18
2012
Who Are Your All Time Favorite Mets?
An article by 
Last night, SNY announced the Mets All Time Greatest Players at each position over their entire franchise history, it got me to think about just how different we all are.
Some of us lived through the Dodgers and Giants and welcomed in the new Mets because they couldn’t stand to root for the Yankees.
Some of us started watching baseball because of the 1969 Mets.
While others had early Mets memories dating to the mid 70’s anguish.
Some, like me, grew up in the 80’s and whether you were 4 or 5, or pre-teen, you remember something about those 1986 Mets.
I am sure somewhere out there Generation K was the first group of players that got some of our young readers involved in following the Mets.
Many of us became Mets fans as well because of family ties as well.
Though we are all the same because of the bond we share through the Mets, we all got here in different ways.
So as the Mets announce the BEST of the best. I couldn’t help but wonder, who were your favorites?
A player could have been your favorite just because of one season compared to others. For example, my wife will always be a Ty Wigginton fan. Was he the best 3B the Mets ever had? Absolutely not. But he’s still one of her all-time favorites.
Here are the players I chose as my all-time favorite per position.
C Mike Piazza – For my generation, Todd Hundley was probably a better option. However, I never really connected with Hundley. Piazza was everything a NY Sports fan needed, and he was everything the Mets needed. I don’t know a single Mets fan who disliked him.
1B John Olerud – I loved Olerud. He was so dang underrated as a player too. 2,239 hits lifetime with a .295 average in 17 seasons. That’s a hitter. With the Mets he was a .315 hitter and had a .425 OBP.
2B Wally Backman – You cannot dress up as Wally Backman for your first Halloween and not pick him as your favorite 2B. While I was young in 1986, I grew up watching “A Year to Remember,” and the “Wild Boys” video featuring Lenny Dykstra and Wally Backman. I identified with Backman’s style of play early in my life. He was a small, scrappy player who often left everything he had on the field.
3B Howard Johnson – This probably dates back to the days of watching that 86 VHS practically every day growing up. Whether it was Hojo’s “how to” video with Roger McDowell on creating a “hot foot” or how his HR against Todd Worrell to sweep the Cardinals, Hojo always was one of my favorites.
SS Jose Reyes – It’s hard for me to even think of another SS. I honestly wasn’t a big Ordonez fan. While they were in the minor leagues, I never really followed reports about David Wright. It was all about Jose Reyes for me. He brought so much excitement to the team and to Shea Stadium. Watching Reyes turn it on as he took 2nd on his way to 3rd was always the best part of any Mets game.
LF Cliff Floyd – I was a BIG Cliff Floyd fan. 2005 was the year of my most memorable regular season Mets game of my life. It was the mid-June game against the Angels when Marlon Anderson hit the inside the park HR to force extra innings. Then in extra innings Floyd came to the plate. I said to my girlfriend (now wife) “He’s gonna end this.” He then hit a bomb of a foul ball, and I felt deflated saying “you rarely ever see somebody hit a foul ball HR and follow it with a HR.” Then BOOM. Homerun, end of the game, I am forever proven wrong by Cliff Floyd.
CF Lenny Dykstra – Truth be told, I liked Mookie more than Dykstra but he played all over the OF that it’s hard to just call him a CF. Dykstra was always my brother’s favorite. He was similar to Backman (pre-steroids). Was never the biggest guy on the team, but always seemed to get the most out of himself. He played as hard as anybody I can remember. I was also a big Brett Butler fan, but he only played for 1 year.
RF Darryl Strawberry – Straw was my first “superstar”. He was everything a young baseball fan could have asked for. Growing up, I didn’t know of any “off the field” issues, all I knew was Strawberry could be the best ever, and he was on my favorite team.
LHP Al Leiter – A lot of pitchers could fill this spot. Santana, Hampton, Viola, Ojeda, Sid… so many to choose from. However, Leiter to me was such a gamer. He, like many of the guys on my list, never seemed like “the best”, but he always seemed to get the most out of his ability. Plus, he always seemed to want the ball or accept the challenge. He was often matched up against better pitchers, but he never used it as an excuse. Leiter won 95 games for the Mets in 213 starts.
