Second Quarter Grades

I received some flak over my quarter pole grades because I gave out too many A's. Apparently someone out there went to one of those really strict schools where if he got all 99's on his exams in the first quarter, he still got a C for the semester because there was so much more schooling to go.

Well, get ready for more good grades, as the Mets are running away with the division and they deserve it. These grades are weighted towards performance from May 23rd on...the second semester. If you don't like good grades, then just stare at your own report card for a couple of hours.

David Wright: Player of the month for June. MVP chants at Shea. Home run derby appearance. David Letterman guest spot. Shall I go on? Head of the class.

Grade: A+

Jose Reyes: Part of the reason that the Mets are in such good shape is that the two players of the future are starting to present themselves in the present. I have Reyes a B when he was hitting .246; he's hitting .300 now. Sorry folks, another good grade.

Grade: A+

Paul Lo Duca: Average has jumped from .279 to .302 so far in the month of July. And he may be the best post game interview Shea Stadium has seen in years.

Grade: A

Carlos Beltran: Maybe, just maybe, the most important component of Beltran's renaissance is the jump in his walk total and OBP from last year to this year. The presence of Carlos Delgado has helped that, but Beltran is smart enough to know he doesn't have to do it all this time.

Grade: A

Darren Oliver: No question, the unsung hero of the Mets. Impressive stats, but it's his willingness to eat innings in blowout losses or emergencies that has kept the bullpen fresh for the closer games.

Grade: A

Chad Bradford: Save for one disaster against Pittsburgh, Bradford hasn't given up a run since May 18th. His efforts have been so quiet that Shea Stadium security still checks his ID at the door...they're not entirely sure he's on the team.

Grade: A

Tom Glavine: Statistics have dipped a bit since the first round of grades, but Glavine is still undefeated since April 24th.

Grade: A-

Duaner Sanchez: Not quite the dominant force he was earlier, but still extremely Duanerlicious.

Grade: A-

Pedro Feliciano: Nothing but zeroes and zeroes and zeroes from Feliciano.

Grade: A-

Endy Chavez: He's Jermaine Allensworth with a purpose. (I don't know what that means either.)

Grade: B+

Jose Valentin: Is this going to keep up with Valentin? Who cares! Kaz Matsui is gone. And that's thanks to Jose.

Grade: B+

Steve Trachsel: Any starting pitcher, especially a Met starting pitcher, who wins six starts in a row by all rights and purposes should receive an A. But I'm not giving it to him because he's gotta give me heart attacks along the way. Safety net not included.

Grade: B+

Julio Franco: Hasn't broken up any fights or soothed any egos that we know of this quarter, but you know that Julio is working behind the scenes to make this 2006 Mets experience a safe and happy one for you. If Rusty Staub ate egg whites instead of ribs, might Rusty still be playing today?

Grade: B

Billy Wagner: I've gotta be somewhat nice to him and give him some credit for bouncing back after the Yankee debacle. Has done well in the limited amount of save situations he's been in, but still had a bad meltdown in him against Cincinnati...and I just can't quite embrace him quite yet. Closers, you see, get graded on a much harsher curve. He's getting there though.

Grade: B

Ramon Castro: If Ramon Castro had head-butted Marco Matterazzi, Matterazzi would have died an ugly death.

Grade: B

Carlos Delgado: A couple of short but nasty slumps has kept his average down, but the power numbers are still there. There's a good deal of room for improvement for Delgado.

Grade: B-

Orlando Hernandez: I still can't get over the sight of Orlando in orange, blue, and black. Giving him a grade his tough because he's gone back and forth between ridiculous and sublime. Yo-yo-ing like his 50 mph curve ball.

Grade: B-

Pedro Martinez: I'll cut Petey a little slack because he was injured...but then I gotta take that slack away because his injury was caused while putting on a t-shirt. That's not cool.

Grade: C+

Xavier Nady: Another guy I have to cut a little slack for because appendicitis and broken bones in your wrist don't tickle. But he needs to get find his power stroke and stop chasing low slop.

Grade: C+

Cliff Floyd: Yet another outfielder who needs to find his power stroke. He's actually hitting .249 which is amazing after the sludgy start he got off to. But this lineup needs Cliff Floyd to be vintage '05.

Grade: C+

Alay Soler: The strike zone is your friend. Go ahead, touch it. It's not going to bite you.

Grade: C

Lastings Milledge: It was short, but it certainly was eventful, wasn't it?

Grade: C-

Chris Woodward: Is he still here? I hope he still has one monster hit left in him this season.

Grade: D+

Aaron Heilman: Earth to Aaron, it should be apparent by now that you are never going to start for this team unless Pedro, Glavine, Orlando, Trachsel, Soler, Jose Lima, Oliver, Mike Pelfrey, Willie Collazo, Jeremi Gonzalez, Ron Darling, Al Jackson, Jason Scobie, Jeff Musselman, Julio Valera, and Victor Zambrano all come down with the H5N1 virus. So get over it and pick it up, or you're getting traded to the Tokyo Giants for Taka Tanaka.

Grade: D+

Trevor Hoffman: I don't want to hear about your own World Series aspirations. You pitched for the Mets on Tuesday. And you blew it.

Grade: F