I never really play historical saves so why not start chronicling one by playing as my favorite team from the absolute beginning! As some know, the 1962 Mets are the worst team in post-integration baseball history, losing a ridiculous 120 games as an expansion team..
I have already played the 1962 season before starting this so I will recap the Mets first season here and the transactions made to try and get this team to the top. There really wasn’t much missed with this season as they stunk just like as expected.
We started the season on a decent note, winning three of our first six games. But things fell apart quickly and by June 1st we were sitting at a dismal 15-34, last in the National League.
Really the rest of the season went as bad as expected and we finished our inaugural year at 50-112. The season on paper was a disaster but I obviously expected a tough challenge, but we did make some interesting moves to try and get the roster to compete.
Our first big move was with the San Francisco Giants, who were really willing to give away some solid players. The Giants went on to win the ‘62 World Series after this trade so it can’t have been that much of a steal for us, but I think this could be a good long term play for us.
The New York Mets trade 31-year-old 2B Charlie Neal, 25-year-old LF Jim Hickman and 29-year-old C Harry Chiti to the San Francisco Giants for 32-year-old RHP Don Larsen, 20-year-old RF Jesus Alou and 24-year-old RHP Ron Herbel.
Both Chiti and Neal were pretty bad for us early in the season so I wasn’t too sad to lose them here in this early June trade. The real centerpiece for the Giants was Jim Hickman. Hickman was pretty solid for the team in a limited role (10 AB, .300 AVG) and also had some real potential both defensively as a corner outfielder and as a decent hitter with some power, but he projected to be a solid starter at best here.
The real reason for the trade for the Mets side was Alou, who is a prospect who was ready to play and had loads of potential as a 20 year old. He can hit for contact at an elite level already and also played some solid defense at left and right field. I think already Alou is a better player than Hickman and he also has a ton of room to grow. I was also keen on Larsen and not just for his perfect game fame. We needed a ton of depth in the rotation and he was a perfect fit here.
Then at the deadline, we were able to swing two big one-for-one trades that immediately helped our team talent wise.
The New York Mets trade 28-year-old 2B Felix Mantilla to the St. Louis Cardinals for 24-year-old RHP Ray Washburn.
Mantilla was a fun player who I enjoyed in this first season but his numbers never impressed (89 OPS+, 1.6 WAR) but his defensive versatility was an asset that a team like the Cardinals could use. Washburn was great for the Cardinals with a 2.65 ERA and was a great all around pitcher who could get strikeouts, prevent runs and limit walks. At the age of 24, he’s already a great building block for the rotation and he still has the potential to be a key option as a 1 or 2 starter. I think this trade will be huge for our team’s growth and now we have a pitcher that should perform well even at his worst.
The New York Mets trade 23-year-old RP Bobby Miller to the Chicago Cubs for 31-year-old 1B Ernie Banks
On paper this trade should be a no-brainer with name recognition in mind, but Banks has declined a decent amount by 1962 and his days of 40 homers and 6 WAR a season seem to be over. It’s still a great move so that the team has an identifiable star and we can leave Banks at first for a couple years and not have to worry about it. Miller is a really good young relief option and pitched even better once going to the Cubs, but I want to really worry more about the bullpen once we get some actual talent on this team. Is Banks going to be our superstar? No, unless he has a time machine on him. But he is still a good player and will contribute to winning baseball which is all I really care about after a 112 loss season.
I’ll expand on the 1962 season here before I move forward to the 1962 rookie draft in November. The Giants beat the Detroit Tigers in the World Series in five games. Giants 3B Jim Davenport won the World Series MVP and the Giants now have their sixth title.
AL MVP - LF Manny Jimenez (Kansas City Athletics, .328 AVG, 136 OPS+, 6.5 WAR)
AL Cy Young - SP Camilo Pascual (Minnesota Twins, 273 IP, 21-5, 2.73 ERA)
AL Rookie of the Year - LF Manny Jimenez (Kansas City Athletics, .328 AVG, 136 OPS+, 6.5 WAR)
AL Reliever of the Year - RP Terry Fox (Detroit Tigers, 9-8, 2.02 ERA, 29 SV)
NL MVP - CF Dick Allen (Philadelphia Phillies, .369 AVG, 188 OPS+, 9.5 WAR)
NL Cy Young - SP Sandy Koufax (Los Angeles Dodgers, 268 IP, 23-8, 3.22 ERA)
NL Rookie of the Year - CF Dick Allen (Philadelphia Phillies, .369 AVG, 188 OPS+, 9.5 WAR)
NL Reliever of the Year - RP Ron Perranoski (Los Angeles Dodgers, 2.65 ERA, 6-11, 19 SV)
Koufax being there isn’t a surprise but wow what a season from rookie Dick Allen! Allen is looking like the face of baseball after a season like that and I’ll be curious to see if he can keep it up. Crazy that both an AL and NL rookie won MVPs here, there should be a ton of young talent coming into the league now and that leads us to the 1962 Rookie Draft!
