Recalling the first Silver Slugger season for Mike Piazza with the NY Mets

Few arrivals jolted the New York Mets to life like Mike Piazza in 1998. The franchise had spent much of the ’90s wobbling between mediocrity and hope, but once that mustachioed masher set foot in Queens, everything changed. Shea Stadium started to hum again, the Mets lineup suddenly looked dangerous with his thunderous right-handed swing at the center, and the organization rediscovered its pulse.

That same season, Piazza’s bat didn’t just earn cheers; it earned hardware. Despite joining the Mets a third of the way through the year, he still hit like a man trying to make up for lost time, securing his sixth Silver Slugger Award and his first in orange and blue. For fans, it wasn’t just a trophy; it was confirmation that the Mets were once again relevant, powered by baseball’s premier hitting catcher.

Mike Piazza’s 1998 Mets season reignited Queens and added another Silver Slugger to his legacy

When the Mets pulled the trigger on the Mike Piazza trade in late May of 1998, it wasn’t just a roster move—it was a declaration. The franchise, once caught between rebuilding and relevance, suddenly had a superstar again. Piazza arrived from the Marlins (by way of the Dodgers) like a comet cutting through the Queens skyline, and almost instantly, Shea Stadium began to buzz with belief. The Mets weren’t just getting a catcher; they were getting credibility.

Piazza’s bat did the rest. In only 109 games with the Mets that year, he hit .348 with a 1.028 OPS, slugging 23 home runs and driving in 76 runs. The numbers were loud, but his moments were even louder. His 200th career homer—a ninth-inning, three-run blast off Houston’s Billy Wagner on September 16—was one of those spine-tingling reminders that no deficit felt too deep when Piazza stepped up.

That season's performance earned him yet another Silver Slugger Award, his sixth straight overall and his first wearing Mets colors. It kicked off a stretch of five in Queens and ten consecutive in total, second only to Barry Bonds (12) in the award’s history. More than a personal accolade, though, Piazza’s 1998 Silver Slugger marked the moment the Mets turned the corner, when the swagger returned, the crowds believed, and the heart of New York baseball beat a little louder again.