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Worst Mets Opening Day starters at each position since 2000

ByTim Boyle|
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 08: Brad Emaus #4 of the New York Mets follows through on a throw to first against the Washington Nationals during the Mets' Home Opener at Citi Field on April 8, 2011 in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens in New York City. The Nationals won 6-2. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 08: Brad Emaus #4 of the New York Mets follows through on a throw to first against the Washington Nationals during the Mets' Home Opener at Citi Field on April 8, 2011 in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens in New York City. The Nationals won 6-2. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 14: Mike Pelfrey #34 of the New York Mets reacts to the game action against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on September 14, 2011 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images)

No Opening Day lineup is perfect. Since 2000, these New York Mets probably didn’t belong in the starting nine.

Is there anything on earth like Opening Day baseball? It’s practically a National Holiday. When the New York Mets open each season, there’s often excitement for better days ahead.

Unfortunately, not all seasons get off to great starts. A reason for it is a lack of talent at certain positions.

Going back to the turn of the century, the Mets have had their share of bad players take the field in game one of the season. From position to position, these are the men I believe to be the worst; at least while with the Metropolitans.

Pitcher – Mike Pelfrey in 2011

This could really be a toss-up between Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese, or Dillon Gee. The Mets have had some really good starters take the mound on Opening Day. Those three are an exception to the norm.

I give Pelfrey the nod here because he was the worst of the three and ended Johan Santana’s streak of Opening Day starts. That’s a reason enough to put him ahead of the other mediocre starters from the below .500 era of recent Mets baseball.

Pelfrey did what we expected in his start. Up against the Florida Marlins on the road, he went 4.1 innings. He surrendered 5 earned runs and a home run to future Met John Buck.

Catcher – Kevin Plawecki in 2018

Again, you can pick from several candidates. Amazingly, Travis d’Arnaud wasn’t someone I even considered. By the skin of his teeth, he beats out my selection of Kevin Plawecki.

Plawecki’s time with the Mets is over and he sits as the worst Opening Day catcher of this century. He was worse than the more specialized Rene Rivera and Josh Thole. His numbers are, in my opinion, below the contributions of Rod Barajas and Brian Schneider

A positive for Plawecki from his 2018 Opening Day start is that he went 2 for 5 with a double and a pair of walks. This lone Opening Day start for Plawecki yielded positive results in a not-so-wonderful season.

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