Welcome to the thirteenth installment of Mets Sunday School: Forgotten Faces of Flushing, where we dig through the archives (and the occasional dog-eared scorecard) to revisit the players who once donned the orange and blue but have since faded into the background of Mets history. These are the names you might not find in Cooperstown—but they still left their mark at Shea, Citi, the Polo Grounds, and beyond.
Last week, we took a look at Chico Walker, the ultimate utility man who could play just about anywhere—except on a team that kept him around for long. Though his Mets tenure was brief, Walker embodied the spirit of the journeyman: versatile, dependable, and always ready when his number was called.
This week, we turn our attention to Frank Taveras, a speedster who brought chaos on the basepaths and a bit of unpredictability to the Mets' infield. Though he never quite became the next great shortstop in Queens, Taveras left an imprint with his wheels and his glove.
So grab a seat, dust off those old scorebooks, and let’s get to work!
Frank Taveras might not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of New York Mets legends, but for a brief moment in the late '70s, he was the man making things happen—sometimes for the Mets, sometimes for their opponents.
Before he donned the blue and orange, Taveras was a speedster for the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team he joined as an 18-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 1968. The great Howie Haak, Pittsburgh's legendary scout, signed him for the princely sum of $3,500, a small price to pay for a future National League stolen base leader. Taveras made his major league debut in 1971 as a pinch-runner for the great Willie Stargell in a 15-inning marathon against, of all teams, the Mets. He spent most of 1972 and all of 1973 in the minors before finally sticking with the Pirates in 1974. By 1977, he was a stolen base machine, swiping 70 bags to lead the league while also getting caught 25 times the following season—a classic case of 'you win some, you lose some.'
Taveras had his moments in Pittsburgh. He once hit an inside-the-park grand slam, an event so rare it’s basically a baseball unicorn. But Pirates fans were never fully sold on him, and after a rough start to the 1979 season, they traded him to the Mets in April for Tim Foli. That year, Pittsburgh went on to win the World Series. Taveras went on to play for the Mets. Life isn't always fair.
With the Mets, Taveras was an everyday shortstop, which in the late '70s often meant a guy who could field reasonably well, run fast, and hit just enough to not be an automatic out. He was a classic slap hitter—so much so that in over 4,300 career plate appearances, he hit exactly two home runs. One was an inside-the-parker, and the other miraculously cleared an actual fence in Cincinnati. Somewhere, Willie Stargell probably lost a bet that day.
In his first season with the Mets, Taveras played in an impressive 164 games, thanks to the bizarre scheduling quirk of having already played 11 games with Pittsburgh before arriving in New York. That season, he batted .263 with 42 stolen bases, providing the Mets with a much-needed spark at the top of the lineup. It was a far cry from contending, but in those dark days before the arrival of Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, a little excitement went a long way at Shea Stadium.
By 1981, Taveras' time in New York was winding down. In three seasons with the team (1979-1981), Taveras played 378 games and batted .263 with 69 doubles, 12 triples, and—true to form—just one lonely home run. He also swiped 90 bases, proving he still had wheels even as he entered his 30s.
Defensively, he was steady if unspectacular, handling shortstop duties with a reliable glove but not much flash. His time in Queens coincided with some of the leaner years in Mets history, but he was a serviceable starter until younger options emerged.
Taveras's Mets tenure ended after the 1981 season, and he wrapped up his MLB career with a brief stint in Montreal. While he may not have been a franchise cornerstone, he was a player who filled a crucial role during a transitional period for the team. And for those who appreciate the art of the slap single and a well-timed stolen base, Frank Taveras was an underappreciated piece of Mets history. The Mets, still trying to figure out how to be relevant, traded him to the Montreal Expos for pitcher Steve Ratzer before the '82 season. In Montreal, he lasted only 48 games, batting .161 before being released. Just like that, his big-league career was over.
Over his career, Taveras had some notable matchups against some of the best arms in baseball. His most frequent opponent was Hall of Famer Steve Carlton, who held him to a .224 average over 98 at-bats. On the other hand, Taveras fared much better against another Hall of Famer, Phil Niekro, hitting .311 with four doubles and three triples off the knuckleballer.
Taveras particularly thrived against John Candelaria, hitting .378 with three doubles, while also holding his own against Steve Rogers (.325) and Larry Christenson (.302). However, some pitchers clearly had his number—he managed just a .185 average against Don Sutton and a mere .146 against Burt Hooton.
Despite these struggles, Taveras made life tough for plenty of pitchers with his speed. Even when he wasn’t getting on base at a high clip, he was a threat to swipe a bag and disrupt a game. His battles with some of the game’s greats were just another part of his under appreciated career.
Frank Taveras was never a superstar, but he was a player of his era—a speed-first shortstop who could electrify the basepaths, frustrate pitchers, and make Mets fans both cheer and groan in equal measure. His legacy might not include a championship ring (thanks to some very unfortunate timing), but for a brief period, he was the fastest man in New York. And in a town that never sleeps, that’s saying something.
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