Last month, I began the construction of the Mets’ Field of Dreams in Field of Dreams: Mets Edition – Pitchers. Five starting pitchers and six relief pitchers were added to the roster, which means there are only nineteen spots left. Today, two more players will be added to the roster: one starting catcher and one backup catcher. But despite contrary belief, Mike Piazza will not be the starting catcher.
- Gary Carter– The starting catcher on the Mets’ Field of Dreams is the late Gary Carter. Carter joined the Mets in 1985 and left after the 1989 season. While on the Mets, Carter made four All Star Game appearances, and finished in the top ten for MVP voting twice. Gary Carter helped lead the Mets to a 1986 World Series Championship, and finished third in MVP voting because of it. In his five year Met carrier, Carter only played less than 130 games once, which is unheard of for most Major League organizations in the current day. The man they called “The Kid” always brought his smile to the locker-room, earning him his nickname, along with his outstanding batting and fielding ability. Carter also had two of his only three 100+ RBI seasons on the Mets, batted a total average of .240 with the team, and only made 38 errors. But above all, from an emotional standpoint, when Carter was inducted into Cooperstown’s National Baseball Hall of Fame, he wanted to go in a Met. However, as mentioned in my past article, Was it a mistake when the Mets enshrined Mike Piazza into their Hall of Fame, Reggie Jackson ruined the luxury of players being able to choose the team they represent in the Hall of Fame, so Hall of Fame committee inducted him as a Montreal Expo.
- Mike Piazza– The Mets’ Field of Dreams team would not be complete without Mike Piazza, so he will be the backup catcher on the roster. Although Piazza was a much better hitter than Gary Carter, Piazza was nowhere near Carter’s class at the position. In fact, in four of Piazza’s eight seasons as a New York Met, he had a negative defensive WAR. But, due to his offensive statistics, Piazza would be great off the bench as a pinch hitter. With 220 home runs on the Mets alone, along with 655 RBI’s, it would be extremely hard to find a better hitter to come off the bench. Finally, needless to say, Mike Piazza is destined to go into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame, and “Ya gotta believe” he is going to be wearing a Mets cap on his plaque.
The catching position on the roster may as well be the closest race for a starting role on the Mets’ Field of Dreams team, but in the end, Gary Carter won the role as starting catcher, and Mike Piazza was placed as the backup. Carter will ultimately provide both offense and defense while in the lineup, while Piazza will pinch hit due to his extraordinary power. Next on the list for the Mets’ Field of Dreams Team will be first basemen. I will not spoil the surprise of who it is going to be yet, but I will leave you with this hint… he likes a good, old fashion burger.
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I thought it was Wade Boggs who was looking at an offer of a million dollars from Tampa Bay to go in as a Ray that changed the system as to how a player is inducted.
Im adding honorable mention for Jerry Grote. He was a defensive stud. It was a different generation, but he was feared by all and had a cannon for an arm.