Midseason Report Cards for All 25 New York Mets

The New York Mets find themselves 3.5 games out of first place one game short of halfway through a season in which they were expected to be cellar dwellers.

Everybody gets an A-plus!

Just kidding. There are guys exceeding expectations, but there are also those who haven't performed up to the standards that the organization and fans thought they would.

Things can get a lot worse for the Mets, but they also can get a lot better.

With the 81st game of the year approaching on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, it's time to give each of the 25 Mets a grade for their play thus far.

1. Catcher: Josh Thole

In 164 at-bats, Josh Thole has compiled an average of .262. 

It's hard to compare him to the rest of the catchers in the National League because he missed so much time because of a concussion. That being said, Thole has shown a decent ability to make contact, compiling a BB/K ratio of 0.61, a number equal to Buster Posey's.

Nobody expected him to be the second coming of Mike Piazza, so anything the Mets can get out of him is appreciated.

The pitching staff likes throwing to him and he calls a good game, so there shouldn't be many complaints on that end.

His defense has been marginally better, but he needs to slow down his passed-ball pace if he wants to stay well below last year's mark of 16. Thole has seven passed balls to his credit now, but many of those can be attributed to R.A. Dickey's knuckleball.

Midseason Grade: C

2. First Baseman: Ike Davis

Ike Davis was absolutely brutal to watch at the beginning of the season. He hit rock bottom—literally—when his average fell all the way to .159 on May 22.

At one point, he had 27 hits and 26 O-fers. That has to be one of the most embarrassing stats in the majors this season.

Fortunately for the Mets, Davis has surpassed the Mendoza line and is now hitting .203.

Even after his brutal start, when he couldn't hit a curveball to save his life, he still sits in fourth place among NL first basemen in RBI, a testament to how hot he was in June.

Last month saves his grade.

Midseason Grade: D+/C-

3. Second Baseman: Daniel Murphy

Daniel Murphy started off just as everybody thought he would, hovering around .300 for the first two months of the season. Then came a tailspin, which brought his average all the way down to .268 at one point.

Murphy has bounced back as of late thanks to 10 RBI in his last five games. His lack of power—though homers were never expected from him—is concerning, but three recent homers have provided hope in that regard.

Somehow, after his inability to drive the ball and his recent slump, Murphy still sits as the fourth-best RBI second baseman in the National League.

Midseason Grade: C+

4. Third Baseman: David Wright

There's really not much to say about the amazing things that David Wright has done up to this point in the season.

He's one of the strongest MVP candidates in the National League. His combination of average, power and improved throwing from third base have helped him return to form as one of the best players in the entire league.

If the Mets can find their way into the playoffs, don't be surprised if Wright winds up with some hardware to his name.

Midseason Grade: A+

5. Shortstop: Ruben Tejada

Ruben Tejada's strained right quad forced him to miss over a month of the season from May 7 to June 23, but he has hit well when in the lineup.

In the month of April, he posted an on-base percentage of .361 and was the catalyst for the early portion for the Mets.

Since coming back from his injury, Tejada has 12 hits in 34 at-bats with six runs scored and just four strikeouts.

Midseason Grade: B-

6. Left Fielder: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Kirk Nieuwenhuis has been one of the saviors for this Mets team halfway through 2012. Captain Kirk plays the game hard and has made the fans forget about Jason Bay's incompetence...kind of.

The Flying Dutchman has a higher average, more runs and more RBI than Washington Nationals phenom Bryce Harper.

Not too shabby for a guy who hardly garnered any praise from the rest of the league prior to his arrival to the show.

His strikeouts need to be reduced, but it's hard to see that happening.

Midseason Grade: B+

7. Center Fielder: Andres Torres

Andres Torres suffered an injury in the first game of the season. He has done virtually nothing since.

He's hitting just .205 and has stolen only nine bases in 57 games.

His impact on the base path started to increase towards the end of June, and he'll need to keep that up to make up for his other shortcomings.

Midseason Grade: D

8. Right Fielder: Lucas Duda

Duda hit 10 home runs and posted a .292 average in 100 games last season.

The numbers have flip-flopped this season. Through 77 games, Duda has already hit 11 homers, but his average sits at a light .255.

He's seventh amongst NL right fielders in RBI with 43 but tied for second in strikeouts with 79.

