Mets Teammates Who Played Together The Longest

Within the next two weeks, longtime Yankees catcher Jorge Posada will announce his retirement from baseball.  The 40-year-old Posada will hang up his catchers' gear after 15 full seasons (17 overall) in Yankee pinstripes.  With Posada's retirement, that will leave Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera as the only Yankee teammates to be together since the days of Buck Showalter.  Jeter and Rivera made their major league debuts six days apart during the 1995 season and will be entering their 18th season as Yankee teammates in 2012.

Only one pair of teammates played together longer than Jeter and Rivera.  From 1977 to 1995, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell were double play partners in Detroit.  Their 19 seasons as teammates surpassed the previous record of 18 years set by George Brett and Frank White when they played together in Kansas City from 1973 to 1990.

It's rare for an athlete to play for a single team over his entire career, especially if his career is lengthy.  It's even rarer for teammates to stay together for an extended period of time.  Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell played an unprecedented 19 seasons together.  No individual player, let alone a set of teammates, has ever been a Met for that long, as Ed Kranepool's 18 seasons with New York has remained the franchise record for over three decades.

This brings up an interesting question.  If no individual Met has played more than 18 seasons with the team, which pair of Mets were teammates the longest?  Surely, one of the dynamic duo had to be Kranepool, right?  We've gone through mounds of paperwork (and by paperwork, I mean baseball-reference.com) and came up with the teammates who played together the longest in orange and blue.  These pairs of Metropolitans played all or parts of twelve (or more) seasons together.  Here they are:

• Ed Kranepool and Cleon Jones (12 seasons; 1963, 1965-75)
• Bud Harrelson and Jerry Grote (12 seasons; 1966-77)
• Ed Kranepool and Jerry Grote (12 seasons; 1966-77)
• Ed Kranepool and Jerry Koosman (12 seasons; 1967-78)
• Ron Hodges and Craig Swan (12 seasons; 1973-84)
• Ed Kranepool and Bud Harrelson (13 seasons; 1965-77)

Ed Kranepool was everyone's teammate so long ago that color film hadn't been invented yet.

That was kind of boring, wasn't it?  Other than the Hodges/Swan combo that most Mets fans might have overlooked, the other pairs of teammates all played in the same era of Mets baseball.

The more interesting question might be which teammates played the longest since the '80s began?  That list is probably one you wouldn't be able to recite off the top of your head.  In fact, we uncovered only one pair of teammates that played at least ten seasons together since the Reagan administration and another nine that played a minimum of eight seasons with each other.  Time to go through those mounds of paperwork again...

• Darryl Strawberry and Ron Darling (8 seasons; 1983-90)
• Sid Fernandez and Ron Darling (8 seasons; 1984-91)
• Dwight Gooden and Ron Darling (8 seasons; 1984-91)
• John Franco and Bobby Jones (8 seasons; 1993-2000)
  
• Jose Reyes and David Wright (8 seasons; 2004-11)
• Mookie Wilson and Wally Backman (9 seasons; 1980-88)
  
• Sid Fernandez and Howard Johnson (9 seasons; 1985-93)
• Dwight Gooden and Howard Johnson (9 seasons; 1985-93)
• John Franco and Todd Hundley (9 seasons; 1990-98)
• Dwight Gooden and Sid Fernandez (10 seasons; 1984-93)

(Editor's note:  John Franco missed the 2002 season with an injury.  That eliminates a pairing of Franco and Edgardo Alfonzo as eight-year teammates, as Fonzie was with the Mets from 1995 to 2002, thereby only making him Franco's teammate for seven years.  Ya gotta believe... in semantics!) 

We know Sid Fernandez wore No. 50.  But he wore No. 10 in this photo to commemorate the number of seasons he was Dwight Gooden's teammate with the Mets.  We wouldn't lie to you about that.

With Jose Reyes now waiting for the latest fire sale in Miami, David Wright and Mike Pelfrey have become the current longest running duo on 126th and Roosevelt, having played all or parts of six seasons together.  Since neither player is guaranteed to return after the 2012 season, it may be a while before the Mets have a pair of teammates play at least eight seasons together, let alone the number of seasons that players like Ed Kranepool, Jerry Grote, Bud Harrelson and others from the early days of the franchise played together.

The business of baseball has changed quite a bit since the Mets were the little team that could.  Keeping a team intact for an extended period of time has become more difficult than spelling Mientkiewicz after downing a few Coronas.

