Every sport evolves with each passing generation -- from the
size and athleticism of players to game strategy.
Baseball’s evolution, however, is both historic and unique given
the pre-integration and dead ball eras. For the former, full
segregation took place from 1887-1947. Full integration, which
was a gradual process, came in 1959. The Deadball Era was a
period in the early 20th century when baseball was
characterized by low scoring and emphasis on pitching.
There was the Steroid Era, which has no definite start time though
it is generally assumed that the era ran from the late 1980s until
the late 2000s. This era was defined by shattered home run
records leading to exorbitant salaries.
The New York Mets came into Major League Baseball in 1962 as
one of baseball’s first expansion teams, replacing the Brooklyn
Dodgers and New York Giants, who departed for the West Coast.
In their first season, the Mets went 40-102, which was the worst
record since Major League Baseball adopted the 162-game
schedule. In 1969, the Mets defeated the Baltimore Orioles in
what is considered one of the biggest upsets in World Series
history. That team became known as the “Miracle Mets.” The
Mets won the World Series again in 1986, defeating the Boston
Red Sox 4-3. The Mets won the pennant also in 1973, 2000
and 2015.
Today, I formed a Mets Dream Team in a 26-man roster format.
For openers, to make this roster, four years as a Met are
required. No exceptions. With the free agency era, I’m not going
to cheapen this roster with 1-3 year rentals.
I’m forming a 12 man pitching staff, five starters and seven
relievers. For the latter, I want at least one lefthander in the
bullpen. For position players, I am taking what I believe is the
best of the best regardless of era. For the bench players, it’s
the best of the rest with versatility being heavily considered.
Merit achievements such as Hall of Fame, All Star
appearances and Gold Gloves are considered but not
guaranteed. General impactfulness on the franchise is also
considered.
Generational reminders
If you played on a playoff team, there is no guarantee of landing
on this roster. If you played during a bad season, that does not
deter you from being on this roster. Off the field baggage is not
a deterrent to landing on this team, nor is any Steroid Era
affiliation. This is baseball, not the Boys Scouts.
Starting pitchers
Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, Jacob deGrom, Ron Darling, Jerry
Koosman
Seaver spent 12 seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Mets
becoming the only pitcher along with Walter Johnson to record
at least 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts and have an earned run
average of under 3.00. Seaver also played for three of the other
teams but all three of his Cy Young Awards and 10 of his 12 All-
Star appearances came in a Mets uniform. Seaver helped
deliver the Mets 1969 World Series title. Substance abuse issues
prevented Gooden from having the Hall of Fame career that he
appeared to be on track when he first burst onto the scene. In
Gooden’s first three seasons, he compiled a 58-19 record with
a 2.28 ERA and 744 strikeouts. He was a four-time All-Star and
National League Rookie of the Year in 1984. Gooden won the
Cy Young Award in 1985 and helped the franchise to its 1986
World Series title. Gooden remained a force until 1993 before
his career faltered. Since deGrom is still active, his legacy is
still in progress. deGrom is a three-time All-Star and two-time
National League strikeout leader. He also led the Major
Leagues in ERA in 2018 and was National League Rookie of
the Year in 2014. deGrom is the 11th player in Major League
history to win consecutive Cy Youngs in Mets history.
Darling was a solid complementary cog in the Mets rotation.
His 99 career wins ranks him fourth in franchise history and is
also in the Top 10 in innings pitched, strikeouts, shutouts and
complete games. In the 1986 World Series, Darling pitched
17 2/3 Innings, allowing just three runs. The left-handed
throwing Koosman was the perfect complementary piece
behind Seaver. Koosman is second in Mets history behind
Seaver in shutouts, complete games and innings pitched.
Koosman was a two-time All-Star and member of the 1969
World Series championship team.
Bullpen
Closer -- John Franco
Jesse Orosco, Tug McGraw, Armando Benetiz, Jeurys
Familia, Roger McDowell, Randy Myers
Franco's 276 saves are by far the most in franchise history.
Franco's 424 career saves ranked him fifth in Major League
history and though he established himself as an All-Star with
the Cincinnati Reds, Franco spent the majority of his career
with the Mets pitching effectively into his 40s. Franco led the
National League in saves three times and remains very
popular among Mets fans. The lasting image of Orosco is
recording the final out of the 1986 World Series and then
firing his glove into the air and falling to his knees. At his peak,
the left-handed throwing Orosco was nearly unhittable
against left-handed hitters. Orosco was a two-time All-Star in
seven seasons with the Mets. Before saves were a
significant statistic, McGraw was one of the game's most
premier relievers. McGraw was a two-time All-Star and helped
deliver the Mets 1969 World Series title. McGraw was famous
for creating the rallying cry among the Mets specifically in their
two pennant winning seasons in his time of 1969 and 1973
uttering the phrase “Ya Gotta Believe!” Benitez has a
conflicting legacy with the Mets, whom he spent four seasons.
His 160 career saves rank him second in franchise history
behind Franco. Benitez's postseason ERA was under 2.00
but he also had the handful of blown saves in the postseason.
Familia has pitched 10 seasons with the Mets and his career is
still in progress. Familia was an All-Star in 2016 and led the
National League in saves in 2015 with 51, becoming the first
Mets closer other than Franco to lead the National League in
saves. McDowell formed a solid closer tandem with Orosco
and later Randy Myers. McDowell recorded 84 saves in his
five seasons with the Mets. Myers, meanwhile, recorded 56
saves in a Mets’ uniform.
