Outfield: The 2015 Mets have depth and talent roaming the outfield grass, so how does the 2000 team match-up?
Yoenis Cespedes and Curtis Grandson are household names in just about every Met home. Both of these guys have been better than advertised for majority of the season and have given the Mets thunderous power, good speed on the base baths, and solid defense. Michael Conforto’s promising bat, Juan Lagares’s gold glove, and Michael Cuddyer’s leadership make this unit a real strength and a big reason why the 2015 team has been able to contend.
The 2000 outfield didin’t have the firepower this team does, but that doesn’t mean they lacked ability. You see the image on top of this page. That’s right, that is Benny Agbayani! The big Hawaiian posted an .868 OPS in 2000 and knocked in 60 runs playing left field. He was no all star, but he provided us with one of the best Mets postseason moments in franchise history:
Jay Payton was one of the top rookies in 2000, clubbing 17 homers and driving in 62. Derek Bell had a similar season (18 homers, 69 rbi’s) before suffering an injury that allowed playing time for none other than Timo Perez (remember him?). Timo scored 8 runs and recorded 7 hits in the NLCS, while playing valuable defense.
So, the 2000 Mets didn’t have a better outfield than the current group, did they?
No, not by any stretch. However, they were all solid and key contributors throughout the season.
