Top 5 NY Mets bench players since 2000 who won fans’ hearts

As we slide into May, the New York Mets seem to be firing, but not on all cylinders, which may be the scary part for NL and AL foes alike. One of my favorite pastimes is scouring the Mets roster and picking out bench players who might become fan favorites and saving graces, and this year is no different. We have already seen the likes of Tyrone Taylor, Brett Baty, and Starling Marte pay dividends coming off the pine, which got me thinking about beloved Mets backups from years past,
beginning at the dawn of the new millennium.

These players not only filled a crucial and often overlooked role for our beloved Amazins, they also played their way onto the field and into our hearts. Let's take a look at the Top 5 Mets backups since 2000.

1. Juan Uribe

Most baseball fans remember Juan Uribe in his prime with the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants, but during the unanticipated magical run of 2015, the veteran made his way to Queens via a midseason trade. In 44 games, Uribe batted a paltry .219 with six homers and 20 RBIs, but it was when he produced that endeared him to Mets fans. He brought veteran leadership to a young team that made a deep playoff run to the World Series.

After being sidelined for most of the playoffs with a chest injury, he came up clutch again in Game 3 of the World Series with a pinch-hit RBI single that helped secure the Amazins' only victory in the series. Add slick defense and veteran swagger to the mix, and it's no surprise he became a fan favorite.

Juan might not be as well remembered by the legion of younger fans as some of the other men on this list, but his knack for delivering big hits in big moments will always have a place in Mets lore.