Jeremy HefnerMonday started off great; Jordany Valdespin was non-tendered and it later came out that Sandy Alderson had met with Curtis Granderson. Then it took a dark turn as Justin Turner and Jeremy Hefner were non-tendered by the Mets. Turner has had his ups and down while playing in New York, but the Mets fans deserve to see him play again and Turner himself deserves to return to New York.

Before every bitter Mets fan decides to fire off a comment, just hear me out. Turner is simply a fun player to watch and on many occasions it seems that he always rises to the challenge and gets a big hit. Another date that will always stick in my mind is April 27, 2011. Turner was considered the stopgap player after Brad Emaus failed to be the second baseman. This game will always have a special place in my heart because it was really changed my perspective of the Mets. I really started to enjoy them. I was watching the game with my Grandmother and when Turner knocked in the first run, she called him the “Ginger Guy,” and since then I have been a huge fan of his.

Turner was originally brought into the Mets world on May 25th, 2010 and he didn’t play much in the majors. 2011 is considered to be his breakout year where he went on a ridiculous streak in May and then cooled off a little bit the rest of the year. He managed to reach 30 doubles, a 39:59 strikeout to walk ratio, a .350 BA with RISP and an incredible .981 OPS with 2 outs and RISP. He quickly became a fan favorite for the scrappiest team in baseball history. In 2012, I will always remember one of the greatest games I had ever seen against the Giants on July 30th when he had a go-ahead double against the future champions. In 2013, he actually had his best season to date as he had an OPS+ at 100-which is league average. While hitting a respectable .280.

The Mets originally drafted Hefner in the 46th round in 2004, and 48th round in 2005, but then in 2007 the Padres took him in the 5th round. His ERA never dipped below 4.52 after May 19th but he showed promise on many occasions making him a shoe-in for 2013. In Spring Training he got beaned with a line drive, which he “recovered from” but he didn’t exactly pitch well until late May when he had a nine start stretch with an ERA of 2.05. He would crumble after the all-star break and be shut down for Tommy John surgery. He was a savoir for the Mets in the month of June and was a fan favorite.

Turner and Hefner have been a positive energy in the Mets clubhouse since they arrived and there are many examples of both standing up for their teammates and loosening up the negative atmosphere. In reality, I will cheer these guys on even if they are Atlanta Braves next year. While it is easy for me to understand that not all Mets fans are fond of these guys, just remember all of the wonderful memories we witnessed with both of them in Citi Field. So, Mr. Alderson, call them…..maybe?

8 comments on “A sincere thank you to Jeremy Hefner and Justin Turner

  • Kevin

    I have a really bad feeling the Mets are going to regret letting Hefner go 2-3 years from now. Same with Valdespin. I hope I’m wrong.

    • Robby

      Hefner has breakout written all over him I agree. Valdespin is talented but an a-hole.

    • Mike Koehler

      Agree with you 100 percent on Hefner. Considering he costs you $500,000 and goes on the 60-day DL, only this thing moves does is free upa 40 man spot sooner.(read somewhere about waiting until you can use the DL)

      Spin can go sit and spin in some other clubhouse. Immature punk is juicing in hopes of compensating for the work he’s not putting in. Good riddance.

  • Metsense

    Turner once again has ended the season proving in could be a starting second baseman on 7 NL teams in 2013. His OPS has always been better than 25% of the NL secondbaseman that start. Turner has no role on this Met roster but to just let him go just doesn’t make sense to me.I wish him the best.
    Heffner probably would never start another game for the Mets because of all the young pitching that will be here in 2015. The high price for mediocre pitching makes this $.5m savings a foolish move. I hope he recovers and finds a rotation spot in the major leagues. He does put up a good percentage of quality starts. I also wish him the best.
    I don’t agree with either move but I also didn’t see either player in the Mets plans. Just thought both had some value to cash in on.

  • Metsfan 62

    Metsense…. I think Hafner is but a backend starter, but with our young pitching, there wasn’t a slot for him. They have more upside from what is projected, but projections are but speculations. Nice insurance, perhaps even tradable for value. Turner is a scrapper, something this team needs. Would like both resigned. With Hafner we would have even more starter types in ’15, nine by my count, thus we finally have a strength to trade from. JV was a different bird, may prosper, once humbled by not making 40 man roster. He burned the wrong bridges though. He needs to learn to fit his big head through the clubhouse doors. Would like Turner, Hafner, JV back. JV even to just trade him for Scott Van Slyke.

    Editor’s note: This comment edited to remove word typed in all capital letters. Please don’t do that.

  • Doug

    The 2011 Mets went 77-85, finishing in 4th place, 25 games behind the Phillies, so it seems to strain credulity a bit to call them the “scrappiest team in baseball history”…

  • Sean Flattery

    Brad Emaus Ugh!! That was a tough April watching him that season.

  • Name

    Small tidbit when i was looking up Hefner. He finished the season 0-38 with 1 walk. Has any other Met pitcher been worse than that?

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