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Mets with 30 home run seasons we completely forget about

By Tim Boyle |
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 12: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) The home run apple is seen before game three of the National League Division Series between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on October 12, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Mets defeated the Dodgers 13-7. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 12: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) The home run apple is seen before game three of the National League Division Series between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on October 12, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Mets defeated the Dodgers 13-7. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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19 Apr 1999: Bobby Bonilla #25 of the New York Mets looks on during the game against the Montreal Expos at the Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Expos defeated the Mets 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport
19 Apr 1999: Bobby Bonilla #25 of the New York Mets looks on during the game against the Montreal Expos at the Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Expos defeated the Mets 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport /

Baseball fans usually take notice when a guy is hitting a lot of home runs. However, there are a few 30+ home run seasons by New York Mets players we seem to forget about too often.

Hitting 30 home runs in a single year isn’t as easy as the juiced baseballs of 2019 would make you think. There are only 34 individual seasons of New York Mets players who accomplished this feat. Most recently, we saw Pete Alonso power his way over 50 and Michael Conforto reach the 30-club in 2019.

For the most part, I think an average Mets fan could come up with the names of players who ripped 30 out of the park. Even younger fans may be familiar enough with Frank Thomas and his 34 dingers in 1962.

In more recent years, a few other Mets we know well have reached the 30-mark. However, because some of the teams they played for were so dreadfully awful or we remember the individual player for another reason, their 30 home run campaigns seem to have fallen through the cracks.

Bobby Bonilla in 1993

Bobby Bonilla has the ultimate pension plan with the Mets. Best known as the guy who will get paid by them for the next billion years, he actually put together a pretty awesome 1993 campaign.

Although the team stunk, the 1993 version of Bonilla was pretty powerful. In fact, the 34 home runs he hit in 1993 were the most of any season in his career—including those awesome early Pittsburgh Pirates days when he regularly competed for the MVP.

Bonilla spread out his home runs pretty evenly in 1993. His two best months for round-trippers were May and August when he hit 9 in each. His August was establishing terrific as it also included a .302 batting average and season-high 21 RBI.

The usually versatile Bonilla spent time at both third base and in right field. In his 349 plate appearances as a right fielder, he cracked 17 long balls.

Percentage-wise, he was even more powerful when at the hot corner. It took him only 210 trips to the plate to hit 15 home runs while playing as a third baseman.

Maybe the only thing missing from Bonilla’s home run resume in 1993 is a grand slam. In his 8 opportunities for a salami, Bonilla picked up just one hit.

Even though Bonilla wasn’t the same star with the Mets as he was with the Bucs, this season at least provided fans with plenty of souvenirs.

NEW YORK – JULY 19: Mike Cameron #44 of the New York Mets sits at second base after he was thrown out while trying to strech a single into a double against the Florida Marlins July 19, 2004, at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – JULY 19: Mike Cameron #44 of the New York Mets sits at second base after he was thrown out while trying to strech a single into a double against the Florida Marlins July 19, 2004, at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Mike Cameron in 2004

Mike Cameron’s time with the Mets is perhaps best remembered for the 2005 collision with Carlos Beltran in the outfield. One year earlier, he put together a 30 home run campaign many fans seem to have forgotten about.

Hitting 30 home runs in a single year isn’t as easy as the juiced baseballs of 2019 would make you think. There are only 34 individual seasons of Mets players who accomplished this feat—Cameron doing so in his first year with the club back in 2004.

Coming off a Gold Glove season with the Seattle Mariners in 2003, Cameron brought the spectacular defense with him to New York. He also appeared to trade in some hits for home runs as his batting average for the 2004 season slipped 22 points from the year prior.

During his time in Seattle, Cameron did put his power on display. He hit 25 home runs in 2001 and 2002, then settling for 18 in 2003.

In year one with New York, his 30 set a new personal-high which he never managed to beat again. Typically hitting between the five and seven spot, Cameron had plenty of chances to drive in runs.

This wasn’t always the case, though. Cameron’s rather low .231 batting average didn’t help him produce a large number of runs. In fact, he went on to end the year with only 76 which matched his number from the previous campaign.

Cameron’s best home run month came in July when he smashed 10 of them. He added another 8 in August, taking full advantage of the summer months.

It comes as no surprise to learn 19 of Cameron’s home runs in 2004 were solo shots. They weren’t all for nothing with 16 of them occurring in Mets wins.

Cameron’s big league career included a nice balance of power and stolen bases. He would finish his career with 278 round-trippers and 297 successfully swiped bags. The 2004 season included 22 stolen bases from his fast legs.

This particular season seemed to signal a change in his game. Now over 30-years-old, the home runs made up a larger part of his game. This lone full season remained the most powerful one for his bat.

ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 19: Lucas Duda #21 of the New York Mets rounds first after hitting a two-run homer in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on September 19, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 19: Lucas Duda #21 of the New York Mets rounds first after hitting a two-run homer in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on September 19, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Lucas Duda in 2014

There are a couple of candidates to finish this list with. How many people really talk about Cliff Floyd’s 24 home runs in 2005? Or how about when Ike Davis smashed 32 in 2012?

I think those are a little more memorable—Floyd’s because of his popularity and Davis’ because of how much hype there was for him and the one time he kind of lived up to it.

This last entry is for a guy I think we all knew had power but many of us forget he ever reached 30. I am, of course, referring to Lucas Duda.

Duda never seemed to fully dig his heels in at Citi Field during his time with the Mets. He arrived to the big leagues a year too late, first joining the club for the 2010 season. In the years after, he provided them with some occasional pop.

In 2014, Duda found his best home run stroke when he cracked 30 long balls. It was the first season of his career where he surpassed 500 plate appearances. Duda made the most of it.

Equally as impressive, Duda managed to reach 92 RBI for the year. So close to 100, he made the most of those dongs.

It took Duda until the final game of the season to reach 30. In game 161, he helped the Mets defeat the Houston Astros 2-1. His ninth inning walk-off shot against Tony Sipp accounted for the lone runs the Mets scored in this affair.

A day later, in the season finale, Duda brought his whooping stick to the park yet again. A two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth put him at 30 for the season. It was the last at-bat he would have for the year. As he did more often than ever in 2014, he used it to hit a home run.

Next. The greatest Mets players of all-time

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