This past Sunday was Groundhog Day, a tradition based on a superstition that by now basically serves as a reminder that spring is coming soonish. Much like the upcoming pitchers and catchers reporting, it's an annual event that has no real bearing on our daily lives, and yet is an important indicator that good things are coming. Of course, for many of us, simply hearing the term "Groundhog Day" triggers thoughts of the 1993 film starring Bill Murray. As you likely know, the film centers around Murray's character who becomes trapped in a time loop, forcing him to relive February 2nd over and over again.
You might be wondering, "What does this have to do with the Mets and The Five?" I'm glad you asked. This week's edition focuses on players who had multiple stints in Queens. Some of them started their careers in New York, moved on sometime around their prime, only to return as things were winding down. While other players found Flushing to be a stop on their career trains worthy of experiencing more than once. So while it may have seemed at one point like they were done playing with the Mets, turns out they came back for more.
To date, almost 50 players have had multiple runs with the Mets. Some players, like Bobby Bonilla, had good results in one go 'round, while the other stretch was much less impressive. Of course, there are some players who never really made an impact in the blue and orange, despite multiple opportunities. For this week's list, the goal was to focus on players who contributed in each of their turns with the team.
So, without any further explanation, here the 5 best Mets repeat customers.
5. Pedro Feliciano (2002, 2003-2004, 2006-2010, 2013)
You might think that "Perpetual Pedro" earned his nickname because he was always seemed to be on the Mets, even after leaving the team multiple times. In actuality, the lefty relief specialist was recognized for pitching almost every day, or at least it felt that way. Feliciano currently ranks second all-time in games pitched by a Mets player (John Franco tops that list). For Pedro though, it wasn't just about showing up.
The Mets originally acquired Pedro Feliciano in an August 2002 trade with the Cincinnati Reds for Shawn Estes. He made his major league debut a month later and pitched in 6 games that season. He was DFA'd at the end of the season and claimed off waivers by the Detroit Tigers that October. That relationship didn't last long, as the Tigers released Feliciano two months later, only for him to be re-signed by the Mets.
Pedro's second stint with the Mets lasted for two solid yet unremarkable seasons. He was then sold to he Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (Japanese Pacific League), where he pitched for one season before returning to...you guessed it...the Mets.
While Feliciano was a dependable arm out of the bullpen for much of this tour with the Mets, he will most be remembered for leading the majors in games pitched each season from 2008-2010. In fact, in each of those seasons, Pedro set the Mets record for games pitched: 86 in 2008, 88 in 2009, and 92(tied for 4th all-time) in 2010. His 90th appearance in 2010 set an MLB record for most appearances across a 3-year span (266 games) and a 4-year span (344 games).
Following his 2010 season, Feliciano signed a 2-year deal with the Yankees, however a shoulder injury that required surgery forced him to miss all of the 2011 and most of the 2012 seasons. While he made some rehab appearances with the Yankees minor league teams in 2012, he never ended up throwing a pitch for the big league squad.
Naturally, Pedro Feliciano returned to the Mets just prior to the 2013 season. He didn't appear with the Mets until August of that season, and while his best days were certainly behind him, he still got into 25 games and pitched effectively.
4. Rusty Staub (1972-1975, 1981-1985)
Wherever he went, Rusty Staub made an impact. Indeed, he is the only player in baseball history to have 500 hits with 4 different teams. Staub's two tours with the Mets were quite different from each other, yet each one endeared him to the Shea faithful.
The Mets first obtained Rusty Staub from the Expos in a 1972 trade that sent Ken Singleton, Mike Jorgensen, and Tim Foli to Montreal. During his first tenure in Queens, le Grand Orange amassed 540 hits, 62 home runs, and 297 RBI's. This included a 105-RBI season in 1975, setting a team record. The record would be tied by Gary Carter 10 years later, and eventually topped by other Mets greats. Staub's first turn with the Mets, however, is most remembered for his role in the 1973 postseason. In the NLCS against the Cincinnati Reds, Rusty hit 3 home runs and drove in 5, in the Mets 3 games to 2 victory. In Game 4 of the series, Staub made two remarkable catches. The second catch robbed Dan Driessen of extra bases in the 11th inning, also yielded a separated shoulder. Staub missed the final game of the series as well as the first game of the World Series against the Oakland A's. Despite playing hurt for the remainder of the series, Staub batted .423 with a home run and 6 RBIs in the Mets 4 games to 3 loss.
When Rusty returned to the Mets, no longer the athletic outfielder in his prime, although he was still a skilled batter. In fact, in 1981, he pinch hit in almost as many games as he started. A year later, he pinch hit in more games than he started. And over the final three seasons of his career, Staub was used almost exclusively off the bench. So what did he do? He became one off the best pinch hitters of all time. In 1983, he tied the National League record for consecutive pinch hits with 8, and his 25 pinch RBIs tied the Major League record.
Rusty Staub retired following the 1985 season, and was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1986. He was also a Mets television announcer from 1986-1995.
3. Lee Mazzilli (1976-1981)
When the Mets drafted Lee Mazzilli with their first round pick in 1973, it seemed like kismet. The kid from Brooklyn was a gifted athlete and before he long, he was giving Mets fans reason to dream. Those high hopes intensified when he hit a home run in his second big league at-bat, late in the 1976 season. By 1978, Maz was a key contributor to the Mets lineup, and in 1979 he was their best hitter, leading the team in hits, RBIs, and walks. Along with catcher John Stearns, Mazzilli made the All-Star team that summer. He hit a game-tying home run in the top of the 8th inning and then walked with the bases load to bring home the eventual winning run in the NL's 7-6 victory. He had another solid season in 1980, including 41 stolen bases and 82 runs scored, leading the team in both categories. The strike-interrupted 1981 season was a step back for Mazzilli, however, and after the Mets picked up power-hitting outfielder, George Foster, Maz was traded to the Texas Rangers for Ron Darling and Walt Terrell just before the 1982 season started.
