Ultimate Number Players: #16-20

I had a more ambitious post in mind, but I've been too scramble-brained lately to work on it, so maybe it'll go up next month. In the meantime, here's my obligatory post for December, a continuation of the Ultimate Number Players series.

Ultimate #16: Paul Lo Duca

The scrappy catcher is nigh forgotten these days, but he held on to #16 better than any other player in MLB history.

Ultimate #17: Ellis Valentine

I was unable to find a photo of Valentine's brief tenure with the Texas Rangers, but I'll presume that he did in fact wear #17, as various sources report. I will, however, include a photo collage of a close contender for the title of Ultimate #17, Mickey Rivers.

Ultimate #18: Jason Kendall

The greatest catcher in Pirates history, as well as the Ultimate #18, Kendall is one of the more underrated players in baseball history.

Ultimate #19: Curtis Wilkerson

Curtis Wilkerson??? Yes. Curtis Wilkerson.

Ultimate #20: Brad Fullmer

Don Sutton might in fact qualify, but I'm not completely certain. Since I am certain about good ol' Brad Fullmer, I'm going with him here.

Annual Updates, 2016

Another season has come and gone, and the awards are now in the books. Updates have been made to the following posts:

 The Second Place Award Winners
Rookie of the Year Facts
Which Team Had the Most Cy Young Winners?
Back-to-back World Series with different franchises
The Run That Clinched It

It was quite a year, with the Cubs (finally!) winning the World Series, and doing so in a thrilling fashion. As a longtime Cub rooter, it was perhaps my most rewarding moment as a fan. Right up there with the time the White Sox won it. It still hasn't sunk in yet that it really happened. I'll never forget it though. Whether these Cubs become a dynasty, or whether they fall apart like other great young teams have, we'll always have 2016. Flags fly forever.

Also, with Rick Porcello winning the Cy Young Award, the 2014 Tigers' pitching staff becomes a thing of legend, so be sure to check that Cy Young post out.

Oldest Ringless Players: 2016

With the 2016 regular season in the books, we at long last have our playoff picture! While I remain strongly opposed to the Wild Card Game, this year I got what I wanted and both leagues' Wild Cards finished tied, which would've led to a tiebreaker game being played anyway under the old system.

So who is the oldest player without a World Series ring on each playoff team's current 40-man roster?

Baltimore Orioles: J.J. Hardy (August 19, 1982)
Boston Red Sox: Brad Ziegler (October 10, 1979)
Chicago Cubs: Munenori Kawasaki (June 3, 1981)
Cleveland Indians: Marlon Byrd (August 30, 1977)
Los Angeles Dodgers: Rich Hill (March 11, 1980)
New York Mets: Bartolo Colon (May 24, 1973)
San Francisco Giants: Joe Nathan (November 22, 1974)
Texas Rangers: Carlos Beltran (April 24, 1977)
Toronto Blue Jays: R.A. Dickey (October 29, 1974)
Washington Nationals: Matt Belisle (June 6, 1980)

Players born in the 1970s are becoming an increasing rarity, but we've got several still hanging around the majors looking for that championship. In fact, just three years ago, every player on this list was born in the '70s. And six out of these ten are pitchers.

Nothing personal, Brad Ziegler or Joe Nathan, but I'm not going to be very happy if you get a ring this year, since you two play for the only franchises in the mix that I've seen win a World Series. The guy on this list I most hope gets a ring this year is Munenori Kawasaki, despite the fact that he's an MLB journeyman who had a more substantial career in Japan. Why? Well, just look at what team he plays for. How can you not want to see the Cubs finally win it?

The Rays Franchise Deep Three

Finally we've reached the end of this series (for now, at least). The last franchise on the board is the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who've spent about two thirds of their existence as a laughingstock and the other third as the ultimate "do the most with the least" franchise. How does it shake out?

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	David Price	Toby Hall	Carlos Pena	Ben Zobrist	Evan Longoria	Julio Lugo	Carl Crawford	Melvin Upton	Matt Joyce
2nd	James Shields	Dioner Navarro	Fred McGriff	Logan Forsythe	Aubrey Huff	Jason Bartlett	Desmond Jennings	Rocco Baldelli	Ben Grieve
3rd	Scott Kazmir	John Flaherty	Travis Lee	Miguel Cairo	Jared Sandberg	Kevin Stocker	Greg Vaughn	Randy Winn	Dave Martinez

So...that 3rd Team is brutal. What do you expect from a franchise with such a short and usually bad history? Center field was fairly strong though, and once Kevin Kiermaier gets another year under his belt, he'll probably at least make it to the 2nd Team. Catcher was definitely the weakest position here. No offense to Toby Hall, but he wouldn't even crack the 6th Team for some franchises.

