Our Mets Hall of Fame - Special Veterans Committee Election: Mid-Era Mets

[Cowtipper]

Here is your chance to elect those mid-era Mets who, for whatever reason, dropped off the Our Mets Hall of Fame ballot and are currently not on the regular Veteran's Committee ballot. Please read the following rules before casting your vote.

1) You may list up to ten Mets players who last played for the team between 1981 and 2000 that you believe should be in Our Mets Hall of Fame. They cannot have already been elected and must not be on the regular Veteran's Committee ballot. Therefore, along with those already elected, you may not vote for Bernard Gilkey, Mike Hampton, Rickey Henderson, Dave Magadan, Randy Myers, Joel Youngblood or Pat Zachry. Here is a list of those already elected.

2) Because the goal of this election is to, hopefully, elect those we have missed previously, blank ballots are not allowed. There are a few reasons for this measure, including the fact that blank ballots often carry too much weight in an election in which a relatively small number of members participate.

3) It is preferred that members in good standing who have participated in this project previously vote in this current election. It is open to anyone, but...

4) Suspect ballots can and will be disqualified if the poster cannot adequately explain his choices if called upon to do so. Therefore, single-name ballots with Kevin Roberson as the sole vote are not encouraged.

5) A player must receive at least 75% of the vote to be elected.

6) Voting will be open for 7 days and will end July 18 at 8:30 PM ET.

Here are some lists you may consider useful when making your decisions:

[B]The top players in each statistical category not in OMHOF, 1962-present:[/B]

Games

Dave	Magadan...701
George Foster...655
Doug 	Flynn...636
Jim Hickman...624
Joel Youngblood...610

At-Bats:

George Foster...2389
Doug	Flynn...2137
Dave	Magadan...2088
Joel Youngblood...1897
Jeff Kent...1831

Runs:		
			
GeorgeFoster...290
Dave	Magadan...275
Steve	Henderson...267
Bobby Bonilla...264
Gregg Jefferies...246

Hits		
			
Dave	Magadan...610
George Foster...602
Joel Youngblood...519
Steve Henderson...516
Jeff Kent...510

Doubles

Dave 	Magadan...110
Joel	Youngblood...108
Bobby Bonilla...98
Jeff Kent...98
Daniel Murphy...98

Triples

Steve	Henderson...31
Lance 	Johnson...27
Doug 	Flynn...26
Angel	Pagan...23
Joel Youngblood...18

Home Runs			
			
George	Foster...99
Bobby	Bonilla...95
Jeff	Kent...67
Jim	Hickman...60
Butch	Huskey...55

RBI	
			
George	Foster...361
Bobby	Bonilla...295
Jeff	Kent...267
Dave	Magadan...254
Steve Henderson...227

Stolen Bases
			
Roger 	Cedeno...105
Vince	Coleman...99
Frank 	Taveras...90
Angel	Pagan...87
Lance	Johnson...65

Walks

Dave	Magadan...347
Bobby	Bonilla...243
Steve	Henderson...203
Todd Zeile...191
George Foster...185

BA (Minimum 500 AB)

Lance	Johnson...0.326
Tommy	Davis...0.302
Rickey	Henderson...0.298
Paul	Lo Duca...0.297
Dave	Magadan...0.292
Daniel 	Murphy...0.293

Slg. (Minimum 500 AB)

Bobby	Bonilla...0.495
Rico	Brogna...0.495
Mike	Cameron...0.478
Benny	Agbayani...0.462
Bernard	Gilkey...0.461

OBP (Minimum 500 AB)

Rickey	Henderson...0.416
Dave	Magadan...0.391
Benny	Agbayani...0.372
Lance	Johnson...0.369
Luis	Castillo...0.366

Games 

Armando	Benitez...333
Aaron	Heilman...305
Jeff	Innis...288
Doug	Sisk...263
Dennis Cook...255

GS

Steve	Trachsel...160
Mike	Pelfrey...149
Jack	Fisher...133
Pat	Zachry...113
Jim McAndrew...105

IP

Steve	Trachsel...956.1
Jack	Fisher...931.2
Mike	Pelfrey...896.1
Pat	Zachry...741.2
Ed Lynch...730.1

