2015 Final Mets Report Card

The 2015 Mets report card is a little late this year because, as you may have heard, the Mets extended their season into late October. Stats are from the regular season, but post-season performance was taken into account for the final grades.

Yoenis Cespedes: A+
.287, 17 HRs, 44 RBIs
Key Stat: 37-22 (Mets record after trading for him)
Where would the Mets have been without Cespedes? Well, sitting on their couches watching the playoffs. Cespedes changed the entire dynamic of this team and singlehandedly turned the season around. He unfortunately was not even close to being that good in the post-season, though.

Jacob deGrom: A 
14-8, 2.54 ERA, 205 Ks
Key Stat: 20-10 (Mets record in his starts)
deGrom followed up his Rookie of the Year season with an even better year. He emerged as the staff ace, and was excellent in the post-season. He was fourth in the NL in ERA, tied for eighth in strikeouts, tied for seventh in wins. The sky’s the limit for deGrom.

Jeurys Familia: A
2-2, 1.85 ERA, 86 Ks, 43 Saves
Key Stat: 43 (saves, ties Mets record)
Familia was not the first choice to be the closer. He probably wasn’t second or third. But there he was, the last man standing, and he certainly made the most of the opportunity. He was superb in the NLDS and NLCS, but blew three saves in the World Series.

Daniel Murphy: A
.281, 14 HRs, 73 RBIs
Key Stat: 14 (home runs, career high)
Murphy’s .281 batting average led the team, and he only struck out 38 times. This was probably his swan song with the Mets. If so, he went out with a bang, with that record-breaking post-season that raised his grade here a full letter grade!

Michael Conforto: B+
.270, 9 HRs, 26 RBIs
Key Stat: 6 (assists, fifth among NL left fielders)
The Mets fretted about calling up Conforto, not sure if the 2014 first-round draft choice was ready for the big leagues. No need to worry — Conforto looked quite comfortable. His power was surprising, as was his defense. The Mets have their left fielder of the future.

Curtis Granderson: B+
.259, 26 HRs, 70 RBIs
Key Stat: 98 (runs, 6th in NL)
What a bounce back year for Granderson. He quieted the critics who feared he was Jason Bay 2.0. Without a real leadoff hitter on the team, Granderson filled the role quite well. His .364 on-base percentage was 15th in the league. Now we are looking forward to having him for two more years!

Matt Harvey: B+
13-8, 2.71 ERA, 188 Ks
Key Stat: 216 (innings pitched, including post-season)
You couldn’t ask for more in Harvey’s comeback from Tommy John surgery. At times he was the same dominant pitcher he was in 2013. Of course, the innings limit nonsense left a bad taste in many fans’ mouth. But he won them back with his post-season performance.

Steven Matz: B+
4-0, 2.27  ERA, 34 Ks
Key Stat: .286 (batting average)
Steven Matz turned out to be better than advertised. Unfortunately, he got hurt after his first two electric starts and was lost for more than a month. He was not as electric in the post-season, but he was still solid. A full season of Matz should be very exciting.

Noah Syndergaard: B+
9-7, 3.24 ERA, 166 Ks
Key Stat: 2.46/4.23 (home ERA/road ERA)
The Mets delayed Syndergaard’s debut for a year, but it was well worth it. Like Matz, he turned out to be better than advertised. Despite making only 24 starts, he led all rookies in strikeouts. His ERA would be 15th best if he qualified (he was 12 innings short).

Travis d’Arnaud: B
.268, 12 HR, 41 RBIs
Key Stat: 67 (games played)
It was the same old story for d’Arnaud in 2015 — he just can’t stay healthy. He missed more than half of the season with two separate injuries. But when he was on the field he was excellent. He needs to play a full season to prove he can be the Mets catcher of the future.

Tyler Clippard: B
4-1, 3.06 ERA, 26 Ks, 2 Saves
Key Stat: 1.69 (ERA at Citi Field)
Another key mid-season acquisition, Clippard filled a crucial need in the bullpen. He quickly became the reliable eighth inning guy. He struggled a bit towards the end and also was not great in the post-season. But without Clippard, they may never have gotten there.

Sean Gilmartin: B
3-2, 2.67 ERA, 54 Ks
Key Stat: 5 (Rule)
Gilmartin was a long shot to make the team, but he impressed out of Spring Training and he never stopped. He was an excellent middle reliever, averaging almost a strikeout per inning and holding righties to a .216 batting average.

Erik Goeddel: B
1-1, 2.43 ERA, 34 Ks
Key Stat: 1 (home run allowed)
Like Gilmartin, Goeddel came out of nowhere to be a solid middle reliever. He held opposing batters to a .203 average, with lefties hitting only .189 against him. Like the others, he stepped in when the bullpen was in shambles to help the Mets win.

Addison Reed: B
1-1, 1.17 ERA, 17 Ks, 1 Save
Key Stat: 2 (earned runs allowed in 17 appearances)
Just like Clippard, Reed came in just at the right time, when the Mets bullpen was struggling to find a bridge to Familia. Reed filled the seventh inning role beautifully. He was very good in the playoffs until that 12th inning of Game 5.

