Wait, THEY were Mets!? Per The Athletic

[stevejrogers]

https://theathletic.com/1516315/2020/05/06/the-all-wait-they-were-on-that-team-players-for-every-mlb-franchise/?source=user_shared_article https://theathletic.com/1516315/2020/05/06/the-all-wait-they-were-on-that-team-players-for-every-mlb-franchise/?source=user_shared_article

[bLOCKQUOTE] By Grant Bradshaw Mets

POSITION PLAYERS CAREER WAR WAR WITH

METS DIFFERENCE

SP

Warren Spahn

92.5

0

92.5

SP

Frank Tanana

57.1

0.7

56.4

SP

Orel Hershiser

51.4

1.9

49.5

SP

Mickey Lolich

47.9

1

46.9

SP

Bob Friend

46.8

-0.5

47.3

RP

Ricky Bottalico

6.2

1.1

5.1

RP

Clem Labine

14.3

-0.1

14.4

RP

Mike Marshall

17.2

0.6

16.6

RP

Ralph Terry

13.2

0.2

13

C

Yogi Berra

59.5

-0.1

59.6

1B

Gil Hodges

43.9

0.6

43.3

2B

Roberto Alomar

67

0.4

66.6

SS

Garry Templeton

27.9

-1.1

29

3B

Joe Torre

57.6

1.9

55.7

OF

Rickey

Henderson

111.2

1.3

109.9

OF

Willie Mays

156.2

1.6

154.6

OF

Duke Snider

66

1.2

64.8

DH

Richie Ashburn

64.4

2.1

62.3

Total

987.5

OK, this was a tough one.

Do you count Mays? It's ridiculous that he was on the Mets, but it doesn't surprise you. He had, er, memorable World Series moments with them.

Do you count Henderson? It's certainly not the first team that you think of when you remember his career, or the second or third. But he had an NLDS against the Diamondbacks that was absolutely scintillating.

Is this just about legends with a detour that you've forgotten? Or is it about random and unexpected team-player connections?

In the end, I'm leaving both on, if only because the Mets would have had awesome outfielders to take their place, so it's not like I'm rigging it in their favor. If you eliminate Mays and Henderson, you have Richie Ashburn, Gary Sheffield and Bobby Abreu to take their place.

They also have Dean Chance as a sixth starter and Adrián González on the bench. This a great wait-they-were-on-that-team lineup. If you adjust for them not existing until the '60s, this might be the best of all 30 teams.

[/bLOCKQUOTE]

[Fman99]

Ok, let's remember how historically bad Alomar was as a Met. And unlike most of the dudes on this list, he was supposed to still be pretty good when we got him. Except NOOOOOO

[LWFS]

Hey-wait-he-was-on-that-team is, like, our brand, at least as much as "starting pitching" and almost as much as "great big-head mascot."

[Edgy MD]

Garry Templeton can't touch Tony Fernandez, who got 45.3 career WAR, but only 0.2 with the Mets.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Ricky Bottalico?



One of these things is not like the others.

[LWFS]

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=36663 time=1589086994 user_id=68]
Ricky Bottalico?



One of these things is not like the others.

[batmagadanleadoff]

=LWFS post_id=36665 time=1589088434 user_id=84]
=batmagadanleadoff post_id=36663 time=1589086994 user_id=68]
Ricky Bottalico?



One of these things is not like the others.

[Edgy MD]

Edgy MD wrote: Garry Templeton can't touch Tony Fernandez, who got 45.3 career WAR, but only 0.2 with the Mets.

So he gets nixed because his career continued after the Mets?



Although, so did Alomar's.

[nymr83]

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=36666 time=1589090878 user_id=68]


I recommend that you read the entire intro to the article, if you haven't, because the excerpt posted at the top of this thread doesn't quite explain what the author is shooting for.

[Chad ochoseis]

Hey-wait-he-was-on-that-team is, like, our brand, at least as much as "starting pitching" and almost as much as "great big-head mascot."

This is something I've often wondered about when I run out of other things to wonder about. Is this true, or does it look that way because we pay more attention to the Mets and because self-flagellation is also part of our brand?



Keith Hernandez was an Indian. Jerry Koosman was a Phillie. Mike Piazza was an Athletic. Tom Seaver was a Red Sox, and the only reason why we all remember that is the whole 1986 WS opposing bench story.



It was an active marketing strategy to pursue over-the hill New York legends in the beginning, but that ended with Willie Mays.

[cal sharpie]

Duke Snider was listed there as a DH but of course he never filled that role.

[G-Fafif]

Chad ochoseis wrote: Hey-wait-he-was-on-that-team is, like, our brand, at least as much as "starting pitching" and almost as much as "great big-head mascot." This is something I've often wondered about when I run out of other things to wonder about. Is this true, or does it look that way because we pay more attention to the Mets and because self-flagellation is also part of our brand?

I once heard a fellow blogging-type talk about Mets fans' allegedly unique intense interest in their up and coming minor leaguers and thought there's no way we're the only fans who get excited over prospects or let down by youngsters who don't pan out. Same for this sort of thing.



We had Bobby Abreu late in his career? Who didn't?