Bartolo Colon's Hitting Prowess Is A Recipe For Success

Bartolo Colon pitched a beautiful game for the Mets on Friday night, allowing one run on six hits in seven innings.  Colon walked none and struck out five - four of which came on called third strikes.  The win was Colon's third victory in three starts this year, giving him a 207-141 lifetime record and a .595 career winning percentage.

Clearly, Colon is one of the more dependable pitchers of his generation, as his teams have produced a 252-187 record (.574 winning percentage) in his 439 career starts.  But Colon's performances on the mound don't give his teams the best chance to win a game.  It's when he performs at the plate that his teams are almost unbeatable.

Although Colon may be shaped like Babe Ruth, his hitting shape is a totally different story.  Colon has struck out in more than half of his plate appearances (92 K in 180 PA) and has managed just 13 hits and no walks in 164 career at-bats.  Colon has driven in a total of seven runs in those 15 dozen plate appearances, or two fewer than Carlos Delgado had in one game for the Mets in 2008.  Simply stated, when Colon swings at a pitch, he has a better chance to lose his helmet than he does of adding a hit or RBI to his lifetime totals.

But when he does collect a hit or drive in a run, well, that's when special things happen to his teams.

When Bartolo Colon produces at the plate, his teams are nearly perfect. (Adam Hunger/USA TODAY)

As previously stated, Colon has seven RBI in his career, driving in those runs in six games (Colon had a two-RBI game for the Expos in 2002).  How did his teams perform in those affairs?  They won all six.  Included in that 6-0 mark is each of the last two games Colon has started for the Mets - the first time in his 18-year career that Colon has put together back-to-back games with at least one RBI.

Colon is twice as likely to collect a hit than drive in a run in a major league game, as his 13 career hits have been collected in 12 contests.  (Colon's sole multi-hit effort occurred in the aforementioned two-RBI game.)  His teams are close to perfect in those dozen games, going 11-1 when Colon shocks the world by getting a hit.  The only time a Colon-led team lost a game in which he collected a hit was on July 23, 2002, when he went 1-for-2 for the Expos, but lost the game, 4-3.  Who was the only team that was able to defy the odds by defeating Colon when he collected a rare hit?  Why, it was none other than your New York Mets.

Bartolo Colon was signed to a two-year deal by Sandy Alderson because of his winning pedigree and his ability to be a positive presence in the clubhouse.  Colon has certainly done what Alderson expected him to do, as the Mets have won 20 of his 34 starts.  Colon has also been able to assist with the team's young pitchers with his extensive knowledge of the game, helping Mets pitchers put up a stellar 2.63 ERA and 1.03 WHIP through the team's first 11 games - both of which rank second in the league behind the St. Louis Cardinals.

But Colon has also unexpectedly helped the Mets with his bat.  Last Sunday, his fourth-inning RBI single broke a 2-2 tie in a game eventually won by the Mets, 4-3.  And last night, his fifth-inning sacrifice fly knotted the game against the Marlins and got the Mets' offense going in the team's 4-1 come-from-behind victory.  In doing so, Colon has continued to be his team's lucky charm whenever he has collected a hit or driven in a run.

Bartolo Colon's teams are 11-1 whenever he collects a hit.  They're an unblemished 6-0 when he drives in a run.  Nobody's perfect.  But Colon's teams are close to perfect whenever he puts on a batting clinic, even if that clinic has been closed most of the time.
 

Citi Field Is Becoming Nationals Park North

Bryce Harper doesn't wear clown shoes as he rounds the bases at Citi Field.  (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

On Thursday, the Mets dropped a 4-1 decision to the first place Washington Nationals.  It was New York’s 11th straight loss to Washington at Citi Field, a venue which has in essence served as a second home for the Nats.

It’s not just that the Mets are dropping decisions to the Nationals, it’s how they’re racking up the losses.  Let’s take a look at some of the horrifying numbers.  You might want to keep a barf bag nearby.

• Washington has celebrated a victory in each of its last 11 games at Citi Field.  That 11-game streak of success is the longest winning streak by any team at the park, including the Mets.  The Mets' longest skein in the ballpark built for them is just nine games, accomplished from April 22 to May 8, 2010.  The Nationals' streak is also the longest of all-time by any road team in the Mets' home venue.  That includes teams that visited all the awful Mets squads that played in the Polo Grounds and Shea Stadium.

• During the Mets’ eleven-game streak of ineptitude, they have been outscored by the Nationals, 74-21, with seven of the Mets’ 21 runs coming in one game - a 9-7 loss on March 31, 2014.  (Simple math lets us know that the Mets have scored just 14 runs in the other ten games.)  That March 31 game and last night’s 3-2 setback were the only times during the skein that the Mets lost by fewer than three runs.  I guess last night’s game would have to be considered a moral victory for the Mets, even if it was still yet another demoralizing defeat.

• The Mets haven’t just been stinking up the joint against the Nationals in their last eleven head-to-head matchups at Citi Field.  They’ve actually lost 25 of 29 games versus Washington since September 2011.  In that time period, the Mets have played nine series against the Nats.  They’ve won just one of those series and they’ve been swept six times.  Two of those six sweeps came in four-game series.  In the 29-game stretch, New York has been outscored, 150-66.  That means the Mets have scored eight fewer runs in their last 29 home games against the Nationals than Washington has scored in their last ten versus the Mets. 

• When Citi Field opened in 2009, the Pepsi Porch overhang was meant to evoke memories of a similar right field overhang at Tiger Stadium.  But the Nats’ bats are bringing back a different kind of Tiger Stadium memory.  Washington has outhomered the Mets, 29-5 during their 11-game rampage at Citi Field, numbers that are reminiscent of the Mets’ lone trip to Tiger Stadium in 1997, when the team hit no home runs and Detroit blasted 14 moon shots off Mets pitchers.  Are we 100% sure that Bobby Higginson isn’t the Nationals’ guest hitting coach when Washington plays in New York?

• Speaking of long balls, Washington has homered 47 times in their last 29 games at Citi Field.  These home runs have accounted for a total of 72 runs.  Meanwhile, during those same 29 games, the Mets have managed to cross the plate via any means just 66 times (as painfully detailed two paragraphs above).  That means Washington has had a better chance of scoring at Citi Field via the home run than the Mets have had of scoring … period.  The Nationals have also scored 78 runs without the benefit of the ball leaving the park, which is just them throwing salt on the Mets’ open wound. 

• Finally, in five of their last 15 games at Citi Field, the Nationals have smacked four homers or more.  The Mets, on the other hand, have played a total of 463 games in their home park.  How many times in those 463 contests do you think they’ve produced a four-homer game?  You guessed it.  Five times.  The Nats have done in 15 games what the Mets have struggled to do in nearly 500 affairs.

Before moving to Washington at the conclusion of the 2004 season, the Nationals/Expos franchise played its home games in Montreal.  The Expos played their inaugural game on the road at Shea Stadium in 1969.  Thirty-five years later, Shea Stadium bid adieu to Les Expos, hosting Montreal in the team’s final game before sending them off to our nation’s capital.  But apparently, the Expos/Nationals franchise still thinks of New York as its second home.  How else can one explain the Nationals’ dominance over the Mets at Citi Field in recent years?

Citigroup has the naming rights for the Mets’ home ballpark through the 2028 season.  But if you ask anyone associated with the Washington Nationals, Citi Field has already been re-christened as Nationals Park North.  After all, with 11 straight wins over the Mets in New York - the longest win streak by a road team at the Mets' home ballpark in the history of the franchise - the Nats have proven that they have a distinct road team advantage at Citi Field.

4,000 Wins: A Brief History of Mets Milestone Victories

Jacob deGrom's second major league win was the franchise's 4,000th victory. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

It took the Mets 8,020 games to record their first no-hitter.  It took them a little longer to record their 4,000th regular season victory.  With tonight's 8-3 decision over the Atlanta Braves, the Mets have now won 4,000 times in 8,382 regular season games, becoming the ninth National League team to reach that milestone.  (Houston won 3,999 games as a National League franchise before moving to the AL West in 2013.)

In honor of this historic victory, let's look back at the other games in which the Mets clicked the thousands digit up by one.  Unlike tonight's victory, all three landmark wins came during seasons in which the Mets finished above .500 and all three occurred on the road.

Win No. 1,000:  May 22, 1976 @ Montreal

Under first-year manager Joe Frazier, the Mets got off to a quick start in 1976.  New York was 19-11 and in a first place tie with the Philadelphia Phillies through 30 games.  But the Phillies then reeled off 16 wins in their next 19 games and were well on their way to their first postseason appearance in 26 years.  During the Phillies' hot stretch in late May, the Mets struggled, embarking on four separate losing streaks of three games or more.  But on May 22, the Mets did manage to come from behind to post a rare victory at a time when wins were becoming scarce.