Where have you gone, Eddie Kranepool?  The Mets don't have the same look to me...

M.U.M.'s The Word (Most Underrated Mets): John Stearns

On December 3, 1974, the Mets traded away one of their most beloved players when Tug McGraw was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies. The boisterous reliever had coined the phrase "Ya Gotta Believe" during the 1973 season; a phrase that became the rallying cry for Mets fans as they watched their team go from last place in the NL East to the seventh game of the World Series in a span of less than two months.

The trade, which included outfielders Don Hahn and Dave Schneck, was orchestrated because the Mets thought McGraw was breaking down due to shoulder problems he experienced during the 1974 season. In return, the Mets received pitcher Mac Scarce (who faced one batter during his Mets career), outfielder Del Unser and a young catcher whose major league résumé up to that point consisted of one game. The Mets may have traded away one of the best relievers in franchise history, but in return, they received a player that ended up having a pretty good career in his own right.

Even in his younger days, John Stearns was always one bad dude.

John Hardin Stearns was 23 years old when he took over as Jerry Grote's main backup catcher in 1975. In each season from 1972-1974, Grote played in fewer than 100 games due to an assortment of injuries. It was clear that his time as the Mets' No. 1 catcher was coming to an end. But Stearns didn't exactly hit his way into the starting lineup during his rookie season, as he finished the 1975 season with a .189 batting average in 59 games.

In 1976, Stearns started off the season poorly, batting .067 (1-for-15), prompting manager Joe Frazier to use Ron Hodges whenever Jerry Grote was given the day off. As a result of his anemic start, Stearns was sent down to AAA-Tidewater, a move that ended up energizing (and perhaps saving) his career.

Now playing every day at Tidewater, John Stearns found his batting stroke and eye, hitting .310 over 102 games and reaching base at an astounding .437 clip. In 410 plate appearances, Stearns displayed a keen eye for the strike zone, as evidenced by his 71 walks. He also became an excellent contact hitter, striking out only 29 times. Stearns' breakthrough season at Tidewater earned him a September call-up to the Mets, where he continued to hit at a blistering pace. In his first nine games after being recalled to the major leagues, Stearns hit .455 and reached base in half of his plate appearances (15 hits and three walks in 36 plate appearances). The .067 hitter from earlier in the season was long gone. The new and improved John Stearns was here to stay.

In 1977, Stearns had supplanted Jerry Grote as the Mets' No. 1 catcher. The 25-year-old was now calling pitches for Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack on a regular basis, a dream job for most catchers. That dream ended abruptly, as the tumult within the organization reached its crescendo on June 15, when the so-called Midnight Massacre ended the Mets career of Tom Seaver.

By the time the 1977 season came to its conclusion, the Mets had finished with their worst record (64-98) in ten years. In addition to trading away their top pitcher (Seaver), the Mets dealt their top power hitter (Dave Kingman), as well as the man Stearns replaced in the lineup, with the trade of Jerry Grote to the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 31.

Despite the team's awful showing in 1977, John Stearns' first full season in the majors was quite a success. Although Stearns finished the year with a .251 batting average, his on-base percentage was a healthy .370. He led the team in walks (77), doubles (25) and home runs (12, tied with John Milner and Steve Henderson). For his efforts, Stearns was chosen to represent the National League in the All-Star Game, making him the Mets' sole representative in his first year as the Mets' everyday catcher.

The 1978 Mets entered the season with the lowest expectations of any team since the late '60s. After a last place finish in 1977 and the subsequent dismantling of the pitching staff (Jon Matlack had been traded to the Texas Rangers during the offseason), manager Joe Torre was given very little to work with. The Mets had hardly any offense to speak of, hitting only .245 as a team and banging out a measly 86 home runs during the 1978 season. But they did have one bright spot in the lineup.

In an otherwise miserable season, John Stearns continued to shine. He hit .264 and set career highs in runs scored (65), home runs (15), RBI (73) and stolen bases (25). With his 25 steals, Stearns set the modern National League record for stolen bases by a catcher. (Editor's note: Roger Bresnahan stole 34 bases for the New York Giants in 1903, but split his time between catcher, first base, third base and the outfield.)

Despite his excellent performance, Stearns was not chosen to play in the 1978 All-Star Game, as he was bypassed for Braves' catcher Biff Pocoroba. Yes, that's the same Biff Pocoroba who was hitting .262, with eight doubles, four home runs, 24 RBI, 16 runs scored and no stolen bases at the All-Star Break. (Stearns' line at the break was .265, 11 doubles, 7 HR, 32 RBI, 33 runs scored and 11 steals.) It would turn out to be Pocoroba's only trip to the All-Star Game.

