The Top-Five Most Underrated Mets' of All-Time

By, Steve Sica

In continuation from last week's list, here are the top-five most underrated Mets' of all-time. From pitchers to hitters, from the 1960's through the 2000's, Met fans might have forgotten just how amazin' these players were.

5. Rick Reed

A key member of the Mets’ late 1990’s and early 2000’s pitching staffs, Rick Reed often gets overlooked, despite being on teams that made it to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

Born in Huntington, West Virginia, Reed started his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he spent his first four seasons. He bounced around from Kansas City, Texas, and Cincinnati over the next three seasons, dealing with injuries, before the Mets signed him as a free agent.

New York is where Reed found consistency and a spot in the starting rotation. In 1997, Reed made a career high, 31 starts, putting up a record of 13-9, firing off two complete games, and striking out 113 batters. In 1998, Reed continued to have success as a starter, posting a 16-11 record and earning his first All-Star selection. In 1999, Reed went 11-5, with his biggest win coming on the second to last day of the season. The Mets were trailing the Reds by a game for the Wild Card spot, and needed to beat the Pirates at Shea. Reed stepped up to pitch a complete game shutout while striking out 12 Pirates’ in the 7-0 win. Reed also contributed with his bat, lacing a two-run single in the eighth inning to put the game away.

In the postseason that year, Reed continued to perform on the biggest stage. He pitched six strong innings against Arizona, in the first postseason game at Shea in 11 years, picking up the win in game three of the NLDS. With their backs against the wall in game four of the NLCS against Atlanta, Reed went seven innings and allowed just two runs, giving the Mets a chance to win the game and get back into the series with a dramatic 3-2 victory.

In 2000, Reed put up another 11-5 record and helped the Mets earn their first pennant since 1986. In the World Series, Reed was responsible for the only Met win over the Yankees, where in six innings he struck out eight in helping the Mets salvage game three of the 2000 Subway Series with a 4-2 win. Reed was traded the next year to Minnesota, midway through the 2001 season for Matt Lawton.

4. David Cone

Another pitcher on this list. David Cone came to the Mets via trade from Kansas City in 1987. It was in 1988 that a 25-year-old Cone had his best season with the Mets. His .870 winning percentage that year is still a Met single-season record. Cone posted a record of 20-3 that season. He twirled eight complete games with three shutouts and struck out 213 batters. He was masterful down the stretch winning his final eight decisions of 1988 and helping the Mets clinch their second NL East Championship in three years. Though he was roughed up in a game two loss to the Dodgers in the NLCS that year, Cone came through with a complete game shutout in game six of that series at Dodger Stadium, keeping the Mets season alive for another game.

Cone would continue to dominate as the Mets ace in 1989 and 1990, putting up 233 strikeouts to the tune of a 3.23 ERA in 1990. In 1991, Cone’s last full season with the Mets, he had 241 strikeouts, but perhaps his most memorable start as a Met came on the season's final day in that 1991 campaign. Cone would tie Tom Seaver for the most strikeouts in a game when he struck out 19 Phillies’ at Veterans Stadium, a Met record that still stands today.

Cone was traded as the Mets struggled in 1992 to Toronto for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson. If the Mets wind up getting past the Dodgers in the 1988 NLCS and go on to beat Oakland in the World Series that year, David Cone is likely held as highly as names like Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden in Met history. Cone would go on to win multiple World Series with the Yankees in the later part of the 1990’s, but he would come back to Queens in 2003, where despite making only four starts in his age 40 season, finished his career as a Met.

3. Jon Matlack

It’s no secret that the Mets have a pitching rich history, so it makes sense as to why the first three players on this list are pitchers. Jon Matlack was drafted out of the Philly suburb of West Chester, PA in the first round of the 1967 draft. Matlack made his debut for the Mets in 1971 and won Rookie of the Year in 1972 where he posted a record of 15-10, with an ERA of 2.32, while striking out 169 batters. 

In 1973, Matlack would turn in 14 complete games, strikeout 205, and help the 82-win Mets into an unlikely World Series berth. On the way there, Matlack would throw a complete game, two-hit shutout in game two of the NLCS against the Big Red Machine’s potent offense. He’d continue his dominance in the World Series against Oakland. Matlack would throw six shutout innings in game one, but be the hard luck loser in a 2-1 loss. Back at Shea for game four, Matlack would continue his scoreless streak when he tossed eight shutout innings with five strikeouts as the Mets evened the series up at two. Unfortunately, Matlack’s magic would run out in game seven of that series, as he allowed Oakland to score four runs in the first three innings, effectively giving them the win and the World Championship.

