No! you say. Mets fans aren’t spoiled. The team is owned by an 80-year-old half-billionaire who’s too busy retiring personal debt to raise payroll to a level befitting a team playing in the country’s biggest media market. The franchise player suffers from a narrowing of the open spaces within his spine, which puts pressure on his spinal cord, the nerves that travel through his spine, and a host of Mets fans. The 40-man roster contains eight outfielders but no center fielder. All the catchers stink.

Mets fans may be conditioned pessimists, but at this time of year it’s important to look on the bright side. The Mets may be the only MLB team with a top-three rating for ballpark food, mascot and broadcast crew (with an unparalleled fight song). Though the Wilpons might be done spending this offseason, they did open the checkbook to re-sign a superstar. David Wright expects to stay healthy and productive for the first time since 2013. The team optimistically hopes to shed itself of last year’s misguided trade-deadline acquisition, even if that means admitting the sunk cost. Once that’s done, there are plenty of center field options available in trade. It’s a good time to root for the Metropolitans. Still, Mets fans are spoiled about their catchers.

Since 1968, only four catchers have been elected to the Hall of Fame: Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Gary Carter and Mike Piazza. The Mets employed two of those all-time greats, from 1985 to 1989 and from 1998 to 2005. In Carter’s first two years with the Mets, he hit .288/.366/.487 (141 OPS+) as the strongest run-producer for the Mets’ only World Series winner in the last 30 years. Piazza’s greatness was more sustained. He produced a .295/.371/.539 line over eight Met seasons, which is why the hat on his Cooperstown plaque shows the interlocking NY.

The period between Carter and Piazza was by no means barren. In 1991, the season after Carter left the Mets, a pre-yips Mackey Sasser hit .307/.344/.426 in 100 games behind the plate. Four years later, 27-year-old Todd Hundley broke out with 15 home runs. In 1996, Hundley set the single-season record for dingers by a catcher, with 41. He followed up that record year with another 30 round-trippers in 1997. For those three years, Hundley hit .269/.375/.535–a 141 OPS+ comprising a better three-year peak than any similar stretch of Carter’s career.

The post-Piazza Mets first featured Paul LoDuca behind the dish. His two-year tenure produced a .297/.334/.404 line that is superficially comparable to the .288/.362/.434 Buster Posey put up last season, but was in fact–adjusted for park and era–significantly inferior (91 to 112 in OPS+). Since LoDuca left in 2008, the Mets have struggled to find even an average backstop. Brian Schneider, Omir Santos, Rod Barajas, Josh Thole, and John Buck conjure up few warm memories.

The Mets recognized a need to develop an everyday catcher when they traded R.A. Dickey, coming off the 2012 Cy Young Award, for the best catching prospect in the minor leagues, the No. 15 prospect in all of baseball. You may have heard that this deal also gave the Mets a tall Texan who had pitched well in the Low-A Midwest League. The first two seasons of Noah Syndergaard’s MLB career already exceeds (by your choice of WARP, fWAR and bWAR) the value that Dickey has produced in four years with Toronto–and at minimum salaries, no less. Even the minor-leaguer Toronto threw into the deal eked out the No. 10 spot on the 2017 Mets prospect list.

Though the Mets would never wish to reverse what will go down in history as the Syndergaard Trade, it’s fair to say that d’Arnaud has never developed into the star catcher the Mets hoped for. His .312 TAv in 268 plate appearances in 2015 seems like an outlier when surrounded by .205, .268 and .239 in three times as many PAs over 2013, 2014 and 2016. I mean:

Travis d'Arnaud was second among d'Arnauds in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, extra-base hits, and RBI this past season.

— D.J. Short (@djshort) December 20, 2016

Injuries may have stunted d’Arnaud’s development as a hitter, but whatever the reason for his lack of production, the Mets don’t possess the next Mike Piazza.

Except … as BP has developed the most comprehensive public statistics on catcher defense, Piazza’s reputation has been burnished by improved quantification of pitch-framing and pitch-blocking. Despite hitting during his ages 24-27 seasons worse than Piazza hit in his final, age-38 season, d’Arnaud has posted a positive FRAA every year he’s played in the majors. Like other stat-friendly teams, the Mets value catcher framing. Like few teams, they carry three catchers who contribute behind the plate if not at it. Kevin Plawecki and Rene Rivera combined with d’Arnaud to post the fourth-most framing runs in baseball last season, behind three other playoff teams (the Dodgers, Cubs and Giants).

The Mets’ regular catchers posted OBPs of .307 (d’Arnaud), .298 (Plawecki), and .291 (Rivera) in 2016, yet they combined to produce 3.7 WARP due to their ability to steal strikes, block wild pitches, and control the running game. OBP is life. Life is OBP. Except when discussing good defensive catchers. Contrary to appearances, the Mets have three backstops who deserve their spot on the roster.

If, on top of their defensive skill, d’Arnaud or Plawecki can reproduce a little of their minor-league hitting prowess at the big-league level, the Mets will consider it gravy. And Mets fans must stop complaining about the purported hole at catcher. Recency bias notwithstanding, we’ve been spoiled for thirty years. We should acknowledge and appreciate receiving gifts.

Photo Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Instead, the events of early Sunday morning transpired, and baseball was forced to move on without the young star, who seemed on his way to a Hall of Fame career. Everyone around the game was wounded, but none beyond Fernandez’s own family could compare to the feelings of the Marlins players themselves, who absolutely loved him. There have been countless posts around the internet since his sudden passing about just how much Fernandez meant to not only the team but the city of Miami itself, and every one of them contains a moving story. He was truly special.

Somehow, some way, the Marlins recuperated after the cancelled game Sunday to take on the Mets. There is an excellent game recap by Scott Orgera up that delves further into the contest itself, but the pregame ceremony was a tearjerker. The Marlins players gathered around the mound, all wearing “Fernandez 16” jerseys. A single trumpet played “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and a choir later sang the national anthem.

