Mets 2022 midseason report card

For the second straight year, the Mets are in first place at the All-Star break. But this year feels a lot different than 2021. Last year, the Mets depended on a bunch of bench guys playing over their heads for a couple of weeks to stay atop the division. This year’s team feels better top to bottom. Plus, there’s still the long-awaited return of Jacob deGrom to look forward to later this month.

So, let’s line up everyone in alphabetical order and hand out midseason grades. Obviously, this is a very subjective process. My goal was to include role, preseason expectations and overall results in the final outcome. This means that two guys with much different results can wind up with the same grade. Only hitters with at least 50 PA and hurlers with at least 20 IP will receive a grade.

Pete Alonso – It’s always tough for Alonso because expectations are so high for him. And he was exceeding those expectations for most of the first half. But in his last 18 games and 78 PA, he has a .594 OPS, including a 2-13 in the key series against the Braves. And that span includes a 4-hit game against the Reds. Grade: A-

Chris Bassitt – The expectation was that he’d be a low-end SP2 or high-end SP3 and he’s been in the lower end of that range. He had a stretch of five games with poor results that matches up exactly with when Scherzer hit the IL. Perhaps that’s nothing more than a coincidence. He righted things shortly before Scherzer returned and he’s been good in his last five outings. Grade: B

Mark Canha – In 2019, Canha had a 146 OPS+, in the Covid year it was 124 and last season it was 112. This year he’s got a 116 mark, which seems to be what should have been expected. It’s just that he’s so … underwhelming, at least to me. Yes, he makes pitchers work and that’s definitely a point in his favor. But he makes weak contact and seems to me the type of player who won’t be as effective in the playoffs (.699 OPS versus teams .500 or better) as in the regular season. He’s also had more days off than any other starter, which feels like it should have led to better results. Grade: C+

Carlos Carrasco – Last year he was mostly bad and there was at least a tiny bit of concern that he was at the end of the line. And now he has 10 wins at the break and has cut his HR rate in half. The only knock is that hasn’t been consistent. Carrasco has seven starts with a Game Score of at least 60 and five with a score of 32 and under, including one where he managed just a 12. The expectations were lower than for Bassitt, so it seems like his grade should be higher. Grade: B+

J.D. Davis – Not a whole lot was expected from Davis, as he was third on the depth chart at DH when the season started. But outside of a couple of weeks, he hasn’t been good this year. Proponents will point to his average exit velocity, which has been excellent. But his power has been mostly MIA and his strikeout rate has been awful. Grade: D

Edwin Diaz – The expectation was that he’d be good, perhaps very good. Instead, he’s been great. In his last 19 games, Diaz has a 0.48 ERA and a 0.696 WHIP. For the season, he has a 1.69 ERA and an 18.08 K/9, both rates better than his magical 2018 season which prompted the Mets to trade for him in the first place. Grade: A+

Eduardo Escobar – The expectation was low AVG combined with high power. Escobar has delivered on the former but not really the latter. And he’s been even worse than expected from an AVG standpoint. Also, the advanced numbers do not like his defense, at all. Grade: D

Luis Guillorme – It was not a given that Guillorme was even going to make the Opening Day roster. Instead, he’s eighth on the team in PA and has a 113 OPS+. He slumped some in late-June, early-July but that was at least partly explained by a blister/cut on his hand. He’s been terrific defensively and better-than-expected offensively. Grade: A-

Travis Jankowski – His role was to provide speed and defense and he’s done just that. He missed time with an injury and has hit worse than expected. He had a career 77 OPS+ and he’s managed just a 34 this year. It’s not clear if he was a better choice than the recently DFAd Ender Inciarte. Grade: D+

Francisco Lindor – Before the trade, Lindor had a lifetime 118 OPS+ and this year, he’s got a 114. It might be a bit of a disappointment but this is pretty much what should be expected. He’s fifth in the NL in RBIs, which might be more of a function of his chances rather than his skill. Regardless, it’s still valuable. And he comes to the break with a 3.4 fWAR, meaning a 6-WAR season is not out of the question. Grade: A-

