The grades are in and The Daily Stache’s first half report card is in. All grades are final and there is no extra credit. That goes for you too Mr. Schwinden. If you ask again, you’ll get DFA’d.
These grades are the average grade given by members of the Stache. The comments will remain anonymous to protect the bloggers from possible physical harm from members of the Mets.
Catcher
Josh Thole C+ - "178 AB’s and only 10 RBI’s. Not the type of production you are looking for from your starting catcher. At least he can catch the knuckleball."
Mike Nickeas D+ - ”He’s only on the team because he hits right-handed and doesn’t cost anything.”
First Base
Ike Davis C- – “He’s hitting .200 now, which is a huge accomplishment. Actually has more RBI’s than Curtis Granderson or A-Rod.”
Second Base
Daniel Murphy B- – “Murphy finally started heating up recently, but compared to last season, he’s been just mediocre.”
Justin Turner D+ - ” Hasn’t provided much off the bench besides for being the AJ Burnett of the Mets (A.K.A. Mr. Pie in the face).”
Jordany Valdespin B- ”Besides a few big errors while playing out of position, JV has been a big help for the team in limited opportunities and has a bright future.”
Shortstop
Ruben Tejada B+ - “Jose Who? Consistently getting deep into counts and playing outstanding defense. Has done everything he has been asked to do.”
Ronny Cedeno C – “Has done a lot of filling in at SS and 2B and his OBP has been surprisingly adequate.”
Omar Quintanilla C+ -” Did some solid work while Tejada and Cedeno were out. Perfect stopgap.”
Third Base
David Wright A+ -” MVP caliber season”
Outfield
Jason Bay D+ - ”Best thing he’s done this year is sit on the DL so we can make sure his option doesn’t vest”
Kirk Nieuwenhuis B- - ”Nieuwenhuis has cooled down considerably since the tear he started out on. He’s still an asset on defense, though”
Lucas Duda B – “Still on pace for 25 homers and around 90 RBI’s. Still needs a GPS in right field. Reminds me of a poorman’s Adam Dunn.”
Scott Hariston B+ – “Scotty’s success might be the most pleasant surprise of the season.The lefty killer has been invaluable to a lefty heavy lineup.”
Andres Torres C/C+ – “His right-handed side gets a B, his left-handed swings get a D, average them together and sprinkle in his above-par defense and you get a C+”
Mike Baxter A- – “Risked life and limb for Johan’s no-hitter and was incredible off the bench before getting hurt.”
Starting Rotation
Johan Santana A – “I was unsure if Johan would even make it to the All Star Break this year, but he hasn’t missed a single start and threw the first no-hitter in Mets history. Easy grade.”
R.A. Dickey A+ - ”Talk of the league, fastest knuckleball in MLB history, 9.23 K’s/9 inn., potential candidate for CY Young Award. Radickeylous.”
John Niese B/B+ – “I was a little worried about how he would pitch after getting that contract extension, but has been rock solid all season long.”
Dillon Gee B – “Perhaps the biggest surprise on a staff full of them, Gee’s command of the strike zone in 2012 has transformed him from a fringe No. 5 starter to a solid mid-rotation arm.” Just learned tonight he might miss the rest of the season with the blood clot issue in his right shoulder.
Chris Young B – “Who would have thought how important this guy would be. Same surgery as Johan, comes back sooner and is essentially the same Chris Young. Just amazing. Where would we be without this guy?”
Bullpen
John Rauch C/C+ – “Jon has been victim of some bad luck, but he hasn’t necessarily been good either and his bad spots have come at the most inopportune moments.”
Ramon Ramirez C- – “In my view, the biggest disappointment of the season, Ramirez was supposed to stabilize the pen and instead has been one of it’s most inconsistent parts.”
Miguel Batista F - ”Robinson Cano should have used Batista in the Hr Derby.”
Bobby Parnell B+ – “He just might be starting to “get it”. 100 mph and straight isn’t as good as 95 with good movement. Hopefully he’ll wrestle the closer’s job away from Francisco.”
Frank Francisco B – “Despite taking years off of Mets fans lives with his shaky situations, he has converted on 18 of 21 save chances.”
Tim Byrdak B+ – “Comic relief in the clubhouse and eats up lefties on the hill, hard not to love the Byrdman.”
This piece was written and submitted by Scott Ilowite. For more information on the New York Mets, check out the Daily Stache here. Also, follow the Daily Stache on Twitter by clicking this link.
But the Mets were the ones putting their money into a Ponzi scheme -- instead of putting the money on the FIELD, where it might have done some good, the owners of the team were more interested in a big, fat, fast pay-day from "Wall Street" and instead, got burnt. Which one of these things sounds more like "greed" to you?
Try again...
Come up with a well-reasoned post & we'll talk...
How do you rationalize and/or justify the money that was invested with Mr. Madoff, money that obviously could have been used to improve your baseball club of choice, The Metropolitans, but was not? Do you support that choice? If so, why? If not, why not? Please, inquiring minds want to know.
If you think 'ol man George didn't have some seedy business ventures in his past, then you, sir are one gullible man. Keep in mind, MLB never banned the Wilpons from baseball. Can the same be said for George Stienbrenner?
And you know, you do raise an excellent point - the Mets did have a little run there where they spent pretty freely, even at points rivaling the Yankees payroll. As you noted, it didn't quite have the effect you would have hoped for. Why do you think it worked for the Yankees but never seemed to work for the Mets?
The Mets are having a heck of a season all things considered. As a New York fan, I'm hoping they can carry on and get to the playoffs. It'd be great for the city and for the franchise.
For that matter, how much was invested in illegal campaign contributions to Richard Nixon, or to defend him against the associated felony obstruction of justice charges? People in glass stadiums... ya' know?