Twenty-First Century Mets I Had Forgotten About

[Edgy MD]

Just rolled over in bed one morning last week and thought, "Hey, Frank Catalanotto was totally a 21st Century Met." I had forgotten most everything about him. I think he started the season with the team and then got released before the summer had replaced the spring. 2010? 2007? I dunno.

But that unloaded a floodgate of post-2000 Mets I absolutely don't think about (unlike Emil Brown, who I think about a LOT). I mentioned Chris Aguila last week. Some small engram in mind had sparked him up Tuesday or so. Just about an hour ago, Jesus Feliciano appeared in my mind, screaming how he would not be forgotten. And indeed, now he hasn't.

Seems to be a wave of outfielders washing over me.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Throw me the name of a player from the 1980's, and I can almost certainly tell you whether or not he was a Met. For the 2000's? Not so much. I saw something that recently referred to Jose Offerman as a former Met, and my first thought was, "That's not right." I haven't looked it up yet, but I'm not sure if I was right or wrong in saying that Offerman wasn't a Met.

I've been aware of every player as they've come and gone. I've been maintaining a database! But once they're gone, many of them aren't sticking in my memory anymore.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Edgy MD wrote: Seems to be a wave of outfielders washing over me.

I'm the same way with middle-infield depth.

Joaquin Arias? Okay, if you say so.

Angel Berroa? Sure, bud, show me a photo.

Andy Green? Oh, bullspit.

[Ceetar]

Joe Hietpas.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Joe DiPastino. Tom Wilson. Danny Garcia. McKay Christensen. Much like the early-00s Flushingers, I'm not so deep up the middle.

[dgwphotography]

Mike Bacsik

[batmagadanleadoff]

I could relate to this thread, because I'm drawing big blanks on fringe Mets of recent vintage, especially relievers. Must be another sign of aging. Catalanotto (1B), I know, though. A local guy (LI) who played for the Mets for the first few weeks of 2010 ... arrived at the Mets at the end of an undistinguished career ... very memorable (at least to me, anyway) only because in his lone Mets start, bad Jerry slotted the fading scrub in the cleanup spot for no other reason (at least to me, anyway) than that the regular first baseman of the season to that point (Mike Jacobs) usually batted cleanup.

Toppless as a Met.



Has his own website.

http://www.frankcatalanotto.com/index.php

[Guest themetfairy]

We remember Mike Bacsik -

[Guest themetfairy]

Jaime Cerda too -

[HahnSolo]

I had completely forgotten about David Newhan until last week, when I attended a NY-Penn League game between the Hudson Valley Renegades and the Vermont Lake Monsters. Newhan is managing the Lake Monsters these days.

About Catalonotto, I remember the discussion we had at the time that he was the only Met to get one--and only--start with the team, and in that start bat cleanup.

[batmagadanleadoff]

themetfairy wrote: Jaime Cerda too -

You should post a photo gallery here called Growin' Up With the Mets, with the kid next to a Met, but a little older in each succeeding shot.

[Guest themetfairy]

LOL - Nice idea, but I don't have enough pix for that.

[ashie62]

Marco Scutaro...

[G-Fafif]

Wilmer Flores.

Sorry, that's a twenty-first century Met Terry Collins has forgotten about.

[Lefty Specialist]

Mike Glavine.

Because sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know.

[ashie62]

G-Fafif wrote: Wilmer Flores. Sorry, that's a twenty-first century Met Terry Collins has forgotten about.

That was good for a chuckle...

[Gwreck]

I remember all of the names in this thread so far. I started looking over rosters and realized I had absolutely no recollection of Justin Hampson or Jack Egbert.

But even those players, I might have been able to recall as Mets.

Brian Buchanan, on the other hand? I would've lost a large sum of money had I been challenged with a wager there.

[Ceetar]

Jon Switzer? Blaine Boyer?

Lots of little mentioned relievers seem to slip into the beginning or ends of seasons.

Then you got guys like Freddy Garcia, Spring Met only.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Ceetar wrote: Then you got guys like Freddy Garcia, Spring Met only.

I have his jersey from that spring! My Dad won it at a "spin-the-wheel" thing at the St.Lucie ballpark.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Aardsma

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Oh, I remember Aardsma, if only for the failed-closer thing that led to Old Man Hawkins nailing the job down. (Also, I remember the "Who's coming in? Oh, him" feeling he used to give me, if only vaguely.)

Speaking of ex-MFYs, do you know who I don't remember from last year? Sean Henn. (Also, Laffey.)

[Edgy MD]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Mike Glavine. Because sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know.

You forgot about Mike Glavine?!

[Lefty Specialist]

Edgy MD wrote: Lefty Specialist wrote: Mike Glavine. Because sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know. You forgot about Mike Glavine?!

'Successfully expunged from my memory until just the other day' is probably more like it.

[Frayed Knot]

I'll always insist that Jay Bell has the trophy retired for most anonymous [u:1kcma3r4]Full-Season[/u:1kcma3r4] Met of the 21st century.
On the roster and (at least as far as I can remember) uninjured from opening day to closing.
Looking through his records I count 26 starts for him including 16 complete games, yet still averaged out to less than 1 PA/G (142) for the season as a whole.
Never fewer than 15 PAs in any month, yet never reached as many as 40 in a month.

[Guest themetfairy]

I recall that pint-sized MK had to remind Kase and D-Dad that Bell was the guy wearing number 44 in the Mets lineup one night.

[Edgy MD]

Definitely in the family picture when discussing least productive (or most counter-productive) seasons in team history.

Buddy of Mo Vaughn. Don't know if that's why he made it through the season, but... well, ask Mike Glavine.

[Edgy MD]

I was just downstairs getting a drink before bed, and Argenis Reyes appeared in front of me plain as day. "I was a Met!" he cried. "You can't deny me!"

"Argenis Salazar?" I asked. "What are you doing in my kitchen?"

"REYES!" he yelled. "I was a Met in two different seasons! REYES!! Like Jos�!!"

"Only... different," I replied.

"Yeah, different," he sighed.

Still, though. Argenis Fuckin' Reyes. Right there in my kitchen.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

The only reaason I remember Argenis Reyes is because the Phils picked him up right after we dropped him, and he proceeded to give them one hell of a season on the chea-- wait, am I thinking of Oil Spill Valdez? Ah, yes... so that's two I had forgotten about.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Wilson Delgado
Jack Egbert
Andy Phillips
That Mr Marlin Guy

[batmagadanleadoff]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: The only reaason I remember Argenis Reyes is because the Phils picked him up right after we dropped him, and he proceeded to give them one hell of a season on the chea-- wait, am I thinking of Oil Spill Valdez? Ah, yes... so that's two I had forgotten about.

Toppless as a Met. But, like just about every other Met from 2008 to the present, if he got into the starting lineup at home, a supersized Topps style card of him was hung at the stadium entrance.