Trailing 1-0 at Parc Jarry in Montreal, the Mets appeared to have wasted a solid effort by Jerry Koosman.  The veteran southpaw pitched seven solid innings, scattering four hits, but left for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning down by a single run.  New York then tallied four runs in the eighth - all with two outs - to take a 4-1 lead.  Skip Lockwood tossed two perfect innings in relief of Koosman to give the lefty his 113th career win and the team its 1,000th regular season victory.

The all-time winningest lefty in Mets history led the team right to its 1,000th victory.  (Getty Images)

Win No. 2,000: May 2, 1989 @ Atlanta

In 1989, Davey Johnson's team was coming off its second division crown in three seasons.  But the Mets struggled early, losing eight of their first 12 games to find themselves in last place in the NL East after the season's first two weeks.  The team then embarked on its hottest streak of the season, winning 12 of their next 14 games.  The final win in that torrid stretch occurred on May 2, and it gave the Mets their 2,000 victory.

After defeating Zane Smith the night before, the Mets beat up on another Smith.  New York knocked Braves starter Pete Smith out of the game in the fourth inning, scoring six runs against him.  Darryl Strawberry kicked off the scoring party with a two-run homer in the first inning and Smith was sent to the showers after a single by Keith Hernandez in the fourth inning plated Mets starting pitcher Bob Ojeda, who had singled earlier in the inning.  Ojeda was brilliant for the Mets, allowing just one unearned run in eight innings.  The Mets claimed a 7-1 victory over the Braves, and in doing so, also claimed the 2,000th win in franchise history.

Before taking this winning photo, Bob Ojeda got a "W" in the Mets' 2,000th victory.  (Photo by Sharon Chapman)

Win No. 3,000: Sept. 3, 2001 @ Philadelphia

The Mets' resurgence during the final month of the 2001 season gave the city hope following the tragic events of 9/11, but New York actually began their charge back into contention two weeks before that horrific day.

On the morning of August 18, the Mets had a lowly 54-68 record and were 13½ games out of first place.  But New York won 10 of its next 14 games to cut the deficit to 8½ games as the team traveled to Philadelphia to take on the Phillies on September 3.  The Mets looked as if they were going to drop the opener of the series, as they trailed the Phillies by two runs going into the ninth inning.  But before you could say "Ya Gotta Believe", the Mets exploded for five runs in the final frame, turning a 7-5 deficit into a 10-7 lead.  Armando Benitez pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the ninth to save what became the Mets' 3,000th victory.  Ironically, the pitcher who got credit for the team's 3,000th win, C.J. Nitkowski, was making his first appearance in a Mets uniform in that game.  It would be his only win as a New York Met.

Why isn't C.J. Nitkowski in a Mets uniform?  Because he only wore it for win No. 3,000 and four other games. (CNN photo)

The Mets defeated the Atlanta Braves tonight to secure their 4,000th regular season win.  But everything about this win was different from the team's three previous milestone wins.  The Mets won their 1,000th, 2,000th and 3,000th games on the road.  Win No. 4,000 came at home.  Also, the winning pitcher in all three historic wins was left-handed (Koosman, Ojeda, Nitkowski).  Tonight's lucky winner was Jacob deGrom, a righty.  Furthermore, all three milestone victories came in a season that ended with the Mets having more wins than losses.  This year's milestone?  Well, let's just say the Mets have some work to do to before they can reach the break-even point.

It's been a long and crazy ride for the Mets since their first season in 1962.  After a slow start (to say the least), it took the team until its 15th season to claim its 1,000th win.  Since then, the Mets have won 1,000 games every 12 or 13 seasons.  If the current trend continues, the team will be gunning for its 5,000th regular season win sometime around the year 2027.  (They will probably fall for the 5,000th time approximately four or five years before that.)

When and where will that 5,000th win occur?  And what will the circumstances be surrounding that milestone victory?  There's no way to know for sure.  But one thing is certain.  If you consider yourself to be a long-time Mets fan, you know there's bound to be an Amazin' story behind it. 

The Best On The Worst: Hubie Brooks

For nearly two decades, the third base position resembled a game of musical chairs for the Mets.  New York used 16 different players at the hot corner in their first 20 Opening Day games, with no third baseman starting more than two season openers.

Don Zimmer was the first third baseman in team history.  After getting the Opening Day nod in 1962, Zimmer went on to play just 13 more games at the position for the Mets.  Similarly, Opening Day starters Charlie Neal (1963), Ron Hunt (1964), Joe Foy (1970), Bob Aspromonte (1971) and Joe Torre (1975) all failed to play 100 games at the hot corner during their Mets careers.

Through 1981, only Wayne Garrett had played more than 250 games at third base for the Mets, as New York had tried (and failed) to acquire players to fill the void at the position for nearly two decades.  For example, in December 1969, the Mets traded Amos Otis to Kansas City for third baseman Joe Foy.  Otis went on to become a five-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner for the Royals, collecting over 2,000 hits in a big league career that lasted until 1984 and included five trips to the postseason.  Foy played one season with the Mets and was out of baseball following the 1971 season.  Two years after the Otis-for-Foy deal, the Mets acquired Jim Fregosi from the California Angels to play third base.  Fregosi played just 103 games at the hot corner and was a former Met by July 1973.  The man he was traded for, Nolan Ryan, went on to pitch seven no-hitters, struck out 5,714 batters and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.

Clearly, the Mets did not have much success cultivating third baseman or trading for them.  But by the time the team was about to begin its third decade in the National League, they had finally found their man.  And he ended up helping the team in more ways than anyone could have expected.

A young Hubie Brooks before he became the first true regular third baseman for the Mets.

Hubert Brooks was selected by the Mets with the third overall pick in the 1978 June amateur draft.  Like his future teammate, Craig Swan, Brooks went to Arizona State University, helping the Sun Devils to two College World Series appearances and one national championship.  Brooks got off to a slow start at Double-A Jackson in 1978, batting .216 in 45 games.  But Brooks became a hit machine in 1979, splitting time between Jackson and AAA-Tidewater.  The 22-year-old batted .309 with a .389 on-base percentage in 117 games, then followed up his tremendous '79 campaign by finishing ninth in the International League in batting average in 1980 with a .297 mark.

By September 1980, the magic of a promising season at Shea Stadium had long since faded, so the team decided to call up many of its minor league stars in the hopes that some might play well enough to stick around for the 1981 season.  Second baseman Wally Backman and center fielder Mookie Wilson were two of the prized prospects who made their major league debuts in September.  Two days after Backman and Wilson played in their first games, Hubie Brooks joined the party, becoming the team's latest third baseman.  Prior to Brooks' call-up, Elliott Maddox had played third base for the Mets since 1978.  Once Brooks made his debut, the higher-salaried Maddox started just six more games at the position and was released the following February, despite being under contract through the 1982 season.

Brooks had a terrific 24-game tryout with the Mets in 1980, batting .309 with a homer and 10 RBI.  With Maddox gone, there was no one in Brooks' way to claim the everyday job at third base in 1981.  Brooks delivered in his first full season in the majors, batting .307 with 21 doubles, four homers and 38 RBI in 98 games.  Brooks' 110 hits led the Mets, as no other player on the team managed to bang out 90 safeties during the strike-shortened 1981 season.  Brooks' .307 average was also good enough to place him eighth in the National League in batting.

For his efforts, Brooks finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, behind Fernando Valenzuela and Tim Raines.  Brooks became the seventh Met to finish in the top three after Ron Hunt (1963; 2nd place), Tom Seaver (1967; 1st), Jerry Koosman (1968; 2nd), Jon Matlack (1972; 1st), John Milner (1972; 3rd) and Steve Henderson (1977; 2nd).

After years of trying to find a regular third baseman (Garrett played in 711 games at third, but only played 100-plus games at the position in two of his eight seasons in New York), the Mets finally had their man in Hubie Brooks.  Not only was he among the top hitters in the league at a young age, but he was quickly becoming a fan favorite.  And he needed to be loved if he was going to get through a subpar 1982 campaign.

In 1982, Brooks struggled for the first time in the major leagues.  Through June 27, Brooks hit .262 with no homers in 231 plate appearances.  A hamstring injury kept him out of action for almost a month, but when he returned in late July, he performed even worse than he did in the first half, batting .239 with two homers and 16 RBI in 68 games.  One of the reasons for Brooks' poor season was his inability to come through with runners in scoring position, as the 24-year-old batted just .236 in those situations in 1982.  One year later, that problem was fixed.

Although Brooks hit just .251 overall in 1983, he batted .347 with runners in scoring position.  As a result, Brooks drove in 58 runs despite hitting only five homers.  His RBI total placed him third on the team, after sluggers George Foster (90 RBI) and Darryl Strawberry (74 RBI).

Hubie Brooks is congratulated by George Foster and Darryl Strawberry, the only Mets to have more RBI than Brooks in 1983.

Through four seasons as a Met, Brooks had hit just 12 homers, far fewer than what is normally expected from a corner infielder.  Although he had given the Mets a stable presence at a position that was known for its instability, he still had a lot of work to do to become the third baseman the Mets truly wanted.  The Mets hadn't had a third baseman hit more than 15 homers in a season since Garrett accomplished the feat in 1973 - the last time the Mets qualified for the postseason.  Brooks would eventually join Garrett in the pantheon of powerful third basemen, just in time for the team to return to contention for the first time since Garrett's last game as a Met.

