On December 1st, 1998, the Mets signed third baseman Robin Ventura to a four year, $32 million contract. Ventura would go on to etch a mark in Mets’ history, particularly with one incredible at-bat in the 1999 postseason. Ventura had played 10 seasons for the White Sox when the Mets signed him, posting a collective slash line of .274/.365/.440 with 171 home runs and a 117 OPS+. While...
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In 2005, the Mets had a resurgence, finishing the season with a record of 83-79 under new manager Willie Randolph (they had gone 71-91 in 2004 under Art Howe). Despite the significantly improved performance, the Mets lacked a lock-down closer. In 2005, Braden Looper was the team’s closer. Looper had a modest statistical season (4-7, 3.94 ERA, 28 saves, 8 blown saves, 59.1 IP, 27 K)....
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On Wednesday’s edition of Mets Hot Stove, Steve Gelbs asked Steve Cohen about some his favorites from his Mets fandom. On the question of his favorite all-time Met, Cohen replied with an answer that would be the same for many Mets fans from the 1960s and 1970s: Tom Seaver. Cohen talked about how he admired Seaver’s signature “dirt on the knee”, that would come from the...
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After the 2004 season, the Mets made an effort to sign Carlos Delgado as a free agent. They were unable to land the first baseman, who signed with the Marlins for four years. On November 24th, 2005, the Mets obtained Delgado in a trade. Following the 2005 season, the Marlins went through one of their trading phases, this time shedding veterans Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and Delgado. The Mets...
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November 21st has been good for Mets players in terms of awards. In 1970, Tommie Agee won the Gold Glove award as a center fielder, in 1972 Jon Matlack won the Rookie of the Year award, and in 1983, Darryl Strawberry also won the Rookie of the Year award. When Agee won his Gold Glove, he became the first position player to win the award in both leagues. Agee had previously won a Gold Glove award...
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