Off Day WAR: The Best And Worst Seasons By Mets Catchers
Sean Smith's wins above replacement (WAR) database provides the WAR of every position player from 1955-2008. Since the Mets have been in existence since 1962, we are able to determine just how valuable every Met player's performance has been, according to this statistic. With some help from Microsoft Excel, I compiled the WAR of every Mets starter ever based on Smith's stats. I only considered players who logged the most innings at each position in a given year. Here are the top 10 seasons by Mets starting catchers:
| Rank | Year | Player | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1985 | Gary Carter | 6.7 |
| 2 | 1998 | Mike Piazza | 5.6 |
| 3 | 1978 | John Stearns | 5.5 |
| 4 | 2000 | Mike Piazza | 5.3 |
| 5 | 1997 | Todd Hundley | 5.1 |
| 6 | 1996 | Todd Hundley | 4.9 |
| 7 | 1999 | Mike Piazza | 4.1 |
| 8 | 2001 | Mike Piazza | 3.9 |
| 9 | 1986 | Gary Carter | 3.8 |
| 10 | 1977 | John Stearns | 3.6 |
And the bottom 10:
| Rank | Year | Player | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 1962 | Chris Cannizzaro | 0.3 |
| 39 | 1973 | Jerry Grote | 0.3 |
| 40 | 1988 | Gary Carter | 0.2 |
| 41 | 1989 | Barry Lyons | 0.0 |
| 42 | 1984 | Mike Fitzgerald | -0.3 |
| 43 | 1992 | Todd Hundley | -0.4 |
| 44 | 1993 | Todd Hundley | -0.4 |
| 45 | 1963 | Choo Choo Coleman | -0.5 |
| 46 | 2004 | Jason Phillips | -0.5 |
| 47 | 1967 | Jerry Grote | -1.1 |
Some notes, bullet-style:
- Mike Piazza, Gary Carter, and Todd Hundley - the Mets have had some solid catchers over the years. Smith's WAR is not kind to Piazza's defense. Carter has the biggest gap between best and worst seasons (6.5 WAR).
- I wasn't around to witness John Stearns's career, but until I did this I had no idea he was a decently productive player for a few years.
- Jerry Grote stunk in 1967, but he was a steady contributor for the Mets from 1968-1976.
- Brian Schneider was worth 1.1 WAR in 2008. Fangraphs WAR, which doesn't yet account for catcher defense, had him at 1.6.
For a more in-depth look at Mets catchers over the years, check out Alex Nelson's retrospective at Mets Geek: Part 1 and Part 2. I'll make a quick post like this one for other positions on Mets off days.
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Comments
I made a calculator program yesterday during study hall
that calculates WAR
King of the bling come to lay down the evidence//Not George Bush, L-Millz be da president
by Sam Page on Apr 8, 2009 8:39 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
WAR during study hall?
Detention!
by James Kannengieser on Apr 8, 2009 8:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Train kept a rollin
Choo Choo Coleman…..a met Icon ……Marvelous Marv aint got nothing on him
by Grouchoman on Apr 8, 2009 1:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
choo on this...
Interviewed by Ralph Kiner for a postgame show after a rare Mets victory in 1962, Kiner asked Coleman,
"Choo Choo — that’s a unique nickname for a ball player. Why do they call you that?"
Coleman answered, "I don’t know."
Kiner then followed up with "What’s your wife’s name, and what’s she like?"
Coleman eagerly responded, "Her name is Mrs. Coleman, and she likes me."
by Grouchoman on Apr 8, 2009 1:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

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