Mets: Who is the most overrated player in franchise history?

Who is the most overrated player in New York Mets history? I’m not sure I have the answer.

All across the MLB FanSided network, writers are putting together articles about the franchise’s most overrated players in club history. I thought about doing the same for the New York Mets. Then I ran into a problem. I was unable to answer the question. Perhaps you can help.

Who is the most overrated player in the history of the Mets?

It’s never a fun question to answer because it degrades a guy who usually brought us a lot of joy. Still, not knowing the answer is a little troublesome.

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I posed the question to fellow Rising Apple writers and they couldn’t come up with an answer aside from some failed prospects. Those guys wouldn’t exactly qualify as overrated. Every year dozens of prospects are hyped only to never reach the big leagues.

To me, an overrated player needs to meet a few qualifications. He needs to have a reputation as a great ballplayer, but a closer look at the numbers and some experience watching him play can tell a different story.

From the modern era, guys like Steven Matz, Noah Syndergaard, and even Matt Harvey could qualify. However, each has a caveat.

I think Matz was at one point overrated but that has since changed to overhyped. Syndergaard may be the closest to it while Harvey’s status as an overrated player is due to injuries. At his best, there’s no arguing about how great he was. It wouldn’t be fair to call him the most overrated player in franchise history.

The thing about older Mets history is there are too many players who didn’t stick around long enough to really judge them fully. Even though someone like Gary Carter declined while wearing orange and blue, his excellent years far outweighed the downside of what he did while in New York.

Furthermore, “The Kid” did things for the Mets that aren’t quantified by any number. When it comes to saying someone is overrated, we need to consider something such as that.

For the life of me, I cannot find any Mets player we hold in high esteem that fits the overrated label. If anything, I find far more guys who didn’t get the love they deserve.

Using a ratio of popularity to actual on-field performance, Bartolo Colon might fit the bill. He was 44-34 in his three years with the Mets while posting a 3.90 ERA. Easily one of the more popular players of the last ten years, I’m not sure fans rate him high as much as they enjoyed watching him play.

Who is the most overrated player in Mets history? I don’t feel like causing a stir right now.

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Maybe it’s the fact that we’re in 2020 and missing baseball which has me less likely to call out a player for being overrated. Underrated, overrated, or rated exactly where he deserves, I want baseball of any kind.