Hansel Robles: B
4-3, 3.67 ERA, 61 Ks
Key Stat: .190 (batting average against)
See Gilmartin and Goeddel. He struck out 61 batters in 54 innings. Lefties hit .167 against him. Like Goeddel and Gilmartin, Robles was rewarded with a spot on at least one of the post-season rosters.

Juan Uribe: B
.219, 6 HRs, 20 RBIs
Key Stat: 1 (chest injury)
Even though he hit only .219 after his late July trade to the Mets, Uribe was integral in winning the NL East. He started until Wright game back, then provided a professional bat off the bench, replacing the Quadruple-A players the Mets have employed over the years.

Bartolo Colon: B-
14-13, 4.16 ERA, 136 Ks
Key Stat: 4 (RBIs)
Just like his first season with the Mets, Colon had an odd year in his second and likely last season with the team. He was so good in some games, so bad in others. His 14 wins tied for the team lead. His 24 walks was the fewest among starters who qualified for ERA crown.

Wilmer Flores: B-
.263, 16 HRs, 59 RBIs
Key Stat: 1 (crying jag)
Flores became a folk hero when he cried on the field when he thought he was traded. A couple of nights later he became a bona fide hero with a game-winning home run against the Nationals. Other than that, he did what was expected of him — good hitting, bad fielding.

Kelly Johnson: B-
.250, 5 HRs, 13 RBIs
Key Stat: 6 (positions played)
Just like his trade partner Uribe, Johnson lent an air of professionalism to this team. His stats may not have been impressive on paper, but he was very important to this team. Plus, he played six positions, which only increased his value.

Ruben Tejada: B-
.261, 3 HR, 28 RBIs
Key Stat: 1 (broken leg)
Just like his fellow shortstop Flores, Tejada became a Mets hero when Chase Utley wiped him out and broke his leg on that dirty slide in Game 2 of the ALDS. He got a good amount of playing time in the regular season and was the starter for the playoffs until Utley struck.

Jonathon Niese: C+
9-10, 4.13 ERA, 113 Ks
Key Stat: .301 (lefties batting average against)
Niese had a mediocre season, with a series of poor stretches and good ones. He found himself the odd man out of the rotation in the playoffs, but he found a spot in the bullpen. He performed fairly well. Even still, his Mets career is likely over.

Carlos Torres: C+
5-6, 4.68 ERA, 48 Ks
Key Stat: 5.79 (home ERA)
After a couple of decent seasons, Torres may have hit the wall with the Mets. He was not as effective as he had been in previous years. He was left off the post-season roster. He is eligible for arbitration this off-season, so it would not be a shock if he is non-tendered.

David Wright: C+
.289, 5 HRs, 17 RBIs
Key stat: 38 (games played)
Wright gets this grade because he only played 38 games due to back problem. When he was on the field, he was actually all right. He struggled in the post-season but had a few big hits. The big question going forward is will he ever be the old David Wright again.

Lucas Duda: C
.244, 27 HRs, 73 RBIs
Key Stat: 9 (homers in eight-game stretch)
Duda hit 27 home runs, which is a pretty good follow-up to his breakout 30 homer 2014 season. But except for two hot streaks, he was invisible for most of the season. Excerpt for a couple of games, he was awful in the post-season with 20 strikeouts.

Kevin Plawecki: C
.219, 3 HRs, 21 RBIs
Key Stat: 73 (games played)
Plawecki was forced into major league duty because of the injuries by d’Arnaud. He actually was behind the plate for more of the season than d’Arnaud, which means he deserves credit for handling the Mets young pitching. He didn’t show much at the plate.

Michael Cuddyer: C-
.259, 10 HRs, 41 RBIs
Key Stat: 15 (spot in draft it costs Mets to sign him)
Cuddyer was just terrible. He struggled to stay healthy, and even when he was, he wasn’t very good. He was reduced to very expensive bench warmer in the playoffs after some terrible defense in Game 1 of the NLDS. He is said to be a good clubhouse presence, though.

Juan Lagares: C-
.259, 6 HRs, 41 RBIs
Key stat: 0 (Gold Gloves in 2015)
Lagares had a stunning year of regression. His hitting was poor, and he even took a step back in the outfield. He became a part-timer after Cesepdes and Conforto came along. He will have to compete to win his job back, if he is still with the team in 2016.

Bobby Parnell: D
2-4, 6.38 ERA, 13 Ks, 1 Save
Key Stat: .323 (batting average against)
Parnell was supposed to come back from Tommy John surgery and solidify the back end of the bullpen. But it was not to be. His fastball, which was always straight, now no longer had its killer velocity. We’ve probably seen the last of Parnell. Too bad.

Terry Collins: A
90-72
Key Stat: 1st (place in NL East)
After managing for like 50 years, Collins finally got to the post-season. After all that, it will be remembered for the decision to leave Harvey in the game in Game 5 of the World Series. Still, Collins did a great job for this team in 2015 and for the first time, no one will be calling for him to be fired.

Sandy Alderson: B+
90-72
Key Stat: 4 (key trades)
Alderson saw that his team was in the cusp, so he went out and made those huge trades to put the Mets over the top. It was a period of aggression we had not seen from Alderson before. Hopefully this off-season will be better than the ones in the past. But Alderson built a World Series team, and deserves all of the credit.

Mug Shots Courtesy Ultimate Mets Database, http://ultimatemets.com/mugshots.php