We’ve been doing these “greatest lineups” for a few months, and have done some of the legendary teams in the league, including the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, and St. Louis Cardinals. Figuring out the positions for the New York Mets is by far the hardest club we’ve put together.
The Mets aren’t the legendary franchise that others in MLB are. They don’t have more than 100 years of history. This isn’t a franchise with 10 World Series appearances. This is a team with very distinct eras, a lot of losing in between, and two of the most insane World Series wins you’ve ever seen.
And seeing who isn’t on the list will show you how hard putting this list together was. Francisco Lindor isn’t on this list, which seems impossible. We’ll let you be the judge once we’re done. At first base, there was a very hard decision between a current fan favorite and someone who is considered a Mets legend. Right off the bat, we have a near-impossible decision to make.
First Base
Pete Alonso
2019-Present
Pete Alonso is a New York Mets legend. He is building on that legend to this day. As of this writing, Alonso has 22 home runs and 81 RBIs. Barring an injury, he should break 100 RBIs for the fourth time in his career. Alonso re-signed with the Mets this offseason despite the Mets signing Juan Soto to one of the richest contracts we’ve ever seen. Keeping the Polar Bear in Queens was an important move, especially with how he’s responded offensively.
Alonso was immediately effective playing first base for the Mets. He debuted in 2019 and led all of baseball in home runs. In fact, he broke Aaron Judge’s record for most home runs by a rookie in baseball history with 53. He so easily won Rookie of the Year that season with one of the best rookie seasons in baseball history.
He kept his power numbers going throughout his career. He’s hit 40+ home runs in both 2022 and 2023. His power numbers are insane. Alonso is just a few home runs away from the Mets’ all-time record. Currently, Darryl Strawberry leads in that category with 252. By the time you read this, Alonso might already have the franchise record.
Many expected Alonso to leave this offseason after the Mets signed Soto, but we think every Mets fan is thanking their lucky stars that he’s still in New York. His impact will be felt so much more now that this team is a true contender.
Second Base
Edgardo Alfonzo
1995-2002
The Mets of the late 1990s and early 2000s remind us of the Mets today. They had stars at multiple positions, but it was those glue guys who really pushed the Mets over the top. Edgardo Alfonzo was at the top of the list. Once described as a “manager’s dream,” Alfonzo was the Mets’ best second baseman in history.
For as beloved as he was during his era, Alfonzo’s peak is underrated today. He had 100 RBIs and a 6.0 WAR in 1999, and yet he didn’t make the All-Star team. Alfonzo broke 5.0 WAR four times with the Mets; three times it was over 6.0. He had these pockets of greatness that coincided with him hitting .300 or higher.
The start of Alfonzo’s career was that of a utility player. He was behind two amazing players in Rey Ordonez at short and Jeff Kent at second base. He was patient, and he eventually started to get opportunities. He did face a few early-career injuries, but Ordonez took every opportunity afforded to him.
Where Alfonzo built his legend was in the postseason. He ranks first in team postseason history in hits, runs and RBI. He was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2021, a rightful honor that we’re surprised took so long.
Shortstop
Jose Reyes
2003-2011, 2016-2018
Shortstop felt like the impossible decision of this list. Without thinking, many Mets fans might immediately go to Francisco Lindor, and he might take over for Jose Reyes eventually. However, that’s also forgetting about Ordonez and Bud Harrelson. Again, this was a very hard decision, but the numbers for Jose Reyes are too great to ignore.
Reyes will go down as one of the fastest players in the history of baseball. He led the league in stolen bases three years in a row. From 2005 to 2007, Reyes had 202 stolen bases. He also had more than 15 triples four times, leading the league every time.
It wasn’t just speed where Reyes excelled. He won a Silver Slugger in 2006 and won the batting title in 2011. He did a little bit of everything during his Mets career. He left the organization in 2012, but his subsequent career outside of blue and orange was not successful, and he returned after a domestic violence suspension. His second stint was more of a swan song.
Ironically, shortstop was considered a “weak” position for the Mets before Reyes’ arrival. Now, with Lindor as one of the best players in baseball, it’s the most challenging position to lock down. Reyes’ special attributes and ability to bring something special to the lineup have him eeking out Lindor, but that might change if Lindor is able to bring a World Series to Queens.
Third Base
David Wright
2004-2018
David Wright is considered by many to be the best player to ever call himself a New York Met for his entire career. Wright’s number five was just retired, and deservedly so. Wright leads the franchise in WAR, hits, RBIs, walks, runs, and total bases. Even if some of these stats came from pure accumulation, Wright was a great Met.
