Here is the best I can do in my grading of this year's players who were onsignificant enough to the season to talk about. I stayed away from most middle relievers as that would have just been too difficult. Anyway- this is my take and always appreciate different opinions.
Mets Player Report Card
2026 Season Grades | Ranked Best to Worst
Hitters
| Player | Grade | Assessment |
|---|
| Benge | A+ | Should be Rookie of the Year. Regardless, he looks like our next David Wright type of franchise star. |
| Ewing | B+ | Came up earlier than expected and immediately brought energy. A real spark plug. Improve his plate discipline and he's an A-level player. |
| Torrens | B+ | Everything you could ask for in a backup catcher, and then some. |
| Soto | B | Injuries held him back, and he needs to deliver more in clutch situations. Still put together a good season. |
| Young | B | Exceeded expectations and did everything asked of him. But let's be clear, he's not our answer at starting first base. |
| Alvarez | C+ | Plenty of power, not nearly enough plate discipline. Still, how many catchers out there are significantly better? |
| Lindor | C | Injuries took their toll. Terrible batting average, but showed power and got his defense back on track once healthy. |
| Bichette | C- | At $20–25 million, he's a B-. At $42 million? Absolutely not. Salary matters when evaluating performance. |
| Semien | C- | Looks washed up, grossly overpaid, and we actually gave away money to acquire him. Brilliant. |
| Baty | C- | Should be much better by now. His bat deserves an F, but the kid played practically everywhere without complaining. That earns some respect. |
| Vientos | F | Enough already. Move on. |
| Robert | F | See Polanco. Another complete failure. |
| Polanco | F- | Is there a grade below F? His signing alone should be a fireable offense. |
Pitchers
| Player | Grade | Assessment |
|---|
| Weaver | A+ | One of our best signings. Naturally, we traded him. Because apparently that's what we do with players who perform. |
| McLean | A | A legitimate ace. And the scary part? I expect him to be even better next season. |
| Thornton | A | Doesn't overpower hitters, just outthinks them. Smart pitching still wins games. |
| Scott | B | Some ups and downs, but looks like a dependable No. 3 starter with a long career ahead of him. |
| Tong | B | Finished the season looking solid. Plenty of reasons to be optimistic. |
| Senga | C | Was heading toward a disastrous grade until he found himself in the closer role. That saved his season. |
| Manaea | C- | Had a few genuinely good outings. Unfortunately, nowhere near enough to justify that contract. |
| Peralta | F | Terrible for us. Gets traded and suddenly remembers how to pitch. Hmmmm. |
| Williams | F | Do I really need to say anything else? |
| Peterson | F- | Awful here. Goes to the Cubs and suddenly looks solid. Hmmmm. Sound familiar? |
My Overall Take
There's some legitimate young talent to build around, particularly Benge, Ewing, McLean, Scott, Thornton and Tong. But the bigger story is how badly this roster was constructed.
Too many expensive veterans delivering mediocre results, too many questionable acquisitions, and an alarming number of players who suddenly improve after leaving or forget how to play when they get here.
At some point, you have to stop blaming individual players and start questioning the people making these decisions.
And if we're grading the front office on roster construction, contracts and trades, I'm not sure there's a letter low enough.
