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