There was a moment for Wright where he was one of the best players in baseball. In 2007 and 2008, Wright won the Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove for his play at third base. It showed that he was dominating on both sides of the field.
Even ignoring how great he was when healthy, Wright’s biggest attribute was his representation of the Mets. That gigantic smile was worth everything to the Mets. He was at the All-Star Game representing his franchise seven times, and he even became a member of the 30-30 club. He was really good at just about everything.
Wright is a big “what if” for the Mets. As great as he was, he should have been better. Too many injuries to list ended his career early. His last full-ish season was all the way back in 2014, when he was just 31 years old. At that point, he already had a few major injuries that caused him to miss time in 2011 and 2013. Then, from 2015 to 2018, Wright played just 77 games total. It was an unfortunate end to a great career.
Catcher
Mike Piazza
1998-2005
When you think about power at catcher, Mike Piazza is the name at the top of the list. The franchise’s career leader in slugging percentage, Piazza joined the Mets after two trades in 1998. He started the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they traded him for a package that included Gary Sheffield to the Florida Marlins. A week later, they traded him to the Mets in a package led by Preston Wilson.
A Hall of Famer is rarely traded in his prime, but a player getting traded twice in a week and actually playing for all three teams is something we can’t recall ever happening. Piazza came to New York and immediately made the Mets relevant. Remember that this was right in the middle of the Yankees’ late-90s dynasty, but Piazza took some headlines for a few days.
Piazza won the Silver Slugger for the Mets in his first five seasons there. Yes, he was a catcher, so his competition wasn’t exactly thick, but he was a great hitter no matter the position. He had more than 30 home runs in each of those seasons, including 40 home runs in 1999.
Of course, the moment Piazza became a Mets legend was on the team’s return to play after the attacks on the World Trade Center in September 2001. The Mets took on the Braves in the first major event in New York after the attacks. The entire country was still reeling, and normalcy was desperately needed. The Mets were down against their rival Atlanta Braves. Piazza was up in the eighth inning with the Mets down, Piazza hit a go-ahead two-run home run over the center field wall. The stadium exploded, and we still watch that home run to this day.
Right Field
Darryl Strawberry
1983-1990
Today, we talk about Darryl Strawberry like he was a tragic story, and in a way he was wasted potential, but don’t forget just how long he was great. Strawberry looked like a sure Hall of Famer. He had one of the smoothest swings we’ve ever seen, and it led to incredible power numbers and a new era in Mets baseball. Outside of a random World Series at the end of the 1960s, the pre-Strawberry Mets were not a good franchise.
The arrival of Strawberry and Doc Gooden changed the franchise’s trajectory. They were no longer a laughing stock. They were in competition with everyone in the league. Strawberry was dominant at the plate, hitting at least 25 home runs every year for the Mets.
Strawberry was an All-Star every year he was with the Mets, outside his rookie year. He did win Rookie of the Year that year, so he was pretty good then, too. Strawberry came just short of MVP honors in 1988 when he led the NL in home runs with 39.
His most prolific honor was in 1986, when he led the Mets to the World Series title. His numbers weren’t incredible (he only had 10 hits that entire playoffs), but he had three home runs and four stolen bases along with seven walks. It is still the last time the Mets won the World Series, but they hope one day Juan Soto sits in this spot.
Center Field
Carlos Beltran
2005-2011
For those who didn’t see it, Carlos Beltran sitting here might seem like a surprise. However, he was incredible with the Mets. Interestingly enough, when Beltran became a free agent in 2004, many thought he was going to the Yankees, but in a sign of things to come, Beltran took the offer from the Mets instead.
Beltran signed a seven-year contract. After some unfortunate injuries marred his 2005 season, he came back with a vengeance in 2006. He did just about everything in 2006, including hit three grand slams and two walkoff home runs. Beltran finished the season with 41 home runs, then a Mets’ single-season record. We won’t talk about Beltran’s last at-bat of that season, but he at least had three home runs in the NLCS.
Beltran finished his Mets’ tenure with a 31.1 WAR, the highest of his seven career stops. He also finished with 149 home runs and 559 RBIs. He even added 100 stolen bases over those seven seasons.
Despite his success, this wasn’t the best era for the Mets. That run to the 2006 NLCS was the only playoff appearance for Beltran with the Mets. He still made a major impact on the franchise.
