The 1992

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

season was the 31st regular season for the Mets. The Mets entered the season attempting to improve on their 1991 season. Due to a second half collapse they finished 78–84 and recorded their first losing record since 1983. Instead, they had a worse record of 72–90, missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. All 81 of the Mets' home games were played at

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.Bud Harrelson his job. He was fired toward the end of the season. To replace him the Mets brought in

Jeff Torborg Jeffrey Allen Torborg (November 26, 1941 – January 19, 2025) was an American professional baseball catcher and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels from 1964 to 1973. He managed th ...

, who had led the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

to a second place finish in the American League West in 1991. In memory of the man responsible for bringing National League baseball back to New York, the Mets wore a memorial patch for William A. Shea during this season.

Major acquisitions

The Mets' front office went to work trying to rebuild their squad that was only three years removed from their last playoff appearance. Their biggest acquisition was

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

outfielder Bobby Bonilla, who signed a five-year contract for just over $29 million that was one of the largest in league history at the time. The Mets also made it a priority to acquire a top starting pitcher who could complement Dwight Gooden and David Cone at the front of the rotation. After going to great lengths to acquire him in 1989, Frank Viola had largely filled that role. Viola had entered 1991 coming off a 20-win season and had made his third All-Star team. However, his performance declined after that, and he finished with only two wins in his final twelve decisions after starting 11-5. The Mets did not renew his contract, and Viola left for Boston. The Mets eventually settled on

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

ace Bret Saberhagen, whom they acquired in a December 1991 trade. former All-Star and world champion, Saberhagen posted a 13–8 record and a 3.07 ERA for the 1991 season, and was one of seven pitchers that year to throw a no-hitter. The price the Mets paid to acquire Saberhagen, however, was fairly steep as they were forced to give up two of their more productive offensive pieces. One of those players was their former top prospect, second baseman Gregg Jefferies; although he had not realized his full potential to this point in his career, Jefferies had managed to lead the Mets in batting average in 1991. The other was veteran outfielder Kevin McReynolds, who had been a consistent middle-of-the-lineup bat; he finished second on the Mets in hits, doubles, home runs, and RBI in 1991 and, although his batting average was not particularly high, finished tied with Howard Johnson for second in batting average. The Mets' acquisitions were rounded out by a pair of veterans. Second baseman Willie Randolph, who had spent 1991 with the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

, was brought in to replace Jefferies and had finished among the American League leaders in batting average the year before. To add some power to the lineup, the Mets also brought in

Eddie Murray Eddie Clarence Murray (born February 24, 1956), nicknamed "Steady Eddie", is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman, designated hitter, and coach. Spending most of his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles, he ranks fourth ...

, who had been playing first base for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Returning players

Although the Mets lost their leading hitter when they acquired Saberhagen, they were returning the defending National League leader in home runs and runs batted in with utility man Howard Johnson. The pitching staff would be led by ace Dwight Gooden, coming off a 13–7 campaign, and #2 starter David Cone, who had led the league in strikeouts en route to a 14–14 season which he finished with a one-hit, nineteen-strikeout performance against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

; his strikeout total for the game tied the then-National League record.

Season

Despite the high expectations, the Mets regressed and finished the season with a 72–90 record, their first 90-loss season since 1983. The team managed to hover near .500 at the All-Star Break but only won thirty times afterward. The two marquee acquisitions for the Mets both fizzled in their first year in New York. Bonilla, despite improving his home run total from 1991 by one, drove in only 70 runs and hit below .250, drawing boos from the local fans who were expecting more from him given his record contract. Saberhagen was injured and ineffective throughout the season and only recorded fifteen starts with a 3–5 record. Murray had a similar season to his 1991 All-Star campaign with the Dodgers, but that only translated to a .261 average and sixteen home runs (although he managed to record 93 RBIs, which by far and away led the team). Among the team's other acquisitions, Randolph, who would go on to retire following the season, was injured for most of the campaign and only managed to play in 90 games. The Mets traded for Dick Schofield early in the season to play shortstop, but he only hit .205 and failed to record more than 100 hits despite coming to the plate over 400 times. As far as returning players, Howard Johnson suffered a tremendous falloff from his 1991 campaign. Spending much of the year injured and only appearing in 100 games, Johnson's home run total dropped to seven and his RBI total fell by more than half. Vince Coleman would return from a torn hamstring suffered in 1991, but missed 91 games due in part to injuries and in part to discipline issues that cost him the entire final month of the season. Daryl Boston was the only other Met besides Bonilla and Murray to surpass 10 home runs, and no Met who qualified for the batting title could top Murray's .261. The pitching staff also had its share of issues. Closer

