Best Mets starting position player on every World Series team we don’t talk about enough

NEW YORK - CIRCA 1973: Felix Millan #16 of the New York Mets throws over the top of Johnny Bench #5 of the Cincinnati Reds during an Major League Baseball game circa 1973 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City. Millan played for the Mets from 1973-77. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - CIRCA 1973: Felix Millan #16 of the New York Mets throws over the top of Johnny Bench #5 of the Cincinnati Reds during an Major League Baseball game circa 1973 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City. Millan played for the Mets from 1973-77. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
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7/9/69 Playing prominent roles in the Mets’ big win were, left to right: Ken Boswell, Cleon Jones, Ed Kranepool and Donn Clendenon.Baseball Mets
7/9/69 Playing prominent roles in the Mets’ big win were, left to right: Ken Boswell, Cleon Jones, Ed Kranepool and Donn Clendenon.Baseball Mets /

The New York Mets have been to five World Series. Each time, certain everyday position players shined throughout the regular season.

However, lost in the glory, are performances by some Mets players that seem to have been forgotten.

You probably already know the names of the big stars from the World Series years. Cleon Jones. Darryl Strawberry. Mike Piazza. What about those men who put together productive years that seem to have been lost? Let’s tip our cap to them.

Best 1969 Mets position player we don’t talk about enough – Ken Boswell

Ken Boswell was my inspiration to put this list together. I’ll often go back to the Baseball-Reference pages for many past Mets teams to see if I can find anything interesting. While searching around on the 1969 Mets, I couldn’t help but notice how well Boswell performed for them.

The team’s starting second baseman slashed .279/.347/.381 in 405 plate appearances. A light-hitting middle infielder, he did manage to leg out 7 triples on the season.

An outlier campaign on the back of his baseball card, he was a big part of the team’s regular season success.

In the postseason, Boswell played in all three NLCS games. Somehow, he found his power stroke. The man hit just three home runs in the regular season. Against the Atlanta Braves in his first postseason, he went deep twice and drove in five.

Boswell played in only one game of the World Series because of his left-handed bat and the southpaws starting for the Baltimore Orioles. Regardless, Boswell was a hugely underrated contributor to the first Mets team to win it all.

NEW YORK – CIRCA 1973: Felix Millan #17 of the New York Mets bats against the Cincinnati Reds during an Major League Baseball game circa 1973 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City. Millan played for the Mets from 1973-77. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – CIRCA 1973: Felix Millan #17 of the New York Mets bats against the Cincinnati Reds during an Major League Baseball game circa 1973 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City. Millan played for the Mets from 1973-77. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Best 1973 Mets position player we don’t talk about enough – Felix Millan

After Boswell’s days at the Mets starting second baseman were over, Felix Millan became the guy at the position. Acquired via trade with the Atlanta Braves, Millan is one of the most underrated Mets of all time. He hit consistently in his time with the organization. For a long time, he held the franchise record for most hits in a single season.

Millan was a part of the 1973 Mets team that made it to the Game 7 of the World Series. That may not have been possible if not for Millan’s regular season performance.

Ravaged by injuries, Millan was one of the few position players who managed to play the bulk of the season. He completed the year with 153 games played and 699 plate appearances. He ended up with 185 hits and a .290/.332/.353 batting line.

In addition to the offensive production the Mets desperately needed, Millan was a defensive stud. He had already won the Gold Glove twice. This year, he wouldn’t but still put together a 1.3 WAR on defense.

Millan was rewarded for his efforts with a 16th place finish in the MVP vote. Baseball writers recognized what he did for the team. While loyal Mets fans still recognize him as one of the best second basemen in club history, I’m not sure he gets enough credit.

