With the All-Star Game behind us, it is now time to grade the Mets’ performance through the first half of the season. Through July 15, they sit at one game over .500 and 7 ½ games behind the Braves in the NL wild-card race.
[caption id="attachment_249" align="alignright" width="300" caption="The 2011 Mets have been quite respectable despite injuries to key players. To date, they sit a game above .500 and just 7 1/2 out of the Wild Card race."]
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While this is certainly not a terrible place to be, there is room for improvement. Due to injuries, the Mets have been without key players for a while. David Wright and Ike Davis, two of the biggest bats in the middle of the order, have missed games since the middle of May because of their injuries. Their best pitcher, Johan Santana has not thrown a pitch this entire year because of shoulder surgery.
But despite those and other injuries, the Mets still managed to remain competitive because Terry Collins has gotten production out of every player on his team, even left fielder Jason Bay. Players like Daniel Murphy and Justin Turner have stepped up and combined their production with Jose Reyes’ best career season to keep the Mets where they are now. I now give you the Mets first half grades:
Offense: B-
[caption id="attachment_252" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Jose Reyes' stellar 2011 has kept the Mets afloat in the first half. He is the NL's leader in triples and hitting."]
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While they have certainly scored a plethora of runs, (ranked sixth in the national league in runs scored), they are not scoring against All-Star caliber pitchers. In four straight games against All-Star pitching to end the seasons fist half, the Mets only scored eight runs. The Mets however have gotten solid production from Reyes, Murphy, Turner, and Carlos Beltran. Despite being on the DL, Reyes leads the NL in triples. Beltran leads in doubles. Murphy has been stellar with runners in scoring position, hitting the 10th best NL RISP batting average of .345. Turner has been even better in that category, ranking seventh with his .383 average with RISP.
If Davis and Wright come back, the Mets are going to have to find positions for Murphy to play. Perhaps a second base platoon between Murphy and Turner would be enough to keep the production going. If the injured player’s comebacks are managed properly the Mets could possibly be playing baseball in October.
Pitching: C+
The Mets pitching in 2011 has been only slightly better than average. Mike Pelfrey has really hurt the Mets, as the arm expected to fill in for the injured Santana. Of all the pitchers in the current rotation, Pelfrey posts the highest ERA at 4.55, certainly not ace-like and certainly not quality. Despite those numbers, the Mets survive on Capuano’s surprisingly good season, and Dillon Gee’s outstanding rookie year. Gee won his first seven decisions this season, and is one of the reasons the Mets sit over .500 despite the rest of the current rotation’s combined 25-30 record.
Coaching: A
[caption id="attachment_257" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Mets Manager Terry Collins has made all the right choices since being named Mets Manager before spring training."]
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What more can be said about the decisions that Terry Collins made this year? He has gotten production from his pitching and offense. He has created a makeshift lineup every game since Wright and Davis went down, and so far the Mets have kept their head above water with outstanding success and production from Beltran, Murphy, Reyes, and Turner.
He has also managed to keep a crippled pitching staff afloat. The expectations were not high with Santana expected to be out until August, and hopes dropped further when their best pitcher through four starts, Chris Young, went down for the rest of the season. But Collins has done the best he can with what he has, and in some minds is the leading candidate for 2011 NL Manager of the Year award.
How the Mets Finish 2011:
Despite a relatively strong first half, I doubt the Mets will be able to hold on much longer in the second half. Out of the gate, they play two of the National League's toughest teams. They will be without Reyes and Wright for those first two series, and without Davis and Santana for even longer. With the Wilpon's financial mess still affecting the club, Carlos Beltran could possibly be traded, crippling the Mets postseason hopes. I do not think the Mets will be playing October baseball in 2011, despite their best efforts so far.
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