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: Amos Otis

Many players in major league history are so attached to one team that people have trouble thinking of them in another uniform.  For example, when someone mentions Babe Ruth, no one thinks of him as a Boston Brave.  Similarly, no one thinks of Reggie Jackson as a Baltimore Oriole.  But Ruth finished his storied 22-year career playing on Boston's National League team in 1935, while Jackson spent one season in the prime of his career playing for Charm City's best in 1976.

This doesn't just apply to Hall of Famers and it doesn't only apply to former Yankees.  There have been a number of players who suited up for the Mets whose names were so attached to other teams that people always say, "wait, those players played for the Mets?"

As ESPN loved to remind us, Frank Tanana "threw 90 in the 70s and 70 in the 90s", referring to his pitch velocity at various stages in his career.  Of course, he was throwing 90+ MPH while blowing away hitters as Nolan Ryan's teammate on the California Angels from 1973 to 1979.  Then he was soft-tossing 70 MPH pitches as a member of the New York Mets in 1993, going 7-15 for the 103-loss Metropolitans before being traded to the Yankees for Kenny Greer, a player who is mostly only known for being mentioned in the afterword of Greg Prince's "Faith and Fear in Flushing" book.  Similarly, Jeff Conine, otherwise known as Mr. Marlin for his contributions to each of Florida's two World Series championship teams, played the last 21 games of his career as a member of the New York Mets in 2007. 

But there is another famous player who is so associated with the team for which he played the majority of his career, that hardly anyone remembers that he got his first taste of the big leagues in a Mets uniform.  When this player ended his major league career after the 1984 season, he was the Kansas City Royals' all-time leader in numerous offensive categories and to this day, remains in their top five in virtually every cumulative offensive statistic.  Yet somehow, the Mets traded him away because they needed help with their offense and decided he was expendable.  Shows how much they knew about the potential of Amos Otis.

Amos Otis as a Met, before he became an All-Star with the Royals.

Amos Joseph Otis was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round of the 1965 amateur draft.  After playing in the Red Sox minor league system for two seasons, Otis was selected by the Mets in the December 1966 minor league draft and sent to AAA-Jacksonville to start the 1967 season.  Otis played well in Jacksonville, batting .268 with 21 extra-base hits in 126 games.  But the best part of his game was his speed, as Otis swiped 29 bases in 34 attempts for the Suns.  His successful season in the minors earned Otis his first call-up to the big leagues in September.  But in 19 games with the Mets, his minor league success failed to translate at the big league level, as Otis hit .220 with two doubles and one RBI.  He also was thrown out in all four of his stolen base attempts.

Otis spent the entire 1968 season at AAA-Jacksonville, where he had a tremendous season.  Otis batted .286 and led the team in doubles (29), RBIs (70), runs scored (76) and stolen bases (21).  He also showed more power at the plate, belting 15 homers for the Suns.  In two seasons with the organization, Otis had become "the best piece of property we've got", according to farm director Whitey Herzog.  The Mets' belief in Otis was so high that they refused to send him to the Braves when Atlanta was trying to unload Joe Torre after the 1968 season.  Atlanta eventually dealt Torre to the St. Louis Cardinals prior to the 1969 season, where he became a batting champion and National League MVP.  Otis remained in New York, but didn't stay for long.

After a successful 1968 season at the Triple-A level, Otis forced himself onto the Mets' 1969 Opening Day roster.  But manager Gil Hodges had a plethora of talent in the outfield, with four players (Tommie Agee, Cleon Jones, Ron Swoboda, Art Shamsky) all competing for playing time.  As a result, Hodges decided to play Otis at third base, a position that had seen nearly four dozen players participate in a game of musical chairs with each of them losing their hold on the hot corner when the music stopped.  Otis was not pleased with Hodges' decision and struggled at the plate, batting .136 (9-for-66) with no homers and no stolen bases in 36 games, despite starting only three games at third base.

On June 15, the Mets acquired Donn Clendenon from the Montreal Expos to give the team an offensive boost, sending the unhappy Otis back to the minor leagues.  While Clendenon was turning into the offensive spark the Mets were counting on Otis to be, Otis sparkled once again at the Triple-A level, batting .327 with ten homers, 43 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in only 71 games at Tidewater.  With the Mets closing in on their first division title, Otis was recalled by the team on September 13 and played in 12 of the Mets' final 18 games.  But once again, Otis failed to make an impression, batting .185 (5-for-27) with no homers and two RBIs, although he finally did steal his first base on September 17.  The Mets went on to win the World Series in 1969, but Otis did not participate in the postseason.

Amos Otis, who had been deemed untouchable at the beginning of the year, was now becoming very touchable entering the 1969-1970 off-season.

