2009 New York Mets

2009 New York Mets
Major league affiliations
National League (Since 1962) Eastern Division (Since 1969)
Location
Citi Field (Since 2009) New York, New York (Since 1962)
2009 Information
Owner(s)	Fred Wilpon
Manager(s)	Jerry Manuel
Local television	SportsNet New York
Local radio	WFAN
Baseball-Reference	2009 New York Mets

2009 New York Mets / Franchise: New York Mets / BR Team Page

Record: 70-92, Finished 4th in NL Eastern Division (2009 NL)

Managed by Jerry Manuel

Coaches: Luis Alicea, Sandy Alomar, Howard Johnson, Randy Niemann, Razor Shines and Dan Warthen

Ballpark: Citi Field

History, Comments, Contributions

The 2009 New York Mets were racked with injuries, with just one pitcher making more than 30 starts and none of their "primary" outfielders collecting more than 350 at-bats. Brian Schneider was slated to be the starting catcher, but played just 59 games; Omir Santos earned most of the work behind the plate. Jose Reyes was intended to be the primary shortstop, but he appeared in just 36 games; Alex Cora spelled him most. Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan were meant to be cogs in the outfield, but both missed significant time; Gary Sheffield, Jeff Francoeur and a hodgepodge of others filled in.

In the rotation, Mike Pelfrey remained healthiest, starting 31 games; Johan Santana was limited to 25 starts, while John Maine made just 15 and Oliver Perez 14. All the injuries allowed otherwise unknown players to display their skills, with the likes of outfielders Jeremy Reed and Cory Sullivan earning 161 and 136 at-bats, respectively, and pitchers Tim Redding, Nelson Figueroa, Pat Misch and Fernando Nieve tossing 120, 70 1/3, 59 and 36 2/3 innings, respectively.

A total lack of power also hampered the club, with Daniel Murphy leading the team with 12 home runs; Sheffield, Beltran, Francoeur and David Wright had 10 each. The team's 95 dingers was last in the National League. They paced the loop with 122 stolen bases and a .277 batting average, however, with Wright leading the club with 27 steals and Beltran batting .325. Wright also contributed a .307 batting average. The club also paced the NL in strikeouts, with Wright leading the club with 140.

Santana was far-and-away the team's best starter, going 13-9 with a 3.13 ERA and 146 strikeouts. Pelfrey contributed 10 wins, but had a 5.03 ERA. In the weak bullpen, new closer Francisco Rodriguez led the team with 35 saves and averaged 9.7 K/9 IP, but his ERA was an elevated 3.71; Bobby Parnell and Sean Green also underwhelmed, with ERAs of 5.30 and 4.52, respectively. Pedro Feliciano performed well, posting a 3.03 mark in a league-leading 88 appearances, while Ken Takahashi had a 2.96 ERA in 28 appearances in his only season stateside and Elmer Dessens managed a 3.31 mark in limited duty.

Following the season, the Mets made a few signings to try and bolster the club -- Jason Bay and Ryota Igarashi came aboard with much fanfare, but both underwhelmed. R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi, on the other hand, come aboard with less lofty expectations, but excelled in their time with New York.

Awards and Honors

• All-Stars: Carlos Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez, Johan Santana and David Wright
• 2009 Topps All-Star Rookie Team: Omir Santos (C)

Further Reading

• Anthony Castrovince: "12-player trade! Years later, deal still amazes: Reflections on the epic Mariners-Mets-Cleveland swap of '08", mlb.com, December 10, 2021. [1]

2009 MLB season by team