Mets midseason report card

1B/3B DANIEL MURPHY

Injuries have forced Murphy to alternate between the corner infield spots, which he's handled adequately. Where Murphy feels comfortable is at the plate. He's miscast in the cleanup spot, but Murphy is hitting .345 with RISP and his .305 BA is second only to Jose Reyes.

GRADE: B+

2B/3B JUSTIN TURNER

Probably the only Met who wasn't looking forward to the All-Star break after his four-hit performance on the final day. An unlikely RBI machine after his callup, Turner was the first Met to ever win Rookie of the Month honors. A bruised thumb cooled him off a little.

GRADE: B+

SS/2B RUBEN TEJADA

An excellent glove, Tejada has made strides offensively, showing better patience and an ability to extend at-bats. At .261, he's a decent No. 8 hitter.

GRADE: B-

SS JOSE REYES

Not much else to say here. Reyes was an MVP candidate before suffering the Grade 1 hamstring strain on July 2 and is one of the most dangerous players in the game. Also looked better defensively, showing more of a skill to make the spectacular play at short.

GRADE: A+

LF JASON BAY

His season has defied explanation. Bay went a career-high 104 at-bats without a home run, a stretch that lasted 29 games, then hit four in two weeks, including two on July 5 against the Dodgers. Since then, he's in a 1-for-19 skid that dropped him to .237.

GRADE: C-

CF ANGEL PAGAN

Missed nearly five weeks (rib) and struggled as he was moved around the lineup early on. But in Reyes' absence, Pagan has forced himself to be more disciplined in the leadoff spot, and is trying to be just as much of a pest on the basepaths (18 SB).

GRADE: B-

RF CARLOS BELTRAN

His resurgence, made possible by two healthy knees, has been the Mets' biggest surprise. Beltran earned his sixth All-Star appearance by hitting .285 with 13 HRs and 58 RBIs. But playing in 89 of the first 91 games is the most remarkable statistic.

Grade: A+

C JOSH THOLE

After a poor start, Thole finished the first half hitting .333 (26-for-78) with 10 RBIs in the last 26 games. His defense continues to be an issue, and he's steadily losing playing time to the more experienced Ronny Paulino.

GRADE: C

C RONNY PAULINO

Seemed like a regrettable signing early on after he showed up late to spring training and then missed the first month because of anemia. But Paulino, who is batting .320 in 41 games, has seen spot duty as the cleanup hitter and is the personal catcher for Mike Pelfrey.

GRADE: B

ROTATION

MIKE PELFREY

Terry Collins said he did Pelfrey an "injustice" by naming him as the Mets' No. 1 starter, and that's a nice way of saying he's not living up to expectations. Remains inconsistent, and 5-8 with a 4.55 ERA is not exactly "ace" material.

GRADE: C

JONATHON NIESE

When he's on, Niese can be almost unhittable with his looping curveball. At 24, in his second full season, Niese still is learning to pitch, and should be a reliable member of the rotation for years to come.

GRADE: B+

R.A. DICKEY

The Mets put so much faith in Dickey they gave him his first guaranteed contract (2 years, $7.8 million) at age 36. But knuckleballers can be as erratic as the pitch itself, and Dickey also has been bothered by foot an hip injuries. Still, a 3.61 ERA deserves better than a 4-7 record.

GRADE: B

CHRIS CAPUANO

Unlike Chris Young, the winter's other reclamation project, Capuano has stayed healthy to become the most known quantity in the rotation. Rarely dominant, Capuano's forte is a decent six innings almost every time out.

GRADE: B+

DILLON GEE

Nudged himself into the All-Star conversation after surging to 7-0 with a 2.86 ERA in his first 13 starts. Since then, Gee has slipped to 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA in his last four outings.

Grade: A-

RELIEVERS

FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ

Had a lot to overcome after a tumultuous offseason, but Rodriguez has looked like an elite closer again. With 23 saves, and 34 games finished, K-Rod will remain an intriguing figure after the break.

GRADE: A-

JASON ISRINGHAUSEN

His grip on the set-up job is being challenged by Bobby Parnell, but Isringhausen has proved to be one of Sandy Alderson's biggest offseason bargains. With a 3.14 ERA, and 21 strikeouts in 28.2 innings, Izzy brings more to the bullpen than veteran leadership.

GRADE: B+

BENCH

SCOTT HAIRSTON

He provided one of the first half's best highlights with his tie-breaking homer off the Giants' Brian Wilson. But he's still only 4-for-27 as a pinch hitter and batting .245 with zero HRs against lefthanders.

LUCAS DUDA

He has cracked the lineup at first base and is batting .296 (16-for-54) with eight RBIs in the last 15 games.

WILLIE HARRIS

His playing time has nearly dried up completely.

GRADE: C

THE MISSING

IKE DAVIS

He was the Mets' most dangerous hitter through 36 games, batting .302 (39-for-129) with seven HRs and 25 RBIs, but he's been on the DL since May 11 with an ankle bone bruise.

DAVID WRIGHT

His slow start (.226) was explained by a stress fracture of his lower back, and he should get a chance at redemption shortly after the break.

Grade: Incomplete

MANAGER

TERRY COLLINS

In his first season, Collins deserves credit for pulling this team out of its 5-13 start -- no easy task with the negativity already building around the Mets because of a recent history of failure and ownership's financial issues. With the losses of Davis and Wright, Collins also has done a great job grooming their young replacements. Collins says he's not thrilled by a 46-45 record at the break. But in the tough NL East, he's kept a beat-up roster on the edge of the wild-card race by fostering a team concept and cutting off potential distractions.

Grade: A