In 1984, new manager Davey Johnson guided the Mets to their first winning season since 1976 and only the second 90-win campaign in club history.  Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry, who were in St. Louis and Tidewater, respectively, at the beginning of the 1983 season, were two of the Mets' top players going into the 1984 season.  Also new to the team were Ron Darling and rookie phenom Dwight Gooden, who would comprise two-fifths of the starting rotation for the rest of the decade.

With Brooks no longer needing to be one of the top offensive threats on the team, he went on to post his best season as a Met in 1984, although he started off poorly, batting .203 with eight RBI in the month of April.  He did, however, hit three homers in the season's first month.  It would be a portent of things to come for the once power-starved Brooks.

From May 1 to June 1, Brooks batted .398 and posted a .530 slugging percentage.  More importantly, he collected at least one hit in all 24 games he played, breaking Mike Vail's franchise-record 23-game hitting streak.  Brooks' 24-game skein would remain unsurpassed for nearly a quarter century, until David Wright hit in 26 straight games from 2006 to 2007.  Brooks' single-season record remained intact until Moises Alou posted a 30-game hitting streak in August and September 2007.  (Mike Piazza had tied Brooks' record with a 24-game streak of his own in 1999.)

After going 2-for-24 in his first six games following the 24-game streak, Brooks continued to pound the ball, batting .352 with ten doubles, five homers and 20 RBI over his next 43 games.  More importantly from a team perspective, the Mets went 31-12 over those games to move into first place in the NL East.  But when the Mets lost seven consecutive games in late July and early August to fall out of first place, general manager Frank Cashen decided the team needed to add a veteran presence to the lineup.  In late August, that presence arrived in the form of third baseman Ray Knight, which forced Hubie Brooks to move to the shortstop position in place of the light-hitting, but sure-handed Jose Oquendo.  The Mets never recovered from their seven-game losing streak, conceding the division to the Chicago Cubs, but Brooks finally had his breakout season, batting .283 with 16 homers and 73 RBI.

Brooks' offensive contributions at the shortstop position opened eyes in the Mets organization as well as another team up north.  And with the Mets seeking an upgrade at catcher after Mike Fitzgerald, Ron Hodges, Junior Ortiz and John Gibbons combined to hit .219 (129-for-588) with three homers and 56 RBI in 1984, the Montreal Expos began to engage in a discussion with Cashen and the Mets.  The Expos, needing offense and steadiness at the shortstop position (no Expo started more than 57 games at short in 1984 and the six players who played the position combined to hit .212 with no homers), coveted Hubie Brooks as well as a few other prospects in the Mets organization.  They would send the Mets perennial All-Star Gary Carter in exchange.  The deal was a no-brainer, as Carter would not only improve the Mets' offense dramatically, but he would help mold the young pitching staff into a powerhouse.  Once the Mets threw in pitcher Floyd Youmans, outfielder Herm Winningham and Fitzgerald, the Mets had their new catcher.  On December 10, 1984, Hubie Brooks became an ex-Met and the Gary Carter era began in New York.

Gary Carter waved hello to New York as Hubie Brooks said his goodbyes.

Carter produced two epic seasons for the Mets in 1985 and 1986, helping the Mets win their second World Series championship.  Meanwhile, Brooks continued to play for middle-of-the-division teams in Montreal during his five-year stay with the Expos.  However, his growth as a Met in 1984 continued as an Expo, as Brooks became one of the top offensive threats in the league.

In his first season with Montreal, Brooks produced career highs in hits (163), doubles (34), triples (7), runs scored (67) and RBI (100).  Brooks continued to be an exceptional hitter with runners in scoring position, as he achieved his first 100-RBI campaign despite hitting only 13 homers.  At the end of the season, Brooks received MVP consideration and won his first Silver Slugger Award.

Brooks continued to be a star in Canada, winning his second Silver Slugger in 1986 and making the All-Star team twice (1986, 1987).  Because of an assortment of injuries, Brooks played only 80 games in 1986 (his season ended, coincidentally, in a series against the Mets), but at the time of his season-ending thumb injury on August 1, Brooks was leading the league in batting with a .340 average.  He had also smacked 14 homers and driven in 58 runs, putting him on pace to become the power-hitting infielder the Mets had always wanted him to be.

From 1987 to 1989, Brooks averaged 29 doubles, 16 homers and 77 RBI for the Expos, producing his first 20-homer season in the majors in 1988.  After signing a free agent contract with his hometown Dodgers, Brooks put up his second 20-homer campaign in 1990.  But by then, Brooks was a right fielder, as he had been moved there by the Expos in 1988.  And when Los Angeles ripped Darryl Strawberry away from the Mets with a lucrative free agent deal, Brooks was a man without a position.  He was also about to be a man reunited with his former team.

A month after the Dodgers signed Strawberry, Brooks was traded back to the Mets for pitchers Bob Ojeda and Greg Hansell.  Brooks was a fan favorite during his first stint with the Mets in the early '80s.  But this was a new decade and Brooks was replacing one of the most popular players in franchise history.  The pressure proved to be too much for the Mets' new right fielder, as Brooks batted .238 with 16 homers and 50 RBI in 1991.  By comparison, in Strawberry's last season in New York, he had 21 homers and 56 RBI by the All-Star Break.

Brooks averaged 56 extra-base hits per season from 1984 to 1990, but produced half of that amount in '91, adding 11 doubles and one triple to his 16 homers.  As a result of his poor season, Brooks did not get another chance with the Mets to prove himself as a capable major league hitter.  After a one-year return (and seven years to the day after the Mets traded him to Montreal in 1984), Brooks was shipped back to California, this time to the Angels in return for outfielder Dave Gallagher.  Brooks was a part-time player for the Angels in 1992 before finishing out his career as a member of the Kansas City Royals in 1993 and 1994.  Although his career was over, Brooks had no regrets about his time in the big leagues, saying:

"The best thing that happened to me was to start my career where and when I did.  I really enjoyed it.  To see it change, it was so exciting to see. ... I never won (a World Series) and it would've been nice to have won one.  But that's how the game is.  That trade (for Gary Carter) had to be made for them to get what they wanted.  I've never felt bad about that.  Something had to go and it was me.  I never took it personal.  At least the Mets thought well enough of me to give me my first opportunity." 

Hubie Brooks played 15 seasons in the major leagues, but only six of them came with the Mets.  From 1980 to 1983, Brooks played on teams that finished in last place or next-to-last.  Then, after finally tasting success with the Mets in 1984, the team traded him to Montreal.  During his six seasons away from the team, the Mets won two division titles and were runners-up in the NL East the other four years.  But once Brooks returned in 1991, he was a shadow of his former self and so were the Mets, finishing below .500 for the first time since 1983.

When Brooks was traded to the Expos after the 1984 season, he was only the second Met to play in more than 250 games at third base, manning the hot corner in 516 contests.  He was also the first player in club history to have three seasons in which he played 100 or more games at third base, basically making him the first regular third baseman to suit up for the Mets in the team's first quarter century.

Brooks played his final game with the Mets in 1991, ending his second stint with the team among the team leaders in various offensive categories.  But among third basemen in franchise history, Brooks ranks in the top five in virtually every category.  For players who played at least 50% of their games at third base, Brooks ranks highly in hits (640; 4th among Mets third basemen), doubles (96; 3rd), triples (12; 5th), home runs (44; 5th), RBI (269; 4th) and runs scored (244; 4th).  Before Howard Johnson and David Wright became the best offensive third basemen in franchise history, the clear star at the position was Hubie Brooks.

In addition to his fine play as a Met, Brooks was also a great offensive player during the time between his two stints in New York, particularly as a shortstop.  Through the 2013 season, Brooks remains one of just seven National League shortstops to ever win multiple Silver Slugger Awards at the position, joining Garry Templeton (1980, 1984), Dave Concepcion (1981-82), Barry Larkin (1988-92, 1995-96, 1998-99), Edgar Renteria (2000, 2002-03), Hanley Ramirez (2008-09), Troy Tulowitzki (2010-11) and Ian Desmond (2012-13).

Brooks played 1,645 in the major leagues with five teams.  But he never made the playoffs with any of them.  Only 43 players have played in more games without appearing in the postseason.  And Brooks is one of only 32 players in history to play at least 15 seasons without a sniff of October baseball.  Of course, that's what happens when you play on just five winning teams in 15 years.  And that was expected if you were a member of the Mets in the early '80s or early '90s.

Hubie Brooks had the misfortune of playing for some lousy Mets teams during his decade and a half in the big leagues.  But if that's all you remember about Brooks, then you missed out on a pretty special ballplayer.  There was a reason why Brooks was cheered loudly with choruses of "HUUU-bie" during his time as a Met.  Ending a two-decade game of musical chairs at third base had quite a bit to do with that.  So did timely hitting on a team that desperately needed something to cheer about.  The kid from California was quite the hit in New York.

