Philadelphia Phillies: Grades for Every Player in May

It hasn't been the easiest of seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies and their fans alike to endure. At times when it's seemed that they're ready to climb over the hill that blocks their way, the Phillies have often lost and have plummeted further below .500.

In the month of May, the Phillies have gone 13-12, close to .500 like their season on the whole. However, not all Phillies players can say the same—some have been excellent, while others have faltered. While the Phillies are roughly a third through the season, there's still time to correct their errors, albeit not much.

In the meantime, here's a list of grades for each Phillies player during the month of May, sorted by grade.

Stats available at baseball-reference.com and as of May 29.

The Incompletes

Here's a look at players who didn't contribute for a majority of the month of May and are thus unable to be graded accurately:

Mike Adams: Adams spent roughly the 15-day minimum on the disabled list and just returned on May 19. He's only pitched in six games in May to the tune of a 3.16 ERA, with a loss handed to him on May 10 in a close 3-2 defeat against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Tyler Cloyd: He's only made three starts May and only three on the season, but after a promising April debut, Cloyd was shelled alive against the Boston Red Sox on Memorial Day. Any worse and he's F-bound.

Roy Halladay: I'm willing to give Doc the benefit of the doubt here, as he missed most of May after being diagnosed with and receiving surgery for various shoulder troubles. While he could return this season, Halladay is, more likely than not, done for the season.

Michael Martinez: He's scored a run and that's it. Knowing him, he probably won't do much more.

B.J. Rosenberg: Rosenberg only pitched three times while filling in for Adams before being sent back down to Triple-A.

Carlos Ruiz/Humberto Quintero: Having played in only 14 games in May before hitting the DL with a hamstring strain, Ruiz showed that his short stint wasn't his best, but not enough to warrant a grade. Humberto Quintero took his place on the roster and has served as the backup catcher to Erik Kratz in Ruiz's absence.

Michael Stutes: With a 2.08 ERA on the year, Stutes has been decent...in the two games he's pitched in thus far. He still needs some time to break in before earning a grade.

Chase Utley: Utley wasn't off to the best of Mays, batting .233 in the month before hitting the DL for an oblique injury. He'll be back sometime in mid-June.

The Fs

Phillies who receive a failing grade for May are:

Phillippe Aumont (F): I'd have given him a solid D, but a demotion is never a good thing. After a decent start to the season, Aumont had a rocky May, posting a 5.06 ERA and .348 batting average against (BAA) in seven outings. He was eventually demoted in favor of Michael Stutes.

Kevin Frandsen (F): I was also willing to give Frandsen the benefit of the doubt with a D, but his lack of batting performance (.143 average in 13 games) along with a recent ejection puts him with the other May failures.

Laynce Nix (F): Will this guy ever validate his major league contract? Probably not. In May, Nix has batted .143 with a .393 OPS in 17 games. Ouch.

Raul Valdes (F): Same case as Aumont, only with worse performance in fewer outings. Valdes looked bad since the start of the season and it was only a matter of time before he would be sent down.

The Ds

Those on the failure bubble for the Phillies are as follows:

Chad Durbin (D-): Durbin has an oft-ballooned ERA, and May has been no different. With a 9.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP in just six innings pitched, Durbin almost has more innings and earned runs (six) than strikeouts (seven) on the month. I wouldn't be surprised to hear more calls for his release if his season continues along this track.

Cole Hamels (D+): It's not all his fault, I'll give him that. But when you're 0-5 with a subpar 4.02 ERA, there's little to justify your performance. I'll give Hamels the upper end of the D scale since he's had 29 Ks throughout the month and a .244 BAA, but there's sadly little else to give him credit for. Blame the offense for lack of run support, but in the end it's reflected in Hamels' stats.

Ryan Howard (D): He hasn't hit a home run in three weeks and is on pace to post the lowest OPS of his career (it was .678 in May alone). He's got 33 strikeouts on the month, far worse than any other Phillies hitter. Is the future bright for Howard anymore?

Delmon Young (D): He can definitely hit on the road, as he provided the only firepower in a three-game series against the Miami Marlins earlier this month. However, he can't hit worth a dime at home and is batting just .197 on the year with a .588 OPS and has more strikeouts (19) than hits (15). Not so great.

