Reese Kaplan -- Mets History, Third Base Edition

Third base was always a black hole for the Mets.  They tried player after player at the position, but no one seemed to stick until their best-ever in the mid 2000s.  Even during their World Series appearances during 1969, 1973, 1986 and 2000 it was a somewhat unstable position awaiting a long term solution.

David Wright was on the path towards a Cooperstown career until the Mets moved into Citifield and until the first spate of injuries shelved him for quite some time.  He had some remarkable seasons with the bat, the glove and his legs, including seven All Star appearances and six bouts of running for MVP when he posted seasons with power, batting average, great defense and up to 34 stolen bases.  His back issues curtailed his results and then later his neverending spinal stenosis shut him down prematurely. For his interrupted 14 year career he did manage to slug 242 HRs, drove in 970 runs, stole 196 bases and batted .296. That’s not shabby for a guy with chronic medical problems.  

Before establishing himself as the steady third base regular, the Mets went through a plethora of alternatives, none of whom staged long term residence at the hot corner.  The next highest toll of games after Wright at barely half as many was the man with the superball-filled bat, Howard Johnson. HoJo was a guy who could hurt the opposition in a number of ways -- with the long ball, with the stolen base and even on the defensive side of the field.  He played some shortstop as well, but 3B became his home for 835 games. He twice hit 36 HRs while once knocking 38 out of the park. His RBI totals ran as high as 117 and he stole as many as 41 bases in a single season. Like many power hitters, he didn’t hit for much of an average, finishing with a .249 mark for his career, but he was very popular while in a Mets uniform.

Wayne Garrett was a great representative of the mediocrity of the Mets third base position.  He hung around nearly as long as did Howard Johnson, but in his BEST ever season he only provided a 1973 World Championship contending team with a .256 average, 16 HRs and 58 RBIs.  For his 3300 AB career he hit just 61 HRs, drove in just 340 runs, stole just 38 bases and hit only .239. Personally, I saw him knock down a fan at a Welcome Home dinner just to get out of there as quickly as possible.  

One of the more popular players at 3B was Hubie Brooks, an All Star in his later years in Montreal.  His best season for the Mets was his last one in 1984 when he hit .283 with 16 HRs, and drove in 73. He had hit at an even higher average a few years earlier when he finished the 1980 and 1981 seasons at .309 and .307 respectively.  His first season in Montreal was one for the ages when he drove in 100 runs. He had been traded over there as part of a multiplayer package including Herm Winningham, Floyd Youmans and Mike Fitzgerald for future Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter.  

Edgardo Alfonzo played around the diamond for the Mets, including a bit over 3 full years at 3rd base.  He was obviously a credit to the team in his time there, but after eight years with the Mets he was off to the Giants, the Angels and the Blue Jays to finish his career.  During the World Series year of 2000 he was an All Star, finishing with a .324 AVG, 25 HRs and 94 RBIs.  

Another short timer was the former All Star, Robin Ventura.  He was one of the NY Mets’ notable free agent acquisitions and served them well until a poorly executed trade on both sides sent him to the NY Yankees for the over-the-hill David Justice.  HIs best year for the Mets was 1999 when he won a Gold Glove, hit .301 with 32 HRs and 120 RBIs but didn’t even make the All Star team. He got that honor in his one full year playing for the Yankees when he hit .247 with 27 HRs and 93 RBIs.  The Mets flipped David Justice to Oakland before he suited up in orange and blue, where he played his final season at just .266 with 11 HRs and 49 RBIs. (To be fair, the Mets obtained Mark Guthrie and Tyler Yates for Justice. Guthrie’s one season for the Mets was memorable, pitching in 68 games, going 5-3 with a 2.44 ERA).  

There were others who served time at 3rd, including Ed Charles, Dave Magadan, Todd Frazier, Lenny Randle and Ty Wigginton, but none logged even 300 games there.  I even remember Joe Torre taking grounders at 3B. Ugh! Anyone stick out in your memories?