N.Y. Mets ~ My Favorite 50 Mets of All-Time

From the desk of:   HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

NEW YORK METS:   My All-Time FAVORITE Fifty Players in Mets' History.


Last Thursday, as part of the Mets' 50th Anniversary celebration, SNY premiered the 50 Greatest Players in Mets History.  Their list is as follows:

1-Tom Seaver

2-Dwight Gooden

3-Keith Hernandez

4-Jerry Koosman

5-Darryl Strawberry

6-Mike Piazza   7-Carlos Beltran   8-David Wright   9-Jose Reyes

10-Gary Carter   11-Cleon Jones   12-Ron Darling   13-Edgardo Alfonzo

14-John Franco   15-Mookie Wilson   16-David Cone   17-Al Leiter

18-Jerry Grote   19-Howard Johnson   20-Buddy Harrelson   21-Tommy Agee

22-Rusty Staub   23-Sid Fernandez   24-Jon Matlack   25-Jesse Orosco

26-Tug McGraw   27-Lenny Dykstra   28-Johan Santana   29-John Olerud

30-Todd Hundley   31-Robin Ventura   32-Lee Mazzilli   33-Felix Millan

34-Kevin McReynolds   35-Carlos Delgado   36-Ed Kranepool   37-Bob Ojeda

38-Frank Viola   39-Dave Kingman   40-Ron Swaboda   41-John Stearns

42-Wally Backman   43-Rick Reed   44-Roger McDowell   45-Hubie Brooks

46-Ray Knight   47-Ron Hunt   48-John Milner   49-Bobby Bonilla

50-Wayne Garrett

I would omit a few names from this list and add others.  I would also tinker with the order of some players too.  But instead, I thought it more fun to just go with my own Favorites List.  This is harder than you think, because of the level of attachment one has with favorite Mets as a child, versus the more jaded affections we might develop as fully mature adults.

The Mets became a full time part of my life by the 1974-1975 seasons.  And the guys from that era will always mean a little more to me than say, other Mets of different eras.  For the purposes of this list, if I didn't see them play, they are omitted.  So right off the bat, exclude Donn Clendenon, Tommy Agee, Nolan Ryan, Ron Hunt, and the rest of the earlier era Mets.

MY All-Time 50 Most Favorite Mets

1-Jerry Koosman

2-Tug McGraw

3-Rusty Staub

4-Tom Seaver

5-Keith Hernandez

6-John Stearns   7-Darryl Strawberry   8-Joel Youngblood   9-Felix Millan

10-Doc Gooden   11-John Milner   12-Jose Reyes   13-Lenny Dykstra

14-Lee Mazzilli   15-Skip Lockwood   16-Gary Carter   17-Todd Hundley

18-David Wright   19-Hubie Brooks   20-Jerry Grote   21-Dave Kingman

22-Bud Harrelson   23-Carlos Delgado   24-Ron Darling   25-Mike Piazza

26-Mookie Wilson   27-Cleon Jones   28-Edgardo Alfonzo   29-Carlos Beltran

30-Sid Fernandez   31-Ed Kranepool   32-John Franco   33-Jon Matlack

34-John Olerud   35-David Cone   36-Eddie Murray   37-Neil Allen

38-Jesse Orosco   39-Lance Johnson   40-Roger McDowell   41-Bobby Ojeda

42-Cliff Floyd   43-Howard Johnson   44-Robin Ventura   45-Craig Swan

46-Wally Backman   47-Willie Montanez   48-Bobby Jones   49-Ed Lynch

50-Mike Fitzgerald

My newest favorite player = Josh Thole.

Let's Go Mets!

Mike.BTB