As we reach the All Star Break the Mets sit nine games under .500 and are 11 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. While it may not sound this way, this has actually been a surprisingly positive season thus far in Flushing.
The Mets are finally seeing an impact from some young prospects and despite a lineup that has really struggled, they have been able to give themselves a chance at reaching.500 by the end of the year. Without further delay, here are my midseason awards for the Mets.
First Half Most Valuable Player- Matt Harvey
After getting his feet wet in 10 starts last year, Harvey hit the ground running in 2013 and has delivered a first half performance so good that it had him named as the All Star game starting pitcher for the National League.
Harvey’s numbers are outstanding as he has pitched at least five innings in every start and has given up more than three runs just three times. Harvey is only 7-2 because of a lack of run support but sports an ERA of 2.35 and a WHIP of 0.92. He also leads the National League with 147 strikeouts.
Most importantly Harvey has brought the Mets close to relevance and turned them into must see TV once every five days. He has a nasty demeanor on the mound and has never looked intimidated. Mets fans can now just sit back and enjoy what promises to be a long and successful career.
First Half Least Valuable Player: Ike Davis
Davis ended last season on a tear, finishing up with 32 homers and 90 RBI’s. At this point it was believed that Ike had turned the corner from his early career struggles and was ready to be a consistent major league contributor. However, Davis has returned to his bad habits and has been awful this season.
It reached such a bad point that he was sent down to the minors for two weeks to work on his swing. The Mets were relying on him to protect David Wright in their order but he has hit just .165 with five homers on the year. He’s also struck out 73 times in just 65 games this season.
Top First Half Pleasant Surprise: Jeremy Hefner
The Mets rotation has been the main reason they have been competitive at all this season and with an injury to Jonathon Niese, a lot of that credit has to go to Hefner. While his numbers sit at a pedestrian 4-6 with a 3.33 ERA he has been absolutely dominant for the last two months of the season.
He sported a 1.80 ERA in the month of June, which he has followed up with a 1.71 ERA in July. He’s given up just eight walks in his last eight starts and opponents are hitting .125 off him in July. With Harvey securely atop the rotation and Zack Wheeler looking to slip into the two spot, Hefner could be pitching himself into a long term role in an up and coming rotation.
By Sam Jackson