The Mets' Top 10 All-Stars in History

In Honor of All-Star Weekend, I have come up with a list of the Mets, just the Mets, Top 10 All Stars in the 50-year history of the franchise (with some honorable mentions of course) I will count the Top 10 in this post down Top 40 style, so let it begin!

10. David Wright- Wright, who is the current 3rd Basemen for the Mets Wright now (did you see what i did there), is making his case for the NL MVP this year. But in the last week of fan voting this year, Giants 3rd  Basemen Pablo Sandoval beat out Wright for the starting job for the NL by 1.6 Million votes. Mets fans were up in arms once they heard about Sandoval beating Wright arguing that Wright has had the better year and all that,but it really came down to Giants fans supporting their 3rd basemen more in the final weeks of voting. The stats are thrown out the door. Never mind that, This year is Wrights 6th appearence in a Met uniform, also having appearences in 2006, '07, '08, '09, '10, and now 2012. 

9.  Ed Kranepool- Even though he only did have 1 All-Star appearence (in 1965), Kranepool was apart of many other big things as a Met. For Starters, if you think Bryce Harper is young, think again. Kranepool made his MLB debut with the Mets in their debut season as an expansion team. He was 17 years old when he got the call-up in September of that dreadful season for the Mets. Kranepool went on to be one of the best Mets first basemens of all-time, and was a big part of that 1969 Miracle Mets team that won it all against all odds.

8. Keith Hernandez- Keith, who came to the Mets in a trade from the Cardinals in the offseason after the '83 season, helped the team who had not been good since '69, do a complete 180 turn. After almost losing 100 games in '83, The Mets almost won 100 games in '84. Keith made the All-Star team that year, the first as a Met of the 3 he would have ('86, '87). Now, in '84 the Mets would not make the postseason, but Keith was the one who ignited the spark that turned this team around.

7. Jerry Koosman- Koosman, who barely made it as a Met in 1966, came to be one of the Mets stars alongside Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan in the Mets rotation in the late 60s. He broke the rotation a '68, and was a star in '69, getting a 17-8 record. He pitched in game 5 of the World Series that the Mets eventually beat the Orioles that year. Koosman is also famous because he brought to Met fans a whole new vibe they had never seen before. He rembraced Tug McGraw's "Ya Gotta Believe" slogan and Yogi Berra's "it aint over til its over". This gave Met fans hope, something they had never had before. Appearences: 1968, 1969

6. Willie Mays-  The Say Hey Kid was not a Met for long, and he is famously a San Francisco Giant,  but Mays still has his mark in the Mets organization. After his time with the New York BASEBALL Giants, Mays remained popular in New York. Even though he was aged, when he came to the Mets there was a lot of buzz. Mays was apart of the 1973 Mets World Series team that lost to the Athletics in 7 games. Mays played a season and a half for the Mets from 1972 to 1973, He made the All-Star team both of those years, which is remarkable since he was 41 at the time



5. Dwight Gooden- Doc Gooden, as they often called him, was and still is one of the most famous Mets of all time.Gooden made his MLB debut with the Mets in 1984 at 19 years of age. He quickly became known as one of the most feared pitchers in the game, and played a key role, along with Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter, in the 1986 Amazin' Mets World Series winning team. He played his whole 10 year career with the Mets, from 1984 to 1994. His career would have been longer but he was suspended the whole 1995 season after testing positive for cocaine use. He then retired from baseball forever, but is still a drug mess. Appearences: 1984-86, 1988.

4. Gary Carter- "The Kid" shows up at 4 on our list, and I don't think much has to be said about him. But I will anyway. Carter made a splash in his 1985 debut for the Mets after being traded from the Expos in the offseason after '84. Carter hit a 10th Inning Homer to give the Mets a win over rival the St. Louis Cardinals on Opening in 1985, a nice first impression. His youthful atmosphere spirited the locker room and gave the mets that push they needed to win the World Series in 1986 over the Red Sox. Carter made 4 consecutive All-Star appearences for the Mets from 1985-1988. Sadly All was not well for Carter after his career ended. He was diagnosed with a gyroblastomia tumor and cancer in his brain in 2011. Carter got extensive treatment and chemotherapy on the cancer, but sadly, Cancer won the battle as he died on February 16, 2012, only at the Age of 57.

3. Darryl Strawberry- "Straw" as they called him, you can make an argument for as the Best Met ever. (eventually you will lose though because it is Tom Seaver) Strawberry made his debut with the Mets in 1983, and made his case why he was here to stay. His rare ability (at least in those days) to be able to hit 35-35 guy made him a very valuble asset, especially on the World Champion '86 team. Strawberry was very popular in New York during his prime, but as he declined in numbers, so did his mentalb stability. He was also Suspended in 1995 for his usage of cocaine. After that though, he was a big part, along with Dwight Gooden, a part of the 1996 World Series Champion Yankees club. He also help them in '98 and '99 to win the World Series. Appearences: 1984-90 (7 appearences)

2. Mike Piazza- The main piece in "The Best New York Mets Trade Ever" on May 22, 2012. The Mets traded for Pizza in exchange for Preston Wilson, Ed Yarnell, and Geoff Geotz. Let's just say we got the better part of that trade. Piazza helped us make consecutive playoff appearences for the 1st time ever in  1999 and 2000 (where we lost to the Yankees in the World Series). Piazza was known a little bit for his temper, as shown in his famous broken bat incident with Roger Clemens during the playoffs of 2000. In 2001, he gave back to the city of New York, as 10 days after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centers, He homered in the 10th inning of  home game, and gave the Mets the win, and winning for the city. He went on the play very productive years for the Mets until after 2005, when he was not re-signed with the Mets, and went and signed with the Padres. His Number is one of the 4 retired on the "Great Wall of Flushing" in left field of Citi Field. Appearences: 1998- '02, 2004-'05 (7 appearences)

1. Tom Seaver, THE BEST MET EVER, is number 1 on our list Terrific Tom was the biggest part in turning the once dreadful club from 1962-1968 into a contender. His mix of speeds and how he controlled his pitches was so sought out for in those days by scouts, once the Mets heard about it, they jumped at the chance to get him. He proved the scouts right, as he was the captain and leader on the squad. His leadership rewarded him with the Mets turning it around in '69....and well you know the story. Tom's number is one of  4 out on the "Great Wall Of Flushing" in left field in the Mets ballpark, Citi field. Tom has sealed his place in Mets fans' hearts for life and will always be....well Terrific Appearences: 1967- 73, 1975-76 (9 appearences)

R.I.P Gary "The Kid" Carter #8. Never Forget Jose Reyes.





Willie Mays