Mets' Breakout Players, Most Disappointing to Start 2024 Season
It's shaping up to be another frustrating season for the New York Mets, with a 21-28 record and a minus-19 run differential through their first 49 games, but it hasn't all been bad.
The revamped pitching staff has held its own in the wake of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer being traded away last summer and Kodai Senga starting the year on the injured list, and the bullpen has a rising star in Reed Garrett making a strong case for an All-Star selection.
However, several of the team's top stars are off to sluggish starts, and shortstop Francisco Lindor has not been his usual dynamic self over the first two months of the season.
Ahead we've taken a closer look at those two players who carry the title of biggest breakout and biggest disappointment so far, along with also shining some light on a player enjoying a more under-the-radar breakout.
Under-the-Radar Breakout: RHP Christian Scott
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Right-hander Christian Scott established himself as the top pitching prospect in the Mets system last year when he posted a 2.57 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 107 strikeouts in 87.2 innings across three minor league levels, closing out the year at Double-A.
The University of Florida alum was a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft, and he is quickly shaping up to be one of the steals of his draft class.
After five starts at Triple-A Syracuse, he made his MLB debut on May 4 against the Rays, tossing 6.2 innings of five-hit, one-run ball. He followed that up with another quality in his second career outing before running into a bit of trouble last time out against the Marlins.
The 24-year-old might be one or two more good outings away from solidifying his place in the rotation for the foreseeable future, and the Mets are going with a six-man rotation for the time being after Tylor Megill was activated from the injured list.
Biggest Disappointment: SS Francisco Lindor
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Now in his fourth season with the New York Mets, shortstop Francisco Lindor entered the season squarely in the conversation for the title of baseball's best all-around shortstop.
The 30-year-old posted a 122 OPS+ with 33 doubles, 31 home runs, 98 RBI and 31 steals in a 6.0-WAR campaign last year, good for the first 30/30 season of his career while continuing to play top-tier defense at shortstop.
This season, he is hitting just .198/.271/.349 through 214 plate appearances, though his .265 expected batting average indicates that he has dealt with some bad luck and there is positive regression to come.
With six years and $204.6 million remaining on his contract after this year, the Mets are counting on him returning to franchise cornerstone status before the 2024 season comes to a close.
Biggest Breakout: RHP Reed Garrett
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The most out-of-nowhere breakout performance of the 2024 season belongs to reliever Reed Garrett.
The 31-year-old entered the season with a 7.11 ERA, 1.96 WHIP and 6.5 K/9 in 31 career appearances at the big league level with the Tigers, Nationals, Orioles and Mets, and he was an afterthought when it came to the makeup of the 2024 relief corps.
Fast forward to the end of May and he has a 0.72 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 14.8 K/9 with five wins, two saves and four holds in 17 appearances, striking out 41 of the 100 batters he has faced thus far.
The late-bloomer is under club control through the 2029 season and he won't even be arbitration-eligible for the first time until after the 2026 season, quickly making him one of the most valuable players on the roster.
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