RHP Rick Reed – I was just always a fan of Cone. Obviously many from my generation will go with Gooden, some may go with guys like David Cone or Bobby Jones as well. Truthfully, R.A. Dickey is going to grab a lot of votes in the coming years I think. For me though, Reed was probably the most underrated Mets pitcher of my generation. From 97-00, Reed had 51 wins, an ERA of 3.69 and a WHIP of 1.18. He wasn’t the best by any means, but he always seemed so consistent for the Mets.
RHP (Reliever) Turk Wendell – When the Mets acquired Wendell in 1997, I never heard of him. All I knew was the Mets traded Lance Johnson. From 98 through most of 2001, Wendell was my guy. The way he slammed the rosin bag down on the mound. The necklace he wore, the comments he’d make and his ability to get a big time out whenever the Mets needed it.
LHP (Reliever) Pedro Feliciano – I was never a big John Franco fan. He comes off as a great man, but I just never loved him as a player. For me, Feliciano was the man. He was just so good at this job. I never doubted that he could get the job done. He appeared in 408 Games from 2006-2010 with a 3.09 ERA.
Manager Terry Collins – I’ve seen Davey, Bud, Torborg, Green, Bobby V, Howe, Willie and Jerry. Growing up, I never had a connection with Davey Johnson like I did with the players. After Davey, there’s a whole lot of failure. With regards to Bobby V, I find him to be an enjoyable character, but I don’t like character managers. I went with Terry Collins because while everybody has flaws, he seems to be the most honest Manager I have seen in a Mets uniform. He also holds himself and his players accountable, while he also clearly will defend his own players to his grave. I think other than Davey Johnson, no other manager the Mets have had in my life could do the kind of job Terry has done in the last 2 years.
Those are my favorites, for better or worse. The Mets have had many players that I will always remember or think fondly of. These guys are just the cream of the crop.
So who is on your list?
About the Author: Michael J. Branda
My time with MMO began in July of 2009 when I wrote a Fan Post defending Omar Minaya (before it was cool to do that.) I grew up a Mets fan with the mid 1980's teams. My favorite Met of all-time is (and was) Wally Backman. When it comes to sabermetrics versus old school thinking, I like to think I meet in the middle. I believe thinking of new ways to get answers is helpful, especially when the same way has not produced results. However, I think over-thinking certain situations can get you into trouble. I'm excited for the new regime, because I believe they have pieces in place to focus on several aspects of the Mets organization. I've waited this long for a World Series, waiting a few more years for another chance isn't going to kill me.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 23 | 18 | .561 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 19 | .548 | 0.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 22 | .476 | 3.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 23 | .410 | 6.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 31 | .262 | 12.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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how about a poll ? is something like that not possible here? lets put up 50 mets and see how we all rank them
Ya know, you kind of surprised me with the Terry Collins selection as favorite Mets Manager. Maybe if I’d seen Stengel or Hodges I would have a different choice but come to think of it, my favorite would also be Terry Collins.
It’s way early to really judge but so far he has done a lot with limited resources and he has the players hustling and putting in the effort. He also does a pretty decent interview for the fans. Most importantly, he’s got the team winning.
–
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCApuPQStoM
its funny Hog, I didn’t think I’d pick TC but then when I really thought about it… he was right there.
Allright, I’m going to weigh in here real fast:
C-Piazza
1B- The Captain Keith Hernandez
2B- Fonzie
3B- David Wright
SS- Buddy Harrelson
LF-Kevin McReyolds
CF-Dykstra-Wilson
RF-Starwberry
Pitchers: Seaver, Koosman, Johan
Bullpen Guys: Jessie Orosco, Roger McDowell, Tug McGraw
Manager(s): Casey, Terry Collins and Davey Johnson
nice list. I did like Fonzie a lot. Hard not to.
