Seaver leads first class of Hall of Famers

Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Gil Hodges, David Wright and Jerry Koosman have been named the first five inductees into the MetsRewind Hall of Fame.

Seaver nearly doubled the number of total points of all other candidates on the write in ballot, receiving 29.1% of the total points. Piazza finished second with 13.7%, followed by Hodges (13.6%), Wright (4.7%) and Koosman (4.6%).

Seaver pitched 12 seasons (1967-1977, 1983) for the Mets, winning 198 games and compiling a 2.57 ERA. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1967, three Cy Young Awards (1969, 1973 and 1975) as was selected to nine All-Star teams as a member of the Mets. He was a member of the 1969 World Series champions and 1973 National League champions.

Piazza was acquired by the Mets in 1998 from Florida Marlins. He played eight seasons in New York (1998-2005), batting .296 and hitting 220 home runs. Piazza broke the major league record for most home runs by a catcher in 2005 as a member of the Mets. He was selected to the National League All-Star team seven times for the blue and orange.

In four seasons at the helm, Hodges managed the Mets to their first World Series title in 1969 and collected 339 wins. He is fourth in wins by a Mets manager (339). Hodges was also a member of the original 1962 (and 1963) Mets team as a player.

Wright played his entire 14-year major league career with the Mets. He was the team’s first-round draft pick in 2001 and made his MLB debut three years later in 2004. In 1,585 career games, Wright batted .296. Wright is a seven-time All-Star, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and a member of the 30–30 club. He holds franchise record in hits, runs scored, RBI, doubles, total bases, walks and extra base hits. Wright was named team captain in 2013, becoming the fourth captain in the team’s history.

Koosman won 140 games over 12 seasons with the Mets (1967-1978). He won Game 2 and the decisive Game 5 of the 1969 World Series. He was also a two-time All-Star with the Mets (1968 and 1969).

Completing the Top 10 were:

• Keith Hernandez (4.2%)
• Dwight Gooden (4.1%)
• Darryl Strawberry (3.1%)
• Casey Stengel (3.1%)
• Joan Payson (2.7%)

In addition, the following players, broadcasters and team personnel also received votes:

Gary Carter, Ed Kranepool, Davey Johnson, Tug McGraw, Bud Harrelson, Rusty Staub, Cleon Jones, Dave Kingman, Mookie Wilson, Ron Swoboda, Edgardo Alfonzo, Bob Murphy, Tommie Agee, William Shea, John Franco, Nolan Ryan, George Theodore, Jon Matlack, Yogi Berra, Jerry Grote, Bobby Valentine, Ron Hunt, R.A. Dickey, Terry Collins, Gary Cohen, Felix Millan, Frank Cashen, Carlos Beltran, Ralph Kiner, Mookie Wilson, Jay Horwitz, Jacob deGrom, Howard Johnson, Jose Reyes, Lee Mazzilli, Lindsey Nelson, Curtis Granderson, Al Jackson, Johan Santana, Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy.

MetsRewind created the first and only Mets Hall of Fame of its kind. This exclusive honor allows team fans (and baseball fans, in general) to decide which Mets players and personnel would be recognized for their contribution(s) to team history.

Since this is being created more than one-half century into the franchise existence, we jump started the process in a unique way. The first ballot featured no names. Players, personnel and media were selected through a write-in process.

Here’s how it worked: Each voter selected their top five choices in order of importance and submit your ballot. Each player on the ballot scored points on a 1-5 scale. For example, if you submit:

1. Tom Seaver (5 points)
2. Mike Piazza (4 points)
3. Gil Hodges (3 points)
4. David Wright (2 points)
5. Jerry Koosman (1 point)

Seaver would receive five points, Piazza four, Hodges three, etc. The top five players/coaches/personnel with the most points were inducted in the MetsRewind Hall of Fame.

The next ballot has been released and includes 10 pre-selected candidates (selected by players/personnel/managers/media from the first ballot). MetsRewind will continue with a monthly ballot from June-August 2019.