The MMO team will be going all around the field, sharing our favorite Mets players by position. 

First up – first base. Is your favorite Met first baseman mentioned by one of us?

Ryan Finkelstein

Since I never actually got the chance to see Keith Hernandez play, my favorite Mets first basemen are all more short stints of guys being great. Who can forget the 11 home runs Mike Jacobs hit in just 30 games as a rookie, or Ike Davis‘ dugout catch?

To answer the question though, I would say Dominic Smith is quickly becoming my favorite Mets first baseman. Hopefully the DH returns in 2021, and we get to see him take over the position on a more full-time basis this year.

Josh Finkelstein

While this might be kind of a shocking choice, my answer is Ike Davis. I quickly was enamored with his over-the-railing catches at Citi Field and before a serious ankle surgery and Valley Fever got in the way, he was mashing homers and on his way to becoming a top-tier first baseman in the league. I’ll always wonder if he would’ve at least been the bridge to Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith.

Mojo Hill

Call it recency bias, but I’m going to go with Pete Alonso. I was quickly fascinated by him as he powered his way through the minor leagues, blasting balls all over the yard and quickly becoming hyped as the Mets’ next big prospect. I met him at what would end up being his penultimate game with the Las Vegas 51s, and have had the picture of me shaking his hand as my iPhone home screen ever since. He couldn’t be a nicer guy, as has been seen through all his community efforts and fan engagement. He’s a leader on and off the field, as well as one of baseball’s best hitters, and should be a mainstay in the lineup for years to come.

Marissa Credle

I’m going to have to go with Pete Alonso. You just know that every time he steps on the field, he is going to give 100% of his effort. He also loves being a Met, and what fan doesn’t like a player that loves playing for the team they root for?

It also helps that he’s already done a lot of good things in his short career, including winning Rookie Of The Year, becoming the 2019 Home Run Derby champion, and setting a new MLB record for most home runs by a rookie.

Dilip Sridhar

I’ll be the lone wolf here and say John Olerud. No, I didn’t watch him play per-say but he is the most impactful first baseman in team history. Olerud hit .315/.425/.501 with a 142 OPS+ and averaged 5.8 wins a year in his three-year stint as a Met. Olerud was criminally undervalued in an era where people only cared about RBI and HRs over OBP.

Rob Piersall

Since first base was one of the few positions I could play regularly being a lefty, I always found myself admiring the Mets’ first basemen growing up.

I loved the goofy Jason Phillips growing up, and then when Ike Davis came up, I thought he would still be manning first base to this day. Lucas Duda then quickly filled that hole and now we have two excellent first basemen in Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith. With that being said, I’d say Dominic Smith is my favorite first baseman right now, and historically, it is Lucas Duda.

Rich Sparago

Having been a Mets fan in the 1980s, there’s only one answer to this question- Keith Hernandez.

I admired Hernandez when he was in St. Louis, and was thrilled when he became a Met on June 15, 1983. Keith did not disappoint in orange and blue. He hit .297 over six and half seasons, and had the key hit in game seven of the 1986 World Series. He also had a 129 OPS+ as a Met. His offense was only half of his value story. Keith had, and has, no equal defensively as a first baseman.

His ability to take away the sacrifice bunt is unmatched. He put up an insane TZ of 14 in 1985, and backed that up with a TZ of 9 in 1986. While leadership cannot be assigned a metric, it’s clear that Keith was the driving force on the 1986 Mets. He was the number three hitter, a gold glove first baseman, and field general to whom all the other players looked up. I’m a huge fan of John Olerud as well, but Keith did it for longer and most importantly, led the Mets to one of their two championships.

Marshall Field

It was the mid-1980s. I was in Philadelphia going through the drudgery of optometry school. It was the summer, and the class load was light so I treated myself to a Phillies game on the radio. Their opponent were the New York Mets, my team since the days of Seaver. I never rooted for the Phils but I enjoyed the interplay between their broadcasters Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn and listened to them frequently.

In this particular game, Mets first baseman, Keith Hernandez, made several difficult plays at first seem routine. After about the second or third fine play by Hernandez, Ashburn piped up and said, ‘you know, this fella’ at first for the Mets is about the best I’ve ever seen…in fact he is the best.” High praise from an often curmudgeonly analyst who criticized players freely and emoted praise rarely. Ashburn was a six-time All-Star and a pretty good defensive player himself in center field.

Hernandez, the winner of 11 Gold Gloves in his career, and near .300 lifetime BA, earned those accolades from Ashburn and many, many others. He is my favorite NY Met first baseman, and has replaced Ashburn as my favorite local analyst in the broadcast booth as well. If he could make Richie Ashburn take notice, that’s enough for me.

Sal Manzo

When it comes to favorite Mets first baseman, there are a lot of names that will come up depending on the generation of fan. For me, however, that player is Carlos Delgado. I think much of that has to do with the nostalgia I have for that 2006 season, coupled with the fact Delgado was a tremendous offensive player that for some reason hasn’t been remembered as such.

To be able to watch him and teammate Carlos Beltran both post 40+ homerun seasons in ‘06 was mesmerizing as a 14 year old, and every homerun Delgado hit always seemed to be in the biggest moments, especially in the playoffs (the only appearance of his career). I hope he one day gets the Cooperstown recognition that he deserves, but for now he he will have to settle with just being my favorite Mets first baseman.

Michael Mayer

This is such a tough because I could very easily go with Hernandez, Olerud, or Delgado, all three were good Mets. Ultimately, while his time with the Mets was shorter than that of Hernandez, what Olerud did in a short period with the Mets was incredibly impressive.

I loved watching Olerud hit and he wasn’t a slouch at first base. Somehow, I believe the season Olerud in 1998 is still underrated by Mets fans, despite his 167 wRC+ ranking as the best for a single season in Mets history. His 8.1 fWAR that year still ranks second for a position player behind David Wright‘s 8.4 fWAR put up in 2007.

It’s also been fun to watch the sheer power the Mets have had at first base (unfortunately brief for some) in my lifetime; the run by Mike Jacobs, the long dongs by Ike Davis, the laser shots by Lucas Duda, and even the 505-foot monster by Mo Vaughn.

Michelle Ioannou

Carlos Delgado was the first baseman of teens — you know, those years when you are finally old enough for your parents to let you to go baseball games by yourself — so he is always going to be a Mets first baseman that I think fondly of and vividly remember. But, I have to go with Keith Hernandez for this one. Maybe it’s because of my own jealously that I never saw him play first base for the Mets (I have a feeling I am going to say that a lot throughout this series). In my eyes, Hernandez is the first baseman you want on your team — the one that gives you comfort defensively and also contributes offensively.