Seth Lugo – A few years ago, Lugo was the ideal bullpen piece, capable of performing in any role imaginable. Now, he has to be used much more carefully. He’s been outstanding when used with at least one day of rest and starting the inning clean. Overall this year, he’s been an average reliever. His grade at this point depends on how much blame you think the manager deserves in repeatedly calling on him to come in mid-inning or with no rest. Grade: B-

Starling Marte – He’s delivered batting numbers right in line with what he produced last year and better then what he amassed in previous full seasons. And he’s done a solid job adjusting to right field, a position he never played in the majors previously. Plus, he made the All-Star team. The only negative is that his SB numbers are down, both in success rate and raw numbers. Grade: B+

Patrick Mazeika – No one’s happy that he’s had enough playing time to make the list. He feels like more of an offensive threat than Nido – they both have a 42 OPS+ this year – but that’s damning with faint praise. Mazeika has been better than expected defensively but he’s still the worst of the three catchers in this regard. He’s more or less filled his role and met expectations. It seems that makes him ineligible for the D or F I want to give him. Grade: C-

James McCann – Injured and ineffective is no way to go thru life. The less said about his offense, the better. The biggest positive for him is his 2.72 catcher’s ERA. Nido has a 3.93 mark while Mazeika has a 4.06 rate. And McCann has caught Scherzer in just two of his 11 starts. Grade: C-

Jeff McNeil – He’s completely bounced back from last year’s terrible season at the plate and he’s essentially been a league-average defensive player at both 2B and LF. He’s on pace for a 4-WAR season and that’s better than most projected before the season started. Grade: B+

Adonis Medina – Nobody had any expectations for Medina and he has a 3.00 ERA in 21 IP. And five of his seven runs came in an appearance in Colorado. He deserves to be in the majors and pitching in higher-leverage spots than he has to date. Grade: B+

Tylor Megill – There’s perception and there’s reality. The perception is that Megill has been a big asset this year when healthy. The reality is that his 5.01 ERA is worse than last year. The estimators think he’s pitched better than that, as Megill has a 3.60 FIP and a 3.04 xFIP. He filled in admirably for Jacob deGrom at the beginning of the year. But it hasn’t been pretty recently. Grade: C+

Tomas Nido – He hasn’t hit much but at least he’s come up with hits in big spots, as he has a .943 OPS in 26 PA with RISP. He’s done a nice job of throwing from his knees when runners attempt to steal second. But at the end of the day, he has a 42 OPS+ and no amount of lipstick is going to cover that up. It feels like he should have a lower grade than Mazeika, since he was the backup and Mazeika was the third choice. Grade: D+

Brandon Nimmo – The biggest question about Nimmo is if he would stay healthy. He had a brief trip to the Covid IL but has avoided the multi-month IL trips of 2019 and 2021. The next big question is if he would keep his defensive gains from a year ago. For the most part, that’s been answered affirmatively, too. Statcast in particular really likes his defensive play. His offense has been down, as he had another stretch with little power and also one where he wasn’t drawing walks. But he has a .932 OPS in his last 14 games and has 7 BB in his last 9 G. A 5-WAR season is very much in play. Grade: B+

Adam Ottavino – In 2020, Ottavino had a 5.89 ERA and last year’s 4.21 was an improvement but still marked him as below-average. This year, he has a 2.52 ERA, a 0.981 WHIP and has limited opposing hitters to a .606 OPS. If anyone said they saw this type of season coming from him, well, they’re lying. Grade: A

David Peterson – Depth starter has seen a bunch of playing time due to various injuries to starters. Most teams would kill to have their seventh starter go 5-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 15 games and 13 starts. Peterson’s been a bit less than that in two of his last three starts but that doesn’t take a lot away from what has been a strong season. Grade: B+

Joely Rodriguez – I’m no fan of lefty relievers and didn’t like the trade to bring Rodriguez to the team at all. And then he didn’t exactly start the year off great. But, unlike with Lugo, the manager has seemed to find the right way to deploy Rodriguez. On June 8, Rodriguez had a 5.49 ERA. Since then, he has a 2.45 ERA and a 0.995 WHIP. Killjoys will point out that this recent stretch is just 7.1 IP. But part of using your lefty reliever the right way is to take him out after he gets the last out of the inning, even if he throws just one pitch. The other is not to force him in the game at every opportunity. Rodriguez went nine straight games without an appearance. He’s been used right the last month and not every reliever could handle the sporadic usage that Rodriguez has seen. Grade: B-

