New York Mets all-time best players homegrown from the farm

Who doesn’t love a homegrown talent? New York Mets fans love nothing more than having a player grow up inside the organization and become a local superstar. It fulfills the dream we all have somewhere inside of us as baseball fans.

A player’s rise through the ranks of an organization from draft pick to MLB star is a sight to behold, and the Mets have plenty of those talents in their history.

Compiling a nine-man lineup of the Mets’ greatest homegrown talent was no easy feat, but these nine players are some of the best to be with the organization from the draft to their time in the bigs.

Mets all-time homegrown pitcher: Jacob deGrom

Now, Hall of Famer Tom Seaver WOULD likely be in this spot, but his status as a homegrown player is a bit up in the air. The Atlanta Braves drafted him in 1966, but the pick was voided after the MLB ruled that Seaver was ineligible to draft since he was playing his junior season at USC when the terms of his contract were being finalized.

His contract was put up to a lottery between teams willing to match it and sign Seaver, and the Mets won that lottery. But since he was technically drafted by the Braves first, his status as a true homegrown talent is unclear.

With that being said, Jacob deGrom is still a perfect fit for the Mets all-time homegrown pitcher

What else is there to be said about deGrom that hasn’t already been said? The two-time NL Cy Young Award Winner (and leading candidate to win the award this season) is the best and most well-rounded pitcher of this generation.

His 100 MPH+ heater is just as accurate as it is fast, and his off-speed pitches work the perfect combination of dangerous break and convincing pitch tunneling, leaving batters guessing every time he’s on the mound.

With past success under his belt and future success all but certain (barring injury), deGrom is on his way to be one of the best homegrown Mets of all time.

Catcher: Todd Hundley

Drafted in the second round of the 1987 MLB Draft, Todd Hundley had a productive nine seasons with the franchise from 1990 to 1998.

His long run with the team was highlighted by back-to-back All-Star seasons in 1996 and 1997. Across those two years, Hundley hit 71 homers while batting a .265 AVG and .373 OBP.

Although not as memorable as non-homegrown catchers like Mike Piazza or Gary Carter, Hundley had an impressive and lengthy stay in Queens which deserves to be recognized.