Ron Darling
(1) Keith Hernandez – His trade to the Mets was widely credited with bringing the Mets to prominence. Won a team record five Gold Gloves at first base further cementing reputation as best defensive first baseman of all-time. Member of the 1986 World Series team who famously threatened Jesse Orosco and Gary Carter not to throw another fastball to Kevin Bass. Was named the first captain in team history. Has become part of the iconic and loved GKR on SNY broadcasts.
(8) Ron Darling – Won 99 games as a member of the Mets. Was top five in Rookie of the Year and Cy Young voting. One time All-Star and Gold Glover. Had a 1.53 ERA in the 1986 World Series winning a pivotal Game 4. Only pitcher in Mets history to start multiple Game 7s. After his playing career was over returned to the Mets organization as a member of the famed GKR booth in SNY broadcasts.
It should come as no surprise the top three seeds, Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, and Cleon Jones advanced easily. There was a mild upset with Ed Kranepool over Bud Harrelson. Overall, it looks like Seaver is primed to go to the Elite 8 with Koosman and Jones having an interesting match-up.
The Amazin Bracket will kick off tomorrow with fans getting to choose their favorite between Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling facing off in the GKR gauntlet.
We can talk about Jeff McNeil homering in the game while he popped into the telecast. We can talk about Marcus Stroman helping his own cause in picking up the win, or the Edwin Diaz driving you crazy in the save opportunity.
Really, that’s not the biggest deal from tonight. No, it was Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling calling this simulated game. It was about getting to hear this again:
"And the ball game is over!"
The virtual Mets bring home the W with Gary, Keith, and Ron on the call to bring their record to 20-16 ?? pic.twitter.com/qof8jsHQGd
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 6, 2020
(6) Howard Johnson – First Mets player to have a 30/30 season. Is the only Mets player with multiple 30/30 seasons, and he is the only switch hitter to accomplish that feat in Major League history. Once held the Mets and National League record for homers and RBI by a switch hitter. To date, still has the best offensive season in Mets history as determined by offensive WAR, OPS+, and wRC+. Returned to the Mets after his playing days and was a mentor to David Wright first in the minors and later in the majors as the hitting coach.
(11) Lee Mazzilli – Brooklyn born player who was the Mets first round draft pick in the 1973 draft. Was an All-Star in 1979, and he would drive home the winning run. After he was traded to the Rangers for Ron Darling, he would return later in his career as a role player for the 1986 Mets. In Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, he would have a pinch hit single against Calvin Schiraldi, and he would later score the tying run helping set the stage for the later game drama. In Game 7, it was he sparked the Mets game winning rally in the sixth inning.
(5) Mookie Wilson – First part of 1986 World Series winner to debut with the team. At the time he retired was the Mets all-time leader in triples and steals. Had the single biggest at-bat in team history getting out of the way of a Bob Stanley pitch to allow the tying run to score before hitting his little roller up the first base line between Bill Buckner‘s legs. Returned to Mets as a coach on the first Mets team to go to back-to-back postseasons. Loved baseball so much he was married on the baseball field.
(12) Sid Fernandez – Nicknamed El Sid. Flirted on a number of occasions with no-hitters, and he once faced the minimum. Struck out 16 in one game. Pitched three games in relief in the 1986 World Series with a 1.35 ERA. Relieved Ron Darling in Game 7 and pitched 2.1 scoreless to help allow the Mets to overcome a 3-0 deficit to win the World Series. Two time All-Star and sixth all-time in WAR among Mets pitchers. Also fifth all-time in wins, fourth in WHIP, and second in H/9 in addition to his being in the top 10 in 21 different pitching categories.
(8) Ron Darling – Won 99 games as a member of the Mets. Was top five in Rookie of the Year and Cy Young voting. One time All-Star and Gold Glover. Had a 1.53 ERA in the 1986 World Series winning a pivotal Game 4. After his playing career was over returned to the Mets organization as a member of the famed GKR booth in SNY broadcasts.
