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New York Mets all-time best rookie seasons at each position

By Jake Giblin

FLUSHING- OCTOBER 1986 : Dwight Gooden #16 of the New York Mets pitching to the Houston Astros during a League Championship Game on October 14. 1986 at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Mets defeated the Astros 2-1. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)
FLUSHING- OCTOBER 1986 : Dwight Gooden #16 of the New York Mets pitching to the Houston Astros during a League Championship Game on October 14. 1986 at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Mets defeated the Astros 2-1. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 13: Jeff McNeil #68 of the New York Mets against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on September 13, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Mets defeated the Marlins 4-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Second Baseman: Jeff McNeil, 2018

Jeff McNeil‘s rookie season in 2018 was only a sign of things to come. Although McNeil didn’t make his debut until the end of July, he still made quite an impact, batting .329 with an on-base percentage of .381. He also had 6 triples on the season which was second-most on the team behind Amed Rosario and Brandon Nimmo who each had 8. Not bad for a guy who didn’t reach the big leagues until the age of 26.

The reasoning for McNeil debuting at a later age was mainly due to his inability to stay healthy. A hot start in 2018 led to McNeil hitting his way from Double-A to Triple-A and eventually into the Mets starting lineup.

McNeil would go on to have a very successful second year in the league, batting .318 with 23 home runs, and was selected to his first All-Star team. Is a batting title in McNeil’s future? I’d be surprised if it isn’t.

Honorable Mention: Kaz Matsui, 2004

Third Baseman: David Wright, 2004

Ah, the captain. David Wright put on a strong showing during his rookie season. Appearing in 69 games, Wright batted .293 with 14 home runs to go along with above-average defense at the hot corner.

According to FanGraphs, in only 69 games, Wright produced 4 defensive runs saved. Compared to some other players on this all-time rookie team, Wright had one of the more anticipated debuts as one of the Mets top prospects at the time.  After his rookie year, Wright would go on to have an even better sophomore season, swatting 27 home runs to go along with 102 RBI and a .306 batting average.

Unfortunately, Wright’s injuries later in his playing days derailed what could have been a Hall of Fame career. With that being said, he will still always be remembered as one of the best Mets of all time, and more importantly for this list, one of their best rookies.

Honorable Mention: Ty Wigginton, 2003

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