Mets have three very different men on Hall of Fame ballots

Three memorable New York Mets have a chance at the Hall of Fame next year. Will any sniff Cooperstown?

Three very different New York Mets have a shot at the Baseball Hall of Fame next year. A class that will be headlined by Mariano Rivera should also include a few other notable names from the 1990s and 2000s. Will any of these Mets share in Mo’s glory?

Former manager Davey Johnson is the likeliest to get into Cooperstown although I’d refer to his odds as “slim.” He’s on the Today’s Game Era ballot. This vote is for guys who were passed over already and non-players.

Johnson had a solid playing career, but his spot on this ballot is for what he did as a manager. Specifically, it’s what he did leading the Flushing 25 in the 1980s.

More from Rising Apple

• NY Mets News: Marcus Stroman sees “potential fit” with the Angels
• NY Mets were too “seek” and not enough “destroy” last winter
• NY Mets: 1 trade target to consider from each 100-loss team
• NY Mets: Top 12 free agents the team should look to sign this winter
• NY Mets: Jeff Wilpon’s legacy continues to plague the Amazins

While managing in Queens, Johnson went 595-417 and took the team to the postseason twice. His teams never finished lower than second; a testament to his talent as a skipper.

In his post-Mets-managing days, Johnson never had the same amount of success. He did take the Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Nationals to the playoffs, but never again added a World Series ring to his resume.

Aside from Johnson, the Mets have two ex-players also on the ballot. Closer Billy Wagner will hope to receive 75% of the vote for the fourth year. Last time up, Billy the Kid only received a slight nod. Only 11.1% of the voters considered him a Hall of Famer.

There’s always a chance Wagner does, someday, make it into the Hall of Fame. The emphasis on bullpens in the modern era may help him. This year, his chances do not look good. For as great as he was with all of the teams he represented, he doesn’t compare to Rivera.

Finally, there’s the one-and-done candidate, Jason Bay. The name strikes fear in the hearts of many Mets fans. More than anyone, he frightens the owners.

Bay is notorious in New York for his horrific play on the field and the huge contract he received in spite of it. According to Baseball Reference’s Hall of Fame Meter, he’s at 47. This is below pitcher Derek Lowe and a few points higher than Placido Polanco.

The chances of Bay receiving a single vote are few. However, as we do often see, sometimes voters reward men they knew in the past with an honorary mention on their ballot.

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

Likely, this is another year without a Mets player going into the Hall of Fame. With Johan Santana exiting with only 2.4% of the vote on last year’s ballot, we may need to wait until David Wright’s name appears to see a familiar face have a legitimate chance.