Mazzilli's first run with the Mets was at a low point in franchise history. From 1977-1981, the Mets were a .400 baseball team, and it felt even worse than that. When Mazzilli returned as a free agent pickup in August, 1986, things were different. The Mets were on their way to their best season record in their history and an eventual World Series championship. Coincidentally, the Mets released Foster in order to make room for Mazzilli. No longer the Mets future star, Maz quickly settled into his role as a reserve on this talented Mets team and made his veteran presence felt. He wasn't just there for nostalgia; he singled and scored the tying run in the 8th inning of Game 6 of the '86 series, and his pinch single in the 6th inning of Game 7 sparked the game-tying rally. He continued to contribute in 1987, however by 1988 his production decreased significantly, and after similar results in the first half of the 1989 season, he was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays.
2. Dave Kingman (1975-1977, 1981-1983)
There has been talk over the last few years about the three true outcomes in a baseball at-bat: a walk, a strikeout, and a home run. For the 6'6" slugger nicknamed "King Kong" there were really only two of those outcomes were true.
When the Mets purchased Dave Kingman from the San Francisco Giants prior to the 1975 season, they knew they were getting someone with significant power potential while perhaps lacking in some baseball's other key fundamentals. In his first year with the Mets, Kingman set a team record with 36 home runs, and fell just short of a team record with 153 strikeouts (Tommie Agee's 156 K's in 1960 was just barely safe). The following season he bested his own record as he hit 37 home runs in just 123 games, and also started in right field at that year's All-Star Game in Philadelphia. In 1977, however, Kingman got off to a rough start. On June 15, 1977, known to some as the "Midnight Massacre," the Mets made three significant trades, Mike Phillips to the Cardinals, Tom Seaver to the Reds (more about that in a little while), and Dave Kingman to the San Diego Padres. This was the first of three trades involving Kingman in 1977 alone.
Kingman went from the Padres to the Angels to the Yankees all in 1977, before settling in with the Chicago Cubs in 1978. Following the 1980 season, however, the Cubs decided it was time to move on from Kingman and traded him to the Mets for Steve Henderson and cash. He led the Mets in RBIs in the strike-interrupted 1981 season, and then led the National League in home runs with 37, tying his own Mets record. This was the first time that a Mets player had led the league in home runs. Of course, Kingman being Kingman, this was also the first time that the NL Cy Young Award winner had a higher batting average than the NL Home Run leader, as Steve Carlton's .218 easily beat Kong's .204. Kingman's solo home run against Pirates starter Rick Rhoden on June 9, 1982 was his 119th 4-bagger with the Mets, putting him 1 past Ed Kranepool for the most in franchise history.
On June 15, 1983, exactly six years after the "Midnight Massacre," the Mets acquired first baseman Keith Hernandez. This move rendered Kingman's role fairly obsolete and he spent much of the rest of the season on the bench, and was released after the season. He soon signed with the Oakland A's, where he finished his career after the 1986 season.
1. Tom Seaver (1967-1977, 1983)
More than four decades since his last pitch for the Mets, Tom Seaver is still known as "the Franchise" - a nickname that will stay with him no matter who else plays for this team. For a historically pitching-rich team like the Mets, Seaver easily and automatically stands out as the best they've ever had. His accomplishments are plentiful and easy to research, so we're not going to list them all here. Still, it's important to know that he was a source of many "firsts" in Mets history: first Mets Rookie of the Year award winner, first Mets Cy Young Award winner, first true Mets star, and many more. Suffice it say that his impact on the Mets went far beyond the amazing things he did on the mound. Seaver's results with the Mets gave the team a measure of hope and a level of credibility that they had never experienced before, ultimately culminating in the Mets first World Series championship.
Much as his presence in Queens symbolized the beginning of a new identity for the Mets, his trade to the Reds in the aforementioned "Midnight Massacre" marked the end of an enjoyable chapter and the beginning of a new period of darkness in Flushing. That period lasted until the early 1980's, when youngsters Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden were paired with Keith Hernandez and eventually Gary Carter to help turn things back around. Kicking all of that off though, was the re-acquisition of Seaver from the Reds in December, 1982. While his return season with the Mets fell short of the standards he had set when he first came through Queens, he was still a reliable starter in his 34 games, and the fans certainly appreciated his presence.
Unfortunately, some short-sightedness by the otherwise clever-thinking Mets GM, Frank Cashen, cost the Mets Seaver again. See, shortly after the '83 season, the Mets exercised a $750,000 option on Tom Terrific. This was during the short-lived period of MLB's free agent compensation draft (1982-1985). The Mets left Seaver off the protected list prior to the 1984 draft, mistakenly assuming that his high salary would keep other teams away. Instead, the Chicago White Sox chose Tom Seaver to replace Dennis Lamp whom they lost in free agency to the Toronto Blue Jays. For the second time, Seaver's run with the Mets had come to an end.
He would try again in 1987. With the Mets starting rotation decimated by injuries, and Gooden's rehab, the Mets convinced the seemingly retired Seaver to give it another go. He never actually signed with the team though, and after a few terrible exhibition outings against the Mets triple-A team in Tidewater, Seaver knew it was time to call it a career.
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