The best Mets player to wear number 14

When thinking about New York Mets players who have worn number 14, none came to mind. Gil Hodges is the guy who is known for wearing number 14, but he's known for wearing it as the Mets manager. There have been three players who have worn the number. The first player to wear it was Ken Boyer who wore it for two seasons. The last player to wear it was Gil Hodges who played in a total of 65 games as a Met to end his illustrious career.

The best Met to have worn number 14 is Ron Swoboda.

Ron Swoboda is known for wearing number 4 as a Met, not 14. He made the play Mets fans know him for while wearing number 4 in the 1969 World Series. He wore 14 for the 1965 season, his first in the major leagues. While wearing the number he slashed .228/.291/.424 with 19 home runs and 50 RBI in 135 games played. The 19 home runs ended up being a career-high for Swoboda as he would never hit more than 13 in a season for the rest of his career.

Ron Swoboda is the best Mets player to wear number 14

Swoboda's numbers were not all that impressive, but with such a small number of players to choose from, he ended up being the best one. While Swoboda is the best player, the number is retired for Gil Hodges.

Hodges was a great player for the Dodgers, hitting 370 career home runs including nine with the Mets in his two seasons in Flushing as a player.

What he did as a player might not even be as impressive as what he did as a manager. He turned a team that went 73-89 the year prior into World Series champions as the Mets defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series.

Swoboda might be the best player to ever wear number 14, but Hodges is why that number is retired and will never be used again.