NY Mets: 3 worst teams that were still fun to watch play ball
There is no shortage of bad New York Mets baseball teams. Just look at the first few seasons of the franchise’s existence. Then take a gander at the years after Tom Seaver was traded away and once more post-Bernie Madoff. Sprinkle in a few other stretches and you have plenty of bad baseball throughout the franchise’s history!
Just because a team was bad doesn’t necessarily make the season an entire waste. Some bad Mets teams have actually been kind of fun at times.
For consideration on this list, I think bad simply means below .500. While these Mets teams may have lost more than they had won, I think there are some positive takeaways from each year.
The 1983 Mets were a sneak preview of better days ahead
With a record of 68-94, the 1983 Mets were far from competitive. Managed by George Bamberger and Frank Howard that year, the club representative the tail end of the dark days following the complete tear down in 1977.
Tom Seaver was back for one season which gave fans something to cheer about. Add in the outstanding year they got from relief pitcher Jesse Orosco (13-7, 1.47 ERA, 17 saves) and you have yourself something positive to look forward to every few games.
This was also the season where we got to see some other young Mets contribute. Ron Darling started five games for the club, going 1-3 with a 2.80 ERA. It wouldn’t be long before he was a core member of the rotation.
Much bigger was the midseason addition of Keith Hernandez in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. The catalyst to go from a non-competitive club to a contender, Hernandez gave the team some legitimacy.
Let’s not forget the biggest draw of all: The Straw. The year marked Darryl Strawberry’s rookie campaign. The 26 home runs he hit in 122 games played showcased a bright future ahead for the young Mets outfielder.
Wins may not have been easy to find this year. However, on both sides of the ball, there was plenty to get excited about.
The 1996 Mets exploded with offense
The 1996 MLB season was the first I really paid attention to. I had the Strat-O-Matic of this season so I knew all of the numbers. A couple of Mets always stood out for how fantastic they were at the plate.
Catcher Todd Hundley smacked a record 41 home runs for the Mets practically out of nowhere. The record would be tied 10 years later and wouldn’t fall until Pete Alonso hit 53 in 2019.
Hundley wasn’t alone in the offensive output. Lance Johnson set a franchise record as well with 227 hits. The speedy center fielder did it with 31 doubles, 21 triples, and 50 stolen bases mixed in. Johnson had the kind of season I don’t think we’ll ever see another Mets player repeat.
Finally, there was Bernard Gilkey. The club’s left fielder hit 30 home runs, drove in 117, and did it while slashing .317/.393/.562. Gilkey had one of the best seasons in team history at the plate. Even today some of his numbers hold up as some of the best of anyone to ever play for this franchise.
Also worth noting, closer John Franco put together one of his best seasons. He saved 28 games for the team to the tune of a 1.83 ERA.
Another bad Mets team with a season record of 71-91, you could always count on the club to at least score runs.
The 2012 Mets had some memorable moments and achievements
How did the 74-88 Mets from 2012 make baseball so much fun in Flushing? It wasn’t the 32 home runs Ike Davis hit. Most of the fun came directly from the mound.
This was the year R.A. Dickey dominated the league. His 20-6 record, 2.73 ERA, and 230 strikeouts helped the 37-year-old knuckleballer win the National League Cy Young Award. A true underdog story like no other, watching Dickey pitch every fifth day was a treat.
Speaking of excitement every fifth day, the 2012 club introduced us to the man that would go on to star in many future Harvey Days. Matt Harvey made his MLB debut in 2012. In those 10 starts, he went 3-5 with a 2.73 ERA. Not yet fully dominant, the Dark Knight offered a glimmer of hope for the future.
As if the years Dickey and Harvey had wasn’t enough, there’s a singular moment from 2012 every Mets fan remembers well.
On June 1, Johan Santana took the mound and tossed the first no-hitter in franchise history. Although it was a one night event, everyone who witnessed it knows exactly where they were when the game took place.
At the plate, fans were treated to a season from David Wright worthy of sixth-place in the National League MVP vote. Essentially his final full and awesome year with the ball club, nobody knew at the time we should have enjoyed it more.
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These Mets teams may not have won many games, but they did manage to give the fans their money’s worth on a regular enough basis to fall onto this list.