After the Month of April, many Mets fans were calling for the team to either bench or release Curtis Granderson.  The calls were somewhat justified.  Granderson was hitting .128/.174/.221.  Michael Conforto was emerging, and Jay Bruce was becoming Kevin Long’s latest success story.  To a certain degree, it was difficult to believe a 36 year old playing out of position in center field would turn things around.

While many dismissed it out of hand, there was hope for Granderson.  In his career, he has always started slow.  By far, April is the worst month of his career.  Once May 1st rolls around, so does Granderson.  This year would be no exception.

In May, Granderson hit .273/.363/.511.  As it only raised his batting line to .201/.273/.368, few would take notice.  Instead, many were still saying he should not be an every day player on this Mets team.  They said that despite Granderson following his 13 year career trajectory.  No credit was given to the incredible month or the great September he had last year to help carry the Mets to the postseason.  To those doubters, Granderson would take off in June . . . just like he always does.

In the Month of June, Granderson was THE BEST hitter in the National League with a 203 wRC+.  It should come has no surprise that his .739 slugging percentage is the second best over that time frame and his .448 OBP was third best.  Overall, he would hit .319/.448/.739 with four doubles, a triple, eight homers, and 14 RBI.  Granderson would see his WAR rise from -0.8 in April to 1.2 for the season.

These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Granderson.  In Granderson, the Mets have a leader in the clubhouse that rises to the challenge and will do whatever the team needs him to do to win.

For most of the 2015 season, Granderson was the only credible bat in the lineup.  He did his job helping keep things afloat until the team could get healthy and make some trades to help them win the National League East.  Once the team made the World Series, Granderson came up huge hitting three home runs in that series.  All three of those home runs gave the Mets a lead.

Last year, Granderson was at his best when the Mets needed him the most.  As the Mets fought for one of the two Wild Card spots, Granderson hit .302/.414/.615 over the final month of the season. He also selflessly moved from right field, where he was a finalist for the 2015 Gold Glove, to center field to accommodate new Met Jay Bruce.

Now, with the Mets season hanging in the balance, teetering towards irrelevancy, Granderson has done all he could do to keep the Mets alive.  It should come as no surprise because this is typically the time of the year where Granderson is at his best.  It should come as no surprise as Granderson is typically there when the Mets need him most.