MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: YOENIS CESPEDES
Yoenis Cespedes is my clear cut choice for M.V.P. of the first half for the Mets. Think about where the Mets would be without La Potencia’s bat in the middle of this lineup! Cespedes leads all Met hitters in home runs (21), runs batted in (52), hits (87), and runs scored (47). Cespedes is on pace to set new career highs in home runs and runs batted in this season, and his .955 OPS is currently 10th in baseball (as of Sunday). His mere presence in the lineup gives the Mets a formidable power threat, and he has also delivered some clutch hits late in the game to be the easy choice of first half M.V.P.
LEAST VALUABLE PLAYER: ALEJANDRO DE AZA
Alejandro De Aza has the unfortunate honor of being the least valuable player for the Mets this season. The Mets signed De Aza to a one-year, $5.75 million deal back in late December, planning on having Juan Lagares and De Aza platoon in center field. When the Mets signed Cespedes, that relegated De Aza to the bench, but was supposed to give them a veteran left-handed outfielder to use for match-ups and pinch hitting. Instead, De Aza has been abysmal, in 120 plate appearances he owns a slash line of .176/.252/.269, with 37 strikeouts. De Aza started against left-hander Gio Gonzalez in the final game of the first half and was booed off the field when he struck out to end the game representing the tying run. The Mets could finally DFA him to make room for a more deserving candidate, especially when Michael Conforto is ready to come back from his stint at Triple A Las Vegas.
CY YOUNG: NOAH SYNDERGAARD
When the Mets traded away their 20-game winner and Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey in the 2012 off-season, fans were ecstatic that Sandy Alderson was able to acquire highly touted catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud away from the Blue Jays. But the steal of this trade was the six-foot-six, flowing locks, Nolan Ryan incarnate, Noah Syndergaard that has made the biggest impact with the Mets. What a year the 23-year-old has had, going 9-4 with a 2.56 E.R.A., 128 strikeouts in 105.2 innings pitched, and a 1.08 WHIP, along with being selected to his first All Star game. And those numbers might be much better had Syndergaard not had issues with bone spurs or the most recent arm fatigue from last Friday’s game. Syndergaard’s F.I.P. has him doing even better than his E.R.A. suggests, currently at 2.06 on the year. The Mets are going to need a rested and healthy Syndergaard the rest of the way, because he has now stepped up to become the ace of this pitching staff.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: STEVEN MATZ
Steven Matz only registered 35.2 innings in the regular season last year, and because he was on the active roster for less than 45 days before September 1, he still qualifies as a rookie for 2016. Following the April 11 fiasco where he only lasted 1.2 innings after allowing seven runs on six hits, Matz turned in nine quality starts in a row from April 17 to June 7. And although he’s dealt with bone spurs in his elbow along with Thor, Matz continues to go out and give the Mets quality starts. He’s gone at least seven innings in six of his 16 starts, and as long as no further issues arise with his elbow, I except Matz to continue to blossom into a dependable middle of the rotation pitcher.
BEST SURPRISE: ASDRUBAL CABRERA
For me the best surprise has been the play both offensively and defensively of shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. Cabrera, 30, was signed to a two-year $18.5 million deal in the off-season, giving the Mets a formidable shortstop for the first time in years. Many scouts were down on his defense, but so far Cabrera looks nimble and provides solid range at short. He routinely makes the back handed plays look easy, along with demonstrating a strong and accurate throwing arm. Offensively, Cabrera has displayed what made him an intriguing shortstop with the Cleveland Indians, providing power (12 home runs), and extra base hits (28). He’s also fit in perfectly with the club, smiling often and being one of the first players to greet a teammate who hits a home run, and promptly removing their helmet in a sign of respect.
WORST SURPRISE: MATT HARVEY
Matt Harvey has been the worst surprise this year, a phrase I couldn’t have imagined saying to begin the 2016 season. Now two years removed from Tommy John surgery, many thought that 2016 would be the year that Harvey returned to pre-T.J. form. He had a stellar 2015, for many the greatest post T.J. season by any pitcher. But Harvey struggled right out of the gate, and didn’t pitch 7 innings until his May 30 start against the White Sox, in one of his better outings this year. Something seemed out of whack for Harvey though, as he didn’t appear to have that same bravado and attack mentality that he had previously. After his most recent start on July 4, Harvey surrendered six runs (five earned) on 11 hits in 3.2 innings. Then on Friday, the Mets and Matt Harvey announced that he was to have season ending surgery to alleviate the thoracic outlet syndrome between his neck and shoulder. While it may help explain why Harvey wasn’t his dominant self this year, and gives him a fresh start in 2017, it doesn’t lessen the blow that 2016 will be yet another lost season for the 27-year old right-hander.
BEST GAME: JULY 3 VS CUBS
For me, the best game of the season on both the starting pitching front, and from an offensive performance was the July 3 game against the Chicago Cubs. The Mets had already beat the Cubs the three games prior, and dating back to the NLCS, seven in row. The Mets turned to their first half Cy Young, Noah Syndergaard, and he delivered seven brilliant innings against one of the more dangerous lineups in baseball. Syndergaard went 7.0 innings, allowing one run on seven hits, while not walking a batter and striking out eight. As for the offense, they did something that hadn’t been done since 1981, collecting 22 hits, tying a franchise record at home. The Mets won big, 14-3 against a Cubs team that has had the best record in baseball for the bulk of the season, and were favorites to represent the NL in this year’s World Series. The Mets knocked out June’s pitcher of the month, Jon Lester after 1.1 innings, after surrendering eight runs on nine hits. The offensive star of the game was Wilmer Flores, who also tied a Mets franchise record. Flores went 6-for-6 on the day, including two home runs and four R.B.I., tying Edgardo Alfonzo for most hits in a game.
