Mets Grades at the Quarter Pole

Sure, no one will remember where anyone was 40 games into the season, just like no one will remember that Spanish Chestnut was leading at the quarter pole in the 2005 Derby. But nevertheless, here are this semester's grades, courtesy of Professor Metstradamus:

Catchers

Mike Piazza: One stretch of damage saved him from a disastrous grade, but still looks more and more like the 1989 version of Gary Carter. Opposing runners: 29 for 33 in steals. C-

Ramon Castro: Good defensively, but besides the game winner against his former Marlin teammates, is a liability at the plate. Good for what he is. C-

Infielders

Doug Mientkiewicz: Not as many hits as we’d like, but the hits have been timely. Defense is as advertised. B-

Kaz Matsui: Went without an extra base hit for about a month. Defense only recently became an issue at second base. C-

Jose Reyes: Farmers and Reyes like to swing at fertilizer in the dirt (translation: he needs to walk more). C+

David Wright: Has some timely hits. Moving along nicely in his first full season but has been invisible in the last few games. Needs to cut down on the strikeouts. B-

Chris Woodward: Has given the Mets much needed versatility. Has shown a decent stick to boot. B

Miguel Cairo: Solid and steady. For Mets fans to be calling for an ex-Yankee to start is an accomplishment. B+

Outfielders

Cliff Floyd: Had a mini-slump but is still hitting with fury. Stay healthy, pleeeeeease! A

Carlos Beltran: We haven’t seen the best of him yet. But the hits have been timely and he hasn’t disappointed at all. B+

Victor Diaz: Almost made it impossible for Willie Randolph to send him down to the minors. If he cuts down on the K’s he’ll deserve to start. A-

Mike Cameron: Swinging a scorching hot bat. Adjustment to right field has been seamless for the small sample we have. A-

Marlon Anderson: Pinch-hitting like he wants to be the next Rusty Staub. A

Eric Valent: Pinch-hitting like he wants to be the next Bruce Boisclair. C-

Starters

Pedro Martinez: So far, best case scenario. A

Tom Glavine: So far, worst case scenario. His gem against the Cards saved him from a failing grade, but still not out of the woods. D-

Kris Benson: Great start against the Reds, but it is the Reds. I still don’t have enough to give him a grade…yet. INC

Kaz Ishii: See Kris Benson. INC

Jae Seo: For the amount he’s been juggled, to have gotten anything from him is a major plus. B+

Aaron Heilman: The surprise of the year for me. Rick Peterson made Heilman’s arm angle more like Don Drysdale. Hopefully Heilman will have a season to match. A

Victor Zambrano: Perhaps too much is put on this guy’s shoulders because of who he was traded for. Has improved as the season has worn on, but is that really saying a whole lot? Has a problem with the big inning. D

Bullpen

Roberto Hernandez: Fountain of youth? Botox? Anti-aging cream? Whatever it is, keep drinking it. A

Braden Looper: Shaky start after a nice 2004. Starting to come around a bit. Needs to concentrate with the bases empty. And he should feel free to get mad. B-

Manny Aybar: 18 K’s and 3 walks through last weekend aren’t bad. I still cringe when he enters the game. C-

Dae Sung Koo: Wants to be called Mr. Koo. I call him the lefty Satoru Komiyama. Remember him? I want to give him an F for his useless at bat in the 8th on Monday night, but for now, D-

Mike DeJean: Has had a string of nausea inducing outings. Was supposed to be the 8th inning guy. Now that’s Hernandez. C

Heath Bell: Like his moxie. He should use his slider a bit more often. But the situations he’s been put in have been getting more and more important, and he’s been getting it done. B

Manager

Willie Randolph: Deserves an A simply because he’s not Art Howe. But has earned the A on his own merit. Handles situations 1000% better than Howe, has gotten the Mets to play better defense, and has purged the team of the “inmates running the asylum” mentality. So far, I’m sold. A-