1 NY Mets player has been more useful than expected, 1 who has been less

Christmas in July isn’t just a retail gimmick. In Queens, it’s a pretty fair way to describe the 2025 New York Mets. Some players have been pleasant surprises, delivering unexpected gifts like clutch hits, steady defense, or simply showing up when the roster needed them most. Others? Let’s say Santa’s keeping receipts. The Naughty List is alive and well, and a few names on it were penciled in with high hopes back in April. It’s the season of mid-year evaluations, and while one player deserves an early present for overdelivering, another is looking at a pile of coal and a whole lot of questions.

Tyrone Taylor makes the nice list.

Taylor’s overall stat line won’t get him an All-Star invite. A .213 average with a .580 OPS, two homers, and 17 RBIs in nearly 250 at-bats is more lump of coal than holiday magic. But Taylor was never meant to be a centerpiece. He was brought in for late-game defense and occasional platoon duty with Jose Siri. When Siri hit the injured list early, the full-time center field gig landed in Taylor’s lap. And he’s handled it better than anyone had a right to expect.

He’s the guy who shows up just when you need a gift you didn’t wrap. With runners in scoring position, Taylor is hitting .275 with a .731 OPS. In late-and-close situations, he jumps to .360 with an .878 OPS. High-leverage moments? A steady .270 with a .781 OPS. His defense has been as advertised and then some; he’s tied for first in the majors in Fielder Runs (a stat measuring the runs saved with his throwing arm by preventing runners from advancing). Add four outs above average, right in line with names like Bellinger and Carroll, and you’ve got a player who’s quietly made the nice list by doing more than what the team needed from him when the season started.

Ryne Stanek lands on the naughty list.

The Mets didn’t sign Ryne Stanek, expecting a lump of coal. He’s long been known for a fastball that touches the upper 90s, and in 2025, it still ranks in the top 3% of the league at 98.5 MPH. After a brief showing with the Mets late last season following a trade from Seattle, the team brought him back on a one-year, $4.5 million deal. With that kind of velocity and the Mets’ pitching lab in the mix, expectations were high. But a 4.55 ERA and 1.55 WHIP have made that investment feel shaky at best.

The biggest issue has been when the lights are bright. With runners in scoring position, opponents are hitting .360 with a .972 OPS. In high-leverage moments, the numbers somehow get worse, .342 with a .984 OPS. His hard-hit and barrel rates are in the bottom quarter of MLB, which is not what you want from a power reliever. Stanek’s numbers are better in softer spots, but with injuries shaking up the bullpen, the Mets needed him to be more than a low-pressure option. So far, he hasn’t delivered when it’s mattered, and that’s a tough stocking to fill in a season this unpredictable.

The Mets’ 2025 season has been a mixed bag, with some unexpected gifts and a few disappointments wrapped in fancy paper. Tyrone Taylor has quietly become the team’s clutch surprise, while Ryne Stanek hasn’t quite lived up to the hype his fastball promised. In Queens, it turns out the best presents don’t always come with a spotlight, and sometimes the flashiest packages leave you wanting more.