New York Mets: Five best third basemen in franchise history
3. Wayne Garrett
Garrett made his debut with the Mets at a special time in their history. They didn’t know at the time that 1969 would be their first World Series title but that is what it was, and that is when Garrett came to the big leagues. In that April of 1969 debut against the Cardinals, Garrett went 1-3 at the plate. The success at the plate didn’t continue as his career average with the Mets was a paltry .237, two points lower than his career average of .239.
Garrett never hit higher than .266 in any year with the Mets, drove in more than 58 runs or hit more than 12 home runs. However, he was good enough to be the Mets starting third baseman 711 times in his career. How did that happen? Garrett was a good enough fielder to hold down the position, with his fielding percentage hovering between .940 and .970 for his career in New York.
Now that is not going to sound very high to anyone, because it isn’t. There is a reason why Garrett never won any Gold Gloves. But keep in mind the fact that the Mets couldn’t find anyone good enough to settle into the position. They could have installed a turnstile at the base. That is how frequently the name changed. The fact that Garrett stayed that long goes to show you that he earned it, and earned a place on this list.