Hubie Brooks should be proud of his career.  He was certainly a fan-favorite playing for teams that did not have many fans.

Note:  The Best On The Worst is a thirteen-part weekly series spotlighting the greatest Mets players who just happened to play on some not-so-great Mets teams.  For previous installments, please click on the players' names below:

January 6, 2014: Todd Hundley 
January 13, 2014: Al Jackson
January 20, 2014: Lee Mazzilli
January 27, 2014: Steve Trachsel
February 3, 2014: Rico Brogna
February 10, 2014: Skip Lockwood 
February 17, 2014: Ron Hunt
February 24, 2014: Craig Swan

Vladimir Guerrero Retires: Is He A Hall of Famer?

Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Vladimir Guerrero quietly announced his retirement from the game via a Spanish language newspaper earlier this month.  Guerrero ended his 16-year career with a .318 batting average, .553 slugging percentage and .931 OPS.  He also collected 2,590 hits, 477 doubles, 449 homers and 1,496 RBI, while scoring 1,328 runs and stealing 181 bases.

In addition to his offensive numbers, which earned him eight Silver Slugger Awards, Guerrero had a cannon for an arm, making him one of the most feared outfielders to run on.  Guerrero was a nine-time All-Star and finished in the top 15 in the MVP vote ten times, winning the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 2004 while with the Anaheim Angels.

Guerrero led the league in hits once (2002), runs scored once (2004) and total bases twice (2002, 2004).  He had four seasons of 200 or more hits, scored 100+ runs in six seasons, had nine campaigns with 30+ doubles, reached 25 homers a dozen times and collected 100+ RBI ten times.  Guerrero even had two 30/30 seasons (30 HR, 30 SB), missing a 40/40 year by one home run in 2002.  So feared was Guerrero at the plate that he led the league in intentional walks five times, including four consecutive seasons from 2005 to 2008.  And for a free-swinging player who didn't walk much unintentionally, Guerrero made excellent contact, striking out 985 times in his 16 seasons and never fanning more than 84 times in any one season.

Only Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza and Barry Larkin won more Silver Slugger Awards than the eight earned by Vlad the Impaler.  (Bonds won 12, Piazza took home ten and Larkin earned nine.)  Of the 58 players with a higher career batting average than Guerrero's .318 mark, 42 of them are in the Hall of Fame.  Several of the 16 players who aren't in the Hall are either still active (Joe Mauer, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Ichiro Suzuki) or ineligible (Shoeless Joe Jackson).  Of the 24 players with a higher career slugging percentage than Guerrero, half of them have plaques in Cooperstown.  Five of the other 12 are still active, two are not yet eligible for enshrinement (Jim Thome, Frank Thomas) and three are still on the Hall of Fame ballot (Bonds, Mark McGwire, Larry Walker).  And of the 34 players ahead of Guerrero in OPS, 16 are already in the Hall, while another 16 are either active, still on the ballot, not yet eligible, or ineligible due to banishment (Shoeless Joe, once again).

So does Vladimir Guerrero belong in the Hall of Fame?  Let's put it this way.  Does Roberto Clemente belong in the Hall?  Of course he does.  And Guerrero's numbers were superior to Clemente, the player who he most resembles both at the plate and with his arm in right.  Clemente hit .317 and produced a .475 slugging percentage and .834 OPS.  He also collected 440 doubles, 240 homers and 1,305 RBI.  Guerrero surpassed Clemente in all of those percentages and cumulative numbers.  Clemente also struck out more (1,230 Ks) and walked fewer times (621 BB) than Guerrero.  Although Clemente had more hits (3,000) and scored more runs (1,416) than Guerrero, he accomplished those lofty totals in almost 1,300 more at-bats than Guerrero compiled.  Surely, Guerrero would have surpassed Clemente in both hits and runs scored had he remained in the game past his age 36 season.  And that means Guerrero would have reached the 3,000 hit plateau, which all but guarantees Hall of Fame enshrinement.

When Guerrero left the National League following the 2003 season, Mets fans breathed a sigh of relief.  Although many of them wanted to see Guerrero in Flushing, at least they knew that his defection to the American League meant they would no longer have to see him as a division rival at Shea Stadium, as Guerrero had a career .311/.402/.578 slash line against the Mets, with 21 doubles, 23 homers, 17 stolen bases, 58 RBI and 70 runs scored in only 98 starts.  The 17 steals were the most he had against any team in the majors, while his doubles, homers and runs scored were his second-highest total against any team in the Senior Circuit.

Mets fans rarely saw Guerrero after 2003, but they should be able to see him in Cooperstown when he becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.  The only question left about Guerrero when it comes to the Hall is not whether he will make it, but what cap he will be wearing on his plaque.  Will he go in as an Angel or an Expo?  If he goes in as an Angel, he'd be the first to wear their cap on his plaque.  If he goes in as an Expo, he'd be the second to go in as an Expo after the team ceased to exist.

Vladimir Guerrero is most certainly a Hall of Famer.  Other than the cap on his plaque, there should be no other questions asked.

Tom Seaver And Eleven-Run Games

Today was Tom Seaver Bobblehead Day at Citi Field and the Mets "honored" the best pitcher in franchise history by allowing 11 runs to the Detroit Tigers.  If Seaver had been around to witness the shellacking, he'd be rolling in his vineyard.

That being said, I thought it would be interesting to conduct some research on whether or not the Mets ever allowed as many as 11 runs in a game started by Seaver himself.  And my research showed that even having "The Franchise" on the mound didn't stop five teams from lighting up the Mets.

On Opening Day in 1969, the Mets welcomed the Montreal Expos to Shea Stadium for their first-ever game.  Seaver was not sharp in his season-opening appearance, allowing four runs (two earned) in five innings.  He also gave up the first six hits and three walks in Expos history.  Although the Mets scored ten runs against five Montreal pitchers, New York's bullpen couldn't prevent the new franchise from crossing the plate several times.  The Expos scored seven runs against Cal Koonce, Al Jackson and Ron Taylor.  A four-run ninth inning rally by the Mets got them close, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Expos' first-ever victory, an 11-10 decision over the Mets.

Three years later, on June 24, 1972, Seaver had one of the worst starts of his career, allowing seven runs and 13 base runners (10 hits, 3 walks) in only four innings.  The Mets were shut out by the St. Louis Cardinals, 11-0.  Fortunately, Seaver didn't allow the effort to linger in his mind, as he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning just ten days later.  Seaver didn't get the no-hitter, allowing a one-out single to the Padres' Leron Lee, but he showed that the game against the Cardinals was just a fluke.

Or was it?

Less than three months after his horrible outing against St. Louis, Seaver had the worst performance of his career, allowing more runs (eight) than he recorded outs (seven).  In addition to the eight runs allowed to the Chicago Cubs, Seaver gave up six hits and walked five batters in just 2⅓ innings.  The Mets lost to the Cubbies, 18-5 on September 16, 1972.  The eight earned runs allowed by Seaver were the most he ever allowed as a Met.  The 18 runs scored against the Mets were also the most ever allowed in a game started by Tom Seaver.

On May 21, 1975, Seaver's defense let him down.  Although The Franchise allowed seven runs to the Cincinnati Reds in 4⅔ innings, only three of them were earned.  An error by the usually steady Felix Millan led to four unearned runs in the fifth inning, turning a 3-3 tie into a 7-3 deficit.  The Reds scored four more runs against the Mets' bullpen en route to an 11-4 victory.

Finally, on August 7, 1976, Seaver allowed five runs in the fifth inning to the Pittsburgh Pirates, turning a 1-0 Mets lead into a 5-1 deficit.  The Mets chipped away at the Bucs' lead, scoring single runs in the sixth and seventh innings, but relievers Ken Sanders and Bob Myrick combined to give up seven runs in the seventh and eighth innings, turning the game into a 12-3 laugher.

In 11½ seasons with the Mets, Tom Seaver made a franchise-record 395 starts.  In only five of those 395 starts, the Mets allowed 11 or more runs.  On Sunday, when the Mets were giving away Tom Seaver bobbleheads, Dillon Gee and five relief pitchers combined to allow 11 runs to the Tigers in an 11-3 loss to Detroit.  

Tom Seaver surely wouldn't have been happy with the way the Mets (especially their bullpen) pitched today.  But as great as he was, on a handful of occasions, Mets fans weren't happy with the way Seaver and his relief corps pitched.  Eleven wasn't heaven for the Mets on Sunday.  And in five forgetful games, it was hell for "The Franchise" and his teammates as well.

The Mets That Got Away: Ken Singleton

In the late '60s and early '70s, the Mets went as far as their pitching would take them.  The 1968 team was the first to lose fewer than 90 games, with sophomore sensation Tom Seaver and Rookie of the Year runner-up Jerry Koosman combining for 35 of the team's 73 wins.  One year later, that dynamic duo was joined by rookie Gary Gentry in the rotation and went on to win the World Series.  The Miracle Mets were also helped by a stellar bullpen, which included Ron Taylor, Tug McGraw and part-time starter Nolan Ryan.