In the late '70s, if you looked up the word "embarrassing" in the dictionary, you might have seen a photo of the 1979 Mets next to the definition. Those Mets were more than just embarrassing; they were difficult to watch. Craig Swan was a 14-game winner in 1979 and pitched ten complete games. No other Met pitcher won more than six games or completed more than one. As awful as the pitchers were, the hitters were just as bad. The Mets hit only 74 home runs in 1979, which was the fewest full-season total in franchise history (a record that stood for all of one season). The team hit .250 (10th in the 12-team National League) and was next-to-last with 593 runs scored, which was 24 fewer than the original 1962 Mets scored. Most importantly, the Mets finished dead last in the standings, as their 63-99 record was the worst record in the National League.

John Stearns was not immune to the Mets' failures in 1979, as he batted a career-low .243. Despite the fact that he recorded 61 more at-bats than he did in his stellar 1978 season, Stearns hit six fewer homers and "only" stole 15 bases (in 30 attempts). For the first time in his career, Stearns' batting eye failed him, as he registered more strikeouts (57) than walks (52). He also let out his "bad dude" persona on several occasions in 1979, most notably during his fight with Gary Carter after a home plate collision in the fourth game of the season. Naturally, he was rewarded for his efforts by being selected to his second All-Star Game, although he never got into the game.

Did John Stearns fight Gary Carter because he thought he was elbowed or was it really because he was secretly jealous of Gary Carter's hair?

In 1980, the magic was supposedly back at Shea Stadium, or at least that's what the marketing department led us to believe. John Stearns was just hoping that the magic was back in his game after his subpar 1979 season.

Eschewing power for a higher average, Stearns tore up National League pitching over the first two months of the season. In April and May, his Dudeness was among the league leaders in batting average, hitting a robust .320, with almost twice as many doubles (17) as strikeouts (9). Stearns did not have any home runs, but was still scoring and driving in runs (20 runs scored, 20 RBI in his first 41 games). His new approach at the plate did not go unnoticed, as Stearns was selected to participate in the All-Star Game for the third time in four seasons.

As Stearns was soaring, so were the Mets. On July 15, the Mets defeated the Braves in Atlanta to reach the .500 mark. With a 42-42 record, the Mets had their fans believing that the magic was indeed back, as they found themselves only 3½ games behind the first place Expos. However, just as soon as Mets fans started believing in their team, their hope was taken away from them, and it all started with an injury to their All-Star catcher.

On July 26, John Stearns was listed as the Mets' starting catcher, batting fifth in the lineup. Stearns never got a chance to hit in the game, as he suffered a broken right index finger on a foul tip by Reds' leadoff hitter Dave Collins in the first inning. The injury abruptly ended the 28-year-old Stearns' season, as he was immediately placed on the disabled list. The Mets would go on to lose that game to the Reds, which became a common theme over the final two months of the season. After their best start in years, the Mets dropped 53 of their final 78 games, finishing the year with a 67-95 record, good enough for fifth place in the National League East.

Before the 1981 season began, John Stearns suffered a freak injury, twisting his right ankle after he stepped on a baseball during a workout at Wrigley Field on the day before Opening Day. Stearns did not appear in a game until April 22, when he was used as a pinch-hitter, and did not start a game until six days later, when he played third base against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He did not become the regular catcher until mid-May and was still not hitting home runs, but his average remained near .300 for most of the year's first half, until the players' strike put the season on hold in June.

At the time of the strike, the Mets had a 17-34 record, with basically no chance of making the playoffs. However, on August 6, the owners decided to split the season into two halves, with the pre-strike division leaders meeting the post-strike division leaders in a special divisional round of the playoffs. Therefore, when regular season play resumed on August 10, the slate was wiped clean for the Mets and every other team that had played poorly in the first half.

The strike apparently gave the Mets time to think about what went wrong in the first half. Once the Mets took the field on August 10, they played like a different team. They won six of their first ten games and were competing for the second-half division title. On September 16, John Stearns gave the Mets and their fans a reason to celebrate with something he hadn't done in two years.