I like but instead of dystra I would put Beltran
While being 60 years old, I learned to read by following Mets box scores. I love most of your All Time picks. I would choose Seaver and Koosman as the best two pitchers. (One lefty and one righty). And not on talent but on personality, my favorite Right fielder was Joe Christopher (from the sixties) , hit well and whenever he took the field, he saluted the fans by tipping his cap. Always had a smile on his face. Something we really see nowadays……
thanks for the comment Rob!
Jessep I know these are your personal choices so the to each their own comes to mind but who then would be your All Time favorite manager before Collins became manager?
Davey.
But as I said, I just never focused on the game AS CLOSELY when Davey was the Manager. Growing up the Manager for me wasn’t playing the game ya know
I’d probably go Terry, Davey, Willie, Bobby, Jerry in order.
Can I ask what about Willie did you like that you would pick him over Bobby V?
Part of me is bias toward Bobby because I’ve worked with him outside of watching the Mets. I’ve seen another side to him where many have not. At the time he was managing, I liked Bobby. But as I got older and actually worked with him a few times now, I realize it’s not just an act on tv.
For Willie, I think I’m pretty compassionate toward him because he was a young Manager put in a position of a “win now or bust.” The way he was fired was borderline despicable.
I think Willie could have been a good Manager with a bit more experience away from Joe Torre. I think his experience with Macha and now Buck will help him land another managers job soon.
Ahh ok. Thanks for the reply.
I’m a youngish guy, so my list is going to be biased toward more recent history.
C: Mike Piazza
1B: Keith Hernandez
2B: The Fonz
3B: David Wright
SS: Jose Reyes
LF: Beltran (it’s cool, he can play LF. trust me)
CF: Mook
RF: Strawberry
Bench (AKA a few honorable mentions): Kranepool, Carter, HoJo
Pitchers: Seaver, Koosman, Santana, Dickey, Gooden
Bullpen Guys: Orosco, McGraw, Franco, Turk Wendell (that’s my “he was just a cool dude” pick)
Manager(s): Gotta go with Davey… Terry can be the bench coach.
Oh cool I made my list before reading your jessep, and I’m glad to see we both put Turk on the list!
I remember when his contract with the Mets ended he wanted to come back so badly he offered to sign a new contract for one dollar. He said he already had enough money for the rest of his life. Of course, no one can sign a contract for $1; regardless the Mets passed and he moved on from the organization.
ha, how young is “youngish” if McGraw, Koosman, Kranepool, Seaver are on your list?
Mid 20s youngish. Hey I said it’d be biased toward recent players, but I do know a bit of Mets history!
ha well I KNOW Mets history heck I hope Mets fans KNOW their history. I was driving the piece more towards players you watched in your life though ya know?
There’s a different level of appreciation you can have for players when you watch them.
When you read about players etc. odds are you’ll only hear/read about the best ones. A guy like Turk Wendell isn’t somebody my kids will ever read about most likely.
Yeah I definitely understand what you’re getting at. I come from a Mets family though, and have heard stories about the past greats my whole life, in addition to seeing videos of our past World Series victories. Even though I don’t remember the 86 series live, just seeing clips from the games gets me majorly pumped up. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with younger fans picking older players to be among their favorites of all time.
Just for shiz and giggles, here’s my “I remember watching these guys play” list real quick:
C: Piazza
1B: Olerud
2B: Fonz
SS: Reyes
3B: Wright
LF: Floyd
CF: Beltran
RF: This is ridiculous, I’m picking Strawberry. No one else is even close, and I’ve definitely been to games where he played for the Mets even if I don’t remember them! (If you MAKE me pick one I’ve seen, maybe it’s Butch Huskey. Ugh. Seriously we haven’t had even a very good RF since Straw)
SP: Leiter, Johan, Dickster, Reed, maybe even a Bobby Jones? (And even though I can’t pick him, Seaver is one of my favorite Mets of all time! Also I met Doc Gooden in Cooperstown last summer so I should be able to pick him too. Ahem.)
