| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymixm6PtVBA
If that was all you knew about the New York Mets, you’d assume that their history was brimming with success, laughter, sunshine and lollipops. Unfortunately, there’s been a lot more “suck” than “success.” For every great season in Mets history, there have been ten awful ones. In many ways, being a Mets fan is a curse. Cubs fans may scoff at that, but take away two championships that the Amazins probably never should have won (I’ve long contended that God was distracted during the deciding moments of the 1969 and ’86 seasons) and it’s been a challenging ride to say the least.
I can’t believe how much more difficult this was the the Mariners Ten Best I compiled yesterday. There are probably a number of reasons why, chief among them the longer history of the Mets franchise and (other than #1) the lack of any truly great players who were Mets for long periods of time. (They seldom enjoyed homegrown talent that stayed for years and years and continued to blossom. On the contrary, the Mets, historically speaking, have turned acquiring players just past their primes into something of a cottage industry- Frank Viola, Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, Mo Vaughn…I could keep going). So if you vehemently disagree with my list, that’s OK- I sort of disagree with myself to be honest.
My sincere apologies to some very good players who there simply wasn’t enough room for-Mookie Wilson, Jesse Orosco, David Cone, Carlos Beltran and Keith Hernandez, just to name a few.
Nevertheless, I think I’ve put together a pretty good grouping, though there are likely a few glaring (and unintentional) omissions. And at least one intentional one- you won’t find Jose Reyes on the list, because fuck him.
10. Ed Kranepool-1B/OF (1962-1979)
– Kranepool was far from a spectacular player. Actually, even calling him “solid” would probably be a stretch. But he was a Met for 18 years!! That deserves some level of distinction: “You stuck it out with the Mets for 18 seasons? Well done, sir!!”
An All Star in 1965 (don’t get too excited- it wasn’t exactly a great year for him…or the team), Kranepool ended his Mets/MLB career with 1,418 hits and a .261 average. He never exceeded 16 HR (1966) or 58 RBI (’71), but he was a Met, damnit!! And that’s good enough for #10.
9. Gary Carter-C (1985-1989)
– One could easily make the argument that Carter doesn’t belong on the list, based on the fact that his numbers as a Met pale to those he put up in Montreal. But that fails to take into account what else he meant to the Mets.
Carter arrived just as the Mets were becoming, for the first time in a decade, a legitimate threat. More than any other player, it was his arrival that probably pushed them over the top. And he deserves at least some credit for handling Dwight Gooden in his Cy Young season, which also happened to be Carter’s first in Flushing.
In addition to three excellent seasons (and a couple not so excellent ones), Carter’s attitude and leadership land him a spot. Besides, I miss him.
8. Howard Johnson-3B/SS/OF (1985-1993)
– One of the most frustrating players in Major League History, HoJo did some things very very well, and others….er, not so well. He was also wildly inconsistent from year to year (ostensibly suffering from the same even numbered year jinx that afflicted Bret Saberhagen for most of his career).
If you look at the years 1987, ’89 and ’91, Johnson was a golden god- each year he exceeded 30 HR/30 SB. His most productive was the ’91 campaign, in which he led the National League in home runs and RBI, while swiping 30 bases. He might have been a runaway choice for MVP, except for the small matter of the Mets being horrible that year.
As good as he was with the stick (in odd numbered years anyway), he was every bit as bad with the glove. HoJo was a liability, whether at third base or at short. In 1992, he was given a crack as an outfielder, but didn’t fare any better. This move also coincided with a shocking drop-off is his hitting prowess. To make a long story short, HoJo was never the same again, and he quietly retired a few years later. Still, he had a few great seasons, so….yeah.
7. John Franco-LHP (1990-2004)
– At one point, I had Franco as high as #2 on my list, but then I realized that was sort of ridiculous. While he was a Met for 14 seasons, and an extremely consistent arm out of the bullpen, by the time the Mets were competitive again, closing duties, for better or worse, were handed over to the likes of Armando Benitez. In other words, Franco was the closer for the Mets at a time in team history in which the Mets probably didn’t really need a closer.
Nonetheless, Franco racked up 424 career saves, 286 of them for the Amazins. Yet his biggest contribution was probably in being a good teammate, and in being loyal to the franchise. In a city where the Yankees will always be king, it was refreshing for a guy to be as devoted to the Mets as Johnny was. He gave it everything he had. Which is more than could be said for…….
6. Dwight Gooden-RHP (1984-2004)
– It’s almost a tragedy that Gooden doesn’t rank higher than this. But for that, he has no one to blame but himself….and possibly me, for being a little spiteful….
After two incredible seasons (at ages 19 and 20 no less), Gooden, while still productive for a several years, got progressively worse. This was no doubt at least partially attributable to cocaine abuse, which cost him a good chunk of the 1987 season, and God knows how many wins, strikeouts and Cy Young Awards. He did, of course, win the Cy in ’85, in which he put up almost unbelievable numbers: he led the NL in wins (24), ERA (1.53), strikeouts (268), innings pitched (276.2) and complete games (16).
