The New York Mets were better than expected in the first half of the season
Due to injuries, not much was expected by the Mets this year….but they still went 46-45 in the first half of the season. They are in third place in the A.L. East, 11 games behind the Phillies in the division. They are also 7.5 games behind the Braves in the Wild Card hunt. Losing Jose Reyes to a hamstring injury is going to really hurt the Mets. They need a speedy recovery from him and they need to get hot the next couple of weeks to avoid be sellers at the trade deadline. Here’s a look at the players who made the biggest impacts in the first half of the season:
Team MVP: 28-year old switch-hitting shortstop Jose Reyes was playing at a much higher level than the rest of the Mets when he injured his hamstring right before the first half ended. Reyes has played in 80 games for the Mets so far this year and he is 124 for 350 (.354 avg, .927 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 3 homers, 32 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. He could make a serious run for the N.L. MVP Award if he doesn’t miss too much time due to his injury.
Biggest Surprise: 26-year old righty swinging infielder Justin Turner never got much of a chance to establish himself in the majors until this season due to injuries. Turner has played in 61 games for the Mets so far this year and he is 62 for 231 (.268 avg, .694 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 2 homers, 35 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. The Mets need Turner to keep up the good work in the second half of the 2011 season.
Biggest Disappointment: 32-year old righty swinging LF Jason Bay just can’t seem to hit the ball anymore. Bay has played in 65 games for the Mets so far this year and he is 57 for 241 (.237 avg, .656 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 6 homers, 28 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. The Mets expected a whole lot more out of Bay’s bat when they signed him a couple of seasons ago.