Ranking the 15 greatest Mets infielders in franchise history

The New York Mets are a franchise known for their pitching. After all, they have had seven Cy Young Award trophies come to Queens but not a single MVP winner.

While the bats might be a little underwhelming, there're definitely some great players who have been great players playing the infield.

The Mets might have a franchise-changing infielder on their hands currently locked up on a 10-year extension! Things are definitely looking up.

Who are the 15 greatest Mets infielders in franchise history?

15. Wally Backman

Wally Backman wasn't the flashiest player, but he got the job done. He held the role of the everyday second baseman from 1984-1986 and did quite well. He's someone that could be relied upon to get on base and added a speed element, stealing 30+ bases in 1984 and 1985.

Backman had his best season in 1986 season, slashing .320/.376/.385. He did only have one home run and 27 RBI, but he was just a great situational hitter. He'd do all the little things whether that's moving a runner over with a ground ball to the right side or dropping down a bunt.

His style of play might not be so prevalent in today's game but for the old days he was a great player. He peaked during the 1986 World Series, posting a .333/.429/.333 slash line in the series victory.

He might not be the best, but you can't tell the 1986 story without Wally Backman.

14. Ed Kranepool

Ed Kranepool is a pretty difficult player to rank. He played 18 seasons in the major leagues, all of them with the Mets. He's played 268 more games than the player who's played the second most games in franchise history.

With that in mind, it'd be expected that he'd be higher on this list but that's not the case. Kranepool is on the list solely due to his longevity with the franchise.

He's a career .261/.316/.377 hitter with 118 home runs and 614 RBI. Kranepool doesn't have these outstanding stats you'd expect from someone who played for 18 years mainly because he did a ton of pinch hitting.

Kranepool is third in franchise history in hits, fourth in doubles and ninth in runs.

He did win a World Series with the team in 1969 and was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1990.

13. Lucas Duda

Lucas Duda was one of the more frustrating players I've watched as a Mets fan. It seemed like pitchers either couldn't get him out or were striking him out every at-bat.

Even with the ups and downs, there is no denying that Duda is one of the 15 best infielders in franchise history. His 125 home runs as a Met put him eighth on the franchise's home run list.

He was a key piece on the 2015 National League Pennant winning team. Duda slashed .244/.352/.486 with 27 home runs and 73 RBI. There was one stretch of eight games in which Duda hit nine home runs and 12 RBI. He hit three in a game against the Padres and hit three in the pivotal three-game series in which the Mets swept the Nationals at Citi Field and tied them for first place in the division.

Duda's best offensive year came the year before. He had 30 home runs and 92 RBI with an .830 OPS. He also would hit 30 home runs in 2017 split between the Mets and Rays,

Duda will always be remembered in a pretty negative light due to his error in Game 5 of the World Series. That play obviously broke everyone's heart but should not take away the rest Duda accomplished in Queens.

12. Bud Harrelson

Like Wally Backman, Bud Harrelson was never known for his bat. He never hit more than one home run in a season. He never drove in more than 42 runs. His highest single season batting average was .258.

In his 13 years as a Met, he slashed .234/.324/.611. With all the pretty rough offensive years, Bud Harrelson still finds himself on this list. The reason for that is for his glove.

Harrelson is the all-time leader in defensive WAR in franchise history with 13.7. With his longevity, that allowed him to be fourth in games played, fourth in at bats, and seventh in hits.

Harrelson was a two-time all-star, in 1970 and 1971 respectively. Considering his .243 and .252 batting averages in those seasons, it's clear he made those all-star teams for his glove.

Harrelson was a member of the "Miracle Mets" as a player in 1969. He also was the third base coach on the 1986 World championship team. He might not be a star, but being involved with both World Series winning teams and playing 13 years in Queens definitely puts him on this list.

