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As we get to the close of 2016, the Rising Apple staff thought it may be a good time to reflect on the top ten Mets teams of all time.
Which teams were the most fun to watch? Achieved the most? Surprised the so-called experts? Helped change the culture?
Pull up a chair and enjoy a walk through some of the history of the New York Mets!
Number 10: 2006
What they did: Won the NL East with a 97-65 record
Key Players:
Carlos Delgado (38 HR, 114 RBI)
Carlos Beltran (41 HR, 116 RBI)
Jose Reyes (.300 BA, 64 SB)
David Wright (.311 BA, 26 HR, 116 RBI)
Tom Glavine (15-7, 3.82 ERA)
What made them special: The season did not end as we wanted it to, but the 2006 Mets dominated the National League. After a strong 2005, the team was set to win, and they did so 97 times (then a sweep of the Dodgers in the Division Series). The pitched, they hit, and they gave us memories of 1986 (until the unfortunate end).
Number 9: 2016
What they did: Won the first Wildcard in the National League with a 87-75 record.
Key Players:
Noah Syndergaard (14-9, 2.60 ERA)
Bartolo Colon (15-8, 3.43 ERA)
Jeurys Familia (51 saves)
Yoenis Cespedes (31 HR, 86 RBI)
Curtis Granderson (30 HR, 59 RBI)
What made them special: It’s simple-heart. The team lost Matt Harvey, Lucas Duda, Jacob deGrom. Steven Matz, and Neil Walker to injuries (to name a few). They looked lifeless in August, seemingly buried in the wild card race. Yet they persevered.
Re-acquired Jose Reyes stepped up, as did Asdrubal Cabrera. Even Brandon Nimmo had some key hits. Addison Reed dominated the eighth inning. The team never quit on Terry Collins, and made the postseason with guys like Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman in the rotation.
No, they did not make it past the Wild Card game, but they gave us a thrilling six weeks to close the season.
Number 8: 1984
What they did: Finished second in the National League East, with a 90-72 record
Key Players:
Keith Hernandez (.311 BA, 15 HR, 94 RBI)
Darryl Strawberry (26 HR, 97 RBI)
Mookie Wilson (.276 BA, 46 SB)
Dwight Gooden (17-9, 276K)
Ron Darling (12-9, 3.81 ERA)
What made them special: This one is simple too-context. The Mets had been awful from 1977-1983. They were predicted to finish last in 1984.
However, Keith Hernandez had re-signed after being obtained from the Cardinals the previous season. The young pitching began to emerge, led by Dwight Gooden. And the team went out and played inspired baseball.
They were in first place in late July-something Mets fans could not have fathomed in their wildest dreams. The Cubs were a little older and wiser, and went on to win the division. But the Mets had laid the foundation for a run of winning baseball in Queens.
Number 7: 1985
What they did: Finished second in the National League East with a 98-64 record
Key Players:
Gary Carter (32 HR, 100 RBI)
Keith Hernandez (.309 BA, 91 RBI)
Darryl Strawberry (29 HR, 79 RBI)
Dwight Gooden (24-4, 1.53 ERA)
Ron Darling (16-6, 2.90 ERA)
What made them special: The 1985 Mets were neck-and-neck with the Cardinals all season (there was no Wild Card). They went into Saint Louis for a three-game series, down three games with six to play. The Mets won the first two in dramatic fashion, but could not win the third game and go into the last weekend tied.
This team was yet another building block in the success the 1986 team would enjoy, and toward the successful seasons that lasted through 1990. It was an interesting feeling at the end of the year. While the Mets were eliminated, even the most doom-and-gloom among us knew that the team was on the cusp of something special.
Number 6: 1988
What they did: Won the National League East with a 100-60 record
Key Players:
Wally Backman (.303 BA, .388 OBP)
Darryl Strawberry (39 HR, 101 RBI)
Kevin McReynolds (29 HR, 99 RBI)
David Cone (20-3, 2.22 ERA)
Dwight Gooden (18-9, 3.19 ERA)
What made them special: The 1988 team had an easy run through the regular season. They were never really challenged for the division, and were set up nicely for the NLCS against the Dodgers.
The Mets had won 11 of 12 regular season games against Los Angeles. However, Kirk GIbson and Mike Scioscia had other ideas in October, sending New York home feeling unfulfilled.
However, it was a fun season at Shea, with the Mets leading the NL in attendance with over 3 million. The team was nicely balanced, and for six months, gave the fans a nice, comfortable ride.
Number 5: 1973
What they did: Won the National League East with a 82-79 record
Key Players:
Rusty Staub (15 HR, 76 RBI, .279 BA)
Tom Seaver (19-10, 2.08 RBI)
George Stone (12-3, 2.80 ERA)
Wayne Garrett (.348 OBP, 16 HR, 58 RBI)
What made them special: As their 2016 counterparts, the 1973 Mets appeared dead in August. They were in last place. But they had a great September, combined with the collapse of most of the rest of the division. They won the division on the season’s last day.
