Choosing The Mets "All-Time 9"

by James Kannengieser on Sep 16, 2009 1:30 PM EDT

To commemorate September 9, 2009 (9/9/09), Major League Baseball released polls to determine the best single-season performance by position in each team's history. The Mets ballot can be found here. Unsurprisingly, the only statistics listed next to the players are batting average, home runs RBI, runs and stolen bases. There is no mention of on-base percentage or slugging percentage, as well as any adjustments for era, park factors, or playing time. Defense is not a factor in this poll and each player is eligible for just 1 nomination. Here is a breakdown of the options as well as my choice for each position (check out Metsmerized for another ballot). Players are listed in order from best wOBA to worst, although that was not the only statistic used to make the selections:

Pitcher

Player	Year	wOBA	wRAA	OPS+
Jason Isringhausen	1996	.304	-1.5	87
Dwight Gooden	1992	.291	-1.5	84
Mike Hampton	2000	.264	-5.6	53
George Stone	1973	.248	-2.7	52

Selection: Isringhausen

Catcher

Player	Year	wOBA	wRAA	OPS+
Mike Piazza	2000	.422	38.8	155
Todd Hundley	1996	.376	21.4	140
Gary Carter	1985	.369	25.5	138
John Stearns	1978	.354	15.2	121
Paul Lo Duca	2006	.343	5.5	102

Selection: Piazza

1st Base

Player	Year	wOBA	wRAA	OPS+
John Olerud	1998	.429	54.1	163
Keith Hernandez	1986	.383	32.2	140
Donn Clendenon	1970	.378	20.1	129
Carlos Delgado	2008	.364	20.4	127
Eddie Murray	1993	.344	9.3	111

Selection: Olerud

2nd Base

Player	Year	wOBA	wRAA	OPS+
Edgardo Alfonzo	1999	.386	28.4	125
Gregg Jefferies	1990	.347	14.2	111
Luis Castillo	2009	.346	7.2	103
Wally Backman	1986	.343	7.8	113
Ron Hunt	1964	.341	13.4	118
Jeff Kent	1993	.335	3.7	104

Selection: Alfonzo

3rd Base

Player	Year	wOBA	wRAA	OPS+
David Wright	2007	.420	53.3	150
Howard Johnson	1989	.416	50.6	169
Robin Ventura	1999	.386	28.4	129
Len Randle	1977	.351	12.9	117
Ray Knight	1986	.344	9.9	115

Selection: Wright, with Johnson a very close 2nd

Shortstop

Player	Year	wOBA	wRAA	OPS+
Jose Reyes	2006	.367	21.3	115
Kazuo Matsui	2004	.320	-4.2	88
Frank Taveras	1979	.288	-20.8	76

Selection: Reyes

Outfield (pick 3, obviously)

Player	Year	wOBA	wRAA	OPS+
Darryl Strawberry	1987	.415	47.6	162
Carlos Beltran	2006	.412	42.4	150
Cleon Jones	1969	.406	38.4	151
Bernard Gilkey	1996	.404	38.4	155
Rickey Henderson	1999	.399	26.3	127
Lee Mazzili	1979	.382	31.9	135
Lenny Dykstra	1986	.375	21.6	129
Kevin McReynolds	1988	.375	28.7	142
Roger Cedeno	1999	.374	15.2	106
Bobby Bonilla	1993	.372	21.5	132
Cliff Floyd	2005	.369	22.2	126
Lance Johnson	1996	.369	20.6	125
Rusty Staub	1975	.368	23.5	131
Tommie Agee	1969	.362	22.8	122
Frank Thomas	1962	.360	19.0	118
Dave Kingman	1976	.357	15.6	128

Selection: Strawberry, Beltran, Jones (with Gilkey choice 3a; tie goes to Jones because of the 1969 World Series)

Keep in mind this isn't necessarily a collection of the best offensive seasons by position (for instance, Alfonzo's 2000 was better than his 1999). It's the best lineup selected from MLB.com's ballot.

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