The Marlins and Mets players hugged on the field in a stirring display of mutual respect and appreciation of Fernandez, whose loss was certainly felt on the opposing side. While watching up in the Marlins’ TV booth, Al Leiter (who played in the World Series for both teams) could not help but recall a similar memory from his days in Queens that many Mets fans likely also remembered at this moment.

It was another touching ceremony, this one on September 21, 2001 at Shea Stadium, a little over a week after the devastating events of September 11. In the first major sporting event since the attacks, “Taps” was played, New York firefighters and policemen were honored for the bravery, and the nation attempted to put itself back together. The Braves and Mets were fierce rivals at the team, and the Mets were trying to make a miracle run to stay in the playoff race. That didn’t matter. The two sides embraced on the diamond, with handshakes and hugs aplenty. Chipper Jones, John Smoltz, and the powerhouse Atlanta crew might have normally been enemies in New York, but on this night, only cheers came from the fans watching this gesture.

The parallels between Monday night and September 21, 2001 did not stop there. As almost every Met fan knows, Mike Piazza came up with the Mets trailing in the eighth inning and the steady reliever Steve Karsay on for Atlanta. He brought New York to its feet with a long home run to center field to put the Mets on top and make everyone smile again, even if just for a moment. There were tears, cheers, and almost every emotion imaginable. The Mets closed it out in the ninth to win 3-2 and instantly establish an unforgettable memory. Even the Braves players later admitted that they did not mind falling in this game.

On Monday, the Mets found themselves on the other side of the coin. This time, it did not take until late in the game for the baseball gods’ magical moment. Starting in place of Fernandez, Adam Conley worked a perfect inning, and Dee Gordon stepped to the plate to lead off the game for the Marlins. Gordon was extremely close with Fernandez and his heartbreak was quite evident, from his reactions at Marlins Park on Sunday to the Instagram post he later made in Fernandez’s memory.

The lefty-swinging Gordon started the plate appearance against Bartolo Colon in the right-handed batter’s box, a tribute to the righty Fernandez. He took a pitch and then moved back to his normal spot. No one was thinking home run. After all, Gordon had not hit one out in 323 plate appearances all year and only had eight dingers in almost 2,300 plate appearances over his career. Even Eric Campbell had better odds of going deep.

Yet that’s exactly what happened. Gordon crushed Colon’s pitch into the second deck and rounded the bases in tears. Giancarlo Stanton embraced him near the on-deck circle. The dugout mobbed him. The crowd went wild. Fans watching from around the globe found their rooms to be a little dusty as well. Just like Piazza’s blast in 2001, this was a moment bigger than the game, just as the Mets’ own Twitter account said after the ball sailed over the fence.

The Braves couldn’t be too mad after Piazza’s homer, and neither could the Mets after Gordon’s homer. It was simply another example of baseball’s remarkable healing power, and it was absolutely beautiful to see.

Just this one time, Mets fans could still crack a smile after the other team scored. In this special case, they understood the feeling.

Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

That’s an alternative reality, though. Alderson has shown no interest in making such a trade. So instead of discussing how the Mets improved themselves at this deadline, we’ll look back to the past trades that we recall most fondly. — Scott D. Simon (@scottdsimon)

June 15, 1969 — Mets Acquire Donn Clendenon

Donn Clendenon was Yoenis Cespedes before Cespedes was even born. This trade’s importance cannot be overstated, as it helped the Mets win their first World Series. Kevin Collins and the three minor leaguers did nothing in their career, while Steve Renko had a decent career as a middling starting pitcher. However, it was the addition of Clendenon to a struggling offense — and the team’s subsequent World Series victory — that people still remember to this day.

Clendenon slashed .252/.321/.455 with 12 homers in 226 plate appearances for the 1969 Mets He followed that up with a brilliant 22 homer and .288/.348/.515 slash line campaign in  1970. However, what Clendenon is most celebrated for is his performance in the 1969 World Series. He homered in games 2, 4, and 5, and doubled in game 1, to propel the Mets to a five-game series victory over the heavily-favored Baltimore Orioles. This trade will always be a big part of Mets history as a major piece of the Mets legendary 1969 season. — Tyler Plofker (@TylerPlofker)

June 15, 1983 — Mets Acquire Keith Hernandez

The Cardinals’ misfortune was the Mets’ gain. Twelve years after improbably turning a 42nd-round pick into a World Series champion, a Gold Glover, and the 1979 co-NL MVP, Keith Hernandez was done with St. Louis. He was on the outs with skipper Whitey Herzog, they suspected drug abuse (which was true), and he wanted a new contract. So at the trade deadline in 1983, the Cardinals rid themselves of their All-Star first baseman.

All the Mets had to give up to get Hernandez were pitchers Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey. The latter would appear in just 21 games for St. Louis before his career ended in ’86. Allen was okay for a couple of years, but then he collapsed in ’85 and was sold to the Yankees. Meanwhile, Hernandez kicked his cocaine habit, returned to All-Star form in ’84, and finished in the top 10 for NL MVP in back-to-back years. His superb .310/.413/.446 season in ’86 brought the Mets to a World Series title, and etched his place in franchise lore.

So thanks, Cardinals! That almost makes up for Yadier Molina. Almost. — Andrew Mearns (@MearnsPSA)

December 10, 1984 — Mets Acquire Gary Carter

The Mets have a knack for being just one measly power-hitting catcher away from assembling a team that can achieve greatness. That was the case in May 1998, when they acquired Mike Piazza from the Marlins, but it was even truer some 14 years earlier when general manager Frank Cashen pulled off one of the great trades of the decade, sending four middling-at-best players in their 20s to Montreal — only Hubie Brooks, who would hit 121 more homers after the trade, did anything of consequence — for the lynchpin of a future World Series winner.

