Your all-time favorite Mets team

I had to look that one up. Baseball-Reference states he pitched 14 innings in 2002, but I’m not buying it. No one with that name ever pitched for the Mets.

C-Piazza (one of the greatest Mets of all time, and the best offensive catcher of all time, hands down. so good at the plate I often forgot his misearable arm. pitchers loved to pitch to him I once read ’cause he called a great game).

backup C – Gary Carter. huge part of the 86 squad. quiet leader. clutch hitter. all around nice guy

1B – Keith Hernandez-My favorite Met of all time. Used to get a kick outta the TV cameras catching him takin drags off a marlboro in the tunnel btwn innings. Clutch personified. Out spoken clubhouse leader. Amazing glove. guest spot on Seinfeld only solidifies his legend

backup 1b- Delgado. perhaps not a Met long enough ro make the list, but couldnt pass on him. His moonshots are a thing of beauty, and he was 1 of the lone bright spots twrds. the end of last years debacle

2B- Alfonzo. amazing player.period

Back up 2B- Wally Backman. I believe he hit like .320 in 86. great glove. defined hustle. always looked like he was having a blast playing the game

SS – Reyes. One of the most exciting players in the game to watch. Can be prone to frustrating stretches at the plate(dare I say slumps?)

Backup SS – Bud Harrelson. Gritty, tough bastard. Good coach too

3B – David Wright. The Man. Will turn the slow start around and put up his usual MVP caliber #’s. The toast of the city (sorry Jeter, you had your time. Wright will be the Man in NY baseball for yrs. to come)

Backup 3B – Howard Johnson. 117 RBI in 1991. Team record til Piazza came to town.Held many team offensive recors til the 90’s. Most runs scored(108) in 91.broken in 96 by Lance Johnson. Most doubles in89. broken by Gilkey in mid 90’s 38 dings and 117 rbi in 91. Awesome!

RF- Darryl Strawberry. Offensive numbers are unbelievable for the non juiced up 80’s. 87 and 88 were banner years for STraw. Tarnished his stellar career with drugs but still love the man as a player. His moon shot in 88(?) at the Expos old stadium that hit the friggin roof may have turned out to be the longest HR in MLB history had it not HIT THE FRIGGIN ROOF! THE ROOF!!

CF- Beltran. Stud. Tough Out. Great Glove. Good baserunner. Had the most heartbreaking looking K in Mets history against the Cards in 07 but the numbers cant be ignored. Didnt do it as a Met but his playoff run in his last season with the ’Stros was one of the most impressive things Ive ever seen.

LF – kevin Mcreynolds…..I know there may be better out there but I always loved Big MAc. Really good numbers at the plate in 87 and 88. Check them out if u r questioning my pick. Damn good numbers, I tell ya. Played hard. Kept his mouth shut. Lunch pail player

Reserve OF – Mookie Wilson, Lenny Dykstra. Dykstra was the Reyes of his day. As he goes, the rest of the offense goes Huge heart. Gave it his all every play, every day. Uniform was never clean. Slid into second with no regards for his body. Great fielder. Hit one of the most drmatic postseason HR’s in Met history in 86 playoff to beat Astros in a playoff day game at Shea. 37 doubles in 87 and 7 triples in 86…….Mookie hit the ball that gave us Game 6 in 86. Hustled down the line on a slow dribbler that got past Buckner, just like he did every time he hit a slow dribbler. Great personality.Awesome fielder and base runner. holds team record for triples (10) in a season and held single season SB record til Cedeno broke it

SP – Sorry Johan but its Doc Gooden. In the early to mid 80’s his starts captivated the city. It was must see tv every time he took the hill. Overpowering stuff. At time looked completely unhittable. His 1985 stat line is mind blowing. 24 -4. 1.53 ERA. Got that? 1.53!!!! 268 K’s. Santana is dominating, no doubt but Gooden, before his demons got to him, was something special.

