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	Tuesday, July 18
	Midseason report: New York Mets By Sherry Skalko ESPN.com
	The New York Mets are right back in contention for the NL East lead and would take the wild card again if the season ended today. With that in mind, it's time to take a look back at the good, the bad and everything in between from the Mets' first half . First-half MVP: Mike Piazza . This one's a no-brainer. The only question is when will Piazza earn his first league MVP title? The consummate ballplayer, Piazza leads by example. He's near the NL lead in batting (.348) and RBI (72). He leads the team with 24 home runs, eight more than the next highest hitter. And did we mention his 15-game RBI streak? Biggest disappointment: Rey Ordonez . So it's not nice to kick a guy when his arm is in a cast, and we do miss his highlight-reel plays, but for the two months he was playing, we weren't impressed at all. After posting a .256 average last year, Ordonez was hitting .188 in the 45 games before he broke his arm at LA on May 29. Maybe that accounts for all his moping around the clubhouse. Biggest surprise: Melvin Mora . The Mets weren't sure how well this guy could play short. Although he spent time at the position in the minors, in the big leagues he served mostly as a defensive replacement in left and center fields. Now, in his second year in the bigs, he's thriving in the spotlight. His .287 average in 61 games blows away his .161 mark in 61 games last year. His fielding percentage doesn't rank among league leaders because he hasn't played enough games, but his .970 would place him alone in fourth in the NL. Second-half goals: The Mets may be a slugging outfielder away from overtaking the Braves. Without one, improvement will be needed from the pitching staff. Right now Al Leiter (10-2, 2.99), Mike Hampton (8-5, 3.56) and Armando Benitez (18 saves, 3.54) are doing all the heavy lifting. John Franco , who has averaged 31 saves over the last three seasons, only has three so far. Grade: -- If the Mets maintain their positive attitude and Piazza maintains his MVP season, they could clinch the division title. Unfortunately, the Mets' success depends on a Braves miscue, which isn't totally out of the question. (Scale: 1 to 4 baseballs; 1 = worst, 4 = best) We told you what we thought of the Mets' first-half performance, now you've told us. Here is what you had to say about what the Mets have to do in the second half.		ALSO SEE Midseason Feedback: Mets MLB midseason reports ESPN.com's All-Star Game coverage Kurkjian: Stories of the first half Ten second-half questions for the AL Ten second-half questions for the NL