Starting Up:
The Mets have their roots in the Continental League. What the hell is the Continental League you ask? Some history— both the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants moved to California before the 1958 season. New York City, which had had at least two National League franchises for nearly 75 years, suddenly had none. Enter a lawyer by the name of William Shea, who was so determined to bring the NL back to NYC that he decided to create a whole damn league to get one there. (MLB had no interest in expansion at the time, so this was seen as the best way to get another baseball team in the city. Beats having to root for the Yankees, I guess.)
By 1959, Shea, in partnership with baseball legend Branch Rickey, had rounded up a bunch of owners for proposed teams in various cities such as Denver, Buffalo, Minneapolis, Houston, Toronto, and yes, New York City. This new Continental League sought to work with Major League Baseball as opposed to competing with it, and putting franchises where no other Major League club currently existed seemed the least likely to rock the boat with the established behemoth.
Well, the baseball owners were totally on board with this proposal. Then, completely out of the blue, they announced that four new teams would be coming to MLB, two in the American League and two in the National League. Despite the fact that they had been very resistant to expansion beforehand and hadn't expanded properly since the formation of the American League nearly six decades earlier.
The NL offered two Continental League ownership groups in Houston and New York City Major League clubs of their own. And since all Shea wanted was for New York City to have an NL franchise again, he pretty much abandoned his idea of the Continental League once that came to be.
The Continental League disbanded before signing any players or playing a single game. But it did push MLB to expand against their will (which would lead to four more franchises by 1969, increasing MLB's ranks by 50% from a decade earlier). It also inadvertently led to the formation of the American Football League, since Bob Howsman, the owner of what would've been the CL's Denver franchise, expanded his stadium to house a Major League team and desperately needed a pro tenant, leading to the founding of the Broncos, which I went over previously.
Back to the Mets proper. The name "Mets" was chosen as the team's name as a shortened version of its corporate name: New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc. Blue and orange were chosen as the team's colors as a nod to the departed Dodgers and Giants. The Mets played in the Polo Grounds (where the Giants had played for much of their history) for their first two seasons as their new stadium was being built. And in honor of the man who spearheaded the NL coming back to New York City, the new ballpark was named Shea Stadium.
The Mets played at Shea for 45 seasons, winning their two championships and accumulating all their playoff appearances before this season in the Stadium. They moved to Citi Field in 2009 (Shea Stadium was demolished soon after the 2008 season), which as a further nod to the departed New York NL teams, bares a striking resemblance to old Ebbets Field.
By 1959, Shea, in partnership with baseball legend Branch Rickey, had rounded up a bunch of owners for proposed teams in various cities such as Denver, Buffalo, Minneapolis, Houston, Toronto, and yes, New York City. This new Continental League sought to work with Major League Baseball as opposed to competing with it, and putting franchises where no other Major League club currently existed seemed the least likely to rock the boat with the established behemoth.
Well, the baseball owners were totally on board with this proposal. Then, completely out of the blue, they announced that four new teams would be coming to MLB, two in the American League and two in the National League. Despite the fact that they had been very resistant to expansion beforehand and hadn't expanded properly since the formation of the American League nearly six decades earlier.
The NL offered two Continental League ownership groups in Houston and New York City Major League clubs of their own. And since all Shea wanted was for New York City to have an NL franchise again, he pretty much abandoned his idea of the Continental League once that came to be.
The Continental League disbanded before signing any players or playing a single game. But it did push MLB to expand against their will (which would lead to four more franchises by 1969, increasing MLB's ranks by 50% from a decade earlier). It also inadvertently led to the formation of the American Football League, since Bob Howsman, the owner of what would've been the CL's Denver franchise, expanded his stadium to house a Major League team and desperately needed a pro tenant, leading to the founding of the Broncos, which I went over previously.
Back to the Mets proper. The name "Mets" was chosen as the team's name as a shortened version of its corporate name: New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc. Blue and orange were chosen as the team's colors as a nod to the departed Dodgers and Giants. The Mets played in the Polo Grounds (where the Giants had played for much of their history) for their first two seasons as their new stadium was being built. And in honor of the man who spearheaded the NL coming back to New York City, the new ballpark was named Shea Stadium.
