Rating The Bench

By Shari Forst
Posted Saturday, August 18, 2007

OK, back to business, I got a little sidetracked from this since the All-Star break, but we can't forget to grade the Mets bench now, can we?

Ramon Castro .282 BA 9 HR 27 RBIs Grade: A-
How can you not just love this guy? He was a fine backup catcher last season, but this season he is even better. You have to give a guy credit who only gets to play every couple of days when he performs like Castro. Not only does he call a good game and is solid defensively behind the plate, when he gets up to hit you are never sorry LoDuca sat the game out. A great solid guy that any team would want on its bench, not to mention his value in the clubhouse.

Damion Easley.273 BA 9 HR 25 RBIs Grade: B
At first I hated this signing, but if a guy can show me he can produce, especially with the bat, I am all for him. Easley has performed well when inserted into the lineup at second base, and isn't half bad in the outfield either. Being an older guy I didn't expect too much out of him but I have been pleasantly surprised.

Lastings Milledge .314 BA 3 HR 18 RBIs Grade: B+
As of last season I felt Milledge had a lot to learn about the game and being a good teammate. This season not only does he seem more mature as a person, but on the field as well. He has performed extremely well when he has played in the place of Beltran and he has learned to make those minor adjustments at the plate in order to be successful after the pitchers figured him out. He is still better in center field than at the corners but he has certainly improved at the corners too.

Marlon Anderson .246 BA 1 HR 12 RBIs Grade: C+
I was sorry to see Marlon go at the end of the 2005 season. I think that inside-the-park home run against the Angels endeared him to all Met fans that year. He was a solid pinch hitter and did well at second base and in the outfield. However that was then and this is now. Although I am glad to have Marlon back, I think he can do a bit better. He started off really well against his old team that released him (The Dodgers) when he rejoined the Mets, but hasn't been as effective a pinch hitter as he was back in 2005. He is still a good guy to have on the bench; a professional veteran who can play several positions.

Mike DiFelice .364 BA 0 HR 1 RBIs Grade: N/A
I can't really give him a grade yet, I don't know how he went from career minor leaguer at 38 years old, who couldn't hit the side of a barn everytime he was called up the last few seasons to being this hitting machine all of a sudden. I need to see if this great hitting lasts.

Endy Chavez.292 BA 1 HR 13 RBIs Grade: N/A
Where is this guy? we all loved him for that amazing catch and his work coming off the bench, both with his glove and with his bat, he was able to ignite this team to hustle and win when he was inserted in the lineup. Now he has been out what seems like an eternity with a hamstring problem. One can only hope he comes back soon because I think he is sorely missed.

So there it is, the last of the ratings, I hope you enjoyed them whether you agreed or not; it's still been a fun 2007 season.