13 September

Fans select Hernandez No.1 in second MetsRewind Hall of Fame class

by MetsRewind 0 Comments

2019 Hall of Fame Class

Mets Rewind

New York Mets fans have voted Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Dwight Gooden, Rusty Staub and Darryl Strawberry in to the MetsRewind Hall of Fame. Hernandez received 86.2% of the vote followed by Carter (66.7%), Gooden (57.2%), Staub (54.3%) and Strawberry (51.4%).

The second class of inductees will join Tom Seaver, David Wright, Gil Hodges, Mike Piazza and Jerry Koosman in the Mets Rewind Hall of Fame.

Hernandez, who now serves as an analyst for SNY, the Mets television affiliate, played 6 1/2 seasons with New York (1983-1989), batted .297 and won five Gold Glove Awards. He was a member of the 1986 World Series Championship team and the 1988 National League Eastern Division champs. Hernandez was selected team captain in 1987 by then Mets manager Davey Johnson, a first in franchise history.

Carter, who ranked second in voting on the latest ballot, received 2/3 of all fan votes. The Kid as he was affectionately known, was acquired by the Mets in the winter of 1984, played five seasons in New York, winning two National League Eastern division titles and a World Series championship in 1986. During his five-year tenure, Carter batted .249 with 89 home runs and 349 RBI. He was selected to the N.L. All Star team four consecutive years (1985-1988) as a member of the Mets.

Gooden pitched 11 years with the Mets, winning the N.L. Rookie of the Year (1984), Cy Young Award (1985), a World Series ring (1986) and four All Star appearances (1984-1986, 1988). His most dominant season was 1985 when he finished 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA, pitching 276 innings and recording 268 strikeouts (both tops in the league). Gooden finished third in the voting appearing on 57.2% of all of the fans ballots.

Staub, who ranked fourth in the vote, had two tenures with the New York Mets (1972-1975 and 1981-1985). He was a member of the 1973 National League Championship team. Over his nine-year run with the Mets, Staub batted .276 with 75 HR and 399 RBI. He passed away at age 73 just days before the opening of the 2018 season.

Strawberry beat out Ed Kranepool by less than one percent of the vote to earn induction into the hall. Strawberry, a member of the 1986 World Series champs and 1988 division winner, still holds the Mets all-time home run record (252). Over eight seasons in New York (1983-1990), Strawberry was named Rookie of the Year (1983) and was selected to the N.L. All-Star team seven straight years (1984-1990) as a member of the Mets.

Completing the Top 10 were:

Ed Kranepool: 50.7%
Joan Payson: 39.8%
Tug McGraw: 39.1%
Davey Johnson: 27.5%
Casey Stengel: 23.9%

The next ballot will be an “open” ballot, meaning Mets fans will have the opportunity to write in the five candidates (players/managers/coaches/front office personnel/owners/media) they feel most deserve the honor. Voting will be open February 1 for the third class of inductees. The next class will be announced on July 4, 2020.

Hall of Fame Voting FAQ

Why

Mets Rewind has created the first and only Mets Hall of Fame of its kind. This exclusive online Hall of Fame will allow team fans (and baseball fans) decide which Mets players and personnel should be recognized for their contribution(s) to team history.

What

Since the Mets Rewind Hall of Fame is being created more than one-half century into the franchise existence, we are going to jump start the process in a unique way. The first ballot will have no names. What, you say? That’s right, no names. We are going to select the first player/manager/coach/owner, etc. through a write-in ballot.

How

Here’s how it will work: Select your top five choices in order of importance and submit your ballot. Each player from your ballot will be rated with one, two or three points. For example, if you submit:

1. Tom Seaver (5 points)
2. Joan Payson (4 points)
3. Gil Hodges (3 points)
4. Casey Stengel (2 points)
5. Mike Piazza (1 point)

Seaver would receive five points, Payson four, Hodges three, etc. So, remember, your first choice = five points, second choice = four points, etc. List your choices in order of importance to you.

When

Each ballot received will be added the total between now and May 31, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. The top five players/coaches/personnel with the most points will earn induction in the Mets Rewind Hall of Fame.

Who

Once the first group of inductees is announced, Mets Rewind will use the first write-in ballot to add 10 pre-selected candidates to the list for the second group. As stated earlier, in the effort to jump start the process, Mets Rewind will continue with a monthly ballot from June-August 2019 and again from September-November 2019. By the end of this period, Mets Rewind will have 15 members in the online Hall of Fame. At that time, the induction process will be implemented annually.

Mets Rewind

National League baseball in New York was redefined on March 6, 1961 when the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club Inc. formally received a certificate of membership from leave president Warren Giles. Of the 30 Major League Baseball clubs today, the case could be made that no other team has a more compelling franchise history than the New York Mets. From Casey Stengel to Yogi Berra, Marv Throneberry to Tom Seaver, Willie Mays, Tug McGraw, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Bobby Valentine, Pedro Martinez and Matt Harvey, the Mets are loaded with character(s). Then there are the Amazin’ seasons — 1962, 1969, 1973, 1986, 2000, 2006-2008 and 2015 — full of miracles, joy, hope and heartbreak. Mets Rewind is designed for that purpose: To share team history in a distinct and entertaining format. We hope you — the baseball fan — enjoy the content. We encourage you to share your memories.

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