2010 Final Mets Report Card

Well, another Mets season has come and gone, so it’s time once again for the players’ final report card.  The grades are generally mediocre, which is fitting because that was the end result on the field. Everybody expected better than four games under .500 and a fourth place finish in the NL East. Well, there’s always next year to look forward to.

R.A. Dickey: A
11-9, 2.84 era, 104k
Key Stat: 54 mph (slowest pitch I saw him throw)
The MVP of the team. Dickey came out of nowhere to become one of the big surprises in all of baseball. Perhaps more importantly, he came along at a time when the Mets rotation was in shambles, and he was able to solidify things. But if I have to hear the “he had no ulnar collateral ligament” story one more time, I will kill somebody.

Angel Pagan: A
.290, 11 hr, 69 rbi
Key Stat: 37 stolen bases
Another huge surprise. With Beltran out for the first half of the season, Pagan came in and turned what could have been a nightmare scenario into a positive. Somehow he was able to raise his baseball IQ as well. Gone were all of the boneheaded plays that plagued him in 2009.

Mike Pelfrey: B+
15-9, 3.66 era, 113 k
Key Stat: 10.02 July era
If someone said before the season that Pelfrey would win 15 games, you would surely expect a grade of “A.” But Pelfrey reverted back to his 2009 days in the middle of the summer when the Mets really needed him to step up and be an ace. As good as his season was, that disappointment won’t go away.

Johan Santana: B+
11-9, 2.98 era, 144 k
Key Stat: 29 starts
Santana’s season was an odd one. Some days he looked like his dominating self, other days he was getting shelled. Of course, his season ended early for a second straight year because of injury that required surgery. This one looks more serious — there are questions about when, if at all, he will be ready for 2011.

Ike Davis: B+
.264, 19 hr, 71 rbi
Key Stat: 3 railing flips
This rookie is a keeper. Davis has good power that will only get better. He handles left handed pitchers well, which is a huge plus for a young lefty batter. Plus, he looks very good in the field. For a guy who was supposed to spend the year in AAA, a great season.

Jon Niese: B
9-10, 4.20 era, 148 k
Key Stat: 7.11 September era
You couldn’t ask more from Niese in his rookie year. The won-loss record was not great, but he had a bunch of no-decisions that could have been wins. He had a scare early when he injured the hamstring that ended his season last year, but he was able to bounce back from it. He struggled late, but he also looks like a keeper.

David Wright: B
.283, 29 hr, 103 rbi
Key stat: 161 ks
Well, the power was back after that strange 2009, so that’s good. But Wright failed to hit at least .300 in a full season for the first time. He is still striking out entirely too much, and he disappears for long stretches when he is slumping. But when he’s hot, he carries the entire team on his shoulders.

Hisanori Takahashi: B
10-6, 3.61 era, 114 k, 8 saves
Key Stat: .206 batting average against, as reliever
Whether as a starter or a reliever, Takahashi did whatever was asked of him. He was more effective as a reliever, serving as the closer after the fall of K-Rod. Takahashi is a free agent and wants to be a starter, so it remains to be seen if his Mets career has a second year.

Jose Reyes: B
.282, 11 hr, 54 rbi
Key stat: 30 stolen bases
It was nice to have Reyes back for almost a full season again. He missed the start of the season, then a week here and there with various injuries. He was rusty early, but he showed some flashes of his old self. However, he’s not fully back yet, as evidenced by his 30 stolen bases — by far his fewest in a full season.

Bobby Parnell: B
0-1, 2.83 era, 33 k
Key Stat: June 22
For some reason the Mets kept Parnell down on the farm until June 22nd, and once they brought him up he performed well. He averaged nearly a strikeout per inning, andregularly reached 100 mph on his fastball. He was shut down with 2 weeks left in the season with elbow inflammation, but he’ll be okay.

Elmer Dessens: B
4-2, 2.30 era, 16 k
Key Stat: May 21
Dessens is another guy who probably should have been with the team all season. He always delivered whenever called upon — seemingly every day in the final month of the season. Dessens is 39-years-old, so he may not be a part of the team’s future, but he was good while he was here.

Josh Thole: B
.277, 3 hr, 17 rbi
Key Stat: 73 games
Thole needed some more seasoning in the minors, and he got it during the first half of the season. Once he came up, he hit as he was expected. The big question was his defensive ability. He showed that that will not be a problem going forward next season, when he will likely be the starting catcher.

Manny Acosta: B-
3-2, 2.95 era, 42 k
Key Stat: Nothing
Acosta had pretty good stats, but for the life of me, I can’t remember any games in which he was particularly impressive. I guess that’s life for a middle reliever. He did average a strikeout per inning and didn’t walk many batters. Like I said, good stats, but forgettable.