Carter was already one of the game’s great hitting catchers when he arrived for spring training in 1985. In his first season with the Mets, he became the first catcher since Johnny Bench eight years earlier to hit both 30 homers and drive in 100 runs. (Carlton Fisk, by then with the White Sox, also accomplished the feat that year.) Carter’s infectious personality and clear joie de vivre also made him an instant fan favorite for all-time. But it was that prowess at the plate, along with his veteran command of an elite pitching staff, that propelled the Mets from 90 wins in ’84 to 98 in ’85 and then 108 in ’86. He only lasted five seasons in Queens, but the Kid sure made the most of them. — Erik Malinowski (@erikmal)

December 20, 1996 — Mets Acquire John Olerud

In 1996, the Mets used three first basemen who combined for 0.5 wins above replacement. The Blue Jays were looking to deal away incumbent first baseman John Olerud so they could move Carlos Delgado to first and put an aging Joe Carter at designated hitter. The Mets took advantage of Toronto’s frustration with the patient Olerud and offered Robert Person, a 26-year-old pitcher who was only slightly better than replacement. Olerud had a resurgence after moving to the National League, posting a .400 on base percentage in 1997.

He re-signed for two more years, posting 17.2 wins above replacement during his time in Queens. Olerud holds the Mets’ single season records in batting average (.352) and on base percentage (.447), along with the franchise records in both categories for anyone who spent at least 2000 plate appearances as a Met. Batting helmet aside, he was an outstanding defensive first baseman and part of one of the best defensive infields ever in 1999. Olerud replaced the immortal Butch Huskey at first; he moved to a right field/utility role for his best seasons before the Mets dealt him. Person was below replacement level in Toronto and got traded to Philadelphia years later. To think, Toronto was so happy to get rid of Olerud that they paid most of his contract in 1997! — Noah Grand (@noahgrand)

May 22, 1998 — Mets Acquire Mike Piazza

When the Mets dealt the trio of Preston Wilson, Ed Yarnall and Geoff Goetz to the Florida Marlins for Mike Piazza, they made one of the best trades (if not the best trade) in New York Mets history.  During his seven-and-a-half seasons with the Mets, Piazza hit 220 home runs, including as 200 as a catcher, on his way to setting the record for home runs at that position with 396. Piazza will be remembered for helping the Mets reach the playoffs in 1999 and the World Series in 2000. But he solidified himself as a legend in New York for his home run in the first game back after September 11th, on September 21st igniting the crowd and leading the Mets to victory. Recently, Piazza was inducted into the Hall of Fame (the second player to do so as a Met) and had his number 31 retired by the team on Saturday, July 30th.

The pieces sent to the Marlins cannot compare to what Piazza brought to the Mets. Preston Wilson had a solid career of ten seasons in the Major Leagues (with multiple teams) but had problems striking out too frequently. Yarnall pitched minimally over two seasons for the Yankees before playing overseas in Japan and becoming a career minor leaguer. Goetz never made it past Double-A before crashing out of baseball. With these results, it is easy to see the Mets got the best of this trade. — Seth Rubin (@sethrubin)

November 24, 2005 — Mets Acquire Carlos Delgado

Omar Minaya did not inherit a particularly good farm system from his predecessors, especially after 2004 deadline deals sent Justin Huber and Scott Kazmir away for Kris Benson and Victor Zambrano.  And Omar wouldn’t do a great job restocking the system during his tenure either. He was pretty good at figuring out who to deal though, at least early on. The Mets had tried to get Delgado as a free agent shortly after Minaya took over, but lost out to the Florida Marlins in the midst of one of  their #MarlinsTakeovers. The front office only had to wait until the next offseason though, as the Marlins inevitably sold off their high-priced players.

The package going to Florida — Mike Jacobs, Yusmeiro Petit and Grant Psomas — pretty spiffy at the time. Petit made it all the way to Triple-­A Norfolk late in 2005 and was considered the 69th-best prospect in the game, per Baseball America. Jacobs had a white-hot September with the Mets, slugging over .700, and no doubt the Marlins had visions of  six cheap years of his mashing as Delgado’s replacement. And Psomas, well, I honestly forgot he was in the deal, but he would have hung around the back end of a Mets top 10 list in that era after a season mashing at two A-­ball levels.

You know how it went from there. Delgado spent three seasons batting cleanup for a high-­powered  Mets lineup (sighs wistfully) while Jacobs turned out to be a Quad­-A masher, Petit didn’t establish himself as a useful major-league swingman until four organizations on (with a detour into the Mexican League), and Psomas never made the majors. There would be plenty of Bannister­-for-Burgos and Heath ­Bell-­for-­Jon ­Adkins to come, but Omar definitely got this one right. — Jeffrey Paternostro (@jeffpaternostro)

July 31, 2015 — Mets Acquire Yoenis Cespedes

Through his first 15 major-league starts, Michael Fulmer has a 2.50 ERA. His peripherals don’t quite support that level of dominance — he carries a 3.15 DRA and a 3.67 FIP — and a great half-season doesn’t quell the longer-term durability issues that kept Fulmer’s prospect stock a bit lower than it otherwise might’ve been. But Fulmer is already a heck of a pitcher, only a year out from the trade that sent him away from the Mets, and Luis Cessa might yet emerge in a rotation or a bullpen too.

Yet nothing Fulmer or Cessa could do diminishes the franchise-altering nature of getting Yoenis Cespedes. Cespedes has been one of the eight- or ten-best position players in baseball over the past calendar year, a terrifying force of nature as a hitter bouncing between Gold Glove-quality defense in left and adequacy in center. More than that, the Mets won the pennant on the back of his MVP-quality 2015 stretch run. As Joe Sheehan most famously posited, flags do fly forever, and while the financial and moral implications of turning around a moribund franchise aren’t quite as everlasting, they’re still huge. And this is the deal that got the Mets there. – Jarrett Seidler (@jaseidler)

Photo Credit – Wikimedia Commons

The Mets finally retired Mike Piazza’s No. 31. Then fans sat through the rain to watch a depleted 2016 squad lose 7-2 to the Rockies.

Piazza’s No. 31 Retired

Through their first 54 seasons, the Mets had retired more numbers for former managers than players. Yesterday, they put Mike Piazza next to Tom Seaver. Former teammates Al Leiter, Edgardo Alfonso and Cliff Floyd welcomed Piazza – a nod to other players who may get inducted to the Mets’ larger Hall of Fame. After his emotional speech last week in Cooperstown, Piazza started by saying, “With all due respect to Tom Hanks, there is crying in baseball.” It was a more festive atmosphere too. When Piazza said he’d be watching the Mets every day on TV, Howie Rose asked if he was listening on the radio too. Piazza interrupted his speech to say yes, one of several times he had fun with people in the ceremony or the fans. At the end, he pointed to his retired No. 31 in the left field corner and said, “I’ll always be here with you guys – just give a peek to Ol’ Mikey.” Then he threw the first pitch from home plate to Leiter, who was standing on the pitcher’s mound.

