Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
When Robert Stock takes the mound for the Mets on Wednesday, he will become the first player in New York Mets history to wear uniform number 89.
The history of Mets to wear numbers 80 or higher is few and far between. In fact, only six players in franchise history can claim this distinct honor.
We thought it would be fun to compile an overview of these six Mets whose jersey numbers resembled those of an NFL player.
No. 81: Johneshwy Fargas (2021) – Called up to the Mets earlier this season for just seven games, Fargas collected six hits in 21 at bats, including two doubles and a triple. The rookie was a solid replacement for the Mets in centerfield as the team dealt with injuries to many of their regular starters at the time. He is currently on the IL with a shoulder injury, but his status on the roster once he gets healthy again remains unknown.
No. 86: Jake Hager (2021) – Another mid-May replacement player for the Mets, Hager had just one hit (a single) in eight at-bats in his brief stint with the team. He has since been claimed off waivers by the Brewers and Mariners.
No. 87: Juan Lagares (2020) – Although Lagares was a Met from 2013-2020, it appears that he wore the #87 jersey for just a single game in the 2020 season. Lagares played two games in August as a defensive replacement, and according to Baseball Reference, he wore #87 on August 25, then switched to #15 the following day for just one game as well. He would not play for the Mets again- Lagares signed with the Los Angeles Angels in February 2021.
No. 91: Carlos Gomez (2019) – Met fans might think of Carlos Gomez as the rookie outfielder from 2007. But after a lengthy career that saw him make stops in Minnesota, Milwaukee, Houston, Texas, and Tampa Bay, Gomez returned to the orange and blue in 2019. In his second stint with the Mets, Gomez became the first Met to wear #91. Gomez hit .198/.278/.337, with three home runs, 10 RBIs, and seven walks in 99 plate appearances. Gomez has not played in the major leagues since that season.
No. 99: Turk Wendell (1997-2001) – The only Met on the list to make a World Series appearance, Wendell was one of the Mets best relief pitchers in the late 90’s and very early 2000’s. In 285 games with the Mets, Wendell went 22-14 with a 3.34 ERA while donning #99. He also struck out 259 batters and amassed 10 saves during his run in Queens. Across 12 2/3 postseason innings pitched, Wendell had a 2.84 ERA and struck out 14 batters.
No. 99: Taijuan Walker (2021) – In his first season with the Mets, Walker is having arguably the best season of his major league career in 2021. Wearing #99 for this third team (also the Diamondbacks and Mariners), Walker is 7-3 with a 2.44 ERA this season. His WHIP of 1.01 is also his best among his seasons with 15 or more starts. Striking out 87 batters to only 27 walks, Walker is a major reason why the Mets have one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball this year.