I'm hoping to recompile these in perhaps about five years, if I'm still doing this blog then. Certainly some players will have moved up or down on the lists, and even some players yet to debut will probably be there for a few of them. For now though, enjoy the 2015-16 rankings in all their up-to-date comprehensiveness.

The Diamondbacks Franchise Deep Three

Down to the two 1998 expansion franchises, both of which I plan to put up this month. Let's start with the one that's won a World Series, the Arizona Diamondbacks:

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Randy Johnson	Miguel Montero	Paul Goldschmidt	Orlando Hudson	Matt Williams	Stephen Drew	Luis Gonzalez	Chris Young	Justin Upton
2nd	Curt Schilling	Damian Miller	Mark Grace	Aaron Hill	Mark Reynolds	Tony Womack	Gerardo Parra	Steve Finley	Danny Bautista
3rd	Brandon Webb	Chris Snyder	Travis Lee	Jay Bell	Jake Lamb	Alex Cintron	Eric Byrnes	A.J. Pollock	David Dellucci

If you thought the 1993 teams had some slim pickings, how much more so teams with five fewer seasons! Right field and shortstop are both virtual wastelands after the top spots, and catcher, first base, and left field aren't all that hot either.

Second base surprised me. If we'd done a 4th Team, Junior Spivey could've been a solid choice. I wasn't expecting Orlando Hudson to claim the 1st Team spot, but it was hard to argue with his three strong seasons in the desert.

Center field is another good position. A.J. Pollock is currently on the 3rd Team, but with a few more good years, he could find himself on that 1st Team pretty quickly.

The best of all though, was pitcher. The 1st Teamer is in the Hall of Fame, the 2nd Teamer probably will be someday (deservingly), and the 3rd Teamer had the potential before an injury suddenly ended his career. After that, well...let's just say that a 4th Team would've diminished the impressiveness ratio.

The Marlins Franchise Deep Three

Last time we did the Rockies, now it's time for that other 1993 expansion franchise, the one with higher heights and lower lows, the Florida/Miami Marlins. This team has been known for stockpiling talent and then giving it away in fire sales, so there were several short-term pieces that didn't make the three-season minimum.

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Josh Johnson	Charles Johnson	Derrek Lee	Luis Castillo	Mike Lowell	Hanley Ramirez	Christian Yelich	Cody Ross	Giancarlo Stanton
2nd	Dontrelle Willis	J.T. Realmuto	Greg Colbrunn	Dan Uggla	Miguel Cabrera	Edgar Renteria	Cliff Floyd	Juan Pierre	Gary Sheffield
3rd	Jose Fernandez	Mike Redmond	Gaby Sanchez	Donovan Solano	Wes Helms	Adeiny Hechaverria	Jeff Conine	Marcell Ozuna	Mark Kotsay

Ah, Josh Johnson. A star that burnt briefly but oh-so-brightly. Ah, Dontrelle Willis. The same, but to a slightly lesser extent. Will Jose Fernandez be the great Marlin pitcher who doesn't get hurt or flame out?

J.T. Realmuto's career is off to a good start, already the second-best Marlin backstop. Mike Redmond was a career backup, but he was quite serviceable in his day, and stuck around longer than most backup catchers do.

Third base was tough, as there weren't a lot of options. Miguel Cabrera only played third base full time in two seasons, but he saw significant time there in two other seasons, so I decided to include him. Besides, he's a future Hall of Famer. Ya gotta get him in somewhere. Wes Helms on the 3rd Team, though? Yikes.

Left field was surprisingly strong, as many teams don't have long-lasting players there; it's just a place to stick a solid-but-replaceable hitter. Christian Yelich has been inspiring in his brief career there, and there was enough depth that a solid guy like Josh Willingham missed the cut.

Hanley Ramirez was far and away the best choice at short, and the rest was a sea of average. Alex Gonzalez, a longtime Marlin, missed the cut for being mediocre. It's a mystery he lasted as long as he did.

I didn't expect Cody Ross to be the Fish's top center fielder, but he turned out to be better than Pierre, the guy I predicted would take the spot. A shame he's already forgotten.

The Rockies Franchise Deep Three

Wow, are we really at this point? A Deep Three? Yes, for the last four franchises in this series, I shall only go three deep. Even for this one, some spots on the 3rd Team were difficult to fill. Let's see how the table turned out with our friends in the mountains, the Colorado Rockies.

