Here are our 2017 First Half Reports Cards for the New York Mets. These are consensus grades among MMO’s editors – Myself, Michael Mayer, Rob Piersall, and Joe D.
Catchers
Travis d’Arnaud – It is another bad season for d’Arnaud offensively, slashing .223/.282/.446 with nine home runs, eight doubles, and 28 RBIs. He has improved a bit defensively, however after another spring training hyped with how great d’Arnaud was looking and about a magical fix, it’s still the same old story.
Grade: C-
Rene Rivera – Rivera has been an excellent backup catcher this season, providing solid defense while exceeding expectations offensively. He has hit .259/.303/.422 in 42 games with six home runs and 20 RBIs. He has been clutch, hitting .323 with runners in scoring position and an even better .333 mark with RISP and two outs.
Grade: B
Kevin Plawecki – It is Plawecki’s third Major League season and he has yet to show he belongs here. In fact, his .125 batting average this season is far below his already terrible .206 career mark. He is nothing special defensively.
Grade: F
Infielders
Asdrubal Cabrera – Despite creating quite a stir upon his move to second base, Cabrera has been unexciting and unimpressive this season. He has hit .250/.332/.404 with eight home runs while playing sub-par defense. His 0.9 oWAR is not good enough to overcome his -1.2 dWAR – in English, he has played horrible defense and has not hit enough to make up for it.
Grade: C
Wilmer Flores – Wilmer has been a bright spot so far this season, finally proving he can hit right-handed pitching. Overall, he has hit .278/.308/.445 with seven home runs, 12 doubles, and 25 RBIs. He has played every infield position except shortstop, and while he is no Gold Glover posting a -0.4 dWAR, he hasn’t been horrible either. After hitting .379 in May, he hit .255 in June and .200 in July so far. If he gets hot again, there is no reason why Wilmer can’t finish the season with an A-range grade, but first he needs to stop trending in reverse.
Grade: B
Jose Reyes – Despite being scorching hot of late, Reyes has been a disappointment this season. Hitting just .215/.284/.370 with eight home runs, the only reason his grade got that “plus” tacked on is because of his .346/.370/.692 July slash line. He is still, however, the 9th worst starting player in baseball with his -0.3 WAR and has certainly not played good enough defense to make up for his low average.
Grade: D+
Neil Walker – Before Walker hit the disabled list, he was one of the Mets most consistent hitters. In 60 games he hit .270/.352/.468 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs. He is not a solid defender at second base, but surely better than Asdrubal Cabrera or Jose Reyes. He has a 1.3 WAR this season and the Mets are looking forward to getting him back from the DL soon.
Grade: B+
David Wright – Oh Captain, My Captain. Another lost season for David Wright who continues to get wiped out with one bad medical diagnosis after another. He is on the road back, but it’s surely a long and winding road. It is possible the Mets will see him on the 25-man roster this season, but nobody should be getting their hopes up.
Grade: N/A
Lucas Duda – Duda has mostly been flying under the radar this season, quietly putting up solid offensive numbers. In 62 games he has slashed .238/.351/.524 with 14 home runs and 30 RBIs. He plays an underrated first base and while trade rumors are swirling, he continues to have good at-bats and hit the ball hard.
Grade: B+
T.J. Rivera – Rivera continues to show why he should be starting every day. On the season, he’s hitting .299/.340/.443 with 11 doubles, a triple, four homers, and 21 RBI. In his last nine starts, he’s hitting .394/.429/.667 with three doubles, two homers, and seven RBI. He can play most of the positions on the field efficiently, posting an 0.7 WAR overall in 61 games.
Grade – A-
Matt Reynolds – With the minor league reputation of being a guy that hits for high average while providing solid infield defense, Reynolds has not lived up to that this season. He’s hit just .189/.250/.324 with one home run, on which he recorded his solo RBI. Nothing special to report from this kid so far this season.
Grade – D+
Gavin Cecchini – He has only played in five games with the Mets this season but has been impressive, going 4-for-14 (.286) with a home run off Clayton Kershaw while playing solid defense at second base. He could be a long-term option at the keystone, but for now, he must wait his turn with so many MLB infielders seemingly ahead of him. Maybe the trade deadline changes that.
Grade – B-