Max Scherzer – He’s been everything we could have hoped for when the Mets signed him. The only blemish is the time spent on the IL. But, the guy’s in his age-37 season, we probably shouldn’t expect 33 starts from him. Grade: A-

Chasen Shreve – It started off ok but then completely fell apart. The Mets did the right thing by DFAing him. Grade: F

Dominic Smith – Keeping the carcass of Robinson Cano and splitting the DH time three ways certainly didn’t help Smith. But he made matters worse by hitting like an honorary Mets catcher. In his first 11 games back from the minors, Smith had an .889 OPS. Since then, he has a .214 mark. I’m probably the only one left who still believes that the club just needs to write his name in the lineup card every day for three weeks and you’ll see results. Unjustified enthusiasm aside, he’s been worse than Davis and his grade should reflect that. Grade: D-

Drew Smith – He was great at the beginning of the year and lousy here at the end of the first half. Smith was supposed to be the fourth reliever behind Diaz. With Trevor May hurt and Lugo struggling with his usage, Smith has been the second-best reliever on the team, non-Diaz department. He’s out-performed his role and expectations, too. Grade: B-

Taijuan Walker – He was a disaster in the second half of 2021. Then he went on the IL after just one start this season. When Walker came back, he had one of the worst strikeout rates in the league. Yet somehow, it’s been a great first half. In his last seven games, everything has come together for Walker. In 45 IP he has a 4-0 record with a 1.80 ERA. And his 48 Ks in that span have put to rest the strikeout concerns. Walker’s also surrendered just one homer in that span, another worry from last year. Grade: A-

Trevor Williams – His role coming into the season was depth starter/long reliever. As the team’s eighth choice to start a game, Williams has a 4.67 ERA in eight games as a SP, which is better than most give in that role. And as a reliever, he has a 1.71 ERA in 21 IP, which is fantastic. Grade: A-

*****

Buck Showalter – Ever since Mets360 debuted in 2010, I’ve been pleading for the Mets to get a manager who can make a difference in the dugout. Yet too many people were too eager to parrot the line from the front office, that managerial moves were overrated and that the most important part of the job was communication. Forgive my French, but that was and is bullshit. And it’s been incredibly rewarding to see Showalter make a difference here in the first half.

My opinion is that he could be better in how he uses his bullpen. But Showalter started in a better place with a greater commitment to rest than we’ve seen previously from a Mets manager. Plus, we’ve seen him adapt on the fly with his bullpen moves, which is certainly more than his predecessors did. And my hope is that Showalter will continue to adapt as necessary, particularly with how he uses Lugo.

You watch teams that the Mets play and you see managers of other teams put up with stuff you know that Showalter simply wouldn’t tolerate. The lackadaisical play of the Marlins stands out but the Cubs looked bad, the Phillies were atrocious when they played and even the Cardinals looked inferior. That’s a big change for the Mets and we should all celebrate that. Grade: A-

Billy Eppler – Clearly, he wasn’t the first choice for the job. He probably wasn’t anyone’s second pick, either. But Eppler has done a very nice job under tough circumstances, joining the party late and then almost immediately having to deal with the lockout. All he’s done is bring on key players and Showalter. Maybe Steve Cohen deserves more credit for Scherzer but Eppler’s record looks good even without that particular feather.

Perhaps Eppler’s biggest test this year is yet to come, with the trade deadline rapidly approaching and a potential Juan Soto acquisition to navigate. But the player moves, the managerial hire and even the first day of the 2022 Draft all look good right now. Grade: B+

*****

The Mets are on a pace for 101 wins and that’s without a single game from deGrom and missing Scherzer for seven weeks. And those are hardly the only two things that have gone wrong for the club this season. They’re a legitimate top-five team in the majors right now and no one will relish playing them in October if both deGrom and Scherzer are healthy. It’s been an incredibly fun first half, one that’s wiped away the disappointment from the second half of last year. Enjoy the All-Star game and I hope to see all of you in the Game Chatters when the second half begins.