The decade of the 1960s saw the Mets remarkably go from having the worst record in baseball history in 1962 to a world championship in 1969.
Most of the decade was characterized by poor Mets teams that didn’t hit well, field well or pitch well.
That said, the clear choice for Mets Best Hitter of the 1960s was without a doubt Cleon Jones.
Tommie Agee’s Mobile, Alabama buddy, Cleon got a brief cup of coffee in 1963 after playing his first season in the minors at age 20 in his first season, in A ball. He spent the entire 1964 season in the minors, and most of the 1965 season in the minors as well, with just 74 Mets at bats in 1965.
He came into his own, as a starter and hitter, in 1966, hitting .275 in 139 games at the age of 23 and finishing 4th in the rookie of the year race.
After a sophomore jinx year in 1967, in which he hit just .246, he struggled mightily at the start of 1968, hitting just .205 through May 17.
Offensive Mets player of the decade? At that point, it sure wasn’t looking that way.
But the lights started to flicker on May 18, when he laced a single, double and homer, but still ended May at a low .223.
June was a scorcher, though, when he hit .343 with a gaudy 15 extra base hits in 25 games.
He followed by a solid .272 in July, and then a scorching .315 and .352 in August and September, respectively.
He even managed to climb all the way up to briefly hit the .300 mark very late in the season before settling just short at .297. The table was set for a breakout 1969.
1969 was indeed Cleon’s career year. He busted out of the gate with a .410 April!
He stayed blazing hot through August, ending that month with a season-to-date awesome .351/.430/.508 split. Truly rarified air for a Mets fan used to offensive ineptitude from his favorite team from Queens
Clean, however, battled an injury in early September, going just 1 for through September 9. He ended up hitting just .227 in 12 September games, and slipped out of batting title contention, but nonetheless hit an incredible .340.
His season, despite his injury-hindered September, was good enough for a 7th place finish in the MVP voting.
He also had a solid 9 for 33 post-season, helping the Mets knock off the formidable Braves and Orioles and shocking the baseball world with a World Championship.
Overall, in the 1960s, he hit a commendable .285 in 1,987 at bats, with 81 doubles, 17 triples, 40 HRs, 227 RBIs, 68 steals, and 146 bases on balls. Not too shabby. And he also hit a sweet .319 in 1971.
OK, we're set on Cleon...
Who would be my 1960s Mets offensive runner-up?
RON HUNT, who hit .282 over 4 seasons, including a 2nd place finish in the Rookie of the Year award to an obscure player named...Pete Rose.
Next time: The Mets’ best player in the decade of the 1970s.
Cleon does not always get the respect in Mets lore that he deserved. .340 BA is a tremendous achievement especailly in the late 60's when pitching dominated so much.
ReplyDeleteThe Mets did not approach that rarified air again until John Olerud hit .354 for the Mets in 1998.
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame Cleon got hurt in September that year - he would more likely have hit .350, which, yes, given the time, would have been truly exceptional.
ReplyDeleteCleon also, as I recall, lost a lot of hits just short of 396 in right center back then, too. A shorter 388 would have meant a whole lot to him.