(9) Lenny Dykstra – Emerged as an everyday player in 1986, and he had a great postseason which included his hitting the first ever walk-off homer in Mets postseason history. Known as Nails and loved for his hard nosed attitude and play. The Mets trading him to the Phillies was reviled at the time and proved to be one of the worst in team history.
The Mets have a potential future Hall of Famer in Jeff Kent (who would likely wear a Giants cap), and a pair of Gold Glove winners in Juan Lagares and Ron Darling who have worn the number 12. With respect to Darling, he also won 99 games, a great broadcaster, and a member of those great Mets teams. However, when you look at the play on the field, John Stearns is the best Mets player to ever wear the number 12.
This may come as a bit of a surprise because Stearns is one of the most overshadowed Mets greats. He played a position best known for Gary Carter, Jerry Grote, and Mike Piazza. His heyday was after the 1973 team, and he departed just as Keith Hernandez got there to help turn the Mets into winners.
It is somewhat surprising he is so overshadowed because he was as tough as they come. Stearns was ready, willing, and able whenever there was a play at the plate, and he gave as good as he got in those collisions. In a collision with Dave Parker, he kept his mask on resulting in a broken cheekbone for the slugger. The following year, he fought Carter, then of the Expos, when he thought Carter went in too hard.
That was what defined him throughout his Mets career – his feistiness and toughness. In these encounters and his battles at the plate, it was a tremendous assets. When it came to his health and his playing through some bad injuries, it was a hindrance. Still, even as he dealt with a number of injuries, he would still prove himself to be both a good hitter and good catcher.
In fact, Stearns is the Mets second best catcher in terms of WAR. It may come as somewhat of a surprise, but according to defensive WAR, his 1978 season was the best defensive season a Mets catcher ever had. That 1978 season was the third best season a Mets catcher ever had. In Mets history, he was one of the toughest batters to strike out.
Overall, when times were at their toughest, when Shea Stadium was known as Grant’s Tomb, Mets fans had Stearns. He was a four time All-Star, and according to WAR, he is the 18th best Mets player to ever play for the team. Of the people in the Top 20, the Stearns is the only one who never made the postseason. That makes it strange that Stearns may be best remembered for a postseason moment.
It was Stearns who was screaming, “The Monster is out of the cage!” when Piazza doubled in his first at-bat of the 2000 NLCS. Stearns was the bench coach for that pennant winning team, and he would serve as a Mets minor league instructor and manager for a few seasons.
Overall, he lived up at time to his self inflicted nickname of “Bad Dude,” but he was much more than that. He was a tough player who gave the Mets organization everything he had. He gave the Mets something to appreciate and enjoy at a time when things were at their worst. He has been over-shadowed, but in the end, he is still the best Mets player to ever wear the number 12.
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series highlighting the best players in Mets history by highlighting the best Mets player to wear a particular uniform number. In this case, this is not saying Garrett was the 11th best player in Mets history, but rather the best Mets player to wear the number 11.
Previous
1.Mookie Wilson
2.Mackey Sasser
3. Curtis Granderson
4. Lenny Dykstra
5. David Wright
6. Wally Backman
7. Jose Reyes
8. Gary Carter
9. Todd Hundley
10. Rey Ordonez
11. Wayne Garrett
All the time we talk about key trades or signings which take teams over the top. While it was Keith Hernandez which helped the Mets realize their potential, it was Gary Carter which took this team from a very good team to a World Series winner, and as a result, he is the best Mets player to ever wear the number 8.
The Mets obtained Carter in a bold move to help take this team over the top. The team traded away their starting third baseman (Hubie Brooks) and starting catcher (Mike Fitzgerald) along with two well regarded prospects to get Carter. One of those prospects was Floyd Youmans, who was a high school teammate of Dwight Gooden.
In retrospect, even with Brooks having a long career, this was an absolute steal. It wasn’t even in retrospect. In fact, Carter would immediately show Mets fans the type of Hall of Fame player the team acquired:
In the Mets history, they have had Mike Piazza, and they had Todd Hundley setting home run records. Despite all of that, to this date, Carter’s 6.9 WAR during the 1985 season still stands as the best ever produced by a Mets catcher. In fact, at the time, it trailed just Cleon Jones‘ 7.0 mark in 1969 as the best a Mets position player has ever had.
