Comments on: How The Miracle Mets Were Built: The Spring Of 1968

By: Joey D.

Joey D. — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:17:49 +0000

Hi Barry,

Great first installment – don’t give away the ending for your might ruin it for the rest of us LOL.

Some tidbits to add about 1967:

- The Mets got Tom Seaver because their name was pulled out of a hat competiting against two other clubs after Commissioner Eckert voided Tom’s original contract with Atlanta because his college team had played two exhibition games against a professional club.

- Jerry Koozman was brought to the attention of the Mets by a tip from an usher. He actually pitched about 20 innings at the end of the year and had an ERA I believe of around six.

- Ron Swoboda started off the season platooning with Ed Kranepool at first base, with the outfield being Tommy Davis, Don Bosch and Cleon Jones with Tommy Reynolds the fourth outfielder. Talk about bad fielding – Swoboda shortly proved he was not qualified to be a first baseman and I was at an April game sitting field level box by first base when Reynolds in right misplayed a fly ball by running in too far and then as he tried backing up fell right on his back as the ball dropped in behind him. Bosch was completely lost at the plate. Guess that is when Swoboda traded his first baseman’s mitt for a fielder’s glove.

- After the 1967 season, the Mets announced they had three “untouchables: Seaver (ROY), Swoboda (who hit .281 with 13 homers) and Harrelson (who did hit .254 though he had to work on his stolen base skills having been caught stealing 13 out of 25 attempts).

- Kranepool finally had a good overall season hitting .269 with ten home runs.

- Jerry Bucheck had six home runs in his first 34 games – he hit only three over his next 100.

- Bill Denehy (traded for Hodges) pitched all of three innings for the Senators.

By: ray sadecki

ray sadecki — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:09:18 +0000

Hey, Johnny Murphy – you are the worst GM in baseball, You traded away our best Hitter, Tommy Davis who could really rake for a kid who cant even hit his weight. I cant even stand you and anybody who disagrees is mindless cult member who knows nothing about baseball.

By: ray sadecki

ray sadecki — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:11:07 +0000

Thanks Barry, I always enjoy your hisorical looks at the Mets. I bet If a trade like the Agee trade were made today the GM would have been run out of town after the 1968 season.

By: Met Maniac

Met Maniac — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:53:08 +0000

Poor Danny Frisella. He was good swing man for us, pitching out of the pen, making emergency starts, closing out games. Even though he had already left the Mets after 72, I was stunned when they reported he died in that accident. When he first came up, we all had high expectations for him.

By: jerseymet

jerseymet — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:41:59 +0000

Sweet. 68′ the year I started following the Mets. Cal Koonce was the man!

By: Metsie

Metsie — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:00:44 +0000

This should probably wait till you get to the 1969 part but I would point out that YES the 69 team was built on pitching….
The question is where would it have been if we had given up in July when we were 8 games back or in August when we were 10 games back like we did in 2011 and 2012.

If we had traded Cleon and Agee for more kids or Traded Seaver after 69 because he was the guy worth the most in trade at that time too….

In the end we won with pitching…but only because we didn’t give up halfway through the season and used the fact we didn’t win that year or make the playoffs as a reason to fold the tent and rebuild again.

This team could use some determination like the kind showed back then we might be surprised at the results.