RP- John Franco. K ROD is the best we ever had but I have a soft spon for Franco. He would scare the hell outta me many nights with his tendency to get into jams but he had 30 saves or more a buncha times for the Mets and I really liked the man. Wagner is great. Even Orosco. At times Benitez was great(at times he was downright awful) but Ill take a healthy Franco

My two cents…..oh yeah, Bobby V is in the dugout

With all the picks here, I have my own list, after thinking about it. There are no wrong answers

SP: Doc Gooden. Never been a more exciting, captivating player in Mets history.
Honorable mention: J Santana. When it’s all said and done he may turn out to be the best ever to wear the orange and blue. Bobby Ojeda, the unsung hereo of the 1986 season. He won a huge game 3 of the series when the Mets were in danger of being swept. In Boston. Huge. Tom Seaver. Single-handedly turned the franchise into a winner in the late 60’s. Jon Matlack. The guy was a dominant lefty for a few years, very tough. I’ll take this starting 5 any day.
C: Gary Carter. Only reason it’s not Piazza is because Carter helped lead the ‘86 team to a championship. Great on-field leader, emotional leader, clutch hitter, good catching skills. Great all-around.
Honorable mention: Mike Piazza. Could change a game with his bat, but his defensive liabilities (re: throwing) keep him from the top spot.
1B: Keith Hernandez. Nothing more to say. Turned the team into a winner, with a take no prisoners mentality. More hilight plays than anyone I can remember. Great leader.
Honorable mention: everyon else is playing for second here.
2B: Wally Backman: Left it all on the field, helped lead the ’86 team to the Championship, this separates him from Fonzie.
Honorable Mention: Edgardo Alfonzo. True, consummate professional. Class player. Got a lot out of his talent.
SS: Tough call, but I have to take Rey Ordonez. Can’t hold a candle to Reyes offensively, but made so many plays that other players never had a shot at. His hilight reel would be a best seller.
Honorable mention: Jose Reyes. He’ll be the best when all’s said and done.
3B: David Wright. As someone else already said, he’s The Man in NY, right now and for years to come. Mets need to make sure he never leaves.
Honorable mention: Howard Johnson. 30-30 man, had some very big moments for the Mets, was instrumental in 4 game sweep of St. Louis in April ‘86 to propel the Mets to the World Championship. Hojo was a gamer. Also, Ray Knight. Gave the team the nickname “The Fighting Mets” with his duke out with Eric Davis in ’86. Very instrumental in helping team win the ’86 Series.
LF: Cleon Jones. Integral part of ’69 team, somewhat overlooked, and a great baseball name. Anyone named Cleon has got to be on this list.
Honorable mention: None really comes to mind, so I’ll go out on a limb and predict the future: Fernando Martinez.
CF: Lenny “Nails” Dykstra. Gritty, heart of the ‘86 team, left it all on the playing field, high-energy, in your face fuck the other team kind of guy. Gave the Mets swagger, backed it up with tremendous skills and guts. Plus has the best Met nickname ever. Nails.
Honorable mention: Carlos Beltran. Highly skilled player, may be the best CF in Met history but just too laid back to be #1 on the list. He doesn’t motivate anyone, and a good team player helps others around him become better. Beltran fails here, IMO.
RF: Darryl Strawberry. The epitome of wasted potential, Straw could have been so much more, but he is easily the best RF in Mets history and maybe it’s best overall athlete. “He coulda been a Hall of Famer” will ever be attributed to Straw.
Honorable mention: Ron Swoboda. For the ’69 series, unforgettable.
BP: Tug McGraw. (“You Gotta Believe”). Jesse Orosco. Sid Fernandez. (For his one appearance in the ’86 playoffs to keep the Mets moving forward in that epic game). John Franco. He was money. Frankie Rodriguez. He may be the best the Mets ever had. Sid Finch. The imaginary Met.

He’s my dugout guy. Made the last out for the Orioles in the ‘69 series, later leads the Mets to ’86 championship. It’s perfect.

You can read about him here: http://www.bostonbaseball.com/whitesox/baseball_extras/sidd.html