Infield
Catcher -- Mike Piazza, First base -- Keith Hernandez,
Second base -- Edgardo Alfonso, Third base -- David
Wright, Shortstop -- Jose Reyes.
Piazza is widely regarded as the best offensive catcher in
baseball history. Piazza belted 396 of his 427 career home
runs while playing catcher, which is a record not likely to be
broken for a long time. Six of Piazza's 12 All-Star appearances
came as a Met on the way to a Hall of Fame career. Hernandez
might be the best defensive first baseman in Major League
history as evidenced by his 11 consecutive Gold Gloves.
Hernandez, however, was no slouch offensively either as he
had a .300 batting average for seven consecutive seasons.
Hernandez was a vital cog in the 1986 World Series title team.
Alfonso played a mixture of second base and third base and
also a little bit of shortstop but he belongs somewhere in the
starting lineup and since second base is a position where the
Mets have had very little greatness, Alfonso qualifies here.
Alfonso hit 120 home runs in his eight seasons and compiled
a .292 batting average. He was an All-Star in 2000.
Injuries ended up curtailing what Wright could have achieved
as he appeared to be on a Hall of Fame track for much of his
career. Wright, however, accomplished way too much not to be
the starter on this team. Wright is the franchise leader in hits,
RBIs, runs scored and doubles. Wright was a seven-time All-
Star, two-time Gold Glove Award winner and two-time Silver
Slugger Award winner. Before Reyes arrived, the Mets had a
good-but-not-great history at shortstop. Reyes played a
combined 12 seasons with the Mets. His 408 stolen bases and
113 triples are the most in franchise history. All four of Reyes'
All-Star appearances came in a Mets uniform. He led the
National League in stolen bases on three occasions and was
the National League batting champion in 2011.
Outfield
Leftfield -- Cleon Jones, Centerfield -- Carlos Beltran,
Rightfield -- Darryl Strawberry
Jones was a pivotal reason for the Mets 1969 World Series
championship. That season was his lone All-Star campaign
in his 11 years with the Mets. He batted .340 that season and
.281 for his career in New York. Beltran spent seven seasons
with the Mets with five of his nine All-Star campaigns coming
in a New York uniform. Beltran is one of the best postseason
performers in Major League history earning him nicknames
such as “The New Mr. October” and “Mr. October Jr.” Beltran
hit more home runs, doubles and compiled more RBIs than
any other Mets center fielder in franchise history. Legal
troubles and substance abuse problems prevented Strawberry
from having the career that many believed he was capable.
Strawberry, however, had a prosperous career with the Mets
hitting 252 home runs, the most in franchise history. Strawberry
had a distinctive long, looping uppercut swing that translated
into eight All-Star appearances and the National League
Rookie of the Year award winner in 1983. Strawberry was a
vital component in the Mets 1986 World Series team.
Bench
Gary Carter, Ed Kranepool, Howard Johnson, Bud Harrelson,
Kevin McReynolds, Michael Conforto
Carter played just five seasons with the Mets but they were
highly impactful. Carter was known as “The Kid” because of
his youthful exuberance.Though the Mets’ 1986 World Series
championship team had many great players, Carter was the
heartbeat of that team. He was an All-Star in four of his five
seasons in New York. Kranepool is the longest tenured Met
in franchise history at 17 years. Though he never hit more
than 15 home runs and hit over .300, Kranepool was a solid
performer for a long time. He was a member of the 1969
World Series team and an All-Star in 1965. The switch-hitting
Johnson had four 30/30 seasons, fourth most in Major
League history. Johnson, who was known as “HoJo,” was a
member of the 1986 World Series team and was an All-Star
on two occasions. The 1991 season was his best season
as he was the National League home run and RBI leader.
Harrelson played a total of 1,422 games, fourth most in
franchise history. He was a member of the 1969 World Series
team and though he never lit up the scoreboard statistically,
he was a steady performer and two-time All-Star. McReynolds
came to the Mets in an eight-player trade before the 1987
season. Though he never attained any All-Star accolades,
McReynolds was a steady and productive hitter in his five
seasons in New York. Conforto's legacy is still in progress
since he recently completed his sixth season with the
franchise. Conforto was an All-Star in 2017.
Manager
Gil Hodges
Hodges took over a perennially hapless team in 1968 and in
just two years transformed the franchise from a 100 loss
team to a 100 win team. In his debut in 1968, the Mets won
73 games, which was the best at the time in franchise history.
Hodges was a proponent in using platoon systems in order
to maximize production. Hodges managed the Mets for a
total of four seasons. Hodges died in 1972 and might be in
the Hall of Fame had he managed longer with his untimely
death shortening his life and career.
Team
1986
This is a pretty easy choice because the Mets won 108 games
during the regular season, running roughshod to a National
League East title and went on to win the World Series. The
Mets had an outstanding pitching staff with four starters
winning at least 15 games. The top three Mets pitchers all had
ERAs under 3.00. The catalysts of the lineup were Carter,
Strawberry, Hernandez along with second baseman Wally
Backman coupled with the centerfield platoon of Mookie
Wilson and Len Dykstra. The Mets defeated the Houston
Astros 4-2 in the NLCS which was considered one of the
best postseason series in Major League history. In the World
Series, the Mets defeated the Boston Red Sox 4-3, thus
continuing the “Curse of the Bambino,” which would be
broken in 2004.
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