Wins
		
Steve	Trachsel...66
Mike	Pelfrey...50
Pat	Zachry...41
John	Maine...39
Jack Fisher...38
Ed Lynch...38
Frank Viola...38

Strikeouts			
			
Steve 	Trachsel...580
Mike	Pelfrey...506
Oliver	Perez...494
Nolan	Ryan...493
Jack Fisher...475

CG			
			
Jack	Fisher...35
Pat	Zachry...20
Jim	McAndrew...19
Jay	Hook...16
Tracy	Stallard...16

Shutouts			
			
Pat	Zachry...6
Jim	McAndrew...6
Six	with...4

Saves		
			
Armando	Benitez...160
Francisco Rodriguez...83
Neil	Allen...69
Braden	Looper...57
Randy	Myers...56

ERA (Minimum 150 IP)

Jeff Reardon...2.65
Armando Benitez...2.70
Randy Myers...2.74
Bob Apodaca...2.86
R.A. Dickey...2.92

W% (Minimum 30 Dec.)

Dennis	Cook...0.658
Orlando	Hernandez...0.6
Dillon Gee...0.583
Pedro	Martinez...0.582
Bret	Saberhagen...0.58

[B]Unelected Mets All-Stars, 1981-2000[/B]

1981: Joel Youngblood
1990: Frank Viola
1991: Frank Viola
1993: Bobby Bonilla
1994: Bret Saberhagen
1995: Bobby Bonilla
1996: Lance Johnson

[B]Unelected Mets Award Winners, 1981-2000[/B]

Neil Allen: August 23, 1981 Player of the Week
Derek Bell: April 23, 2000 Player of the Week
Bobby Bonilla: May 30, 1994 Player of the Week
Bret Butler: JUly 23, 1995 Player of the Week
Octavio Dotel: July 25, 1999 Player of the Week
George Foster: May 8, 1983 Player of the Week
George Foster: June 8, 1986 Player of the Week
Mike Hampton: 2000 Silver Slugger
Gregg Jefferies: September 11, 1988 Player of the Week
Randy Jones: May 23, 1982 Player of the Week
Jeff Kent: April 18, 1994 Player of the Week
Dave Mlicki: June 27, 1997 Player of the Week
Bret Saberhagen: July 1994 Pitcher of the Month

[Cowtipper]

After some consideration, I think I’ll give George Foster a vote. Though he was past his prime when he joined the Mets—and he did not live up to the hype surrounding him—he did put together some impressive seasons nevertheless. He hit at least 20 home runs three times (only 11 Mets have done it, all the others have been elected) and drove in at least 75 RBI thrice as well. If elected, he would rank 13th among OMHOF members in home runs, between Carlos Delgado and John Milner. 16th in RBI and 19th in slugging percentage.

Among non-OMHOFers, he is first in at-bats, runs, home runs and RBI, second in games and hits and fifth in walks. He led the team in multiple categories in 1982 and 1983 and, even in his poor 1986, he contributed 13 home runs. Rusty Staub, in his book Few and Chosen, named him the fourth-best left fielder in team history.

Despite his unsavory demeanor, Bobby Bonilla should be in OMHOF as well if only because of what he did statistically. Among OMHOF members, he would rank in the top-10 in slugging percentage, the top-15 in home runs, on-base percentage and intentional walks and in the top-20 in batting average. His 128 OPS+ is the seventh-best all-time among Mets with at least 300 games logged in the team’s uniform and he slugged at least 20 home runs twice and over 30 dingers once. He was an All-Star with the team in 1993 and 1995, making him one of only a handful of players to earn two or more All-Star selections as a Met. He was a team leader in many categories and was on pace for arguably one of the best seasons in team history before being shipped off in 1995.

