1996 New York Mets

1996 New York Mets / Franchise: New York Mets / BR Team Page

Record: 71-91, Finished 4th in NL Eastern Division (1996 NL)

Managed by Dallas Green (59-72) and Bobby Valentine (12-19)

Coaches: Bob Apodaca, Mike Cubbage, Frank Howard, Tom McCraw, Greg Pavlick, Steve Swisher and Bobby Wine

Ballpark: Shea Stadium

History, Comments, Contributions

The 1996 New York Mets featured numerous players who were stars or semi-stars at various points in their careers, but they did not coalesce into a winning team that season. Todd Hundley (41 home runs, 112 RBI), Bernard Gilkey (30 home runs, 117 RBI) and John Franco (28 saves, 1.83 ERA) were at the apex of their stardom, while Carlos Baerga (.193 batting average) was past his prime. Edgardo Alfonzo (.261 average, 4 home runs), Jeff Kent (.290 batting average, 9 home runs), Carl Everett (.240 batting average, 1 home run) and Jason Isringhausen (6-14 record, 4.77 ERA) had not yet reached their potential. Generation K, which included Isringhausen, Paul Wilson, Bill Pulsipher and occasionally Robert Person, and was supposed to anchor the team through the late 1990s and beyond, went a combined 15-30 with a 4.94 ERA. Pulsipher missed the campaign entirely.

Awards and Honors

• All-Stars: Todd Hundley and Lance Johnson

Further Reading

• Andrew Mearns: "Remembering the first time that Major League Baseball came to Mexico", "Cut4", mlb.com, November 13, 2017. [1]