11. Rey Ordonez

Another player who is known a lot more for his glove than his bat is Ray Ordonez. In his seven years as a Met, Ordonez slashed .245/.290/.304 with eight home runs and 260 RBI. His 58 OPS+ shows he was nowhere near even an average hitter. And yet, he's a top 15 infielder in franchise history.

Ordonez was known for his glove during his time in the Major Leagues. With that said, things didn't always go smoothly for him. When he debuted in 1996, he committed a whopping 27 errors. In a time where there weren't many defensive metrics that anyone cared about other than errors, he was seen as more of a liability in the field which is crazy considering where his career ended up.

In each of his next three seasons Ordonez would win the National League Gold Glove award at shortstop. He committed just nine errors in 1997 and only four in 1999. Even with his 17 errors in 1998, Ordonez's reputation as one of if not the league's best defensive shortstop helped him win the award.

Ordonez would suffer a season ending injury in 2000 and would never win another Gold Glove again. With his bad bat and declining glove the Mets couldn't justify playing him every day again so he was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 2002 offseason.

Despite only playing seven seasons in Queens, Ordonez is third in defensive WAR with 10.2. He was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame this past season as well.

10. Carlos Delgado

Carlos Delgado's time in New York might've been limited, but he left his mark. In his three years (and 26 in year four, Delgado slashed .267/.351/.506 with 104 home runs and 336 RBI.

For his time in Queens Delgado was sandwiched in between Carlos Beltran and David Wright in the lineup and he made the most of it. For a franchise that has lacked power hitters, Delgado is one of the franchise's best.

From 2006-2008 Delgado averaged 33.3 home runs per season. Every time he went up to bat he was a threat. And there was nothing opposing teams could really do because one of Beltran or Wright was always hitting behind him so Delgado was often the one getting pitched to.

While the Mets underperformed and suffered a disappointing loss in the 2006 NLCS at the hands of the Cardinals, Delgado was not the reason why. He slashed .304/.448/.826 with three home runs and nine RBI in the seven game series. He slashed .351/.442/.557 in the entirety of those playoffs, his only playoff appearance in his borderline Hall of Fame career.

While Delgado never led the league in home runs as a Met, he's still one of the best power hitters the franchise has ever had.

9. Pete Alonso

This might seem high to some, but I truly believe it's where he belongs. Pete Alonso is already a top ten infielder in the Mets' 59 year history.

Like Delgado, Alonso is one of the better power hitters in franchise history, even with only three years of major league experience.

Alonso has slashed .256/.347/.542 with 106 home runs and 249 RBI in his three seasons. He was an All-Star in 2019 and has won two Home Run Derby titles.

In that historic 2019 season, Alonso slashed .260/.358/.583 with 53 home runs and 120 RBI. He shattered records in the Mets franchise and MLB record books. He won the National League Rookie of the Year award as well.

Alonso broke the Mets single-season home run record which was previously 41 shared by Carlos Beltran and Todd Hundley. Not only did he set the record, he did it in August. And topped it by 12. In his rookie season. Absolutely absurd season.

Not only did he set the Mets single season home run record, he set the MLB record for most home runs in a season for a rookie.

That rookie season was historic, but Alonso has continued to be great since. In the truncated 2020 season Alonso hit 16 home runs and this past season he hit 37. He was third in the National League with his 37 home runs.

Alonso is 9 right now, but will likely be much higher when all is said and done as he is only three years in and will likely be here a long time.

8. Daniel Murphy

Daniel Murphy would be on this list with or without his heroic 2015 postseason performance. In his seven years as a Met he slashed .288/.331/.424 with 62 home runs and 402 RBI. He was a National League All-Star in 2014 and was one of the more consistent hitters the Mets have had. He could consistently be relied upon to hit around .300.

Murphy is seventh in franchise history in batting, third in doubles, and 12th in hits. He was consistently playing on teams without much talent outside of David Wright so to be able to put up these kinds of numbers is impressive.

