While the team’s stars like Yoenis Cespedes and Matt Harvey have grabbed most of the media’s attention, the Mets may not be on the verge of the playoffs right now if it weren’t for the contributions of Curtis Granderson.
His season has flown under the radar even though he’s has been one of the team’s top producers all year long. He’s batting .253 this season with 23 home runs and 11 steals. He also turned out to be the perfect fit in the leadoff spot as he’s scored 92 runs with a solid .361 OBP.
With his impressive numbers at the plate, as well as his performance on defense, he now has the highest WAR on the team according to Baseball Reference at 4.5.
I have to wonder if the Mets would have even acquired Cespedes, Kelly Johnson and Tyler Clippard if Granderson wasn’t having such a good year. When the season was starting to look bleak in the month of June , it was Granderson who helped keep the team afloat and played at a high level. He batted .291 that month with seven home runs and had a .911 OPS.
The Mets could have been so far behind Washington without his production that all of those deadline deals might not have been made. However, the Mets were only two games back of the Nationals on July 31st, and the rest is history.
He may have been a disappointment in his first season with the Mets, but his signing is certainly paying off this year.
