Perhaps no team in baseball could have used the All-Star break more than the New York Mets. The squad has played through injuries to its biggest stars and tumbled into the break with a 39-47 record, the fourth-worst in the National League.
As New York prepares to open the second half of its season Friday against the Colorado Rockies, let’s take a look at how the Mets have fared over the course of their first 86 games of the 2017 season.
Front Office: C+
Led by general manager Sandy Alderson, the Mets’ front office hasn’t exactly given fans confidence that the team can turn things around. Alderson has seemed hesitant to turn to some of the team’s top prospects to plug holes at the major league level.
Leading prospect Amed Rosario is one of the game’s best young talents, yet Alderson elected to keep him in Triple-A Las Vegas when Asdrubal Cabrera was hurt and with Jose Reyes struggling.
The Mets seemed to hit a home run early in the 2017 MLB Draft with the selection of David Peterson, one of college baseball’s best pitching prospects. Time will tell if the pick will ultimately be seen as a success, but Peterson is a highly touted arm who instantly ranks among the organization’s top prospects.
Coaching Staff: D
Manager Terry Collins and the Mets’ training staff have continued to struggle keeping their players healthy.
The Mets have seen injuries to some of their best players, including Noah Syndergaard, Yoneis Cespedes and Steven Matz. In each case, the players were out — or are have been out — longer than expected.
Whatever the reason, the blame falls on the coaching staff — either for misdiagnosing the injuries or for rushing the players back on the field before they were ready.
Collins also took his time in making All-Star Michael Conforto an everyday player. Conforto started the year as the fourth outfielder — and that was only because Juan Lagares was injured. Collins gave the starting role to Conforto only when Cespedes was injured, though the former has now secured a starting role moving forward.
Offense: C-
The Mets’ offense has been abysmal, ranking eighth in the National League in runs scored with 406 and 10th in batting average with a .249 mark.
They do, however, rank second in the NL with 129 home runs. The team’s 22 stolen bases are the fewest in the league.
The offense has been held back by injuries to Cabrera, Cespedes and Neil Walker, as well as ineffectiveness from Jose Reyes. Jay Bruce leads the team with 23 home runs, 59 RBI and 85 hits, while Conforto boasts the squad’s highest batting average (.284) and on-base percentage (.403).
Pitching: C-
Expected to be the team’s strength heading into the season, the Mets’ pitching staff has struggled due to command and injuries. Syndergaard has been out since May 1, Matt Harvey hit the DL June 16, while Matz and Seth Lugo sat out the first two months of the season before returning in June.
The bullpen has also struggled. Closer Jeurys Familia was suspended to start the season before succumbing to injury. Meanwhile, Addison Reed, Jerry Blevins, Fernando Salas and company have failed to pick up the slack.
In total, the Mets’ staff has pitched to a 4.94 ERA, which ranks 14th out of 15 National League teams.
Overall Grade: C-
The Mets had a nightmarish first half of the season. They struggled in all aspects of the game, and the coaching staff and front office has done little to help the team turn things around. Thankfully for the Mets, there are still 76 games left in the season, plenty of time to turn things around.
Reach reporter Zach Gewelb by e-mail at zgewe