Mets Manufacture Early Runs

In the bottom of the first, Neil Walker singled to center and stole second with two outs. Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa jammed Wilmer Flores with a fastball, but Flores was able to muscle a broken bat single to left for the Mets first run. Flores tried to manufacture another run, breaking for second when De La Rosa threw an 0-2 pitch in the dirt, but was thrown out by a large margin. Cabrera and d’Arnaud got on to lead off the second. Then new Met Justin Ruggiano learned what it is like to be a Met hitter with runners in scoring position, swinging over a 3-2 changeup. Kelly Johnson started at first and drove in the Mets second run on a ground ball past DJ LaMahieu. Bartolo Colon struck out and Curtis Granderson grounded up the middle, but with the shift Trevor Story was perfectly positioned to end the Mets threat.

Colon Struggles on Short Rest

The Mets were a pitcher short after Tuesday’s doubleheader. Sean Gilmartin, the most likely callup for a spot start, is on the disabled list with a sore shoulder. Seth Lugo hadn’t pitched in a week and was a starter for most of his minor league career. However, the Mets decided to start Colon and have Lugo piggyback in case Colon couldn’t go six innings. Colon hadn’t thrown on short rest in 11 years, and based on last night’s performance, he probably will never do it again. Though he did start out by striking out three of the first four batters. Instead of fooling batters with his low tailing fastball, Colon was throwing harder and elevated his fastball past Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez.

The Rockies started making adjustments in the fourth, as Colon couldn’t get his fastball down. Nolan Arenado singled and then Gonzalez doubled to the wall. Story grounded to shortstop but Cabrera threw wide. Johnson isn’t a natural first baseman, so he couldn’t block the ball from going to the wall. However, he recovered quickly and threw out Story advancing to second when his hand slipped off a wet base. Rookie David Dahl homered to right to give the Rockies a lead they would not relinquish.

Colorado tacked on two more in the fifth, as Colon couldn’t regain his command. Terry Collins turned to Lugo to pitch the next three innings, and it’s not clear whether Lugo should have started. He had a 1-2-3 sixth, then gave up two runs in the seventh before another 1-2-3 eighth. Neither Mets pitcher was able to consistently throw strike one. In the end, maybe starting Colon was the better choice because Lugo can come on in relief, but you couldn’t ask Colon to piggyback if Lugo struggles against a strong lineup.

Mets Offense Collapses

The Mets squandered an opportunity to tie it up in the bottom of the fourth. Ruggiano singled past a diving Story with one out. Story threw his glove in the air and was taken out of the game with a bruised thumb, likely due to his slide (X-rays were negative, but ask Juan Lagares how that might turn out). Johnson singled past Mark Reynolds. Colon squared to bunt but, Ruggiano tried to steal third on the second pitch. Arenado kept his arm high and initially missed the runner, but Ruggiano slid past the base and was called out.

The Mets didn’t get another hit. Yoenis Cespedes grimaced after swinging in the fifth and was taken out for precautionary reasons. Ruggiano slipped and let a ball get past him on the wet grass in the top of the inning. After the game, Collins said the Mets need Cespedes’ bat too much to put him on the DL. Wilmer Flores hit a ball over the wall to lead off the ninth, but he was called out on replay due to fan interference. The umpires concluded Dahl would have made the catch, although it looked like he took a bad angle and would have missed the ball. Collins asked if the play should be a double and was ejected for arguing a review.

More on Ruggiano

Mets fans may remember Ruggiano from when he started for the Marlins in 2013. The 34 year old was hitting .226/.321/.427 in Triple-A Round Rock before being released by the Texas Rangers earlier this week. He hits better against right handers and has experience in center field, two things the Mets lost with Lagares’ getting thumb surgery. Last year, Ruggiano moved to the NL in August and hit .291/.350/.618 in a strict platoon for the Dodgers. It was only 60 plate appearances, but the Mets seem to be hoping lightning strikes twice.

Other Notes

• Jose Reyes was placed on the 15 day DL, following the Mets tradition of playing a man short for a few days and then putting the player on the DL. Matt Harvey was moved to the 60 day DL.
• In his career, Mike Piazza went 6-15 against Bartolo Colon with a HR, 2 doubles and 2 strikeouts.
• The Mets were charged with three errors, while the Rockies infield misplayed several balls that went for hits. Both teams seemed equally affected by the wet conditions.

What’s Next

The Mets send Noah Syndergaard to the mound to try and salvage one game of the season series against Colorado (they’re currently 0-6) after sweeping the season series last year.

Photo credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Edgardo Alfonzo

Signed out of Venezuela as a teenager, Edgardo Alfonzo was a man before his time. These days, a middle infielder with who can hit for average and power and draw walks and field his position is hailed as one of the best players in baseball. But when Fonzie took over as a 23-year-old starter in 1997, we’d never before seen anyone like him in Flushing. Four seasons hitting over .300. Top-10 in franchise history for batting average, on base percentage, home runs, RBI and runs scored. One of the most consistent and versatile infielders of his era, Alfonzo moved from third base to second in 1999 to form one of the best infields in franchise history. His first-inning two-run homer led the Mets over the Reds in the 1999 Wild Card playoff. When the Mets made the World Series the next season, Alfonzo led the team with 6.6 WARP. Two years ago, Alfonzo came back to New York to coach the Brooklyn Cyclones. — Noah Grand (@noahgrand)

Fred Wilpon

You’ll note this week’s topic is not who we want to see on a Mets Hall of Fame plaque. Aside from Mets players, the list of current inductees includes a few executives: Johnny Murphy and George Weiss, the architects of the 1969 Miracle Mets, and Frank Cashen, the general manager for the 1986 World Series winner. The Mets’ first owner, Joan Whitney Payson, was inducted into the Mets Hall in 1981, six years after her death.

