Last but not least... and probably as easy as third baseman.
Who is your all time favorite Mets catcher?
Some to consider...
Mike Piazza... Jerry Grote... Todd Hundley....
John Stearns... Gary Carter... Ron Hodges...
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Piazza, Carter, and Grote, in that order
ReplyDeleteGrote was great defensively, and converted himself from an awful hitter into a much-improved decent one. He should be a player every Mets minor league catcher should aspire to emulate.
Mackey Sasser was always an adventure to watch.
ReplyDeleteGrote. Not hall-of-fame caliber, but still an all-star game starter and a great competitor.
ReplyDeleteProbably the position the Mets have had the most success with.
ReplyDeletePiazza and Carter would have to top the list for me. John Stearns was a perennial all-star during the late 1970s when the Mets had nobody else who could be considered an all-star. Todd Hundley really had one great season. Grote was as tough as nails. Ron Hodges was the ultimate back-up catcher for 12 seasons (that would never happen today). Paul LoDuca was a stand-out for the 2006 season.
There were others such as Junior Ortiz, Josh Thole (who caught the only no-hitter in Mets history), Mike Nickeas, Duffy Dyer, Vance Wilson and Jason Phillips (with the goggles), etc.
Chuck, used to love those bullets down to second base from Grote. He took stolen bases personally.
ReplyDeleteBob W, we gotta give Choo Choo Coleman a shout-out. Good or bad, great nickname. He apparently caught Satchel Paige at one point.
ReplyDeleteFor pure catching skill, let's not forget light hitting but pitcher-loved Charlie O'Brien.
ReplyDeleteMany great ones. Can't agrue with Piazza/Carter/Grote trifecta.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I need to give Ronny Hodges credit, he was able to last a long time in the big leagues with relatively limited talent.