The Best Players in New York Mets History, Position by Position
An all-time New York Mets lineup, rotation and closer built from club career numbers, award winners and Hall of Famers, with the rules stated up front and the close calls argued honestly.
The Mets are a young franchise with an unusual problem: their best pitchers are far better known than their best hitters, and their best position players tend to have either a long, solid career in Queens or a short, famous one. The club began play in 1962 with a 40-120 season, won the World Series in 1969 and 1986, and has had seven Cy Young Award seasons and six Rookie of the Year winners. That is a lot of hardware for a team with a career record of 4,899 wins and 5,227 losses through the 2025 season.
This article builds a nine-man lineup, a five-man rotation and a closer from those 64 seasons. Every number counts only what the player did in a Mets uniform, taken from the historical record through 2025. The historical record has no WAR and no defensive metrics, so the picks rest on production, tenure, awards and the way each player fits a position, and I will mark the places where that leaves a choice on soft ground.
The rules for this team
I used four tests, in order. The first was production with the club: batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, plus the totals that show how long the production lasted. The second was peak and honors: Most Valuable Player, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards, and championships when a player was central to one. The third was position fit, meaning I assign players to the position they mostly played for the Mets rather than shuffling them to fit. The fourth was tenure, because a franchise record over twelve years says more than one over three.
Two limits are worth stating plainly. First, a player's years elsewhere do not count. Tom Glavine, Nolan Ryan, Gary Carter and Pedro Martinez are Hall of Famers who each spent at least four seasons with the Mets, and none of them is on this team by the numbers, because their stamp is on other clubs. Second, defence is invisible. A shortstop's range, a catcher's arm and an outfielder's route all count for something real and none of it is in the database.
Eras matter too. The Mets' history runs from the low-scoring 1960s through the high-offence years around 2000, and a .296 average does not mean the same thing in each. I will mention it where it affects a pick.
Catcher: Mike Piazza
Mike Piazza is the pick, and the margin is wide. In eight seasons from 1998 to 2005 he hit .296 with a .373 on-base percentage and a .542 slugging percentage, 220 home runs and 655 runs batted in in 972 games. Those totals put him fourth in club history in both home runs and runs batted in, even though he played fewer games than most of the names around him. He is a Hall of Famer, and the rate stats are the reason.
The challenger is Gary Carter, who is also in the Hall of Fame and spent five seasons with the Mets, 1985 to 1989, on the 1986 championship team. His Mets line, .249 with 89 home runs and 349 runs batted in in 600 games, is nowhere near Piazza's, and since the defensive case cannot be measured here, the lineup spot has to be earned by the bat. Carter's value was real, but Piazza's rates make the choice easy.
First base: Keith Hernandez, with Pete Alonso at designated hitter
This is where the team has the most interesting overlap. Pete Alonso is the franchise's career home-run leader, with 264 from 2019 to 2025, ahead of Darryl Strawberry's 252 and David Wright's 242. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 2019, drove in 712 runs over seven seasons and posted a .516 slugging percentage. But his average is .253, and his on-base percentage is .341.
Keith Hernandez played seven seasons, 1983 to 1989, and hit .297, the best career batting average among Mets with 3,000 at-bats, with a .387 on-base percentage and 471 walks in 880 games. His power was modest, 80 home runs, and his case is partly defensive, which I can only acknowledge. I put Hernandez at first on the strength of his on-base skill and rate stats, and I place Alonso at designated hitter, where his bat carries the weight and his glove does not enter the argument. A reader who prefers to put Alonso at first and use Hernandez at the bench is not wrong.
One note on that designated hitter slot: the National League did not use one for most of the Mets' history. It is a convenience of the all-time exercise, not a statement about who would have played there.
Second base: Edgardo Alfonzo
Second base has no star, which is itself informative. Edgardo Alfonzo played eight seasons, 1995 to 2002, hit .292 with a .367 on-base percentage and a .445 slugging percentage, collected 1,136 hits and scored 614 runs. He is the steady choice, and he sits in the top ten in several club categories without leading any.
The alternatives are Daniel Murphy (.288, 967 hits in seven seasons) and Jeff Kent, a Hall of Famer (elected in December 2025) who played five seasons for the club, 1992 to 1996. Kent's best years came elsewhere, including his Most Valuable Player season of 2000 with the Giants. Alfonzo's edge is consistency over eight seasons, and he gets the spot because of it.
Shortstop: Jose Reyes
Jose Reyes played 12 seasons for the Mets between 2003 and 2018. He collected 1,534 hits, the second-highest total in club history, scored 885 runs and stole 408 bases, which is the franchise record by 127 over the next man, Mookie Wilson. His line is .282 with a .334 on-base percentage and a .433 slugging percentage, and the on-base number is the weak spot.
