NY Mets report card grades for the first month of the season

J.D. Davis

J.D. has been one of the consistent bats in the Mets lineup. Davis has a .284/.410/.457 slash line and has been hitting third consistently for the last couple of weeks. Since moving from left field to third base his defense has improved drastically as well. That will be his position for this year and hopefully the future.

Grade: B+

Seth Lugo

The best arm in the Mets bullpen hasn’t been quite as untouchable as he was last season. Lugo has given up two game-winning hits so far, but other than that, has pitched well. Lugo has a 2.61 ERA and 3 saves so far. Solid production. Because of all of the injuries in the starting rotation, Lugo is going to get his shot in the rotation once the Mets can resume play, and for the rest of this season.

Grade: B

Edwin Diaz

Like Cano, Diaz will forever be known as the guy who was traded for Jarred Kelenic. 2019 was a disaster for Diaz but he has fared much better in 2020. While he may not be the dominant force he was in Seattle, Diaz has been respectable this year. Yes, control is still a major issue. But as we saw his last time out in Miami, the stuff is there. He just has to control it. If he does, the sky is the limit. Diaz projects to be the closer with Lugo moving to the rotation, and that’s a big test. In his save opportunities this year he has gone 1/3. However, in his other appearances, he’s been close to unhittable. He has 25 strikeouts to just five walks in 10.2 innings and has allowed only one home run. He’s been much better.

Grade: B

Jeff McNeil

I believe the stats don’t do him justice. McNeil has hit a lot of balls hard that have found gloves. Unfortunate, but that’s baseball. They’ll start falling eventually. McNeil has also been dealing with injuries which he is trying to play through. I think he’s been pretty solid overall. The big issue was his play at third base. But since switching positions with J.D. Davis, he’s done very well in left field, including making a highlight real catch to save a couple of runs which gave him the injury he is currently dealing with. I believe once he’s healthy we’ll see the McNeil we all know and love.

Grade: B

Brad Brach

Like Hughes, Brach was out for the first couple of weeks while dealing with the Coronavirus. Since returning to the Mets, he’s done well. He’s pitched four innings and has allowed one run. Brach is a solid middle relief arm and will get more opportunities with Lugo’s move to the rotation.

Grade: B

Drew Smith

Smith was the unfortunate one who got sent down to the alternate site when Hughes and Brach returned when he definitely didn’t deserve it. Smith pitched well in his seven appearances of the 2020 season allowing two runs in six innings. When the Mets bullpen was really struggling at the beginning of the season, Smith was a bright spot. Now that he’s back in the ‘pen, look for him to be used more often. He’s someone who can help the Mets now and in the future.

Grade: B

Justin Wilson

After an outstanding 2019, Wilson has been pretty solid so far this season. He’s the Mets’ best left-handed reliever and has six holds in his 10 appearances. Wilson’s ERA is inflated due to one bad appearance which occurred on his fourth outing in five days. If you take that one appearance out, Wilson has allowed just one run in 7.2 innings. Overall, he’s been pretty solid but that one bad outing hurts him a little.

Grade: B