New York Mets | narcissism

Opening Day Roster:

Enough magic dust remained from their "miracle" championship in 1969 for the Mets to win the NL pennant again in 1973. After a 91-loss season in 1974, they were competitive again the next couple of years, winning 82 games in 1975 and 86 in 1976. A significant number of players from the 1973 pennant (and even a few from the 1969 championship) remained on the roster entering 1977, so there seemed to be reason for optimism in Queens. But, mired in last place on June 15, ownership lowered the boom - they traded Tom Seaver, the heart and soul of the team, to Cincinnati for four young, relatively untested players. Although each (Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson and Dan Norman) would eventually contribute something to the team, they could not replace Seaver on the field, in the clubhouse, or in the hearts of Mets fans.

Entering 1978, the team had also parted ways with 1973 veterans Jon Matlack, Felix Millan, John Milner and Bud Harrelson. So, expectations were probably low. As it turned out they probably weren't low enough. Joe Torre went into the season (his first full year as a manager) knowing that although pitching had always been a team strength, he needed to somehow cobble together a rotation. He did think, however, that with the addition of Willie Montanez and Elliott Maddox, and the maturation of a few younger players, hitting wouldn't be too great a problem. Well, wrong he was. They were the lowest scoring and weakest hitting team in the league through early May, and wound up near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories at the end of the season. They crashed to a 66-96 record and finished last, 24 games behind the Phillies.

In the minors, Wally Backman was at A Lynchburg, future closer Jeff Reardon was at AA Jackson, and the man who almost single-handedly kept the Mets from the 1986 NL pennant, Mike Scott, was at AAA Tidewater.

Future Hall of Famer Joe Torre entered his first full season as manager. His coaches were Phil Cavarretta for the hitters, Rube Walker for the pitchers, Joe Pignatano in the bullpen, Dal Maxvill at 3rd, Denny Sommers at 1st, and Willie Mays.

Mike Bruhert, SP:

Seven years of labor in the Mets' farm system paid off for Mike in 1978 when he went north as a member of the starting rotation. He made his major league debut on April 9 against the Expos going 6 innings, giving up 8 hits and 3 runs, and taking the loss. He'd start another 21 games in 1978 (around a trip to Tidewater from June 27 through July 19), including a 4-hit shutout in Philadelphia on September 17. He wound up with a 4-11 record, and his appearance on September 29 in Chicago in which he went 4 innings, giving up 8 hits and 5 runs, earning a no decision, was his last in the majors.

Jerry Koosman, SP:

1978 was Jerry's 11th season in the Mets' rotation. He had won 21 in 1976, and then lost 20 in 1977. In 1978, he was a hard-luck 3-15, but he did lead the team with 160 strikeouts and had one of the better ERAs in the rotation at 3.75. Mid-year, he openly lamented the repeated mental mistakes being made by the young club - missing cut-off men, missing signs, etc. On April 11 against the Cubs, he threw at Rick Reuschel and was ejected and fined $50. As the season wound down, he was talked of as a possible relief candidate for 1979, but he was traded to the Twins in December (for whom he won 20 in 1979).

Pat Zachry, SP:

As the lone pitcher acquired by the Mets in the Seaver deal, Pat faced great expectations from Mets fans and himself. In 1978, his first full season in New York, he started off 10-3 (good enough to be selected as the team's lone all star), and hurled a 2-hit shutout in St. Louis on April 19, In July, he lost 3 straight starts, and then suffered a bruised foot on July 24 which was later diagnosed as a hairline fracture. He was placed on the DL on August 1, and missed the rest of the year.

Butch Metzger, RP:

The 1976 NL co-Rookie of the Year when he was with the Padres (with Met teammate Pat Zachry) was on his way out when he stopped in New York in 1978. In 25 relief appearances, he posted a 1-3 record, and a 6.51 ERA. His final major league appearance came on June 28 in Chicago - he threw the final third of an inning and got knocked around, taking the loss. He was sold the Phillies on Juy 4.