The Mets played at Shea for 45 seasons, winning their two championships and accumulating all their playoff appearances before this season in the Stadium. They moved to Citi Field in 2009 (Shea Stadium was demolished soon after the 2008 season), which as a further nod to the departed New York NL teams, bares a striking resemblance to old Ebbets Field.
Greatest Runs
Cleon Jones: Another early Met. Jones was a mostly-light-hitting outfielder that didn't strike out a lot. But he had an incredible season in 1969, hitting .340 with a .904 OPS while stealing 16 bases and making the All-Star Game. It was far and away the best season of his career. While he was mostly a non-factor in the World Series, Jones totally ate the Braves' lunch in the 1969 NLCS, hitting .429/.467/.789 with two stolen bases and a home run. Jones also played well in the entire 1973 postseason. Pretty good career all in all.
Jerry Koosman: While Seaver was the ace of the Mets, Jerry Koosman was an excellent second option (all while a young Nolan Ryan diddled around on the bench loved by no one). Koosman made two-straight All-Star Games and spent 12 of his 19 Major League seasons with the Mets. He had a 3.09 ERA in New York, and accumulated over 2,500 strikeouts when it was all said and done. And he was damn-near unstoppable in the '69 World Series, tallying up nine strikeouts, a 2.04 ERA and an 0.623 WHIP in 17.2 innings across two games.
The Amazin' Mets (1969-1973):
After years of futility, the Mets finally began to contend. They started the 1969 season 18-23, but then went an astounding 82-39 for the rest of the year, good for a record of 100-62 and securing the first playoff berth in team history (with a huge assist from the Chicago Cubs, who had one of the worst collapses in their history that season).
The Mets swept the Atlanta Braves in three games in the inaugural NLCS. And in the 1969 World Series, they beat the Baltimore Orioles in five games in one of the biggest upsets in World Series history. After '69, the team had three-straight 83 win seasons before winning their second NL East title and making it to the World Series for the second time in five years in 1973. They lost to the juggernaut Oakland A's of the early 70s, but, still, this was pretty good for a team that was abominably bad a few years earlier.
The Mets swept the Atlanta Braves in three games in the inaugural NLCS. And in the 1969 World Series, they beat the Baltimore Orioles in five games in one of the biggest upsets in World Series history. After '69, the team had three-straight 83 win seasons before winning their second NL East title and making it to the World Series for the second time in five years in 1973. They lost to the juggernaut Oakland A's of the early 70s, but, still, this was pretty good for a team that was abominably bad a few years earlier.
Bad Guys Win Hard (1984-1989):
Starting in 1980, the Mets began to make a series of great moves and
hires that culminated in a half decade of winning baseball. The 80s Mets were utterly dominant— from 1984 to 1988, they won 488 games, the most in the Majors and 17 more than the second-place Detroit Tigers.
Unsurprisingly, all that winning led to the postseason. The Mets had two appearances in the NLCS in three years and won their second World Series in 1986, defeating the Boston Red Sox in 7 games. Game 6 of the '86 Series is one of the most famous games in baseball history; the Mets came back from a 3-0 deficit in an elimination game, culminating with Mookie Wilson hitting a grounder that went through Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's legs, sealing the game for the Mets.
Unsurprisingly, all that winning led to the postseason. The Mets had two appearances in the NLCS in three years and won their second World Series in 1986, defeating the Boston Red Sox in 7 games. Game 6 of the '86 Series is one of the most famous games in baseball history; the Mets came back from a 3-0 deficit in an elimination game, culminating with Mookie Wilson hitting a grounder that went through Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's legs, sealing the game for the Mets.
Great At the Turn of the Century (1998-2001):
The Mets returned to postseason glory, going to two straight NLCS and
one World Series, all without winning a single division title (this was during the 11-year stretch where the Atlanta Braves had a stranglehold on the NL East). The Mets lost to the New York Yankees in the 2000 Series,
the first World Series between two New York teams since 1956.
That was it for them as contenders, but there was one special moment to come after that: the Mets played the Braves in Shea Stadium on September 21, 2001— the first game played in New York City since 9/11. Mets catcher Mike Piazza hit a home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, effectively winning the game for them, to thunderous cheers. It's cited as one of the greatest moments in baseball history.