It was during that season Carter began to sow the seeds of the 1986 World Series. He mentored a young staff that included Rick Aguilera, Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez, Gooden, Roger McDowell, and others. Darling would tell the Baseball Hall of Fame, “And the thing about Gary was that before computers, before Sabermetrics, he had it in his brain. The entire National League, he could pull up that knowledge at any time and direct it on a very talented, young pitching staff to heights they probably wouldn’t have reached without him.”
Those Mets had a chance late in the season. In the penultimate series of the season, the Mets took the first two games in St. Louis, and if they completed the sweep, they’d tie atop the division with one series remaining. Unfortunately, their eighth inning rally came up short, and the 98 win team would miss the postseason. As we know, that is something that would never happen in the Wild Card Era.
The 1986 Mets would not be denied, and that team established themselves as one of the great teams in Major League history. Once again, Carter was an All-Star, Silver Slugger, and he finished in the top six in MVP voting. However, when we talk about that postseason.
Looking at his stats that postseason, it is hard to conclude anything but Carter struggled. Still, when he was absolutely needed, he came through for the team. The first time we saw that happen was when he hit a walk-off single in the 12th off Charlie Kerfeld to help the Mets get a 3-2 series lead and achieve their goal of not seeing Mike Scott again in that series.
Carter’s biggest moments came in the World Series. After looking fatigued and getting beat by the Red Sox in the first two games at Shea Stadium, Lenny Dykstra ignited the Mets with a lead-off homer. Carter would take it from there hitting an RBI double in that game and then having a two home run game in the Mets Game 4 win.
While the Mets absolutely needed both of those homers, and they needed Carter’s performance in both of those games, Carter will always be remembered for just one single. In Game 6, the Mets were down 5-3 in the bottom of the 10th. After Wally Backman and Keith Hernandez flew out, Carter strode to the plate against Calvin Schiraldi. He was the last man standing between the Red Sox winning their first World Series since 1918:
As written in Jeff Pearlman’s book, The Bad Guys Won, Carter would say, “I wasn’t going to make the last out of the World Series.” Carter accomplished much more than that. He would spark the greatest rally in World Series history. In sparking that rally, he accomplished exactly what the Mets intended to do when they obtained him – win a World Series.
We didn’t realize it at that time, but 1986 was the last truly great year from Carter. Still, he was an All Star in each of the ensuing two seasons, and he would be named just the second captain in team history joining his teammate Hernandez as co-captains.
While people realize how great Carter was and how important he was to those Mets teams, they may not realize his impact on the Mets record books. By the time he left the Mets, he had the second highest single-season WAR for a position player. He had the third highest single season offensive WAR. In fact, it was the highest when he accomplished the feat in 1985.
In that 1985 season, he was just a hair behind John Stearns and Jerry Grote for the best defensive WAR from a Mets catcher. His 105 RBI in 1986 tied Rusty Staub for the Mets single-season record. He still holds the single season record for RBI. He is all over the single season record lists.
Mostly, he was the only Hall of Fame caliber player on those Mets teams. Aside from Willie Mays, he is arguably the best position player to ever wear a Mets uniform. Yes, even better than Piazza. On that note, Carter and Piazza are currently the only two position players in Mets history who were Hall of Famers who played like it on the Mets.
If not for the Hall of Fame frankly selectively enforcing a rule they did not enforce for players like Reggie Jackson, he would wear a Mets hat on his Hall of Fame plaque, and he would have had his number retired by now. Despite that decision, nothing can take away from the impact he had on the Mets and the World Series he brought to the team. No one can change his being the best Mets player who ever wore the number 8.
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series highlighting the best players in Mets history by highlighting the best Mets player to wear a particular uniform number. In this case, this is not saying Carter was the eighth best player in Mets history, but rather the best Mets player to wear the number 8.
Previous
1.Mookie Wilson
2.Mackey Sasser
3. Curtis Granderson
4. Lenny Dykstra
5. David Wright
6. Wally Backman
7. Jose Reyes