Left Field
Cleon Jones
1963-1975
We wanted to have a representative from those 1969 Mets, and there is no better option than Cleon Jones. The Mets’ left fielder was incredible that season. He finished the regular season with a 7.0 WAR, the best of his career. Jones had just 12 home runs and 16 stolen bases, but his .340 batting average was one of the best in baseball.
Jones dominated the Atlanta Braves in the NL Championship Series, in what ended up being a three-game sweep. The Mets were heavy underdogs in the World Series, but some clutch hitting helped them lift the title. Jones was the man behind some of those clutch hits, especially in the deciding Game 5. He had a hit by pitch that got the team back in the game when the next better hit a home run. Then, an eighth-inning double turned into the World Series-winning run.
Jones did more than his 1969 run. He actually helped them get back to the 1973 World Series, hitting .292 with four doubles and a home run in 12 games.
At the end of his career, where he played all but one season with the Mets, Jones finished with 93 home runs and 91 stolen bases. It doesn’t sound like much, but the clutch hitting is where Jones thrived. The Mets probably don’t win their first World Series without him.
Designated Hitter
Keith Hernandez
1983-1989
Lindor, Howard Johnson, Mookie Wilson, Lenny Dykstra, and Brandon Nimmo are just some of the names who were in the conversation for designated hitter, but there’s no way we could keep Keith Hernandez off this team. He means too much to this organization, and he earned his spot with his play on the field.
Hernandez joined the Mets after a lengthy career with the St. Louis Cardinals. He spent basically his entire 20s with the Cardinals. For most players, they would be giving the backside of their careers to their new team, but Hernandez had another gear for the second half of his career.
He was really good for the first five years with the Mets, putting up more than 80 RBIs four times, with two seasons going over 90. He had an over .300 batting average in his first three full seasons with the Mets, and he even led the league in walks in 1986. Of course, that was a special year.
Hernandez wasn’t great that season, but he got on base 21 times in 13 games, and added a double and a triple during the run. He added seven RBIs and four runs during the championship postseason, making him an iconic member of the Mets squad. We haven’t even talked about Hernandez’s defense, which is considered some of the best in league history. He was as good a first baseman as any, so he might end up playing the field more than Alonso, but for this list’s sake, let’s not complicate things.
Starting Pitcher
Tom Seaver
1967-1977, 1983
When looking at Tom Seaver versus peak Doc Gooden, there aren’t many competitions as dominant as that. Both Seaver and Gooden are two of the greatest pitchers of all time when looking at their very best stuff. Of course, Gooden had off-the-field issues that ended up ruining his effectiveness, which is where Seaver takes the mantle as the top pitcher in the history of the Mets.
And Seaver would be the best pitcher on many franchises. With the Mets, Seaver led the league in strikeouts five times, ERA three times, wins twice, and WAR three times. Seaver was amazing, and it’s why he won the Cy Young Award three times and was in the conversation just about every year he was with the Mets.
Seaver had so many broken thresholds, including 300 wins and more than 3,600 strikeouts. As of this writing, Seaver is sixth all-time in strikeouts. Unless Gerrit Cole comes back from Tommy John to remain the top pitcher in baseball or Clayton Kershaw holds on to his career for five more seasons, we don’t see any active pitchers coming close to his mantle.
As with many of the championship Mets on this list, Seaver had an essential performance that led to a championship. In Game 4 against the Orioles, Seaver pitched a complete game. The thing about that game is it went 10 innings. Seaver pitched into extra innings to secure the win for the Mets. They would go on to win in Game 5, putting their first championship in the books. Who knows what happens if Seaver can’t go into extras and the Mets lose. Do that still win that first championship?
Closing Pitcher
John Franco
1990-2004
John Franco is a special case for the New York Mets. He joined the team in 1990 and became a stalwart for the team for a decade and a half. He played well into his 40s, using his pitches to stay relevant. Early in his career, he was one of the great closers in the game. In his very first season in New York, he led the league with 33 saves. He would go on to lead the league again in 1994.
Franco would eventually play whatever role the Mets needed from him. Do they want him to close? Sure, he can do that. Was he a setup man? He could do that, too. At 43 years old, he pitched 46 innings for the Mets in 2004.
While there wasn’t a ton of postseason success for Franco in New York, as the Mets only made the playoffs twice, both times he took advantage of his opportunity. In 1999, Franco had a ridiculous 0.789 WHIP. He also had a 1.42 ERA in six appearances. In nine appearances on the way to the 2000 World Series, Franco had a 1.125 WHIP and a 2.25 ERA.
Franco finished his Mets career with a team record 276 saves. He will go down as one of the greatest closers of all time, and a majority of his damage came with the Mets.