RP: Wendell, Franco
Manager: Bobby V
OK, these are my favorite – though they might not be the best:
Starter:
1B – Keith Hernandez
2B – Fonzie (no, not YOU Fonze (LOL)
SS – Bud Harrelson
3B – David Wright
LF – Cleon Jones
CF – Carlos Beltran
RF – Daryl Stawberry
C – Mike Piazza
RH – Tom Seaver
LH – Jerry Koozman
LHR – John Franco
RHR – Roger McDowell
Manager: Gil Hodges
Backup:
1B – Carlos Delgado
2B – Felix Millian
SS – Jose Reyes
3B – Howard Johnson
LF – Kevin McReynolds
CF – Tommie Agee
RF – Rusty Staub
C – Jerry Grote
RH – Dwight Gooden
LH – John Matlack
LHR – Tug McGraw
RHR – Danny Frisella
Manager: Casey Stengel
That would be a great game
Nice to see Felix Milan and Rusty Staub on your list.
My all time 25 man roster.
C-M.Piazza
1B-K.Hernandez
2B-E.Alfonzo-
SS-J.Reyes-
3B-D.Wright-
RF-D.Strawberry
CF-C.Beltran
LF-C.Jones
SP-T.Seaver
SP-D.Gooden
SP-J.Koosman
SP-J.Matlack
SP-J.Santana
RP-T.McGraw
RP-J.Orosco
RP-N.Ryan
RP-R.McDowell
RP-S.Lockwood
RP-R.Myers
UT-K.Mitchell
UT-H.Johnson
UT-W.Backman
PH-R.Staub
2nd C-T.Pratt
OF/PH-L.Mazzilli
All time 2nd team
C-Carter
1B-Olerud
2B-Millan
SS-Harrelson
3B-Ventura
RF-Staub
CF-Dykstra
LF-Jones
SP-Cone
SP-Darling
SP-Leiter
SP-Fernandez
SP-Swann
Forgot my manager. Davey 1st team, Gil 2nd team
Fonzie,
How I ever forgot Gary Carter I will never know! Skip Lockwood, good choice.
Jerry Grote as a backup catcher isn’t nothing to sneeze at. He was one of the greatest defensive catchers of all time. And Skip Lockwood for some reason gets lost in the shuffle with Met fans but he was an excellent relief pitcher.
Guess my instinctive reaction was to add Jerry Grote since I was playing favorites more than stats themselves.
Though we all loved Kid, Grote is actually my all time favorite, even above Mike Piazza. He was the second Met position player to be voted as a starter by his peers in 1968 – two years before voting was handed over to the fans once again.
He actually fell out of favor with Gil Hodges early in spring training, 1968 and J.C. Martin was actually J.C. Martin was slated to be the regular backstop till he got hurt in the ninth inning of the season opener in San Francisco and Grote proceeded to win it back.
You won’t get an argument from me Joey, I loved Grote and despite his numbers not lighting up the scoreboard he was a very good timely hitter. He had many big hits down the stretch in 73 to help the Mets win the division. Piazza was so dominant I just couldn’t not pick him.
BTW Joey, Danny Frisella was an excellent choice, he completely slipped my mind. Died far too young.
Hi Fonzie,
Yes, if I recall correctly he fell off his snow mobile and it took his life.
The memory of being stunned by the news has just come back to me after what, almost 35 years ago?
Yes he died on New Years day in 77.
Terry Collins? Really? Over Valentine and Davey?
1B – Olerud
2B – Alfonzo
SS – Reyes
3B – Wright
LF – Floyd
CF – Beltran
RF – Agbayani
C – Carter
RH – Cone
LH – Leiter
LHR – Franco
RHR – Wendell
Manager: Valentine
You’re taking Carter over Piazza but not Strawberry over Agbayani? The Carter one I could see but Benny over Darryl?
I think I have something for fat outfielders that could hit homeruns. Kirby Puckett was one of my favorite all time players.
Nothing better than singing “Benny and Mets” at a game.
I was a huge Puckett fan myself. I liked Benny. I was at Game 3 2000 NLDS when he hit the walkoff against the Giants. He honestly wasn’t in Straws class. To each is own as they say.
Well its all about your favorite and not the best.