Henry Blanco: B-
.215, 2 hr, 8 rbi
Key Stat: 8 rbi
Blanco was the last man standing from that horrible bench Omar Minaya constructed. His stats weren’t great, but Blanco did the job for which he was hired — backup catcher. He did a good job with the pitchers in his occasional start. But only 8 RBIs? That’s a bit pathetic.

Chris Carter: B-
.263, 4 hr, 24 rbi
Key Stat: 100 games
For a guy who started the season in the minors, Carter ended up being the key guy off the bench for the Mets. He shockingly got into 91 games, mostly as a pinch hitter. He got some key hits, and probably earned himself a roster spot for 2011.

Pedro Feliciano: B-
3-6, 3.30 era, 56 k
Key Stat: .336 against righties
With 92 appearances, Feliciano once against broke his own team record. There were thoughts early on that he could be the 8th inning guy, but as in years past, he proved he cannot handle right handed hitters. He is only good as a situational lefty. It says here that he will be too expensive to be on the team next year.

Carlos Beltran: C
.255, 7 hr, 27 rbi
Key Stat: 64 games
Beltran finally made it back to the lineup after the All Star break, a couple of months later than expected. He was clearly hobbled upon his return, unable or unwilling to put pressure on his knee. He started looking better towards the end, showing he was tradable until he suffered pain in the knee and he was shut down yet again.

Ruben Tejada: C
.213, 1 hr, 15 rbi
Key Stat: 78 games
Tejada is not what you’d call a big-time hitter. But he’s only 21 years old, so perhaps he will learn. He is, however, already a slick-fielding second baseman, so at least we can look forward to some great play in the field when he is likely the starting second baseman in 2011.

Jenrry Mejia: C
0-4, 4.62 era, 22 k
Key Stat: 3 starts
Mejia started the season as the 8th inning guy, was moved to middle innings, then demoted to the minors to be a starter — probably where he should have been all along. There is still debate over whether he should be a reliever or a starter. Either way, he’ll be on the team next season — unless he is a trade chip.

Raul Valdes: C-
3-3, 4.91 era, 56 k
Key Stat: Nothing
Much like Acosta, I can’t seem to remember anything particularly good about Valdes. He started out hot, having a strong April, but he cooled considerably as the season progressed. He also averaged a strikeout per inning, but overall was less effective than Acosta.

Luis Castillo: C-
.235, 0 hr, 17 rbi
Key Stats: 86 games
Barring the miraculous, we’ve seen the last of Luis Castillo as a Met. He played in just 81 games this season, in part because of injury, and in part because of crappiness. He was the forgotten man down the stretch, making his final start on September 4th. Castillo and his outfield grass power will not be missed.

Jason Bay: D+
.259, 6 hrs, 47 rbi
Key Stat: 1 concussion
What a terrible year for Bay. First, he couldn’t seem to figure out Citi Field. Then he slammed into the wall at Dodger Stadium at the end of July, missing the final two months of the season.  He did always seem to play hard, though, and he was very good in the outfield after speculation he would he horrible about there.

Ryota Igarashi: D
1-1, 7.12 era, 25 k
Key Stat: 2-year contract
Igarashi is the 2010 version of Duaner Sanchez. He was pitching lights out in April until he got injured. When he came back a month later, Igarashi couldn’t find the plate. A trip to the minor leagues didn’t help at all. The bad news — he’s signed for 2011.

Francisco Rodriguez: F
4-2, 2.20 era, 67 k, 25 saves
Key Stat: 1 arrest
Rodriguez was pretty good on the field. It was off the field where he earned his grade. He punched his girlfriend’s father at Citi Field, tearing a ligament in his thumb, requiring season-ending surgery. Now the Mets are apparently trying to void his contract for 2011. Good riddance.

John Maine: F
1-3, 6.13 era, 39 k
Key Stat: 9 starts
What a shock — Maine went down with inuryafter just a few extremely ineffective starts. Who could have predicted that? The last image we have of Maine as a Met will be him protesting on the mound after Manuel removed him after five pitches. Ah, the memories.

Oliver Perez: F- –
0-5, 6.80 era, 37 k
Key Stat: $12,000,000
Well, I gave him the improbable F- last season, and somehow, someway Perez managed to be worse than last year so he deserves a lower grade. Perez is simply a stiff. He claims to care, but he refused an assignment to the minor leagues to work on his game. He can’t be on this team again in 2011, can he?

Jerry Manuel: F
79-83, .488
Key Stat: 86
Is there any other grade you can give to a manager who was fired once the season was over? It wasn’t all Manuel’s fault — there were injuries and poor play. But Manuel’s in-game decision making was often head-scratchingly puzzling. That is where he earned his dismissal.

Omar Minaya: F+
79-83, .488
Key Stat: $120,000,000
Minaya gets the “+” for unearthing Dickey. The Bay signing backfired big-time, although it’s hard to blame Minaya completely for that. Even though he won’t be the GM next season, his impact will be felt — he saddled the club with $120,000,000 (including Reyes’ option) in guaranteed salaries for 2011.

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