The Time (But Not Really) (2005-2008): By 2005, the Mets were suddenly brimming with talent. Thanks to nailing free agent signings with awesome (and now hall of fame) pitchers Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine as well as center fielder Carlos Beltran, to go along with promising young talent in David Wright and Jose Reyes, the 2005 Mets secured their first winning season since 2001.
The Mets struck further gold that offseason, trading for Carlos Delgato and Billy Wagner, and signing Mike Piazza's replacement Paul Lo Duca. This new core of players shot the Mets to a 97-66 record, their best since 1999, and finally unseating the Atlanta Braves from the NL East title (it was the Mets' first division title since 1988). They swept the Dodgers in the NLDS, and took the eventual-World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals to seven games in the NLCS. The future certainly seemed bright for these Mets.
But it wasn't to be. While the Mets remained a contender and always threatened to win the division, they frittered away their chances in the final days of both the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The 2007 season was particularly cruel, as the Mets had a seven-game lead over the rival Philadelphia Phillies with 17 to go. The Phillies going on an extended winning streak at the same time as the Mets lost 12 of their final 17 caused the Mets to unceremoniously bow out of the division race and the playoffs.
But the team was still good, so that's why this isn't in the "bad" part of Mets history. With the Mets, you often have to take absurd euphoria with crushing disappointment.
That was it for them as contenders, but there was one special moment to come after that: the Mets played the Braves in Shea Stadium on September 21, 2001— the first game played in New York City since 9/11. Mets catcher Mike Piazza hit a home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, effectively winning the game for them, to thunderous cheers. It's cited as one of the greatest moments in baseball history.
The Time (But Not Really) (2005-2008): By 2005, the Mets were suddenly brimming with talent. Thanks to nailing free agent signings with awesome (and now hall of fame) pitchers Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine as well as center fielder Carlos Beltran, to go along with promising young talent in David Wright and Jose Reyes, the 2005 Mets secured their first winning season since 2001.
The Mets struck further gold that offseason, trading for Carlos Delgato and Billy Wagner, and signing Mike Piazza's replacement Paul Lo Duca. This new core of players shot the Mets to a 97-66 record, their best since 1999, and finally unseating the Atlanta Braves from the NL East title (it was the Mets' first division title since 1988). They swept the Dodgers in the NLDS, and took the eventual-World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals to seven games in the NLCS. The future certainly seemed bright for these Mets.
But it wasn't to be. While the Mets remained a contender and always threatened to win the division, they frittered away their chances in the final days of both the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The 2007 season was particularly cruel, as the Mets had a seven-game lead over the rival Philadelphia Phillies with 17 to go. The Phillies going on an extended winning streak at the same time as the Mets lost 12 of their final 17 caused the Mets to unceremoniously bow out of the division race and the playoffs.
But the team was still good, so that's why this isn't in the "bad" part of Mets history. With the Mets, you often have to take absurd euphoria with crushing disappointment.
Leanest Years
The Loveable Losers (1962-1966): Following the usual initial fate of expansion teams, the Mets sucked when they took the field for the first time. But that's underselling things a bit— the team went
40-120 in their inaugural season in 1962. Only the 1899 Cleveland Spiders lost more games in a single season in baseball history. The 1962 Mets' winning percentage of .250 is third-worst since 1901. And they weren't much better in the next few seasons either. They had four-straight 100-loss seasons to start out, tying a modern era record for
futility.
Why were they so bad? One of the main reasons is that instead of signing promising young players to start with, the team signed veteran players who had spent significant time with the Dodgers and Giants when they were still in New York in order to play on fans' nostalgia. Of course, by this time, those same players who had been great years earlier were now closer to retirement than not, and thus weren't exactly in prime baseball condition, contributing to the Mets' woeful first few seasons.
Why were they so bad? One of the main reasons is that instead of signing promising young players to start with, the team signed veteran players who had spent significant time with the Dodgers and Giants when they were still in New York in order to play on fans' nostalgia. Of course, by this time, those same players who had been great years earlier were now closer to retirement than not, and thus weren't exactly in prime baseball condition, contributing to the Mets' woeful first few seasons.
The Midnight Massacre (1977-1982):
So your owner has died, her family doesn't really share their late
relative's "giving a damn" mentality about the team, and you are in a
messy contract dispute with two star players. What could go wrong? Just
about everything. The Mets traded away Tom Seaver and Dave Kingman, the
aforementioned star players, and got six players in return. None of the
players came close to matching either Seaver or Kingman's production,
and the Mets wallowed in the mire of bad teams and poor attendance for much of this run.