Fred Wilpon will turn 80 after this season. He’s intensely concerned about his reputation. You may remember that insane New Yorker profile from 2011. (Sample quote: “Everybody likes Fred, there is tremendous respect for Fred, people listen to what he has to say, and I don’t know of anybody who has ever had an open fight with him.”) Wilpon might not commission his own statue outside Citi Field (and nobody’s going to get a Fred Wilpon tattoo). But Wilpon will be a Mets Hall-of-Famer. The only question is when. — Scott D. Simon (@scottdsimon)

David Cone

Cone’s place in Mets lore occupies that unfortunate stretch of years immediately following ’86, when the team struggled to recapture the success everyone assumed would continue. When Cone was acquired from Kansas City in spring training of 1987, he was an unproven 23-year-old with all of 11 MLB relief appearances to his name. By the time he was traded to Toronto for Jeff Kent in August 1992, Cone was a full-fledged star. He won his only two career strikeout titles as a Met (1990, 1991). His superlative 20-3 season in 1988 helped the Mets to their second NL East title in three years. And while Cone’s star only rose further once he left Queens — he’d win five World Series titles in all, the first coming that fall with the Blue Jays, and his perfect game in 1999 won’t ever be forgotten in the Bronx — he was a consistent winner, even during the offensively lean times of the early ’90s. His time with the Mets was on the short side, but Cone’s results were undeniable. — Erik Malinowski (@erikmal)

Jay Horwitz

Perhaps nobody outside of Bob Murphy, Mets Hall of Fame class of 1984, has had a longer record of contribution to the Mets than the venerable Vice President of Media Relations, Jay Horwitz. Horwitz was hired by the Mets in 1980 and has made an indelible mark on the team as one of the last old-school PR men in the game.

Over the past few years, Horwitz has become something of a pop culture icon for diehard fans. His Twitter account, as infrequently updated as it is, served as great comic relief when the team was not as good on the field. He had a bobblehead night at Citi Field. Tales of his pocket-dialing random contacts are ubiquitous in slice of life stories around the team. He’s as much a part of the fabric of the team as almost anyone, and he deserves induction into the Mets Hall of Fame. – Jarrett Seidler (@jaseidler)

Al Leiter

While this past weekend was spent celebrating a certain 1998 Mets-Marlins trade, another between those teams also had a tremendous impact on the franchise. Al Leiter was no stranger to New York City when he came over from Florida in a February 1998 deal for A.J. Burnett and a couple other prospects. He was a second-round pick by the Yankees in 1984, but overuse led to major shoulder problems. Leiter would not establish himself as reliable until he was traded to the Blue Jays.

By ’98, though, Leiter had thrown a no-hitter and earned World Series rings from the Blue Jays and Marlins; he was considered a superb southpaw. He wasted little time becoming the Mets’ ace. It was Leiter who threw a shutout in the one-game Wild Card playoff in ’99 against the Reds. It was Leiter who the Mets turned to guide them through the postseason in ’99 and 2000. It was Leiter pitching his heart out as the Mets tried desperately to stay alive in the Subway Series, only to be done on a ninth-inning thousand-hopper after 142 pitches.

Leiter’s seven years in Queens were excellent, even as he became one of the few bright spots on sagging teams under Art Howe. As the head of the rotation during the Mets’ finest era since 1986, a spot in the Mets Hall of Fame seems well-deserved for the New Jersey native. — Andrew Mearns (@MearnsPSA)

Ron Darling

Darling was never the best pitcher on his team, but he was  consistently solid. He saved his best performance for the Mets’ championship season, when he spun a 2.81 ERA in 1986. Now, none of this would be enough on its own to get Darling a plaque in the Mets Hall of Fame.

I like when people are able to excel in multiple exploits during the course of their life. Darling’s fantastic work in the Mets broadcast booth puts him over the top. Darling has been with SNY since 2006, so we are now talking about his work in terms of decades. It has been nothing but stellar. Darling has become one of the best color commentators in the game and is part of a broadcast team that is revered as one of the best in the game as well. If Darling stays  with the team, his excellent commentary and knowledge of the game — combined with his  production as a Met — makes him an easy choice for a plaque in the future. — Tyler Plofker (@TylerPlofker)

Gary Cohen

The last time the New York Mets introduced an announcer in their Hall of Fame was 1984, when the trio of Ralph Kiner, Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson received their plaques. However, no Mets announcer is more deserving of the honor than SNY play-by-play man Gary Cohen. Cohen started covering the Mets on the radio in 1989 alongside Murphy before taking over primary responsibilities in 2003. He then made the transition to SNY on TV in 2006 and has been a staple of what is arguably the best announcing team in all of Major League Baseball.

Cohen is also celebrated for his memorable calls in New York Mets history such as Todd Pratt’s walk-off home run in 1999 to defeat the Diamondbacks in the NLDS and, more recently, the final out of Johan Santana’s first no-hitter in New York Mets history. Making these calls and announcing every game has made Cohen a staple in Mets fans’ lives. Recently, Cohen’s voice even became recognizable nationwide with his emphatic call of Bartolo Colon’s first career home run. But Cohen is more than just a Mets announcer; he is a fellow Mets fan. — Seth Rubin (@SethRubin)

Photo Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

On the anniversary of Noah Syndergaard’s Citi Field debut, Thor bettered Max Scherzer and made two solo shots stand up. Mets 2, Nationals 0.

Discussion and Analysis

Noah Syndergaard’s dominating performance last night overshadowed:

• Max Scherzer’s next start after striking out 20 Tigers
• Daniel Murphy’s return to his old stomping ground
• Bryce Harper’s first Citi Field appearance after winning the 2015 MVP
• Matt Reynolds’ surprise MLB debut

But that’s what a 7 5 0 0 0 10 line will do, almost every time. Reaching 100 pitches with one out in the seventh inning, the Mets’ bullpen was utterly motionless. At one point between the third and fourth innings, Syndergaard rang up five consecutive outs by K.

