On the Hall Of Fame ballot this year, there are seven players that at one point in their careers played for the New York Mets. This piece will look at each player and their chances to be elected into the Hall this year.
Pedro Martinez, RHP
Dodgers, Expos, Red Sox, Mets, Phillies
Career Stats (1992-2009)
219-100, 2.93 ERA, 46/17 CG/SHO, 2827.1 IP, 3154 K, 1.054 WHIP, 86.0 WAR
Best Season
Too many unbelievable campaigns to decide on one.
Stats With Mets (2005-2008)
32-23, 3.88 ERA, 4/1 CG/SHO, 486.2 IP, 464 Ks, 1.159 WHIP, 8.1 WAR
We all know how dominant Pedro Martinez was in his heyday. The 8-time All Star won 3 Cy Young awards in ’97, ’99, and ’00, and had 7 top-5 finishes in Cy Young voting overall. He finished 2nd in MVP voting for the 1999 season with Ivan Rodriguez winning the award. Pedro actually received 8 first place votes to Pudge’s 7, but Rodriguez received more votes overall. During that season, Pedro went 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA while striking out 313 batters in 213.1 innings. He struck out 200 batters in a season 9 times, and struck out 300 batters twice. He also led the majors in ERA on 5 occasions.
With the Mets, he was great in 2005, a season in which he finished with a 15-8 record and a 2.83 ERA while striking out 208 batters in 217 innings. However, his final three seasons with the Mets were unspectacular, pitching to a 4.74 ERA in only 269.2 innings. However, these years were at the tail end of his illustrious career.
There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind whatsoever that Pedro Martinez should and will be elected into the Hall on January 6th. He truly was one of the greatest pitchers of his generation. He won’t go in as a Met, but we still loved having him.
Tony Clark, 1B
Tigers, Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Padres
Career Stats (1995-2009)
.262/.339/.485, 251 HR, 824 RBI, 1188 H, 12.5 WAR
Best Season (1997 or 1998 with Tigers)
1997: .276/.376/.500, 32 HR, 117 RBI, 160 H, 93/144 BB/K, 3.5 WAR
1998: .291/.358/.522, 34 HR, 103 RBI, 175 H, 63/128 BB/K, 3.4 WAR
Stats With Mets (2003)
.232/.300/.472, 16 HR, 43 RBI, 24/73 BB/K, -0.8 WAR
During a time of absurdly talented hitters playing first base, Tony Clark can be considered a second-tier first baseman most of his career. Despite putting up solid power numbers from 1996-1999 with the Tigers (124 homers and 391 RBIs in 4 seasons), those numbers aren’t as eye-popping as other first basemen during his time who consistently hit 40 or even 50 home runs, such as Carlos Delgado, Frank Thomas, or Jim Thome. He did have a good albeit shortened year in 2005 while playing for the Diamondbacks at a hitter-friendly ballpark, slamming 30 home runs and driving in 87 runners. Other than that, though, he never eclipsed 17 home runs in a season.
His season with the Mets was considerably lack-luster, as he posted a -0.8 WAR and hit to only a .232/.300/.472 slash line and striking out in almost 30% of his at bats.
Despite a few above-average seasons, I do not believe Clark will be elected into the Hall of Fame and I think the voters will agree with me. He may be on the ballot for a few seasons in limbo, but don’t expect him to get any major support.
Cliff Floyd, LF/1B
Expos, Marlins, Red Sox, Mets, Cubs, Rays, Padres
Career Stats (1993-2009)
.278/.358/.482, 233 HR, 865 RBI, 1479 H, 148 SB, 25.9 WAR
Best Season (2001 with Expos)
.317/.390/.578, 31 HR, 103 RBI, 176 H, 44 2B, 18 SB, 59/101 BB/K, 6.6 WAR
Career With Mets (2003-2006)
.268/.354/.478, 81 HR, 273 RBI, 440 H, 32 SB, 7.7 WAR
One of my favorite players growing up, Cliff Floyd could mash. When he got a hold of one, it would go far. Eclipsing 25 home runs in a season three times and 90 RBIs four times, the one-time all star was a solid left fielder for most of his career. His ability to get on base was a huge tool for him, as evidenced by his career .358 OBP.
He had one of his better years with the Mets in 2005 when he hit 34 home runs to the tune of a .273/.358/.505 slash line. Overall, in four seasons for the Mets, Floyd was a solid player, belting 81 homers and driving in 273 runs.
