Tom Brennan - BASEBALL’S ALL TIME BEST HITTING PITCHERS

Mets fans only had that fine hitter Mike Hampton for a season.

Other Mets’ pitchers over time have hit well enough - for pitchers. Guys like Seaver, deGrom, Syndergaard, Wheeler...but are not even close to decent compared to everyday hitters.  

Seaver did have 12 HRs and 86 RBIs - YAY - but hit .154, not so YAY.

Back to Mike Hampton, though; he got off to a slow start as a hitter when he was young.  A lot of young hitters don't hit great when first called up either.

But from 1998 to 2009, he was impressive: .270, with 40 extra base hits in 561 at bats.  Clearly, he could have played, perhaps excelled, as an everyday hitter.  He had killer numbers in his years playing for Colorado.

But Hampton has had fine company - baseball has had a lot of fine hitting pitchers over time.

Babe Ruth, of course. No need for explanation.

Shohei Ohtani is a current incredible hitter (career .292, 36 HRs, 101 RBIs. How long the soon-to-return fireballer also pitches? Time will tell.

But there are many pitchers-only guys since Ruth who compiled real deal numbers. Like these:

Wes Ferrell - .280, 38 HRs, 208 RBIs.  They even stuck him in the outfield for a few dozen games.  Dude could flat-out rake.

Warren Spahn - despite having 490 declining-years at bats at age 39-44, when most hitters have long since retired, he overall hit .194 with 35 HRs and 189 RBIs in 1,894 at bats.  Heck of an RBI rate.  

Gary Peters - frequently used as a PH, in 807 at bats, he hi  .222/.253./.348 with 19 HRs, 102 RBIs.  Twice knocked in 19 runs in a season.  Some RBI rate he had huh?

Earl Wilson - a big power guy, he had 740 at bats, and a whopping 35 HRs, 111 RBIs, .195/.265/.369.

Ken Brett, George's bro, once homered in 4 straight starts, hit .262 with 10 HRs and 44 RBIs.

Don Larsen, Mr Perfect, hit .242 with 14 HRs and 72 RBIs.

Don Drysdale, .186 with 29 HRs and 113 RBIs.  One season where he hit over .300, with 7 HRs and 21 RBIs.  At age 21, he also hit 7 long balls.

Don Robinson hit .231, 13 HRs, 69 RBIs.

Rick Rhoden, .238, 9 dingers, 79 RBIs.  Robinson and Rhoden actually played together with the Pirates for several seasons.  

Let’s not forget relatively recent guys like:

Dontrelle Willis: .244, 9, 39.  Tough competitor at the plate.  Donnie boy hit .320/.370/.580 against the Mets in 50 at bats.

Bob Forsch: .212/12/84 in 891 ABs for the Cardinals,  His overall #s dipped a tad by going 5 for 31 in his last two seasons at age 38-39.

Micah Owings: .283/9/35.  I always wondered why he didn't continue as a hitter after his pitching career ended at age 29.

Carlos Bam Bam Zambrano: .238/24/71.  A guy who loved to hit.

A pattern?  Four guys named Don.  That must be it.

You have to wonder how many of these guys could have been everyday players instead, had they not been good pitchers, which almost all were.

Tony Cloninger was almost on a par with these guys, hitting-wise, but none ever had the game he did one day: two grand slams, an RBI double, and nine RBIs. Insane.

And of course Rick Ankiel, who had one early very good pitching year, developed an incurable wild streak, and went back to the drawing board and became an every day player and hit .240 with 76 HRs and 251 career RBIs. Of course, in his end of career Mets cameo, he hit, well, like a pitcher: .182, with 25 Ks in 66 ABs.

What are your great hitting pitcher memories?