The Mets managed just two hits against Scherzer through six innings. Both left the ballpark. When Scherzer has shown a weakness this season, it’s been the longball. His 12 home runs allowed lead the National League. Even in Scherzer’s 20-strikeout gem, he allowed home runs to Jose Iglesias (!) and Victor Martinez. Against the Mets, Scherzer’s first pitch was driven over the right-field fence by Curtis Granderson, his third leadoff round-tripper of the season. Michael Conforto smacked a line drive to nearly the same spot with two out in the third. The Mets eked out just two other hits all nights, but the dinger-based economy continues to roll.

Fans at the ballpark were expecting such a fabulous pitching matchup that they could afford to be magnanimous toward new National Daniel Murphy. In pregame introductions, Murphy received perhaps the longest ovation for a non-Met since Mike Piazza’s appearance as a Padre. Murphy’s first at-bat following the applause was anticlimactic, as he popped-out foul to third base. Notwithstanding his team’s loss, Murph’s first game back was an individual success, as he blooped one of the Nats’ five hits on the night, did not strike out against Syndergaard, and

Daniel Murphy knows this Citi pretty well: https://t.co/adZAVppFSs pic.twitter.com/Ti2okeEWOq

— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) May 17, 2016

Bryce Harper was not greeted as warmly by the Citi Field faithful. “Fans don’t boo nobodies,” Reggie Jackson once quipped. Harper tapped back to Syndergaard in the first and struck out in his next two at-bats. With two out and nobody on in the ninth inning, Harper hit a sharp groundball into the 5.5 hole, where the Mets’ shifted defense had him played perfectly. Some fans at the game treated the Harper oh-fer as the evening’s highlight.

The back end of the Mets bullpen was perfect after Syndergaard hit the showers. Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia combined to strike out three in the final two frames.

On a night like this, it’s hard to find the gray cloud in the silver lining, but the team must be concerned that both David Wright and Lucas Duda missed the game with back maladies. The lineup was so weak at the bottom that Syndergaard became the first Met pitcher this season to bat eighth. Rookie Matt Reynolds batted ninth in his first MLB appearance and did not reach base. Reynolds did, however, bring a solid glove to third base:

Contemporaneous Thoughts

I would have paid money to watch Keith Hernandez read Ulysses. #mets

— Jason Fry (@jasoncfry) May 18, 2016

GKR-isms

“Like Caesar going home to Rome for a triumph.” — Keith, on Danny Murphy’s return

“Gotta watch Murphy at first base; he’s known for doing unorthodox things on the bases.” — Keith

“If you want to dominate at this level as a starting pitcher, you have to combine power with precision, and that’s what Noah’s been for the first eight starts.” — Ron

Coda

The win brings the Mets within a half-game of the Nationals for first place in the NL East. Bartolo will have the platoon advantage when he bats today against Gio Gonzalez.

Photo credit: Adam Hunger – USA Today Sports

Chase Utley

It’s funny that Chase Utley will now be best remembered by Mets fans for a moment during which he was wearing something other than a Phillies uniform. I might have been able to include Utley here for all of the damage he did during his tenure in Philadelphia. He has slugged 35 homers against the Mets, his most against any team. His former teammates Ryan Howard (45) and Pat Burrell (42) have hit more against the Mets, but Utley always felt like the heart and soul of the Phillies during their successful NL East run from 2007-2011.

If exorcising demons is your thing, it was appropriate that the Mets would run into longtime foes Utley and Jimmy Rollins in last year’s NLDS against the Dodgers. However, it was no longer cute when Utley made a reckless “slide” —  really, a rolling block — into Ruben Tejada in Game 2. And somehow, after a replay review and Tejada getting carted off the field with a broken leg, Utley was allowed to stay at second base (despite never touching it during play). The slide tackle changed the game’s complexion and clinched Utley’s status as an all-time Mets Villain.

With the series shifting back to New York for Game 3, Citi Field was going to be bonkers even if the Utley play hadn’t happened. Mets fans waited nine long, frustrating years for the postseason to return to Queens. But the Utley situation ramped up the energy and intensity. As I sat in the stands at Citi Field during player introductions, it felt like the stadium had finally arrived. It was as if Utley had knocked something loose in all of us. It was our home, at long last. And we were happy to let him know it. — D.J. Short (@djshort)

Derek Jeter

You can make an easy statistical case for Derek Jeter, Mets Villain. His .364 batting average (131-for-360) is third-best all time for players with at least 100 at-bats against the Mets. Indeed, that .364 batting average was Jeter’s highest against any team (minimum 40 at-bats). As shown in the chart below, Jeter’s OPS against the Mets, as compared to his performance against all other teams, ranks 11th in history.

(Huh. Omar Infante. Who knew?)

Superlative regular-season and even World Series statistics aside (in the 2000 Subway Series, Jeter hit .409 and a certain home run, winning the Series MVP), Jeter is a Mets Villain because he represents a paradigm shift in New York baseball fandom. Before Jeter — and, thus, before his team reached the playoffs every year from 1995 through 2007 — it was possible to be a New York baseball fan. When your favorite team, the Mets, was on a west-coast swing and you had to go to sleep before the late games started, nobody questioned your choice to turn on the Yankee home game and root for the other local nine.

Now? Supporting the Mets essentially requires you to hate anyone employed by the Steinbrenners. Such negativity has made us less just, has diminished us as Mets fans and as citizens of the Empire State. You know the T-shirt, “I root for the Mets and whoever’s playing the Yankees?” That’s Jeter’s fault. — Scott D. Simon (@scottdsimon)

The Wilpons

Sometimes you’ll read a magazine profile of someone and come away thinking, Why did they ever agree to that? The pinnacle of the art form — at least in baseball circles — might well be Jeffrey Toobin’s 2011 New Yorker profile of Fred Wilpon, whose ownership tenure on the field has been a morass of underachievement sprinkled with little blips of excitement. Off the field, there has been a near-endless string of embarrassments, from the Bernie Madoff debacle (which makes up the narrative bulk of Toobin’s piece and makes Wilpon look clueless, if not downright incompetent) to the discrimination lawsuit involving Jeff Wilpon that was settled last year to the inexplicable reluctance to re-sign Yoenis Cespedes this past offseason after a second-half explosion that led to a shocking World Series run. Bud Selig and MLB have enabled and protected Wilpon and his partners time and again over the years. That policy continues with no end in sight.

