New York Mets: Greatest left-handed starters in franchise history

These southpaws have a spot in New York Mets history as the best left-handed starters to ever play for the Amazins.

If there’s one phrase most commonly repeated when discussing New York Mets history, it’s that they are “a franchise known for its pitching.” Two of the most legendary Mets were right-handed pitchers, Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden. Modern-day maestro Jacob deGrom, a righty himself, has also quickly rocketed up the ranks of Mets all-time greats.

There have also been many talented left-handed starting pitchers throughout the history of the Amazins that have etched their way into team lore. Before I discuss the top greats in this category, unfortunately not every solid lefty starter in Mets history could make the cut. That means that Jon Niese and Steven Matz did not make my list.

With that said, let’s begin my countdown of the top left-handed starting pitchers in Mets history.

5. Johan Santana

In recent years, few offseason transactions have stirred the excitement of Mets fans quite like when they traded Carlos Gomez, Deolis Guerra, Philip Humber, and Kevin Mulvey for the lefty Johan Santana on February 2, 2008. Santana came to Flushing from the Minnesota Twins, where he had dominated the American League for years, winning two Cy Youngs during his tenure in Minneapolis.

His first season in a Mets uniform was overall his best, and he finished 3rd in Cy Young voting, leading the NL in ERA, games started, and innings. Santana also etched the first notch in his Mets legacy by pitching brilliantly on three days rest in the second-to-last game of the season, keeping the team’s’ playoff hopes alive with a complete game shutout.

Santana was unquestionably the staff ace from 2008-2010, in which he pitched to a combined ERA of 2.85, averaging 200 innings/season. He also threw seven complete games and four shutouts across those three seasons, serving as the Mets’ workhorse in an era where complete games are increasingly rare.

Of course, Santana’s greatest moment in Queens came on June 1, 2012, when he pitched the franchise’s first no-hitter. Though it essentially came at the cost of his Mets career (and Mike Baxter’s), Santana’s no-no gave him a moment of glory that few other Mets pitchers have ever achieved.

3. Al Leiter

If Seaver pitched the Mets to the playoffs in the 1960s and ’70s, and Gooden was the star of the 1980s’ playoff rotations, left-hander Al Leiter played a similar role in helping pitch the Mets to the playoffs in 1999 and 2000.

Acquired via trade from the Marlins before the 1998 season, Leiter had a sparkling first season with the orange and blue. That year, he went 17-6 with a 2.47 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 174 strikeouts, leading to a 6th place finish in the NL Cy Young voting.

Leiter went on to have many more solid seasons for the Amazins. He finished top 10 in the league in ERA and shutouts four times, and WHIP three times, during his Mets tenure. Leiter added another notch of success to his belt when he was selected for his second All-Star team in 2000.

Arguably the biggest start of Leiter’s Mets career came in 1999 when he pitched in game 163 against the Cincinnati Reds, with whom the Mets had finished in a tie for the Wild Card. His two-hit shutout that day clinched the NL Wild Card for the Mets, nabbing them their first playoff berth in 11 years.

Though Leiter has gained additional fame as a broadcaster for YES Network since his retirement from playing, his years pitching in Queens solidified him as one of the best lefty starters in Mets history.

2. Sid Fernandez

While researching this article, one pitcher who has mostly flown below my radar of Mets greats kept popping up on the franchise leaderboard: Sid Fernandez. He pitched for the Mets from 1984-1993, and in that time he crafted a truly admirable career in Flushing. While Gooden dazzled as the unquestioned ace during the mid-1980s, Fernandez was selected for two All-Star games and finished 7th in NL Cy Young voting in 1986.

When younger fans think about the best starters in team history, Fernandez may not immediately come to mind, but his statistics speak for themselves. Among all pitchers in team history, Fernandez is 4th in strikeouts and WHIP, 5th in wins and innings pitched, and 6th in pitcher WAR. His clutch pitching during the 1986 postseason also helped propel the team towards championship glory that year.

Fernandez was also known for pitching extremely well at home, posting a 2.52 ERA at Shea Stadium during his career with the Amazins which was better than all of his ‘80s Mets contemporaries.

He may not have made as many headlines as Gooden or Seaver did during their Mets careers, but Fernandez absolutely deserves a spot on the list of “greatest Mets pitchers of all time,” let alone “greatest lefty Mets starters.”

1. Jerry Koosman

If Tom Seaver was the team’s #1 starting pitcher from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s, Jerry Koosman was 1A.

He enjoyed a long career, suiting up in Flushing from 1967 through 1978. In those twelve seasons, Koosman managed to amass enough stats to be among the Mets’ all-time leaders in multiple categories: pitcher WAR, strikeouts, ERA, and wins. In several other categories, such as innings pitched, complete games, and shutouts, Koosman ranks second only to Seaver in team history.

His statistics compare favorably with several Hall of Famers, such as Steve Carlton, Ferguson Jenkins, Mike Mussina, and likely future HOFer CC Sabathia. Koosman also has the notable distinction of having finished second to Johnny Bench, widely considered the greatest catcher ever, by a single vote in the 1968 Rookie of the Year voting.

And yet, because he was in Seaver’s shadow throughout his Mets career, Koosman never quite achieved the level of baseball-wide acclaim that he deserved.

The Mets are finally giving him the credit that he deserves by retiring his number this summer, where it will hang in the Citi Field rafters alongside other Mets legends Seaver, Mike Piazza, Casey Stengel, and Gil Hodges.

This will further cement Koosman’s legacy as the greatest left-handed starter in franchise history and one of the team’s best players ever, period.

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Which Mets lefty on this list is your favorite of all-time?