Worst Mets Opening Day starters at each position since 2000

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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.

ATLANTA – JUNE 4: Infielder Mo Vaughn #42 of the New York Mets looks on from the field during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia on June 4, 2002. Rainout. (Photo By Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

First Base – Mo Vaughn in 2002 and 2003

Mo Vaughn isn’t the most obscure guy to start at first base for the Mets on an Opening Day since 2000. He’s definitely the worst, though.

Believe it or not, Vaughn wasn’t always the big injured first baseman he was during his brief time with the Mets. Only a few years earlier, Vaughn was an MVP. Mets fans wouldn’t have any idea if all they saw were his years in New York.

In his 2002 Mets debut, Vaugh went 0 for 5 with a pair of strikeouts against the Pittsburgh Pirates. A year later, when he started on Opening Day against the Chicago Cubs, he went 1 for 3 with two more strikeouts. Any good he was able to do was erased in the 15-2 loss.

Second Base – Brad Emaus in 2011

In the “who’s who” of Mets history, the name Brad Emaus is often forgotten. In all fairness to those who don’t remember him, Emaus played in only 14 MLB games. On Opening Day 2011, he was at second base for the Mets.

Through 42 plate appearances at the major league level, Emaus mustered only six hits; all of which were singles. The Mets have had some really good second basemen over the years start for them on Opening Day. Unfortunately, Emaus isn’t one of them.

On his April 1 started against the Florida Marlins, Emaus went 0 for 2 with a walk. He did pick up hits in each of his next three games but failed to do enough to stay with the club beyond April 17.

Third Base – Jose Reyes in 2017

Jose Reyes made his way into plenty of Mets Opening Day lineups over the years. When he was the starting shortstop, things were going well. In 2017 when he opened the season as their third baseman, he was a fraction of the player he once was.

We all know how unproductive Reyes’ second tour with the Mets went. Now utilized as a utility man more than a starter, his final three years in New York ended with a .238/.308/.399 batting line. Somehow, the 2017 season included 145 games played. Opening Day was just the beginning.

On this Opening Day, Reyes went hitless in four at-bats. Thankfully, he did draw one walk and score a run in the 6-0 victory against the Atlanta Braves. The season was a huge failure for both he and the Mets and quite possibly the most miserable campaign fans have had to endure all decade long.

Shortstop – Rey Sanchez in 2003

Before they could rely on Jose Reyes as the Opening Day shortstop for many years in the 21st Century, the Mets had to rely on several journeymen veterans. In my opinion, the worst among them was Rey Sanchez.

Sanchez joined the Mets for the 2003 campaign and failed to last the year. He slashed .207/.240/.236 in 174 plate appearances. Practically void of power, only 4 of his 36 hits were for extra bases.

Opening Day 2003 was a horrific one for the Mets as they were blown out by the Chicago Cubs by a score of 15-2. Sanchez went 0 for 4 with an RBI. A groundout that plated Mo Vaughn in the second inning was the second and final time the Mets scored all day.

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL – FEBRUARY 26: Andrew Brown #30 of the New York Mets poses for a portrait during Spring Training photo day at Tradition Field on February 26, 2014 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /

Left Field – Andrew Brown in 2014

For as badly as I want to put Jason Bay’s name here, the obscurity of Andrew Brown starting in left field for the Mets on Opening Day in 2014 wins out.

Brown’s MLB career lasted only 144 games with the final 87 taking place with the Mets. In 2014, he hit .182 and played in the final MLB game of his career later that season.

The Opening Day start for Brown did yield good results. He hit a three-run home run off of Stephen Strasburg in the first inning. It was pretty much downhill from there for the rest of the year.

Center Field – Gary Matthews Jr. in 2010

The worst center fielder to start on Opening Day for the Mets since 2010 is a competition between Colin Cowgill and my choice, Gary Matthews Jr. I’m fine with either. Matthews was the bigger disappoint so his name goes on this list.

The 2010 season wasn’t Matthews’ first stint with the Mets. He opened the year on their bench in 2002 but was traded on April 3 to the Baltimore Orioles for John Bale. Nearly a full decade later, he played his last big league season and started for the Mets on Opening Day.

Matthews started the season well going 2 for 3 in a win over the Florida Marlins. The season was a bad one, though, with Matthews driving in only 1 run in 65 plate appearances. Add this to a .190 batting average and you have yourself a guy ready to retire.

Right Field – Eric Valent in 2005

The Mets have had some really bad right fielders in their recent Opening Day history. In fact, the only one to start more than one year and deliver sustained success was Curtis Granderson. For the worst to start at the position, the dishonors go to Eric Valent from his 2005 start.

Valent played well for the Mets in 2004 in what turned out to be the only full MLB year of his professional career. However, in 2005, he hit only .186 in 50 plate appearances.

On Opening Day, Valent went 0 for 3 with an intentional walk. The intentional walk wasn’t out of fear. As the eighth-place hitter, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Paul Wilson was just trying to get to the pitcher’s spot.

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While the Mets have had plenty of bad players start on Opening Day, the good news is they rarely all appear in the same lineup together.

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