The Mets failed to defend their title in 1970 and fell short once again in 1971.  Both of those teams led the National League in ERA and strikeouts.  They also shared identical 83-79 records.  How could teams so rich in pitching fail to win more than one division or league title from 1968 to 1971?  The answer is simple.  They couldn't hit.

The 1968 team was the only Mets squad that failed to score three runs per game.  In 1970, the Mets' .249 team batting average was well below the league average of .258.  And in 1971, the team could only muster 98 home runs (the NL average was 115).  Even the 1969 World Championship team had difficulty at the plate, finishing near the bottom of the league in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

By 1972, the Mets were desperate to acquire a premier slugger to give their offense a jump start.  They had already failed twice when they kept their focus on acquiring an offensive-minded third baseman, losing Amos Otis and Nolan Ryan in the process.  This time, they set their sights elsewhere, trading for soon-to-be fan-favorite Rusty Staub.  Unlike Joe Foy and Jim Fregosi - the players received for Otis and Ryan, respectively - Staub actually produced as a Met.  But by the end of 1975, Staub had become an ex-Met, while one of the players he was traded for was just entering his prime and becoming one of the top players in the majors.

The Mets developed Ken Singleton and other talented hitters in the 1960s.  Keeping them, however, was another story.

Kenneth Wayne Singleton was the Mets' first round selection in the 1967 January draft, taken one spot before future Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk.  At the time, the New York-born Singleton was a student at Hofstra University who had played just one year of college ball.  But that single season was enough to attract the attention of Mets scouts, as the team took the 19-year-old outfielder with the third overall pick in the draft.

Singleton displayed the poise and patience of an experienced veteran as he was advancing through the Mets' minor league system, batting over .300 and reaching base more than 40% of the time.  When he finally reached AAA-Tidewater in 1970, it had become clear that Singleton was ready for the bright lights of the New York stage.

Singleton tore apart the International League as a member of the Tides, batting .388 with 17 homers and 46 RBIs in only 64 games.  The switch-hitting Singleton also had an eye-popping .513 on-base percentage and .703 slugging percentage.  But the Mets had a crowded outfield, with Cleon Jones in left, Tommie Agee in center and a platoon of Ron Swoboda and Art Shamsky in right.  A change would be needed for Singleton to get his first promotion to the big leagues.  That change would come at the expense of another native New Yorker.

As spring turned to summer in 1970, the Mets were playing as mediocre as a team could play.  Through their first 65 games, the team had not yet been more than three games above or below the .500 mark.  The team was in desperate need of a spark to awaken from its doldrums, especially with first place still within shouting distance.  In a move that was considered shocking, but not unexpected, the Mets sent veteran first baseman Ed Kranepool to Tidewater and promoted Ken Singleton to take his spot on the roster.

Going into the 1970 season, Kranepool was the longest tenured Met, having played in each of the team's first eight seasons.  But after a slow April in which he batted .222 with no extra-base hits and one RBI, everything began to unravel for the 25-year-old veteran.

Ed Kranepool

The former All-Star failed to collect a single hit in the month of May and was no longer being used as part of a lefty-righty platoon with World Series MVP Donn Clendenon at first base.  With part-time rightfielder Art Shamsky now sharing first base duties with Clendenon and leftfielder Cleon Jones suffering from hamstring and groin injuries, the time was right for Singleton to get his long-awaited promotion to the big leagues, which finally happened on June 23.  Singleton's promotion made Kranepool a minor leaguer for the first time since 1964.

Singleton began his big league career as the Mets' leftfielder, keeping the position warm for Jones while he recovered from his injuries.  Upon Jones' return in July, Singleton moved over to right field, where he played until an injury forced him to leave a game early on August 3.  When Singleton returned to the Mets ten days later, he was placed in a four-man right field rotation that also featured Swoboda, Shamsky and Dave Marshall.  The lack of regular playing time hurt Singleton, as he batted .220 in his last 30 games (10 starts) to finish his rookie campaign with a .263 average.

In 1971, Singleton found himself on the Mets' Opening Day roster for the first time, but struggled mightily in his first full season in the major leagues.  Singleton was batting .175 and had collected one extra-base hit in the team's first 49 games, being used mostly as a pinch-hitter and late-inning defensive replacement.  But once manager Gil Hodges inserted him in the starting lineup for good on June 11, Singleton became one of the team's top threats at the plate.

Singleton played in 84 of the team's final 109 games.  Although his batting average over that span was only .255, he reached base at a .381 clip.  Singleton also collected 12 home runs and 39 RBIs over the final 3½ months of the season.  The 24-year-old outfielder was at his best during the final three weeks of the season, batting .313 with five home runs and 14 RBIs in his last 15 starts.  Included in Singleton's season-ending hot streak was his first and only multi-homer game as a Met, which he accomplished in the regular season finale to help Tom Seaver win his 20th game of the year.  (Editor's note: For more on this game, please listen to the audio at the end of this piece.)

In his first two seasons with the Mets, Singleton never became the full-time player he expected to be, collecting fewer than 500 at-bats in 184 games.  But he did show good power (18 HR), an ability to drive in runs (72 RBIs) and a keen eye at the plate (91 walks).  Going into his third year in the big leagues, Singleton had every intention to be the Mets' Opening Day rightfielder.  He did start in the outfield as the curtains rose on the 1972 campaign, but it wasn't as a member of the New York Mets.

The Mets had coveted superstars to bolster their offense going into the 1972 season, especially after posting back-to-back 83-79 records in 1970 and 1971.  In December, they added their first piece, sending Nolan Ryan and three others to the California Angels for Jim Fregosi.  Four months later (and just three days after the death of manager Gil Hodges), they pulled off another deal, acquiring Rusty Staub from the Montreal Expos for Mike Jorgensen, former No. 1 overall pick Tim Foli and one Kenneth Wayne Singleton.

Tim Foli, Ken Singleton, Rusty Staub and Mike Jorgensen exchange pleasantries at Shea Stadium.

Ken Singleton's first year in Montreal was similar to his last year with the Mets.  Although Singleton was finally given the opportunity to be an everyday player with the Expos, he managed only 14 homers and 50 RBIs in 142 games.  One year later, he posted the kind of season he never got a chance to achieve as a Met.

In their first four seasons in the National League, the Montreal Expos had never competed for a division title.  But that all changed in 1973, when a late surge pushed them above the .500 mark and only half a game out of first place on September 16.  The Expos eventually watched the Mets pass them and every other team in the NL East, but they still managed to win a franchise-record 79 games.  None of it would have been possible if not for the MVP-caliber season produced by Ken Singleton.

Over the Expos' final 50 games, no pitcher could get Singleton out.  He batted .357 and posted a .486 on-base percentage, reaching base a whopping 105 times (61 hits, 44 walks).  Montreal finished 3½ games behind the eventual National League champion Mets, but had a new star in Ken Singleton.  Singleton played in all 162 games and finished the year with a .302 batting average, 23 homers, 103 RBIs and 100 runs scored, becoming the first Expo to reach triple digits in runs batted in and runs scored.  He also paced the National League with a .425 on-base percentage.  To this day, Singleton's 123 walks in 1973 remain the Expos/Nationals' franchise record.

A year after helping the Expos contend for the first time in their short history, Singleton had a disappointing follow-up campaign.  In 148 games, Singleton batted .276 with only nine home runs.  His walks dipped from 123 to 93 and his triple-digit totals in runs and RBIs dropped to 68 and 74, respectively.  Although Singleton was only 27 and just entering his prime, Montreal decided to give up on their promising outfielder.  In what became a lopsided deal, the Expos sent Singleton and pitcher Mike Torrez to Baltimore for four-time 20-game winner Dave McNally, outfielder Rich Coggins and a minor leaguer.

McNally and Coggins managed three wins and ten hits, respectively, as members of the Expos.  Torrez won 124 games after leaving Montreal, including a 20-win season in his first year in Baltimore, while Singleton became one of the best hitters in the American League and a perennial MVP candidate following the trade.

In 1975, Singleton enjoyed a fine first season in Baltimore, batting .300 with 15 homers and 55 RBIs as the Orioles' leadoff hitter.  Singleton also laced a career-high 37 doubles and set a still-standing Baltimore Orioles record with 118 walks (the franchise record of 126 was set while the team was still in St. Louis as the Browns). 

Singleton's second season in Baltimore produced a .278 average, 13 homers and 70 RBIs.  His third year there made him a superstar.

The 1977 American League leaderboard had Ken Singleton's name all over it.  Singleton finished third in the league in batting average (.328), second in on-base percentage (.438) and second in OPS (.945).  He also surpassed a .500 slugging percentage for the first time in his career on the strength of his 24 doubles and 24 homers.  In addition, Singleton drove in 99 runs and crossed the plate 90 times, while drawing 100 or more walks for the third time in five seasons.  For his efforts, Singleton was selected to his first All-Star team and finished third behind Al Cowens and future Hall of Famer Rod Carew in the AL MVP race.