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Ubaldo Jimenez	Chris Iannetta	Todd Helton	DJ LeMahieu	Nolan Arenado	Troy Tulowitzki	Matt Holliday	Dexter Fowler	Larry Walker
2nd	Aaron Cook	Jeff Reed	Andres Galarraga	Eric Young	Vinny Castilla	Walt Weiss	Carlos Gonzalez	Juan Pierre	Brad Hawpe
3rd	Jhoulys Chacin	Wilin Rosario	Ben Paulsen	Clint Barmes	Garrett Atkins	Neifi Perez	Corey Dickerson	Ellis Burks	Dante Bichette

First base and left field were hard to find a 3rd Teamer for. For first base, Mr. Rockie, Todd Helton, held it down for over half of the franchise's existence, and Andres Galarraga had a solid five-year run too. Justin Morneau also had a good season at the position, but with the three-year minimum required for this list, he couldn't make it. Ben Paulsen, enjoy your small claim to fame! Left field was hard just because it's one of those positions where several players tend to get tried, and I chose Dickerson because he seemed as good a choice as any.

Third base has been a surprisingly strong position for Colorado in its short history. Jeff Cirillo would've made the list had he played one more season with the Rockies, but there's no shame in having Garrett Atkins show up here.

Pitcher and catcher were surprisingly weak spots. Perhaps pitcher isn't too surprising, since the mile-high air is famously tough on hurlers, but you'd think there would've been at least one catcher better than Chris Iannetta. Nope. I suppose a quarter-century without ever having a great catcher isn't unheard-of in baseball, though.

DJ LeMahieu must be one of the most underrated players in the game. Who knew he was already the greatest Rockie second baseman of all time? Seriously, fans. Appreciate this guy.

The Blue Jays Franchise Deep Four

Time for the latest installment of Deep Six, which has been reduced to Deep Four for our expansion franchise friends, and will be reduced to Deep Three for the post-1993 installments! Today we's gonna tackle the only remaining franchise representing the Great White North, the Toronto Blue Jays! Let's have ourselves a look-see:

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Roy Halladay	Ernie Whitt	Carlos Delgado	Roberto Alomar	Kelly Gruber	Tony Fernandez	George Bell	Devon White	Jose Bautista
2nd	Dave Stieb	Gregg Zaun	Fred McGriff	Aaron Hill	Rance Mulliniks	Alex Gonzalez	Shannon Stewart	Vernon Wells	Jesse Barfield
3rd	Pat Hentgen	Darrin Fletcher	John Olerud	Orlando Hudson	Brett Lawrie	Jose Reyes	Reed Johnson	Lloyd Moseby	Alex Rios
4th	Jimmy Key	Pat Borders	Willie Upshaw	Damaso Garcia	Roy Howell	Alfredo Griffin	Al Woods	Jose Cruz	Shawn Green

It was surprising to me how deep some of these positions turned out to be for only forty years of history. Right field was so strong that franchise legend Joe Carter just missed the cut. First base, center field, and pitcher were darn good too.

Josh Donaldson has an MVP under his belt and is having another monster year, but without the requisite three seasons in Toronto, he doesn't yet qualify for the list. I have a feeling he'll be somewhere in the next edition.

The guys on the 4th Team at left field and shortstop were selected more on longevity than anything else. Those positions don't have a ton of depth. No harm in giving some love to the guys who spent a lot of time there, even if they weren't that good.

The Mariners Franchise Deep Four

Now in their 40th season, naming the top four players at each position is a bit tough for the Mariners. Nonetheless, I decided to give it a try, so here it goes:

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Felix Hernandez	Dan Wilson	John Olerud	Bret Boone	Edgar Martinez	Alex Rodriguez	Phil Bradley	Ken Griffey Jr.	Ichiro Suzuki
2nd	Randy Johnson	Dave Valle	Alvin Davis	Robinson Cano	Adrian Beltre	Omar Vizquel	Raul Ibanez	Mike Cameron	Jay Buhner
3rd	Jamie Moyer	Kenji Johjima	Tino Martinez	Harold Reynolds	Kyle Seager	Brendan Ryan	Greg Briley	Franklin Gutierrez	Leon Roberts
4th	Mark Langston	Bob Stinson	Bruce Bochte	Julio Cruz	Jim Presley	Carlos Guillen	Henry Cotto	Ruppert Jones	Al Cowens

Pitcher was a really good position for the M's. Their top guy is a potential Hall of Famer, and their 2nd Team guy is already there. Jamie Moyer had a good long career, though he falls just short of the Hall of Fame standard. Freddy Garcia and Erik Hanson were pretty close to Mark Langston for the 4th Team spot.

