NY Mets 2024 season outlook: Omar Narvaez expectations and predictions

New York Mets catcher Omar Narvaez is on a mission to regain playing time. His first season as a Met did not go as planned, as he missed two months of the season due to a calf strain, and the emergence of Francisco Alvarez as a leader on the team forced him to serve backup duties.

Narvaez picked up his $7 million player option for this season, which was an obvious decision after the lack of results he produced last season. Since then, he has been subject of some trade rumors in recent weeks, especially since he was signed to complete the bridge from the past to the future with Alvarez. But should he stay put in Flushing, look for him to see better results and luck that he had in his three seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers.

In 2023, Narvaez hit just .211 with two home runs and a .580 OPS. He didn't even register his first extra-base hit with the Mets until late July. He just simply wasn't hitting the ball hard enough, as his average exit velocity was 86.0 mph, which was the highest of his career. However, his expected batting average was 40 points above his regular average, so he really hit into some bad luck. So this season points to one where he will progress towards the expected means.

Defensively, he was above average in pitch framing in each of the three seasons he spent in Milwaukee from 2020-22, but was average last season, and we look for him to get back on track as he is playing for a possible contract next season.

What will help Narvaez is a bit of familiarity, as the Mets brought in former Brewers teammate Adrian Houser in a trade in December. Houser and Narvaez teamed up as a battery 33 times in Milwaukee.

The Mets and David Stearns, no doubt, will look to continue the roster shakeup they started this winter, and Narvaez is someone in which the Mets can move and get some value in return, especially if there are playoff contenders that have a need at the catcher position.

2024 Stat Prediction: .235 average, 5 home runs, 25 RBI, .650 OPS