As a late addition, I would like to place Neil Allen on my ballot. I supported him throughout the regular elections and the VC elections and continue to support him.
__

If elected, Jeff Kent would be among to bottom-tier of OMHOFers—odd, considering Rusty Staub named him the best second baseman in Mets’ history. Among current members, he would be in the top-20 in only a handful of unexciting statistical categories, like sacrifice hits. That said, he does rank highly among all non-elected Mets in many categories, including home runs and RBI. Not only that, he has a decent accolade in a Player of the Week won in 1994 and he is one of only 18 Mets to have two 20 home runs seasons. All members of the aforementioned club have been elected, save for Kent, Bonilla and Foster. Had the strike not occurred in 1994, he may have a better argument—that year, he led the team in six major categories and would have definitely been able to add to his fairly weak counting stats. As it is, he didn’t have any seasons that were of great historical importance to the Mets, nor did he contribute to any playoff race, so I don’t think I’ll be voting for him.

I hold a similar opinion of Doug Flynn. He, too, was a very blasé player—an individual who, despite logging considerable playing time in a Mets’ uniform, didn’t do anything particularly notable. A 1970s/1980s version of Jim Hickman. He won a Gold Glove and was great defensively, but that’s about it.

[Cowtipper]

Giving this a bump for all interested parties.

[PVNICK]

as much as it pains me Benitez probably has the best #s of any "closer" so he gets my vote

Bonilla is a no go
Foster is possible

[Mongoose]

I vote for...

George Foster - Not as good as hoped but still good.
Doug Flynn - Still maybe the best fielding 2nd baseman I ever saw.
Ed Lynch - Pretty darned good. Funny when he told Mariano Duncan to "grab some pine".
Jeff Reardon - Was good.
Neil Allen - Was good.

I'd also vote for Magadan, Myers, Youngblood and Zachry, but they're already on the Veterans Committee ballot.

I reserve the right to edit this post based on any good argument someone might come up with for any other candidate.

on edit:

I'd like to add

Ed Glynn - The Flushing Flash. The only Mets concession worker ever to go from slinging hot dogs to slinging pitches. He lived the dream.
Kevin Mitchell - "World" was awesome and is the only Met from the bottom of the 10th who isn't already in OMHOF.
Shawon Dunston - The heart and soul of the 99 team.
Lance Johnson - Milladrive convinced me.


I'm open to arguments on everybody else.

[milladrive]

I'm sorry, Cowtipper. Can this be extended? I've been up to my armpits with work and BBF tasks that I didn't have a chance to participate. I'll understand if you wish to remain firm with rule #6, but I'm hoping it can be bent a little to allow guys like me and Joe Rigatoni (and anyone else who missed the deadline) to participate. Again, my apologies.

[Cowtipper]

Yeah, I'll let it go another week or so.

[Strawman]

My votes go to:

Doug Flynn - great fielder in a bad Mets era, a real bright spot around the bag - memorable for good reasons.

Ed Lynch - longtime lunchpail starter, pitcher with attitude far above his stuff - memorable for good reasons.

Dave Magadan - on the field for the division clincher in '86 (had big game at plate) and .292 hitter in 7 years with Mets - memorable for good reasons.

[Cowtipper]

as much as it pains me Benitez probably has the best #s of any "closer" so he gets my vote

Bonilla is a no go
Foster is possible

Benitez last played for the Mets in 2003, so he falls outside the scope of this election.

This might be useful to voters--here's a list of all the players that have made it onto, then fallen off, the main VC ballot, who fit the criteria listed above.

Rick Aguilera
Neil Allen
Bobby Bonilla
Doug Flynn
George Foster
Ron Gardenhire
Ed Glynn
Orel Hershiser
Gregg Jefferies
Kevin Mitchell
Juan Samuel
Rafael Santana
Doug Sisk
Tim Teufel
Frank Viola

Just as a note: Steve Henderson falls outside the scope of this election as well, as he last played for the Mets in 1980.

[milladrive]

Yeah, I'll let it go another week or so.

Much obliged, good sir.

[milladrive]

In no particular order....

