The New York Mets became a franchise in 1962. They played at the Polo Grounds for two seasons before moving to Shea Stadium in 1964. The stadium has since been remodeled into Citi Field, which is where the Mets currently play. The organization has two World Series titles which came in 1969 and 1986. The Mets have five retired numbers including Jackie Robinson‘s number 42. Here is a potential all-time starting lineup for the New York Mets.
1. Keith Hernandez, First Base (1983-1989)
Keith Hernandez had a very successful yet unorthodox major league career for a first basemen. Unlike the more common homerun hitting first basemen, Hernandez was more successful at getting on base. He had four seasons in a row where he had at least 170 hits with New York, which is a big factor in his .387 OBP with the team. The five time All-Star also won five Gold Glove awards, a Silver Slugger award and was the MVP runner-up in 1984 in his time with New York.
2. David Wright, Third Base (2004-2018)
Although David Wright had many injuries throughout his career, he was still able to put up some of the most notable numbers in Mets history. He spent his whole major league career with the Mets, slashing .296/.376/.491 in 1,585 regular season games. Wright is a seven time All-Star and a two time Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award winner. The third basemen finished his career with 658 extra-base hits.
3. Mike Piazza, Catcher (1998-2005)
Hall of Fame inductee in 2016
Number 31 was retired by the Mets in 2016
After being drafted in the 62nd round of the 1988 MLB draft, Mike Piazza became one of the best offensive catchers of all-time. In 972 games played with the Mets, Piazza had a .915 OPS. He hit at least 33 homers in his first four full seasons with the Mets, including 40 in 1999, which is tied for his most in a single season. Piazza made six All-Star games and won four Silver Sluggers in his time with the Mets.
4. Darryl Strawberry, Right Field (1983-1990)
Darryl Strawberry started his career with the Mets, and had some of the best years of his career. He was the Rookie of the Year in 1983 in a year where he hit 26 home runs, 15 doubles and 74 RBIs. Strawberry made his first All-Star game that season and then made it every season through 1991. He also finished second in the NL MVP voting in 1988 in a season where he hit 39 long balls and had 101 RBIs.
5. Carlos Beltran, Center Field (2005-2011)
Although Carlos Beltran played with eight different teams throughout his career, his most with a single team is the Mets at 839 regular season games. Beltran made five All-Star games and won two Silver Sluggers and three Gold Glove awards in that span. Perhaps his best season with the team came in 2006 when he had a .982 OPS and had 80 extra-base hits.
6. Edgardo Alfonzo, Second Base (1995-2002)
Edgardo Alfonzo played a lot of games at both third base and second base and is the second basemen on this list. He debuted in 1995 and stayed with the team through 2002. Alfonzo won one Silver Slugger and made an All-Star game in his career, both with the Mets. He had some solid playoff numbers with New York, including 26 hits in 24 games played.
7. Cleon Jones, Left Field (1963-1975)
Cleon Jones debuted in 1963, but only played a combined 36 regular season games through 1965. After that, he played in over 105 games in eight of his last 10 years with the Mets. His best season offensively was the year he made the All-Star game in 1969. That year, Jones had a slash line of .340/.422/.482, which are all single season bests. Jones was a member of the World Series winning team in 1969.
8. Jose Reyes, Shortstop (2003-2011, 2016-2018)
After debuting in 2003, Jose Reyes spent 12 of his 17 major league seasons with the Mets, beginning and ending it with the organization. In 1,365 regular season games with them, he slashed .282/.334/.433. Reyes led the league in triples four times, having between 16 and 19 triples in each of those seasons. The year he had 19 triples, he had 204 hits with 72 of them going for extra-bases.
9. Tom Seaver, Starting Pitcher (1967-1977, 1983)
Hall of Fame inductee in 1992
Number 41 was retired by the Mets in 1988
Tom Seaver started his career with the Mets, and compiled a Rookie of the Year title, three Cy Young awards, and even a runner-up for the MVP in 1969. In 3,045 2/3 regular season innings pitched with the Mets, Seaver had a 2.57 ERA and 2,541 strikeouts. Seaver is a World Series winner with the Mets, and he made the Fall Classic twice. He pitched 30 innings in the World Series, and had a 2.70 ERA in those innings.
Relief Pitcher- John Franco (1990-2004)
John Franco spent 14 seasons with the Mets. He pitched 702 2/3 regular season innings with the club, having a 3.10 ERA in that span. One of the best seasons of his career came in 1994 when he finished seventh in the Cy Young race. Franco posted a 2.70 ERA in 50 innings pitched that year. The southpaw pitched 14 1/3 Postseason innings with New York, and had a low 1.88 ERA in those innings.
Featured Image Courtesy of Inquisitr.
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