The best any pro sports team owner can hope for is to be a neutral party that stays in the background, signs the checks, and doesn’t inflict any due harm on the franchise. Make no mistake: Fred and the Wilpons are not the direct reason for any of the Mets’ recent celebrations. The Mets have succeeded in spite of the Wilpons and their repulsive decision-making. The subhead on that New Yorker profile: “Will Fred Wilpon be forced to sell the Mets?” Oh, we’re still waiting on that one. — Erik Malinowski (@erikmal)

Roger Clemens

Although the 1986 Mets had to face Roger Clemens, that year’s MVP and Cy Young winner, in the World Series, it was not until 14 years later that Roger would fully establish his villainy toward the franchise. Mike Piazza spent his MLB career owning Roger Clemens (.364/.440/.955). Clemens, a pitcher who put together an undeniably great career, was never afraid to throw at opponents who dared to succeed against him. He famously threw a purpose pitch up and in at his oldest son Koby, after Koby hit a home run against him in a 2006 Spring Training game. Six years earlier (7/8/00) Roger Clemens hit Mike Piazza in the head with a fastball. This pitch alone would have been enough to add The Rocket to the list of Mets villains, but he was never one to settle for just qualifying for a list. In game 2 of the World Series that same year, Clemens took his villainy to cartoonish heights when he broke Piazza’s bat on a foul ball, picked up a shard of bat that went into the field of play, and threw it at Piazza, who was running down the first base line. The benches cleared and Clemens had forever earned his place on the list of the greatest villains in Mets history. — Craig Glaser (@sabometrics)

Terry Pendleton

Terry Pendleton had a nice career. He won a few gold gloves and an MVP. He compiled ~33 WARP across 15 seasons in the bigs. That is a very good major league ballplayer. In my head, I thought he was a bit better hitter than his .270/.316/.390 final line. Even playing the bulk of his games in the late­ eighties and early nineties, that only comes out to a .252 TAv. He must have been better against the Mets, no? That’s why I must consider him a Mets villain (and it would also explain my misrememberings). Nope, his performance against the Mets was right around his career line. Sure, he played for the mid-eighties Cardinals teams that clashed with Keith, Doc, Darryl and company, but was he more of a pest than Jack Clark or Willie McGee?

I started rooting for the Mets in 1987. In my twenties, I wore this as a twisted badge of honor. I’ve seen things, man, and none of them were a Mets World Series victory. Functionally, of course, I remember very little of the 1987 season. I was five. My Mets fandom comes from my maternal grandparents’ side. They lived in Florida at the time, and when they’d call we’d talk about the Mets box score from the previous night’s game. This is also how I learned how to read, box scores and gamers from the Hartford Courant. A lot of this comes to me second-hand from my parents of course, abiding memories are hard to come by when you’re five.

I do have one memory of that season though. I hate Terry Pendleton. The culprit was likely this game. The Mets had a chance to reel the Cardinals in late in the season. It was a brutal loss looking at the box score. I may have seen the game. I likely read the AP report the next day in the Courant. I don’t remember either of those things, though. I just remember I hate Terry Pendleton. This is silly, of course. I am an adult, I should put away childish things. And I don’t really hate Terry Pendleton nowadays.

But I sort of still hate Terry Pendleton nowadays. — Jeffrey Paternostro (@jeffpaternostro)

Shane Victorino

From 2007 until his inglorious exit from Philadelphia in 2012, no one captured the enmity of Mets fans more than Phila talented switch-hitting centerfielder. Victorino was not, like many of the other players listed here, a traditional “Met Killer.” He put up something very close to his career line in games against the Mets. Victorino doesn’t even have the signature backbreaking moment, just a couple of garden-variety walkoffs like every other longtime division foe. What Victorino was to the Met fan was a constant agitator. He slid a little too hard (and years later, praised another member of this list who slid far too hard). He said a little too much to the media. He did a little too much celebrating on the field, famously mocking Jose Reyes home run celebrations in the 2008 playoffs that the Mets weren’t even in. He’d bend the rules, and then whine to the umpires. He was the perfect player for a rival fan to love to hate.

But baseball fandom also has a funny way of lying to you about these things. When I went back to look at what I remembered as a brutal flying forearm to Reyes in a rundown in 2009, it was more of a borderline brush to create an obstruction call. And years after their various run-ins, Reyes is currently under indefinite suspension for allegedly slamming his wife through a glass door, while Victorino tries to fight his way back to the major leagues. Looking back, I’m not sure I had the right villain in this story. — Jarrett Seidler (@jaseidler)

Yadier Molina

Baseball fans may think of Yadier Molina as a two-way catcher and seven-time all star. But back in 2006, Molina hit .216/.274/.321. To put that in historical perspective, Kevin Plawecki struggled his way to a .241 True Average last year. Molina’s TAv in the 2006 regular season was .201! In the playoffs, Molina must have suddenly discovered how to hit during one of his countless trips to the pitcher’s mound.

With one out in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the NLCS, Molina hit a home run to left that would prove to be the game winner. The 83-win Cardinals then went on to become the worst team to ever win the World Series. Yadier Molina has embraced his role as the leader of a team that relies more on execution, luck and aggravating opponents than power at the plate or on the mound. Instead of being a cult hero like his brothers, Yadier has been dubbed “the evil Molina brother” by many fan bases, starting with the that of the Mets. — Noah Grand (@noahgrand)

Pat Burrell

On the list of Met-killers, perhaps Burrell doesn’t have the same cache as the Chase Utleys and Chipper Joneses of the world. But if you look at the top-10 home run hitters against the Mets, you’ll find a laundry list of Hall-of-Famers starting with Willie Stargell (60 anti-Met dingers) and ending with Andre Dawson (36 homers against the Amazins). The only two people in the top 10 neither enshrined in nor heading to Cooperstown are No. 6 Ryan Howard and No. 7 Pat Burrell.