The 1987 season (which had the appearances of the beginning of a dynasty following the ’86 championship), brought a suspension due to the aforementioned drug abuse. From then on, though he was still an above average, and occasionally great, big league pitcher, Doc never made it all the way back. He ended up winning 194 games in his career, which is a respectable total. But it should be noted that all but 37 of those came as a Met, and, by extension, came before Gooden’s 30th birthday. We’ll never know what Gooden could have accomplished. What we do know is that, given what he was blessed with, he didn’t accomplish enough.
5. David Wright-3B (2004-????)
– He’s the franchise- no doubt about that. He’s a very good, maybe even great player, he’s dead-sexy….and he loves being a Met. And now that he’s enjoying a career year (and the Mets, their current skid notwithstanding, aren’t as terrible as expected), he may just continue to be a Met for the foreseeable future.
Currently playing his eighth full season in blue and orange, Wright is rapidly ascending the Mets record book, for what that’s worth. He combines slightly above average power and solid defense, and will draw his share of walks. He even seems to have greatly improved his plate coverage, as evidenced by his dramatic decrease in strikeouts. Wright’s already topped the 100 RBI mark five times and seems a pretty good bet to do it again. Though he doesn’t run as much as he used to, he’s still got above average speed, especially for a run-producing corner infielder.
4. Jerry Koosman-RHP (1967-1978)
– Though he always played second fiddle to that Seaver fellow, Koosman (or “Big Koos” as, by the grace of God, no one ever called him) was a pretty big time winner. But, as one might expect, his fortunes very frequently rose and fell with the success of his team. Koosman put together most of his best seasons in the late 60’s and early 70’s, when the Mets were, y’know, good.
As the team declined, so did Koosman. In 1977, he lost 20 games, even though he put up a very respectable 3.49 ERA and led the NL in strikeouts per nine innings pitched. (In a hilarious example of how lousy the Mets were in the late 70’s, Koosman went 3-15 for the ’78 Amazins, was then traded to the Twins, who were hardly a powerhouse themselves, and proceeded to go 20-13 for Minnesota….even though his WHIP was actually better the previous season with the Mets).
All told, Big Koos won an impressive 222 games (roughly two thirds of them as a Met), and is remembered as one of the better starters of his era.
3. Darryl Strawberry-OF (1983-1990)
– Speaking of unrealized potential, you could certainly throw Strawberry into that conversation…and for many of the same reasons attributed to “Doctor K.”. Unlike Gooden, however, Strawberry’s problems didn’t affect his performance in any kind of profound way until he became a Dodger. On the contrary, Straw’s time in New York was rather successful.
In his eight seasons as a Met, Straw bashed 252 home runs, drove in 733 and swiped 191 bases. He did play right field with an ineptness that would make even Manny Ramirez blush, but we’ll forgive him that. Then came his signing with the Dodgers before the 1991 season. He had one decent year in LA before injuries and personal demons took their toll. In his three seasons in Dodger blue, Strawberry totaled just 38 home runs, or one less than he hit in his best individual seasons in Queens. He may be as much a disappointment as Gooden, because he should have been Cooperstown-bound but wasn’t, but at least he had the decency to not fall apart until he left Queens. There’s no doubt the Mets got the best of him.
2. Mike Piazza-C (1998-2005)
– Already a superstar upon his arrival in New York, Piazza posted a number of excellent seasons for the Mets. You could actually argue that his time in Queens was just as productive as his run as a Dodger- and that is really saying something. He’s probably the best offensive catcher in the history of the game. Again- saying something.
Though he was slowed by injuries later on in his Mets tenure, Piazza still tagged 220 home runs and had a .296 average for them. And he was their heart and soul at a time that coincided with their reemergence as a great baseball team, leading them to the NLCS in 1999 and the World Series the following year. With any luck, he’ll be spared the usual PED suspicions and be inducted to the Hall of Fame….as a Met.
1. Tom Seaver-RHP (1967-1977, 1983)
– No contest. George Thomas Seaver (interestingly enough, the best players in Mets and Mariners history were guys named George who went by their middle names. Go figure) is far and away the single greatest player in the half century history of the New York Metropolitans. How good was he? Try 311 career wins (198 in 12 seasons with the Mets), three Cy Young Awards and 3,640 strikeouts.
In all but one season during his first stint in New York, Seaver won at least 14 games, winning 20 or more five times. Along with lefty Steve Carlton, Tom Terrific was probably the finest pitcher of his era. He also holds the distinction of having the highest percentage of Hall of Fame votes in the history of baseball. So, in other words, Seaver was pretty good. |
No Balls And Three Strikes 