Reese Kaplan -- The Decade of Falling Short Ends in 1999

It was a long decade of tedium for Mets fans until they arrived in the post season in 1999 under the helm of Bobby Valentine.  This era of the New York Mets was expected to be bigger and brighter but such fortune was not meant to be.

The Opening Day lineup for the Mets in 1999 was a solid one with a great many players holding All Star level credentials either currently or at one point in their careers.  

John Olerud

Edgardo Alfonzo

Rey Ordóñez

Robin Ventura

Mike Piazza

Rickey Henderson

Brian McRae

Bobby Bonilla

Al Leiter

There is no question about the level of best-ever performance by John Olerud at first base.  Keith Hernandez may have the fans' hearts but Olerud produced at a whole other level during his three years in New York.  He hit .315 with 63 HRs and drove in 291 while playing Gold Glove caliber of first base defense.

Edgardo Alfonzo went from earlier in his career as a light hitting but strong defensive player into a true star.  During 1999 he hit .304 with 27 HRs and 108 RBIs, winning the Silver Slugger award for his efforts.  

About the only truly weak link at the plate was slick fielding shortstop Rey Ordonez.  He was able to perform highlight reel tricks with his range and flashing his glove.  However, as a hitter he was never going to be much more than what the club had grown accustomed to seeing from the likes of folks like Bud Harrelson.  1999 was Ordonez' best season with a .258 average, a single home run and somewhat surprisingly high 60 RBIs.  

Newly arrived Robin Ventura showed the Mets fans what the White Sox throngs had come to enjoy for many years.  He hit .301 with Gold Glove defense while also providing 32 HRs and 120 RBIs.  Along with fellow infielders Olerud, Alfonzo and Ordonez, Ventura was on the cover of Sports Illustrated headlined "The Best Infield Ever."  He also established a feat not yet matched in baseball when he hit grand slams in both halves of a doubleheader.  

What can you say about Mike Piazza that hasn't already made the future Hall of Famer regarded alongside Johnny Bench in conversations about the most valuable catchers in the history of baseball?  1999 was his first full season for New York after wearing three different uniforms in 1998.  He responded by hitting .303 with 40 HRs and 124 RBIs.  For the record the Mets had not one, not two, but three on their infield notching over 100 RBIs each.  John Olerud trailed the pack with "only" 96 RBIs for the season.

The outfield for the Mets sounded better than it was.  Rickey Henderson was already 40 years of age by the time he contributed his 37 stolen bases to the 1999 team's benefit.  Brian McRae in his final year of baseball struggled for three teams.  Roger Cedeno was always an adventure on the field defensively, but no one expected him to hit .315 with 66 stolen bases playing primarily right field for the club.  

Starting pitching was a real struggle for the team with none of the quintet of regulars pitching below a 4.00 ERA level.  However, with the kind of offense and defense the infield produced to go along with speedsters in left field and right field, the Mets could withstand less than stellar output from guys like Al Leiter, Orel Hershiser, Masato Yoshii and Rick Reed gave the team.  Leiter and Hershiser tied for the lead in victories with just 13.  

The bullpen, however, was way better than many the Mets had ever experienced. Newly crowned closer Armando Benitez saved 22 games while pitching to a 1.80 ERA, while outgoing closer John Franco had 19 while pitching to a 2.88 ERA. They were supported by Turk Wendell, Dennis Cook and that quarterback's father, Pat Mahomes.  

Bobby Valentine shepherded this team to a 97 victory season which notched them a single playoff game against the Cincinnati Reds which the Mets won, leading them to a chance for the World Series against the Atlanta Braves.  They took it to six games but were beaten, thus ending a magical season by some truly great players as the Braves would advance to the World Series where they were beaten in four straight by the crosstown rival New York Yankees.