The Worst Team Money Could Buy (Late 80s, 1990-1993):
You'll notice that this era overlaps with the 1986 World Series win. A
great number of players had severe drug and alcohol problems. Management
and coaches turned a blind eye for a long time until things went
downhill fast.
By the time the 90s started, the Mets were a freebased shell of their World Series selves. Poor moves, scandals and washed up former stars made up the Mets of the early 90s, the low point coming in 1993 when they lost more than 100 games for the first time since 1967.
Vince Coleman personally won the douchebag in sports MVP in 1993 when in two separate incidents, he injured Dwight Gooden's shoulder when Colman was practicing his golf swing in the dugout (with a golf club in an enclosed space mind you), and threw a lit firecracker into the stands at Dodger Stadium, injuring three people. No good.
Suckage in the Citi (2009-2014): The Mets became an absolute shell of themselves after the move to Citi Field. In the years following the move, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran were acrimoniously traded away, general manager Omar Minaya fired people in the crappiest manner possible, and the team wallowed in irrelevance, not necessarily in that order.
The Mets finished 20 or more games back in the NL East four times in these six seasons, and the best they did was finish 17 games back and technically in second in 2014 (they had the same 79-83 record as the Braves, but won the season series). There's nothing to really expand upon. They were a bad team that couldn't hit worth a damn, though they did have awesome pitching prospects, which we'll get to later.
By the time the 90s started, the Mets were a freebased shell of their World Series selves. Poor moves, scandals and washed up former stars made up the Mets of the early 90s, the low point coming in 1993 when they lost more than 100 games for the first time since 1967.
Vince Coleman personally won the douchebag in sports MVP in 1993 when in two separate incidents, he injured Dwight Gooden's shoulder when Colman was practicing his golf swing in the dugout (with a golf club in an enclosed space mind you), and threw a lit firecracker into the stands at Dodger Stadium, injuring three people. No good.
Suckage in the Citi (2009-2014): The Mets became an absolute shell of themselves after the move to Citi Field. In the years following the move, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran were acrimoniously traded away, general manager Omar Minaya fired people in the crappiest manner possible, and the team wallowed in irrelevance, not necessarily in that order.
The Mets finished 20 or more games back in the NL East four times in these six seasons, and the best they did was finish 17 games back and technically in second in 2014 (they had the same 79-83 record as the Braves, but won the season series). There's nothing to really expand upon. They were a bad team that couldn't hit worth a damn, though they did have awesome pitching prospects, which we'll get to later.
Names You Should Know
Casey Stengel: The manager for the great New York Yankees teams from 1949 to 1960 which won 7 World Series and 10 pennants. Stengel was fired after
the 1960 season, but was coaxed out of retirement to become the first
manager in New York Mets history. Stengel's Mets tenure... um... didn't
go as well as his Yankees stay, to put it mildly.
Stengel was approximately 1,000 years old at the time of his hiring, and as mentioned above, the team was atrocious. However, the team was still beloved in New York thanks in no large part to Stengel's charisma and ability to utter a great quote. He had his number retired by the Mets in 1965, the first person to receive that honor for the team, and was inducted into the hall of fame in 1966.
Stengel was approximately 1,000 years old at the time of his hiring, and as mentioned above, the team was atrocious. However, the team was still beloved in New York thanks in no large part to Stengel's charisma and ability to utter a great quote. He had his number retired by the Mets in 1965, the first person to receive that honor for the team, and was inducted into the hall of fame in 1966.
Ed Kranepool: An inaugural Met. Kranepool was called up at the ripe age of 17 and spent his entire 18-year career with the Mets. He wasn't a great hitter (in nearly 6,000 plate appearances, he hit .261/.316/.377). He wasn't a particularly good defender. He wasn't very fast (Stengel once quipped that Kranepool was a 17-year-old that ran like a 30-year-old). And he was worth only 4.4 wins above replacement in his career which, again, lasted 18 years.
Still, Kranepool was a constant on the Mets from its very beginnings until the dying days of Disco. He was there for when they were historically bad, when they were a World Series winning and contending team, and when they went right back to being terrible again. That must count for something, right?
