Impeccably researched and brimming with passion, Brian Wright’s The New York Mets All-Time All-Stars takes the reader through Mets history one personality at a time. Wright determines the best Mets player at each spot on the diamond, and rounds out his all-time roster with reserves and honorable mentions. He also names the manager, general manager, coaches, and owner that rank as the best in club history.
You may not agree with all of Wright’s picks, but as he explains early on, the point of the book is to encourage debates, not end them.
Selection Criteria
In each chapter, Wright selects the best Met at a position and then summarizes that person’s tenure in Queens. His choices are based on a number of factors, including the player’s statistical output and overall impact on the organization. Wright mostly weaves traditional counting stats like home runs and RBIs into his storytelling, but he wisely incorporates more advanced numbers when applicable.
For example, his analysis of Al Leiter’s Mets career points to the lefty’s ERA+ to illustrate how Leiter stacked up against his contemporaries. Likewise, the argument for Bud Harrelson’s inclusion is supplemented with modern defensive metrics like Fielding Runs Above Average and Range Factor.
Writing Style
Although the book is filled with anecdotes and data drawn from various print, web, and video sources, Wright steers clear of extraneous information. He tells readers exactly what they need to know about each of his selections, often doing so with a nifty turn of phrase or revealing quote sprinkled in.
Yes, it’s important to note that Bobby Valentine led the Mets to consecutive postseason appearances in 1999 and 2000, which Wright does. But Wright’s declaration that Valentine was “both as sharp as a tack and as blunt as a kick to the groin” is equally necessary for explaining the skipper’s personality and role in Mets annals. Historical baseball books often struggle to combine thorough statistical analysis with compelling prose; Wright manages to nail that tricky balance.
Searle’s Final Say
The New York Mets All-Time All-Stars is an informative read that will thrill Mets fans with its vivid recollections of years past. Because the book is structured as a series of career retrospectives, there is some overlap between chapters. Certain moments, like the climactic rally of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, are connected to so many legacies that the author has no choice but to mention them multiple times. To his credit, Wright never lets these stories feel repetitive or stale.
If the book falls short in any respect, it’s that the self-contained nature of each chapter does not allow for an overarching narrative. There is also a dearth of chapters that directly contrast two players, something that could have strengthened a few of Wright’s arguments. A chapter that weighs Mike Piazza’s Mets accomplishments against those of Gary Carter might have given the book added complexity, for instance.
Those minor criticisms aside, I highly recommend The New York Mets All-Time All-Stars. It’s an engrossing text for all baseball fans, especially those who bleed orange and blue.
