Unlike our previous report cards this offseason, the rundown on 2021’s replacement players will take a brief look at the players who had brief runs as starters on the team, but overall contributed sparingly. After season a disappointing second half of the season, it’s easy to forget that this group of “ReplaceMets” kept the team afloat and in first place in the NL East through May, June, and July.

Travis Blankenhorn, UTL – Appearing in almost exclusively pinch-hitting appearances, Blankenhorn collected just 24 plate appearances in 23 games. Despite slugging a mere .391, he collected his lone home run of the season in the Mets epic comeback win in Pittsburgh on July 18, sending a three-run shot into the seats.

Johneshwy Fargas, CF – With just a week’s worth of games played as a Met, Fargas didn’t do much to etch himself into the memories of New Yorkers. But in his very brief stint in town, he played relatively well, posting a 117 OPS+ in 22 plate appearances, while knocking three doubles as well.

Khalil Lee, RF – The rookie struggled in his first cup of coffee with the Mets, recording just one hit (a double) in 18 plate appearances over 11 games. That .056 on-base percentage doesn’t look great, but with some more work in the minors, Lee – entering his age-24 season – has the potential to contribute regularly at the major league level. He remains a top-10 prospect in New York’s system.

Billy McKinney, OF – Despite the .220 batting average, McKinney actually emerged as one of the best offensive producers of the 2021 Mets replacement players. In 102 plate appearances with the Mets, McKinney hit five home runs, collected 14 RBIs, and walked 11 times. His 110 OPS+ in New York in 2021 far bested his marks from the other two teams he played with this season (64 OPS+ in Milwaukee, 40 OPS+ with the Dodgers).

Brandon Drury, UTL – From July 24-31, Drury put together one of the best stretches of any Mets player all season. Across 15 plate appearances, Drury recorded an astounding 11 hits, six of which went for extra bases. He hit two home runs as well, half of his entire season total.

Mason Williams, CF – The former Yankee manned centerfield in early-mid June, serving as a much-needed defender during a time of roster turnover for the Mets. But at the plate he did not find much success, recording just seven hits in 37 plate appearances. He did produce one home run and recorded a double, though.

Albert Almora, OF – Formerly a top prospect with the Cubs, Almora found himself on a team other than the Northsiders for the first time in his major league career in 2021. Unfortunately, it was his worst season at the plate as a big leaguer, as he slashed just .115./.148/.173 over 54 plate appearances. Of his mere six hits, half of them went for doubles.

Patrick Mazeika, C – By season’s end, Mazeika was batting under .200, but his 2021 will most be remembered for collecting multiple walk-off RBI fielder’s choices within his first week with the team. He began his tenure with the Mets in just a pinch-hitting role, but ended up playing over 20 games at catcher when both James McCann and Tomas Nido were on the injured list.

Cameron Maybin, OF – The veteran of his group, Maybin was simply abysmal at the plate, collecting just one hit in 28 at bats, none of which went for extra bases. While he played just nine games with the Mets, it wasn’t until that ninth game that he finally recorded his first hit in the blue and orange. On the positive side, Maybin spent time in all three outfield spots during that time in May when so many of the regular starters were injured.

Wilfredo Tovar, 2B – While he last played in the major leagues in 2019, Tovar last appeared for the Mets all the way back in 2014. His second stint in Queens did not last long, however. Tovar recorded two hits and a walk in 12 plate appearances, playing his last game of the season on May 29.

Jake Hager, OF – If you blinked, you might have missed Hager’s stint on the Mets roster. He made eight plate appearances in mid-May, recorded just one hit, in extra innings against the Marlins on May 21. In that game though, he scored a key run in the 12th inning that helped the Mets eek out a 6-5 win over their division rivals.

Grade: B

The replacement unit receives a generous B grade almost entirely because of the fact that they helped keep this team afloat during the first half of the season when most of the regular starters ended up on the injured list at one point or another. Despite their overall unimpressive statistics, the Mets stayed atop the NL East for the late spring and early summer months because of these replacement players timely heroics and defensive versatility.