Still, Kranepool was a constant on the Mets from its very beginnings until the dying days of Disco. He was there for when they were historically bad, when they were a World Series winning and contending team, and when they went right back to being terrible again. That must count for something, right?
Cleon Jones: Another early Met. Jones was a mostly-light-hitting outfielder that didn't strike out a lot. But he had an incredible season in 1969, hitting .340 with a .904 OPS while stealing 16 bases and making the All-Star Game. It was far and away the best season of his career. While he was mostly a non-factor in the World Series, Jones totally ate the Braves' lunch in the 1969 NLCS, hitting .429/.467/.789 with two stolen bases and a home run. Jones also played well in the entire 1973 postseason. Pretty good career all in all.
Tom Seaver:
Tom Terrific! Seaver is one of the greatest pitchers in baseball
history. He won the 1967 NL Rookie of the Year. He won three Cy Young
awards while finishing in the top 5 in the voting an additional five
times. He led the league in strikeouts five times, while leading in ERA
three times and was a 12 time All-Star.
He ranks sixth all-time in strikeouts, pitched 61 shutouts (seventh all-time), and when he made it into the Hall of Fame in 1992, he was on an astounding 98.8% of the ballots, the most in history. Dear God! He's also the only hall-of-famer who was inducted as a member of the Mets and is the only player to have his number retired by the club.
He ranks sixth all-time in strikeouts, pitched 61 shutouts (seventh all-time), and when he made it into the Hall of Fame in 1992, he was on an astounding 98.8% of the ballots, the most in history. Dear God! He's also the only hall-of-famer who was inducted as a member of the Mets and is the only player to have his number retired by the club.
Jerry Koosman: While Seaver was the ace of the Mets, Jerry Koosman was an excellent second option (all while a young Nolan Ryan diddled around on the bench loved by no one). Koosman made two-straight All-Star Games and spent 12 of his 19 Major League seasons with the Mets. He had a 3.09 ERA in New York, and accumulated over 2,500 strikeouts when it was all said and done. And he was damn-near unstoppable in the '69 World Series, tallying up nine strikeouts, a 2.04 ERA and an 0.623 WHIP in 17.2 innings across two games.
Darryl Strawberry:
For a guy who never lived up to his potential, he sure had a damn great
career. The number one overall pick in the 1980 and the 1983 NL Rookie
of the Year, Strawberry was one of the biggest hitters of the 80s, both
literally and figuratively. Strawberry hit between 26 and 39 home runs
every year during his Mets tenure. Shockingly, he's the Mets' all time
leader in home runs. In fact, he's still in the top two in numerous
offensive categories for the Mets.
Strawberry was a major player in the great Mets teams of the late 80s that won two division titles and one World Series (he finished second in the NL MVP voting in 1988). Despite his offensive prowess, Strawberry had numerous run ins with the law, mostly pertaining to his drug use and his myriad of other issues.
Strawberry was a major player in the great Mets teams of the late 80s that won two division titles and one World Series (he finished second in the NL MVP voting in 1988). Despite his offensive prowess, Strawberry had numerous run ins with the law, mostly pertaining to his drug use and his myriad of other issues.
Keith Hernandez:
A star for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 70s and early 80s, Hernandez won the 1979 NL MVP (sharing it with Willie Stargell of the Pirates) and playing the hero in the Cards' 1982 World Series win. But he fell into the Mets' lap in 1983, thanks to having a previous addiction to cocaine (he later testified in the Pittsburgh Drug Trials) and for Whitey Herzog hating him.
It paid off for the Mets. Hernandez was the captain for those great late-80s teams and won five of his eleven Gold Glove awards in New York. He also finished in the top five of the NL MVP voting twice and is in the top ten in numerous offensive categories in Mets history. Thank God Herzog took umbrage with his effort level, or the Mets may have not been as dominant as they were.
It paid off for the Mets. Hernandez was the captain for those great late-80s teams and won five of his eleven Gold Glove awards in New York. He also finished in the top five of the NL MVP voting twice and is in the top ten in numerous offensive categories in Mets history. Thank God Herzog took umbrage with his effort level, or the Mets may have not been as dominant as they were.
