MMO’s 2021 Mets Report Cards

We can finally close the book on 2021 as the year comes to a close in seven days. Here at MMO, we put the lid on the year by recapping all of the 2021 player report cards from this year’s version of the New York Mets.

A big shout out to all the contributors who wrote these. Those writers are: Alex Horowitz, Meghan Kalenborn, Dan Quiñones, Austin Simmons, James Villani and editor Marshall Field. Snippets from each of their pieces is featured below each player. And also a big shout out to Robby Waldrop, who contributed the graphics for this series.

Click on the player’s name to read the full report card.

Starting Lineup

Brandon Nimmo

Grade: B-

“He is the type of player that is fairly easy to dictate how he is going to contribute and produce year in and year out. His above-average speed, high OBP and hustle coming out of the leadoff spot have been a constant since his debut in 2016 and are something the Mets have counted on.”

Francisco Lindor

Grade: C

“Despite playing like the player he has always been for a majority of the season, he was not able to make his overall numbers look close to his standards by season’s end.”

Pete Alonso

Grade: A

“While his home runs and RBI’s were lower this season, his increased defensive ability as well as significantly decreasing his strike outs and stepping up as a team leader make Pete a better overall player in year three.”

Michael Conforto

Grade: C-

“Michael Conforto may be on the right side of average with his 101 OPS+ this season, but his C- grade is warranted after a season in which he completely failed to play to expectations.”

Javy Báez

Grade: A

“In his brief time as a Met, Báez showed Mets fans why he is called ‘El Mago.’ The highlight reel plays he made in the field and on the bases seemed to happen on a nightly basis.”

Jeff McNeil

Grade: C+

“There’s no denying that McNeil had short stints of success this season as a Met. But his overall inconsistency and overall lack of reaching preseason expectations lead to this C+ grade. His double-digit game hitting streak aside, McNeil was one of the Mets most significant under-performers this year, especially compared to his 2019 numbers.”

Dominic Smith

Grade: D+

“It appears the main reason for Smith’s woes was his inability to make solid contact. … He went from an everyday player to riding the pine and serving as mainly a left-handed pinch-hit bat off the bench.”

James McCann

Grade: D

“McCann was never expected to step in and be the league’s best hitter, but there was hope that he could sustain the success he had with the White Sox. With his offensive numbers dropping drastically across the board, it is hard to give him a grade any higher than a D.”

Bench/Rotation Players

J.D. Davis

Grade: C

“Despite having an overall productive year offensively, the missed time and inconsistency due to injuries will be the lasting memory of J.D. Davis in 2021.”

Kevin Pillar

Grade: C

“The inconsistency of Pillar to really ever get on a hot streak in 2021 this year ultimately hurt his basic hitting stats and cast a shadow over his effectiveness throughout 2021. Yet his timely power and above all, his sheer heart as a baseball player after such a gruesome injury, plays a large role in his final C grade.”

Jonathan Villar

Grade: B+

“Jonathan Villar‘s 2021 season can best be summed up in two words: exceeding expectations. …  Finding himself with a “K” in the scorecard over 25% of the time was not ideal, although he was far from the only Met with that issue in 2021.”

Luis Guillorme

Grade: C

“Heading into the 2021 season Luis Guillorme was set to be a solid bench player for the Mets with the flexibility to play multiple infield positions as well as providing an improving bat. … Injuries came at the worst time for Guillorme in 2021 but it was an otherwise fine season that the team will be hoping can be somewhat replicated albeit with more health.”

Tomás Nido

Grade: C-

“Grading solely on expectations, Nido did his job wonderfully for two months. … Thanks to his defense, Nido was still able to make an impact on the field, nearly notching a whole win above a replacement player (according to Fangraphs). A fully healthy Nido over a whole season probably ends up with a whole letter grade higher.”

José Peraza

Grade: D+

“The biggest positive for Peraza in 2021 was his timely hitting. … In a year that was essentially lost for him, he was able to cash in a couple of signature moments.”

The ReplaceMets (Patrick Mazeika, Billy McKinney, etc.)

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.”

Starting Pitchers

Jacob deGrom

Grade: A+

“The shortened season and injury does not diminish the fact that deGrom deserves every bit of A+ grade he received here. If his name is written on some 2021 Cy Young ballots as a fourth or fifth place finisher, it wouldn’t be too shocking as the three months he did pitch were just that amazing.”