Less than two weeks after third baseman Ed Charles danced joyously on the mound following the Mets' World Series victory, he was released by general manager Johnny Murphy.  With Amos Otis clearly not turning into the third baseman of the future, the Mets decided to part ways with him as well.  After parts of two seasons in New York, where he batted .178 with no homers and five RBIs in 152 at-bats, Otis was dealt to Kansas City (along with pitcher Bob Johnson) for third baseman Joe Foy.  Foy enjoyed some success for the Royals in their inaugural season, batting .262 with 11 home runs, 37 stolen bases and a team-leading 71 RBIs and 72 runs scored.  In other words, he had produced the numbers the Mets were expecting out of Otis.

Although Foy did produce a career-high .373 on-base percentage for the Mets in 1970, his other numbers were far short of what the Mets expected from him.  Foy batted .236 with six homers, 37 RBIs and 22 stolen bases.  He also crossed the plate a mere 39 times in 99 games.  In addition, Foy was a horrible defensive third baseman, committing 18 errors at the hot corner despite starting only 94 games there.  Needless to say, Foy's 1970 campaign was his only one butchering balls at third base for the Mets, as Foy was taken by the Washington Senators in the 1970 Rule 5 draft.  Amos Otis, on the other hand, finally displayed the talent the Mets expected to see when they wouldn't trade him for Joe Torre.

Upon acquiring Amos Otis from the Mets, Kansas City wasted no time in naming him the team's starting centerfielder.  Batting primarily out of the three-spot in the lineup, Otis rewarded his new team immediately, batting .284 with 11 homers, 58 RBIs, 91 runs scored and 33 stolen bases in 1970.  Otis also finished tied for the American League lead with his 36 doubles and was named to his first All-Star team.

Otis continued to grow as a five-tool player in 1971, batting .301 with 15 HR, 79 RBIs, 80 runs scored and a league-leading 52 stolen bases.  In just their third year of existence, Otis became the first Royal to surpass 50 steals in a season.  By comparison, no Met stole 50 or more bases in a season until the team was in its third decade.  (Mookie Wilson became the first man to accomplish this feat when he stole 58 bases for the Mets in 1982.)  For his efforts, Otis was named to the American League All-Star team for the second straight year, won his first Gold Glove Award and placed eighth in the AL MVP vote.

All-Star nods, Gold Glove Awards and Most Valuable Player consideration became a common theme for Otis during his tenure in Kansas City.  From 1970 to 1978, Otis made the All-Star team five times, won three Gold Gloves and finished in the top ten in the MVP vote four times, including a third-place finish in 1973 when he blasted a career-high 26 homers and led Kansas City to a then-franchise best 88-74 record.

As consistent as Amos Otis was, his team was not.  In Otis' first six seasons in Kansas City, the team alternated winning and losing seasons.  In each odd-numbered year (1971, 1973, 1975), the Royals averaged 88 wins and finished in second place in the American League West.  But in even-numbered years (1970, 1972, 1974), Kansas City had two fourth-place finishes and a fifth-place finish and averaged 73 wins.

But all that changed in 1976 when the Royals, under the leadership of new manager Whitey Herzog, earned their first crown as AL West champions, ending the Oakland Athletics' five-year reign atop the division.  Less than a decade after declaring Otis as the best piece of property on the Mets, Herzog was now managing the star player to his first - and the team's first - postseason appearance.  However, Otis barely played in the ALCS against the Yankees, injuring his ankle while running to first base on a groundout in the first inning of Game 1.  His loss would go on to hurt the Royals, as they would go on to lose the best-of-five series on a walk-off homer by Chris Chambliss in Game 5.

Kansas City would repeat as division champions in 1977 and 1978, only to lose to the Yankees in the ALCS both times.  Otis did everything he could to help his team in the 1978 ALCS, batting .429 (6-for-14) with two doubles and four stolen bases in the series, but once again was forced to watch the Yankees celebrate winning a pennant at his team's expense.  The Royals were becoming to the Yankees what the Brooklyn Dodgers were in the 1940s and 1950s, a team that was a consistent winner but could never get over the hump.  After many failed attempts, the Dodgers finally defeated the Yankees in the 1955 World Series.  A quarter of a century later, the Royals followed in their footsteps, with Amos Otis leading the way.

In what was a relatively easy three-game sweep of the Yankees in the 1980 ALCS, Otis collected hits in every game, batting .333 with two runs scored and two stolen bases.  With the Royals down by two runs in Game 1, Otis started a rally by singling off Yankees starter Ron Guidry.  He later came around to score on Frank White's game-tying two-run double.  One inning later, Otis hit a ground-rule double and later scored on Willie Aikens' go-ahead two-run single.  The Royals only trailed for one half inning for the rest of the series.

