Inside The Mets

Insider names these New York Mets as 2025 breakout players

One MLB insider included two New York Mets on his list of 2025 breakout players to watch.

Pat Ragazzo

Feb 27, 2025; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) celebrates with starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Feb 27, 2025; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) celebrates with starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Coming off a year where they finished two wins shy of a World Series appearance, the New York Mets lured Juan Soto to Queens to enhance an already talented roster that's now loaded with star power.

The 2025 Mets roster features names such as: Soto, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos, Brandon Nimmo, Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, Edwin Diaz, A.J. Minter and more.

But what about some of the breakout candidates?

MLB insider Jim Bowden wrote an article for The Athletic, where he built out a 26-man roster of players to watch this season. On said list, there were two Mets players, catcher Francisco Alvarez and newly converted starter Clay Holmes.

Now Alvarez's inclusion comes as a bit of a surprise because he broke the hamate bone on his hand recently, an injury that required surgery and will sideline him a total of 6-8 weeks. Alvarez has a ton of potential, there's no questioning that. However, the 23-year-old catcher tore the UCL in his thumb last season and missed around seven weeks after undergoing surgery. This greatly hindered Alvarez's power bat as he hit just 10 home runs the rest of the season after crushing 25 of them the year prior.

Alvarez does a great job with the Mets' pitching staff in terms of command and leadership, and his framing skills are elite. The Mets will once again miss his presence behind the plate until he returns from the IL. Alvarez will be back in the first half this season, but it's tough to expect his bat to breakout in a campaign where he had surgery for the second straight year.

Read More: Why New York Mets may not need to add frontline starter by trade deadline

Holmes was a two-time All-Star closer for the cross-town rival New York Yankees, but struggled for much of the regular season in 2024 following a hot start. He would bounce-back in the postseason in the Yankee 'pen, but now he is going back to his roots as a starter, a role he hasn't held since his rookie season in 2018.

The Mets weren't the only team that pursued Holmes as a starter in the offseason. Holmes can now throw his changeup and added a cutter to his arsenal, which will help him get left-handed batters out. Holmes, 31, has a 1.29 ERA across four starts (14 innings) this spring. He will also be the Mets' Opening Day starter in Houston on March 27 against the Astros.

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Pat Ragazzo
PAT RAGAZZO

Pat Ragazzo is the main publisher and reporter for the Mets On SI site. He has been covering the Mets since 2018. Pat was selected as The Top Reporter & Publisher of the Year 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. He has appeared on several major TV Networks including: NBC4, CBS2, FOX5, PIX11 and NY1; and is a recurring guest on ESPN New York 880 AM and WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM. Pat is also the Mets insider for Barstool Sports personality Frank "The Tank" Fleming’s podcast. You can follow him on Twitter/X and Instagram: @ragazzoreport.

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