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After the first 40 games, it is time to give out first quarter grades for our New York Mets:
Tom Glavine: A
No starting pitcher in the NL has looked better since last year's All Star break until now than Tom Glavine. He is tied for the NL lead with 6 wins and has the 4th lowest ERA in the league. Of his 2 losses, one was a masterpiece against the Braves where he allowed 1 run and had no support. He is pitching like he did with the Braves and more importantly less like he did in his first three years with the Mets.
Carlos Beltran: A
Carlos has finally blossomed into the player we paid big money for last off-season. He is on pace for 40 HR and 100 RBI and should soon eclipse his HR total for last season. He leads the team in OPS with 1.003 and is second with 10 HR and 25 RBI. His average is less than stellar at .257, but he makes up for it by walking more than anyone on the team and leading in OBP.
Aaron Heilman: A
The missing piece that fused the gap between the starters and the back of the bullpen, Aaron has filled his role with tact and authority. We all know that he wants to start, hell, most fans want him to start...but his contributions to the bullpen this year have been immeasurable.
Duaner Sanchez: A
Starting out strong with 21 scoreless innings, Sanchez has been just as important as Heilman in establishing great relief for our starters.
Pedro Feliciano: A
While not as high profile as Sanchez and Heilman, Feliciano has quietly compiled 12.1 innings of relief while only surrendering one run and striking out 11. Great lefty option out of the pen so far.
Carlos Delgado: A-
Finally, an offense acquisition that pays dividends immediately. Carlos leads the club in HR and RBI and is the clean up hitter we've all been waiting for.
Pedro Martinez: B+
Toe, schmoe. Pedro still strikes fear into opposing lineups. While not off to as dominant a start as last year, and not quite as impressive as Glavine, Pedro is still co-ace of the staff.
Xavier Nady: B+
The scouts always said that this kid would be good if he could only play everyday. Playing nearly everyday for the Mets, he has 8 HR and 20 RBI while batting .287 and slugging .522.
Ramon Castro: B+
A great backup for Lo Duca. Batting .289 with an .809 OPS in limited duty, it's almost like not having a backup in there at all.
David Wright: B
David is batting a healthy .307 and is tied for second on the team with 25 RBI. While those are great stats for a player in his second full year, I'd like to see him judge the strike zone better. His potential hasn't been touched yet.
Billy Wagner: B
Not the lights out closer we thought we had yet, but with a 1.89 ERA and 25 K in 19 IP, he is still one of the best in the league. A few blown saves and Roliaids moments kept him out of elite status, but I'm still confident when he gets his chances.
Paul Lo Duca: B-
Hitting .289 in the number 2 hole and bringing leadership behind the plate have made Lo Duca an asset to the team. His defensive skills leave something to be desired, but overall I'm pleased that he's part of the team.
Brian Bannister: B-
Before injury he won a spot in the rotation and put up a 2.89 ERA in five games started. He rarely looked pretty doing it, but the numbers speak for themselves. It will be interesting to see how good he really is when he comes back.
Jose Valentin: C+
Mostly due to a surge over the last 10 games, Valentin has gone from can't-buy-a-hit cold to red-hot. Valentin is now batting .279 and had 9 RBI in 43 AB.
Endy Chavez: C+
Endy got most of his playing time filling in for Beltran when he was injured. He has compiled a .292 average in 65 AB and has been decent pinch hitting.
Steve Trachsel: C
Our number 3 starter gets a C. Kind of the story of Steve's life. He's nothing if not consistent...usually consistently mediocre. His last 2 starts he did deserve more than the run support he was given and has shown signs of being the type of pitcher that the offense doesn't need to score a half dozen runs to support.
Darren Oliver: C
With a 4.08 ERA in 17.2 IP, Oliver is not as dominant as the rest of the bullpen. However, he is a veteran who can be relied upon to eat up innings if called upon.
Chad Bradford: C-
Chad started out the year well, but has been getting beaten up lately by opposing lineups. He has posted a 7.71 ERA in the month of May.
Chris Woodward: C-
Not getting much playing time, Woodward has batted .265 with 1 HR and 6 RBI in 34 AB. However, he is the emergency catcher.
Jose Reyes: C-
Jose started off hot, perhaps teasing that he may be the leadoff hitter we had hoped for, however his average has d
ipped to .256 and his OBP to .318. He is walking more than last year and leads the team with 14 steals, but still needs to try and keep the ball down to avoid pop ups. He does have as many RBI as Nady with 20.
Julio Franco: C-
Became the oldest player to HR back in the SF series. Unfortunately, that has been one of the few highlights of Julio's 2006 campaign. To his credit, the leadership he brings to the bench and clubhouse does show.
Jorge Julio: D+
After a horrible start, Julio has made improvements as an arm out of the pen. The opposite of Bradford, after posting a 7+ ERA in April, Julio's ERA in May is a hot 1.35.
Kaz Matsui: D+
Matsui's average has dwindled down to .244 and he has not hit for much power at all. After leading of the season with an inside the park home run, he has resorted back to the same Kaz we have been disappointed with for the past 2 years.
Cliff Floyd: D-
Cliff has had a terrible time at the plate. While his eyes and mechanics seem okay, he cannot get the ball to fall in for hits on regular basis. At .202 his average has just recently come off the interstate.
Victor Vambrano: F
Blowing out his elbow may have been the best thing that could have happened to him this season. After compiling a 6.75 ERA in 5 starts, Victor will spend the remainder of the year on the DL.
Anderson Hernandez: F
How bad do you have to be to have Kaz's D+ beat you out? How about 6 hits, all singles, in 41 ABs, no walks and 7 Ks. That's more Ks than total bases. His average, OBP and SLG are all .146. Granted, he did make some great plays and only got the chance for a couple weeks, but he was just plain awful at the plate.
Jose Lima: F
When your option number 8 on a 5 man staff, not much is expected...but Lima managed to undershoot those expectations. 3 starts, 3 losses and an ERA of almost 9. Someone, please get healthy.
Incompletes: B. Fortunato, H. Bell, J. Maine, J. Gonzalez, V. Diaz (I figured without 3 pitching appearances or 20 AB, judgment would be unfair)
That's how I see it. How about you?
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