7
2011
2011 Mets: End of the Season Grades
An article by 
Who Got Passing Grades?
Catchers
Josh Thole .268/.345/.344, 3 HR, 40 RBI B-
Thole did not develop as much as was expected offensively this year. He only scored 22 runs this season.
Ronny Paulino .268/.312/.351, 2 HR, 19 RBI B-
When he was healthy, it seemed as if Paulino was a good pick up for the Mets.
Mike Nickeas .189/.246/.264, 1 HR, 6 RBI D
Nickeas was not able to produce much offensively in the limited action that he saw this year
First Basemen
Ike Davis .302/.383/.543, 7 HR, 25 RBI Inc.
Only having Ike Davis for 36 games this season was a big loss for the Mets and was one of the reasons why they struggled.
Daniel Murphy .320/.362/.448, 6 HR, 49 RBI A-
Daniel Murphy was able to show what we have known for years. His bat is enough to keep him in the lineup. The problem is finding a position for him.
Lucas Duda .292/.370/.482, 10 HR, 50 RBI B+
After a slow start to his season, Lucas Duda managed to pick things up and put together a solid season.
Nick Evans .256/.314/.403, 4 HR, 25 RBI C+
Nick Evans has not been the same since he was injured last season. At this point, he looks like a bench player and not a starter.
Middle Infielders
Jose Reyes .337/384/.493, 16 3B, 7 HR, 44 RBI, 39 SB A
When he was healthy, Jose Reyes did everything that the Mets could have asked of him. He also became the first Met to win a batting title.
Justin Turner .260/.334/.356, 4 HR, 51 RBI B
Justin Turner showed flashes of brilliance this season. He also showed why he was in the minors for so long.
Ruben Tejada .284/.360/.335, 0 HR, 36 RBI B+
Ruben Tejada’s bat looked a lot more advanced than it did last season. He was once again outstanding defensively.
Third Base
David Wright .254/.345/.427, 14 H, 61 RBI, 11 SB B-
There is still something that seems off with David Wright. His performance has fallen from the levels that it was at a few years ago and he could be traded in the off-season.
Outfielders
Jason Bay .245/.329/.374, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 11 SB D
Just like last season, Bay looks like a lost cause at Citi Field. The Mets must be regretting the $66 million investment they made in him.
Angel Pagan .262/.322/.372, 7 HR, 56 RBI, 32 SB B-
There was talk that Angel Pagan may get non-tendered this off-season. That likely will not happen as Pagan has done enough to prove that he is deserving of a starting spot.
Carlos Beltran .289/.391/.513, 15 HR, 66 RBI A
Part of the reason for Beltran’s grade comes from the fact that he was traded for Zack Wheeler. Beltran put up great numbers when he was with the Mets.
Willie Harris .246/.351/.317, 2 HR, 23 RBI C
The New York Mets knew that they would not be getting much offensively when they signed Willie Harris. He did a decent job in the outfield this season.
Jason Pridie .231/.309/.370, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 7 SB C-
Jason Pridie was a decent bat off of the bench for the Mets this season. He saw action in 101 games this season.
Scott Hariston .235/.303/.470, 7 HR, 24 RBI B-
There were a few occasions this season where Scott Hariston came up big. He filled the Mets need of a power bat off of the bench.
Starting Pitchers
R.A. Dickey 8-13, 3.28 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 134 K A-
While his record may not indicate the level of success that Dickey had this year, he was the best pitcher on the New York Mets’ staff.
Mike Pelfrey 7-13, 4.74 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 105 K F
Mike Pelfrey has failed to show improvement year after year. He was the worst starter the Mets had in a year that they were counting on him to be a big part of their rotation.
Chris Capuano 11-12, 4.55 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 168 K B-
Chris Capuano struggled to be consistent during this season which explains why he had a 4.55 ERA even when he had a number of solid outings.
Dillon Gee 13-6, 4.43 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 114 K B
The young starter led the Mets with 13 wins this season. He did struggle with his control at times this season.
Jonathon Niese 11-11, 4.40 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 138 K B
The future of the Mets rotation looks bright with Gee and Niese. He was arguable the Mets second best pitcher this season.
