Mets by the Numbers: Wearing your power on your back

[Guest Edgy DC]

Baseball numbers originally represented batting order positions, with table setters wearing one or two, and sluggers wearing three or four. There was a residual influence long after the lineup position tradition faded, and the best hitters generally wore single digits.

When I saw moldbreaker Hank Aaron in 44, I kind of grew up thinking of that as his target homerun total. I thought of 44 as pretty much what I expected from Reggie Jackson, health permitting.

So recently, I've been thinking of Mets whose number pretty much represented a reasonable homerun expectation during his Met tenure, even if that expectation was only fulfilled in idealized seasons when he stayed healthy or you had to project a fulltime workload onto a part-time or part-season player.

Springing to mind:

Rey Ordo�ez 0
Vince Coleman 1
Hubie Brooks 7
Lee Mazzilli 16
Joel Youngblood 18
Donn Clendenon 22
Bobby Bonilla 25
Mike Piazza 31

[Benjamin Grimm]

Tommie Agee 20.
Jose Reyes 7
Keith Hernandez 17

[Guest Edgy DC]

I like Agee and Reyes there, but I considered Keith, and I just think of him as a 12-15 guy, who only reached 17 in 1987, when the league spiked in power. Santana, for instance, jumped from his annual one to an unprecedented five.

Stearns: 12
McReynolds: 22

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Wayne Garrett 11
Chris Woodward 4

[Farmer Ted]

Bud and #3. I KNOW he was capable of more than one homer per season.

[Willets Point]

Pedro Astacio 34

[Guest Edgy DC]

Farmer Ted wrote: Bud and #3. I KNOW he was capable of more than one homer per season.

Survey says....

X

="Willets Point"]Pedro Astacio 34

Survey says....

X

X

[soupcan]

Donn Clendenon - 22

[Farmer Ted]

Whoa, Richard Dawson, what the heck?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Show me... Donn Clendenon!

Ding!

Donn Clendenon

22

!!!!!!!

[nymr83]

Willets Point wrote: Pedro Astacio 34

homers allowed? yeah.

[Willets Point]

Nymr83 wrote: ="Willets Point"]Pedro Astacio 34 homers allowed? yeah.

Yes, that was the humor I was going for.

Edgy didn't get it.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Shawn Green is a candidate for 20 this year.

Reuben Gotay could be a 6.

How about Tim Teufel 11 or Cliff Floyd 30?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Willets Point wrote: ="Nymr83"] Willets Point wrote: Pedro Astacio 34 homers allowed? yeah. Yes, that was the humor I was going for. Edgy didn't get it.

I get it. I was just funnier.

[metirish]

Vance Wilson - # 3
Mo Vaughn - # 42.....I was optimistic to say the least.