I have that Benny HR pic autograph hanging at office at work. At that time I graduated college that summer and moved into a APT with the future wife and made her watch every inning on milk crates because we couldnt even get rent-a-center furnature at the time. If he didn’t get that win I probably would if been dumped. LOL
Kiner’s Korner was a great show! This unscripted gathering of ball players, talking about the game was a great way to meet the Mets or their victorious opponent. The banter was funny. The players would bust on each other. It was a family friendly locker room chat. My favorite guest was Tug McGraw. You never knew what he was going to say. Back then it was the 60′s, players would miss playing time to serve in the National Guard. Some times Tug would come on the show and just laugh and laugh. I would love to see SNY rebroadcast some episodes.
Hi Jersey,
Especially those from the sixties. Remember after the division winning celebration that went on in the locker room, channel nine still had to air Kiner’s Korner which was a complete riot. Tug was wearing a world war one flying ace hat (big at that time due to Snoopy versus the Red Baron) and was reading off the cue card for a commercial.
When we played that 24 inning game against the Giants, Ralph had to be in the studio so just had to sit around since the eighth inning – they kept on giving camera shots on him and he would be sitting in his chair laughing back at the camera as he was getting ribbed by either Bob or Lindsey.
My siblings and I would await the anouncement of the featured guests. Seaver, Koosman and Cal Koonce were particularly funny. Usually 3 players were invited. The night you spoke of was a free for all. If I recall correctly, players just invited themself to the on air show. Most were quite celebratory. I can not imagine that such a show would be allowed in today’s age of bland answers and public image. Later versions of Kiner’s Korner were more buttoned down.
The show featured the winning team’s players. So we got to know the other players in the National League. The Greats of the Day were given their due.
1B – Keith Hernandez/Carlos Delgado/John Oleroud
2B – Edguardo Alfonzo/Wally Backman/Felix Milan
SS – Bud Harrelson/Jose Reyes/Rafael Santana
3B – Wayne Garrett/Ray Knight/D Wright
LF – Cleon Jones/Cliff Floyd
CF – Carlos Beltran/Tommie Agee/Mookie Wilson
RF – Darryl Strawberry/Rusty Staub/Ron Swoboda
C – Mike Piazza/Gary Carter/Jerry Grote
P – Tom Seaver/Jerry Kooseman/Jon Matlack/Johan Santana/Pedro Martinez/Al Lieter/Tom Glavine/
RF – Tug McGraw/Jesse Orosco/Roger McDowell/John Franco/Billy Wagner
Anybody here remember Skip Lockwood?
You must’ve passed right by my all time 25 man roster. Skip was one of them.
I wasn’t around for the ’86 Mets (though I was born in the same decade), so my all-time favorite Mets may not include a lot of the “best” Mets.
C – Mike Piazza (Kid is a close second)
1B – Jeff Conine (my family moved to south Florida in 1993, and Niner has been my favorite player ever since, so he wins this by default)
2B – Edgardo Alfonzo
SS – Jose Reyes
3B – David Wright
LF – Cleon Jones
CF – Carlos Beltran
RF – Daryl Strawberry (my first baseball glove was a Strawberry Signature Series glove)
LHP – Al Leiter (also memorable for me when I watched him for the Marlins, Pedro Martinez is in second on this list because of the “rebirth” that his signing brought to the franchise)
RHP – Dwight Gooden
LH RP – John Franco
RH RP – Turk Wendell
Manager – Bobby V. (most memorable), Terry Collins (favorite I’ve lived through)
Lots of great memories here but nobody mentioned the Say Hey Kid Willie Mays. Our Dads sure would have. Willie coming home to New York was a catharsis. Jim Beauchamp gave up the number 24 for Willie. In the 1973 World Series, I remember a hurt Rusty, another favorite, underhadinging the ball to Willie to throw in. The A’s just ran on everything.
Also Why No Endy Chevez? My favorite Underdog Mets Bruce Boisclair, Del Unser, Xavier Nady, Bobby Pfeil, Rod Gaspar, Dan Hahn, Ed Charles and Wayne Garrett.
