One Year Wonders, 1962-2009

[G-Fafif]

The following Mets (41) played exactly one full year as Mets, no more, no less. They were on the active roster for as long as there were Mets games in their one season, from Opening Day to the last out. No DL trips, no demotions, no reserves duty.

If anyone has any addenda or observations, they are, as ever, welcome. (And thanks again to JCL for clearing up a couple on which I was foggy.)

1962: Richie Ashburn
1962: Felix Mantilla
1963: Norm Sherry
1963: Duke Snider
1964: Bill Wakefield
1964: George Altman
1966: Billy Murphy
1966: Eddie Bressoud
1966: Bill Hepler
1967: Tommy Davis

1967: John Sullivan
1967: Tommie Reynolds
1968: Billy Short
1970: Joe Foy
1971: Bob Aspromonte
1975: Gene Clines
1975: Randy Tate
1976: Mickey Lolich
1978: Tom Grieve
1979: Richie Hebner

1980: Jerry Morales
1980: Mark Bomback
1981: Mike Cubbage
1989: Don Aase
1991: Rick Cerone
1991: Doug Simons
1994: Fernando Vina
1994: Luis Rivera
1996: Brent Mayne
1999: Orel Hershiser

2000: Mike Hampton
2001: Desi Relaford
2001: Kevin Appier
2002: John Valentin
2002: Mark Guthrie
2003: Tony Clark
2003: Jay Bell
2006: Chad Bradford
2006: Darren Oliver
2007: Aaron Sele

2009: Jeremy Reed

NOTES:

� Derek Bell was on the roster all of 2000 but suffered an injury during the NLDS and was removed for the NLCS and World Series.

� Mark Bradley and Doug Linton were recalled in the first week of 1983 and 1994, respectively, and stuck the entire season thereafter, but were not on the Opening Day roster.

� Dick Schofield was obtained shortly after the 1992 season started and persevered for the rest of the year.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

For some reason I thought of Aaron Sele when this topic was first brought up.

I recently said in some thread here that Mark Guthrie was the broken-leg pitcher but turns out I'd conflated him with Mike DeJean.

[Gwreck]

Do you know how many people were eliminated but for the "never on the DL" clause? -- ie. I was surprised to not see Miguel Cairo here but a review of the transaction logs tells me he spent 15 days on the DL in late June of '05 (had forgotten that) but otherwise qualified -- he was on the opening day and closing day rosters of '05.

[ashie62]

Randy Tate 1975, his only year in the bigs..this is hard..poop

[G-Fafif]

Great catch on Tate. I overlooked him probably because so many 1975 Mets made debuts ahead of him, but he indeed came north with the club and stayed around the whole year. Thanks.

[G-Fafif]

Gwreck wrote: Do you know how many people were eliminated but for the "never on the DL" clause? -- ie. I was surprised to not see Miguel Cairo here but a review of the transaction logs tells me he spent 15 days on the DL in late June of '05 (had forgotten that) but otherwise qualified -- he was on the opening day and closing day rosters of '05.

Among those DL inhabitants whose injuries caused them to miss out on this illustrious gathering are Cairo, Doug Mientkiewicz, Kurt Abbott, Bill Spiers, Pete Smith, Mike Draper, Dave Gallagher and, going way back, Elio Chacon.

[G-Fafif]

Ted Schreiber was a mistaken listing, so we're back to 42; he spent time in the minors in 1963. His claim to fame is he took the very last swing in the history of the Polo Grounds, grounding into a double play.

Bill Wakefield, Bill Helpler, Billy Murphy and Randy Tate have this in common: A single full uninterrupted year as Mets...and no other MLB experience. Nothin' but Met.

[metirish]

Jay Bell was already seven years ago....wow.....found this looking at the wiki page for Desi Relaford, kinda cool and fits with the image I have of Desi.

Six Hole Records Desi Relaford is the founder of 6 Hole Records, based out of Jacksonville, Florida. 6 Hole Records is the home of underground hip hop artists including 9th Wonder, Willie Evans Jr. and Therapy, as well as artists and groups like Asamov, L.E.G.A.C.Y., Rapper Big Pooh and The Away Team. The label specializes in releasing authentic & genuine hip-hop music that pays homage to the foundation and elements of hip-hop (DJing, B-Boying, MCing, & Graffiti).

[G-Fafif]

Relaford's one-year run as key Met utility man was splendid, and his long-term legacy eventually became (give or take a waiver claim by the Tigers and a year in Japan) Pedro Feliciano, via the trade of Desi and Shinjo to San Francisco for Shawn Estes, who in turn brought Pedro here in 2002.

As for Desi's hip-hop moguldom, he's obviously just an L Millz wannabe.

[MFS62]

After I saw him play, I named a baseball malady "George Altman Syndrome".

It describes a fairly young ballplayer who has had success elsewhere, comes to the Mets, has a really bad year, and never recovers his skills.
Probably the most notable victim was Robbie Alomar.