George Foster: I've decided to give Foster a nod for being the Mets' first headline acquisition under the new ownership, and in a day when multi-million dollar signings were still new to the New York Mets. His 4½-year production while with the Mets didn't turn out to be what it was with the Big Red Machine (99 dingers, plenty of K's, and a 101 OPS+), but in 1982, we all had high hopes with the acquisition. I remember the running joke was that we had to pay extra for hot dogs in order to help pay his salary. In a time when the Mets were striving to come out of the darkness, trading for George Foster gave Met fans the light at the end of the tunnel they so needed. Indeed, he helped carry the team through the years the team needed to assemble their winner, being released in August 1986. Foster was a pivotal link from the darkness to the brightness and, imho, should be in OMHOF.

Bobby Bonilla: Much like Foster a decade earlier, Bonilla was a huge name in 1992 with fans' high hopes when he put on a Mets uniform. And, slightly like Foster, he didn't live up to his Pirate expectations while with the Mets. And like Foster, he was the face of the team for several years. And like Foster, in Bobby-Bo's five seasons with the team, he hit four fewer homers than George and struck out about as much. However, unlike Foster, Bonilla put up an extremely impressive OPS+ of 128. He gets my vote.

Doug Flynn: I won't blow my horn too loudy for Flynn. Many folks to this day consider his acquisition tainted by the Midnight Seaver Massacre. But then again, during the Mets' bleakest years, they surely could've had a worse secondbaseman than Flynn (1977-1981). Turns out, in their nearly 51-year history, Doug Flynn is the only Met secondbaseman to win a Gold Glove. I'd be just fine if he were enshrined in OMHOF.

Lance Johnson: Not much to say other than he had the best year and a half of his career with the Mets. Lots of speed, a .326 BA, and a 121 OPS+, the only time in his career he'd have a BA over .300 or an OPS+ over 100. If he gets inducted, I won't complain.

Frank Viola: Local boy makes good. Grew up in East Meadow, Long Island, but that's not why I'm listing him. In his three seasons with the Mets, he posted an ERA+ of 110, and in 1990 finished third in the Cy Yound Award voting. And, as of right now, Frank "Sweet Music" Viola is the last Met to win 20 games in a season (1990). Dickey may or may not do that this year, but 22 years is a long time between 20-game winners. I think Viola deserves induction.

--------------

As an aside, I had a whole write-up on Steve Henderson until I put two and two together and saw that his tenure with the team was 1977 through 1980, thus rendering him ineligible for this ballot. I do hope there'll eventually be ballots for those who last played in the years 1962-1980 and 2001-2012.

[Joe Rigatoni]

In no particular order:
Kevin Mitchell
Rick Aguilera
Doug Flynn
Lance Johnson
Frank Viola
Ed Glynn

[PVNICK]

Benitez last played for the Mets in 2003, so he falls outside the scope of this election.

This might be useful to voters--here's a list of all the players that have made it onto, then fallen off, the main VC ballot, who fit the criteria listed above.

Rick Aguilera
Neil Allen
Bobby Bonilla
Doug Flynn
George Foster
Ron Gardenhire
Ed Glynn
Orel Hershiser
Gregg Jefferies
Kevin Mitchell
Juan Samuel
Rafael Santana
Doug Sisk
Tim Teufel
Frank Viola

Just as a note: Steve Henderson falls outside the scope of this election as well, as he last played for the Mets in 1980.

From that list, so as not to be a churl and submit a blank ballot, I'll put in Flynn, Viola and Foster. It's not my project but it's too bad that participation is so light that a curmudgeon doing so would put a pox on anyone getting elected that did not meet his (or her) standards, effectively holdign everyone else hostage to them.

[Cowtipper]

I'm going to call this election over. We had six ballots, meaning a player needed five votes to earn induction. Before I announce the individual(s) who were elected, I'll do a rundown of those who were not: George Foster (66.67% of the vote), Lance Johnson and Frank Viola (50.00%), Neil Allen, Bobby Bonilla, Ed Glynn, Ed Lynch and Kevin Mitchell (33.33%) and Rick Aguilera, Shawon Dunston and Jeff Reardon (16.67%).

With that done, let's welcome the newest member to Our Mets Hall of Fame:

dougflynn80topps.jpg

[milladrive]

Congrats to welcome to Doug Flynn into OMHOF.

I'm actually surprised Foster didn't garner another vote, but with only six voters, there really wasn't much room for error. Perhaps one day he'll get his chance.