Photo by Chris Simon

Mark Canha is off to a hot start in a Mets uniform.

Signed to a two-year, $26.5 million deal in the offseason, Canha was viewed as someone who could rake at the plate and get on base, and that has proved to be the case so far.

Through the opening four games of 2022, Canha is 7-for-10 with three walks and four hits, two runs scored, and one RBI. He’s slashing .700/.769/.700 with a 1.444 OPS, while he has also come up clutch in big moments at the plate throughout the first series against the Nationals.

Take Sunday, for example. Canha had three hits, finishing 3-for-4 with three singles and an RBI, including a big blow to lead off the ninth (though the Mets ended the inning empty-handed).

He has got on base ten times out of 13 plate appearances so far (an incredible rate), he’s getting good contact on the bat, and he has provided the kind of situational hitting that the Mets have long craved.

Canha became one of just 28 Mets to record four or more hits in his first two games with the club, joining the likes of Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, Carlos Beltran, and Keith Hernandez, with Preston Wilson leading that pack with six hits.

It is no accident that the addition of Canha, along with Starling Marte, has led to an explosion of runs from the Mets. They scored 17 runs and had 34 hits in the opening three games against the Nats before being slowed down somewhat on Sunday.

A career .246 hitter, Canha, who also made some nice plays in the field in the opening series, has batted seventh in the lineup, but he could be bumped up if he continues to rake as he has to start the season.

Described by manager Buck Showalter as “trustworthy” before the start of the season, Canha ranked in MLB’s 91st percentile in chase rate, according to Baseball Savant. He also walked 77 times in 2021 and tied for the major-league lead with 27 hit-by-pitches.

While he may not hit the long ball as much as he would like, Canha can be relied upon to put together consistent good at-bats, and, Brad Pitt (as Billy Beane) preached in Moneyball, he gets on base.

“He’s a guy that is engaged,” Showalter said back in spring training. “He doesn’t have a day (off) mentally or emotionally. He’s very disciplined and attuned with his body and the competition. He’s just a guy you know what you are going to get from every day as far as approach to games.”

That assessment has proved spot on so far.

The Nationals aren’t exactly a powerhouse in the National League East, but Canha’s hot start at the plate and getting on base is undoubtedly a huge positive for the Mets.

Canha ticks all those boxes of getting on base and being a reliable hitter with men on. He has wasted little time proving it in a Mets uniform.