Matlack would go on to make the All-Star team from 1974-1976, where in 1974, he had a league high seven shutouts and in 1976, led the National League again with six shutouts. He would be traded to the Texas Rangers at the end of the 1977 season. 

Matlack still remains in the top-ten in almost all Met pitching categories including wins (82), ERA (3.03), strikeouts (1,023), complete games (65), and he’s second only to Tom Seaver in shutouts with 26.

2. John Olerud

Originally drafted by the Mets in the 27th round in 1986, Olerud opted to go play college ball instead and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays three years later, where he’d help Toronto win back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993.

He would remain a Blue Jay until the end of the 1996 season, when he was traded to the Mets for Robert Person. Olerod continued the same offensive production he had with the Blue Jays when he came to New York. In 1997, Olerud batted .294 with an OPS of .889 as he led the Mets in doubles (34) and RBIs (102). In 1998, with more protection in the lineup after the Mets acquired Mike Piazza, Olerud put up his best season for the Mets. He batted .354 with an OPS of .998 and led the Mets in hits (174), doubles (36), RBIs (93), and walks (96)

As the Mets tried to make the playoffs in 1999 for the first time in over a decade, Olerud played in all 162 games batting .298, with 36 doubles, 96 RBIs, 125 walks, and an OPS of .890. In the postseason, Olerud put up some of the best offensive numbers you’ll ever see in October. In the NLDS against Arizona, he went 7-for-16 with 6 RBIs and an OPS of 1.151. 

In the NLCS against Atlanta, the Mets would fall behind in the series 3-0. Olerud came up in the eighth inning of game four with the Mets down to their last four outs and facing their nemesis John Rocker. Olerud lined a two-run single off Rocker giving the Mets a 4-3 win over Atlanta. Game five of that NLCS is remembered for Robin Ventura’s 15th inning “Grand Slam Single”, but it was Olerud who gave the Mets a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning with a two-run home run off Greg Maddux.

Olerud would move onto Seattle in free agency after 1999 where he continued to put up his usual offensive numbers. One has to wonder that if the Mets were able to keep him going into that 2000 season, would it have been enough to rewrite history and have the Mets claim the Subway Series from the Yankees. And of course, who could forget how he wore his batting helmet even when he took the field.

1.Kevin McReyolds 

A power hitter from Arkansas, McReyolds was drafted by the Padres with the sixth overall pick in the 1981 draft. He came to the Mets prior to the 1987 season, when New York traded the popular Kevin Mitchell along with others for McReyolds. Any bad feelings about the trade were put to rest once fans saw what McReyolds could do. He set a career high in home runs with 29, drove in 95 runs and hit 32 doubles in 1987. 1988 was his best year on the Mets where he’d finish third in the MVP voting after putting up an average of .288, with 30 doubles, 27 home runs 99 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. At 6'0 and 215 pounds, he earned the nickname "Big Mac" from Met fans.

He hit two more home runs during the NLCS against the Dodgers where he had an OPS of .878 over seven games. He also scored the go-ahead run during the Mets three-run ninth inning comeback in game one of that series when he bulldozed Mike Scioscia at the plate to put the Mets up 3-2. The Mets would lose that series in seven games to the Dodgers, which would be the last postseason baseball of McReynold’s career.

Over the next three seasons, McReyolds would continue to be a reliable power hitter for the Mets, putting together seasons of 20+ doubles and 20+ home runs. After the 1991 season, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals in a deal that sent Bret Saberhagen to the Mets.

McReynolds would end his six year Met career with 787 games played, an OPS of .790, 122 home runs, 456 RBIs, 67 stolen bases, and 153 doubles. Much like David Cone, if the Mets found the same October glory in 1988 as they did in 1986, McReynolds goes down in Met history as a household name for Met fans. 

I put McReynolds as my most underrated Met of all-time because he’s rarely talked about these days among Met fans or even by the Mets organization. He didn’t play for a team that won a World Series or even a pennant. His personality wasn’t quite as charismatic as some of the other Met players during the late 1980’s, but McReynolds is still one of the more fearsome power hitters to ever wear the Met uniform.