 |
| Terry Collins and David Wright at the All-Star Game. (AP photo) |
The All-Star break is about to end and the second half of the baseball season is about to begin. It also means our State Of columns, on the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox, are entering the second stage as well. We've had 13 such columns through the first half of the year, with 39 players making the "Up" and "Down" lists for each team we put together each and every week.
So, with the All-Star Game in the rear view mirror, we thought it would be interesting to break down the first half of the year in our own way, with the players who have had their stock rising the most, and also those that saw their stock plummet over the first half.
Here's the best and the worst of the first half of the 2012 Mets season, with their season-to-date stats.
The Best
R.A. Dickey: The new ace made the "Up" list 6 out of the 13 weeks, the high-water mark for the Mets in the first half of the season. While he didn't start the All-Star Game, he is still the leader for the NL Cy Young Award, which is the most important honor bestowed upon a pitcher in a season. (And Tony LaRussa won't be able to take that away.) In 17 starts, Dickey is 12-1 with a 2.40 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. He's first in the NL in wins, WHIP, win percentage and complete games, second in strikeouts, fourth in innings pitched and fifth in ERA. So, yes, is easy to see why Dickey leads this list.
David Wright: The All-Star third-baseman made the "Up" list in 5 of 13 weeks, tied with one other player we'll get to below for second most. Wright had an MVP-type first half, batting .359 with 27 doubles, 11 home runs and 59 RBI. He's in the top six in five different offensive categories, including third in batting average.
Johan Santana: He threw the first no-hitter in the history of the organization this season, so no one can argue with Santana being tied for second on this list with 5 of 13 listings on the good side. In 17 total starts, he is 6-5 with a 3.24 ERA, but that one start on June 1 was magical and something Mets fans will never forget.
Daniel Murphy: The second baseman was a bit of a surprise to be named on 4 of 13 "Up" lists this season, but here he is. In 84 games, Murphy is batting .295 with 23 doubles, two home runs and 43 RBI.
David Wright: The All-Star third-baseman made the "Up" list in 5 of 13 weeks, tied with one other player we'll get to below for second most. Wright had an MVP-type first half, batting .359 with 27 doubles, 11 home runs and 59 RBI. He's in the top six in five different offensive categories, including third in batting average.
Johan Santana: He threw the first no-hitter in the history of the organization this season, so no one can argue with Santana being tied for second on this list with 5 of 13 listings on the good side. In 17 total starts, he is 6-5 with a 3.24 ERA, but that one start on June 1 was magical and something Mets fans will never forget.
Daniel Murphy: The second baseman was a bit of a surprise to be named on 4 of 13 "Up" lists this season, but here he is. In 84 games, Murphy is batting .295 with 23 doubles, two home runs and 43 RBI.
 |
| R.A. Dickey made the "Up" list 6 of 13 weeks. (AP photo) |
The Worst
Ike Davis: The struggling first baseman made the "Down" list 6 of 13 weeks, making him, in theory, as bad this season as Dickey has been good. And that's bad. In 81 games, Davis is batting .201 with 14 doubles, 12 home runs and 49 RBI. The power numbers aren't bad, but the average is an obvious killer.
Frank Francisco: From calling out the Yankees as "chickens" to being complete unreliable in save situations, it's no surprise the Mets new closer showed up on 4 of the 13 "Down" lists. Francisco is 1-3 with 18 saves, three blown saves and a 4.97 ERA. He's on the disabled list.
Manny Acosta: The relief pitcher, who isn't even on the team anymore, was listed 3 of 13 times on the negative side. In 19 games, he was 1-2 with an 11.86 ERA and a 2.27 WHIP.
Lucas Duda: The outfielder tied Acosta for three mentions on the "Down" list. In 83 games, Duda has nine doubles, 12 home runs, 44 RBI and a .249 batting average. On the good side, Duda is eighth in the NL in walks.
Relive all of our State of the Mets columns:
State of the Mets - Edition 13
Relive all of our State of the Mets columns:
State of the Mets - Edition 13
No comments:
Post a Comment