State of the Mets June 2. Offensive Players Report Cards

As I stated yesterday, the Mets are going to be 1/3 of the way through the season after tonight's game. Today I will review the Mets position players, comparing them to my pre-season expectations/predictions, and see who is over or under performing (Stats are up to date as of June 1st, not including). The hyper links are the spring training scouting reports/more in-depth previews.

Catchers:
H Blanco

• Actual: 16 games, 14-46, 4 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, .304/.370/.457
• My Projection: 40 games, 150 AB, 5 HRs, 20 RBI, .230/.295/.340  
• Update: He already has 6 walks and is playing well in a small sample size. Keep in mind his career OBP is < .300. Defensively he is controlling the running game as expected.
• GRADE: B+

R Barajas

• Actual: 41 games, 41-135, 11 HRs, 30 RBIs, 4 BB, 20Ks, .269/.292/.552
• My projection: 110 games, 360 at bats, 12 HRs, 50 RBIs, 20 BB, 50 Ks, .235/.276/.400 Slug %
• Update: He has pleasantly surprised everyone with his power and his "clutch" hits, but he still is the same player we thought he was: a sub .300 OBP, and a guy who strikes out and doesn't walk. He is a fly ball machine.
• GRADE: B+

Infield:

I Davis

• Actual: 39 games, 34-132, 9 2B, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 22 BB, 39 Ks, .258/.365/.439
• Was not on the 25-man roster to start the year and I didn't expect him to get this much playing time this quickly, but here were the previews: Ike Davis Era, BP, and K-Law when he got called up.
• Update: He has struggled lately at the plate (.235 in May), but he has been better than advertised defensively (despite 3 errors). As a reference, here is the major league average for 1B last year: .276/.362/.483.
• GRADE: B

L Castillo

• Actual: 43 games, 33-138, 0 HR, 22 BB, 8 Ks, 7 SB, .239/.340/.275
• My Projections: 550 AB, 2 HRs, 35 RBIs, 15 SB, .280/.365/.340
• Update: He's struggling to stay healthy and is battling heel pain on both feet. He turns a great double play, but has minimal range on defense. As a reference, MLB 2nd baseman hit: .271/.336/.417
• GRADE: C+

A Cora

• Actual: 30 games, 17-78, 4 extra base hits, 0 HRs, 1 SB, .218/.303/.282
• My Projection: 150 at bats (hopefully thats all), 1 HR, 12 RBIs, 3 SB, .245/.320/.330
• Update: He is well on his way to get his 2011 option vested for 2 million dollars. As you can see he provides negative value offensively, and has minimal range defensively. But don't forget he's a consummate professional and good for the clubhouse...
• GRADE: C-

J Reyes

• Actual: 48 games, 53-205, 4 3B, 1 HR, 21 RBIs, 12 SB, .259/.301/.361
• My Projection: 700 at bats, 115 runs, 16 HR, 60 RBIs, 45 SB, .288/.360/.450
• Update: He really struggled to find his swing and it didn't help he changed his approach when he was hitting 3rd in the line-up. He is finally showing signs of life as of late (9 game hitting streak to end May, 7 of which was multi-hit games).
• GRADE: B-

D Wright

• Actual: 51 games, 47-182, 22 extra-base hits, 8 HRs, 34 RBIs, 9 SB, .258/.364/.473
• My projections: 700 plate appearance, 105 R, 28 HR, 110 RBIs, 25 SB, .315/.400/.520
• Update: He started out the year well, but since May 7th, he's only hit .204 versus fastball. He has 65 strike outs to 32 walks. He is still on pace for around 25 HR and 100 RBIs.
• GRADE: B

Outfield:

J Bay

• Actual: 52 games, 55-192, 3 HR, 23 RBIs, 7 SB, .286/.374/.438
• My Projections: 650 at bats, 98 runs, 32 HRs, 100 RBIs, 10 SB, .270/.370/.525. 
• Update: The power simply hasn't been there as expected (he never slugged < .522 outside of his injury plagued season), but he has shown surprising speed and above average defense. Is a positive influence in the clubhouse supposedly. 
• GRADE: C+

A Pagan

• Actual: 50 games, 54-179, 4 HRs, 18 BB, 27 Ks, 9 SB, 3 CS, .302/.364/.441
• My Projection: I didn't give predictions as I didn't think he'd play more than 50 games this year
• Update: Needless to say, he has been a very bright spot for the Mets and has made Mets fans jokingly say "Carlos who?" more than a few times this year. He's cut down on his bad base-running decisions and has been one of the top 5 outfielders in the National League so far this year. 
• GRADE: A

J Francoeur

• Actual: 52 games, 43-176, 14 walks, 31 Ks, 5 HRs, 27 RBIs, .244/.305/.392
• My Projection: 680 plate appearances,  20 walks, 70 runs, 16 HRs, 80 RBIs, .270/.315/.425.
• Update: He started out hot then regressed to the player he has been over his career (.271/.311/.432). As a reference, major league average for right fielders last year was .272/.346/.447, so he's below average in all three. He is hitting .211/.276/.383 versus righties this year. He has played well defensively, but not enough to be an every day regular. 
• GRADE: D+

Pinch Hitters:

F Tatis

• 28 games, 10-47, 3 2B, 2 HRs, .213/.288/.404
• He's hitting .310 batting average (and .517 slug %) versus LHP, and .056 versus RHP (1-18)
• GRADE: C

G Matthews Jr.

• 35 games, 11-57, 3 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 6 BB, 23 Ks, .193/.270/.246. 
• Yes it's been as ugly as it looks. He hopefully will be released when Beltran returns
• GRADE: F

C Carter

• 13 games, 5-18, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, .278/.316/.389.
• He's been barely used the past 2 weeks, and hasn't had a start since May 18th. Should be utilized versus RHP
• GRADE: INCOMPLETE

The Mets haven't gotten a single plate appearance out of either D Murphy or C Beltran, two expected starters in January.

Feel free to post your thoughts if you agree/disagree with any of the grades.

Be sure to come back tomorrow to get the pitcher's Report Cards