Davey Johnson:
The manager of those 80s Mets. Johnson was known for his
easygoing managing style, letting his players do their own thing so long
as they were productive on the field. If you haven't noticed, lots of
Mets players had major drug issues under his run. Just sayin'. But
Johnson was a great manager, accumulating the most wins in Mets history
and the second most postseason wins in Mets history. Fun fact: Johnson is one of ten managers in history to get his teams to at least five LCS (beyond his two with the Mets, he got the Reds to the 1995 NLCS and the Orioles to back-to-back ALCS in 1996 and 1997).
Dwight Gooden:
Doctor K! Possibly the best and most entertaining pitcher on Mets teams
stocked full of great and entertaining pitchers. Gooden ranks second in wins and strikeouts and third in games started and complete games among
Mets pitchers.
Gooden, and please temper your surprise, had a debilitating drug problem. While all of the Mets players with drug issues were tragic to a degree, Gooden's problems ruined perhaps the most promising young career on the Mets at the time. He would likely have put up hall of fame caliber numbers had he never had these issues or got them under control early. He's perhaps the ultimate what-could-have-been not just in Mets history, but baseball history as a whole.
Gooden, and please temper your surprise, had a debilitating drug problem. While all of the Mets players with drug issues were tragic to a degree, Gooden's problems ruined perhaps the most promising young career on the Mets at the time. He would likely have put up hall of fame caliber numbers had he never had these issues or got them under control early. He's perhaps the ultimate what-could-have-been not just in Mets history, but baseball history as a whole.
Gary Carter:
Kid! Although his best years came as a member of the Montreal Expos, Carter was still a good player for the Mets. Shockingly, in comparison to many of his teammates, Carter kept his nose clean while in New York. Carter was astoundingly durable in his career,
catching in 90% of his teams' games five times.
He was an exuberant force and one of the greatest catchers in baseball
history. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Howard Johnson: HoJo! Johnson turned himself into maybe the second-best power hitter on the team after Darryl Strawberry, averaging 31.4 home runs from 1987 to 1991. He currently ranks fourth in Mets history with 192 home runs. While he disappeared whenever the playoffs began (he had a batting line of .038/.074/.038 in 11 postseason games), Johnson was still a good player, making two All-Star Games (both with the Mets) and earning top-10 MVP votes in three seasons.
John Franco:
The Mets all time saves leader. Franco was one of the greatest relief
pitchers in history, ranking up 424 saves in his career, the fourth most
in history and the most ever by a left-hander. Franco led the NL in saves three times (twice with the Mets). He also served as team
captain from 2001-2004 and played in more games than any other Mets
pitcher.
Mike Piazza:
Another great Mets catcher. Piazza was perhaps the greatest hitting
catcher of all time, which more than made up for the fact that he was a
pretty pedestrian defender. He hit over .300 nine different times in his
career, including an astounding .362 in 1997 when he was with the
Dodgers. He won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1993, also with the
Dodgers. He is one of three players in Mets history to hit at least 200 home runs with the club and he won five of his ten Silver Slugger awards and went to seven of his
twelve All-Star selections during his Mets stay.
Jose Reyes: The greatest shortstop in team history and one of the best in the NL for nearly all of his Mets tenure. Reyes hit .292/.341/.441 in his nine seasons with the Mets, great numbers for a shortstop. He led the NL or MLB as a whole in stolen bases in three-straight seasons (swiping at least 60 per season in the process). His 370 stolen bases are the most in team history and nearly 90 more than second-place Mookie Wilson. And Reyes was also a pretty good defender as he made four All-Star Games. While he didn't part on the best of terms and he's declined something fierce in recent years, he should still hold a special place in the hearts of fans.
Carlos Beltran: A great power-hitter for the mid-00s Mets and the best center fielder in team history (unless a certain someone below isn't resigned and/or doesn't play well in years to come). Beltran smacked 149 home runs in his seven seasons in Met Land, and in most seasons walked almost as much as he struck out (in 2009, he walked more than struck out). Five of his six All-Star Game appearances came as a Met.
Beltran also left under contentious circumstances (the Mets also did their damnedest to smear his name on the way out). But come on, he's one of the best players in franchise history. Here's some awesome things he did as a Met. Read it and appreciate it.
