Reese Kaplan -- The Best Mets First Basemen

Being a Mets fan has seemingly more often been about suffering through disappointment than it has been a celebration of success.  As much as we all view the game as a series of individual challenges, no single player can alone deliver a victory to his team.  Consequently, all we can do is appreciate what individuals have done whether or not it has led to a change in the standings.  

Today we're going to look at some of the best first basemen ever to wear a Mets uniform.  I have set an arbitrary two-season minimum for this evaluation which would rule out individuals who soared for one year only to depart.  

The flip side, of course, is that simply being around for a great many years is not in and of itself a guarantee to belong on this list.  No one has anything bad to say about Ed Kranepool, for example, but he was not ever an All Star caliber player, let alone the best player on his own team.  

Any time this topic arises, everyone immediately applauds now broadcaster but then stellar fielding first baseman Keith Hernandez.  He is clearly one of the best of all time when it came to positioning himself, making plays and helping keep opposing runners from scoring.  With the bat he was certainly commendable, having achieved a NY Mets career average of .296 during his six-plus years at Shea Stadium.  

He averaged 14 HRs and 85 RBIs to go along with his year-in and year-out Gold Glove Award for being the best in the field.

People who have been reading me for a long time know I will already advocate John Olerud as the superior Mets player in this role.  His fielding was commendable and during his major league career he did win a couple of Gold Gloves as a testament.  

It was his bat, however, that was clearly superior to Hernandez.  During his three years in a Mets uniform he average .315 with an annual output of 21 HRs and 99 RBIs.  No matter how big a fan you were of Keith Hernandez as a fielder, there's no question Olerud was a superior hitter.

Late in his career the Mets obtained slugger Carlos Delgado, and for once the newcomer did not disappoint.  He was at best an average fielder, but made up for that shortcoming with the wood in his hands.  As somewhat expected, his batting average was not quite up to the level of the previous two at .267, but his run production was even better.  He averaged 36 HRs and 117 RBIs per full season.  Wow!

Although still early in his career, you have to include current first baseman Pete Alonso in this upper tier.  He's been here since 2019 and has delivered in a big way.  In addition to his back-to-back Home Run Derby titles at the All Star Game, he has a Rookie of the Year Award on his mantle and has delivered in a big way.  

His Mets career batting average is a somewhat pedestrian .256 but he's averaging an unforeseen Mets output of 45 HRs and 110 RBIs per full season.  Delgado may very well lose his top slugger attribute.  

Eddie Murray just eked into the competition with two full seasons for the Mets at ages 36 and 37.  During that time he showed a little bit of decline.  The batting average was a respectable .274 with an annual average of 22 HRs to go along with 101 RBIs.  Murray was known for his durability and his bat, but the big man won some Gold Gloves during his Baltimore Orioles years as well.

Missing from this list are some other notable contributors like Dave Kingman.  Yes, he was a feared slugger, but his career batting average as a Met was just .219.  

Donn Clendenon was one of the finishing pieces that propelled the 1969 Mets into a World Series championship, but his efforts were not quite up to the standards set here by the others finishing as a Met hitting .264 with 25 HRs and 94 RBIs.  

John Milner was another contender but his numbers paled as well, with his best single season being 23 HRs and 72 RBIs but only hitting .239.  

Is there anyone you feel deserves to share the stage with the top five picks?