Midseason Grade: B-

9. Backup Catcher: Mike Nickeas

Mike Nickeas calls a good game behind the plate, but his .182 average is beyond unsightly. Four of his 12 RBI came on one swing when he hit a grand slam in a 9-0 win over the San Diego Padres.

Not much is expected out of a backup catcher with only 88 at-bats, but he has to do better than 12 singles and four XBH.

Here's to hoping that Josh Thole spends as much time behind the plate as possible.

Midseason Grade: D+

10. Pinch Hitter Extraordinaire: Scott Hairston

Okay, so Scott Hairston is a bit more than a pinch hitter, but he's the best bat that Terry Collins can bring off the bench,

He's hitting .301 with seven homers against lefties in 93 at-bats. I don't know how this guy got to the big leagues when he is absolutely incapable of hitting righties, but somehow he did it.

Luckily for the Mets, they have other viable options to put on the field everyday. Hairston coming off the bench will be a valuable asset later in the season.

Midseason Grade: B

11. Utility Infielder: Justin Turner

The best face pie-er on the team, Justin Turner, was hitting .289 in the month of May before going down with an ankle injury.

He's not the best guy a team can have as a backup, but he plays the game the right way and can play just about any position in the infield.

It's hard for a guy to get a few at-bats a week and rattle off some big hits, but Turner comes up with a big one once in awhile.

Midseason Grade: C

12. Utility Infielder: Omar Quintanilla

For the No. 4 guy on the depth chart, Omar Quintanilla was more than serviceable in his time filling in at shortstop when the Mets were hit with a plague of untimely injuries.

His fielding his been respectable too. Two errors in 187 innings isn't anything to shake a stick at, especially when the backup to a backup has done it.

Quintanilla's shining moment was his home run against the New York Yankees when the teams met for their first interleague series. Too bad it was all in vain.

Midseason Grade: C

13. Utility Infielder: Ronny Cedeno

There's not much to get excited about in Ronny Cedeno. There's a reason why the Mets are his fourth team since 2005.

(Here's a hint: It's not because he's good.)

I'm sitting here trying to think of one meaningful hit that Cedeno has produced all season. The only thing I've come up with is his three-run homer to extend the Mets' lead over the Cincinnati Reds to 9-4. Oh, and a suicide squeeze against the Milwaukee Brewers.

To Cedeno's credit, his .263 average isn't gruesome.

Midseason Grade: C-

14. No. 1 Starter: Johan Santana

Didn't I tell you that Johan Santana would be okay this season?

You can't ask anything more from a pitcher coming off such a serious surgery.

He has a 2.76 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP and threw the first no-hitter in franchise history.

I repeat: The Mets now have a no-hitter to their credit because of Santana.

Midseason Grade: A+

15. No. 2 Starter: R.A. Dickey

What Robert Alan Dickey has accomplished this season has been the best story in the majors to date.

Back-to-back one-hitters, a 2.15 ERA, leads the league in wins and WHIP and has the fourth-highest strikeout total.

The knuckleballer is a monster.

Midseason Grade: A+

16. No. 3 Starter: Jonathan Niese

Jonathan Niese has had his fair share of ups and downs in 2012. 

He's had four starts of no earned runs but four starts of four-plus earned runs. When he's on, hes great. When he doesn't have his stuff, you might want to cover your eyes.

In all seriousness, Niese has been a solid No. 3 starter for the Mets and has gone at least six innings in all but four of his starts.

A 3.55 ERA is a good way for a pitcher to prove his worth after receiving a new deal.

Midseason Grade: B+

17. No. 4 Starter: Dillon Gee

Dillon Gee's numbers aren't anything but pedestrian through 16 starts.

A 4.34 ERA, a 5-7 record and a 1.28 WHIP aren't bad, but he needs to improve those marks for the Mets to have a chance at grabbing a wild card spot.

His problem is that he doesn't have a pitch to blow by hitters with two strikes, which affects his ability to go deep into games. If he could just develop an out pitch, he'd be that much more effective.

Midseason Grade: C

18. No. 5 Starter: Chris Young

You'll hear no gripes about Chris Young from this writer.

After missing much of the beginning of the season due to shoulder surgery, Young has been a savior of sorts for the Mets in his five outings.

He saved Terry Collins from having to run out Miguel Batista, Chris Schwinden or Jeremy Hefner every fifth day.

Young has yet to get rocked this season, something that most teams can't say about their No. 5 starter. 

Once he gets his arm strength back, he'll be even better in the cavernous Citi Field.

