8
2011
My All Time Best and Worst Mets Lineups
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One of our readers, MetsTheory22, sent me an email asking me to come up with and post my All-Time Worst Mets Lineup. The funny thing about that is that I’ve never actually posted my All-Time Best Mets Lineup.
Here’s my take on the best and worst of the New York Mets…
* * * * * * * * * * *
My Ultimate Mets Lineup
C - Mike Piazza – Over 1,000 hits and 266 of them home runs as a Met. No question, no question…
1B – Keith Hernandez – Loved Kranepool who had over a 1,000 more hits as a Met, but gotta go with Mex.
2B – Edgardo Alfonzo – Nobody else even comes close, maybe Jeff Kent? Nah…
SS – Bud Harrelson – Buddy has a ring, punched Rose in the face, and should have five more Gold Gloves.
3B – David Wright – He already owns almost every hitting record on the Mets, why not…
LF – Cleon Jones – This one was tough, but Mets don’t win in ’69 without his .340 BA and .904 OPS.
CF – Carlos Beltran – Sorry Mookie, I couldn’t ignore the 500 RBI, .864 OPS, 3 Gold Gloves and the mole.
RF – Darryl Strawberry – 25 years later and Straw still holds most of the franchise records on offense.
RHP – Tom Seaver – Hey, they didn’t call him The Franchise for nothing. He was pure awesomeness.
LHP – Jerry Koosman - 140 W, 108 CG, 26 Shutouts as a Met to go with a 3.09 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.
CL – Tug McGraw – He had a better WHIP than Franco and he gave us our rally cry, Ya Gotta Believe!
* * * * * * * * * *
My Most Horrific Mets Lineup
C - Charlie O’Brien - Made me want to stick a finger in my eye and swirl it around whenever he came to bat.
1B - Dick Stuart - Traded three players for him after 28 HR, 95 RBI season, cut 15 weeks later with .216 BA
2B – Kaz Matsui - Japanese phenom got $20MM, Mets got a .250 hitter with .670 OPS. Little Matsui my ass!
SS – Joe Foy – Traded Amos Otis (1092 R, 1008 RBI, 341 SB, 3 GG, 5 ASG) for Foy (390 AB .236).
3B – Jim Fregosi – We traded Nolan Ryan for this? Lasted 464 AB with a brutal .233/.319/.328 and 95 whiffs.
LF – Vince Coleman – Signed with such fanfare but left Mets in disgrace. A public relations disaster.
CF - Don Hahn - We traded fan favorite Swoboda and got a CF with no arm/range and a .611 OPS in 800 AB.
RF – Bobby Bonilla – This Bo didn’t know baseball and Mets made him the highest paid player in MLB.
RHP – Victor Zambrano – We traded our top prospect for a first class bust who arrived wearing an arm sling.
LHP - Mickey Lolich - Yes, Ollie blows, but we gave up Rusty Staub in his prime for Lolich and his 8 wins.
CL – Mel Rojas & Billy Taylor - I couldn’t decide which one sucked the worst, I’ll let you decide.
I’m sure you all have some Mets players that you could add to either list, so lets see what you got as I want to see which players you felt were just as deserving.
Now don’t be bashful…
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 41 | 28 | .594 | - |
| Nationals | 34 | 34 | .500 | 6.5 |
| Phillies | 33 | 37 | .471 | 8.5 |
| Mets | 25 | 39 | .391 | 13.5 |
| Marlins | 21 | 47 | .309 | 19.5 |
Last updated: 06/16/2013
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No disrespect for Bud Harrelson, but why not Jose Reyes at SS? Injuries aside, Reyes owns teams 3B & SB records and is one of the most disruptive leadoff hitters in the game. Granted, the new hitting coach needs to get Jose back to 2008 type approach at the plate, but even if he gives you a .280/.330/.430 slash line with 30+ SB and 90+ Runs Scored he’s still among the best all around SS in the league. Harrelson may have had the better glove, but Jose is no slouch with the leather either.
86er, I totally agree & cite Joe’s dissing of the BEST SS in NYM history as the primary difficulty THIS team suffers through from socalled knowledgeable fans, while they line up 2-3 abreast to complain about his disappoitments they never consider they’re expectations are for PRIME production from a ‘kid’ who, anywhere else, would have been in minors ages 20-24 aka his first four disappointing years.
