The New York Mets' first season under billionaire owner Steve Cohen didn't go quite as planned, as the team struggled to the tune of a 77-85 record, complete with a second-half collapse in typical Mets' fashion. However, the team quickly reloaded in the offseason before the lockout, bringing in such big fish as Max Scherzer and Starling Marte. New York also hired former New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners manager Buck Showalter, officially signaling in a win-now era. However, for the Mets to take the next step and make some noise in the playoffs- provided there is a season- they will need some better contributions from Mets already on the roster. Shortstop Francisco Lindor struggled mightily in his first year in the Big Apple. Jacob deGrom struggled to stay on the mound. Fellow pitcher Taijuan Walker looked like a very capable pitcher- and then seemingly fell off of a cliff. Utility infielder Jeff McNeil took a major step back after a strong season. There are plenty of Mets who underachieved in 2021. That said, here are three Mets players who need a bounce-back campaign in 2022.

3 Mets Players Who Need Bounce-Back Seasons In 2022

3. Dominic Smith

Dominic Smith was a revelation in the pandemic-shortened 202o season, finishing 13th in the National League MVP voting. Smith hit a career-high .316 and slugged 10 homers in just 50 games. He was the best hitter on the Mets by a fair margin. 2021 was not the same. Smith lost nearly 100 points on his batting average and just didn't look like the same hitter. A quick look at his FanGraphs profile shows that he made contact at about the same rate and didn't strike out any more than he did during his brilliant season. Whatever happened, there is enough evidence to suggest that Smith is more the hitter who hit .299 over two seasons than the one who slumped to a .226 second half average last season. With some more talent added to the Mets lineup and hopefully some more protection in the form of a rejuvenated Francisco Lindor, a Smith bounce-back should be in the cards.

2. Jacob deGrom

Admittedly, this is not a real bounce-back in the way that Smith's was. Jacob deGrom was, quite simply, the best pitcher in baseball last year. He pitched to a microscopic 1.08 ERA and struck out an amazing 14.3 batters per nine innings. He struck out at least 14 batters in three straight starts back in April of 2021! Unfortunately, deGrom made just 15 starts after making at least 30 in each of the last three full seasons. So, deGrom doesn't really need a bounce-back in terms of ability in 2022. He just needs to be available more often, sometimes a skill that is overlooked in professional sports.

1. Francisco Lindor

Mets fans knew this one was coming! Is there anyone in baseball that had a more frustrating and disappointing season than Lindor? The former Cleveland Guardians star signed a massive contract extension with the Mets before the season started- and then proceeded to slash just .230/.322/.412. Nobody on the Mets needs a bounce-back campaign more than Lindor. He can't afford to have another down year in the rabid media market that is New York. Fortunately for him, the underlying numbers suggest he will bounce back in a big way. Per Statcast, Lindor recorded the second-highest barrel percentage- the number of times a hitter makes contact with the sweet spot of the bat- as well as the highest average exit velocities and hard-hit rates of his career. In other words, Lindor hit the ball harder than he ever has in his career but had nothing to show for it. Yes, he didn't show up and underperformed. However, he also experienced more bad luck than he ever has in his career. With even league-average luck, Lindor will begin producing superstar numbers like he did in Cleveland next season for the Mets.