Ranking the nine players & mangers in Mets history

Counting interim managers, the Mets have had 20 different skippers in their 50 seasons. Nine of those also played for the Mets before becoming managers. Here is an alphabetical listing of those nine managers, along with their ranks as overall players, their time playing with the Mets and their time managing our favorite team.

Yogi Berra
Overall Player – 1; Mets Player – 9; Mets Manager – 3
Berra has a claim as one of the most underrated great players of all time. He’s kind of funny looking and says odd things but, along with Mantle and Ford, was one of the cornerstones of the 1950s Yankee dynasty teams. His career as a Met lasted just four games and nine PA, where he had a .444 OPS. As a manager, Berra did bring the Mets to the World Series in 1973 and might have in 1972, too, if Rusty Staub didn’t get hurt. He’s not one of the first guys you think of when you think Mets managers but it’s hard to get too down on him, even if with perfect hindsight the team should have hired Whitey Herzog instead.

Mike Cubbage
Overall Player – 9; Mets Player – 7; Mets Manager – 8
Cubbage played eight seasons in the majors but was never a full-time player, much less a star. He had 90 PA with the Mets and posted a .614 OPS back in 1981. A dozen years later he was the interim manager for the final seven games of the 1993 season and went 3-4.

Dallas Green
Overall Player – 8; Mets Player – 8; Mets Manager – 9
Green pitched parts of eight seasons in the majors and totaled a 20-22 record with a 4.26 ERA, which doesn’t sound awful until you remember that he pitched during the deadball 1960s, so that 4.26 ERA equaled an 88 ERA+. He pitched in four games for the Mets in 1966 and allowed 3 ER (2 HR) in 5 IP. Green managed parts of four years with the Mets and went 229-283 but is better known for shredding the arms of Generation K and running Jeromy Burnitz out of town.

Bud Harrelson
Overall Player – 6; Mets Player – 1; Mets Manager – 5
Harrelson played in an era perfectly suited for his skills, as the 1960s and 1970s managers were quite willing to punt offense for a good defensive shortstop. He played 13 of his 16 seasons with the Mets, so he is easily the best in the second category. No one should have been better prepared to manage the Mets than Harrelson, who was successful as both a player and coach in Queens. But his tenure ended badly, with Harrelson afraid to go to the mound for pitching changes.

Gil Hodges
Overall Player – 4; Mets Player – 4; Mets Manager – 1
Hodges ranking fourth as overall player will undoubtedly be the most controversial pick here, as many still think he belongs in the Hall of Fame. He was a very good player, not Hall-worthy, but has the misfortune of simply not being as good as his reputation. He played parts of two years with the Mets and was reasonably productive in 1962. He had a 106 OPS+ in 167 PA before being traded to the Senators so he could become their manager. Hodges was the driving force behind the 1969 championship team. Yes, he misused Amos Otis and helped drive him out of town. Perhaps dying young helps his managerial legacy but we all would have preferrEd Hodges at the helm throughout the rest of the 1970s.

Roy McMillan
Overall Player – 5; Mets Player – 5; Mets Manager – 7
McMillan was a similar, but all-around better, player than Harrelson. Injuries and age had worn away at him by the time he reached the Mets. But it’s telling that the Mets wanted him back in 1967. However, injuries prevented that from happening and paved the way for Harrelson to take over as the starting shortstop. McMillan took over as interim manager in 1975 and guided the Mets to a 26-27 record.

Willie Randolph
Overall Player – 2; Mets Player – 3; Mets Manager – 4
Randolph was a great player and he should be the one getting Hall of Fame support, not Hodges. A six-time All-Star, Randolph was strong on both offense and defense but playing the same time as Frank White he was never under serious consideration for a Gold Glove Award. Another thing that hurts Randolph is that he was not a particularly good post-season performer and his two best series (1980 ALCS, 1981 WS) came in losing efforts. Randolph only played one season with the Mets, but was solid with a 93 OPS+.

Joe Torre
Overall Player – 3; Mets Player – 2; Mets Manager – 6
Torre will likely make the Hall of Fame on the combined strength of his playing and managerial careers. His playing career alone leaves him just barely short, as he had nine All-Star berths and won the 1971 MVP Award. He played parts of three seasons with the Mets and turned in a pretty solid year in 1976, posting a 123 OPS+. The following year he became (briefly) a player-manager. He was 286-420 between 1977 and 1981 but honestly did not have a lot of talent to guide.

Bobby Valentine
Overall Player – 7; Mets Player – 6; Mets Manager – 2
Valentine was thought to be a Hall of Fame talent, but a gruesome leg injury kept him from reaching that promise. Still, he played parts of 10 seasons in the majors and spent half of 1977 and all of 1978 with the Mets. He came over in a trade for Dave Kingman, which immediately made him unpopular with the fans. Valentine’s play didn’t make things any better, as he posted a .133/.191/.181 line (that was good for an OPS+ of 3) in his 90 PA for the Mets in 1977. He was solid in ’78 – 94 OPS+ – but the Mets released him in Spring Training the following season. In parts of seven years managing the Mets, Valentine was 536-437 and he led the team to the 2000 World Series.