Max Scherzer hopes to make his Mets debut on Friday, and all eyes will be on the three-time Cy Young Award winner as he takes the ball for the first time in a meaningful game since signing a record-breaking deal with New York.
Scherzer is 37 years old, but is coming off another All-Star season in which he pitched to a 2.46 ERA in 179.1 innings, so he will have high expectations as he is expected to be the temporary ace of the staff while Jacob deGrom recovers from a shoulder injury.
Scherzer will be competing with these Mets who put up the best debut seasons in franchise history. Here are the Splendid Six, which include three pitchers and three position players:
6. Tom Seaver, 1967
We begin with the franchise’s first-ever Rookie of the Year winner, and arguably the most beloved player in team history. Seaver’s big-league debut was solid, allowing two earned runs over 5.1 innings, and he only got better from there. his second start included one earned run in 7.1 innings, his third a 10-inning shutout, and off he went, on his way to an All-Star season with a 2.76 ERA in 251 innings of work.
Seaver’s 6.7 WAR was easily the best mark on the Mets, with the next highest coming from Tommy Davis, who has just a 2.7 WAR that season. New York’s struggles were reflected in Seaver’s record for the season (and helped show how misleading a pitcher’s win/loss record is), as the righty went 16-13 on the year.
5. Mike Piazza, 1998
We’re gonna bend the rules a bit here to include Piazza, mainly because his New York introduction was that insane. Yes, Piazza was acquired midseason, traded to the Mets from the Marlins on May 22, just over a week after he was dealt to Florida from the Dodgers, and immediately mashed in Queens. In 109 games, he slashed .348/.417/.607 with 23 home runs, good for a 5.4 WAR, his highest he would ever record in any full season with the Mets, or for the rest of his career.
His first full season with New York could have made this list as well, as he was an All-Star again in 1999, batting .303 with a .946 OPS and 40 bombs, tied for his career-high.
4. Pete Alonso, 2019
Setting the rookie home run record in your first season as a Met? That’s a guarantee to land you on this list. Alonso socked 53 bombs in 2019, one more than Aaron Judge did as a rookie two years earlier. Sure, Alonso’s total was likely aided by the infamous juiced ball during that season, but he was a monster nonetheless, slugging .583 with a 147 OPS+, finishing seventh in the MVP voting. He also won the Home Run Derby.
Alonso ended his debut season with a 5.5 WAR, trailing only Jacob deGrom.
3. Gary Carter, 1985
Carter arrived in New York with plenty of hype after he was acquired in a trade with the Expos after the 1984 season, and for good reason. The 31-year-old was riding the heels of six straight All-Star appearances, and had just led the league with 106 RBI.
He lived up to the hype from the start, clubbing a career-high 32 home runs in 1985 while driving in 100 runs and batting .281. Carter earned a Silver Slugger for his contributions, which added up to a 6.9 WAR, trailing only Dwight Gooden, who had an absurd sophomore season en route to a Cy Young Award following a strong rookie season, which you’ll read more about right now…
2. Dwight Gooden, 1984
Gooden should have started his career with back-to-back Cy Young Awards, but he was snubbed in his phenomenal rookie season, finishing second to Rick Sutcliffe of the Cubs, who trailed Gooden in ERA, WAR, strikeouts, innings, WHIP, home runs allowed, wins, you get the idea.
Gooden led the league in strikeouts with 276 in 218 innings of work, and also led the league in FIP (an absurd 1.69), WHIP (1.073), hits per nine innings (6.6), home runs per nine (0.3), and strikeouts per nine (11.4). It was his first of three straight All-Star seasons to open his career, and was a debut season to remember that should really be seen as a 1A/1B ranking to this other dominant starter...
1. Johan Santana, 2008
Santana’s acquisition prior to the 2008 season rivaled Francisco Lindor’s acquisition prior to last season, with the Mets acquiring, then extending, a bonafide superstar in the prime of his career. While Lindor struggled in his debut season, Santana was a machine, leading the league in ERA (2.53) for the third time in his career. He was also an absolute horse for the Mets, leading the league with 234.1 innings of work, finishing third in the Cy Young voting. His 7.1 WAR was tops on the team, ahead of Carlos Beltran and even David Wright, as he proved to be the most valuable player on that group, never more prevalent than when he tossed a complete game shutout on Sept. 27 to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive on what was later revealed to be a torn meniscus in his knee, which he had surgery to repair after the season.
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