Chris Young 1-0, 1.88 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 22 K Inc.
Chris Young was putting together a very strong season this year before he was injured. The Mets certainly could have used him for more than four starts.
Relievers
Francisco Rodriguez 2-2, 32 SV 3.16 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 46 K A-
K-Rod was the Mets best reliever before he was traded away to the Milwaukee Brewers. The move was a necessary one but it created a hole in the Mets’ bullpen.
D.J. Carrasco 1-3, 6.02 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 27 K F
The Mets big off-season signing was a major bust. He struggled all season and has made his deal look like a mistake.
Pedro Beato 2-1, 4.30 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 39 K C+
As a Rule V Draft Pick, Beato needed to be on the Mets’ 25-man roster for the whole season. He looked good at times while at others he struggled.
Bobby Parnell 4-6, 6 SV, 3.64 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 64 K B+
Parnell could be the Mets’ closer next season. He did a good job with the role after Francisco Rodriguez was traded.
Jason Isringhausen 3-3, 7 SV, 4.05 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 44 K B-
Years after he was a part of Generation K, Jason Isringhausen returned to the New York Mets. He was a veteran presence in the Mets’ bullpen.
Tim Byrdak 2-1, 1 SV, 3.82 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 47 K B
Tim Byrdak was one of the best pitchers in the Mets’ bullpen this season.
Manny Acosta 4-1, 4 SV, 3.45 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 46 K A-
Manny Acosta was a beacon of consistency for the New York Mets this season. He was the best pitcher in the Mets’ bullpen this year.
Ryota Igarashi 4-1, 4.66 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, 42 K D+
Igarashi still has not adjusted fully to pitching in the United States. He struggled a decent amount this year.
Manager
Terry Collins B-
Collins did a fairly good job of managing the Mets this season. However, the fact remains that the team was eight games under .500 for the year.
About the Author: Robert Knapel
Robert is from New Jersey. He is currently pursuing Bachelors degrees in both Finance and International Business at Washington University in St. Louis. He has been a Mets fan for as long as he can remember. Robert also serves as an MLB Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
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Parnell a B-? Thole a B-? being nice I see.
Overall, though, good article and well put together. These types of articles always put themselves out there to be picked apart, based on personal opinion.
I think your being very generous Robert.
Thole didn’t develop, he was exposed. Even the things that he does well you don’t get full value from. No one can even advance more than 1 base on his singles. His offensive skill set compliments a very good defensive player. He’s not and I don’t think he’ll ever be. He would have a hard time being a back up catcher on just about any team and while this is his first full season, it’s his 3rd year up here. C-
Parnell has now been up here for parts or all of four seasons now. When is he going to put it together? 2014? C-
Pagan had a bad year. Maybe not as bad at first glance but bad enough. Sometimes guys will have bad season with the bat but his route running was shockingly bad at times and the head just didn’t seem to be there. I give him a bit of a pass because he’s played very well the last year and a half and certainly has the talent and he did play injured (throwing arm) and through his illness but between those things and his head, he just didn’t have a good year at all. C- for him.
Niese and Gee would have benefitted from even an average defense but they pitch in a big park. What will their 4.40 ERA’s be in a mid size park like the Mets are talking about? 5.00+? Niese has been up here parts of four years now. Time to get that ERA under 4.00. C for Niese, B for Gee.
Agee to be fair,Niese was the unluckiest pitcher on the staff.He was a victim of shoddy defense,misplays that don’t count as errors and goes against his era.The defense was well below average in his starts.It seems like Pagan took most of his bad routes in Niese’s starts.His FIP was a full run below his ERA.He still has improvements to make but I think he can be an important part of the rotation,so long as he keeps making strides.
I hear you Joe,
I’m not down on him. Young pitchers take a step back for every step forward and your right about the D. I thought it was terrible last year after being surprisingly good the year before. Didn’t take note of how it was behind Niese in particular but I’ll take your word.
Hope he gets that ERA to around 3.5 and no higher. That’ll really help.
