MMO’s partnership with Out of the Park Baseball (OOTP) continues as our 16-team Mets Madness bracket is now down to only eight teams. Next up, in Round 2 of the tournament, MMO and OOTP pit the 2022 Mets team against the 1986 Mets team. James Villani, MMO editor and writer, will continue at the helm of the 2022 team. Meanwhile, MMO editor and writer, Chris Bello, continues controlling the 1986 team.

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Mets Madness Bracket.

2022 Mets

The ninth seed in the 16-team tournament got by the eighth-seeded 1999 team in six games. Led by MVP Jeff McNeil, the most recent team in this tournament, punched their ticket to the second round. To read an in-depth recap of how the Round 1 matchup went, click here.

Of course, in reality, it was a disappointing ending to one of the most successful regular seasons in franchise history in 2022. The 2022 Mets posted the second-most wins (101) of any team across the 62-year history of the Mets. However, it all culminated in a Wild Card round loss to the San Diego Padres.

The 2022 Mets were led by manager Buck Showalter and posted the second-highest batting average in the league. Five key cogs in the lineup posted a season OPS over .800, with the offense mainly being led by Pete Alonso (40 home runs and 131 RBIs), Francisco Lindor (26 home runs and 107 RBIs), and Jeff McNeil (.836 OPS). The offense was the main reason the 2022 Mets were able to get past the 1999 Mets in their aforementioned Round 1 matchup.

On the mound, the Mets owned a team ERA of 3.57 which was seventh-best in the majors. The rotation saw six main contributors, all posting season ERAs below 4.00. Of the best were Max Scherzer (2.29 ERA), Chris Bassitt 3.42 ERA), and Taijuan Walker (3.49 ERA). Not to mention, one of the best seasons in relief pitcher history, Edwin Díaz who posted 118 strikeouts and a 1.31 ERA over 62 innings.

1986 Mets

Meanwhile, the 1986 Mets, No. 1 seeded team in the tournament, rolled by the 1976 Mets in only five games. Outside of a Game 2 blemish, the 1986 team rolled into the second round of the tournament. To read a full in-depth recap, click here.

It is no secret, the 1986 Mets was arguably the best Mets’ team of all time. Not only that, there is a strong argument that they were one of the best World Series-winning teams ever. New York finished that season with the highest-team OPS+ in the National League (106), led by veterans Gary Carter (115 OPS+) and Keith Hernandez (140 OPS+), and rounded out by the youthful Darryl Strawberry (139 OPS+), Lenny Dykstra (129 OPS+), and Kevin Mitchell (124 OPS+).

Behind their great offense was the best rotation in baseball that year. The Mets finished with the best ERA and ERA+ in the majors, with Dwight Gooden (2.84), Ron Darling (2.81), and Bob Ojeda (2.57) all finishing with ERAs under 3. Their bullpen was also a plus in 1986, led by Roger McDowell (3.02) and Jesse Orosco (2.33), who split the closer role that season and both finished with 20-plus saves.

Seeded No. 1 for a reason, the 1986 Mets project to continue to be a force in this tournament.

Let us know your predicts below!