ESPN’s NY Mets midseason grade feels frustratingly low despite their success

Giving the New York Mets a “B” for their first half is like rating a week-long vacation based on the one night it rained. Yeah, June got a little soggy. But most of the trip was sunshine, swim-up bars, and overachieving baseball. At the time of ESPN’s report card, the Mets were 14 games over .500 and tied for first place. That’s not a B. That’s a “tell your friends to book the same trip” kind of season.

ESPN even admitted the Mets looked like an A+ team for most of the first half. So why does the final grade read like it was written right after a missed shuttle on the way to the theme park? If you’re going to judge a team at midseason, judge where they are now—not where they stumbled briefly. Otherwise, you’re not writing a report card. You’re writing a diary entry from a bad stretch in June.

With the NY Mets holding a strong position atop the standings, it’s clear that ESPN’s midseason grade doesn’t quite capture the full picture.

Stearns assembled a lineup that consistently delivers production from several key players. Four of them have already reached 50 RBIs, placing the team among just three MLB clubs with that kind of balanced run support. They rank comfortably inside the top 10 for home runs, RBIs, and OPS, keeping the offense competitive even when parts of the lineup haven’t quite clicked.

Pitching has been a bit of a rollercoaster. The staff performs well in key areas, such as ERA, strikeouts, and home runs allowed per nine innings. But injuries in June created a perfect storm that disrupted their flow and led to a difficult stretch. Since then, they’ve regrouped and steadied the rotation and bullpen, showing resilience and a commitment to maintaining their place in the standings.

Against teams currently in the NL playoffs, the Amazins’ have held their own with a 12-7 record, proving they can compete with the best in pressure situations. Currently sitting just two games behind the Dodgers for the best record in the National League, they remain firmly in control of their destiny.

The rough patch in June is something Mets fans won’t forget, but it doesn’t fully capture where this team is today. The Mets have proven they’re much more than that one slump. A midseason grade focused too heavily on that stretch misses the bigger picture of a team very much in the mix for the best team in the National League.

Any Mets fan, without knowing all the twists and turns, would eagerly sign up for the team to be 14 games over .500 and tied for first place 93 games into the season. That’s a spot worth celebrating, not second-guessing. Considering their resilience and current standing, the midseason grade should lean closer to an A-minus, a reflection of the strong foundation they’ve built and the promise still ahead.