The New York Mets usually play second fiddle to the New York Yankees. While the Yankees are the most dominant team in baseball so far in this 2022 MLB season, the Mets are also one of MLB's best teams after owner Steve Cohen shelled out a lot of money for a talented roster. This includes acquiring players such as Max Scherzer and Starling Marte this past offseason, in addition to acquiring Francisco Lindor and giving him a massive contract in 2021.

The Mets currently have the second-best NL record, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers. Approaching the All-Star break, New York is primed for a deep playoff run and should be in contention for a World Series berth. With this in mind, these are three first-half surprises they must sustain for the rest of the 2022 MLB season to reach their goals.

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Mets first-half surprises in 2022 MLB season

3. Brandon Nimmo

Brandon Nimmo has been a solid player throughout his career with the Mets, but now he is doing it as an everyday player while staying healthy at the top of the order. One could argue that Nimmo could have made the All-Star squad as an outfield reserve. He has been phenomenal with a batting average of .270 and on-base percentage of .357, putting him on track for the best WAR of his career.

Having teammate Starling Marte as an All-Star may have affected his status (Nimmo actually has a higher WAR), but Nimmo must continue these great numbers for the Mets. As the leadoff hitter, he must stay setting the table for this offense. And, hopefully, he will stay heathy and surpass his career high in games played, which sits at 140 in 2018. He has never hit the 100-game mark besides that year.

2. Dominant pitching staff

Losing Noah Syndergaard to the Los Angeles Angels and not having Jacob deGrom available due to injury could have doomed New York. Max Scherzer also recently missed time. Yet, the Mets boast the third-best ERA in the NL at 3.63. Scherzer has been dominant when healthy, while Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker and David Peterson are picking up the slack.

The Mets' bullpen is one of the best in MLB with Edwin Diaz leading the way, along with setup men Adam Ottavino, Seth Lugo and Drew Smith. Once deGrom comes back, New York's pitching staff will be even better.

1. Competing with the best NL offenses

Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Starling Marte are all household and reliable names. They have not disappointed this season and are helping the Mets to one of the better offenses in the majors, with Nimmo also playing a key role as that leadoff man.

New York is third in the NL in runs scored, batting average and on-base percentage. Alonso is third in the NL in home runs and first in RBI with 77. Lindor is fifth with 66 RBI.

The well-balanced team construction of the Mets has them in position to be a prime contender to win the NL pennant in 2022. There will also surely be some action ahead of the trade deadline to bolster the roster. Having an owner willing to spend is an underrated aspect that has caused a massive boost to the organization. The Mets will never be more popular and valuable than the Yankees, but this is the season in which they are proving there are two legitimate World Series contenders in New York.