Steve Carlton was coming off a season in which he had won the Cy Young Award. Entering his September 16 start against the Mets, the man known as "Lefty" certainly had the credentials (12-3, 2.31 ERA) for another Cy Young. But he also had an interesting history against the Mets, including the game on September 15, 1969 when he became the first pitcher in the major leagues to strike out 19 batters in a nine-inning game. However, Carlton lost that game as he gave up a pair of two-run homers to Ron Swoboda.

Twelve years and one day later, it would be déjà vu all over again for Carlton against the Mets, as the southpaw struck out 15 batters, but lost the game when John Stearns hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning. The blast was Stearns' first in over two years and turned a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 lead, a lead that Neil Allen protected in the ninth inning.

Why is this man smiling? He couldn't keep Ron Swoboda or John Stearns in the ballpark.

The victory also began a stretch where the Mets won five out of six games. After their 13-inning win against the Pirates on September 21, the Mets' second half record stood at 20-20, putting them within striking distance of the St. Louis Cardinals, who at 22-17, were only 2½ games ahead of the Mets in first place. But the Mets' quest for an unlikely postseason appearance ended soon after their extra-inning victory over the Pirates, as they only won four of their remaining 13 games. The Cardinals also slumped, allowing the Montreal Expos to sneak past them and win the second-half NL East title by half a game. To this day, it remains the only postseason appearance in the 42-year history of the Expos/Nationals franchise.

In 1982, John Stearns came out of the box on fire. Going into June, Stearns was among the league leaders in batting average (.327), was scoring runs (crossing the plate 27 times), stealing bases (7 SB in 12 attempts) and was back to driving the ball all over the field. His 14 extra-base hits (10 doubles, one triple, three home runs) through the end of May matched his extra-base hit total for all of 1981.

Stearns' knack for the extra-base hit was never more evident than on Father's Day (June 20). The Mets and Cardinals were deadlocked in a 2-2 game when Stearns led off the ninth inning with a double. Although Stearns did come around to score the go-ahead run, the bullpen coughed up the lead in the bottom of the ninth, when Mike Scott (yes, THAT Mike Scott) gave up a two-out game-tying home run to Keith Hernandez (yes, THAT Keith Hernandez) to send the game into extra innings.

It didn't take too long for John Stearns to come up again and play the role of extra-base hero. In the tenth inning, after Ellis Valentine had struck out with two men on base, Stearns unloaded a triple off future Hall of Fame closer Bruce Sutter, scoring both runners. This time, the Mets were able to hold the lead, winning the game 5-4. The victory raised the Mets' record to 34-30 and left them only three games behind the first-place Cards.

For the fourth time in six years, Stearns earned the title of National League All-Star, representing the Mets in the Midsummer Classic. In doing so, he became the first position player in Mets' history to be selected to four All-Star teams. But that All-Star selection would be his last, as Stearns began experiencing right elbow pain. He made his last start behind the plate on August 12, made two pinch-hitting appearances after that, and was placed on the disabled list a week later with tendinitis in his right elbow. It was an injury he never recovered from.

Stearns went on to make three pinch-running appearances in September and continued to suffer from the effects of his elbow injury for the rest of his career. As a result, Stearns was limited to four pinch-running appearances in 1983 (no official at-bats) and one pinch-running appearance in 1984 before finally getting a chance to hit on September 1, 1984. It was his first time at bat in over two years. So what did Stearns do after two years without a bat in his hands? Naturally, he hit a double as a pinch-hitter, and came around to score in a 10-6 victory over the Padres. Stearns would eventually return to catch the final two games of the season, a season that saw the Mets finish with only their second 90-win season in franchise history.

Those last two appearances behind the plate would mark the end of John Stearns' career as the Bad Dude became the Retired Dude following the 1984 season. After his retirement, Stearns remained in the Mets' family, becoming the team's bench coach in 2000 and third base coach in 2001.

John Stearns finally made it to the World Series as bench coach for the 2000 Mets.

John Stearns was the type of player who never took the passive approach on the field. If an opposing pitcher went head-hunting after a teammate, Stearns would protect him, as he did in 1980 when Expos' rookie Bill Gullickson buzzed Mike Jorgensen with a pitch and Stearns (who wasn't even in the Mets' lineup) took exception, tackling Gullickson and starting a bench-clearing incident. It wasn't the only time Stearns would exhibit his football mentality on the field, as he tackled Atlanta's Chief Noc-A-Homa during a game in 1977 and did the same to an unruly fan who ran on the field during a game in 1980.