Paul Siebert, RP:

In 9 appearances through the end of May, Paul maintained a 1.08 ERA. Then things went south. Through his next 14 appearances, his ERA balooned to 5.32 and he had particular trouble with lefties, which is why he was in the pen to begin with. So, on July 19, he was shipped to Tidewater in exchange for Mike Bruhert. He was called back in September, and got into another 4 games, including his final big league appearance on September 24 against the Phillies - he threw 1.2 scoreless innings in relief of Nino Espinosa.

Nino Espinosa, SP:

Nino started 32 games in 1978. On the one hand, his 11 wins were the best on the team. On the other, his 15 losses tied with Jerry Koosman for most on the team. On June 11 he threw a 4-hit shutout against Montreal. After one more year in Queens, in which he went 14-12, he pitched for the 1980 champion Phillies (although he didn't see any post-season action).

Craig Swan, SP:

Craig entered 1978 as a perennial pitching disappointment - he had skills, but so far hadn't put together anything resembling a successful season. He got off to a good start - in his first start on April 10 he threw a 5-hit shutout against the Cubs. Though he had a hard time gaining wins the rest of the way, it wasn't because of poor pitching on his part - his ERA was unexpectedly excellent all year, and he finished at 2.43, the best in the league. He was forced to miss 2 weeks in June and then again in September with flare-ups of gastro-enteritis.

Mardie Cornejo, RP:

Mardie made his MLB debut on April 8 against the Expos - he pitched the final two innings of the game, struck out 3, and earned the win. He got off to a good start - a 3-0 record with a save and good ERA. He tailed off in May and on the 21st was sent to Tidewater. He was recalled in September, and actually pitched well in the last month - he earned another win and a save, and lowered his pre-demotion ERA by more than a run. His final major league appearance came on September 29 in Chicago when he threw two innings of scoreless relief.

Bob Myrick, RP:

Bob made 17 relief appearances, earning an 0-3 record, before being sent to Tidewater on May 19 in exchange for Kevin Kobel. His final major league appearance was a 2 1/3 inning stint against the Braves on May 18.

Skip Lockwood, CL:

The veteran journeyman served as the Mets' closer in 1978. In that role, he finished out 40 games, earning 15 saves to go with a 7-13 record and 3.57 ERA. In 90.2 innings, he struck out 73 and walked only 31. During one stretch of 6 appearances in July, he earned 5 saves. Still, he frustrated Torre, who complained he was concentrating too much on the future and trying out new pitches. He told him to stick with the cross seam fastball that had been effective for him and be concerned about today's game. For most of September, Skip was sidelined with a bad shoulder and pulled groin.

Ron Hodges, C:

Ron had a steady, if relatively sedentary, gig as the Mets' back-up catcher from 1973 through 1984, most of that time playing behind John Stearns. He rarely appeared in many games, getting into just 47 in 1978. In that limited action he hit .255 and drove in only 7 runs.

Doug Flynn, IF:

Doug was acquired from Cincinnati as part of the deal for Tom Seaver in 1977. Handed the starting job at second during spring training, he was one of the top fielding players at his position and, with Tim Foli at short, gave the Mets one of the best DP combinations in the game. He moved to short when Foli was on the DL in April and May. His defensive contributions more than made up for his lackluster offensive numbers - a .237 average with 36 RBI. Heading into the off-season, Torre made it a point to say that Doug was the only Met he wouldn't consider trading.

Willie Montanez, IF:

Willie was acquired from the Braves as part of a massive 4-team deal in December, 1977. Torre pushed to have him included in the deal because he felt he would add pop to a weak lineup. He got off to a very slow start - as of May 2, he was hitting only .190 with 6 RBI and 2 HR. He got better as the year went on and finished as the team leader in both HR (17) and RBI (96), with a middling average of .256. Montanez had a reputation as a hot dog - his HR trot had him slow down before each base, and then pounce on it. He started all but 4 games at first.

Bobby Valentine, IF:

Bobby was an all-purpose infield reserve for the Mets in 1978. He asked to get some workouts at second during spring training, and it was a good thing. When Tim Foli was on the DL in April and May, Doug Flynn moved to short, and Bobby took over second. Despite batting over .300 during this time, he was relegated to reserve duty when Foli came back and Flynn shifted back to second. In 69 games at 2nd, 3rd and as a pinch-hitter, he hit .269 with 18 RBI.

Bruce Boisclair, OF:

As a general-purpose outfield reserve, Bruce saw action at all three positions, but principally in right (where he filled in when Maddox played third) and in left. He hit just .224 with just 4 HR and 15 RBI. After several years of trying to break into the Mets' lineup on a regular basis, he would see his last major league action in 1979.

John Stearns, C:

John's best season came in 1978 - in 143 games, he hit .264, had 15 HRs and 73 RBI, all among the best on the team. His 25 stolen bases led the team, and set a record for National League catchers. Torre said he was on his way to becoming one of the best catchers in the league. He was certainly outspoken. In early April he commented that the team had more unity than in previous years, with "no more superstar pitchers doing their own thing" (Mr. Seaver, call your office) and with "No more Dave Kingman getting into his own thing". At season's end, he complained about how horrendous the Mets were, adding it wasn't Torre's fault.

Tim Foli, IF:

Acquired from the Giants before the season, Tim took over for the departed Bud Harrelson as the Mets' starting shortstop for 1978. In late April, Phil Garner slid into him in a play at second, resulting in a torn ligament in his left knee. As a result, Tim was on the DL from April 26 through May 22. Together with Doug Flynn, Tim gave the Mets one of the best DP combinations in the leauge, despite 18 errors, most on wild throws. At the plate, he hit .257 with 27 RBI. Traded to Pittsburgh a few games into the 1979 season, he was the Pirates' shortstop as they won their "We-Are-Family" championship.

Len Randle, IF:

The Mets had hoped Lenny would be able to give them the first long-term third baseman they ever had. 1978 started with him announcing his intent to retire in spring training over some perceived ill treatment by the team. He told Torre he was having personal issues, and came back after 48 hours away. He began the year 1-for-23, and never really got going offensively. He wound up ceding nearly 40 starts at third to Elliott Maddox as Torre tried to keep some punch in the lineup. He was released by the Mets in March of 1979.

Joel Youngblood, IF:

Joel served as both a reserve infielder and a reserve outfielder in 1978. His principal positions were right field, where he played when Elliott Maddox filled in for Randle at third, second base, where he started a number of games in September when Flynn had to sit with hamstring trouble, and third where Torre tried him in place of Randle occasionally. In 113 total games played, he hit .252 with 7 HR and 30 RBI.

Tom Grieve, OF:

An outfield reserve, the future Rangers GM appeared in 54 games. He hit just .208 with 2 HR and 8 RBI.

Ken Henderson, OF:

Ken began the season as the Mets' right fielder, holding the position down until Elliott Maddox could come off the DL. On April 12, he suffered a bruised foot in a collision with the outfield fence. He sat out a number of games before finally being placed on the DL himself on April 21. On May 19, the same day he was set to be reactivated, he was traded to the Reds for Dale Murray. In total, he got into just 7 games, but did have a HR and 4 RBI.

Ed Kranepool, OF:

Ed was an original Met, having played for them since their first season of 1962. During spring training, he expressed frustration with the fact that most starting jobs appeared locked down - "it's like we won the pennant or something". His frustration may have stemmed from the fact he knew he'd be relagated mainly to pinch-hitting, and would have few opportunities to play the field. As it turned out, of his 66 games played, only 15 were in the field. The rest were almost exclusively pinch-hitting appearances. He hit just .210 with 3 HR and 19 RBI. He had a 2-run, walk-off pinch-hit HR on April 8 against the Expos.

Steve Henderson, OF:

Another product of the Seaver trade, Steve finished second in NL Rookie of the Year balloting in 1977. In '78, He endured an 0-25 slump early on, but still wound up being one of the most dependable bats on the team after Willie Montanez. He started all but 11 of the Mets' games in left field, and batted .266, second on the team. He hit 10 HR and drove in 65 runs. On April 9 against the Expos, he hit a pinch-hit grand slam which wound up being the game-winning hit. Steve's performance in 1978, along with those of Zachry and Flynn, made the Seaver deal hurt just a little bit less for some.