The modern alternative is Francisco Lindor, who in five seasons from 2021 to 2025 hit .261 with 141 home runs and 117 stolen bases, with a .462 slugging percentage. He has the better power, and he is the choice for a team that cares more about slug than speed. I take Reyes on tenure and the franchise record in steals, with the honest caveat that a five-year sample is short and Lindor's case will grow.
Third base: David Wright
David Wright is the easiest decision on the diamond, and the most complete. He played 14 seasons, 2004 to 2018, and is the Mets' career leader in hits (1,777), runs (949), runs batted in (970) and walks (762). He hit 242 home runs and 390 doubles, stole 196 bases, and posted a .296 average, a .376 on-base percentage and a .491 slugging percentage. Nobody in franchise history has been so close to the center of every list.
There is a natural caution: injuries shortened the end of Wright's career, so the totals could have been larger. Even so, across 14 seasons he produced more than anyone else at any position in the club's history.
Left field: Cleon Jones
Cleon Jones played for the Mets from 1963 to 1975, 12 seasons in all, and compiled 1,188 hits, the fourth-highest in club history, along with 93 home runs, 521 runs batted in and a .281 average. He was the left fielder for the 1969 champions, the first Mets team to win a pennant. By modern standards the production is modest. By the standards of a young franchise that lost 100 games in each of its first four seasons, it is substantial.
This is the thinnest position on the team, and the choice rests on tenure and on his place in the 1969 title rather than on a standout rate line. I am not moving a right fielder or a center fielder over to cover left, so Jones keeps the spot by default as much as by merit.
Center field: Carlos Beltran
Carlos Beltran played seven seasons for the Mets, 2005 to 2011, hit .280 with a .369 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage, with 149 home runs, 559 runs batted in and 100 stolen bases in 839 games. That is a strong all-around line: power, patience and speed in one center fielder.
Two bench names compete. Mookie Wilson stole 281 bases in 10 seasons and is second in club history, but his line, .276, .318 and .394, is light on power and walks. Lenny Dykstra, a 1986 center fielder for five seasons, hit .278 with 116 steals. Beltran's rates are better, and his seven-season run is long enough to count.
Right field: Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Strawberry won the 1983 Rookie of the Year award and then spent seven more seasons as the club's biggest power threat. In eight seasons, 1983 to 1990, he hit 252 home runs, drove in 733 runs, stole 191 bases and drew 580 walks, with a .263 average, a .359 on-base percentage and a .520 slugging percentage. His 252 home runs are second in club history, behind only Alonso, and he was a central bat in the 1986 championship lineup.
The average is the least impressive part of his line, and it is a reminder that his value came from power and walks. Howard Johnson, who hit 192 home runs and stole 202 bases in nine seasons, is a worthwhile bench alternative, as is Brandon Nimmo (.262 with 524 walks in ten seasons).
The lineup at a glance
| Position | Player | Seasons with the Mets | Key line with the club |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Mike Piazza | 1998-2005 | .296, 220 HR, 655 RBI |
| 1B | Keith Hernandez | 1983-1989 | .297, .387 OBP, 471 BB |
| 2B | Edgardo Alfonzo | 1995-2002 | .292, 1,136 H, 614 R |
| SS | Jose Reyes | 2003-2018 | .282, 1,534 H, 408 SB |
| 3B | David Wright | 2004-2018 | .296, 242 HR, 970 RBI |
| LF | Cleon Jones | 1963-1975 | .281, 1,188 H, 93 HR |
| CF | Carlos Beltran | 2005-2011 | .280, 149 HR, 100 SB |
| RF | Darryl Strawberry | 1983-1990 | .263, 252 HR, 733 RBI |
| DH | Pete Alonso | 2019-2025 | .253, 264 HR, 712 RBI |
The bench: Gary Carter, Francisco Lindor, Mookie Wilson, Howard Johnson, Daniel Murphy, Lenny Dykstra and Brandon Nimmo.
The rotation: Seaver, deGrom, Gooden, Koosman and Cone
The Mets' pitching is the reason the franchise has any claim to an all-time team that stands comparison with anyone's. The starters are easier to pick than the hitters, and the statistics are consistent: lower earned run averages, higher strikeout totals and more awards.
Tom Seaver leads the list without argument. From 1967 to 1983 he won 198 games with a 2.57 earned run average, 2,541 strikeouts and 44 shutouts, which is not close to any other Met. He was the 1967 Rookie of the Year and won the Cy Young Award in 1969, 1973 and 1975. He is the club's career leader in wins, strikeouts and shutouts, and his 12 seasons are the most any Hall of Famer has given the franchise.