Although Stearns never had league-leading numbers or was the best catcher in the game, he did have a hard-nosed approach that is essential to winning games. Unfortunately, the Mets didn't do much winning during his time with the team, preventing Stearns from receiving more recognition for his accomplishments.

John Stearns was never the type of player who would fill up the boxscore, but he was the man you would most want as your teammate. Stearns once said "the monster's out of the cage" in reference to Mike Piazza. However, when Stearns took the playing field as a Met, he was the monster being left out of his cage. His teammates knew it, opposing players knew it and All-Star Game voters knew it. It's time for this underrated Met to receive the recognition he deserves.

Josh Thole Hopes To Give Mets Stability Behind The Plate

Josh Thole goes into spring training as the odds-on favorite to get the bulk of the playing time at catcher. Even if manager Terry Collins goes to a lefty-righty platoon with Thole and the newly acquired Ronny Paulino, it would be the left-handed hitting Thole getting the lion's share of at-bats. If Thole can handle the Mets' pitching staff and can successfully hit major league pitching on a regular basis, he stands to do something that hasn't been seen in Flushing since the days of Mike Piazza.

The Mets have played musical chairs at a number of positions, most notably at third base (until the arrival of David Wright in 2004) and right field. One position where they've had stability over the past half-century is at catcher.

Since 1962, the Mets have used 142 third basemen and 197 rightfielders (soon to be 198 if Carlos Beltran moves over to right). But they have only penciled in 81 catchers on their lineup cards, despite it being the most grueling position to play on the field.

It was original Met manager Casey Stengel who once famously said that you have to have a catcher, or else you're going to have a lot of passed balls. From 1962-1965 (which coincides with the time Casey was the Mets' skipper), the Mets didn't have a true #1 catcher, using 14 men at the position. Chris Cannizzaro played the most games at the position over the team's first four seasons, but that only added up to 236 games.

It wasn't until 1966, when Jerry Grote was traded to the Mets from the Houston Astros, that the Mets could boast finally having an everyday catcher. And once Grote took over the job, the catcher's position became as stable as any on the Mets.

From 1966-1976, Grote caught 1,176 games, which still represents the most games caught by any player in Mets history. Except for the 1972 season, when he was sidelined by injuries, Grote was the team's #1 catcher. With the emergence of John Stearns, Grote was deemed expendable, and he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 31, 1977.

John Stearns was the Mets' regular catcher during the team's lean years from 1977-1982. In addition, he was also one of the team's best players, providing some pop (tying for the team lead with 12 HR in 1977 and hitting a career-high 15 HR in 1978) and exceptional speed for a catcher (91 stolen bases as a Met, including 25 SB in 1978).

Stearns was the first Mets position player to be selected to four All-Star teams (1977, 1979, 1980, 1982), but his career was cut short by a severe case of elbow tendinitis. Unable to throw, Stearns barely played in 1983 (4 games) and 1984 (8 games), appearing mostly as a pinch-runner.

The main backup catcher for both Grote and Stearns was Ron Hodges. He began his career in 1973 for the "Ya Gotta Believe" Mets, playing in 45 games and walking in his only postseason plate appearance in Game 1 of the World Series. From 1973-1981, Hodges backed up both Grote and Stearns, never appearing in more than 59 games in any season.

Then in 1982, he finally got his chance to be the team's #1 catcher when John Stearns succumbed to his elbow injury. Hodges became the team's everyday catcher at the end of the 1982 season and continued to hold the position in 1983, before going back to being the #2 guy in 1984 behind Mike Fitzgerald.

After Hodges retired, the top man behind the plate for the Mets became one of the most beloved figures in Mets history. Gary Carter was acquired via a trade with the Montreal Expos prior to the 1985 season and immediately became the best offensive catcher in franchise history. In five years as a Met, Carter caught in 566 games, picking up 89 HR and 349 RBI along the way. He became the first Met to drive in 100 or more runs in back-to-back seasons when he accomplished the feat in 1985 (100 RBI) and 1986 (105 RBI).

Along with first baseman Keith Hernandez, Carter was named co-captain of the Mets in 1988, even though he was already on the downside of his Hall of Fame career. Despite this, he was still named to the All-Star team in each of his five seasons in New York.

Once the '90s began, the Mets returned to the pre-Grote system of "let's send this guy out there to see how he does". Most of the time, it was Mackey Sasser who went behind the plate, but his unusual (how shall we say this politely) "throwing disability" prevented him from ever taking over the everyday job. It wasn't until 1992 when a homegrown talent took the position and made it his own.

