Mets Midseason Report Card: Grading Every Player After 81 Games
As the 2026 MLB season officially reaches its halfway point, here are letter grades for every Mets player thus far.
The New York Mets are officially halfway through a tumultuous 2026 season. They currently sit at 34-47 and are 9.5 games back out of postseason contention.
Each player that has appeared frequently enough to impact the team’s performance received a grade. Grades were determined by a combination of overall production and performance relative to expectation.
The first half of New York’s season has been nothing short of disappointing, and that disappointment is reflected in these grades and breakdowns. Without further ado, let’s grade every player who has played a role in the first half of the Mets’ 2026 season.
Notable players not receiving grades: Fransisco Lindor, Luis Robert Jr., Jorge Polanco, Ronny Mauricio and Jonah Tong
Stats were taken prior to play on June 25.
Position Players
Luis Torrens: C
2026 Stats: 49 G, .216/.271/.306, 1 HR, 0 SB, 15 RBI, 65 wRC+, 0.6 fWAR
Torrens is an exceptional defender behind the dish but offers virtually no offensive value as expected. He ranks top 10 in virtually every defensive category for catchers and was rewarded with a two-year $11.5 million deal, the first and thus far only contract extension David Stearns has handed out with the Mets.
2026 Stats: 50 G, .264/.330/.447, 8 HR, 0 SB, 18 RBI, 119 wRC+, 1.1 fWAR
Alvarez miraculously returned from a torn meniscus in just four weeks, adding to a laundry list of career injuries that the 24-year-old has endured. When on the field, his defense has produced career low results, but he has showed consistency with the bat.
The talent of the former top prospect in all of baseball in is undeniable, but he is still yet to fully blossom.
Mark Vientos: F
2026 Stats: 66 G, .220/.259/.399, 10 HR, 0 SB, 33 RBI, 82 wRC+, -0.7 fWAR
Two years ago, Vientos was the surging bat in New York’s lineup, leading the charge all the way to Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. Now, he looks like a shell of the hitter he once was and is a major net negative for the Mets.
Due to his lack of tools, if he is not slugging, there is no value to be had. And this year, that phenomena has never been more evident.
Jared Young: B
2026 Stats: 35 G, .234/.298/.436, 5 HR, 0 SB, 12 RBI, 105 wRC+, 0.4 fWAR
The combination of Jorge Polanco’s injury-riddled first half and Mark Vientos’ struggles opened the door for Young to get the majority of reps at first base. Despite a knee injury that kept him on the shelf for weeks, he has performed well when healthy and offered a much-needed power jolt in New York’s order.
Marcus Semien: D-
2026 Stats: 80 G, .214/.271/.341, 9 HR, 6 SB, 29 RBI, 73 wRC+, -0.1 fWAR
Prior to the season, the expectation for Semien was that he would offer a plus glove at second base and slot into the bottom of New York’s everyday order. Instead, he has been poor defensively and continues to regress at the plate.
The only saving grace for Semien to avoid an “F” is his .304 average with runners in scoring position.
Bo Bichette: D+
2026 Stats: 80 G, .254/.298/.390, 10 HR, 1 SB, 45 RBI, 93 wRC+, 1.1 fWAR
Yet another offseason acquisition with a poor grade, Bichette has had one of the most disappointing seasons in all of baseball thus far.
However, he has been much better as of late slashing .349/.363.616 in June and offering average defense on the infield. In Fransisco Lindor’s prolonged absence Bichette has transitioned over to shortstop nicely and saved the Mets from adding another issue to their long list of concerns.
Brett Baty: D
2026 Stats: 76 G, .217/.297/.304, 3 HR, 3 SB, 26 RBI, 74 wRC+, -0.2 fWAR
Baty’s strong second half last year may prove to be a fluke in the long run, as he has been extremely disappointing on both sides of the ball so far. With Lindor’s return, it’s likely that Baty will see less playing time, and, in all likelihood, he missed his chance to insert himself as an everyday player at the major-league level for the Mets.
