New York Mets: Five best shortstops in franchise history
4. Rafael Santana
Santana became the Mets regular shortstop in 1985 after Jose Oquendo was traded away. One thing to note is his durability. After assuming the job Santana played no less than 139 games per season. He played all games in the 1986 playoffs and set an NLCS record for chances, putouts nd assists.
His best batting average came in 1985 when he hit .257 to go along with one home run and 29 RBI. Santana was traded to the Yankees following the 1987 season. That year, however, was the year he put up five home runs and drove in 44 to set career highs. Was Santana a serviceable offensive player? Absolutely. He actually walked quite a bit, leading the team in intentional walks in 1986. That’s in part because Mets pitching only hit .123.
In the field, Santana never won a Gold Glove but he got the job done. In his time with New York is fielding percentage hovered around .970. He had good range and was a solid double play partner with Wally Backman/Tim Teufel. He played the fifth-most games in team history at the position for a reason. 478 is a big number over that timeframe, and he did it because the team recognized he could get the job done.