After a few brief appearances in 1990 (36 games) and 1991 (21 games), Todd Hundley became the Mets' #1 catcher in 1992 at the tender age of 22. He went through the usual growing pains in his first full season as a Met, hitting .209, with 7 HR and 32 RBI. But as he got older, his power made its presence felt. From 1993-1995, Hundley averaged 14 HR and 49 RBI, numbers that would have been higher had the players' strike not wiped out parts of the 1994 and 1995 seasons. Then came 1996, the year Todd Hundley broke out in a major way.

In his fifth full season in the major leagues, Hundley obliterated his previous career highs in home runs and RBI. He became the first player in franchise history to surpass the 40 HR mark in 1996, and his 41 bombs set the all-time major league record for home runs by a catcher (which was surpassed by the Braves' Javy Lopez in 2003). He also recorded 112 RBI, which at the time, was the most by any catcher in Mets' history.

Hundley followed up his record-setting season with another good year, although not quite at his 1996 levels. He became the first Mets catcher to record back-to-back seasons with 30 or more homers in 1997, when he finished with 30 HR and 86 RBI. Unfortunately, that would be his last full season as a Met, as injuries limited Hundley to 53 games in 1998. However, the Mets did have a good backup plan, one that involved a certain trade with the Florida Marlins.

On May 22, 1998, the Mets traded Preston Wilson, Ed Yarnall and Geoff Goetz to the Florida Marlins for a catcher who had only been in Florida for one week. He went on to become the best hitting catcher, and perhaps the best hitter, in franchise history. That catcher was Mike Piazza.

Opposing pitchers feared him. Opposing baserunners? Not so much.

Piazza heard some boos early on from the Shea Stadium crowd. After all, he only drove in 20 runs over his first 47 games in New York, far less than the numbers he was accustomed to posting. Then Piazza caught fire, and he took the team with him. Over his final 62 games (57 starts), Piazza hit .362, had an on-base percentage of .434 and a slugging percentage of .670. He hit 19 doubles, 16 HR and drove in 56 runs over that two-month stretch. Amazingly, his power did not come along with a high strikeout total, as Piazza whiffed a mere 26 times over his final 62 games.

Piazza did not lead the Mets to the postseason in 1998, but he was able to carry them into October the following two years, including the franchise's fourth World Series appearance in 2000. In 2001, the Mets were struggling before September 11. After the season resumed on September 17, Piazza put the team on his back and almost led them back to the playoffs. Over the team's final 16 games, Piazza hit .364. He picked up 12 extra-base hits (seven doubles, five homers) and drove in 16 runs.

The 2002 season began a downward turn for Piazza, as he went from out-of-this-world numbers for a catcher to just very good numbers. Although he still had 33 HR and 98 RBI, he failed to hit .300 for the first time since in a full season, finishing the year with a .280 batting average. Piazza rejoined the human race from 2003-2005, averaging 17 HR and 50 RBI, to go with a .265 batting average. Despite his return back to Earth, Piazza still finished his Mets career with 220 HR and 655 RBI, numbers that rank him near the top of the franchise leaderboard.

For 40 seasons (1966-2005), the Mets basically used only six catchers (Grote, Stearns, Hodges, Carter, Hundley, Piazza). However, since Piazza played his last game as a Met in 2005, no Mets catcher has been the #1 guy behind the plate for more than two seasons. It's now up to Josh Thole to bring stability back to a position that was known for it throughout the majority of the team's existence.

Born during the 1986 World Series, the new "kid" hopes to reach the heights the old "Kid" (Gary Carter) reached during that magical World Championship season.

Thole has already proven he can handle a major league pitching staff. In 73 games last season, Thole's catcher's ERA (which calculates the ERA of the Mets' pitchers while Thole is catching them) was 3.58, which was lower than the overall team ERA of 3.73. He has also shown he can get on base. In 255 career plate appearances, Thole's batting average is .286 and his on-base percentage is .357. In fact, Thole's OBP would have led the Mets in 2010 had he registered enough at-bats.

For now, the future for the Mets at the catcher's position lies in the hands of Josh Thole. As long as he plays the way he is capable of playing, the 24-year-old Thole could join the exclusive list of catchers who have enjoyed great success behind the plate for the Mets. A long run at the catcher's position hasn't been seen since 2005. It's time for Thole to bring back stability behind the plate.