Jose Reyes: The greatest shortstop in team history and one of the best in the NL for nearly all of his Mets tenure. Reyes hit .292/.341/.441 in his nine seasons with the Mets, great numbers for a shortstop. He led the NL or MLB as a whole in stolen bases in three-straight seasons (swiping at least 60 per season in the process). His 370 stolen bases are the most in team history and nearly 90 more than second-place Mookie Wilson. And Reyes was also a pretty good defender as he made four All-Star Games. While he didn't part on the best of terms and he's declined something fierce in recent years, he should still hold a special place in the hearts of fans.
Carlos Beltran: A great power-hitter for the mid-00s Mets and the best center fielder in team history (unless a certain someone below isn't resigned and/or doesn't play well in years to come). Beltran smacked 149 home runs in his seven seasons in Met Land, and in most seasons walked almost as much as he struck out (in 2009, he walked more than struck out). Five of his six All-Star Game appearances came as a Met.
Beltran also left under contentious circumstances (the Mets also did their damnedest to smear his name on the way out). But come on, he's one of the best players in franchise history. Here's some awesome things he did as a Met. Read it and appreciate it.
Five Current Guys You Should Know
David Wright:
The current face of the franchise. Wright has been one of the few
consistently great bright spots on the Mets roster over the last decade, becoming perhaps the greatest position player in team history.
He has batted over .300 in eight seasons (six of those with over 600 plate appearances), had over 160 hits in seven
seasons, hit 25 or more home runs in five seasons, and played in at least
90% of the possible games in six seasons. He is also in the top 5 at
least in almost every major offensive category in Mets history and is
the leader in a sizable chunk of them. In short he's really, really
good and (hopefully) will wind up in Cooperstown one day.
Matt Harvey: In my original article, I said that Harvey was THE great Mets pitcher. Since then, the Mets have called up enough promising pitchers that they're being favorably compared to the 90s Braves (by a 90s Brave!). But don't discount Harvey. He's already made an All-Star Game, has an ERA around 2.50 and a WHIP close to 1.000. In short, he's still awesome, even after coming off Tommy John surgery.
Wilmer Flores: The best non-trade the Mets have made in years, if not ever. Flores was nearly traded to the Brewers in exchange for Carlos Gomez. He was left in the game as this news was trickling out, and he famously cried on the field as it was happening. Obviously, this was a terrible lack of communication on the part of GM Sandy Alderson, but the trade fell through and the Mets kept Flores while getting a much better player later (see below).
While Flores has only been about a .250 hitter with a sub-300 OBP and a sub-400 slugging percentage in his career so far, he had himself a hell of a two-month stretch after he wept. He went .299/.330/.379 in July and was even better in August with a line of .306/.337/.506. While he's cooled off since then, Flores remains a great story on a team currently full of them.
While Flores has only been about a .250 hitter with a sub-300 OBP and a sub-400 slugging percentage in his career so far, he had himself a hell of a two-month stretch after he wept. He went .299/.330/.379 in July and was even better in August with a line of .306/.337/.506. While he's cooled off since then, Flores remains a great story on a team currently full of them.
Jacob deGrom: Just one of the several promising, young pitchers in the Mets rotation. deGrom has already marked his territory in the Majors, winning the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year Award after striking out 144 batters, accumulating a 2.69 ERA, and posting a Field Independent Pitching (FIP) two points lower than his ERA (THAT'S GOOD!).
He made his first All-Star Game this year and showed his dominance by striking out the AL side in his one inning of work. While it's unreasonable to think he'll win the Cy Young Award this year (he plays in the same League as Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Jake Arrieta), he's sure to get in the conversation one day if he keeps up his stellar play.
He made his first All-Star Game this year and showed his dominance by striking out the AL side in his one inning of work. While it's unreasonable to think he'll win the Cy Young Award this year (he plays in the same League as Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Jake Arrieta), he's sure to get in the conversation one day if he keeps up his stellar play.
Yoenis Cespedes: The man the Mets finally traded for after muffing on both Carlos Gomez and Jay Bruce. And boy has he paid off. Cespedes has hit .287/.337/.604 with 35 extra-base hits (17 home runs) and four stolen bases in five attempts. He's played so well, in fact, that some people were banging the drum that he should be NL MVP in 2015. These people are crazy. But Cespedes has been simply wonderful since coming to New York and will hopefully be locked up for many years to come this offseason.
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That's all. Enjoy the postseason.