I completely disagree with Pagan. Between his “preference” to hit in the BOTTOM of the order (with his skill set he should be your quintessential number two hitter) and the times he looked lost chasing down a flyball in center, in my opinion, he took a step back from what may be his best career year last year. He showed enough that he isn’t cut out to be a everyday CF.
You gave David a B- but Bay a D? They have very similar stats except Bay had fewer errors. Bay makes less money than Wright this year and had slightly less HR, RBI and AVG numbers. If Bay is a D then Wright has to be a C or C-
Bay put up similar counting stats in 20 more games. His OPS was also 70 points lower, and he had an OPS+ of 96 compared to Wright’s 114. Wright was still an above average player while Bay was a below average one.
you have got to be kidding me with this article!! this is a bad job on your part, i get you optimistic and don’t want to come across as a bad judge i get it, but the only mets deserving of an A were beltran, reyes and krod… everyone in the bullpen deserves a D and below,
parnell a B+??? F
Acosta an A? D-
murphy an A-? B+
dickey an A? C+
scott hairston and pagan B??? F
paulino, thole and wright B-?????? C, C, C-
this is horrible!!!!! you cannot be serious with this grades… bad job man.. bad job!!!!
wait there’s more,
byrdak and izzy B???? D- and C
i love gee and niese, and adding capuano turned out to be an ok sign, but B????
Gee and capuano deserve a C+ and niese a C. niese was supposed to be over the hump this year and become good, he stayed mediocre at best, and i LOVE niese, but i have to be fair… jeez
Byrdak was solid for a long stretch, so I would not go D-. B-/C+. You’re not asking him to be Krod. Overall, he did his role well.
dickey was way better than a C+
no he wasn’t.. based on what?!? he had the best ERA on a shi*** rotation, that’s about it..
Wow, kind of generous there. I am way more forgiving of Parnell than most, but he did get roughed up pretty good.
And, unless you weigh their respective salaries against each other, I think Bay had a better year than Pagan.
and Thole seems to have regressed this past season.
the is how sad the mets franchise has become. the team was below .500 and the manager gets a b-. you must be one of those people that think if somebody get a a and another gets a f, just make it so both get a c. this blog is a new all time low. these grades are beyond laughable. you are sick.
And you are “one of those people” who judges a manager solely based on his team’s record? The players talent has nothing to do with the team’s record, right?
the ny mets,we sure do love our mediocrity.
Yeah, Robert, as a college prof myself, I’ve got to say you are guilty of serious grade inflation, my boy.
I would have inflated Collins to a solid B.
Parnell is a D. I hope to God he never becomes the Mets closer unless he learns some accuracy and ability. I doubt he will ever amount to anything other than a flamethrowing bum who succumbs to pressure.
lmao, Russseeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!
my friend, as usual, the CORE salutes you.. hope all is well my friend!
I would start by giving Paulino a D and Nickeas a B. Whatever we got from Nickeas was gravy, Paulino gave us JUST 2 HR.
Collins a B or B+ just by keeping this team together for so long.
Pelfrey F- if you could.
Some good grading ..some bad….but giving Terry Collins anything less than a B+ is absurd.
Between the injuries and the overall talent level he did an amazing job keeping his team playing hard and being ready to play most nights!
Despite the under .500 record…this team overachieved and the credit has to go to Terry
Mot forgotten is the overall turmoil surrounding the team because of the Madoff stuff and then the trouble meeting payroll that necessitated a loan from MLB and a promise of no more help.
No Santana…..Ike Davis missed over 125 games….Jose Reyes missed 35 games…..David Wright another off year and missed over 50 games….Carlos Beltran went from doghouse to worthy of Comeback Player before trade….NO BULLPEN AFTER K ROD TRADE……Another off season for Jason Bay…Angel Pagan taking backward steps in his development.
Enough said?
Collins was terrific!
thole and parnell were graded to high. thole can’t hit or catch a ball. we need a better catcher. parnell is not a closer. how many leads did he blown when there was no pressure? what will he do when there is? resign k-rod. beltran’s move to RF was a sign that angel should have run with. anytime a ball hit the ground angel misplayed it. the best CF the mets had will always be beltran. SPEED, POWER AND GRACE