NEW YORK – CIRCA 1986: Ray Knight #22 of the New York Mets tracks a pop-up on the infield during a Major League Baseball game circa 1986 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City. Knight played for the Mets from 1984-86. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – CIRCA 1986: Ray Knight #22 of the New York Mets tracks a pop-up on the infield during a Major League Baseball game circa 1986 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City. Knight played for the Mets from 1984-86. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Best 1986 Mets position player we don’t talk about enough – Ray Knight

Ray Knight?!?! That’s the choice here? I could have gone with Wally Backman, yet another second baseman. He was awesome for the Mets in the 1986 regular season.

Instead, I decided to go with third baseman Ray Knight. Best known as the World Series MVP, I’m not so sure people realize how well he played before October rolled around.

Coming off a season in which he hit just .218 in 290 plate appearances for the Mets, Knight turned his career around with one final awesome campaign in 1986. He slashed .298/.351/.424 in the regular season and added 11 home runs and 76 RBI.

There was nothing truly brilliant about Knight’s year especially when we compare it to other offensive numbers by 1986 Mets players. Still, there’s no denying how overlooked his regular season is.

You wouldn’t believe it today with how many great third basemen the team has had since but there was a team when the position seemed cursed. From everyone who played the position in the 1960s through Jim Fregosi and many others, third base was never a reliable source of production for the Amazins.

Knight helped change this in the 1986 regular season. Of course, he eventually etched his name into history with his World Series performance.

9 Mar 2000: Derek Bell #16 of the New York Mets runs to a base during the Spring Training Game against the Houston Astros at Olceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, Florida. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport
9 Mar 2000: Derek Bell #16 of the New York Mets runs to a base during the Spring Training Game against the Houston Astros at Olceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, Florida. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport /

Best 2000 Mets position player we don’t talk about enough – Derek Bell

I’m a big Derek Bell fan. The third of the “Three Bees” from the Houston Astros in the 1990s, he spent just one season with the Mets in the year 2000. Just as the Astros seemed to write him off following a bad year in 1999, Bell proved he had a little something left.

Bell slashed .266/.348/.425 for the Mets in the regular season. He finished the year with 31 doubles, 18 home runs, and 69 RBI. Overlooked, he also scored 87 runs.

The team’s primary starting right fielder in 2000 helped the Mets complete a very good outfield trio. I could have easily selected Jay Payton or Benny Agbayani for this list. I think people remember them a lot more because of the time they spent in New York. Bell had only one season to give.

Unfortunately, Bell suffered an injury after one postseason at-bat. He wasn’t able to get back on the field for the run to the World Series—yet another reason as to why I think his performance has been lost.

Bell never did manage to recapture what he did for years in Houston or what he was able to accomplish in his lone season in orange and blue. The 2001 season was his final one where he hit just .173 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

If there’s one more thing I would have liked to see from Bell, it’s a postseason moment of glory. Sadly, we never got it.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 29: Tim Teufel #18 of the New York Mets congratulates Lucas Duda #21 after his second home run of the game in the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on September 29, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 4-3. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 29: Tim Teufel #18 of the New York Mets congratulates Lucas Duda #21 after his second home run of the game in the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on September 29, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 4-3. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

Best 2015 Mets position player we don’t talk about enough – Lucas Duda

The 2015 Mets are so fresh in our memories I’m not so sure anyone’s performance has been lost to time. Check your fridge and you may find food you bought before the season began.

Searching through the roster and the accomplishments of the regular position players on this team, the one I think gets overlooked most is Lucas Duda.

I’m not sure how Mets fans really feel about Duda. He was so up and down. In 2015, he had a year where his batting average was a bit better than it usually was but his home runs and RBI totals were down from one season earlier.

Those numbers include a .244/.352/.486 slash line and 27 home runs paired with 73 RBI. Duda did set a personal best with 33 doubles, adding to what would be his final full and productive year with the ball club.

This was also the year where Duda became a first baseman full-time. In his earlier years, he was bouncing back between that spot and the corner outfield. Always short on defensive abilities, Duda’s 2015 moments we remember most are his poor play with a glove on his hand.

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Despite the lack of awesome memories late in the year, Duda was a force in the regular season. The 2015 Mets needed his bat in the middle of the order. Often, Duda delivered.

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