While unlike most of u, I watched Buddy from day 1 to day last in NYM uni & while little Buddy had a huge HEART his range & offensive abilities were pure low average. I suprisingly must asgree with Joe that Koosman gets the lh-sp nod over Johan; but then again, I’d list Sid & Bobby O before Santana, who may have been his most dominant on that Fl golfcourse; but the courts will need to decide that one.
As ALL of u who battered my Santana critiques with that tired old “lack of support” arguement, I refer u to Bert Blyleven’s recent MLB-TV interview where by he grouses about the number of 1-0 & 2-1 defeats he suffered; but stoutly proclaims, “I was to blame!” Oh for the “NO SPIN” days of yore where pitchers were expected to outduel their opponent not rely on their offense to out bludgeon the other team. When a pitcher’s job was yo give up no more than 1 fewer run than their opposite number.
’62 Reyes at SS by FAR. I got Santana at 3 behind Koosman, Matlock, and even with Sid and Bobby O.
Castillo deserves some consideration of that 2b spot. Luis OPS is slightly better b/c he was capable of taking a walk…but his inability to hit the ball out of the infield (Kaz had more 2b in his rookie yr than Castillo has his entire Mets tenure) and the fact that we’ve been stuck with luis for longer,and he seems to be a pretty miserable guy…should get him a place on the team.
And I agree with 86mets. Reyes >>>> Harrelson.
I also don’t think Zambrano (even with the Kazmir situation) was bad enough to warrant being the worst Mets RHP ever.
Where’s RHP Young? doesn’t his futility record still stand? the “GREAT Ofer”
Love the Mets.
Sure, all Mets fans hate Bonilla…but I’m sure there is a better choice to be the Mets right-fielder for the most horrific Mets lineup. In 515 games, he batted .270 with 95 HRs and an .851 OPS. Similarly with Coleman, sure he liked firecrackers, but he was also a .270 hitter for the Mets, which was .006 higher than his career average, plus he had 99 SBs and scored 146 runs in 235 games for the Mets.
I would replace Zambrano with Anthony Young
would replace harrelson with reyes,and doug sisk with taylor
Ray knight was a series mvp and a winner. David wright only gets hits to pad his stats and is not a winner.
Yawn…….can’t wait for your next ignorant incorrect statement.
I’m a huge wright supporter, but Ray Knight is MVP of a champ, next time Wright leads a winner will be the first. Knight should be the 3B
I wasn’t being serious.
Unless your valuing defense over offense I dont see how Harrelson edged out Reyes?
On your worst Mets, I would have put Alomar at second base and Brian Mcrae at center.
Man, has there ever been a team in the entire history of baseball pay so much to so many guys who just flat out sucked at 2B, and oh yeah, traded away a guy who later on won an MVP playing 2B. Not the first time we traded away a future MVP either.
Baerga, Alomar, Kaz, Castillo all in what the last 13, 14 years? That’s got to be 75 million dollars to be amongst the worst everyday players in the league. I simply cannot understand why the Wilpon hasn’t addressed this position in any meaningful fashion. Havens, Tejada, Valdespin and Satin were attempts that who knows might pay off someday but really for this kind of money to get the worst possible production from FOUR guys you hand picked. I just don’t understand how we can get it so wrong every single time.
Yes, that is pretty brutal. Kent will probably go to the hall of fame.
Why did they trade away Kent in the first place? He put up some good numbers during his Mets tenure.
They traded him for, if you can believe it, Carlos Baerga and a shortstop Alvaro Espinosa.
Who knows…I will call the members of the Mets front office circa 1996 and ask them. Its only been 15 years.
My Mets alltime worst starting players by position.
1b- Mike Marshall- 1990
2b- Brian Giles- 1983
SS- Kazuo Matsui- 2004
3b- Jim Fregosi-1972-3/Rich Hebner- 1979
LF- Joe Christopher-1964
CF- Juan Samuel- 1989
RF- Jeromy Burnitz-1994, 2002-2003
C – Hobie Landrith- 1962
RP- Victor Zambrano 2004-06
LP- O.Perez- 2006-Still
Closer- Mel Rojas 1998
Manager – George Bamberger 1982-83
Anyone who leaves the late, not so great Harry Chiti off the All time worst Met team obviosuly knows little about early Met history. After all who else has on his official baseball record, that he was traded to the New York Mets from Cleveland for a player to be named later. The next entry is RETURNED. Even the not so great Hoby Landrith or Joe Gisnberg can match Harry Chiti.