Juan Soto: A+
2026 Stats: 61 G, .299/.395/.570, 17 HR, 6 SB, 38 RBI, 165 wRC+, 2.3 fWAR
Sure, $765 million is a whole lot of money, but Soto has once again showed he’s worth the price. If it was not for Shohei Ohtani putting it all together and pitching like a Cy Young candidate, Soto could very well be the frontrunner for National League MVP through the first half of play.
A.J. Ewing: A-
2026 Stats: 40 G, .261/.342/.396, 3 HR, 7 SB, 15 RBI, 111 wRC+, 1.0 fWAR
The 21-year-old has looked like more professional of a hitter than a boatload of other players on the Mets roster who have significantly more experience than him.
His eye at the plate and defense in center field are both elite as advertised. The slug will come as he develops and becomes a more complete hitter, expect to see number nine patrolling center field for years to come at Citi Field.
Carson Benge: A
2026 Stats: 77 G, .257/.319/.401, 9 HR, 11 SB, 30 RBI, 105 wRC+, 1.4 fWAR
Benge showed something remarkable in just the first half of his major-league career: the ability to bear down and bounce back after a brutal start. His numbers have soared since April, and he is only going to get better with experience as he begins takes shape as a franchise cornerstone.
MJ Melendez: C-
2026 Stats: 55 G, .186/.312/.347, 4 HR, 0 SB, 11 RBI, 92 wRC+, 0.1 fWAR
All things considered, Melendez has played more than he should have due to injuries but has not performed terribly compared to his numbers in 2025. However, he is in the midst of an ice-cold streak at the plate right now. He does offer power upside and has held his own defensively in the outfield when asked to play there.
2026 Stats: 43 G, .186/.210/.320, 3 HR, 0 SB, 14 RBI, 45 wRC+, -0.7 fWAR
Taylor is the owner of the biggest hit of the season for the Mets, a three-run game tying homer with New York down to their last out against the Yankees in May. Outside of that highlight, he has offered nothing offensively.
His defense metrics are out of character for him, and when he does return from the injured list, it’s unlikely he will see much playing time due to the emergence of Ewing and Benge.
Pitchers
2026 Stats: 16 GS, 85 2/3 IP, 1.39 WHIP, 4.32 FIP, 8.72 K/9, 3.57 BB/9
Peralta’s “D” grade should stand for disappointment.
He was brought to New York to build off what he accomplished last year and spearhead an up-and-coming rotation as an ace. That certainly has not happened, and his inability to put hitters away has completely derailed his season.
In all likelihood, he will be moved at the trade deadline, and based on his performance this season, he might not net the Mets as much as some fans would like.
Nolan McLean: C+
2026 Stats: 16 GS, 89 1/3 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 3.70 FIP, 10.68 K/9, 3.43 BB/9
McLean’s season started very strong, but lately he looks to have hit a bit of a wall. The lack of command has plagued the month of May and inflated his numbers across the board. McLean will be a staple of the Mets’ rotation for years to come, but it remains to be seen if he will an elite ace-like level.
Clay Holmes: A
2026 Stats: 9 GS, 52 2/3 IP, 1.10 WHIP, 3.22 FIP, 7.69 K/9, 3.08 BB/9
Holmes’ freak leg injury places him on the shelf, but when healthy, he was New York’s best arm.
Holmes was well on his way to his second career All-Star nod, coming off the best season of his career as a starter. The belief at this point is he will return, but in all likelihood, he will start meaningless games down the stretch for New York.
Christian Scott: A-
2026 Stats: 9 GS, 40 2/3 IP, 1.35 WHIP, 3.48 FIP, 10.40 K/9, 4.20 BB/9
In a season filled with underperformance, Scott has excelled so far and with Holmes out and is the Mets’ best option to start a game. The jump in strikeout rate has fueled his breakout, and he looks to have established himself as a solidified major-league starter.
Kodai Senga: F
2026 Stats: 7 GS, 27 2/3 IP, 1.916 WHIP, 7.48 FIP, 11.06 K/9, 7.16 BB/9
All of the promise that Senga once showed since coming over from Japan has gone out the window. In his latest stunt, he refused a minor-league demotion and instead accepted a bullpen role. If he continues his terrible performance there, the odds of him toeing the slab in orange and blue again are extremely low.
