New York Mets: Greatest defensive teams in franchise history

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FLUSHING, NY – SEPTEMBER 2007: David Wright #5 of the New York Mets fielding during a MLB game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium on September 15, 2007 in Flushing, New York. (Photo by Dana Kaplan/Sports Imagery/Getty Images) /

Believe it or not, the New York Mets have had years where defense was a strength. We look back at the three greatest defensive seasons in team history.

If you ask any fan of the New York Mets what the current number one strength of the team is, almost no one will answer “defense.” Over the past several seasons, the Mets have continuously been plagued by poor team defense at nearly every position.

Their defense has cost them everything from a heartbreaking Subway Series loss to the Yankees (I don’t need to remind anyone about Luis Castillo‘s dropped pop-up, even though I just did) to a pivotal World Series game in 2015.

But enough about their defensive failures for one article. Individual players like Keith Hernandez, Tommie Agee, Carlos Beltran, and David Wright, among others, have all made headlines for winning a Gold Glove award while playing in Flushing. Over their 58-year history, the Mets have also, believe it or not, had several seasons where the defense was a notable strength.

Though the Mets hope to field a defensively competitive team this year, the team’s overall defense will probably not make history in 2020. So let’s look back at a few seasons in Mets history where their team defense made major headlines, for the right reasons.

Number 3: 2007/2008

These two seasons rank among the better defensive seasons in Mets history primarily because of David Wright and Carlos Beltran, who each won a Gold Glove at their respective positions in both years.

So much has already been written about Wright’s place in Mets lore, and I’ll add to the narrative by reiterating that he is, undoubtedly, the best third baseman in franchise history. Wright has had many stellar defensive highlights over the years, including this catch from 2005 that I genuinely think is the greatest catch ever made.

His 2007 and 2008 seasons were no different. They frequently featured his signature play that he never seemed to miss, which I affectionately dubbed the “charging barehand scoop-and-throw to first.”

These two years, he also finished among the league leaders in double plays turned and fielding percentage. Though Wright had lost a few steps by the time he finally hung up his uniform at the end of the 2018 season, he was always steady and reliable at third base.

In a similar fashion, Beltran patrolled center field for the Mets as smoothly as any outfielder they’ve ever had. He made every play look easy, even ones where the ball clearly took an unusual path in the air en route to his glove.

In ’07 and ’08, Beltran was among the top NL outfielders in fielding percentage, several “range factor” stats that all seem to indicate “best range,” defensive WAR, and outfield assists. In addition to winning the NL Gold Glove in 2007 and 2008, Beltran also won the award in 2006, giving him three straight in a Mets uniform.

More intangibly, Beltran’s seemingly effortless ability to perfectly track every ball hit to him made watching him in center field a pleasure throughout his Mets career.

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 29: The 1969 New York Mets are honored during the 50th Anniversary of the Mets winning the World Series before the game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 29, 2019 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images) /

Number 2: 1969

It is probably no coincidence that the 1969 World Championship Mets had several defensive stars on their squad, so I will focus on three in particular: Jerry Grote, Bud Harrelson, and Tommie Agee.

Though the Mets have been blessed with the offensive talents of catchers Gary Carter and Mike Piazza, Mets fans nearly unanimously agree that Jerry Grote is the best defensive catcher in the team’s history. He played for the Mets from 1966-1977, and during that time threw out 39.25% of opposing base stealers. His best year in this department was 1969, where he threw out a whopping 56% of stolen base attempts. For reference, last year J.T. Realmuto, clearly one of the best defensive catchers in today’s game, led the NL by throwing out 47% of attempted base stealers.

Grote also turned 11 double plays at catcher in 1969, good enough for 3rd in the NL.

Unfortunately for him, Grote played at the same time and in the same league as Johnny Bench, who won 10 straight NL Gold Gloves for the Cincinnati Reds from 1968-1977. However, Bench has consistently praised Grote’s defense over the years, at one point saying, “If Jerry Grote were on my team, I’d be playing third base.” With all of that said, 1969 was clearly one of many fantastic years for Grote behind the plate.

Not to be outdone, Bud Harrelson enjoyed an excellent year playing shortstop for the Mets in 1969. He finished top-five among NL shortstops in fielding percentage that year, which continued for the next three years.

Harrelson also had a nearly flawless fielding percentage in the playoffs that year, helping send the Mets to their first World Series title. Though his only Gold Glove award would not come until 1971, Harrelson’s stellar defense in 1969 helped strengthen the team overall.

Finally, Tommie Agee helped round out the Mets’ team defense in 1969. His defense was on full display in the World Series, where his two memorable catches in Game Three rank among the best catches ever in the Fall Classic.

However, he was rock-solid in center field all year for the Amazins, finishing second among NL center fielders in fielding percentage while consistently showing off his incredible ability to track down any ball hit to him. A story about the Mets’ team defense in 1969 would not be complete without him.

New York Mets shortstop Rey Ordonez (L) tags out Arizona Diamondbacks runner Jay Bell (33) as he tried to steal second base in the first inning of game 4 of the National League Division Series at Shea Stadium in Flushing, NY. The Mets have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. CLARY (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) /

Number 1: 1999

After doing even a little bit of research, it’s clear that this “ranking” is a one-horse race. The 1999 Mets had by far the best defensive team in franchise history, led by the sure-handed infield of Robin Ventura, Rey Ordonez, Edgardo Alfonzo, and John Olerud. These four players also helped produce one of the greatest defensive seasons in baseball history, by several metrics.

First, the 1999 infield committed only 33 errors all season, which is second only to the 2010 Yankees in fewest errors allowed by a major league infield since 1900. Alfonzo led the way in this department, committing only five errors all year and setting a new major league record by recording no errors on ground balls for the entire season.

Shockingly, Alfonzo did not win a Gold Glove in 1999 for his sparkling performance at second base, losing out to Pokey Reese of the Cincinnati Reds (who also won the award in 2000).

Nevertheless, that memorable 1999 infield did produce two Gold Glove winners, Ordonez at shortstop and Ventura at third base. Ordonez, in particular, is known as a special kind of defensive wizard in Mets history, as this season was his third consecutive Gold Glove win. He also made history in 1999 for playing 100 consecutive games without committing an error, a then-record for MLB shortstops.

The 1999 team made even more history by allowing only 20 unearned runs all season, which accounted for 2.8% of their total runs allowed for the season. Both of those figures are major league records.

An Honorable Mention

Though he is not directly featured in this article, an honorable mention goes to 1983-1989, simply because of Keith Hernandez’s presence at first base. He is an easy choice for “best defender in franchise history,” and deserves his own article describing how his defense positively impacted the Mets.

Next. Greatest Lefty Starters in Mets History

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Perhaps Pete Alonso can snag a few minutes of Hernandez’s time this season to help further cement his own legacy as a first baseman in Flushing.

Home / New York Mets All-Time Lists

Believe it or not, the New York Mets have had years where defense was a strength. We look back at the three greatest defensive seasons in team history.

Number 3: 2007/2008

Number 2: 1969

Number 1: 1999

An Honorable Mention

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