The Royals would go on to play the Phillies in the 1980 World Series, a series won by Philadelphia in six games.  Mike Schmidt won the World Series MVP Award, an honor that surely would have gone to Amos Otis had the Royals emerged victorious.  Otis batted .478 (11-for-23) in the six-game series, batting .550 over the first five games before going 0-for-3 in Game 6.  After not hitting a home run in his first 13 career postseason games, Otis slammed three homers in the World Series.  He also drove in seven runs in the series, including at least one RBI in each of the first five games.  But the veteran Phillies were too much for the youth-infused Royals, who would have to wait another five years before finally winning their first World Series title.

Although Otis had a tremendous postseason for the Royals in 1980, he failed to play in 130 regular season games for the first time since coming to Kansas City.  In fact, from 1980 to 1983, Otis never reached the 130-game plateau, as nagging injuries whittled away at his playing time.  In that four-year span, Otis averaged 107 games per season and only produced one year that could be considered a typical Amos Otis-type campaign (1982, when he batted .286 with 11 HR and 88 RBIs in 125 games).  The 36-year-old Otis played his final season with the Royals in 1983 before finishing out his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1984, playing in only 40 games with the Bucs before he was released in August.

Amos Otis doesn't have to look far to find his place among the greats in Royals history.

Two years after Otis played his final game in the big leagues, the Kansas City Royals established a Hall of Fame honoring their best players.  The original class of 1986 featured two players.  One was Steve Busby, a two-time All-Star who pitched for the Royals from 1972 to 1980 and became the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in each of his first two big league seasons.  The other was Amos Otis.

On the official website devoted to the Royals Hall of Fame, there is a page devoted to 1986 inductee Amos Otis.  The slideshow devoted to the star centerfielder probably states it best when it discusses the trade between the Mets and Royals that brought Otis to Kansas City prior to the 1970 campaign, saying:

"Originally drafted by the Red Sox, Otis made his major league debut with the Mets.  New York would eventually trade him to the Royals for highly regarded prospect Joe Foy in a deal that would come to be thought as one of the worst in Mets history.  Their misfortune would prove to be Kansas City's gain."

Otis played 14 of his 17 big league seasons in Kansas City, helping the Royals to four full-season division titles (1976, 1977, 1978, 1980) and one split-season division crown (1981).  When he played his final game as a Royal in 1983, Otis was the team's all-time leader in a multitude of offensive categories, most of which were surpassed by Hall of Famer George Brett, who remained in Kansas City until his retirement in 1993.  But still, to this day, Otis' name can be found all over the Royals' all-time leaderboard.

Amos Otis is in the Royals' top five in games played (1,891; 3rd all-time), at-bats (7,050; 3rd), hits (1,977; 3rd), doubles (365; 4th), triples (65; 3rd), home runs (193; 3rd), total bases (3,051; 2nd), runs scored (1,074; 2nd), RBIs (992; 3rd), walks (739; 2nd) and stolen bases (340; 2nd).  Had he produced those numbers for the Mets, he'd be the team's all-time leader in games played, at-bats, hits, doubles, total bases, runs scored, RBIs and walks.  He would also be second in triples, fourth in home runs and second in stolen bases.  But alas, none of this was allowed to happen because the Mets desperately needed Joe Foy.  Long-time Mets fans are still saying "Foy Vey!" over the deal.

Otis' career is not one that can be defined by one great season.  Whereas some players attain personal bests in various offensive categories in the same year, Otis spread out his best years throughout his entire career.  In 1970, he posted a career-best 176 hits.  He followed that up in 1971 by setting career highs with a .301 batting average and 52 steals.   In 1973, he achieved his personal best by hitting 26 homers.  In 1976, his 40 doubles set a new personal benchmark.  The 1978 season saw him reach his high in RBIs with 96.  And in 1979, he scored a career-best 100 runs.  He also finished in the top ten in the AL MVP vote at age 24 and repeated the feat at age 32.  That's one decade of greatness for one great former Met.

(Amos Otis video shared on YouTube by Kerry Kellermeyer)

If Nolan Ryan is the best Mets pitcher to get away, then Amos Otis is arguably the best Mets hitter that got away.  But that's not the only distinction shared by the two former Mets.  Both players were sent packing before they got a chance to blossom in New York for the same reason - because the Mets needed an offensive-minded third baseman.

In 1969, Amos Otis was part of a package sent to Kansas City for Joe Foy, who was supposed to be a marked improvement at the plate over the recently-released poet laureate, Ed Charles.  But when Foy produced Glider-like numbers for the Mets in 1970, he was taken off the team and was scooped up in the Rule 5 draft by the Washington Senators.  Following the 1971 season, the Mets once again coveted a good-hitting third baseman and traded Nolan Ryan for shortstop - not third baseman - Jim Fregosi.  Needless to say, Fregosi failed at the hot corner for the Mets and Ryan became a Hall of Famer.  Otis didn't quite make it to the Hall of Fame, but he did become a legend in Kansas City.

