The best Mets player to wear number 8

The best New York Mets player who has ever worn the number 8 is an obvious one, it's Gary Carter. The Mets acquired Carter with their eyes on winning a World Series. With Carter, they were getting a proven player. He was already a seven-time all-star with the Expos. He had won three Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers. He was one of the best players in the game.

They had just acquired Keith Hernandez, they had Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry helping to lead the way for a Mets team that was trying to win now. Carter made an immediate impact by hitting a walk-off home run in his first-ever game as a Met. He went on to hit 32 home runs in the 1985 season driving in 100 runs. He was an all-star and won another Silver Slugger.

Gary Carter is the best Mets player to wear number 8

The Mets came up just short of the postseason that season but did win the 1986 World Series with Carter serving as a key contributor. He was an all-star, won another Silver Slugger, and finished third in the National League MVP balloting. He then hit two more home runs with nine RBI in the World Series to help the Mets beat the Red Sox.

Carter slashed .249/.319/.412 with 89 home runs and 349 RBI as a Met. His offensive numbers took a bit of a hit in the last three seasons as he was on the decline, but his defense was still sharp, even if it wasn't quite Gold Glove-caliber as it was in Montreal.

Carter only played five seasons in Flushing but his impact was felt. He was one of the best players on a World Series team and is the second best catcher in the history of this franchise.

The Mets gave out his number 8 to three different players since Carter hung up his spikes; Dave Gallagher, Carlos Baerga, and Desi Relaford. Relaford is the last Met to wear number 8 and that was in the 2001 season. They will likely never give that number out again, and for good reason.