New York Mets: The 2010’s All-Decade Team
We continue our series of 2010 All-Decade Teams with a look at the New York Mets.
The New York Mets had a very up and down decade of the 2010s. Marred in the Bernie Madoff scandal and some bad contracts, Sandy Alderson took over the reins of the franchise.
Behind some pretty good drafting from the previous regime along with a couple of big trades, the New York Mets emerged as contenders, making the World Series in 2015 and another playoff appearance the next season.
After that, came another valley.
The end of the decade saw fluid to the top, as Brodie Van Wagenen has taken over as they look to make the playoffs in 2020 after a strong end to 2019 and a new manager in someone who played for the team last decade in Carlos Beltran.
The history of the New York Mets was built on pitching and this decade just added to that legacy. Multiple Cy Young Award winners, along with some outstanding power arms that played a key role in the franchise’s turnaround during the decade.
They also saw a revitalization and the end of possibly the greatest position player the franchise has developed through their system. The end of the decade saw a player come up, who could possibly take that mantle when it’s all said and done for him.
To determine this roster, I took a look at things like ERA+, WHIP, wins, and strikeouts for pitchers. On the hitting side, things like OPS, home runs, and RBI were taken into account.
How did the player impact the roster was also a part of it. How long they were on the club came into it as well, so no, Pete Alonso won’t be the first baseman, even after his incredible rookie campaign of 2019.
So who made the All-decade roster for the 2010’s New York Mets? We will start in the infield.
The All-Decade New York Mets Infield
Catcher: Travis d’Arnaud
d’Arnaud was a big part of the R.A. Dickey trade that also brought Noah Syndergaard to the New York Mets (more on both of them later). His Met tenure was marred by injuries, but he led all New York Mets catchers in all major offensive categories throughout the decade.
The club released him in 2019. After a short stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers, d’Arnaud caught on the with Tampa Bay Rays, and had an excellent season. He now finds himself a free agent as of this posting.
First Base: Lucas Duda
Back in the early part of the decade, there was a debate as to who would be the first baseman of the future for the New York Mets, Would it be Lucas Duda or former first-round pick Ike Davis.
Davis had his moments, but due to injury and illness, he didn’t take hold of the job, and Duda became a pretty good source of power from the left side for the club. Duda led first baseman in all of the major offensive categories. He is also currently a free agent.
Second Base: Daniel Murphy
Murphy was mainly a super-utility player. A bat they couldn’t find a position for. The found that position at second base and Murphy became one of the better offensive players at the position.
New York Mets fans won’t forget the 2015 postseason when Murphy became Babe Ruth and helped lead them to the pennant. Murphy would leave as a free agent after that postseason and is now the first baseman for the Colorado Rockies
The All-Decade New York Mets Infield
Third Base: David Wright
Sorry, Zach Lutz fans. The captain is the third baseman for the New York Mets of the 2010s. Wright’s decade was marred by injury, failing to play in 40 games a season after the 2014 campaign.
A career cut short by spinal stenosis, Wright is still a part of the organization, in the front office. Wright still led all third baseman in all the major offensive categories for the decade even with the injuries
Shortstop: Jose Reyes
This was close, but Reyes leading Asdrubal Cabrera by more than three full wins in FWAR swayed me. In 2011, the New York Mets decided not to trade Reyes in the final year of his contract (stupidly).
He became a batting average champion that year and would leave via free agency. After being traded twice, the Colorado Rockies released him after a domestic violence incident. The Mets brought him back and helped lead the club to a Wild Card birth in 2016. Reyes led all shortstops in not only FWAR, but steals, average, and RBI
All-Decade New York Mets Outfield
For these selections, I’m not going to follow left field, centerfield, and right field. We’re going to pick the three best outfielders period for the 2010’s New York Mets
Michael Conforto
The 2014 first-round pick made his major league debut the very next year, to help a club that was desperate for offense at the time. After going through a sophomore slump, the past three years have shown Conforto to be one of the more productive left-handed hitting outfielders in the game today, with one of the sweeter swings. He leads all outfielders in WAR, and homers (Lucas Duda does, but he’s out first baseman here) and RBI
Yoenis Cespedes
Talk about an impact trade. The New York Mets picked up Cespedes at the trade deadline in 2015 and all he did was absolutely catch fire. In 57 games, Cespedes hit .287 with a .942 OPS, 17 homers and 44 RBI.
The Mets re-signed him for 2016, and he was an All-Star and a top 10 MVP finisher. The club gave him four years after that, and the deal hasn’t quite worked out the way they thought, but he’ll be going into a contract year this year and is a total wild card.
Curtis Granderson
For much of the decade, the New York Mets didn’t really spend money. They dipped their toe in the free-agent waters after the 2013 season, by signing Granderson away from the crosstown Yankees.
All Granderson did was give the Mets three full seasons of 20+ homers, and some veteran leadership, before trading him in the final year of his deal in 2017.
All-Decade New York Mets Starting Rotation
Jacob deGrom
What made the New York Mets become a contending team again was the wave of pitching that came up through the farm system. deGrom wasn’t the biggest prospect, but when he was given a chance, he took the ball and ran with it.
Now, he’s a back to back Cy Young Award winner and arguably the best pitcher in the game today. At this point, he is also the face of the franchise.
Noah Syndergaard
Syndergaard came during the 2015 run and was a key part of their pennant run. He was arguably the ace of the team the next season and went toe to toe with Madison Bumgarner in the 2016 Wild Card game. Since then, his time has been marred by injury, trade rumors, and inconsistency.
Matt Harvey
Oh what could have been. The former first-round pick came up to the team in 2012 and looked like the second coming of Tom Seaver. He started the All-Star game in 2013 but needed Tommy John Surgery.
The New York Mets set an innings limit for him in 2015, but due to their playoff run, Harvey blew through that. Terry Collins let him try and complete Game 5 of the World Series. He didn’t, the team lost and his career wouldn’t be the same.
Zack Wheeler
The New York Mets acquired Wheeler back in 2011 for their current manager Carlos Beltran. If they re-sign him this offseason, Wheeler can now play for the guy he was traded for.
Wheeler did miss two full seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery. The second half of 2018 and 2019 gave glimpses of what kind of pitcher he can be moving forward.
R.A. Dickey
Dickey was a minor league flyer they took a chance on in 2010 and became a stable part of the rotation in his first two seasons. 2012, however, was a different story. Dickey won 20 games, struck out 233 batters and won the NL Cy Young Award.
The All-Decade New York Mets Bullpen
Jeurys Familia
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Familia actually came up as a starter, but was converted to a reliever by the New York Mets and then became their closer. Yes, you can tell early with him if he has it or not, but when you look at the numbers, he was their best reliever of the decade.
Familia was brought back as a free agent before last season after being traded at the deadline in 2018. He will be a key setup man in 2020.
Seth Lugo
Lugo came up in 2016 and was a part of the rotation. He has shuffled between the rotation and the bullpen over the past couple of years, but 2019 was a different story as he was the New York Mets best reliever in 2019. He could start again in 2020 depending on what they decide to do.
Bobby Parnell
Like most relievers, Parnell came up as a starter, but the New York Mets needed bullpen help and eventually a closer in the early part of the decade and eventually became the closer. He struggled in 2015 and was let go by the club that off-season.
Los Angeles Dodgers: The 2010s All-Decade Team. dark. Next
The New York Mets of the 2010s had some really high highs and low lows. The club is set to win now, so the early part of the 2020s could have another contending club in Queens.