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2012
MMO Flashback: Reason #17 To Retire Keith Hernandez’s Number
An article by 
Keith Hernandez was the heart and soul of the 1980s Mets teams that went from languishing at the bottom of the National League East to winning two division titles and a World Series championship. The former first baseman was a leader both on and off the field, and was given the captain’s “C” to honor his leadership on the team. However, despite numerous pleas by Mets fans to retire his number 17, the Mets have not yet honored their former captain by doing so.
Let’s compare Keith’s career with the Mets to that of another first baseman who played on the West Coast for another expansion team from the 1960s. Perhaps if the people from the Coalition To Decide New Reasons To Put Off Retiring Keith’s Number read the following, they might have to rethink things.
Keith Hernandez was a member of the Mets from 1983-1989. Over his 6½ years with the team, he batted over .300 four times, scored over 80 runs four times and drove in over 80 runs four times (including two 90-RBI seasons). He won six Gold Gloves while with the Mets, made the All-Star team three times, finished in the top ten in the MVP voting three times (including two top five finishes) and won a Silver Slugger Award in 1984.
During his first four full seasons with the Mets (1984-1987), an average season for Keith Hernandez looked like this: .305 batting average, .396 OBP, .836 OPS, 32 doubles, 14 HR, 89 RBI and 88 runs scored. More importantly, he was an instrumental player in the Mets’ march to the 1986 World Series championship.
So which of his contemporaries am I comparing him to? Let’s peruse over the numbers of a certain Steve Garvey, especially after he joined the San Diego Padres.
Steve Garvey joined the Padres as a free agent before the 1983 season (the same year Hernandez was traded to the Mets). He played four full seasons as San Diego’s first baseman and part of a fifth in 1987, playing in only 27 games during his final season in the big leagues.
During his tenure in San Diego, Garvey did not win any Gold Gloves (Mr. Hernandez was winning all of those), made the All-Star team twice and never finished higher than 20th in the MVP voting. He also did not win any Silver Slugger Awards. Furthermore, he never batted over .300 in any of those four seasons, never scored more than 80 runs and drove in over 80 runs three times (but no 90-RBI seasons).
During those four full seasons in San Diego (1983-1986), these were the numbers for an average Steve Garvey season: .278 batting average, .311 OBP, .725 OPS, 26 doubles, 15 HR, 77 RBI and 72 runs scored. He helped lead the Padres to one National League pennant in 1984, but did not win the World Series that year.
Clearly, Hernandez’s numbers and awards with the Mets were superior to Garvey’s numbers and lack of awards with the Padres. However, Garvey can claim one thing that Keith Hernandez can’t.
STEVE GARVEY’S NUMBER HAS BEEN RETIRED BY THE SAN DIEGO PADRES!
Apparently, the Padres cared enough to acknowledge the fact that Garvey was instrumental in bringing the team back from being also-rans prior to 1983 to pennant winners in 1984. The Mets were cellar dwellers prior to 1983 as well. Then Keith Hernandez came aboard and things started to change, eventually leading to the World Championship that Garvey wasn’t able to bring to San Diego.
How can the Mets not retire Keith Hernandez’s number when the Padres have bestowed that honor to Steve Garvey? Instead, they continue to hand out the number to Fernando Tatis and various pitchers like Jose Lima, Graeme Lloyd and Dae-Sung Koo. At least Gary Carter’s number hasn’t been worn by a Met since Matt Galante wore it as a coach in 2002.
It’s time for the Mets to retire the #17 in honor of their former captain and team leader, Keith Hernandez. The left field wall at Citi Field is high enough for more retired numbers. Let’s end this oversight once and for all by raising the #17 for all Mets fans to see. Say it loud. Say it proud. Retire #17!
This was originally posted on January 15, 2010 by Ed Leyro who along with his furry friends, runs the great Mets site Studious Metsimus. Ed is also kicking our butts in the MMO staff postseason picks.
About the Author: Ed Leyro
Ed Leyro was hatched in the Bronx, but spent most of his youth in Queens at Shea Stadium. Apparently, all that time spent at Mets games paid off as Ed met his wife (The Coop) for the first time at Citi Field during its inaugural season. Guess the 2009 season was good for something after all. In addition to his work at Mets Merized Online, Ed also owns, operates and is head janitor at Studious Metsimus, where he shares blogging duties with Joey Beartran. For those not in the know, Joey is a teddy bear dressed in a Mets hoodie. Clearly, Studious Metsimus is not your typical Mets blog.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 23 | 18 | .561 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 19 | .548 | 0.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.0 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 6.5 |
| Marlins | 11 | 31 | .262 | 12.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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I would retire Keith Hernandez before Gary Carter or Mike Piazza. It’s a shame that Hernandez has been denied the honor for this long, and knowing how the Mets like to do things it will take an unfortunate tragedy until Hernandez finally gets any lasting recognition from the team he put on the map ever since the day Cashen traded for him, and the team led to the World Series. And when I say led, I mean led as in real leadership, real hustle, real knowledge of the game, and a real commitment to excellence. And as Strawberry would soon learn, don’t ever slack off or mail it in on his watch.