Center field, second base, and third base were all pretty strong positions. Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager are both potential 1st Teamers if they keep producing. The fans in Seattle should be excited about those guys. Edgar Martinez was better known as a DH, but I'm glad that for now the Mariner icon is deserving of the 1st Team spot at the hot corner.

The two corner outfield positions have two strong players on the first two teams and slim pickings after that. Left field especially was like grasping at straws. Yikes.

Catcher would have to be the weakest position here. Nothing against Dan Wilson, but if he's your greatest catcher of all time, you need to work on that.

The Royals Franchise Deep Four

Of the four 1969 expansion franchises, I've saved the most successful for last. Let's see how strong their all-time teams look.

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Bret Saberhagen	Salvador Perez	John Mayberry	Frank White	George Brett	Freddie Patek	Willie Wilson	Amos Otis	Danny Tartabull
2nd	Kevin Appier	Darrell Porter	Mike Sweeney	Mark Grudzielanek	Kevin Seitzer	Rey Sanchez	Alex Gordon	Carlos Beltran	Al Cowens
3rd	Mark Gubicza	Mike Macfarlane	Eric Hosmer	Cookie Rojas	Joe Randa	Alcides Escobar	Lou Piniella	Lorenzo Cain	Jermaine Dye
4th	Zack Greinke	John Wathan	Wally Joyner	Carlos Febles	Mike Moustakas	U.L. Washington	Bo Jackson	Johnny Damon	Jeff Francoeur

Some of the guys on the first team were far and away the best choices; White, Brett, and Patek all blew away their closest competition. Who would've thought that Mark Grudzielanek and Rey Sanchez would make the 2nd Team?

Corner outfield was a bit tricky, as often is the case. Their right fielders weren't the deepest group, for instance. I only chose Jeff Francoeur for the 4th Team based on one good season that was better than anything any of the other candidates had done, despite spending the rest of his Royals tenure adding negative value. David DeJesus might've been a better choice in left field than either Piniella or Jackson, but he seemed to fit better in center field, where he ended up just missing the cut. If I were doing a 5th Team for the Royals, DeJesus would definitely be there, yes sirree.

Salvador Perez and Darrell Porter are currently pretty close, but I decided to give it to Perez since he's having a great season so far, and if he keeps it up, he should find himself well ahead of Porter by the end of it. And besides, he's already a Kansas City folk hero. Of the young Royals crop currently defending their World Series title, he's the only one who's made it to the 1st Team. Truly a feather in his backward catcher's helmet.

The Brewers Franchise Deep Four

Checking off those 1969 newcomers, we're now on the once-American League expansion franchise Seattle Pilots, who are now the National League Central's Milwaukee Brewers.

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Teddy Higuera	Jonathan Lucroy	Cecil Cooper	Rickie Weeks	Paul Molitor	Robin Yount	Ryan Braun	Gorman Thomas	Sixto Lezcano
2nd	Ben Sheets	Darrell Porter	George Scott	Jim Gantner	Jeff Cirillo	Jose Valentin	Ben Oglivie	Carlos Gomez	Jeromy Burnitz
3rd	Chris Bosio	B.J. Surhoff	Prince Fielder	Ronnie Belliard	Don Money	J.J.Hardy	Geoff Jenkins	Dave May	Corey Hart
4th	Mike Caldwell	Ted Simmons	Richie Sexson	Fernando Vina	Sal Bando	Pat Listach	Greg Vaughn	Marquis Grissom	Rob Deer

Interestingly, there's no position that stands out here as being particularly strong. The Brewers have had a pretty mediocre history. But at least Brewer fans can currently appreciate watching the greatest catcher and left fielder in franchise history while they're still around.

