Mets’ 2011 end of season report card

In what was another underwhelming season for the New York Mets, Sandy Alderson got a good close-up look at his new team and it’s now time for him to mold this team in his image. Plenty of players stepped up in the second half while others floundered. (To check back at the mid-season review, click here).

In 2011, among many intriguing moves, Alderson traded away Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez to put his stamp on the team. Now, the $100 million question will be if the Mets resign Jose Reyes.

There will certainly be a lot of intrigue going into the offseason. But before we look ahead, let’s look back and see how the Mets graded out in 2011.

(Note: The following players hardly had enough of a sample size to get a grade, or were simply terrible to begin with: Chris Schwinden, Miguel Batista, Daniel Herrera, Josh Stinson, Mike Baxter, Val Pascucci, Josh Satin, Chris Young, Mike Nickeas, Fernando Martinez, Brad Emaus, Chin Lung-Hu, Blaine Boyer, Pat Misch, Mike O’Connor, Taylor Buchholz and Dale Thayer.)

Catchers:

Josh Thole– C+
Thole improved tremendously in the second half and slowly but surely he is getting better defensively.

Ronny Paulino– C
Paulino was the reverse of Thole. While Paulino got clutch hits in the first half, he was nothing more than mediocre down the stretch, offensively and defensively.

First Base:

Ike Davis– Inc.
In what was turning into a tremendous sophomore season for Davis (.289 average, 7 home runs and 30 RBI ins 128 at bats), quickly turned sour when he sprained his ankle on May 22 in Colorado.

Daniel Murphy– B
We know this much: Murphy can hit. However, he does have limitations defensively (a major offseason concern is where to play him in 2012) and has shown to be injury prone.

Nick Evans– C+
After languishing in the minors for far too long, Evans carved out a niche for the Mets with his bat in the second half. Will that be enough for Alderson to keep him around in 2012?

Lucas Duda– B
One of the more consistent and dependable hitters for the Mets in the second half was Duda. Duda showed he can hit and hit for power as well. Duda should have a place in the Mets starting lineup next year.

Second Base:

Justin Turner– C+
Turner arrived with a bang, but sputtered down the stretch. Turner has proven he can help the team and does a couple of things well. However, he should be a reserve at best next year.

Ruben Tejada– B
Tejada made major strides in the second half. So much so, that management should feel comfortable with Tejada either as next year’s starting second baseman or the heir apparent to Jose Reyes at shortstop.

Shortstop:

Jose Reyes- A
Aside from two trips to the disabled list, Reyes had a year to remember. No matter how you slice it, Reyes was terrific from the start and ended up as the NL’s batting champion. Now, will he be back? That, of course, remains to be seen.

Third Base:

David Wright– C+
Wright had a season to forget. After missing two months with a stress fracture in his back, Wright never really got into a rhythm this year and his stats were from the norm.

Outfield:

Jason Bay– C-
While he did have some nice spurts, Bay was again an epic flop. There were times you would think he can turn it around, but whatever it was, Bay would revert to being a major liability.

Angel Pagan– C-
After a fine 2010 season, many Mets’ fans expected Pagan to grow into a complete player. It never happened. He regressed offensively and even worse, he regressed defensively. Now, injuries did have a part in some of this.

Jason Pridie– C
Pridie was decent at what he was: An extra outfielder. Pridie was always good with his glove, but his bat went quiet too many times.

Willie Harris– C+
Every team needs a savvy veteran and Harris was that for the Mets. He won’t overwhelm you, but he does enough to help out the team.

Scott Hairston– C+
It’s too bad that injuries had to curtail Hairston’s season, because he was a nice power bat off the bench. His season will be remembered for hitting a game-wining home run off the Giants’ Brian Wilson.

Starting Pitchers:

Chris Capuano– B-
It was a success that Capuano survived the whole year healthy, but he also had a fine season to rest his cap on. The Mets should bring him back for 2012.

R.A. Dickey– B
Dickey had a very rocky start, but credit him for gutting it out and turning in a fine season. Dickey was a tough-luck loser and deserved more wins than the eight he registered.

Dillon Gee– C
Gee was a tale of two halves. Gee was great in the first half, but was exposed in the second half.

Jon Niese- C+
Injuries also cut short the season for Niese. Niese was another Mets’ pitcher who struggled in the second half and who goes into the 2012 season a big question mark.

Mike Pelfrey– F
I really hate to grade Pelfrey as an F, but he failed on so many levels this year. Pelfrey crumbled under the spotlight as this year’s Mets’ de facto ace and never pitched with any confidence or consistency. His future with the Mets is in major limbo.

Relief Pitchers:

Bobby Parnell– C
After the trade of K-Rod, Parnell was eventually given his chance to close and he did nothing but raise doubts about his mental toughness. There were times when he was very effective, but too often he couldn’t trust himself in big spots.

Jason Isringhausen– B
Literally off the scrap heap, Isringhausen came to Mets with little expectations, but finished out a feel-good story. Isringhausen was given the save chances off the bat with the trade of K-Rod and did well initially. Isringhausen also registered his 300th save with the club.

Tim Byrdak– B
While the recent re-signing of Byrdak is a bit perplexing, the guy did the most with his chances and was very dependable in getting lefties out.

D.J. Carrasco– F
Alderson really whiffed on the signing of Carrasco in the offseason. Carrasco was terrible from the get-go, pitching mainly in low-leverage situations and was still bad.

Manny Acosta– B
After a brutal start to the season, Acosta got it in gear down the stretch and was clearly the Mets most dependable and reliable relief pitcher.

Pedro Beato– C
Beato got of to a fantastic start but fizzled late in the season. Maybe the wear and tear of pitching a full season with the club (which the Mets had to do since he was a Rule 5 draftee), when he wasn’t really ready, was his downfall.

Ryota Igarashi– D-
Igarashi is just another line of Mets’ relievers who was too erratic and untrustworthy. Igarashi is as expendable as they come.

Coach:

Terry Collins– B
Collins had a lot of distractions to deal with and he handled it with poise and aplomb. While he got this Mets team three games above .500 on a few occasions, the Mets simply didn’t put up too many fights late in the season. The onus is on Collins to get this team in the right direction next year.

Management:

Sandy Alderson– B
Just like Collins, Alderson has had to deal with a myriad of problems facing this franchise and for the most part he still has the backing of the fans. Alderson did accomplish two major goals this year by trading Beltran for a top-notch prospect (Zack Wheeler), while also trading K-Rod to the Brewers before his ridiculous 2012 vesting option would have to kick in. Alderson has to make some very tough decisions in the offseason.