As much as I loved watching his home runs fly as a kid, I have to admit that Floyd’s chances at the Hall Of Fame are slim to none. Like Tony Clark, he may be on the ballot for a few years, but he most likely will not be voted in to the Hall of Fame.
Jeff Kent, 2B/3B
Blue Jays, Mets, Indians, Giants, Astros, Dodgers
Career Stats (1992-2008)
.290/.356/.500, 377 HR, 1518 RBI, 2461 H, 94 SB, 55.2 WAR
Best Season (MVP 2000 with Giants)
.334/.424/.596, 33 HR, 125 RBI, 196 H, 41 2B, 7 3B, 12 SB, 90/107 BB/K, 7.2 WAR
Stats With Mets (1992-1996)
.279/.327/.453, 67 HR, 267 RBI, 8.4 WAR
Jeff Kent played his first few full seasons with the Mets before fulfilling his potential with the Giants, Astros, and Dodgers. The 5-time all star would go on to win 4 Silver Slugger awards at second base, as well as an MVP with the Giants in 2000. Having a reputation as extremely durable, he rarely hit the disabled list. However, he hit everything else, racking up 2461 hits and 377 home runs during his distinguished career. He hit 25 home runs in a season 6 times and drove in 100 runs in 8 different seasons.
Kent was a solid player with the Mets whom he played with for the beginning portion of his career. He was not the MVP caliber player he would be with the Giants, but he still put up above-average numbers for a second baseman.
This will be Kent’s second year on the ballot. Last year he received 15.2% of the vote, far below the required 75%. Despite the low number, I believe Kent will eventually get in. It may take a few years, but a few ballots down the road, it’s possible he will get enough. Would I vote for him? Yes. But I am not in the BBWAA… Yet.
Gary Sheffield, RF/3B
Brewers, Padres, Marlins, Dodgers, Braves, Yankees, Tigers, Mets
Career Stats (1988-2009)
.292/.393/.514, 509 HR, 1676 RBI, 2689 H, 253 SB, 60.2 WAR
Best Season (1996 with Marlins)
.314/.465/.624, 42 HR, 120 RBI, 163 H, 16 SB, 5.9 WAR
Stats with Mets (2009)
.276/.372/.451, 10 HR, 43 RBI, 0.3 WAR
Gary Sheffield, a 9-time all star and 5-time silver slugger (2 at third base and 3 in right field), is a member of the 500 home run club. Usually, by itself, that number is enough to give a player a pass into the Hall, but Sheffield’s case might be complicated. During the steroid era, it is assumed that anyone who hit over 500 home runs cheated in some way. In 2004, Sheffield admitted to using a testosterone-based steroid before and during the 2002 season called “the cream.” He applied it to his surgically scarred right leg to heal wounds. Despite insisting he wasn’t aware it was a steroid, it was a steroid nonetheless. While he says he only used it for one season to help heal scar tissue, many voters will hold that against him. Cream or not, Sheffield was a great player. With his iconic bat-waving batting stance, he was an on-base machine, with a .400 OBP 9 times, and a .450+ OBP twice. Smashing 25 homers in a season 11 times and driving in 100 runs 8 times, he was a feared hitter for over 20 seasons.
While only playing his last season with the Mets, he shared one of his greatest career moments with New York. Entering the 2009 season, Sheffield had hit 499 career home runs. On April 17th, he smashed a home run down the left field line for #500. That is pretty much the extent of his legacy with the Mets.
Putting the steroid cream aside, Sheffield is worthy of the Hall Of Fame. He was so great for so long, which is essentially the criteria for induction. If inducted, the rare journeyman Hall Of Famer, who played for eight teams, would have a hard time choosing what team’s logo goes on his cap on the plaque. However, chances are he will have to choose eventually, as his career numbers warrant an induction. However, the steroids may prove to be a hurdle, as it has for much better hitters like Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa.
