Midseason grades for the 2022 Mets position players

The position player report cards for the first half are in for the 2022 New York Mets. And it has been quite a fun ride to watch this team play, with outstanding performances across the board, and an overall terrific job by new hitting coach Eric Chavez, who has meant so much to this team this season. Among the 30 teams this season, the Mets offense ranks sixth in team batting average (.252), fifth in OBP (.324), fifth in runs per game (4.70). 

Similar to the reliever exercise from Monday, we will grade each of the position players that have had at least 50 plate appearances, and there are 14 of them. 

SS Francisco Lindor – 2022 Mets position player first half grade 

1st Half Stats: 407 PA, .248/.324/.432, 16 HR, 66 RBI, 114 OPS+, 10 SB 

There was no secret of the immense pressure that Franisco Lindor faced entering this season. He had a rough first two months last season and finished with career low numbers across the board last year. Lindor has played a role in the Mets winning games with him driving in runs and playing well. He is on pace to drive in 115 runs this season. Defensively, he’s made everyone around him better with his leadership ability on and off the field.

Grade: A-

1B Pete Alonso – 2022 Mets position player first half grade 

1st Half Stats: 395 PA, .265/.339/.517, 24 HR, 78 RBI, 141 OPS+, 91 hits 

This first half was a pipe dream if you are the New York Mets with Pete Alonso this season. Alonso enters his second All-Star Game tonight leading the majors with 78 RBI, and has been hitting big home runs for New York all year. Alonso has hit the ball hard all year and is in the conversation for National League MVP. He is putting himself in position for a huge pay day soon. 

Grade: A 

OF Brandon Nimmo – 2022 Mets position player first half grade 

1st Half Stats: 376 PA, .271/.358/.437, 9 HR, 33 RBI, 127 OPS+, 59 R 

Brandon Nimmo is your quintessential gamer. His demonstrated success and plate discipline as a leadoff hitter is some of the best in baseball, he drives up the opposition’s pitch count, he hustles on the basepaths, he is tough to strikeout, puts the ball in play, and sets the tone for everything the Mets do offensively. Nimmo is also playing outstanding defense in center field, and it has gotten better and better as his career has gone along, as his outs above average ranks in the 92nd percentile, according to Statcast. 

Grade: A 

3B Eduardo Escobar – 2022 Mets position player first half grade 

1st Half Stats: 362 PA, .224/.279/,.397, 11 HR, 40 RBI, 91 OPS+, 131 total bases 

There are many Mets fans who are unsure of how to evaluate Eduardo Escobar’s first half, because this was the toughest to grade. That’s because he’s been shaky and streaky, both offensively and defensively. But he has struck out a team-high 89 times this season in fewer at-bats than Lindor and Alonso. His inability to put the ball in play has been surprisingly bad given that the Mets signed him to drive in runs. 40 RBI in 86 games? Not the Escobar the Mets envisioned. 

Grade: C 

OF Starling Marte – 2022 Mets position player first half grade 

1st Half Stats: 336 PA, .295/.345/.458, 9 HR, 41 RBI, 128 OPS+, 12 SB, 92 hits 

The Mets paid Marte a hefty sum this offseason, $78 million over a four year period to be exact. But Marte has been worth that and more. He was the dynamic playmaking outfielder the Mets haven’t had since Carlos Beltran. He could hurt the opposition in a lot of different ways, and he is perfectly suited to be the No. 2 hitter between Nimmo and Lindor in the lineup. He was named an All-Star for the second time this season, a deserving reward for an outstanding first half. 

Grade: A 

2B/OF Jeff McNeil – 2022 Mets position player first half grade 

1st Half Stats: 309 PA, .300/.362/.418, 4 HR, 35 RBI, 123 OPS+, 19 2B 

Oh, so the old Jeff McNeil returned we see. After a miserable 2021 season, he has returned to All-Star form, becoming a tough hitter to strike out, and spraying the ball across the field for hits. His .300 average is eighth in the NL. He’s continued to embrace his role as a utility player on the field, splitting time between the outfield and second base, and remains an above average defender too. And tonight, he becomes the first Met to start at second base for the NL at the All-Star Game since Ron Hunt in 1964 at Shea Stadium. 

Grade: A- 

OF Mark Canha – 2022 Mets position player first half grade 

1st Half Stats: 303 PA, .269/.370/.381, 7 HR, 31 RBI, 116 OPS+, 10 HBP 

A reason the Mets brought Mark Canha to New York was that he was part of a winning culture in Oakland while Bob Melvin was their skipper. Canha understands what it takes to win a lot of games, and he’s demonstrated that with his ability to get on base and keep the line moving (his .370 OBP was sixth best in the NL in the first half), and has been a steady presence at left field this season.  

Grade: B+ 

INF Luis Guillorme – 2022 Mets position player first half grade 

1st Half Stats: 224 PA, .293/.369/.369, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 113 OPS+, 25 R 

Mets fans have fallen in love with Luis Guillorme’s contact hitting and defense even more this season as the Mets keep winning. Any Mets fan would sign up for the success he had, especially in April and May when he sprayed the ball all over the place and applying pressure on opponents. He’s also created a nifty infield double play duo with Lindor this season as his playing time increased with his hot streak. It has become difficult for Buck Showalter to keep him out of the lineup with his terrific defense. 

Grade: B+ 

DH J.D. Davis – 2022 Mets position player first half grade 

1st Half Stats: 197 PA, .234/.325/.345, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 93 OPS+, 61 K 

This season has been a tough one for J.D. Davis, because while he consistently hits the ball hard when making contact, the making contact part of it has been elusive. He has gone down swinging at an alarming rate, and it raises concerns about if he can be the starting DH against lefties on a championship caliber team. His contact hitting must improve before the deadline, or he will be sitting a lot more following August 2. 

Grade: C- 

C Tomas Nido – 2022 Mets position player first half grade 

1st Half Stats: 182 PA, .211/.254/.235, 0 HR, 15 RBI, 42 OPS+, .304 AVG w/RISP 

We’ve known that Nido was always a defense-first catcher, as evidenced by his role as a backup for several years with the Mets. But the greater the moment, the better he’s become, both with his arm behind the plate, and at the plate as a hitter. His caught stealings and pickoffs have come at big moments in games, while only Jeff McNeil has a higher batting average with men in scoring position on the team than he does. Just don’t have him up with the bases empty. 

Grade: C+ 

1B Dominic Smith – 2022 Mets position player first half grade 

1st Half Stats: 152 PA, .194/.276/.284, 0 HR, 17 RBI, 61 OPS+, 10 2B 

Dominic Smith probably had the most disappointing result of any Met in the first half this season. The DH was supposed to benefit the Mets with the deep roster of position players they’ve had, but Smith showed why he needed a demotion to the minors in June to work on his bat because he’s had trouble hitting fastballs (hit .279 off them last year compared to just .222 this year) and off-speed pitches (.215 last year, .118 this year).

Grade: D-