Steve Trachsel to Join the Kranepool Club

[Guest Edgy DC]

Senior Mets, the way I figure it.

Hobie Landrith
Elio Chacon
Chris Cannizzaro
Joe Christopher
Choo Choo Coleman
Ed Kranepool
Ron Hodges
Ed Lynch
Mookie Wilson
Darryl Strawberry
Ron Darling
Dwight Gooden
John Franco
Mike Piazza
Steve Trachsel

I know I messed up, particularly among those early guys, but it's funny to think that they took three catchers in the expansion draft that were each, at one point, the longest-tenured Met.

[seawolf17]

For just a second, I thought maybe Edgy had successfully invited a current Met to jump in the Pool.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Obviously, a lot has to do with how you define tenure. Orosco came up before Wilson, but Mookie had a longer string of continuous Major League rosterhood. By the same definition, during Ed Kranepool's banishment to the minors in 1970, there must've been a brief Cleon Jones interregnum.

Something similar might've happened with Howard Johnson during a Gooden drug suspension, but I don't think so.

[Guest sharpie]

I remember Ralph and Lindsey calling Jim Hickman the last original Met --shouldn't he have spent some time on the list.

[Guest Edgy DC]

You're right.

He probably wipes out Choo Choo and maybe Christopher too. Obviously, I need a list of the draft order of the 10/10/61 expansion draft.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

seawolf17 wrote: For just a second, I thought maybe Edgy had successfully invited a current Met to jump in the Pool.

Me too!

[Guest sharpie]

First question we would ask Steve: Can you please post a picture of your wife?

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

That's a great way to make a first impression!

[G-Fafif]

One could nudge John Franco out after 2001 given that he was on the DL for all of 2002 and didn't throw a pitch. If so, Fonzie would slot in as longest tenured Mets between him and Leiter (who preceded Piazza and would get the title for '03 and '04 under this interpretation). That's overly sticklerish, I suppose, given Franco's continued presence on the 40-man.

Franco's unavailability in '02 ended the 40-year streak that allowed one to say that for the entire history of the Mets, at least one of three men was on every Mets team: Kranepool (62-79), Wilson (80-89), Franco (90-01), and none at the same time. There's symmetry or a squared circle or something in that it was halted after a milestone, but then Franco came back for two more years. If he had pitched straight through, there could have been a nice, clean handoff to Wright (fingers crossed), albeit one with a touch of overlap.

In light of how long his career lasted, it's always bugged me slightly, for Meticulousness's sake, that Jesse didn't get a call in 1980. That season will be his phantom year, along with Tug's '68, Nolan's '67 and Mitchell's '85 to name three.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Kelvin Chapman's 1980-1983.

[G-Fafif]

Now that's some fancy phantomry (and Chapman did beat Orosco into 1979 by about eight innings).

Still, there ought to be some sort of statute of limitations on the concept. Or, as Mike playing first base was, a statue of limitations.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The really scrood guys are the ones who chose the wrong year to be a phantom. Danny Frisella barely got into 1969 while being a horse in 1967-1968 and 1970-1972. Similar is Terry Leach, getting only six innings of 1986, despite throwing 55 the year before and 131 the next year (and practically saving the team's first half).

[G-Fafif]

How about as catcher on the All-Timing Club, Clint Hurdle? A Met in '85, a Cardinal in '86, a Met in '87.

And Rockies manager for what must feel like an eternity.