3 players from the 2021 Mets who are failing miserably elsewhere

3) Former Mets player failing miserably in 2021: Jonathan Villar

Jonathan Villar ended up as a pretty important member of the 2021 Mets. Originally signed for some infield depth, he ended up with 505 plate appearances and started plenty of games all over the infield for the oft-injured club.

He was pretty good for them, too. Villar slashed .249/.322/.416 and added 18 home runs for a club with very little power outside of Pete Alonso. The performance was good enough for him to earn a $4.5 million contract in 2022 with a $10 million option for 2023 with the same Cubs club that signed Stroman earlier in the offseason.

The Cubs won’t be paying him that $10 million. Just recently, Villar was designated for assignment. His reign at Wrigley comes to a premature ending after only 46 games.

Villar exits Chicago with a .222/.271/.327 slash line and a pair of home runs in 166 plate appearances. It’s difficult to diagnose exactly why he struggled so much. The former Mets infielder got plenty of playing time. He just hasn’t had nearly the same amount of success as another member of the team’s 2021 bench mob, Brandon Drury.

Villar remains a versatile infielder with above average speed. This should get him a major league job somewhere. It may first take a trip to the minor leagues before a club gives him at-bats at the highest level.