Michael Young (D-): Had it not been for his recent home run against the Red Sox, Michael Young would have joined the others on the previous F slide. His May has been disastrous otherwise, batting just .172 with a .567 OPS comprised of a lowly .280 OBP and .287 SLG. He's got 13 walks on the month, which leads all Phillies batters, but that's all he's used to get on base. May hasn't been so good to the Phillies' elder Young.

The Cs

Only a handful of Phillies players land in the middle of the pack. They are:

Antonio Bastardo (C-): His May ERA isn't awful at 3.52, but that's about it. He's walked almost as many batters (eight) as he has struck out (nine), his BAA is .310, and his WHIP is 2.22. Not the greatest split, to say the least.

Freddy Galvis (C): With increased playing time comes increased ability to scrutinize. Galvis has been an adequate fill-in and it's ridiculous to expect anything more. However, I'm holding him to the same standard. He's batted .255 with a .649 OPS in May. Nothing more to report here.

Kyle Kendrick (C): Kendrick's been a little shaky after a dominant April. He's 2-2 with a 4.22 ERA in May. His BAA is .271 while his WHIP in May is 1.41. However, he's also got 10 walks, which ties him with Jonathan Pettibone for the most walks allowed by Phillies pitchers this month.

Jimmy Rollins (C): Rollins' 2013 season has been a C pretty much the entire way so far. His defense has been good, but his hitting seems to top out in the .250s. May was no different, a month in which Rollins has hit .255. His OPS of .677 is disconcerting, though.

The Bs

Here are the Phillies who have been above-average, but aren't quite in the uppermost echelon in May:

John Mayberry, Jr. (B): After a dreadful April, Mayberry's picked it back up quite nicely. His batting average in May is .289, but his OPS is still a cause for concern at .630. But in a 20-game sample, it's good to see that Mayberry's at least hitting again, even if only to a small extent.

Jeremy Horst (B): Horst has been called upon more than any other Phillies reliever in May and hasn't disappointed. He's pitched to the tune of a 2.89 ERA, but what holds him back from a higher grade are his more sophisticated stats. He's like many other Phillies relievers in that his walks (six) and strikeouts (eight) are too close for comfort. He's also got a high WHIP at 1.71. Not a bad month for the southpaw on the whole.

Jonathan Pettibone (B+): Pettibone's been great in May and has continued his surprising performance from April. With a 2-0 record and 2.84 ERA, Pettibone has pitched well and the Phillies have won all but one of the games in which Pettibone's started. His 17 strikeouts are good, but his 10 walks aren't anything to smile about. His WHIP stands at 1.33 for the month of May. It's been solid, but not dominant.

The As

These are the players who have been forces to reckon with in May, and there are more than you might think:

Domonic Brown (A): Brown was as close to an A+ as they come, but his batting average just wasn't enough to push him over the top. Last week's NL Player of the Week, Brown has been hitting the cover off the ball in May, batting .278 with an .866 OPS. His eight home runs and 19 RBI this month lead all Phillies hitters and he's also got four doubles, two steals and a triple. A nice May by Brown indeed.

Justin De Fratus (A-): De Fratus was quietly recalled from Triple-A in mid-May and has fazed his opposition so far. In seven relief outings, he's pitched to a 2.08 ERA and has also ended up with two wins. De Fratus' .188 BAA and 0.92 WHIP are just filthy. He's done a nice job back with the club.

Erik Kratz (A): While complaints rushed in about Kratz on all sides of the plate in April, the same can't be said in May. He's batted .306 with a .965 OPS and has slugged three home runs. Things couldn't be going much better for the Phillies' backup catcher right now, especially since he's seen more starting time than expected.

Cliff Lee (A): With a 4-1 record and 1.80 ERA reminiscent from his 2009 playoff run, Lee has been a monster in May. He's pitched a complete game shutout, has struck out 33 batters, and has turned in a 0.91 WHIP. Along with a .208 BAA, all that held Lee back from an A+ were his eight walks this month.

Jonathan Papelbon (A): Papelbon just doesn't get enough save opportunities, but when he's pitched in May, he's been almost unhittable. With a 0.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts in his 10 May appearances, Papelbon has been absolutely dominant.

Ben Revere (A): After a dismal April that saw him benched for about a week, Ben Revere quickly turned things around in May. He leads all Phillies regulars with a .348 average this month and has a respectable .788 OPS. Along with three doubles and four steals, it's been a nice May for the Phillies' center fielder