David Peterson: D-
2026 Stats: 16 G, 8 GS, 68 IP, 1.65 WHIP, 3.85 FIP, 8.34 K/9, 3.97 BB/9
As a bulk reliever, Peterson has produced solid results. But as a regular starter, he has been terrible.
He is a key reason why the Mets’ rotation has struggled so mightily, and his performance has been a far cry from his 2025 All-Star-worthy first half. Late Wednesday night, he was the first casualty of an eventual Mets sell-off.
Sean Manaea: C
2026 Stats: 17 G, 3 GS, 57 1/3 IP, 1.41 WHIP, 3.68 FIP, 9.42 K/9, 3.14 BB/9
Manaea is finally beginning to look like himself again after nearly two years of disappointment. His fastball velocity has jumped in recent starts, and he has looked more and more like the pitcher we saw in 2024. He probably won’t reach those heights ever again, but something going right would be nice for the Mets.
Tobias Myers: D
2026 Stats: 23 G, 3 GS, 39 IP, 1.33 WHIP, 5.20 FIP, 6.69 K/9, 2.77 BB/9
In April, Myers looked like a great throw-in addition in the Freddy Peralta trade. Since then, he was demoted to Triple-A, and upon recall, he has struggled in starts and out of the bullpen. It’s another case of a Mets pitcher who is struggling to put hitters away and instead is getting thumped.
Devin Williams: B-
2026 Stats: 28 G, 25 1/3 IP, 1.58 WHIP, 2.83 FIP, 13.86 K/9, 5.33 BB/9
Williams’ stats may not garner this grade on the surface, but due to their smaller sample size, relievers numbers can easily skew.
Most of the runs Williams has surrendered have come in low-leverage situations, which are not what he is used to pitching in. Under the hood, his numbers are great, and the Mets closer is due for positive regression in the second half.
Huascar Brazoban: A+
2026 Stats: 33 G, 6 GS, 39 2/3 IP, 0.91 WHIP, 3.25 FIP, 8.39 K/9, 3.86 BB/9
David Stearns’ tenure with the Mets so far gives room for plenty of criticism, but there is no denying one of his best moves was acquiring Brazoban at the 2024 deadline.
The 36-year-old has excelled in every role the Mets have asked of him; opener, middle reliever, high leverage, low leverage, you name it. When he has stepped on the mound, he has been money each time out.
Luke Weaver: A
2026 Stats: 31 G, 33 IP, 0.88 WHIP, 2.74 FIP, 9.27 K/9, 2.45 BB/9
Weaver has surrendered an earned run in just three of his appearances this season and has not given up a single run since April 30. After a rocky first month, he has been untouchable out of the Mets’ bullpen in a setup role. It’s unfortunate that due to their poor play New York has wasted a dominant first half from the right-hander.
Brooks Raley: A
2026 Stats: 32 G, 29 IP, 1.31 WHIP, 3.52 FIP, 9.62 K/9, 4.03 BB/9
Yet another highlight out of the Mets’ bullpen, Raley also revives an “A” for his performance so far. He has not missed a beat since returning from Tommy John surgery late last season and will certainly garner plenty of interest when the Mets are forced to sell-off at the trade deadline.
Austin Warren: B+
2026 Stats: 22 G, 2 GS, 30 1/3 IP, 1.25 WHIP, 4.09 FIP, 9.49 K/9, 3.86 BB/9
Warren has been consistently solid so far this season but failed to perform in high-leverage spots when placed in them. He’s proving to be more of a middle-innings guy, but in a bullpen that has been successful, he fits in as a valuable piece of the equation.
A.J. Minter: A+
2026 Stats: 12 G, 11 IP, 0.55 WHIP, 1.74 FIP, 7.36 K/9, 0.82 BB/9
Minter is yet to allow a run following his return from lat surgery, so it’s hard to give him anything other than an “A+” to this point. He’s another valuable piece that the Mets will likely look to sell-off at the trade deadline this August.
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Written by
Joe Browne is an aspiring sports journalist and is currently a freshman at St. John's University. Joe is a lifelong Mets fan who is also passionate…