First NY Mets pick in the 1961 expansion draft led to a trade that defined year one

On October 10, 1961, the Houston Colt .45s and New York Mets went back-and-forth to build their rosters in MLB's expansion draft. With their first pick, the second overall selection, the Mets took catcher Hobie Landrith. A fascinating selection because he was a career-long backup catcher already in his 30s, he’d appear in only 23 games for the Mets.

That’s because on June 7, 1962, Landrith was sent to the Baltimore Orioles as the player to be named later from a May trade the two teams executed. Unknowingly, the Mets had acquired one of their franchise-defining players that more than 60 years later continues to represent those dark days.

Marv Throneberry was the 1962 Mets and it secretly started at the expansion draft

It was Marv Throneberry, the only player in Mets history with the initials M.E.T., who came to New York in the deal for Landrith. A bit of a journeyman first baseman and occasional corner outfielder, he began his career as a member of the New York Yankees with one game in 1955 and none again until 1958 at the big league level. One plate appearances in the 1958 World Series helped give him a legitimate championship ring. He wouldn’t come close to experiencing the same thing with the Mets.

We can’t look at Throneberry’s 1962 season and come away with enough legitimate statistics to understand Throneberry’s impact. He hit 16 home runs and batted .244 for a 40-win team. It wasn’t horrific for the early 1960s when pitching was more prevalent. Batting just .143 in 1963 was more in line with the reputation Throneberry would eventually have.

Nicknamed “Marvelous Marv” and a quick fan favorite, he committed 17 errors at first base in 1962 in 779.1 innings. It led the league at the position even with only 97 games at the position. 

In the 1970s, Throneberry became a spokesperson for Miller Lite with self-deprecating humor leading the charge in the commercial’s content.

Perhaps his most famous on-field incident, that became the stuff of lore, took place on June 17 as part of a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs. He tripled, but was called out when the umpire said he failed to touch first base. The next hitter homered, but with Throneberry ruled out, the Mets had to suffer knowing how costly his mistake was. They lost 8-7. It came a more hilarious anectode because Thronberry allegedly didn't touch second base either.

Nobody realized that by taking Landrith with the first overall pick in the expansion draft the Mets had set themselves up with an ironic icon. Who better than Throneberry who embraced his own shortcomings to be the one for the job?