Home run power has rarely been a main component of New York Mets baseball. Perhaps because of this they also haven’t had more than one player lead the league in striking out at the plate. The two, unfortunately, go together like political promises and lies. In Mets history, only one person has ever accomplished the feat of leading the league in strikeouts. He did it in back-to-back seasons and luckily it did come with power.
In 1981 and 1982, no National League player struck out more than Dave Kingman. A reputation for being an all-or-nothing type of player, he lived up to it to the extreme.
Dave Kingman is still the only Mets player to ever lead the NL in strikeouts
The 1981 season was shortened with teams playing just over 100 games. Kingman played in 100 of the 105 games the Mets would suit up for.
It was Kingman’s first year back with the Mets following his 1977 trade to the San Diego Padres. He bounced around with several teams, striking out 131 times with the 1979 Chicago Cubs to secure his first time leading the league in punchouts.
With that came a league-high 48 home runs as well. The Mets were willing to accept the strikeouts if it came with home runs. He hit 22 in 1981 with 105 strikeouts. The home runs didn’t lead the league. The strike three calls did.
A year later, in 149 games during a full season of MLB action, Kingman set a new personal high with 156 strikeouts. He added 37 home runs, more than anyone else in the NL.
The home run total matched how many he hit for the Mets in 1976 to set a new franchise single-season record. 37 home runs stood as the high for any Mets player until Darryl Strawberry smacked 39 in 1987. Kingman’s 156 strikeouts in 1982 tied a record set by Tommie Agee in 1970. David Wright broke that in 2010 with 161 punchouts.
Kingman’s legacy remains dedicated to his home run and strikeout prowess. As the first Mets player to lead the league in homers and still the only to have more strikeouts than any other NL player, it’s intact.
