To commemorate the announcement of Keith Hernandez’s number retirement this July, here’s a revised excerpt from my book “The New York Mets All-Time All-Stars,” released in February 2020, and how a June 1983 trade from St. Louis became a deal to remember in franchise history. He knew what everyone else did in 1983: Shea Stadium was a major-league abyss. When Hernandez got...
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The Mets made the most significant free-agent signing of the offseason on this day in 2005. And after six-and-a-half stellar seasons, it remains the best free-agent signing in team history. Carlos Beltrán parlayed an astounding 2004 playoff performance with Houston into a free-agency bidding war. New Mets general manager Omar Minaya, like other team executives, was enamored with the mastery he...
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He was one of four catchers to reach 300 homers, 2,000 hits, 1,000 runs batted in, and 1,000 runs scored. He remains second among all catchers with a 26.1 defensive WAR and fourth with a 56.3 offensive WAR. So how come it took Gary Carter so long to get into the Hall of Fame? Only the writers who didn’t vote for the 11-time All-Star can really answer that. But Gary’s call to...
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His statistics without context would’ve assured him first-ballot election. A 143 OPS+, a career .308 batting average, six seasons with 100 or more RBIs, and 427 home runs. Impressive numbers made more so because of his defensive position. The unofficial title of “Greatest Hitting Catcher” was deservedly given to Mike Piazza as his career concluded and as he approached Hall of...
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It goes without saying that the Mets had many weaknesses during their early years. But center field stood out more than the rest. For such a prominent and important position, it was a gaping hole the franchise could not fill. That began to change shortly after Gil Hodges left his managerial post with the Washington Senators to take over the Mets’ job in November 1967. “The first thing...
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