The Nationals Franchise Deep Four

Time for another installment of Deep Six/Four/Three Later On, this time for the Nationals franchise! This one is very heavy on the franchise's Expo predecessors, but several Nats ended up on the 1st Team. Let's see how this goes:

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Steve Rogers	Gary Carter	Nick Johnson	Jose Vidro	Ryan Zimmerman	Ian Desmond	Tim Raines	Andre Dawson	Vladimir Guerrero
2nd	Dennis Martinez	Brian Schneider	Ron Fairly	Ron Hunt	Tim Wallach	Orlando Cabrera	Moises Alou	Marquis Grissom	Rusty Staub
3rd	Pedro Martinez	Wilson Ramos	Andres Galarraga	Delino DeShields	Bob Bailey	Chris Speier	Warren Cromartie	Rondell White	Larry Walker
4th	Javier Vazquez	Darrin Fletcher	Mike Jorgensen	Mike Lansing	Larry Parrish	Hubie Brooks	Mack Jones	Denard Span	Ellis Valentine

Not a bad group at some of these positions. Center and right fields were both quite good, as was pitcher. It's a shame the Expos couldn't hold on to Pedro Martinez, or he'd probably get a spot on the 1st team easily.

First base was a bit disappointing, as Andres Galarraga had the longevity, but not the consistent star-level play that he would later be known for in Colorado. It seems a shame to give the top spot to the oft-injured Nick Johnson, though he had some darn good numbers when he actually made it onto the field.

Catcher was pretty weak after Gary Carter. We'll see if Wilson Ramos can ever up his production enough to make it to the 2nd Team, though he's highly unlikely to catch Carter at this point.

Of course, the real shame is that Bryce Harper isn't here anywhere, due to his being flipped around the outfield so far in his young career. Once he settles in to a regular position and plays it for several seasons, he'll probably end up on the 1st Team somewhere. Could it be right field, which is already probably the franchise's strongest spot?

The Padres Franchise Deep Four

We're now at the 1969 expansion wave, and the first one I thought I'd do was the San Diego Padres. Let's see what this one ended up as.

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Jake Peavy	Gene Tenace	Adrian Gonzalez	Roberto Alomar	Ken Caminiti	Ozzie Smith	Gene Richards	Kevin McReynolds	Tony Gwynn
2nd	Andy Ashby	Terry Kennedy	Nate Colbert	Mark Loretta	Phil Nevin	Khalil Greene	Carmelo Martinez	Darrin Jackson	Dave Winfield
3rd	Andy Benes	Benito Santiago	Ryan Klesko	Tim Flannery	Chase Headley	Garry Templeton	Greg Vaughn	Mark Kotsay	Brian Giles
4th	Ed Whitson	Nick Hundley	Fred McGriff	Quilvio Veras	Sean Burroughs	Everth Cabrera	Carlos Quentin	Cameron Maybin	Ollie Brown

Interesting results. The middle infield of their 1st Team has two guys that were associated with other franchises. Alomar and Smith were good enough in short periods of time to earn the top spots.

Some of these required a lot of debate over longevity vs. peak. The Padres are a decidedly non-storied franchise, so many of these guys didn't have long tenures in San Diego. Ed Whitson got the nod over franchise icon Randy Jones just because of his two great years at the end of his career, which topped Jones' short peak. But I might've given it to Jones on a different day. At the keystone, Mark Loretta had an argument for the top spot, but Alomar had three years of star-level play, which bettered Loretta's two, despite Loretta's good years being better than Alomar's. It's all subjective.

In left field, it's safe to say these guys ain't the Red Sox. Gene Richards was an easy choice for the top spot, despite being rather obscure today. At the other side of the outfield though, the Padres have probably their deepest position: Their all-time greatest player, followed by a Hall of Famer, followed by a guy who had an extremely underrated career, followed by an early star.

I predicted Steve Finley would take the top spot in center field, but he ended up not making the list at all, since WAR didn't think very highly of his defense. I never even thought about the possibility of Darrin Jackson making the 2nd Team, but WAR loved his defense that much.

The hot corner has been a pretty good position for the Friars. Their top four players all manned the position from the 1990s onward. Graig Nettles came close, but Burroughs barely beat him out. If only the Padres had someone good there now...

First base and catcher were also surprisingly strong positions. Hats off to the Padres. They're an oft-overlooked team, but their talent acquisition has been pretty good over the years.

The Astros Franchise Deep Four

Finally we've reached the last member of MLB's first expansion wave, the Houston Astros!

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Roy Oswalt	Jason Castro	Jeff Bagwell	Craig Biggio	Morgan Ensberg	Dickie Thon	Jose Cruz	Cesar Cedeno	Terry Puhl
2nd	Larry Dierker	Alan Ashby	Lance Berkman	Joe Morgan	Ken Caminiti	Adam Everett	Luis Gonzalez	Jim Wynn	Kevin Bass
3rd	Mike Scott	Brad Ausmus	Glenn Davis	Bill Doran	Doug Rader	Craig Reynolds	Carlos Lee	Steve Finley	Hunter Pence
4th	Roger Clemens	Johnny Edwards	Bob Watson	Jose Altuve	Enos Cabell	Roger Metzger	Al Spangler	Michael Bourn	Rusty Staub

The Astros have a fine stable of second basemen. Even the guy on their 4th Team has been a star. First base and center field aren't too shabby either.