Midseason Grade: B-

19. Long Reliever: Jeremy Hefner

I won't lie, I was shaking in my boots about the prospect of Jeremy Hefner playing the role of No. 5 starter for any extended amount of time.

I'm thanking my lucky stars that things didn't work out that way. He's much better suited in a mop-up or long relief role.

His sinker has impressed me, but I won't go much further than that. The Oklahoma native didn't fare so well as a starter, allowing 14 runs in 20.2 innings.

Hefner has brought his ERA south of five this month and has allowed just one hit in his last 4.1 innings.

Midseason Grade: C-

20. Reliever: Miguel Batista

Miguel Batista clearly doesn't have much left in the tank. He's more suited to come in and get out sub-par hitters rather than Robinson Cano in the eighth inning of a tie game.

You're playing with fire as a reliever with a 1.60 WHIP, especially when you have struck out just 28 batters in 38.2 innings.

If the Mets had another option to replace Batista with, I'm sure they would do it, but the well is dry until a move is made around the deadline.

The one thing I don't like about Batista is that I never think he's going to get the job done when he comes in—and he usually doesn't.

Midseason Grade: D+

21. Reliever: Jon Rauch

The 6'11" behemoth didn't let up a run until his last outing in April, but it's been all downhill from there.

Jon Rauch has been very unreliable these last two months. He posted an ERA of 5.56 in May and a 4.50 mark in July.

I guess improvement is a good thing (right?).

It has to be hard for Terry Collins to trust a guy who has lost his last seven decisions.

Midseason Grade: D+

22. Reliever: Ramon Ramirez

I have no idea what to make of Ramon Ramirez.

When Sandy Alderson traded for him, he was praising his ability to get guys out when absolutely necessary, but that hasn't been the case.

He got off to an inconsistent start and has flaked along since. Ramirez had only one very impressive stretch from April 20 to May 11 when he allowed three earned runs in 12 innings.

Other than that, he's been one of the main culprits in the arson squad that is the Mets bullpen.

Midseason Grade: C-

23. Lefty Specialist: Tim Byrdak

Tim Byrdak does exactly what his job description says he does—when Terry Collins lets him.

Why he didn't come in to face Robinson Cano on Sunday night against the Yankees, the world may never know, but it was Miguel Batista who served up a gopher ball to the second baseman.

Byrdak has been great against righties this year too, but his .116 BAA versus lefties is sheer dominance. 

It's great for the Mets to have a lefty in the bullpen because they hardly have anything else out there.

Midseason Grade: A-

24. De Facto Closer: Bobby Parnell

Thank goodness the Mets kept Bobby Parnell when plenty of teams were after him last season because they would have virtually nobody to close out games with Frank Francisco on the shelf.

Parnell has blown just three saves this season. Two came in the seventh inning, and the third came against the Washington Nationals when the Mets decided they were going to commit a comedy of errors and blow the game.

It's about time we got to see Parnell test his mettle in the closer role and pass that test.

He has let up just one baserunner in his 6.1 innings pitched to bring his ERA down to an impressive 3.00 mark.

Midseason Grade: B+

25. Injured Closer: Frank Francisco

Even though Frank Francisco isn't on the active roster, he's going to get a great over Justin Hampson.

Why, you ask? Because, does Hampson really matter right now?

For all the flak Francisco took after getting rocked in back-to-back outings against the Miami Marlins back in May, he has been solid on the bump in the ninth inning.

He's converted 18-of-21 save opportunities. Some of those have been shaky, but he's getting the job done 86 percent of the time.

His 4.97 ERA is not what you want to see from the guy who is supposed to lock down games for you, but Francisco has allowed just two earned runs in his last 14.1 innings pitched.

If he can come back from his injury and continue on the same curve that he was on before he went down, the Mets' bullpen situation will become more clear.

Midseason Grade: B

26. Manager: Terry Collins

Terry Collins has put himself in position to win the National Manager of the Year Award this season if the Mets can continue playing the way they are.

Nobody believed that the team would be six games over .500 a week before the All-Star break, but Collins has done a magnificent job managing this team.

Sure, there have been a few mistakes and bad decisions here and there, but overall, Collins has been one of the best managers in all of baseball.

He demands the best out of his players and isn't afraid to speak up if he doesn't think he's getting it, but he does it in the perfect way.

No matter what happens to the team from here on out, Collins deserves a new contract when the season is up.

Midseason Grade: A