If Marv Throneberry symbolized the bumbling incompetence of the early New York Mets, Rod Kanehl the everyman quality, Ed Kranepool the hope for the future, and Roger Craig the frustration, nobody symbolized all of these qualities wrapped into one player the way Jim Hickman did. I always considered Al Jackson the Mets’ best expansion draft choice, but Jim Hickman was probably second. The...
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On June 7, 1963, one day after his 19th birthday, Buddy Harrelson signed with the New York Mets to become a professional baseball player. Back in 1963 and 1964 when fringe-major leaguer Al Moran and later, aging veteran Roy McMillan were playing shortstop for the Mets, the minor league system was developing two promising shortstops, one of whom who would hopefully be the long-term heir to the...
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Ed Charles, the veteran third baseman with the heart of a winner and the soul of a poet was a leader on and off the field and a genuinely nice guy who was an integral part of the 1969 Miracle Mets. His championship ring was the culmination of an 18-year professional career and his name is sometimes forgotten because he didn’t make any highlight reel plays in the World Series. But those of us who...
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Before 1965, any major league team could sign any amateur player. While there were “big money bonus” players (in the 1950‘s and 1960‘s, any player who signed for over $4,000 was considered a bonus player), many future greats signed for a few hundred dollars. This system resulted in big discrepancies among major league organizations. Teams like the Yankees and Dodgers with large scouting...
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In their long history, the Mets have had more than their share of young players who were dealt away and became stars with other teams. Nolan Ryan and Amos Otis are probably the two names mentioned most often. And the trading of future MVP’s Kevin Mitchell and Jeff Kent were in retrospect, major mistakes, too. But the very first star the Mets let get away was the defensively gifted Paul Blair who...
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