Jose Cruz is a solid 1st Teamer in left field, but after him, the list isn't too impressive. Al Spangler? Really? Part of what hurt them was Lance Berkman and Bob Watson being better fits for first base.

Morgan Ensberg and Dickie Thon are both pretty top-heavy value-wise, but their peaks were strong enough for me to put them on the 1st Team. I expected Ken Caminiti to be the top third baseman, but Ensberg was just better. Adam Everett had a better career than most people remember, making him a fine 2nd Teamer.

I was surprised that catcher was such a weak position. Turns out the Astros have never had a real star behind the dish. Jason Castro got the top spot mainly from his big season in 2013, because he's about the same as the rest of the pack otherwise. Come on, Astros. Get some better catchers!

Dusty Baker, the Ultimate #12

Remember when I was doing Ultimate Number Player photo collages? Heck, I barely remember it meself. But thanks to some dedicated YouTubers who've uploaded classic baseball games (most likely without the express written consent of Major League Baseball), I've been able to find photographic evidence of some players having worn certain numbers for certain teams. One of those is the great Dusty Baker, who I named the Ultimate #12 in this post without a photo to accompany it. Fear no longer. I have just the photo you've waited almost three years for:



We've got him wearing it with the Braves, the Dodgers, the Giants, and the Athletics.

And just for kicks, Baker has worn it at all his managerial stops as well: The Giants, the Cubs, the Reds, and now the Nationals. Why don't we get a photo collage of that as well?




Dusty's getting up there in years, so it's quite possible that Washington will be the last managerial stop of his career. Hopefully I won't have to amend this collage at any point.

Truly this man exemplifies all it means to wear the dozen digits... wait a minute. Baker... dozen... baker's dozen? Ohhhhh, Dusty. You clever sneak.

Good luck with the Nationals, Dusty Baker! Let's see if you can't get them that pennant they've been waiting for!

The Mets Franchise Deep Four

No, I didn't forget about this project. Just been doing other stuff lately. Today we're going to look at our amazin' friends in Flushing. Who are their best by position?

	P	C	1B	2B	3B	SS	LF	CF	RF
1st	Tom Seaver	Mike Piazza	Keith Hernandez	Edgardo Alfonzo	David Wright	Jose Reyes	Cleon Jones	Carlos Beltran	Darryl Strawberry
2nd	Jerry Koosman	John Stearns	John Olerud	Wally Backman	Howard Johnson	Bud Harrelson	Kevin McReynolds	Tommie Agee	Ron Swoboda
3rd	Dwight Gooden	Todd Hundley	Dave Magadan	Ron Hunt	Wayne Garrett	Kevin Elster	Steve Henderson	Lenny Dykstra	Joel Youngblood
4th	Jon Matlack	Gary Carter	Ed Kranepool	Felix Millan	Robin Ventura	Rey Ordonez	Bernard Gilkey	Mookie Wilson	Rusty Staub

The Mets have one heck of a 1st Team: Two Hall of Famers, one borderline guy who I think should be in, another guy who'll have a good argument once he retires, another guy who could qualify with a few more good seasons, and four other fine players.

Catcher surprised me. I thought Hall of Famer Gary Carter would end up on the 2nd Team, but the Mets really got him at the decline phase of his career. Stearns and Hundley were much better players than they get credit for. And Jerry Grote just missed the cut.

Center field was surprisingly deep. Angel Pagan, Juan Lagares, and Lee Mazzilli were all worthy of honorable mentions.

Right field and shortstop were the two weakest positions. After the 2nd Teams, there wasn't a lot to get excited about. You never realize how shallow some teams are at certain spots.

Second base didn't have any really outstanding players, but it had a lot of good ones. Jeff Kent just missed the cut, as you can see.

Congratulations to Mike Piazza and Ken Griffey Jr.

The news just came in today that Mike Piazza and Ken Griffey Jr. are the latest additions to the Hall of Fame. I have fond memories of these guys' heyday, back when I was a kid in the '90s. Congratulations go out to both of them. It's well-deserved.

As far as this blog is concerned, it's time for an update. Check out this classic Baseball Junk Drawer list:

Hall of Famers' First Major League Home Runs