New York Mets best all-time left-handed hitting starting lineup

First Baseman – Keith Hernandez

The best left-handed hitting first baseman to put on a Mets uniform is pretty clear to most people, Keith Hernandez. Hernandez was brought over from the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1983 season and had a big impact quickly. He went on to put up solid numbers the rest of the year he was acquired and the following years to come as well.

Hernandez went on to hit .297, with 80 home runs, 468 RBI, have a .387 OBP, and slug .429 with the Mets in parts of 7 seasons. He helped bring a World Championship to the franchise in 1986 when he hit .310, got on base with a .413 clip while driving in 83 runs and hitting 13 home runs.

In his 7 year career with the Amazins, he was a 3-time All-Star, finished in the top 10 MVP voting 3 times (2 of those being top 5) and won a Silver Slugger one year. Hernandez was clearly a huge impact bat for the Mets and it shows.

Honorable Mention: John Olerud

Second Baseman – Daniel Murphy

Moving onto a position where typically only righties play, I thought I was going to have some difficulty finding someone until I remembered the 2015 postseason. That leads us to the best left-handed second baseman to play for the Mets, Daniel Murphy. Despite leaving us and signing with a division rival the season after carrying us through the playoffs, it is nearly impossible to overlook what he did at the plate while in Flushing.

Murphy was originally brought up as a left fielder but eventually found a home at second base. During his 7 years with the Mets, Murphy hit .288, knocked 62 home runs, drove in 402 runs, had a .331 OBP, and slugged .424.

His most famous moments with the Mets, the 2015 postseason. Murphy had 7 home runs and 11 runs batted in, just in the division and championship series. He also won the NLCS MVP and homered in 6 straight postseason games, hard to overlook numbers like that.

Third Baseman – Robin Ventura

Another position filled with right-handers that I thought would give me trouble, then remembered the Mets postseason runs in 1999 and 2000. Robin Ventura was a huge part of the team’s success for those two years.

Despite only playing for the Mets for three seasons, his stats were more than good enough to be cemented as the best left-handed hitting third basemen in the team’s history.

In the 3 seasons Ventura played, he hit a combined .260, had 77 home runs, drove in 265 runs, had a .360 OBP, and slugged .468. His best year with the Mets came in 1999 when he had a career year. Ventura hit .301, hit 32 home runs, drove in 120 runs, had a .379 OBP, and slugged .529. Ventura ended up finishing the season sixth in MVP voting. Ventura is clearly the best left-handed third baseman for the Mets.

Shortstop – Mike Phillips

Shortstop is also another position where finding a left-handed hitting hitter is difficult, let alone a good one. The award for the best hitting lefty shortstop for the Mets goes to Mike Phillips. Phillips spent parts of three years with the Mets and was okay at the plate.

In the three seasons Phillips did play, he hit a combined .250, had a .299 OBP, hit 6 home runs and drove in 60 runs. His best year out of the three was in 1976 when he hit .256, had a .315 OBP, hit 4 home runs and drove in 29 runs in 296 plate appearances.

Phillips was not a superstar by any means but he got the job done at the plate.