The best NY Mets Rule 5 Draft pick in team history was stolen from the Braves

A steal in the Rule 5 Draft is harder to come by than it used to be. A much more wide-open event in Major League Baseball with the improvement of scouting everywhere has made snagging a true franchise-changer far more difficult. The New York Mets have tried to find a steal of differing levels over the years. Their best may never be topped.

We have to go all the way back to December 2, 1968 for the answer to who the best Mets Rule 5 Draft pick was. Unknowingly about to win a World Series as the club’s starting third baseman, Wayne Garrett has the distinction of being the answer to this Mets trivia question that isn’t really up for debate.

The Mets took a chance on a young Braves prospect and it paid off

Garrett didn’t have outlandish numbers in the minors league for the Braves. He hit .239 with 4 home runs in Double-A in 1968. He wouldn’t even produce spectacular totals as a rookie in 1969. He went yard once and batted only .218.

Garrett began by playing a lot of second base for the Mets, later transitioning into platoon with Ed Charles at third base. Charles put together a solid 1968 season, but the 1969 campaign showed his age and would end up as his last in the majors. Garrett would take over the bulk of the playing time thereafter with regular appearances at second base, too.

Parts of 8 seasons with the Mets resulted in a .237/.348/.343 slash line for Garrett. Unspectacular in many ways, Garrett had an underrated eye at the plate. He struck out 465 times with the Mets and walked 482 times.

His best season couldn’t have come at a better time. The injury-tested 1973 Mets needed all of his personal-best 16 home runs and 58 RBI. It was a season of multiple highs. He started off the year splitting time at third base with Jim Fregosi. Fregosi was sold to the Texas Rangers midseason, leaving the Mets with Garrett to handle more of the load at third base. He took advantage with a huge finish. Garrett was a .323/.411/.604 hitter in September. He hit 6 of his 16 home runs and drove in 17.

Slightly forgotten as a leadoff hitter in Mets history, his strong ability to get on base made him a regular in the number one slot. He excelled in this spot in 1973, batting .318/.438/.500 as the first hitter of the 80 games he led off.

Rarely does the Rule 5 Draft create a mainstay in your lineup even at the level of Garrett. That’s why, when you look at all of the Rule 5 Draft picks, it’s impossible to say anyone was close.