In the late '60s and early '70s the Mets took a page out of Shakespeare's "Richard III", offering their kingdom for a third baseman.  But instead of getting durable horses to play third, they received broken down players who should been been put out to pasture long before the Mets acquired them.  Amos Otis was one such player who galloped away and became a star elsewhere, while the player he was traded for was anything but a stud.  Not even Shakespeare himself could have penned the tragedy that became the ill-advised Otis-for-Foy transaction.


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 

June 15, 1983: The Magic Is Back

June 15. It's a date that many Mets fans will remember as the day the Franchise was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. Tom Seaver's trade was the beginning of a dark time for the Mets. They struggled to do well in the standings and because of that, they struggled to do well at the ticket office.

When Nelson Doubleday bought the team in 1980, one of his first courses of action was to hire a general manager who could construct a team that would make the Mets relevant in the National League again. Enter Frank Cashen.

Through inspired draft picks (Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden) and shrewd trades (Lee Mazzilli for Ron Darling comes to mind), Cashen was removing the older players in lieu of younger talent in the hopes that they could harness their talents together and form the nucleus of a contending team. Some of these players had already been promoted to the Mets by 1983. However, for all the young talent the Mets were bringing up from Tidewater, they lacked leadership. Cashen knew the team needed a veteran presence for the players to look up to. They needed a gamer whose passion for perfection would spread throughout the clubhouse. The day was June 15, 1983. The player was Keith Hernandez.

Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog had made it clear that he was not pleased with Keith's attitude. He thought Hernandez was more interested in smoking cigarettes and doing crossword puzzles than focusing all his attention on the game. At the time, Hernandez was also being mentioned as one of the players involved in a cocaine scandal, which also convinced Herzog that a change was needed. Whitey had coveted Neil Allen for some time now, and when the Mets offered Rick Ownbey and Neil Allen in a packaged deal for Keith Hernandez, the deal was consummated.

Hernandez was not shy to voice his displeasure at being traded to the "Stems", as Tom Seaver called the team. But for all the negativity Whitey Herzog claimed Hernandez brought to the Cardinals, his arrival in New York infused the team with a desire to win and play well. His Gold Glove defense made the rest of the infield better, preventing many potential throwing errors and instilling confidence in the young pitching staff. No one was better at positioning himself at first base and his coverage on bunt plays was legendary.

Similar to when the Pedro Martinez signing before the 2005 season gave a struggling Mets franchise instant credibility and enticed other free agents (Carlos Beltran) to sign with the team, the trade of Keith Hernandez to the Mets on June 15, 1983 awakened the team from their six-year lull that had them in a state of hibernation since the Midnight Massacre trade of Tom Seaver. When Frank Cashen was hired as Mets GM, the Mets trotted out a new slogan to bring the fans back to Shea Stadium. They were told to come see the Mets play because "The Magic Is Back". It may have taken a few years, but 27 years ago today, the Magic arrived at Shea Stadium in the form of our beloved soon-to-be captain, Keith Hernandez.

On a related note, June 15, 1983 is special to me for another reason, for it was on that date that I attended my first Mets game at Shea Stadium. I went to that game with the rest of my Little League team. I remember how happy the sparse crowd was when the news was flashed on Diamondvision that the Mets had acquired Keith Hernandez from the St. Louis Cardinals. I also remember how confused I was that the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for the "big TV screen in left field" rather than the events taking place on the field.

Craig Swan started that game and was hit hard by the Cubs. By the time I got back from my second bathroom break (my Little League teammates were not amused that I kept stepping on their feet every time I tried to squeeze by them in our upper deck seats), Swan was out of the game and the Mets were down 4-0. The bullpen pitched very well after Swan's early exodus and the Mets rallied to tie the game, necessitating extra innings and causing some of the parents and chaperones to wonder if they should take the kids home. The Mets lost that game to the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings by the score of 7-4. If I remember correctly, Bill Buckner drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th. Who knew that he would play such an important role in Mets history just a few years later when the little roller went behind the bag?

It didn't matter that the Mets had lost that game. It was one of 94 games they lost that season anyway. That day was important to me for more than just a game. That day began my love affair with Shea Stadium and my subsequent appreciation of Keith Hernandez. I should have known the Mets had acquired someone special when I listened to the sweet voice of Bob Murphy after the game during the radio post-game show when he said "the Mets lost the game tonight, but they have gained a superstar." Twenty-seven years ago today, the magic entered my life. It has never left.