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User UCinternational (Crop), David Wright on June 23, 2008, CC BY 2.0
Who are the top New York Mets of all time? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. John Franco: the NL record-holder for most career games pitched (1,119), Franco spent 14 seasons in a Mets uniform and reached the 30-save mark 5x with the team, twice leading the league in saves.
9. Jose Reyes: at or near the top of the franchise record books for most offensive categories, Reyes played a dozen years with the Mets across two stints, earning four All-Star selections, a Silver Slugger, and a batting title while leading the league in stolen bases for three consecutive seasons and triples 4x in his prime.
8. Jerry Koosman: a key member of the 1969 World Series-winning team, Koosman was a 2x All-Star across a dozen seasons with the Mets and racked up 140 wins, highlighted by a 21-win season and Cy Young runner-up in 1976.
7. Keith Hernandez: one of the best fielding first basemen ever, Hernandez came over to New York in a 1983 midseason trade and proceeded to win five straight Gold Gloves with three All-Star nods, a Silver Slugger, and NL MVP runner-up in 1984 while guiding the Mets to the 1986 World Series.
6. Jacob DeGrom: dominant when healthy, DeGrom began his Mets career as Rookie of the Year and was a 4x All-Star in nine seasons in New York while winning back-to-back Cy Young Awards and an ERA title (1.70 in 2018).
5. Dwight Gooden: before his substance abuse issues, Gooden was one of the most electric pitchers of his era, earning Rookie of the Year and finishing runner-up for Cy Young in 1984 before winning the Pitcher Triple Crown and Cy Young in his second season; overall, he was a 4x All-Star with six 15-win seasons, five top-10 Cy Young finishes, and a World Series title in 11 seasons with the Mets.
4. Mike Piazza: arguably the greatest offensive catcher in baseball history, Piazza was acquired in 1998 from the Florida Marlins and went on to earn six All-Star nods, four Silver Sluggers, and a pair of top-10 MVP finishes in nearly eight seasons with the Mets.
3. Darryl Strawberry: the franchise career leader in home runs (252), Strawberry was one of the top sluggers of the 1980s – beginning as Rookie of the Year in 1983, he hit 20+ home runs in each of his eight seasons as a Met (including a league-high and career-best 39 in 1988) for seven All-Star selections, a pair of Silver Sluggers, four top-10 MVP finishes, a 30-30 season, and a World Series title in 1986.
2. David Wright: accomplished with both the bat and the glove at third base, Wright spent his entire 14-year MLB career with the Mets – in addition to seven All-Star selections, two Silver Sluggers, and two Gold Gloves, he is the franchise career leader in numerous offensive categories, including hits, runs batted in, and total bases.
1. Tom Seaver: known as “The Franchise”, Seaver is far and away the greatest pitcher in Mets history with three Cy Young Awards, 10 All-Star selections, three ERA titles, a Rookie of the Year award, 198 of his 311 career wins, and 2,500+ strikeouts across nearly a dozen seasons while also leading New York to its first World Series title in 1969.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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