After another fine season in 1978 (.293, 20 HR, 81 RBI, .409 OBP), Singleton had a career year in 1979.  The 32-year-old continued to hit well (.295) and posted a high on-base percentage (.405), but he also became one of the top power hitters in the league, shattering his previous career highs with 35 homers and 111 RBIs.  On a team that featured future Hall of Famer (and future Met) Eddie Murray, it was Singleton who helped the Orioles end the Yankees' three-year reign as American League champions.

Singleton's torrid regular season carried into the postseason.  In his first trip to the playoffs after ten years in the big leagues, Singleton batted .375 against the Angels in the ALCS and .357 versus the Pirates in the World Series.  Singleton appeared to have a strong chance to be named World Series MVP, batting .412 in the first four games as the Orioles took a commanding 3-1 series lead.  But Baltimore dropped the final three games of the series, losing to the Pirates in seven games.  A month after his team was the runner-up to Pittsburgh in the Fall Classic, Singleton became the runner-up to Don Baylor for the AL Most Valuable Player Award.

Although the Orioles won 100 games in 1980, they failed to defend their American League crown, finishing three games behind the Yankees in the AL East.  But Singleton did everything he could to keep Baltimore in contention until the final weekend of the regular season.  In the season's final 33 games, Singleton batted .373 with 15 extra-base hits and 28 RBIs.  Baltimore fell short in their quest to repeat as AL champs, but Singleton succeeded in his quest to continue to be one of the league's top hitters, finishing the year with a .304 batting average, 24 homers and 104 RBIs.

As Singleton entered his mid-thirties, his numbers began to drop off.  The strike-shortened 1981 season saw Singleton make the All-Star team for the final time.  But it also saw him fail to score 50 runs or drive in 50 runs despite playing in over 100 games.  In 1982, Singleton posted his lowest batting average (.251) since his last year as a Met.  That season was also his first year as the Orioles' primary designated hitter.  But after two subpar seasons, Singleton had one final productive season, and it came at the best possible time.

In 1983, Singleton batted .276 with 18 homers and 84 RBIs.  He also finished second in the league in walks (99) and fifth in on-base percentage (.393).  For the second time in his career, Singleton was going to the playoffs, as Baltimore held off the Detroit Tigers for the division title.  Baltimore had won the AL East for the seventh time since division play began in 1969, but only had one title to show for it.  (The Orioles also won the 1966 World Series, but that was three years before the advent of divisional play.)  That would change in 1983.

In a career that began in 1970 as a member of the defending World Series champion Mets, Singleton finally got to win a championship of his own in 1983.  Baltimore took out the Chicago White Sox in the ALCS before defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series in five games.  Singleton didn't pick up a hit in the Fall Classic, but he did draw a game-tying bases-loaded walk as a pinch-hitter in the decisive fifth game.  He also got to pick up something far more valuable - a World Series ring that had eluded him for 13 years.

Singleton played one more year in Baltimore before retiring at the end of the 1984 season.  He finished his career with a .282 batting average and .388 on-base percentage, collecting 2,029 hits, 317 doubles, 246 homers and 1,065 RBIs - numbers that he could have achieved as a Met had he not been traded prior to the 1972 season because the Mets were in need of offense.

The Orioles have been in Baltimore for 60 years, moving to Charm City from St. Louis following the 1953 campaign.  In that time, many great hitters have donned Orioles uniforms.  Ken Singleton is one of them.  In ten years with the Orioles, Singleton ranks among the team leaders in games played (1,446; 8th in Orioles history), at-bats (5,115; 8th), hits (1,455; 6th), doubles (235; 10th), home runs (182; 7th), RBIs (766; 5th), runs scored (684; 10th), walks (886; 4th) and on-base percentage (.388; T-2nd).

Rusty Staub, the man Singleton was traded for in 1972, was only a Met for four seasons before he was traded to Detroit prior to the 1976 campaign (Staub did return in 1981, but was used mostly as a pinch-hitter for the next five seasons).  His numbers as a Met from 1972 to 1975 were comparable to what Singleton produced over the same time period in Montreal and Baltimore:

• Rusty Staub:      .276/.361/.428, 99 doubles, 62 HR, 297 RBI, 267 runs scored
• Ken Singleton:  .289/.399/.432, 106 doubles, 61 HR, 282 RBI, 333 runs scored

But Staub obviously did nothing for the Mets from 1976 to 1980 and played sparingly for the team from 1981 until his retirement in 1985.  At the same time, Singleton made multiple All-Star teams as a member of the Orioles, nearly won two AL MVP Awards, played in two World Series and won a championship.

Perhaps former Mets director of player development Whitey Herzog (who knows a thing or two about winning pennants and championships after leaving New York) said it best in his book, "White Rat: A Life In Baseball", when he shared his thoughts on the trade that jettisoned Ken Singleton, Tim Foli and Mike Jorgensen out of New York.

"We made a terrible deal with Montreal, giving up three fine players for Rusty Staub.  Here I was busting my tail to develop young players, and Don Grant says he doesn't trust minor leaguers, that we need big names.  We had guys in our system who could have helped the Mets dominate baseball in the 1970s ... and we gave them up."

Both Tim Foli and Mike Jorgensen eventually returned to New York after being shipped out in the Rusty Staub deal.  Foli was purchased by the Mets in December 1977, which led to the trade of long-time shortstop Buddy Harrelson to the Phillies the following March.  Mike Jorgensen won a Gold Glove two years after being traded by the Mets to Montreal, but didn't begin his second engagement in New York until 1980.

By then, the Mets were no longer contenders in the NL East.  They also were no longer hoping that Ken Singleton would follow suit and return to New York, as he had carved out an exceptional career in Baltimore - one that led him to be enshrined in the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1986.  Ironically, it was the same year Rusty Staub was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame.

Rusty Staub was a beloved player in New York.  But his best years happened before and after his first stint with the team.  In the three seasons prior to becoming a Met (1969-1971), Staub averaged 26 HR and 90 RBIs.  In the three seasons after leaving New York (1976-1978), Staub averaged 20 HR and 106 RBIs.  But he never hit 20 homers in a season for the Mets and only once surpassed 80 RBIs.  Meanwhile, Singleton produced five seasons of 20+ homers and three years of 100+ RBIs in Montreal and Baltimore.  And those walks.  Oh, those walks.

From 1972 to 1983, Singleton finished in his respective league's top ten in walks every year.  Over the same time period, he ranked among the league leaders in on-base percentage ten times, including five seasons above .400 and another year in which he just missed with a .397 OBP.  From 1973 to 1980, Singleton's combined on-base percentage was .406, as he reached base via a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch over 2,100 times in the eight-year period.

How impressive was that eight-year stretch for Singleton?  Let's put it this way.  Going into the 2013 season, David Wright is the Mets' all-time leader in times on base.  The long-time third baseman has reached base safely 2,078 times in nine seasons with the team.  In second place is Ed Kranepool, who reached base 1,886 times in 18 years in New York.  Singleton reached base more times in eight years than any Met has ... EVER!  That's more than David Wright and more than the man whose poor start in 1970 gave Singleton his first chance to compete at the major league level.

Ken Singleton did it all in the major leagues.  He hit for average.  He hit for power.  He reached base with a consistency that most players can only dream of having.  He was a three-time All-Star (1977, 1979, 1981).  He had four top ten MVP finishes (1973, 1975, 1977, 1979).  He played in two World Series (1979, 1983).  And at the tail end of his long and successful career, he achieved his life-long dream of winning a championship.  Yup, Ken Singleton did it all.  But he didn't do any of it as a Met.

The Mets gave up on Singleton long before he had a chance to prove just how valuable a player he was about to become.  Their impatience and need to acquire a big-name, veteran slugger led to the departure of three players who all had long, successful careers.  (Both Foli and Jorgensen played in the big leagues until 1985).  But of the three players traded for Rusty Staub in 1972, none had as big an impact to his new team as Ken Singleton.  Sure, it's possible the Orioles could have won without Singleton.  But it's certain the Mets would have been a better team had they never let him get away.

This audio of Ken Singleton's final game as a Met was brought to you by samspinchat on YouTube.  It's also sponsored by Rheingold.

Note:  The Mets That Got Away is a thirteen-part weekly series that spotlights those Mets players who established themselves as major leaguers in New York, only to become stars after leaving town.  For previous installments, please click on the players' names below:

January 7, 2013: Nolan Ryan
January 14, 2013: Melvin Mora  
January 21, 2013: Kevin Mitchell 
January 28, 2013: Amos Otis
February 4, 2013: Jeff Reardon
February 11, 2013: Lenny Dykstra
February 18, 2013: Jeff Kent
February 25, 2013: Randy Myers

The Mets That Got Away: Jeff Reardon

The Mets have a history of trading away young pitchers for offensive help.  In 1971, Nolan Ryan was traded to California for Jim Fregosi in what many consider to be the worst trade in club annals.  Two decades later, David Cone was shipped to Toronto for Ryan Thompson and the eventual all-time leader in home runs by a second baseman, Jeff Kent.  (Of course, the Mets traded Kent away before anyone realized he would become the most prodigious power hitter at his position.)  Cone wasn't the only strikeout king to be traded north of the border, as just this past off-season, R.A. Dickey took his Thesaurus and Cy Young Award to Toronto for top catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud, ace-in-waiting Noah Syndergaard and catcher of the moment John Buck.