There was a time this discussion would have been simple TOM SEAVER
P.S. savor R.A. Dickey’s moment of greatness
Great list, big Piazza guy here, loved Cliff Floyd as well. Straw and Doc were so fun to watch.
Carter, Keith, Piazza, Straw, Reyes
C Todd Pratt
1B Ty Wiggington
2B Marco Scutaro
SS Melvin Mora
3B Carlos Baerga
LF Timo Perez
RF Benny Agbayani
CF Joe Mcewing
SP John Maine
RP Aaron Heilman
Yes Obscure Names from recent Mets history
I admire your loyalty. Near the end, Heilman’s face would twist and contort when the boo bird swarmed on him.
Aaron Heilman is my most hated Met in our history. He cost us a World Series title.
Blame Willie for that, running Heilman out for another inning instead of using Wagner was the problem, at that point Heilman’s effectiveness had to have been reduced by overuse. And if it wasn’t for his previous performances the team never would have made it to that point at all.
OK, so my broken heart has been mended by this 2012 “Second Miracle” Mets team. Yes, Jose is gone but I still have faith he will one day return! Regardless, you all, I am sure, know my father is METS62FAN. Therefore, I am very knowledgeable of this team’s history. That being said, my return post will be my All-Time Mets Team selections.
C- Mike Piazza (Would say The Kid, but 1. I never saw him play live and 2. Piazza is the greatest offensive Catcher of all time)
1B- CO-CAPTIAN Keith Mex Hernandez
2B- Wally Backman
3B- David Wright (Ventura was clutch, but Wright is the best overall)
SS- Jose Reyes (Is anyone surprised?)
LF- Cliff Floyd (I loved him as a leader. I also called his walk-off shot against the Angels and was at a game where he tied it up with a 9th inning HR against the Braves in 2006)
CF- Carlos Beltran (Would say Mook, but Carlos did greater things for us. Made up for 2005 completely IMO)
RF- Straw (He would be a HOFer if Kevin Mitchell hadn’t gotten him addicted to coke)
Bench- Gary ‘The Kid, #8 Carter (RIP Kid), Super Joe McEwing, HOJO, Rusty, Lenny Harris (one of the best pinch hitters in my time), Mookie, Lenny ‘Nails’ Dykstra
RHP- Tom ‘The Franchise’ Seaver (Dad’s All-Time Favorite), Doc Gooden (see Straw. Damn Kevin Mitchell!), R.A. Dickey (Dad’s new favorite), Pedro Martinez
LHP- Jerry Koosman, Johan ‘NoHan Saintana’ Santana, Sid ‘El Sid’ Fernandez, Al Leiter
Bullpen- Turk Wendell, Billy Wagner, John Franco, Jessie Orosco, Roger McDowell, Tug McGraw
These are my personal picks for beloved Mets.
However, I would also like to list the Mets I will never forgive for the rest of my life. These are guys that we all should want to castrate and put their heads on stakes in front of Citi Field
1. Aaron ‘Hellman’ Heilman – Why in the name of God would you throw your awful, work-in-progress slider to Yadier Molina in the biggest moment of your miserable life?! I honestly asked my Dad if we could go to New York to shoot him after I saw that ball go over the LF wall.
2. Tom ‘The Traitor’ Glavine – You may ask why I put him on here. Think back to 2007. His last start as a Met. Last game of the season. Marlins. To go to the Playoffs. It was his worst start of his career. I will never forget that the hardest pitch he threw that day was 84 MPH. He lasted a bit more than an inning. Tom Glavine walked off that mound with a SMILE on his face. Everyone and their unborn child knew that he wanted to end his career with the Braves. What a loyal guy. I hope karma comes back to get him hard.
3. Mota and Sosa – “The Four Letter Words” We ALL knew the game was over when these guys came into the game. Enough said.
4. Luis Castillo – I actually felt bad for him. Then he dropped the ball against the Yankees. After that, I was praying for his release.
5. Jim Duquette – Kazmir, our #1 prospect, for VICTOR ZAMBRANO?!?!?! What. An. Idiot.
Anyways, that concludes my returning post. I am also considering changing my name to… CaptianKirk. Thoughts?