This is the second installment of the first-half report cards for the New York Mets where we will focus on the outfield corps.
Monday, Logan Barer posted grades for Mets catchers and infielders which can be found here.
These are consensus grades among MMO’s editors – Myself, Michael Mayer, Barer, and Joe D.
Michael Conforto – Let’s start with the Mets singular All-Star. The 24-year-old started off the season white hot after fighting his way into an everyday role and was rewarded handsomely with a trip to Miami for the Mid-Summer Classic. On the season, Conforto has hit to a .284/.403/.542 clip, .395 wOBA, 148 wRC+ and has been good for 2.4 WAR. He also 14 long balls and 41 RBI, solidifying himself as the a force to be reckoned with for New York.
GRADE: A-
Jay Bruce – Bruce leads all Mets hitters in hits (85), home runs (23), RBI (59), runs (48), extra-base hits (41) and is second in slugging percentage (.538) behind only the man before him on this list. Eleven of Bruce’s 23 home runs have either tied the game or given New York the lead. Those 23 home runs going into the All-Star break is good for fourth most by a Met, tied with backstop Todd Hundley. The outfielder’s name has been swirled around in trade rumors, but if the Mets don’t trade him and instead choose to resign Bruce who deserved an All-Star nod, I will take his .266/.334/.538 slash line, .365 wOBA and borderline great 128 wRC+ to go along with his decent +1 UZR.
GRADE: A-
Yoenis Cespedes – It’s been a struggle in 2017 for La Potencia who has been hampered by injury and hasn’t been too wonderful when he’s been on the field. Signing a monster four-year pact in the offseason good for $110 million, Cespedes has appeared in just 42 games and has a slash line of .265/.325/.497 with only nine home runs and 19 RBI. He’s been almost a non-factor in New York’s lineup thus far (and in the field, -1.3 UZR), but hopefully his above average wRC+ of 116 is a foundation to build upon for the Cuban slugger as we enter the latter portion of the season.
GRADE: C+
Curtis Granderson – While Granderson’s .232 batting average seems dismal on the surface, the outfielder had a complete turnaround after batting just .128 in April. The 36-year-old who is in the final year of a four-year contract he signed back in 2013, hit a robust .311 with eight long balls and 15 RBI in the month of June. The outfielder, who like Bruce could be traded in the following weeks to a contender seeking a veteran to bolster their lineup, has proven that he still has some gas left in the tank. Granderson has been one of the Mets best hitters the last several weeks, so don’t let his average 110 wRC+ and .336 wOBA fool you, he’s been solid and has corrected his entire game this year.
GRADE: B-
Juan Lagares – Lagares has been sidelined for nearly a month after undergoing surgery to repair a fracture of of the IP joint in his left thumb and does not currently have a timetable for his return. A bummer for Lagares, who was really starting to piece it together, hitting .355/.344/.581 in seven games before going down in June. The former Gold Glover is signed through 2019 and is just 28-years-old, so should the Mets move Bruce and shift Conforto over to right, the outfielder could see a decent amount of playing time in central next season.
GRADE: B-
Brandon Nimmo – Nimmo has appeared in just 15 games for the Mets in 2017 and recently just went down with a collapsed lung. Yet another freak injury in MetsLand. In a limited sample size, the former first rounder went 7-for-20 (.350) for the Mets prior to his injury and is currently on the 10-day disabled list. The 24-year-old may see extended playing time if the Mets have a fire sale in the next few weeks, giving New York a chance to see what they have really got with its top pick from 2011.
GRADE: B