Marcus Stroman

Grade: A

“All in all, 2021 was a fantastic season for Stroman and if not for Jacob deGrom’s brilliance when he did pitch, would’ve made him the best pitcher on the team. Stro pitched at an very high level for the team this season and his consistency led to him not just being the defacto ace for the Mets for most of the season not missing a single start over the course of the year.”

Taijuan Walker

Grade: C

“Overall, it was a roller coaster of a season for Taijuan Walker, going from the highest of highs in him having the best first half of a season he’d ever had in his whole career and rightfully earning his first All-Star Game appearance, to the lowest of lows with him going 0-8 and allowing 20 home runs in the second half.”

David Peterson

Grade: D-

“Unfortunately, for Peterson and the Mets, there was regression instead of progression this past season. After making 15 lackluster starts, Peterson was injured twice ending his season.”

Carlos Carrasco

Grade: F

“Well, which injury do we start with? … Though the team won five of his 12 starts despite those results, he didn’t put the team in a great position to win on most occasions. Between the setbacks from the hamstring to how he performed once on the field, it was a disastrous season.”

Tylor Megill

Grade: B-

“Overall, Megill was a decent starter for the Mets when they needed it. Being overworked and inexperienced are likely the primary culprits for the downs he dealt with.”

Rich Hill

Grade: B+

“At the time of Hill’s acquisition, the Mets were ravaged by injuries. … This was a relatively low-risk move that paid off for the Mets in a big way despite the lack of a playoff position.”

Joey Lucchesi

Grade: B-

“Overall, once he found his footing after a rough May and short part of June, Lucchesi was on pace to put up a career season. In doing so, he would have settled in as a solid fourth or fifth starter for the Mets, filling a huge void the team had and ended up having given his [need for Tommy John surgery].”

Bullpen

Aaron Loup

Grade: A+

“Signed to a one-year deal after the 2020 season, Aaron Loup was never expected to be as good as he was in 2021. In fact, not only was Loup dominant from start to end this season, but he ended up producing one of the single-greatest seasons by a relief pitcher in franchise history.”

Edwin Diaz

Grade: B-

“In a season that saw so much go wrong for the team, especially in the second half, one of the brighter lights of the Mets’ 2021 campaign was whenever the music of Timmy Trumpets and Blasterjaxx echoed on the Citi Field loudspeaker. … That being said, his off days were truly heartbreaking, so a Díaz appearance was rarely without stress.”

Seth Lugo

Grade: C+

“If another reliever came in and put together the overall season that Lugo had in 2021, he would almost certainly get a better grade than a C+, but the inconsistency along with the dominance we have seen from Lugo in the past made his 2021 season feel much more underwhelming.”

Jeurys Familia

Grade: C

“Looking at his overall performance there isn’t anything that stands out as being out of the ordinary, but the expectations for Familia were insufficiently met. … The ERA was okay, but the home runs and walks really depleted his season.”

Trevor May

Grade: B

“Despite a miscue or two a month that resulted in an ugly statline, May mostly proved to be a reliable late-inning reliever, holding down the seven and eighth innings (depending on the game), and sometimes even getting work in the ninth.”

Drew Smith

Grade: B

“Despite missing all of April and September, Drew Smith proved to be an effective reliever when he found himself on the active roster. … Injury aside, the way Smith pitched in his final handful of games this season was a fantastic way to close out an overall successful 2021 for him.”

Miguel Castro

Grade: B-

“All in all, it was very solid season for Castro who did his job of giving the team quality innings and a level of reliability which was severely needed in years prior.”

Trevor Williams

Grade: B

“When the Mets acquired Williams alongside Báez, not much was expected of him. Despite being a minor part of a major trade, he gave New York quality innings in multiple roles throughout his two months with the team.”

Brad Hand

Grade: D

“Being on the team for just about a month, there were no expectations of Hand going into the 2021 season for the New York Mets. … When he was slotted into [a relief] spot after his signing in September, he was not the dominant reliever he once was…”

Ownership

Steve Cohen

Grade: A

“So if a so-so regular season is paired with a terrific offseason (so far) what grade do you give Steven Cohen? I give him an A- ( somewhat generously) for the season and a resounding A+ for the off-season giving him an aggregate A.”