Ryan threw seven no-hitters after leaving New York and is the proud owner of a Hall of Fame plaque.  Cone pitched a perfect game, won a Cy Young Award and wears five World Series rings on his pitching hand.  Dickey left a 74-win team to join a vastly improved Blue Jays squad that is looking to win its first AL East title in 20 years.

But it's not just starting pitchers who have been dealt for players who were supposed to provide an offensive spark.  Occasionally, the Mets have traded a relief pitcher for offensive help.  And unfortunately, on occasion that offensive help fizzled while the relief pitcher sizzled for his new team.

One such reliever spent parts of three seasons in New York, but was blocked from being anything but a middle reliever because the Mets already had a full-time closer.  Deemed expendable when the Mets were searching for a bat, he was traded to a team that didn't have a full-time closer, but had a surplus of outfield talent.  In one of Frank Cashen's rare poor trades, Ellis Valentine became a Met, sending Jeff Reardon to Montreal.

Jeff Reardon took a knee in this photo, but after he left the Mets, he had opposing hitters on their knees.

Jeffrey James Reardon was originally drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 23rd round of the 1973 amateur draft.  But Reardon did not sign with Montreal, instead choosing to attend and play baseball at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  Four years after spurning the Expos, Reardon signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets.  One day after Reardon became property of the Mets, Tom Seaver and Dave Kingman became former Mets, as "The Franchise" and the "Sky King" were dealt away in separate trades by penny-pinching chairman M. Donald Grant.

The team was about to enter into its darkest period, playing before sparse crowds at Grant's Tomb, as Shea Stadium was known in the post-Midnight Massacre era.  But the lack of talent at the major league level meant that Reardon would have a short stay in the minors, provided he could pitch somewhat successfully there.  To say Reardon was somewhat successful as a Mets minor leaguer would be a massive understatement.

In his first professional baseball season, Reardon pitched well at Single-A Lynchburg, going 8-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 1977, with most of his appearances on the mound coming as a starting pitcher.  In 1978, Reardon once again pitched primarily as a starter and was dominant, posting a 17-4 record and a 2.54 ERA at AA-Jackson.  Upon his promotion to AAA-Tidewater in 1979, Reardon was converted to a relief pitcher, making 29 of his 30 appearances out of the bullpen.  The transition went without a hitch, as Reardon's ERA dropped to 2.09 and his WHIP was a stellar 0.97.  By late August, Reardon was in the major leagues.

Reardon appeared in his first major league game at Shea Stadium on August 25, 1979, losing to the Cincinnati Reds when he failed to hold a one-run lead in the ninth.  Two days later, he was on the mound again at Shea, this time against the Atlanta Braves.  Reardon was called upon by manager Joe Torre to pitch the ninth inning of a game that was suspended on June 17 with the score tied, 1-1.  After Reardon pitched a scoreless top of the ninth, his teammates came through in the bottom of the ninth, scoring the winning run on an RBI single by Alex Treviño.  Reardon was credited with the victory in only his second big league appearance.  Because of an interesting statistical twist, Reardon earned his first win two months before making his major league debut, as the game went in the record books as having happened on June 17, even though Reardon was still at Tidewater on that date.  Similarly, Reardon is credited with having made his major league debut on June 17, even though he didn't step on a major league mound until August 25.

Although Reardon gave up runs in two of his first three outings with the Mets, he was brilliant in the season's final month, posting a 0.51 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .123 batting average.  The Mets closed out the 1979 season by winning their final six games to avoid the team's first 100-loss campaign since 1967, with Reardon playing a large part in the season-ending skein.  Reardon pitched in four of the six games, facing 13 batters and allowing only one of them to reach base - and he reached on an error.  He also recorded the first two saves of his career in the season's final week.

By pitching only 20⅔ innings for the Mets in 1979, Reardon retained his rookie status for the 1980 campaign.  His first full season in the majors was arguably the best by a Mets rookie reliever in the team's first two decades of existence.  Reardon appeared in 61 games for the Mets in 1980, racking up 110⅓ innings in the process.  The right-hander was at his best when he pitched at least two innings, which he did in 38 of his 61 appearances.  Reardon posted a 1.62 ERA in his multi-inning appearances, holding the opposition scoreless in 28 of those 38 games.  Reardon's tremendous season (8-7, six saves, 2.61 ERA, 101 Ks) earned him a sixth-place finish for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, making him the first relief pitcher in Mets history to get Rookie of the Year consideration.

Even though the Mets were still near the bottom of the National League East standings in 1981, they had developed quite a bullpen.  Seven relievers pitched in at least 20 games for the Mets in 1981.  None of them had an ERA above 3.68 and five of the seven posted ERAs under 3.00.  As the June 15 trade deadline was approaching, it was clear that the bullpen was the team's strength.  At the same time, the offense was struggling to score runs.  The Mets won only eight of their first 33 games in 1981, averaging 2.9 runs per game over that stretch.  Other than the recently reacquired Dave Kingman, who hit 11 of the team's first 25 home runs, no Met was hitting for power.  General manager Frank Cashen realized that the team needed an offensive spark and also knew that one way to get it was by trading a strength to fix a weakness.  On May 29, Cashen made such a deal, and Jeff Reardon's career as a Met was over.

In a trade that would go down as one of the few poor deals orchestrated by Cashen, the Mets sent Reardon and outfielder Dan Norman (who came to the Mets in the Tom Seaver trade) to the Montreal Expos in exchange for outfielder Ellis Valentine.

From 1977 to 1979, Valentine was one of the most complete players in the National League. As a hitter, Valentine averaged 31 doubles, 24 homers, 78 RBIs and 12 stolen bases per season over the three-year period.  As the Expos' rightfielder, Valentine was a defensive monster, winning a Gold Glove in 1978 on the strength of his league-leading 25 assists.  No outfielder, regardless of whether of he played in left field, center field or right field, has recorded as many as 25 assists since Valentine accomplished the feat in 1978.  Needless to say, Valentine would have been a great acquisition for the Mets following the 1979 season.  But it was now 1981.  And although Valentine was only 26 at the time of the trade, he was already a shadow of his former All-Star self.

Valentine was limited to 86 games in 1980 because of various injuries, including a fractured cheekbone he suffered after being hit in the face with a pitch.  His numbers for the year (.315, 13 HR, 67 RBI) were impressive for the amount of games he played, but the injuries seemed to change the course of his career.  Valentine started off poorly in 1981, batting .211 in limited duty for the Expos.  He also missed games because of a sprained knee and a pulled left hamstring.  In fact, at the time of his trade to the Mets, Valentine was on the disabled list because he had aggravated the hamstring injury.

Nothing changed for Valentine after the trade to New York, as the once-promising outfielder hit .207 for the Mets in 48 games.  He rebounded to hit .288 in 1982, but had become a singles hitter.  In 111 games, Valentine only produced 23 extra-base hits and collected 48 RBIs.  His speed had deserted him as well.  After four consecutive seasons of double-digit steal totals from 1976 to 1979, Valentine stole one base as a Met in seven attempts.  Valentine never played for the Mets again after the 1982 season and was out of baseball by 1985.  Reardon, on the other hand, was on his way to becoming one of the best closers of his generation.

After the trade to Montreal, Reardon turned into a dominant reliever.  In 25 games for the Expos in 1981, Reardon went 2-0 with six saves.  He also had a sparkling 1.30 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and held opposing hitters to a microscopic .148 batting average.

Reardon was at his best during the Expos' march to the second-half division title in 1981 (the players' strike divided the 1981 season into two halves), allowing one run, eight hits and no walks in his final 15⅓ innings.  Three of those 15⅓ innings came in Montreal's regular season finale, a game the Expos needed to win to advance to the postseason for the first time in franchise history.  Naturally, the game was played at Shea Stadium, the site of the Expos' first-ever regular season game in 1969.  Reardon came into the game in the seventh inning and was still on the hill when Dave Kingman flied out to leftfielder Terry Francona for the final out of the game.  Four months after being traded by the Mets to the Expos, Reardon was celebrating a split-season championship with his new teammates at Shea Stadium.

In the first-ever National League Division Series, Reardon saved two of the Expos' three victories.  However, he struggled against the eventual World Series champion Dodgers in the NLCS.  Montreal fell one win short in their quest to reach the World Series.  They never won another division title as the Expos.

Former Met Jeff Reardon and future Met Gary Carter celebrate the only playoff series win in Expos history.

