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New York Mets: The franchise all-time bracket

By Bill Felber

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - MARCH 08: A New York Mets batting helmet in the dugout before a spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros at Clover Park on March 8, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Mets defeated the Astros 3-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - MARCH 08: A New York Mets batting helmet in the dugout before a spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros at Clover Park on March 8, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Mets defeated the Astros 3-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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Tug McGraw, New York Mets pitcher (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Tug McGraw, New York Mets pitcher (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

The 1969 and 1986 New York Mets champions are classic teams, but will they take home the grand prize? Let’s take a closer look.

Two memorable teams dominate the all-time New York Mets bracket. Those, of course, are the franchise’s two World Series champions, the Miracle Mets of 1969 and the 1986 team managed by Davey Johnson.

One of those two is almost certainly deserving of the title of the best team in Mets franchise history.

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Still, there are other at least plausible contenders. Since their creation in 1962, Mets teams have won five National League pennants and made nine playoff appearances.

Eleven Mets teams have won 90 games or more in a single season, including five straight between 1984 and 1988.

Somewhere within that grouping, we should be able to identify a solid bracket of eight.

Begin with the pennant winners: that would be 1969 and 1986 along with 1973, 2000 and 2015. Choosing them leaves three spots.

The 1988 Mets won 100 games, making them deserving of a spot. Of the remaining Mets teams, three topped 95 wins: 1985, 1999 and 2006. Choosing the 2006 team provides a bit of chronological variety, and since the 1985 club won one more game than the 1999 team,  they become the logical team to pick up the final invitation.

Related Story. San Diego Padres: The franchise all-time bracket. light

The format is identical to previous bracket challenges. Each matchup in the tournament is decided based on seven criteria. You can think of each as a ‘game,’ the winner of four games advancing. The seven criteria are:

  1. Game 1: Regular season winning percentage.
  2. Game 2: Post-season winning percentage
  3. Game 3: Team OPS+
  4. Game 4: Team ERA+
  5. Game 5 (if necessary): Team WAR
  6. Game 6 (if necessary: Fielding percentage above the league average for the season in question.
  7. Game 7 (if necessary): The standard for Game 7 is Hall of Famers or likely future Hall of Famers.
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