Darryl Strawberry is the most hyped player and the best power hitter the Mets ever produced. His arrival to the majors in early May ’83 marked a sign of progress for a franchise searching for hope. After a slow start, Strawberry began to fulfill those enormous expectations and became the third Met to take the National League Rookie of the Year honors, joining Tom Seaver (1967) and Jon...
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Dwight Gooden was the No. 5 overall draft pick in 1982 and quickly climbed the minor league ranks in 1983. Still, it was impossible to conceive this kind of a first season—one which easily earned him the National League Rookie of the Year. No Mets pitcher—not Tom Seaver, not Jacob deGrom, and not Matt Harvey—began his career with a better blend of fanfare and success than “Dr. K.” He...
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No statistic has had a greater fall from grace in the past decade than pitching wins. Once considered a measurement for excellence on the mound, its descended into near irrelevance. Rotations have expanded, relievers have gained prominence, and starters have become less influential on their fate. If there were still hangers-on desperately carrying a torch for the worth of victories prior to...
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This offseason, we’ll look at the Mets history with free agency — the best uses of their money and the worst. We’ll start positive with someone who unlike so many on these lists joined the team in complete obscurity but became a reliable pitcher during one of the franchise’s best eras. Even by today’s standards, when free-agent signings garner more attention and...
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Jacob deGrom arrived to the majors as a solid but not spectacular minor leaguer. With the likes of Zack Wheeler, Mets’ 2010 first-round pick Matt Harvey, Rafael Montero, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz touted as the foundation for the major league staff, the 25-year-old deGrom was considered an afterthought. In mid-May, deGrom was called up to the Mets for bullpen help. He made his debut...
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