From 1982 to 1986, the Expos were a mediocre team, winning between 78 and 86 games each year.  But Reardon was anything but mediocre.  During those five seasons, Reardon established himself as one of the most feared closers in the National League.  He won 30 games and recorded 146 saves over the next half-decade for the Expos, recording an impressive 2.98 ERA along the way.  Reardon  was selected to represent Montreal in the All-Star Game twice and led the league in saves once.  Furthermore, his 41 saves in 1985 earned him his first Rolaids Relief Award and helped him finish 7th in the Cy Young Award vote and 20th in the NL MVP vote.

Following the 1986 season, the Expos traded Reardon to the Minnesota Twins in a six-player deal.  Although Reardon posted a 4.48 ERA in his first season facing American League hitters, he still managed to save 31 games for the Twins in 1987 and struck out a career-high 9.3 batters per nine innings.  The Twins went on to win their first World Series championship in Minnesota, with Reardon pitching 4⅔ scoreless innings in the Fall Classic.  For the second time in his career, Reardon finished in the top ten in the Cy Young vote and he also finished 11th in the race for AL MVP.

Reardon had another spectacular season in 1988, saving a career-high 42 games, lowering his ERA to 2.47 and earning his third All-Star Game selection, but the Twins fell short in their quest to repeat as World Series champions.  In 1989, Reardon's ERA ballooned back over 4.00, but he still managed to record his fifth consecutive 30-save season.  It would be his last season in Minnesota.

Prior to the 1990 season, Reardon signed a three-year, $6.8 million contract to pitch for the Boston Red Sox.  His first two years in Boston were excellent.  Reardon combined to save 61 games in 1990 and 1991, helping the Red Sox win the AL East in 1990 and making his fourth All-Star team in 1991.  After becoming the first pitcher to record a 40-save season in each league in 1988, Reardon enjoyed another 40-save season with the Red Sox in 1991, making him the first player to reach that mark with three different teams.

In 1992, Reardon put his name in the record books once again when he recorded his 342nd career save to pass Rollie Fingers into the top spot on the all-time saves list.  But Reardon struggled after breaking Fingers' record.  Over his next 25 games, Reardon posted a 6.33 ERA and blew seven save opportunities.  As a result, the Red Sox traded Reardon to Atlanta in late August, which seemed to rejuvenate the 36-year-old reliever.  In 14 late-season appearances with the the Braves, Reardon went 3-0 with three saves and a 1.15 ERA, helping Atlanta win their second consecutive NL West division title.  In the NLCS against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Reardon did not allow a run or a hit in three appearances and became the winning pitcher in Game 7 when Francisco Cabrera drove in Sid Bream with the pennant-winning run in the bottom of the ninth.  But the World Series was another story, as Reardon only got into two of the six games against the Toronto Blue Jays and was credited with the loss in Game 2 when he allowed two runs in the ninth inning.

With this slide by Sid Bream, Jeff Reardon became a winning pitcher in a Game 7.  How about that?

The 1992 World Series marked the beginning of the end for Reardon.  He signed with Cincinnati prior to the 1993 season and was used primarily as a middle reliever, going 4-6 with eight saves and a 4.09 ERA for the Reds.  He then signed as a free agent with the Yankees in 1994, but was horrible in 11 games for the Mets' crosstown rivals.  Reardon posted an 8.38 ERA and allowed 17 hits in 9⅔ innings before being released by the Yankees in early May.  The 38-year-old Reardon would never pitch again in the major leagues.

Jeff Reardon began his 16-year career in the big leagues as a late-inning pitcher for the Mets in 1979.  He pitched well in parts of three seasons as a Met, appearing in 97 games and going 10-9 with a 2.65 ERA.  But with Neil Allen entrenched in the closer's role, Reardon could only muster ten saves with the Mets.  However, with the team in need of offensive help (which was a common theme from the late '60s to the early '80s - isn't that right, Amos Otis and Nolan Ryan?), general manager Frank Cashen acquired Ellis Valentine in exchange for the bearded reliever.  Allen eventually gave up the closer's role to Jesse Orosco in 1983 (this time, Cashen got it right - he jettisoned Allen to St. Louis for Keith Hernandez), but by then, Reardon had become a star closer in Montreal.

In five and a half seasons with the Expos, Reardon saved 152 games and recorded a 2.84 ERA.  Although Reardon left Montreal following the 1986 season, he is still the Expos/Nationals all-time leader in saves and ranks second in ERA for pitchers who threw at least 500 innings for the club.  He also pitched the Expos into the postseason for the first and only time during the team's 36-year tenure in Montreal.

Upon bidding adieu to Montreal, Reardon then went to Minnesota, where he won a World Series ring in his first year there.  He also racked up 104 saves in three seasons (1987-1989) with the Twins.  In doing so, he became only the third pitcher to post 100 saves for multiple franchises, following Hall of Famers Rollie Fingers (A's, Padres) and Bruce Sutter (Cubs, Cardinals).

From 1990 to 1992, Reardon saved 88 games as a member of the Boston Red Sox, including his record-setting 342th career save.  Had he not been traded to Atlanta during the 1992 season, he might have become the charter member of the "100 saves with three teams" club.  Then again, had he not become a Brave, he wouldn't have had an opportunity to pitch in his second World Series.

How good was Reardon during the 12-year period from 1981-1992, a period that saw him save 344 games for the Expos, Twins and Red Sox?  In addition to being the Expos/Nationals all-time leader in saves, Reardon also ranks fifth on the Twins' all-time saves list and has the fifth-most saves in Boston's long and storied history as well.  The only other pitcher in baseball history who can make the same claim is Rollie Fingers.  (Fingers is No. 2 in Oakland, No.3 in San Diego and No. 3 in Milwaukee.)  And for the record, Reardon's ten saves with the Mets have him in a 23rd place tie with Turk Wendell, who was also never the team's closer.

Reardon showed he was durable and dependable throughout his career, recording 20 or more saves in 11 consecutive seasons (1982-1992).  In doing so, he became the first pitcher in major league history to accomplish the feat in more than nine straight years.  Since Reardon, only two other pitchers have posted at least ten consecutive seasons with 20+ saves.  Former all-time saves leader Lee Smith did it for 13 straight years from 1983 to 1995 and current saves leader Mariano Rivera pulled off 15 consecutive 20-save seasons from 1997 to 2011.  By comparison, only 16 pitchers have recorded 20 or more career saves for the Mets.  (Cal Koonce and Anthony Young are tied for 17th on the Mets' all-time saves list with 18 apiece.)  And of those 16 pitchers to record 20 career saves for the Mets, only John Franco (1994-1998) and Armando Benitez (1999-2003) reached the mark in as many as five consecutive seasons.

During a career that began in New York with the Mets in 1979 and ended across town with the Yankees in 1994, Reardon recorded 40-save seasons for three different teams.  He was also a four-time All-Star, finished in the top ten in the Cy Young vote twice, and even received MVP consideration three times (1985, 1987, 1988), a feat that is unheard of for a relief pitcher.  Reardon helped four teams make the playoffs and pitched in 18 postseason games for the Expos (1981), Twins (1987), Red Sox (1990) and Braves (1992).  He won two playoff games in his career, including a Game 7, and saved six others.

Reardon pitched in 880 games, with all of them coming in relief.  He finished his career with a 73-77 record, 367 saves (20 of which came against the Mets) and a 3.16 ERA.  Reardon was so dominant that he finished his career with more saves (367) than walks (358).  But as is the case with many other relief pitchers, Reardon did not receive much support when he became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2000.  In his first year of eligibility, Reardon was named on 24 of the 499 ballots cast, falling one vote short of the 25 needed to receive the 5% of the votes required to remain on the Hall of Fame ballot.

Life after baseball hasn't been too kind to Reardon.  In 2004, his son died of a drug overdose, sending Reardon into a severe state of depression.  Reardon was taking anti-depressants and other medications prescribed to him when he was arrested in 2005 on charges of armed robbery.  However, he was acquitted of the crime when the judge found him not guilty by reason of insanity.  The judge's verdict was based on testimony by court-appointed psychiatrists who claimed that at the time of the alleged incident, Reardon was taking so many medications (12 in all) that he was in a "medication-induced delirium".  Although Reardon will never get over the pain of losing his son, he is now devoting his time to getting his own life back on track.

Jeff Reardon has experienced all the highs and lows life has to offer.  Although he never quite made it to the Hall of Fame, he will still go down as one of the best and most intimidating closers of all time.  In 1981, the Mets were looking for someone to spark their offense.  What they succeeded in doing was igniting the career of Jeff Reardon.  Whereas Ellis Valentine fizzled in New York, Jeff Reardon became one of the best closers in the history of the game.  A team can't win without good pitching.  It also can't win when it lets good pitching get away.
 

 (Jeff Reardon video shared on YouTube by Sebastien Lepage)

Note:  The Mets That Got Away is a thirteen-part weekly series that spotlights those Mets players who established themselves as major leaguers in New York, only to become stars after leaving town.  For previous installments, please click on the players' names below:

January 7, 2013: Nolan Ryan
January 14, 2013: Melvin Mora  
January 21, 2013: Kevin Mitchell 
January 28, 2013: Amos Otis