The Mets all-time Kryptonite starting lineup

The New York Mets have had a lot of big name players, a lot of hugely talented players, suit up for them in the orange and blue. And it was exciting to see them come…but…then…it became frustrating, and sometimes painful, to actually see them in a Mets uniform…and then we were thankful to see them go.

These players were all way better while wearing another uniform, and while sometimes you wish that they would be acquired by your team, it becomes the classic “be careful what you wish for” situation. And, well, sometimes things just don’t pan out.

The New York Mets had one of the best batteries to ever play the game…one for the ages. …two of the all-time greats. But they were both getting up there in age. And, actually, they were both a member of the team at the same time…in 1965. But it was a bit too late.

The Mets had a group of infielders that any team would love to put on the field. Before these players came to the Mets, they were All Stars…they were the star of their team. But with the Mets…something went bad. And there were some pretty damn good outfielders as well. Again...stars...stars that dimmed quickly once they put on a Mets uniform.

Pitcher Warren Spahn

Warren Spahn finished his career as the winningest left handed pitcher of all time-time. He may have been a bit long in the tooth, but there was no reason to think that he would be such a disaster with the Mets, since he really didn’t begin his ascent until much later in his career.

Spahn had won over 350 games before he came to the Mets with a career ERA of 3.05. He had tossed 374 complete games…63 of them shutouts.

But he was already 44 years old when he donned a Mets uniform and, well, it didn’t go well. Spahn would pitch in 20 games, 19 of them starts, and go 4-12 with a 4.36 ERA before he was unceremoniously released. However, before you go and think how bad he was, consider that the two leading pitchers on that 1965 team were Jack Fisher, who went 8-24 with a 3.94 ERA and Al Jackson, who went 8-20 with a 4.34 ERA. The Mets team ERA was 4.06 enroute to a 50-112 record.

As such, his time with the Mets made Spahn realize that his skills had greatly diminished. And it probably would not have changed the Mets fortunes anyway, right?