Then, the Mets defeated the heavily-favored Reds in the NLCS. The series featured the famous Bud Harrelson–Pete Rose brawl.
The Mets had a 3-2 lead in the World Series going back to Oakland, when Yogi Berra decided to start Tom Seaver on short rest in game six. That did not work, and the As won game seven as well, ending a magical run by the Mets.
This was my first year of true Mets fandom (I had received a batting helmet from Ken Singleton at a dinner before the 1972 season, and I was hooked, though too young to fully understand).
Number 4: 1999
What they did: Finished second in the National League East (won Wild Card) with a 97-66 record
Key Players:
Mike Piazza (40 HR, 124 RBI)
John Olerud (.298 BA, 96 RBI)
Edgardo Alfonzo (.304 BA, 27 HR, 108 RBI)
Robin Ventura (32 HR, 120 RBI)
Roger Cedeno (.396 OBP, 66 SB)
What made them special: I chose the 1999 team over the 2000 team that won the pennant, because I truly think the 1999 team was better.
The lineup had John Olerud, who was the consummate professional. Robin Ventura lengthened the batting order, and Mike Piazza was off-the-charts good. The pitching was average, with Al Leiter and Orel Hershiser leading the way at 13-12.
The Mets had to play a play-in game in Cincinnati, game 163. Al Leiter went the distance, and the Mets were off to Arizona for the division series. After an Alfonzo grand slam won game one, the Mets won the series dramatically in game four on a Todd Pratt home run.
The Mets lost the NLCS to the Braves in terrible fashion, after battling back from a 3-0 game deficit to force game six in Atlanta. But the 1999 team was very balanced offensively with speed and power. They were fun to watch, even though they came up short in the end.
Number 3: 2015
What they did: Won the National League East with a 90-72 record
Key Players:
Yoenis Cespedes (.287 BA, 17 HR, 44 RBI-in 57 games)
Daniel Murphy (.281, 14 HR, 73 RBI)
Curtis Granderson (.259 BA, 26 HR, 70 RBI)
Matt Harvey (13-8, 2.71 ERA)
Noah Syndergaard (9-7, 3.24 ERA)
What made them special: They won the pennant-how’s that for starters? They were not supposed to, the Nationals were allegedly the best team in the division. And it did not look like they would, until the acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes minutes before the trade deadline. Cespedes carried the team on his shoulders to a fairly comfortable division win.
Enter Daniel Murphy. He was instrumental in the division series win over the Dodgers, and the NLCS sweep of the Cubs. He found incredible power all of a sudden, and the Mets rolled into a World Series rendez-vous with the Kansas City Royals.
Noah Syndergaard established himself as a sixty-feet, six-inches hero when he threw behind Alcides Escobar to start game three, propelling the Mets to their only win of the series. But the tide had turned.
The Mets were back in the World Series after fifteen years, and were there with a crop of young pitchers, who made a reappearance seem likely.
Number 2: 1969
What they did: Won the National League East with a 100-62 record
Key Players:
Tom Seaver (25-7, 2.21 ERA)
Jerry Koosman (17-9, 2.28 ERA)
Donn Clendenon (12 HR, 37 RBI-after June 15th acquisition)
Cleon Jones (.340 BA, 12 HR, 75 RBI)
What made them special: The Mets had been the laughing stock of baseball from 1962-1968. From nowhere, the Mets won their division, swept the favored Braves in the NLCS, and beat the heavily-favored Orioles in five games in the World Series.
While I was too young to have any recollection of the 1969 season, people still talk about the achievements of that group of Mets. The whole line about “putting a man on the moon before the Mets win a World Series” came true, as Neil Armstrong did his thing in July and the Mets completed theirs in October.
They relied on young starting pitching, and it’s interesting that this model has always been at the center of the organization’s success.
Number 1: 1986
What they did: They won the National League East with a 108-54 record.
Key Players:
Keith Hernandez (.310 BA, 13 HR, 83 RBI)
Darryl Strawberry (27 HR, 93 RBI)
Len Dykstra (.377 OBP, 31 SB)
Bob Ojeda (18-5, 2.57 ERA)
Dwight Gooden (17-6, 2.84 ERA)
What made them special: The 1986 Mets were the culmination of a progression that began in 1983 with the acquisition of Keith Hernandez. Young pitchers, such as Gooden, Fernandez, and Darling came up. Gary Carter came via trade from Montreal. Darryl Strawberry got better every year, and finally it all came together.
As has been chronicled many times, it almost didn’t come together. The Mets did not roll through the postseason as they did the regular season, coming close to losing on a couple of occasions. But they won. There was a parade. There were supposed to be more. There weren’t.
But for those of us who experienced 1986, what a year it was. The regular season was a formality. The team considered itself champions in Spring Training. It was nice to see how much they could humiliate the other team (or beat them up) every night.
But as I’ve written before, enjoy baseball success. It can be very fleeting. Just ask the 1986 Mets.
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