Burrell was a first overall draft pick in 1998, chosen 20 picks ahead of the Mets’ immortal choice of Jason Tyner by the Philadelphia Phillies. For the better part of a decade, he seemed to be around during every Phillies rally, and even after he moved to San Francisco at the end of his career, he still found a way to bring the Mets down. It is forgivable to be a high draft pick, but to be a foundational piece of a Phillies team that won the 2008 World Series? To hit 42 home runs against the Mets, seemingly each and every time I tuned in to watch a New York-Philadelphia tilt? Unforgivable. — Bryan Grosnick (@bgrosnick)

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Last week, Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions announced that the jersey worn by Mike Piazza for that famous 9/21 home run would be a part of his spring auction ending on April 30th. (You probably already know the name Ken Goldin if you’re a sports memorabilia buff or an insomniac—he was a frequent guest of the immortal Don West on Shop at Home sports infomercials.) Goldin’s unnamed consigner, reportedly “the world’s biggest Met fan,” claimed to have acquired the jersey straight from the team several years ago. To add another bizarre layer to the story, the jersey was apparently part of the Mets memorabilia valued at over $2.3 million that disgraced former clubhouse manager Charlie Samuels had stolen from the team. At press time, the jersey has already received 22 bids and the bidding sits at $86,000. That such a treasured artifact had been sold off by the team ignited a firestorm of criticism from media personalities, fans, and even Piazza himself.

As a matter of legality, the Mets were perfectly able to sell the jersey to whomever they chose. Although players are typically allowed to keep jerseys and other team-issued items if they wish–and teams often will donate items upon request to the Baseball Hall of Fame and similar institutions–selling memorabilia direct to fans has become a lucrative side business for teams. Indeed, the Mets have an entire department of their team store called “Amazin’ Memorabilia” which sells game-used and autographed material direct from the team. The Mets Hall of Fame and Museum at Citi Field exits through one of several Amazin’ Memorabilia shops in the stadium, and if you don’t watch closely, it’s not clear where the museum ends and the attempts to sell you Mets relics begins. The Mets also extensively market game-used and autographed items on their website, where you can buy anything from a broken bat used by journeyman former Met Marlon Byrd (price: $199.99) to an autographed pair of cleats David Wright used in the 2014 season (price: $999.99). And it doesn’t even stop there, because the Mets also run their own Amazin’ Memorabilia auctions, both on their website and at the stadium, where items like jerseys and gloves worn by star players often fetch prices into the four figures. Not surprisingly, the jersey being auctioned by Goldin comes with a letter of purchase indicating that it was bought through the Amazin’ Memorabilia arm of the Mets.

In a statement to the New York Post, a Mets spokesperson implied that the jersey may not have even been worn by Piazza, noting that when the jersey was sold, it was “not authenticated with respect to game use.” These days, teams typically only officially authenticate game used items that have a sticker from MLB’s Authentication Program. The requirements for an item to be stickered by the MLB Authentication Program include a chain of custody between the event happening on the field and a witnessing authenticator. The MLB Authentication Program had only just started in 2001, and few if any game used Mets items prior to the mid-2000s have MLB Authentication. This lack of direct authentication prior to recent years has caused Amazin’ Memorabilia and other MLB-affiliated outlets to sell many items as only “game issued” that show obvious game use, and this appears to fit within that scope.

So, technically speaking, the Mets never authenticated the jersey. But the Mets themselves sure seem to believe the jersey being auctioned is the real Piazza jersey from 9/21/2011. In 2014, the team displayed this Piazza jersey as the jersey Piazza worse on that fateful night in the Mets Museum and Hall of Fame—on loan from the very collector that the Mets sold the jersey to originally. Since everything has a price, the Mets Hall of Fame display describing the Piazza jersey is itself included with your purchase from Goldin Auctions.

In this instance, I don’t believe there is much question that this is the jersey Piazza wore on 9/21/2001. Short of MLB Authentication, the next best verification that a baseball jersey was worn by a player on a specific day is what the hobby calls a “photo match.” If you own a jersey, especially one with lots of stitched patching, you probably have a few loose threads and some pieces of stitching that would stand out as unique. You might even have a stain in a particular spot, or a pitch might be aligned a little differently than a similar jersey. Game used jerseys are no different, and since plenty of high resolution color photographs have been taken of every game for the last few decades, it’s often pretty easy to match a specific jersey’s imperfections with one of these high resolution images from a certain game. In this case, MeiGray–one of the industry leaders in game used authentication and sales–has photo matched the Piazza jersey at auction with Associated Press photographs of the 9/21/2011 game against the Atlanta Braves. Combine that with provenance indicating that the team itself believes the jersey to be real–and even accounting for rampant fraud in the industry, sometimes allegedly even by teams themselves–this is very likely the shirt Piazza wore when blasting Steve Karsay’s pitch deep into the Queens night.

For his part, Mike Piazza told the New York Post on Tuesday that he was “very disappointed” that the jersey made it to the private market, and that he’s passed his wishes along to Jeff Wilpon and the Mets that the jersey be reacquired and displayed publicly. Like many retired players, Piazza also partakes in the memorabilia market. Amazin’ Memorabilia itself sells a number of Piazza autographed items. Next month, Piazza will participate in a signing with Steiner Sports—and collect a $150 surcharge over his normal fee (price: $179-$249, plus $59 per inscription) to sign a game used jersey or bat.

Yet here, Piazza’s consternation is right on the money. Piazza’s post-9/11 home run is one of the iconic moments not just in franchise history, but a significant part of the history of a defining national moment. This jersey should be seen and appreciated by the public, and not just in a collector’s vault or safe deposit box. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum has offered to display the jersey as a donation or loan, and Citi Field could always stand to have a little more Mets history added to it. It’s a historical artifact as much as game-used memorabilia, and the Mets should’ve treated it as such. Let’s hope that the jersey’s next owner treats it with the care and respect that it deserves.

Photo Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports