2026 MLB First-Half Recap: New York Mets

The Pitching

The Good

In what’s been a year to forget for Mets fans, Juan Soto has been the key to the team’s offense yet again. Through the end of the first half, Soto slashed .290/.405/.562 (.967 OPS) with 21 home runs and 31 extra-base hits over 78 contests. The only blemish on his 2026 season was an early-season stint on the IL.

Very few hitters can compare to what Soto brings at the plate. Aside from the pop, Soto continues to be the one to get things going via the eye. From June 1 through the break, Soto’s 20.1% BB% was the highest among all Major Leaguers with 115+ plate appearances.

There’ve also been two rookies who have brought production and excitement to Queens, and those are Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing.

Benge was slow out of the gate as a Major Leaguer, even though he hit a home run in his first career MLB game. But once May started, the 2024 first-round pick began to find success at the big-league level. A slash line of .289/.353/.445 (.798 OPS) with nine home runs and 21 extra-base hits over 66 contests.

Ewing, meanwhile, started 2026 back in Double-A but was quickly promoted to Triple-A. And after two weeks with Syracuse, Ewing found himself in the Majors amidst injuries. Since the start of June, Ewing has been the Mets’ primary leadoff hitter, making use of those on-base skills that pushed him to top prospect status.

And it’s worked out, as Ewing slashed .293/.358/.496 (.854 OPS) with six home runs and 15 extra-base hits across 38 contests from June 1 onward.

Moving on, the Mets’ pitching staff results have been mixed by and large. However, there have been great stories this year. Nolan McLean, despite some command problems, has 125 strikeouts over 107 innings and emerged as the ace of the future. Christian Scott, who missed all of 2025 due to injury, has found renewed success.

And then there’s the bullpen, which provided results significantly better than the ERA above. That’s thanks to depth, as Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter, and Luke Weaver have emerged to form a powerful group. In fact, Weaver — by multiple metrics — has been one of baseball’s best relievers this year.

The Bad

There’s a lot here to digest.

For one, the rotation didn’t have the type of consistency needed. Clay Holmes missed the last two months with a fractured fibula sustained on a comebacker. David Peterson and Freddy Peralta, the former of whom is now in Chicago, both entered the first half with BB/9 among the bottom 20 of the league (primary SP with min. 75 IP).

It also didn’t help that Kodai Senga, once one of the more exciting pitchers in the game, had a down first half. The Mets moved Senga to the bullpen to work as a bulk man.

But what has been the Mets’ primary problem, aside from the lack of consistency in the rotation, is the lineup.

Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. were brought in to fill out a lineup that, for the first time in years, didn’t have the likes of Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso. Well, the two combined to play just 43 games before the break. And with Ewing and Jared Young now getting regular time, it’s going to be interesting to see how the Mets shuffle the lineup.

Marcus Semien slashed .217/.271/.341, and defensively, made some notable miscues unbecoming of one of the top players at second base from a fielding perspective.

Mark Vientos had his first half end after he fractured his hand in early July. His numbers were also down considerably from his 2024 production.

Looking Ahead

There are two things that can be stated about the Mets’ first half. One, this team should not be this far down in the standings. No matter how good the Braves, Phillies, and Marlins are, there’s simply too much talent on the Mets’ roster.

But two, that doesn’t matter, and now the Mets must look forward to 2027 and beyond.

That likely means listening on a wide range of names, aside from the obvious trade candidates like Peralta, Minter, Holmes, and Raley.