3 worst years by NY Mets closers who were usually much better

2) John Franco

John Franco is the best closer in Mets’ history. He has 276 career saves with the Mets, which is the most the franchise has seen by one player. Heading into 1993, many expected Franco to continue his dominance. After a six-year run with the Cincinnati Reds, where he was a multi-time all-star, Franco started off his Mets tenure with a 2.48 ERA (149 ERA+), 2.83 FIP, and 1.29 WHIP over his first three years with his new team.

However, in his fourth season with the Mets, Franco pitched 36.1 innings, working to a 5.20 ERA/78 ERA+, 5.18 FIP, and 1.79 WHIP. Batters hit .303 against Franco, the worst of his career in at least 20 innings. His 11% walk rate would also be the worst he’d put up for nearly a decade. He would also allow home runs at a 1.49-per-9 ratio, another career worst. It is the only season by a Met who recorded at least ten saves but had an ERA and FIP over 5.00. It wasn't just a forgettable season for Franco, but a Mets team that only won 58 games.

Although this was a poor season for Franco, he’d go back to becoming a dominant bullpen force for the better part of the next ten seasons. From 1994 through 2003, Fraco put up a 2.66 ERA (144 ERA+), a 3.61 FIP, and a 1.34 WHIP. Of these ten seasons, Franco had an ERA+ of 150 or greater on six different occasions. He would save 188 more games, including leading the league the following season during the strike-shortened ‘94 campaign. 

It wouldn’t be until 2005 that Franco would put up a worse ERA+ at 72 with the Houston Astros. However, at that point, the lefty was in his age-44 season and only pitched 15 innings. His 1993 season remained an outlier in an otherwise dominant career, as he would go down in baseball history as one of the best left-handed relievers of all time.