3 former NY Mets players who were "The Man" and don't get enough credit for it

The New York Mets have had some players who performed well, were the main cog in the lineup, yet were never viewed as “that guy” by the fans or media. It seems like no matter how good these players performed, not matter what they did, the Mets faithful were always drawn to someone else.

There are three such players in New York Mets history who certainly didn’t get the credit they really deserved during their respective careers with the club.

1) Dave Kingman

True, the Mets had Frank Thomas, the former Pittsburgh Pirate hit 34 dingers in the inaugural season, but he didn’t scare anyone. John Milner was called The Hammer, yet, he in no way emulated the REAL Hammer, Henry Aaron. But when Kingman came along in 1975, he would hit mammoth shots that even the swirling winds in the pitcher-friendly Shea Stadium couldn’t even contain.

There was no other Met in the lineup that opposing pitchers feared. HE was the one guy that pitchers said, “I can’t let him beat me.” There was really no protection in the lineup behind him and even given that, he hit 37 and 36 homers in 1975 and ’76. And in that era, those numbers would normally translate into significant RBI totals. But he would drive in 86 and 88 runs respectively, because there really weren’t a lot of RBI opportunities for him. A lot of solo shots.

Kingman would be traded midway through the 1977 after hitting 9 homers, as a part of that Midnight Massacre. He would bounce around and play with four teams, believe it or not, that season, including the New York Yankees and finish with a total of 26 home runs. After three productive seasons with the Chicago Cubs, including one where he led the NL with 48 homers and in slugging and OPS, he returned to the Mets for a second tour.

Kingman would hit a NL-leading 38 homers for the Mets in 1982. But after the Mets acquired Keith Hernandez at the trade deadline in 1983, there was no place for him to play. He and Rusty Staub, both of whom were platooning at first base, were out of a job. He still had some power left on the grid and would spend three seasons, three of his best seasons, with the Oakland A’s before retiring at the age of 37.

Dave Kingman was that one player who you wanted to be in your seat when he came up to the plate. He was a better athlete than people gave him credit for. While most fans will think of him only as a first baseman, he could do more than just play there. He was a capable – not great – third baseman, and he was also very capable as a left and right fielder. His arm was well above average as he had been a successful college pitcher and even dabbled a bit in the pros with the San Francisco Giants organization. He was tagged with the label of “difficult” but it was probably undeserved, much like Kevin McReynolds years later. He was quiet, went about his business, hustled, and never complained about where he was in the lineup or what position he was playing. He just wanted to do his job and go home. Tom Seaver loved him and you know that wouldn’t be the case if Kingman was a problem.

And if you look at how a guy like Kyle Schwarber is viewed in today’s game, Dave Kingman was a much better athlete and brought more to the game than Schwarber does. So while that “all or nothing” technique has worked for Schwarber all these years, it never seemed to garner the respect and admiration that Kingman deserved as a New York Met.