New York Mets: Five best center fielders of all-time in franchise history

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NEW YORK – CIRCA 1979: Lee Mazzilli #16 of the New York Mets slides into third base as Enos Cabell #23 of the Houston Astros looks on during an Major League Baseball game circa 1979 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City. Mazzilli played for the Mets from 1976-82. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

The New York Mets have had some spectacular center fielders in their history. These are the five best Mets to play the position.

Despite the New York Mets having trouble finding their lockdown center fielder in recent years, it was not always like that. The Mets have some great center fielders hold down the outfield in their history, many of them winning various awards and/or finishing right at the top.

The Mets were so loaded with center fielders at one point that three of them on this list were all on the same team at once. While one of them did not really play center field at that point with the other two, it still shows that the depth was there.

With the Mets currently in the market for a center fielder, they can possibly acquire someone who can crack this list in a few years after manning the outfield for the next couple of seasons. That would be great news for the Mets considering the current five best center fielders were all great for the Mets and it would be a challenge to crack the list.

With that being said, I think most Met fans would be more than happy to see one of these center fielders pushed off the list for a current day one to take.

Let’s take a look at the five best center fielders in franchise history.

5) Lee Mazzilli

Up first on the top five center fielders in franchise history list we have Lee Mazzilli. Mazzilli’s time with the Mets is a little bit hard to dissect as he had two stints with the team which included time in center field and first base.

Mazzilli’s first stint with the Mets included six seasons where he was the primary center fielder for four of them. This first stint with the Mets was from 1976 to 1981. His second stint with the Amazins was from part of the 1986 season to part of the 1989 season. Between his two different times with the Mets, he played in a total of 572 games in center field. He slashed .264/.357/.396/.753 with 68 home runs, 353 RBI, and 152 stolen bases in 979 total games.

Mazzilli’s best season with the Mets came in 1979 where he hit .303/.395/.449/.844 with 15 home runs, a career-high 79 RBI, 34 stolen bases, and a 4.9 WAR in 158 games while being elected to his first and only All-Star game.

Although his second time around with the Mets was not as great as his first, it was still good. He split time between first base and all three outfield positions and helped the Mets win the 1986 World Series.

Mazzilli was a great piece to various Mets teams and will be remembered as one of the best to lock down center field for them. As of right now, he is sixth in stolen bases and tenth in walks in franchise history, and as a result, he finds himself as the fifth-best center fielder in franchise history.

1989: Lenny Dykstra of the New York Mets swings at the pitch during a game in the 1989 season. ( Photo by: Getty Images/Getty Images) /

4) Lenny Dykstra

Next up on the list, we have a guy who could have been a couple of spots higher considering the production they put up after leaving Queens with Lenny Dykstra. With that being said, Dykstra’s time with the Mets was still good, as he finds himself as the fourth-best center fielder in team history.

Dykstra spent four and a half seasons with the Mets and was part of the World Series Championship team in 1986. In his four and a half seasons with the Amazins, he compiled 493 games played in center field with a .278/.350/.413/.763 batting line with 30 home runs, 153 RBI, and 116 stolen bases in 544 total games.

His best season came in his second year where he finished 19th in MVP voting while slashing .295/.377/.445/.822 with 8 home runs, 45 RBI, 31 stolen bases, and a 4.7 WAR in 147 games played.

Dykstra’s defense was nothing to ignore either. While in New York his total zone fielding runs above average (The number of runs saved based on the number of plays made) was 20 in center field, with his best season being 1989 where he was plus seven.

In addition to Dykstra’s contributions in the field and at the plate, he was a huge piece to the 1986 Championship team. In the NLCS in 1986 he slashed .304/.360/.565/.925 with 1 home run, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored, and 1 stolen base in 6 games. In the 1986 World Series, he was just as good. He hit .296/.345/.519./863 with 2 home runs, 3 RBI, and 4 runs scored in 7 games.

Dykstra was without a doubt a solid player in the orange and blue, if his production that he found after leaving was found earlier, he could have found himself even higher on this list. With that being said, he is still currently seventh in stolen bases in franchise history and one of the better defensive center fielders the team has had.

FLUSHING, NY – OCTOBER 16, 1969: Outfielder Tommie Agee #20 of the New York Mets watches a ball go into foul territory during Game 5 of the World Series on October 16, 1969 against the Baltimore Orioles at Shea Stadium in New York, New York. The Orioles’ catcher is Andy Etchebarren #8 and the home plate umpire is Lou DiMuro. (Photo by: Kidwiler Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /

3) Tommie Agee

Next up on the list of top Mets center fielders, we have Tommie Agee. Although Agee’s career was a bit short, as he only played in twelve seasons with five of them being with the Mets, he made the most of it.

In the five seasons Agee was in Flushing, he had a huge role on the team. He was part of the 1969 World Series Championship team where he finished sixth in MVP voting. In Agee’s five seasons with the Mets, he appeared in 591 games in center field and slashed .262/.329/.419/.748 with 82 runs, 265 RBI, and 167 stolen bases in 661 total games.