Carlos Delgado, 1B
Blue Jays, Marlins, Mets
Career Stats (1993-2009)
.280/.383/.546, 473 HR, 1512 RBI, 2038 H, 44.3 WAR
Best Season (2000 with Blue Jays)
2000: .344/.470/.664, 41 HR, 137 RBI, 196 H, 57 2B, 123/104 BB/K , 7.3 WAR
Stats with Mets (2006-2009)
.267/.351/.506, 104 HR, 339 RBI, 468 H, 4.8 WAR
30 home runs in a season 11 times, 35 homers in a season 7 times, and 40 HRs in a season three times. 90 RBIs in a season 12 times, 100 in a season 9 times, 130 RBIs in a season 3 times. Carlos Delgado, a 3-time Silver Slugger and 2-time All Star (who probably deserved to be an All Star at least 5 more times), could absolutely destroy a baseball. He was adept at both hitting baseballs out of the park (which he did 473 times) as well as being an on-base machine, posting an impressive career .383 OBP. From 2000-2003 he eclipsed the .400 OBP mark every year, including an extraordinary .470 clip in 2000. He is absolutely one of the most consistent hitters in recent history.
Delgado wrapped up his career with the Amazin’s from 2006-2009. His numbers with the Mets are above, albeit they include 2009 which was an injury-shortened season for him. Exclusively looking at ’06-’08, he averaged 33 home runs and 105 RBIs. In a lineup that included the likes of Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, and David Wright, he was a standout cleanup hitter at Shea for three years.
In my opinion, Carlos Delgado definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. In a steroid-riddled era, Delgado stood out as someone who appears to have truly earned all of his 473 home runs, which should help him get some votes as he shares a ballot with confirmed cheater home-run hitters Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa among others. “I definitely hope that will help me,” he told the Star. “I put in a lot of work and a lot of dedication to reach the level I wanted to reach.” With Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz all on the ballot and almost certainly getting in, as well as Craig Biggio and Mike Piazza on the cusp, Delgado will likely have to wait a year or two to get inducted.
Mike Piazza, C
Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Padres, Athletics
Career Stats (1992-2007)
.308/.377/.545, 427 HR, 1335 RBI, 2127 H, 59.4 WAR
Best Season (1997 with Dodgers)
.362/.431/.638, 40 HR, 124 RBI, 201 H, 69/77 BB/K, 8.7 WAR
Career with Mets (1998-2005)
.296/.373/.542, 220 HR, 655 RBI, 1028 H, 24.5 WAR
Mike Piazza was my favorite player growing up, hands down. Then again, what Mets fan doesn’t love Mike Piazza? From 1993 to 2002, a span of 10 seasons, he was both an All Star and Silver Slugger recipient at catcher every season. He was also an all star in 2004 and 2005, and was the 1993 Rookie of the Year with the Dodgers. He hit 30 home runs in a season 9 times, including 8 seasons in a row from 1995-2002. He has hit more home runs while playing catcher than anyone in history with 427 career bombs, and holds the record for hits in a season by a catcher with 201 (for those fact-checkers out there, Joe Torre did have 203 hits in 1970 and 230 hits in 1971, but he was playing third base). He drove in 90 runs in a season 10 times and knocked in 100 six times. The list goes on and on.
He’s the greatest offensive catcher in the history of Major League Baseball. That is a mathematically indisputable fact. He was no Johnny Bench behind the plate, but he certainly was no slouch. He has a reputation for being a bad defensive catcher, but he was not. For instance, when he was catching, pitchers had a 3.80 ERA. On the other hand, when different catchers caught those same pitchers in the same years, they had a 4.34 ERA. That’s more than an extra run every two games, among many other metrics that point to him not being as bad a defender as people claim. He did not hit to make up for bad defense; the greatest hitting catcher was a solid defender.
His legacy with the Mets is one of the best. He did lead the Mets to the World Series in 2000, but that was not his defining moment in my opinion. On September 21st 2001, a little over a week after the 9/11 attacks in NY, Piazza hit an 8th inning go-ahead home run against the Braves to win the first professional sporting event in NY after the attacks. That swing seemed to help begin the city’s healing process, as well as the country’s. I was at that game, albeit 7 years old. I remember it vividly. Shea Stadium was shaking and cheers of “USA! USA!” and “Pi-a-zza! Pi-a-zza!” echoed through the park.
It is baffling that Mike Piazza is not yet in the Hall of Fame. The only thing keeping him out is allegations that he took steroids. That is all they are, allegations. He has never been linked to steroids in any way, which should not be enough to keep him out of the Hall. The facts are that he is the greatest offensive catcher in history who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. This year is his third on the ballot. If he doesn’t get in this year, he will eventually. The Hall is incomplete without him.
Overall, one could expect Pedro Martinez, Carlos Delgado, Gary Sheffield, and Mike Piazza in the Hall eventually, and I hope for Jeff Kent to be inducted. Cliff Floyd and Tony Clark will likely not be on the ballot next year.