While most of his years in Queens were on bad teams, Murphy was integral to their 2015 World Series run. His 2015 postseason run was one of the best in baseball history. In the first two rounds of the playoffs, he hit .421 with seven home runs and 11 RBI.

He hit home runs in six straight postseason games, something nobody had ever done. He hit homers off the likes of Clayton Kershaw (twice), Zack Greinke, Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, and Kyle Hendricks. He was responsible for all three runs either by scoring or driving it in in a 3-2 win in Los Angeles in the winner take all Game 5 of the NLDS.

He had a rough World Series which is unfortunate but that obviously doesn't take away his performance in the first two rounds to even get them there. The NLCS MVP will always be remembered in a positive light for his time in Queens and is one of the best second basemen this franchise has had.

7. Robin Ventura

Robin Ventura is an example of a player who did not get enough credit in his day, but would get it now if he was playing.

His batting average might not be super high, but he got on base at an extremely impressive clip, hit for power, and was an outstanding third baseman defensively.

Ventura only played three seasons with the Mets but left his mark. In those seasons he slashed .260/.360/.444 with 77 home runs and 265 RBI.

His best season in Flushing came in 1999 when he slashed .301/.379/.529 with 32 home runs and 120 RBI. He finished sixth in the MVP voting and won his sixth and final Gold Glove.

His batting average declined the next two seasons in Queens, hanging in the .230's but he still got on base a lot and hit for power, posting a .358 and .359 OBP respectively with 20+ home runs in those seasons.

Ventura might not have been in New York for the longest time, but he did have one of the biggest hits in Mets history which is how he is remembered. In Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS against the Braves, Ventura hit the Grand Slam Single which kept the Mets in that series. They would lose the series, but that was just an extremely clutch moment from a very clutch player.

6. John Olerud

John Olerud is another player who only played in New York for three years but he was unbelievable during his time as a Met.

In his three seasons in New York, Olerud slashed .315/.425/.501 with 63 home runs and 291 RBI. As a first baseman Olerud didn't fit the classic mold of an all or nothing power hitter, but he was just an unbelievable player. He put the ball in play a ton and while not trying to hit home runs, 63 home runs in three seasons is not a small number.

In his tenure as a Met, Olerud walked 100 more times than he struck out, and is the franchise leader in batting average (.315), OBP (425), and OPS (.926.) In fact, Olerud never finished a season with an OBP below .400 which is mind boggling.

While Olerud was fantastic in all three seasons with the Mets, his 1998 season was something special. Olerud slashed .354/.447/.551 with 22 home runs and 93 RBI. The batting average and OBP are both single season Met records to this day that will be extremely hard to break.

While Olerud left one season before the Mets World Series run in 2000, he did come up big in the 1999 postseason. Olerud his .349 in that postseason with three home runs and 12 RBI. The Mets would go on to lose in the NLCS, but it was certainly not his fault.

4. Edgardo Alfonzo

Edgardo Alfonzo had eight of the more under appreciated years in Mets franchise history.

In those eight years, Alfonzo slashed .292/.367/.445 with 120 home runs and 538 RBI. His best season came in 2000 when he made his only all-star appearance and slashed .324/.425/.542 with 25 home runs and 94 RBI. Alfonzo had three seasons in which he received MVP votes, finishing as high as eighth in 1999. That was also the season he won his only Silver Slugger Award.

Alfonzo hit over .300 in four of his eight seasons with the Mets and did a little bit of everything. He was a key piece of the puzzle in the Mets success in the 1999 and 2000 seasons. He had 69 and 67 extra base hits in those seasons respectively, hitting over 40 doubles in both seasons.

Alfonzo is fourth in franchise history in WAR among position players, fifth in batting average, fifth in runs, and fifth in hits. He's in the top 10 in pretty much every major statistical category with the exception of home runs in which he is eleventh.

Fonzie came up with some clutch hits in the postseason as well in his career and ended up in the place he deserved, the Mets Hall of Fame.

