As we announced on Wednesday, MMO partnered with Out of the Park Baseball to bring you a 16-team Mets Madness competition that will be simulated over the next few months. The managers of the teams are comprised of MMO writers and editors, one MMO commenter (Mike Lloyd), and we conducted a giveaway for the final manager spot (the 2015 team).
Each round will be best-of-seven. We will post only a series recap of the first round and then will be more detailed in our posting as we get deeper into the competition. We will also be giving folks access to 10% off coupons for downloading the game and giving away codes to download the game for free.
1985 METS
Prevented an opportunity to play for a championship during a time when playoff spots were scarce, the 1985 Mets finally get their chance. The year before *the* year gave a great indication of this team’s potential. Gary Carter’s debut season in Queens was arguably his best, leading the team with 32 homers and 100 RBIs
Keith Hernandez was his usual consistent self, batting over .300 and collecting another Gold Glove, while Darryl Strawberry continued to emerge despite a mid-season injury. Two young starting pitchers, Ron Darling and Sid Fernandez, each produced ERAs under 3.00 and the back of the bullpen was solidified with Roger McDowell and Jesse Orosco recording 17 saves apiece.
Oh, and there was this kid named Dwight Gooden at the peak of his power. Quality pitching, especially an ace, is coveted for a short series. And there may not be a better card to play than 20-year-old Doc.
These Mets had 98 wins and were still three games shy of a division title, the only avenue to the postseason. Their first-round opponent had one fewer victory and took the NL East in a runaway.
2006 METS
Remember that team that really broke your heart? Well, I get to play with them!
Highlighted by Carlos Beltrán‘s look at strike three, the ’06 was the team from the mid-00s that had the best chance to win the World Series. And not just because they reached Game 7 of the NLCS.
The ’06 team’s top of the lineup was one of the best in the league–and one of the best in team history. José Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltrán and Carlos Delgado all had an OPS over .840. Beltrán himself finally broke out as a Met, too, crushing 41 homers (tied for a team record at the time) and put up 8.2 WAR–good for second-best in MLB behind Albert Pujols.
The pitching staff on this team resembled the 2023 in that they were OLD. Pedro Martinez (34), Tom Glavine (40), Orlando “El Duque” Hernández (40) and Steve Trachsel (35) made a combined 105 starts, and the young John Maine, Oliver Perez, Mike Pelfrey and others started the rest of them. And with a bullpen anchored by Billy Wagner, who could still strikeout everyone at 34, and Pedro Feliciano, who started a five-year stretch of greatness in ’06, this team was destined for good things. That didn’t happen.
But could it when facing off against other historic Mets teams?
Who do you think will win this matchup?
