Opening Day is upon us. The initial 28-man roster for the New York Mets has been released, let’s look at how the 2022 Metropolitans shape up.

Catchers (2)

McCann begins his second season behind the plate in a Mets uniform. He disappointed last season with a .232 batting average and a -0.2 bWAR.

Nido had a great spring going 10-for-24 in 10 games. He’s the better defensive catcher of the two and if his bat carries over to the regular season he could leach into McCann’s playing time.

First Base (2)

Alonso’s fourth season with the Mets begins. In 2020 he led the Mets in most offensive categories including home runs, doubles, runs batted in, and slugging. He’s going to bat cleanup throughout the season.

Smith was the Mets most impressive player during camp. After a lost 2021 he looked more like his 2020 self when he slashed .316/.377/.616. In spring training, Smith went 11-for-26 at the plate with six extra-base hits.

Second Base (2)

McNeil is another Met hoping to find his form from the 2020 season. A career .300 hitter, McNeil bat .251 in 2021 and lost his starting job at second base to Javier Baez.

Who knows what Cano will do this season? Coming off another PED suspension, Cano finished his spring going seven-for-seven at the plate. The Mets seem intent on finding a spot for him in the lineup, either at second, first, or DH.

Photo by Ed Delany MMO

Shortstop (2)

Lindor looks comfortable heading into his second season with the Mets. He had four home runs in 34 at-bats in the spring and is a prime bounce-back candidate.

Guillorme will find playing time this season because he has the best glove outside of Lindor.

Third Base (2)

Escobar was an All-Star last season and put up strong numbers this spring. The hope is he can be the full-time third baseman after a flurry of injuries at the spot in 2021 forced a heavy rotation.

Davis started his Mets career with a splash, hitting over .300 in his first season in 2019. Since then he’s been limited due to injury and poor defense. He’ll add to a strong bench.

Outfield (4)

The Mets brought in Marte and Canha to play the corners while Nimmo patrols center. The three starters have great on-base skills and the Mets analytics department has each found the proper spot for them to play. This could be a top unit in baseball if all remain healthy.

Starting Pitchers (5)

This group is a lot weaker on paper than it was a few weeks ago. DeGrom is out at least a month and injury concerns are already popping up with Scherzer and Walker. The Mets need some good luck here.

Relief Pitchers (9)

New York went from zero lefties in their bullpen to having two by trading for Rodriguez and signing Shreve to the 40-man roster after a strong spring. Diaz has a secure role at closer and they added Ottavino as another high-leverage arm.

Injured

DeGrom is injured again and won’t start the season making regular starts for the Mets. He reported healthy but now has a broken scalpula that will keep him sidelined for at least the first month. Let’s look toward the second half for his return.