 plate appearances overall since returning to the majors.

Despite his lack of extra-base pop thus far, his hard-hit rate (86th percentile) and average exit velocity (84th percentile) rank high on the leaguewide leaderboard, giving him some obvious upside going forward.

Can he emerge as a budding star before the season is over?

OF Starling Marte

Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

HOUSTON, TX - JUNE 19: New York Mets right fielder Starling Marte (6) watches the pitch in the top of the first inning during the MLB game between the New York Mets and Houston Astros on June 19, 2023 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Playing in the first season of a four-year, $78 million deal with the Mets last season, Starling Marte hit .292/.347/.468 for a 133 OPS+ with 45 extra-base hits and 3.8 WAR in 118 games to earn his second career All-Star selection.

The 34-year-old has failed to match that level of production this year, hitting .254/.308/.324 for a 77 OPS+ that ranks 149th out of 156 qualified hitters, and the Mets lineup is simply not the same without him setting the table alongside Brandon Nimmo.

With two years and $41.5 million remaining on his contract, his ability to bounce back from a slow start will have an impact not only on the remainder of the 2023 season but also on the next few years.

RHP Justin Verlander

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 14: Justin Verlander #35 of the New York Mets in action against the New York Yankees at Citi Field on June 14, 2023 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Yankees 4-3 in ten innings. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Mets made Justin Verlander the highest-paid player in baseball when they signed him to a two-year, $86.7 million contract, matching the salary they gave fellow future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer the previous offseason.

The reigning AL Cy Young winner finished 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 185 strikeouts in 175 innings last year, but he hasn't been the same pitcher this year.

The 40-year-old has a 4.50 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 52 innings, and his peripheral numbers reveal some concerning trends.

His average fastball velocity has dipped to 94.3 mph, his strikeout rate has plummeted from 27.8 to 20.5 percent, and he ranks near the bottom of the league in hard-hit rate (15th percentile) and average exit velocity (12th percentile).

The Mets have pinned much of their title hopes on the shoulders of their veteran aces, and Verlander is owed another $43.3 million next season, making his return to form a major X-factor for this year and next.