Jacob deGrom is the next name, on rate. In nine seasons from 2014 to 2022 he went 82-57 with a 2.52 earned run average, 1,607 strikeouts and the Rookie of the Year award in 2014, then won consecutive Cy Young Awards in 2018 and 2019. His 2018 season, 10-9 with a 1.70 earned run average over 217 innings, is a useful lesson in why wins mislead: a pitcher can be superb and still end up with a nearly even record when his offence does not score. Among Mets with at least 1,000 innings, deGrom has the lowest career earned run average, 2.52, five hundredths ahead of Seaver's 2.57.
Dwight Gooden won the Rookie of the Year award in 1984 and the Cy Young Award in 1985, when he went 24-4 with a 1.53 earned run average and 268 strikeouts in 276.2 innings. Among pitchers with 150 innings, the historical record shows only Bob Gibson in 1968 with a lower season earned run average since 1920. For the club he won 157 games with a 3.10 earned run average and 1,875 strikeouts in 11 seasons. The pace he set early could not be held, but it was a peak few pitchers have reached.
Jerry Koosman pitched 12 seasons, 1967 to 1978, winning 140 games with a 3.09 earned run average, 1,799 strikeouts and 26 shutouts. His record, 140-137, is an even one for a pitcher with a 3.09 earned run average, which says something about the clubs behind him. He was a starter on the 1969 championship staff alongside Seaver.
David Cone gets the fifth spot, narrowly. Over seven seasons with the Mets, split between 1987 to 1992 and 2003, he went 81-51 with a 3.13 earned run average, 1,172 strikeouts and 15 shutouts. Jon Matlack (82-81, 3.03, 26 shutouts, Rookie of the Year in 1972) and Al Leiter (95-67, 3.42) are good alternatives. R. A. Dickey won the 2012 Cy Young Award but spent only three seasons with the club, going 39-28 with a 2.95 earned run average.
The closer: John Franco
John Franco saved 276 games from 1990 to 2004 and appeared in 695 games, both club records. The next-best saves totals are Armando Benitez's 160 and Edwin Diaz's 144, so the margin is large. His earned run average with the club was 3.10, in 702.2 innings over 14 seasons. A caution applies to all closers: the save measures a role, and Franco's totals reflect his longevity as much as his dominance.
Why the pitching list has more stars than the hitting list
Take a step back and look at the totals. The club's career leader in hits is Wright with 1,777, and the fourth name on that list, Cleon Jones, has 1,188. The Red Sox leader, Carl Yastrzemski, has 3,419. Part of the gap is simply age: the Mets have played 64 seasons against 125 for Boston. Part of it is that the Mets' hitting leaders are spread across many players, with Wright the only man to top the lists for hits, runs, runs batted in and walks together.
The pitching list has a different shape. Seaver, Gooden, Koosman and deGrom each put up large strikeout totals and low earned run averages across a decade or more, and Seaver, Gooden and deGrom account for six of the seven Cy Young seasons in club history. A fan arguing about the Mets' best team is therefore arguing about a roster where the pitching is clearly stronger than the offence, and that fits the club's story: the 1969 and 1986 champions were built on strong pitching and timely hitting, not on a lineup of superstars. For a look at a division rival's story, read the history of the Atlanta Braves.
Common questions
Is Mike Piazza really better than Gary Carter? By the Mets numbers, yes, easily. Carter was on the 1986 champions and is a Hall of Famer, but he hit .249 for the club against Piazza's .296 and posted far lower power numbers.
Why is Jose Reyes at shortstop over Francisco Lindor? Tenure and totals. Reyes played 12 seasons and holds the steals record. Lindor has played five, and his rates are good but his sample is shorter.
Where are Nolan Ryan and Tom Glavine? They spent four or five seasons with the Mets and are Hall of Famers, but their best seasons came with other clubs and the numbers here count only what they did for the Mets.
Why is left field the weakest spot? Because the strongest hitters on the club's lists, Strawberry, Beltran and Alonso, are placed at other positions, and Cleon Jones's numbers are solid rather than spectacular.
Do active players count? Yes, through the 2025 season. Anyone still adding to a career line, Alonso, Lindor and Nimmo included, can move up these lists later, so check the current leaders on the club page.
Where to go next
Read the story behind these players in the history of the New York Mets, then compare the best years in the best New York Mets seasons and every October run. The park that shaped the later hitters is covered in the Citi Field guide, and you can follow the club live on the New York Mets team page or see the Citi Field page. For how the club's two championships fit the bigger picture, see the history of the World Series.