Later

[G-Fafif]

The end result of the recent compilation of the Mets who played One Full Year as Mets here. Upon further review, the list has been whittled to 41; turns out Pete Smith snuck onto the Disabled List in the summer of '94.

Also, the most recent One-Year Wonder, Jeremy Reed, has an unenviable distinction: 126 games played, 24 starts. I can't find any Met in any season who played in that many games and started so rarely. Matt Franco in 1999 and Mike Jorgensen came close -- 122 games/17 starts and 120/15 starts games respectively -- but those guys had defined roles. Franco was a PH Deluxe and Jorgy was a defensive replacement for Dave Kingman, someone who needed all the defensive replacing he could get. Reed's role was never that clear, and it's not like there was a surfeit of healthy, qualified outfielders blocking his way into the lineup.

Weird how Jerry Manuel disregarded him...and others.

[Frayed Knot]

It seemed that just as a job opened up for Reed* Jerry gave cut-sies in the line to the similarly-skilled Cory Sullivan and made him the #1 replacement instead - in effect giving Reed get less playing time after a job was open than he did before.



Has anyone ever contributed less with a full season than Jay Bell? Is it even possible?






* while typing this, I initially mis-spelled his name as 'Reek' and now wonder how it is no one here ever got around to hanging that moniker on him.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Frayed Knot wrote: Has anyone ever contributed less with a full season than Jay Bell? Is it even possible?

Probably and probably, but I can't say who. I seem to remember Saladoc coming up with a list of some intended offensive middle-infield reserves who weren't offensive at all.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm thinking maybe Jerry was mad at Reed for lying to him about first base. That throw.... One of those moments that stays with ya...

[Guest Edgy DC]

I hold that moment against Jerry for his "Murphy can't handle the outfield, how can we trust him in the infield?" attitude. Continuing to play Murphy in the outfield while putting Reed at first was Crazy Eddie-insane and he should have known it (and fortunately soon did, but only after that painful wakeup call).

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

yup.

[metirish]

Jay Bell had the story about his dad being a reporter out in LA....that was his contribution.....IIRC.

[Frayed Knot]

metirish wrote: Jay Bell had the story about his dad being a reporter out in LA....that was his contribution.....IIRC.

That wasn't Bell. The even less used (74 ABs in 2007) David Newhan was the guy with the (HoF) father sportswriter.

[Guest Edgy DC]

G-Fafif wrote: Relaford's one-year run as key Met utility man was splendid, and his long-term legacy eventually became (give or take a waiver claim by the Tigers and a year in Japan) Pedro Feliciano, via the trade of Desi and Shinjo to San Francisco for Shawn Estes, who in turn brought Pedro here in 2002. As for Desi's hip-hop moguldom, he's obviously just an L Millz wannabe.

Desi's legacy also includes launching this thread, an historical watermark in the defense of the Mets internet from reactionary numbnuts.

[metirish]

Frayed Knot wrote: metirish wrote: Jay Bell had the story about his dad being a reporter out in LA....that was his contribution.....IIRC. That wasn't Bell. The even less used (74 ABs in 2007) David Newhan was the guy with the (HoF) father sportswriter.

Yeeeeeees, sorry to Jay Bell on that. How could I have mixed them up?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Edgy DC wrote: G-Fafif wrote: Relaford's one-year run as key Met utility man was splendid, and his long-term legacy eventually became (give or take a waiver claim by the Tigers and a year in Japan) Pedro Feliciano, via the trade of Desi and Shinjo to San Francisco for Shawn Estes, who in turn brought Pedro here in 2002. As for Desi's hip-hop moguldom, he's obviously just an L Millz wannabe. Desi's legacy also includes launching this thread, an historical watermark in the defense of the Mets internet from reactionary numbnuts.

Wow. No wonder 9-11 happened

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

That thread makes me want to root for the terrorists.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Local boys in that thread:

The Big Train : Edgy DC
doc g : Salamander Q/Bret Sabermetric
LEFTFIELD : Frayed Knot
YGB : John Cougar Lunchbucket

Young Lunchbucket giving us an early peek into the form that would go on to win him numerous internet writing awards, as well as more than a few restraining orders.

If the purpose of the back-up is a little more stick, and negligible glove in the back-up SS, which I object to, then again there must be someone better out there. Just answer the question. And stop writing such mangled sentences. And dont bait me into making a joke about your mother.

[Frayed Knot]

Relaford, as many will remember, went on to have a more than decent season that year ... and yet I somehow restrained myself from bringing that thread back from the depths in order to throw it in the faces of all the dummies involved.

Wow. No wonder 9-11 happened

No wonder this place did.

[G-Fafif]

Update: DL stints by Barajas (who seemed like a distinct possibility) and Bay (signed long-term, thus moot) whittle down the possible 2010 candidates for One-Year Wonderdom to Henry Blanco and Hisanori Takahashi. They are the only new Opening Day roster Mets who have been on the roster uninterrupted ever since. Wouldn't bet the ranch that either will be back in 2011.

Catalanotto, Mejia, Tejada and Igarashi all eliminated from contention since April 5 by being released, disabled, sent down, whatever.