Overall Grade: B+
What a first-half of the season it has been for the New York Mets! Yes, sometimes it’s hard to focus on that amidst the whining that has taken over the Mets cyberverse. I miss the days when the only moaning you heard was from the person sitting near you at Shea Stadium or some odd sentiment scrawled on a bed sheet on Banner Day. I guess this is what we call progress.
These ’25 Mets are about winning streaks and losing streaks, timely hitting and frustrating slumps, fans getting on Juan Soto because he’s not hitting a home run every game and fans getting on the powers that be for not making him an All-Star. The Mets are right there with the Phillies, a half-game back at the All-Star break. If you can’t enjoy that, you really must find something better to do with your time.
Well, that’s enough complaining about complaining. Here is how to read this report card before Mom and Dad sign it.
The Mets have 54 names who have appeared in a game this season. That’s a new player on the roster every 1.8 games! I am only handing out grades for players who accrued at least 40 plate appearances or 15 innings pitched. (Usually the cutoff is 50 at bats, but I wrote up Hayden Senger and Jared Young before I realized that, so you get bonus criticism!) Hitters who didn’t reach the new minimum include Jose Siri, Oscar Azocar, and Travis Jankowski.
The Mets have endured a ton of injuries to their pitching staff, which isn’t new, but 37 different pitchers—including turns by otherwise worthless outfielders Jared Young and Travis Jankowski—means a lot of Band-Aids on a pitching staff. Those pitchers not staying long enough to reach the minimum include (in order of usage): Justin Hagenman, Jose Castillo, A.J. Minter, Dedniel Nunez, Chris Devenski, Danny Young, Genesis Cabrera, Dicky Lovelady (it pains me not to take a crack at this name), Justin Garza, Austin Warren, Rico Garcia, Sean Manaea, Alex Carillo, Ty Adock, Jose Urena, Kevin Herget, Tyler Zuber, Zach Pop, Jonathan Pintaro, and Colin Poche.
First-Half 2025 Report Card
Pete Alonso A Homegrown Mets slugger needs to stay put. They’d be in trouble without him.
Kodai Senga A- Wait, he’s healthy? His stats are astounding and confounding: 7-3, 1.39 ERA. Keep it up!
Francisco Lindor A- A true leader. He was clearly worth the investment and now an All-Star. Next captain?
Juan Soto A- Treated unfairly by some fans, Mets gave the money to the right guy. He is who he is: One of game’s best.
Edwin Diaz A- He is a gamer and a great teammate. Sugar will be worth a lot of money when he opts out.
David Peterson B+ The lefty has come into his own and earned his All-Star spot. Also deserved to start Opening Day.
Clay Holmes B+ Second in innings, first in winnings. Not bad for a compromised Yankees reliever.
Griffin Canning B+ He too was a pleasant surprise, but his arm gave out and you won’t see him for a year or more.
Reed Garrett B Not perfect, but at times he was. Mendoza has to avoid using Reed too much and getting him hurt.
Jose Butto B The way Mets starter rarely see past the fifth inning, Butto’s durable long-man role is invaluable.
Max Kranick B Mets fan like him would give his right arm to pitch for the team. He did. Mendoza pitched it off.
Brandon Nimmo B- Nimmo’s .361 OPB midway through last year was 40 points higher than now. Less whiffy, more walky.
Jeff McNeil B- A year ago McNeil had a D and earned it. This time he has shown versatility, patience, and pop.
Starling Marte C+ He has been injured a lot and his age is showing, but .270/.353/.387 doesn’t hurt.
Brandon Waddell C+ Versatile lefty will come in handy for Mendoza. Stearns needs to get him some southpaw help.
Ronny Mauricio C Of the 3B, he may be the best by year’s end. He’s big, strong, fast, and young. Let him play!
Tylor Megill C There is nothing fancy about Megill, but he has 14 starts, 5-5, 3.95 ERA. Not great, not bad.
Huascar Brazoban C He is 5-2, 3.99 ERA, 0 WAR. He’s hard to figure, but when he’s on the other team’s off.
Tyrone Taylor C- People get on his .213 average, but there’s nothing average about his defense. Leads MLB in CF assists.
Brett Baty C- I love that the Mets are giving the kids a shot, but someone has to go for arms. If they’re wanted.
Francisco Alvarez C- A year ago he had an A- at the break. Now he is MIA. The Mets need him back with his mind right.
Ryne Stanek C- He’s been pounded a few times, but he has had some superb outings. Mets need more of the latter.
Luisangel Acuna C- He does a lot not reflected by a .235 average. What he doesn’t have is power. Stop swinging for the fences!
Mark Vientos D+ He is the only Met with 50+ AB with negative WAR. Even if you hate the stat, that’s bad.
Jesse Winker D+ It’s hard to keep the mojo going from the trainer’s room. His HR total is 1 more than mine!
Frankie Montas D+ He is 32 and I still don’t think I’ve ever seen him pitch. Either that or he’s just not memorable.
Luis Torrens D I am all for defense, but you can plainly see he’s not an everyday catcher: .206/.276/.309.
Hayden Senger D Sure, he’s hitting .174. What do you expect from a backup catcher? Good arm and insurance.
Blade Tidwell D- Blade just made the cut. He gets a passing mark because he has 1 win and is only 24. But he is wild.
Paul Blackburn F This guy has been hurt. And he’s been bad. I try to be positive, but he’s tossing BP.
Jared Young F He showed pop and his .415 slugging is better than some regulars, but he’s been an outs machine.
Manager/President
Carlos Mendoza B Like most managers, he can make you crazy with in-game decisions. He’s juggled a lot and been all right.
David Stearns B- People get on him for not paying for every high-priced free agent (except for this Soto guy). He’s had someone there to fill in when injuries hit hard.