Reese Kaplan -- Favorites to Watch in a Mets Uniform

Mack’s been running a series of open ended questions, such as “favorite GM” or “player who should be in the Mets Hall of Fame.”  During one of these responses I mentioned that some players became fan favorites not for their stat lines but for the way in which they played the game in the clutch.  As such, I thought I’d volunteer a list of Fan Favorite Mets.  Now, don’t expect to see the Mike Piazza, Tom Seaver, David Wright type entries.  Those folks are there for what appears in their highly productive resumes.  Instead, think of the players for whom Mets fans felt some passion even if their stay was not long or their production numbers not of the All-Star variety.  Some exceptions can be made for sure but there are fringe players for whom the fans have had an inordinate attachment.

First Base

When you name this position people naturally gravitate to Keith Hernandez with the occasional overture towards Carlos Delgado.  Sure, there were some memorable players out there like Willie Montanez with his flair for fielding or Mo Vaughn for his, ummm, nevermind.  Still, Dave Magadan was a solid singles hitter who logged nearly as many games at 1^st as he did at 3^rd while delivering a career .288 AVG.  Countless catchers have been experimental first basemen with varying results (remember Mike Piazza out there?)  My nominee for 1^st base where he did arguably the least defensive damage would be current free agent Wilmer Flores.  Between his tearful reaction to perhaps being traded, his great many clutch hits and his infectious smile, he became a polar player that fans either loved or hated.  If BVW made a gesture towards signing him to be the Jed Lowrie replacement, the reaction would likely be far more positive than negative.

Second Base

Here folks might nominate an Edgardo Alfonso or a Wally Backman as a favorite at 2B.  Either are good choices (though Fonzie is far more fan-friendly than the to-be-censored Backman).  There would likely be some strong sentiment for Daniel Murphy as well.  All had enviable resumes.  My nomination is for the surprisingly popular Jose Valentin who came from out of nowhere to deliver a 2006 season at age 36 with a .271 average, 18 HRs and 62 RBIs.  Considering what he’d done in the previous five years of replacement level play, his production was as shocking as it was welcome.

Shortstop

Lots of great shortstops have played for the Mets, including Jose Reyes, Bud Harrelson, Rey Ordonez, Asdrubal Cabrera (with his bat, anyway), and now Amed Rosario.  All were far too productive for an extended period of time to qualify for this exercise.  We also saw some novelty insertions there, like Howard Johnson, Kevin Mitchell and Wilmer Flores.  I would like to nominate a player who was very capable in the field and was able to make the most of his limited offensive abilities by using the drag bunt and stealing bases effectively, Frank Taveras.  You could visibly see the anxiety on infielders’ and pitchers’ faces when he came to the plate despite being a rather scrawny 155 pound 6-footer.  During his two full time years for the Mets he hit a respectable .263 and .279 while stealing a combined 74 bases.  He’s gone but not forgotten.

Third Base

This position has been a black hole for the ballclub between the days of Ed Charles, Wayne Garrett, Howard Johnson, Robin Ventura and eventually David Wright.  Many have tried and few have succeeded.  One player who fans seemed to embrace was little-regarded sub Ty Wigginton.  He played a capable 3B while delivering more power than fans were accustomed to seeing.  He developed into a solid if unspectacular player over a dozen years in the majors.

Catcher

This is a position where the Mets have enjoyed some great success, including Piazza, Todd Hundley, Gary Carter, John Stearns, Jerry Grote and others, but there were also a number of “interesting” guys who lived up to the moniker of catching gear as the tools of ignorance.  Sure, some folks have sentimental spots for Rene Rivera, Anthony Recker or even Josh Thole, but to me the name that stands out among all others was the solid-hitting and bizarre-throwing Mackey Sasser.  Many folks don’t realize that as a Met Sasser played roughly the equivalent of two full time seasons over a five-year span, hitting .283 with 15 HRs and 133 RBIs.  While not great numbers, they were certainly better than most catchers, but it was his inability to throw the ball back to the mound that sticks in people’s heads. 

Left Field

Any number of fine players have graced left field, but there were some clunkers and some fan favorites who were not destined to join the best of the best at the All Star Game.  Todd Hundley is one who immediately comes to mind when he was force fed into the outfield upon the arrival of one Mike Piazza.  Despite having hit 41 HRs at age 27 and 30 at age 28, apparently his PED diet did not include defensive acumen and quickly he found himself packaged off to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with the immortal Arnold Gooch to obtain speedy Roger Cedeno and catcher Charles Johnson.     

Centerfield

Wow, there are so many oddball choices here.  We leave out the Mookie Wilson, Lenny Dykstra and other quality players to instead concentrate on the stranger choices here.  The one that always pops into my mind was when the Mets took an All-Star caliber infielder from the Philadelphia Phillies by the name of Juan Samuel to play CF who only cost them both Roger McDowell and Lenny Dykstra.  Samuel did steal 31 bases to go along with his pitcher-loving .228 AVG and was allowed to depart as a free agent after just one dismal year.  It was great to see him running, but he was clearly not in his element with the Mets.

Right Field

Rusty Staub and Darryl Strawberry come up at the top of any fan favorite lists, but who could forget the hold-your-breath moments when a fly ball went to RF when speedster Roger Cedeno was patrolling out there?  Yes, his running was amazing and he hit fairly well for the Mets but he was an outfield equivalent of Wilmer Flores or JD Davis where you never knew exactly what was going to happen.

Starting Pitcher

My absolute favorite pitcher was the strike-crosser, Rick Reed.  He was a nondescript pitcher the Mets picked up after he’d fallen out of favor with the Reds and elsewhere for having dared to cross the picket lines when he needed money for his parents’ health and living situations.  He came from out of nowhere to go 63-42 for the Mets with a 3.76 ERA.  For comparison’s sake, Noah Syndergaard last year was 10-8 with a 4.28 ERA. 

Reliever

Yes, the Mets have had some truly solid relievers who were worthy of league honors for what they accomplished.  Even the sequeled Jeurys Familia once was at the top of his game.  However, there were other relievers you loved to see step into the game for the way in which they made batters knees’ lock and leave them unable to hit with authority.  Sidearmers definitely come to mind and guys like Jeff Innis were here a long time.  However, it was one stellar season from former Moneyball pitcher Chad Bradford who played for just one season, going 4-2 with a 2.90 ERA over 70 games, seemingly scraping his hand on the mound with his extreme delivery.  The Mets picked him up as a free agent then just as mysteriously let him go the same way.