Despite finishing sixth in MVP voting in 1969, his best season was the following one in 1970. In 1970 Agee hit .286/.344/.469/.812 with 24 home runs, 75 RBI, 31 stolen bases, 107 runs scored, and a 5.4 WAR in 153 games while finishing 19th in MVP voting and winning a gold glove.

Agee’s defense was fantastic while manning down center field for the Mets. In addition to the gold glove award he won, his total zone fielding runs above average in his five seasons at center field was 20. His best season was when he won the gold glove and had plus thirteen.

In the 1969 postseason, Agee came through in the clutch. In the NLCS he .357/.438/.857/1.295 with 2 home runs, 4 RBI, and 4 runs scored in only 3 games played. In the World Series, he hit a home run and made two incredible catches in one game to save multiple runs which led to a Mets win.

Agee’s time with the Mets was no doubt Amazin. In his somewhat limited time, he put up fantastic numbers and was a huge part of the 1969 World Series Championship team. As a result of his great years in New York, Agee finds himself as the third-best center fielder in Mets franchise history.

FLUSHING, NY – 1984: Mookie Wilson #1 of the New York Mets swings at the pitch during a 1984 season game against the Chicago Cubs at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

2) Mookie Wilson

Next up on the top center fielders in franchise history we have a man who was involved in one of the most famous plays in baseball history with Mookie Wilson. Similar to Agee, Wilson’s career was not the longest as he only played in twelve seasons, but lucky for him ten of them came with the Mets.

Wilson had a strong ten-year run with the Mets which included a 1986 World Series Championship, a seventh-place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting, and a 25th place finish in MVP voting another year. In his ten seasons, he played in 907 games in center field and hit .276/.318/.394/.712 with 60 home runs, 342 RBI, and 281 stolen bases in 1,116 total games.

Even though he finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting and 25th in MVP voting another year, neither of those were his best year in the orange and blue. His best season came in 1984 where he slashed .276/.308/.409/.717 with a career-high 10 home runs, 54 RBI, 46 stolen bases, and a 3.8 WAR in 154 games.

Unlike Dykstra and Agee, Wilson was not the greatest in the center field defensively for the Mets. He was very inconsistent as he had two seasons where he had three seasons where his total zone fielding runs above average was five but another four seasons where he was negative.

When it came to the postseason, one at-bat sticks out in particular. Game 6 of the 1986 World Series in the bottom of the tenth where he had a ten pitch at-bat which resulted in the Mets walking off for a win and forcing a game seven. Outside of that at-bat, Wilson hit .269/.321/.308/.629 with 3 runs scored and 3 stolen bases in the seven games.

Even if you take the World Series at-bat away from Wilson, his career with the Mets was still fantastic. He is currently second all-time in stolen bases and triples, and sixth in hits and runs scored. His great career with the Mets brings him in as the second-best center fielder in franchise history.

Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets hitting during MLB regular season game against the Baltimore Orioles, played at Shea Stadium in Queens, N.Y. on June 17, 2006. Orioles defeated Mets 4 – 2 during interleague play. (Photo by Bryan Yablonsky/Getty Images) /

1) Carlos Beltran

The number one center fielder in franchise history should come as no surprise with Carlos Beltran. Beltran’s time in Queens was truly Amazin’ and as a result, he finds himself as the best center fielder in franchise history.

Beltran spent six and a half seasons with the Mets and was one of the most important pieces during his time there. He was sent to five All-Star games, won two silver sluggers, won three gold gloves, and finished as high as fourth place in MVP voting. In those six and a half years he appeared in center field for 723 games and hit .280/.369/.500/.869 with 149 home runs, 559 RBI, and 100 stolen bases in 839 total games.

His best season came in 2006 when he was elected to the All-Star game, won a gold glove, won a silver slugger, and finished fourth in the MVP race. That season he hit .275/.388/.594/.982 with a career-high 41 home runs, a career-high 116 RBI, 18 stolen bases, and an 8.2 WAR in 140 games.

Beltran was one of the best defensive players the Mets have had. During his time with the Mets, his total zone fielding runs above average was an incredible 68 in center field. His best seasons were in 2006 and 2008 where he had sixteen in each and was awarded the gold glove award in each season as a result.

Although some people love to point out Beltran’s last at-bat in his lone postseason for the Mets, he was actually great in that series. In the NLCS Beltran hit .296/.387/.667/.1.054 with 3 home runs, 4 RBI, 1 stolen base, and 8 runs scored in the 7 games.

Beltran’s time with the Mets was truly Amazin’. He is currently eighth in runs, seventh in doubles and slugging percentage, sixth in home runs, RBI, and OPS, and ninth in walks and OBP. As a result of Beltran’s placing on Mets all-time lists and his incredible stretch in Queens, he finds himself as the best center fielder in franchise history.

The Mets have clearly had some great center fielders in their history. Between multiple All-Stars, finishes close to Rookie of the Year and MVP, a gold glover, and important pieces to championship teams, the Mets have some great center fielders.

As stated earlier, despite the Mets most recent struggles to find a lockdown center fielder, they have had some great ones in their history as seen.

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