3. Jose Reyes

The most electrifying player I've ever seen in a Mets uniform is Jose Reyes. Every time he would step onto a baseball field I expected something special to happen. Whether it was something with his speed, his power, or his arm, he was one of, if not the most exciting player to watch in my opinion.

Reyes spent 12 of his 16 seasons in New York slashing .282/.334/.427 with 145 home runs and 719 RBI. He was a key piece of the 2006 Mets and also the 2016 Mets. In that 2016 season Reyes came mid-season and lit a spark that helped the team even make the playoffs that season.

Reyes is best known for his ability to change a game on the base paths. His 408 stolen bases as a Met are over 100 more than second place Mookie Wilson. His 113 triples are over 50 more than second place Mookie Wilson. He'd turn singles into doubles, doubles into triples, and even triples into inside the park home runs.

Reyes won the team's only batting title when he hit .337 in the 2011 season. He also won the franchise's lone Silver Slugger Award for a shortstop in 2006, when he slashed .300/.354/.487 with 19 home runs and 81 RBI. He also stole 64 bases and hit 17 triples, both of which led the league.

Reyes definitely had his ups and downs on and off the field but there is no question he is the best shortstop in franchise history and one of the best players overall in Mets history.

2. Keith Hernandez

A guy who might be known by some more for his broadcasting than his on field play is Keith Hernandez. He's great in both roles but Keith Hernandez on the baseball field is hard to top.

The first captain in franchise history spent seven years as a Met and had an amazing run. He slashed .297/.387/.429 with 80 home runs and 468 RBI. Even though he didn't win an MVP on the Mets, he did finish second in 1984, slashing .311/.409/.449 with 15 home runs and 94 RBI. He took home a Silver Slugger Award, a Gold Glove, and was an all-star that season.

In his seven years as a Met he finished in the top 10 in the MVP voting three times, won five Gold Gloves, and made three all-star games. He was a guy who put the ball in play a ton, often walking more than he struck out, and was a guy who made everyone around him better. He was a great situational hitter, and was a huge reason the Mets had the success they did when Hernandez was on the team.

Even though he didn't necessarily put up great postseason numbers, the Mets don't make the playoffs let alone win the World Series without Hernandez in 1986.

Hernandez is the best first baseman in franchise history, and one of the more underrated first baseman in baseball history. Eleven Gold gloves, five all-star appearances, an MVP Award, Keith Hernandez should be strongly considered for Cooperstown.

1. David Wright

The best third baseman in franchise history, the best infielder in franchise history, and I believe the second best player in franchise history, is David Wright. Tom Seaver is The Franchise, but Wright is just about as close as you can get.

Wright's 14 year career included the greatest peak for a position player in franchise history. That peak included seven all-star teams, two Gold Gloves, and two Silver Sluggers. He slashed .296/.376/.491 with 242 home runs and 970 RBI.

Wright is the franchise leader in hits, RBI, runs, WAR, total bases, and pretty much every other meaningful offensive category other than home runs, a number he was just 10 away from tying. Had the injuries not occurred, Wright would be the leader in every offensive category and would likely have a case for Cooperstown, he was certainly projecting that way.

Wright was robbed of the MVP award in 2007, somehow finishing in fourth after slashed .325/.416/.546 with 30 home runs and 107 RBI. Wright also stole 34 bases, hit 42 doubles, and won a Gold Glove that season.

While the Mets collapsed in 2007 and 2008, Wright stepped up his play in September in both seasons. He had numerous big hits in the postseason including the first World Series home run at Citi Field in his first at bat.

Wright was chosen as the franchise's fourth captain and was the perfect man for the job. The class he played with and the person he is made him just the ultimate team player. It really is a shame the Mets had nothing around him for a lot of his career.

Wright grew up a Mets fan, played for the Mets and the Mets only, and will one day hopefully get a jersey retirement and a Mets Hall of Fame induction.