This week’s NY Mets Top 10 features the long ball. We all love watching the towering shots that exit the ballpark, and I’m pretty sure we always will. This list of Mets ballplayers features hall of famers, current players, and World Series champions. You may even be surprised about the order of the top three.
By the way, in case you were wondering who had the best when it really counted, check out the All-Time Top 10 Postseason Home Runs. Enjoy!
#10 Ed Kranepool
118 Home Runs (1962-1979)
Ed Kranepool spent his whole career with the Mets, which began in 1962 at the age of 17. He was part of the miracle 1969 season, in which the team won their first ever World Series title against the Baltimore Orioles. Kranepool hit a home run in game three of the series, a 5-0 win for the Mets
#9 Edgardo Alfonzo
120 Home Runs (1980-1988)
Edgardo Alfonzo displayed his clutch hitting in the 1999 playoffs. After finishing tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the National League Wild Card, the Mets played a one-game playoff to decide who would go on to the NLDS. In his first at bat, Alfonzo homered over the center field fence, providing the Mets with all the offense they would need to win.
#8 Kevin McReynolds
122 Home Runs (1987-1991,1994)
In December of 1986, Kevin McReynolds was traded to the Mets and continued to flourish. From 1987 through 1990, he averaged 25 home runs per year, with 1987 being his best with 29 for the season. In the 1988 NLCS, he hit .250 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs. He also came in third in MVP voting behind Darryl Strawberry and Kirk Gibson.
#7 Todd Hundley
124 Home Runs (1990-1998)
Hundley made his major league debut with the Mets in 1990 at the age of 20. Though his bat didn’t come alive until later in his Mets career, he broke Roy Campanella’s single season home run record by a catcher in 1996 with 41, finally matching his defense behind the plate. Hundley was also an all-star for the Mets in 1996 and 1997.
#6 Carlos Beltrán
149 Home Runs (2005-2011)
In 2006, Beltrán’s 41 home runs tied the Mets’ single season record for homers, matching Todd Hundley’s total in 1996. He hit grand slams in consecutive games on July 16 and 18, becoming the 22nd player to do so. With the third he hit in late July, Beltrán became only the third Met in franchise history to hit three in one season.
#5 Dave Kingman
154 Home Runs (1975-1977,1981-1983)
Dave Kingman emerged as a slugger in New York, setting a club record with 36 home runs in 1975. He also scored 65 runs, the highest percentage of runs scored on homers for anyone that hit more than 30 in a season. A year later, he broke his own record with 37 home runs, and was elected to the 1976 NL All-Star team.
#4 Howard Johnson
192 Home Runs (1985-1993)
In May of 1987, Johnson hit five home runs with thirteen RBIs in a ten game span. A month later, he hit another six home runs with ten more RBIs in eleven games. With his 22nd home run being hit in mid-July, HoJo took over the team home run lead from Darryl Strawberry, all the while hitting from the seventh spot.
#3 Mike Piazza
220 Home Runs (1998-2005)
Piazza is regarded as one of the best offensive catchers in baseball history. He had at least one RBI in 15 consecutive games for the Mets in 2000, the second-longest RBI streak ever, and helped the team reach the World Series that same season. He will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July.
#2 David Wright
235 Home Runs (2004-present)
David Wright is a seven-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger and a member of the 30–30 club. He was named captain of the Mets in 2013, the fourth in team history, and was given the nickname “Captain America,” after his performance for Team USA, which included a grand slam in the World Baseball Classic.
#1 Darryl Strawberry
252 Home Runs (1983-1990)
In 1987, Strawberry hit 39 home runs and stole 36 bases, joining the exclusive 30-30 club at the time becoming one of only 10 players in baseball history to accomplish the feat. In 1988, Strawberry once again hit 39 home runs and drove in 101 runs, leading the league in slugging percentage at .545 and OPS at .911.