Lee Mazzilli, OF:

One of the Mets' most promising young players, Lee was a local boy from New York City, and quickly became a drawing card because of both his skills and his matinee-idol attributes. As the Mets' center fielder in 1978, he led the team with a .273 average. He hit 16 HR and had 61 RBI, along with 20 stolen bases. His fielding percentage was 6th among all major league center fielders. On September 3 in Los Angeles, he went 4-for-5, including 2 HR, with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI.

In-Season Moves:

Elliott Maddox, OF:

Limited in 1976 and 1977 with knee problems, Elliott was signed by the Mets for 1978 in the hopes his bat could add some punch to the lineup. He was forced to begin the year on the DL because of his knees (he insisted his knees were fine, and that it was a hamstring injury). He was activated on April 25. His knees seemed OK, but Torre still tended to rest him if they were playing on wet ground. He was moved in from right field often to substitute for the problematic Len Randle. He hit just .257, and had only 2 HR and 39 RBI.

Sergio Ferrer, IF:

Sergio was summoned from Tidewater on April 26 when Tim Foli was placed on the DL. He stayed with the team until being sent back to Tidewater when Foli came off the DL on May 22. He returned to the big club to stay on July 29. Used as an infield reserve, almost exclusively at shortstop, he made it into just 37 games, hitting only .212.

Dale Murray, RP:

Acquired May 19 from the Reds for Ken Henderson, Dale quickly became a mainstay in the Mets' pen. In 86.1 innings over 53 appearances, he posted a 3.65 ERA to go with 37 strikeouts and an 8-6 record with 5 saves.

Kevin Kobel, RP:

Kevin was called up from Tidewater on May 19 in exchange for Bob Myrick. Nominally a reliever, he was given a few starts in June when Bruhert was demoted the pen. Kevin was was used in relief almost exclusively once Paul Siebert was demoted to Tidewater in late July. When September rolled around, he was inserted back into the rotation, and went 3-1 as a starter during the last month, including a complete game win against the Pirates on the 9th. For the year, he had a 5-6 record with a 2.91 ERA and 51 strikeouts.

Tom Hausman, SP:

Tom was brought up from Tidewater on July 4 when Butch Metzger was sold to Philadelphia. In 10 starts he managed a 3-3 record despite a high ERA and an upside-down strikeout to walk ratio.

Dwight Bernard, RP:

Called up from Tidewater on June 27, Dwight made his major league debut on June 29 when he threw an inning in relief of Craig Swan in Pittsburgh. In all, pitched 48 innings in 1978, resulting in a 1-4 record and 4.31 ERA.

Juan Berenguer, SP:

Juan was called up from Tidewater on August 8 and made his major league debut on August 17 against the Padres. He started and went 3, getting hit hard and taking the loss. He had two more starts and a couple of relief appearances the rest of the way. In 1984 he was a starting pitcher for the wire-to-wire championhip Tigers team.

Roy Lee Jackson, SP:

Called up in September, Roy Lee made 2 starts and had 2 relief appearances. In 12.2 total innings, he posted a 9.24 ERA.

Alex Trevino, C:

Given a September audition, Alex made his major league debut on the 11th as a defensive replacement for John Stearns agains the Cubs. He appeared in another 4 games, including 3 as the starter, the rest of the way.

Butch Benton, C:

Called up in September, Butch made his major league debut on the 14th as a pinch-hitter against the Expos. He had another 3 appearances before the end of the year, and in all he had 2 hits in 4 at-bats, to go with 2 RBI.

Dan Norman, OF:

Called up in September, Dan served as the Mets' starting right fielder for most of the month. In 19 games, he hit .266 with 4 HR and 10 RBI. On the 15th in Philadelphia, he went 2-for-4 with 2 HR, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI. His sac fly in the top of the 10th scored the eventual game-winning run.

Gil Flores, OF:

A September call-up, Gil got into 11 games as an outfield reserve. He batted .276. He'd see more action - 70 games - in 1979, but after that wouldn't appear in the majors again.