3 Mets fan favorites who were ruined after a position change

The New York Mets have had some star players in their history, some whose star dimmed rather suddenly. Although it seems like they may have just fallen off the cliff, it might have been they were actually pushed.

The Mets had three players over the years…each pretty successful…each a fan favorite (they were all definitely favorites of mine)…each an All Star. And, ironically, each was a switch hitter. And each of them, even more ironically, had a fall from grace once the Mets asked them to change positions.

1) Lee Mazzilli

Lee Mazzilli played the premier position, centerfield, in the city that boasted the best centerfielders to ever play the game. Mazzilli not only had matinee idol looks, but he had the tools make it actually matter. He could hit, he could run, and he played centerfield using the Willie Mays patented basket catch.

Maz was the main offense…really the only offense…in the Mets lineup from 1978 through 1980. During that three-year period, he compiled stats of .273 BA, .353 OBP, 16 HR, 61 RBI, 20 SB in 1978; .303 BA, .395 OBP, 15 HR, 79 RBI, 34 SB in 1979; and .280 BA, .370 OBP, 16 HR, 76 RBI, 41 SB in 1980.

But then, for some reason, Joe Torre decided that he was going to convert Mazzilli into a first baseman. Torre had been a really good hitting catcher but eventually moved from behind the plate to third base and eventually to first base. While that move may have prolonged Torre’s career, that decision ruined Mazzilli’s career.

He never looked comfortable at first base, and he then became uncomfortable at the plate…totally losing his identity and looking lost. He was eventually traded away for Ron Darling and Walt Terrell in 1982, but would return in 1986 to play a role in the Mets second World Championship.

2) Howard Johnson

Howard Johnson was one of the best offensive players to ever put on a Mets uniform. HoJo had a great blend of power, from both sides of the plate, and speed.

Johnson was a part-time third baseman and shortstop his first two seasons in 1985 and ’86, as the Mets had Ray Knight to man third base. But after Knight left following the ’86 World Series Championship, Johnson grabbed hold of the everyday job at third and had a five-year run that saw him average 31 homers, 95 RBI, and 32 stolen bases.

HoJo was a three-time member of the 30-30 club…hitting at least 30 home runs and stealing at least 30 bases in 1987, 1989, and 1991. He led the NL in home runs and RBI in that ’91 season.

And then came 1992. He played a good third base. He actually played a pretty good shortstop whenever Davey Johnson wanted more offense in the lineup. So why not put him in centerfield? Well…apparently the Mets hierarchy didn’t learn anything after the Juan Samuel debacle. And just like Samuel, Johnson looked horrible in the outfield and, suddenly, looked horrible at the plate.

The move also caused him some nagging injuries, eventually learning that he had broken his wrist. He was never the same. He ended up in Colorado with the Rockies for a season, moved on to the Cubs, but could never get back to the player he was before trying to be a centerfielder.

3) Todd Hundley

Todd Hundley came up with a name that had some significance in Mets lore. His dad, Randy Hundley, was the catcher for the 1969 Chicago Cubs that lost out to those Miracle Mets. Randy was a good player. But Todd…he was believed to be a lot better.

It took Todd a while to get going, but once he did, and became a full-time player, he displayed the kind of power that the Mets hadn’t had since….since…a productive Howard Johnson.

In 1996, Hundley broke out and hit 41 home runs with 112 RBI, while hitting .259 and making his first All Star appearance. He followed that up with another All Star campaign in 1997, hitting .273 with 30 dingers and 86 RBI.

The two-time All Star catcher was still only 28 years old when the Mets surprised the baseball world by acquiring another All Star catcher, Mike Piazza, from the Florida Marlins a month into the 1998 season. While it would have made sense for the Mets to include Hundley in such a trade – All Star catcher for All Star catcher – apparently either the Marlins preferred the others they received in the trade or the Mets were not exactly confident that they could re-sign Piazza after the season was over and he became a free agent.

Piazza was a first baseman in college who converted to catcher to get to the Major Leagues quicker. But the Mets had John Olerud at first base and Piazza wasn’t exactly good or comfortable there anyway. (We would discover that in depth later on.)

So in their infinite wisdom to switch players to other positions…and their absolute success rate with such moves…they decided to move Hundley out to left field. Now they didn’t attempt such a move during the off-season, during spring training. They did it smack in the middle of the season.

The results were just embarrassing. It was really unfair to Hundley…to stick him out there and make him look helpless.

The move to left field destroyed him. Hundley would end up hitting just .161 with 3 HR and 12 RBI, playing just 53 games. He would go on to play two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and even two seasons with his dad’s Cubs. But like Mazzilli and Johnson before him, he was never the same.

This article was originally published on risingapple.com as 3 Mets fan favorites who were ruined after a position change.