Hell no, Keith was a team cancer who led Straw and Doc down the wrong path…then sold Straw down the river in 1988 when he bashed him behind his back to the press…which cost him MVP votes…this was the reason why Straw punched him in 1989 Spring Training…
This is the same Keith who was spreading rumors that Delgado was purposely slumping ( in a contract year ) to get willie randolph fired…
This is the same Keith that got smacked up by Jose Reyes on a team flight b/c he said Willie was being too soft on him and should bench him for being a “baby” and showing emotion when Delgado mishandled one of his throws…
This is the same Keith who on a broadcast cried and moaned about his contract during the last game of the season…extremely unprofessional…but bashes reyes for throwing his hands up..
Keith was and still is a hypocritical self-centered ego-maniac.
He is the new and improved Tim McCarver
“This is the same Keith who was spreading rumors that Delgado was purposely slumping ( in a contract year ) to get willie randolph fired…”
He wasn’t the only one who said/thought that at the time. Stop it.
“This is the same Keith that got smacked up by Jose Reyes on a team flight b/c he said Willie was being too soft on him and should bench him for being a “baby” and showing emotion when Delgado mishandled one of his throws…”
Showing emotion? More like being immature. Don’t bullshit me. Name me one time you ever saw someone like Derek Jeter throw his glasses & glove on the ground like an immature brat after an error. Go ahead, I’ll wait….
I believe the quote by Keith was, “It’s time to take off the kid gloves”, and he was right on that one. Was Willie being too soft on him, despite Reyes at times not hustling down the line when he needed to until Willie finally did something, in which ironically, Willie got flack for from fans/media?
Thank you for that. Obviously Damaja has some issues.
Double Standard, Double Standard, DOUBLE standard, DOUBLE STANDARD!!!!
Funny you say that because I always had the sneaking suspicion that it was Keith who was the source of the Ike is uncoachable rumors because he approached Ike about hitting and Ike told him no thanks.
Keith was a team cancer? Really? So much a team cancer he was a co-captain with Carter.
I have to wonder if you were even old enough to watch this mid 80s team play.
Ralph Kiner was the first to go on air talking about Ike’s swing and his inability to make adjustments – not Keith.
Yup, it was for sure Ralph that first discussed him being suborned. I know, Keith just told Ralph to talk about it. Conspiracy theories!!!! Yaaaaaah!
I have personally pleaded with people in the Mets’ marketing department to no avail. You have to look no further than the Bronx. Included in the 16 numbers retired by the yanks include Don Mattingly – never won a world series (played in just one postseason round) and is not in the Hall of Fame. So if the Yankees – with all those retired numbers – can retire the number of a guy who isn’t in the Hall of Fame, why can’t the Mets bestow such an honor to Keith? If the Mets only criteria is Hall of Fame, then Mike Piazza will get his number retired before Keith’s (if it is ever retired), which is wrong. Mike put up some nice numbers, but was never the clubhouse leader or on the field leader that keith was. From some accounts, Mike would go into the clubhouse after a game and put on his headphones – not exactly the leader type. And it’s almost like the Met organization WANTS to humiliate him. Why? Why make him announce a game with chumps like Tatis and Dae Sung Koo wearing #17? I frankly just don’t get it. With their poor attendance, what more of a guarantee of a full house than the day they retired #17? You think they’d do that if only for that reason. And #36 should be retired as well. Absolutely embarrassing that an organization with 50 years of existence has retired just ONE NUMBER (of a player).
There is a difference though….
Mattingly was a home grown player and a Yankee for life!
Well I would not put much stock in San Diego retiring Garvey’s number considering thier history.
I would have no problem if they decided to retire Keiths number but I’m of the belief that you should really only retire numbers of those who were homegrown or spent the majority of thier career with the team.
Neither really fits Hernandez there but because he was so important to 86 I wouldn’t complain about it.
If he had won more than one WS with us I bet it would have been retired already as would Strawberry and Gooden by now…
Keith should not have his number 17 retired. period. This is not even a question. Is it just a quiescence that doc and straw went down the wrong path during his co-captaincy? This being the same guy who was put on trial for cocaine use and alleged that forty percent of big league ball players were using it. It’s not a quiescence. I know Keith is lovable because of the Seinfeld bit and his playful commentary during Mets game, but isn’t he involved in a lot of negative talk. His constant and unjust criticism of Jose Reyes, the horribly sexist comments in San Diego. I’m sorry to say it, but the game has passed Kieth by.
Retire 31 not 17. case closed.