John Franco John Anthony Franco (born September 17, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed relief pitcher between and . Franco established himself as an Major League Baseball All-Star Ga ...

missed much of the year with injuries, so the Mets decided to give the closer's role to Anthony Young, who had not pitched particularly well as a starter. After he found initial success, converting his first twelve save opportunities, he blew five of his last eight and took the loss in all five. After winning his first two decisions as a starter, Young would take the loss in the remaining fourteen games where he was the pitcher of record, leaving him with a 2–14 overall mark for the season. Sid Fernandez led the Mets in wins and ERA, while in contrast Gooden posted his worst record as a starter to that point in his career, finishing at 10–13 and with a career low 145 strikeouts. Saberhagen, the major offseason acquisition, only managed to record a 3–5 record in seventeen games with fifteen starts as injuries kept him out of the rotation. In August, the Mets parted ways with David Cone after he recorded a 13–7 record and 214 strikeouts, the latter total leading the National League. Cone was traded to the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

for two prospects, one of which was future All-Star second baseman Jeff Kent. Cone's strikeout total, which was frozen once he left the Mets, held until late in the year when

John Smoltz John Andrew Smoltz (born May 15, 1967), nicknamed "Smoltzie" and "Marmaduke", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 2009, all but the last year with the Atlanta Braves. An eight-time Ma ...

of the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

passed it by recording his 215th strikeout. Despite that, Cone finished with the overall league lead in strikeouts (261), a 17–10 record, and his first World Series championship as the Blue Jays defeated Smoltz's Braves in that year's contest.

Criticism

The fact that the Mets made such inroads to increase payroll with little to no result, combined with the distant attitudes and actions of some of the players and Jeff Torborg's inability to maintain control of the chaotic situation, led to a controversial account of the inner workings of the Mets during that 1992 season. The book was written by current ''

Newark Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' was the largest circulation newspaper in New Jersey. It is based in Newark, New Jersey. The newspaper ceased print publication on February 2, 2025, but continues to publish a digital edition. In 2007, ''The Star-Ledger''s ...

'' writer Bob Klapisch and current ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'' baseball writer John Harper, and titled ''The Worst Team Money Could Buy: The Collapse of the New York Mets'' (), Shortly after the book's April 1993 release, Klapisch was confronted by an irate Bobby Bonilla. Bonilla threatened Klapisch and kept trying to goad him into a physical confrontation.

Offseason

* December 2, 1991: Bobby Bonilla was signed as a free agent by the Mets. * December 10, 1991: Hubie Brooks was traded by the Mets to the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

for Dave Gallagher. * December 11, 1991: Kevin McReynolds, Gregg Jefferies and Keith Miller were traded by the Mets to the

for Bret Saberhagen and Bill Pecota. * December 11, 1991: Jeff Gardner was traded by the Mets to the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

for Steve Rosenberg. * December 20, 1991: Willie Randolph was signed as a free agent by the Mets.

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day starters

* Bobby Bonilla * Daryl Boston * Kevin Elster * Dwight Gooden * Howard Johnson * Dave Magadan *

* Charlie O'Brien * Willie Randolph

Notable transactions

* April 12, 1992: Julio Valera and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

was traded by the Mets to the

for Dick Schofield. The Mets completed the deal by sending Julian Vasquez (minors) to the Angels on October 6. * June 1, 1992: Darin Erstad was drafted by the Mets in the 13th round of the 1992 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign. * August 27, 1992: David Cone was traded by the Mets to the

for Jeff Kent and a player to be named later. The Blue Jays completed the deal by sending Ryan Thompson to the Mets on September 1.

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Other pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: BinghamtonJohnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition''. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007

External links

1992 New York Mets at Baseball Reference1992 New York Mets team page at www.baseball-almanac.com

References

{{New York Mets New York Mets seasons New York Mets season

1990s in Queens