New York Mets: Five best right fielders in franchise history

4. Curtis Granderson

We come almost to the present for our fourth selection. In 2013, the Mets finished with a record of 74-88. One of the moves they wanted to make was to add some pop to the outfield. Why? Nobody hit for more than 21 in 2013. The greatest RBI total on the team was 78. The lineup needed some juice.

So, Sandy Alderson decided to sign Curtis Granderson. From 2011-2012 he went for back to back 40+ home run seasons across town with the Yankees. He scored over 100 runs in each of those two seasons as well. Though he was 33 years old at the time of the signing, the Mets felt he would be a veteran presence in the outfield that they needed, and bring some power along with him.

It was a bit less than expected that first year with only 20 home runs, but he got into the “swing” of things in 2015. That year he hit his high with the team of .265 batting average. He added 26 home runs and 70 runs batted in. Granderson’s high watermark came in 2016 with 30 home runs, though only 59 RBI. He hit 19 last year before being traded to the Dodgers.

You might think that the RBI numbers are low for all of those home runs but in his case they aren’t. Remember that Granderson hit at the top of the order a lot. There aren’t going to be very many guys on base for the leadoff hitter, so his RBI totals will suffer. It shouldn’t take away from his impact.