Where else would I be on a Saturday night?
Yup, as NYC was freezing over, I was at home scrolling through Baseball Reference.
I started thinking about the lineup the Mets will send out on the field in 2021. As presently constructed, this team has the potential to do some serious damage.
- C- JAMES MCCANN
- 1B- PETE ALONSO
- 2B- JEFF MCNEIL
- 3B- J.D DAVIS
- SS- FRANCISCO LINDOR
- LF- DOMINIC SMITH
- CF- BRANDON NIMMO
- RF- MICHAEL CONFORTO
Could that be the best Mets’ lineup ever?
First things first. Up until now, what was the best Mets’ lineup?
Here’s what I found.
- RUNS- 1999 (853)
- HITS- 1999 (1553)
- RBI- 1999 (814)
- WALKS- 1999 (717)
- AVERAGE- 1999 (.279)
- ON-BASE PERCENTAGE- 1999 (.363)
- OPS- 1999 (.797)
- FIELDING PERCENTAGE- 1999 (.989)
Ok, so the 1999 Mets hold the franchise record for a good majority of offensive categories. (The 2020 Mets, as a team, had an OPS of .807 but they only played in 60 games.)
I included the 1999 Mets’ franchise record fielding percentage to make myself laugh. That is one stat the 2021 Mets will not come close to.
One stat the 1999 team doesn’t hold the record for? Home runs. That would be the 2019 Mets. Many of those players will be on the field in 2021.
So, this could be interesting.
Let’s take a look at that 1999 squad.
- C- MIKE PIAZZA
- 1B- JOHN OLERUD
- 2B- EDGARDO ALFONZO
- 3B- ROBIN VENTURA
- SS- REY ORDOÑEZ
- LF- RICKEY HENDERSON
- CF- BRIAN MCRAE
- RF- ROGER CEDEÑO
Also, we’ll throw in Benny Agbayani, Darryl Hamilton, Todd Pratt and pinch hitter extraordinaire Matt Franco who all had fine seasons at the plate in 1999, respectively.
I’m going on record. Give me the 2021 team. And i think we do it in 162 games. (Sorry, Al Leiter.) Hey, when you can upgrade Rey Ordoñez to Francisco Lindor, you’re in pretty good shape!
I’m mostly kidding. Piazza. Olerud. Fonzie. Ventura. 40 year old Rickey Henderson who was still one of the best hitters in the league. That team could mash.
But I’m truly liking my chances in 2021. I truly believe this is one of the best offensive cores in team history.
Alonso, McNeil, Nimmo, Conforto, Smith. That is pretty damn potent! Adding the best shortstop in the game? We might be on to something.
2020 aside, J.D Davis looks like a professional hitter. (I also believe that the Mets are still trying to upgrade at third through trade.)
Looks like the Wildcard is our new catcher, James McCann.
Yikes. His 1999 counterpart was Mike Piazza. Pretty big shoes to fill. But hey. If he keeps making the strides he’s been making offensively, we are going to be coming after some of those records.
Either Alonso or Conforto are going to be hitting 5th in this lineup. That is pretty freaking deep!
I’m liking José Martínez and Jonathan Villar coming off the bench. (To hit. Please don’t give them a glove.)
Listen. The bullpen was dealt a blow today. We could use another arm there. We could use another arm in the rotation.
But this team is going to score. A lot.
How many categories can we snatch away from the 1999 club? We’ll just have to wait and see.
But 2021 is going to be a lot of fun!
Photo Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport