Mets 2023 midseason grades after disastrous 1st half

Whoever said that money can buy happiness clearly hasn’t seen the New York Mets this season. 

Possessing the largest payroll in Major League Baseball history, the Mets have been the largest dud in the league this season as they sat eight games under .500 following a rare series win over the San Francisco Giants. 

Their divisional hopes are already dead as they trailed the Atlanta Braves by 18.5 games as of July 2 and their playoff hopes in general are in serious jeopardy. Five teams sit between the Mets and the Giants, who possess the third and final NL Wild Card spot. 

With an abundance of blame to go around, here are our grades for the Mets’ abysmal 2023 first half.

Mets 2023 first-half grades

Catcher

Francisco Alvarez, B-: Initially, the 21-year-old top prospect was going to be held down in Triple-A until the “complete package” was ready to go. Instead, necessity forced him up to the majors and he ran away with the starting job by batting .324 with a 1.079 OPS, six home runs, and 14 RBI over a 22-game stretch from April 27-May 27. It’s been a significant struggle since then, batting .148 in his last 28 games, but his defense has been good enough throughout.

Infielders

Pete Alonso (1B), B: The power hasn’t gone anywhere for Alonso as he’s amongst the best of the best in the majors with 25 round-trippers in 76 games. But his all-around offensive game hasn’t necessarily been there. He was batt .221 as of July 2 with an .835 OPS, which would be his career’s lowest full-season marks.

Jeff McNeil (2B), D-: McNeil has been a shell of his batting-title-wining self from last season. After posting a .327 average in 2022, he’s batting just .258 this season with three home runs and 24 RBI.

Francisco Lindor (SS), B: Much like Alonso, Lindor is one of the top offensive performers at his position with 17 home runs and 55 RBI. But a .223 average and .752 OPS leave plenty to be desired. 

Brett Baty (3B), C: Defensive issues coupled with a…