THE List: 10 Most Hated Mets
Doug Sisk (1982-1987)
The standard by which all hated Mets are held.
Kevin McReynolds (1987-1991, 1994)
His lazy, lackadaisical style of play infuriated fans.
Vince Coleman (1991-1993)
He was just a jerk.
Bobby Bonilla (1992-1995, 1999)
What to hate most — the earplugs, the medicore numbers, threatening a reporter? I’ll go with the latter, because in the effort of full disclosure, the reporter, Art McFarland, was a former colleague at WABC-TV, and is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Watch the ridiculous confrontation:
Mel Rojas (1997-1998)
In a case of the lesser of two evils, was traded straight-up for Bonilla after the ’98 season.
Armando Benitez (1999-2003)
Was great from April to mid-September, but famously choked in big games.
Braden Looper (2004-2005)
Deserves credit for absorbing the boos during his lousy second season, and not telling the media he was pitching injured all year.
Guillermo Mota (2006-2007)
He should have stayed on the steroids — he was actually really good when juiced. Clean? — not so much.
Scott Schoeneweis (2007-2008)
Was it just me, or were the Mets announcers late in 2007 always saying, “It’s Schoeneweis and Mota warming up in the bullpen?”
Luis Castillo (2007-present)
Is having a nice bouce-back 2009 season that has quieted the fans. He just might work his way off of this list, but the boos he got in 2008 were among the worst since, well, Doug Sisk.
Mug Shots courtesy Ultimate Mets Database, http://ultimatemets.com/mugshots.php
Sisk isn’t hated. He pitched in bad luck. How about Saberhagen instead? How about George Foster? As for McReynolds, yeah he was lazy but in the outfield he went to the line better than 99% of the other stifss the Mets have out there since Cleon Jones.
Just found your site and I love it. The most hated Met of all time has
to be M. Donald Grant (I know he wasn’t a player). He singlehandedly
did more to ruin the franchise than all the Bonillas and Colemans in the
world. Also, George Foster should have made the list.
What about Roberto Alomar?
Kevin McReynolds??? He had a few nice years for the Mets.
What about Ollie Perez??!!! He’s up there with Osama Bin Laden and Hillary Clinton in my book!!!
Norm E. you were dead nuts right on with M.Donald Grant!! I remember reading that he complained about having to be escorted around Shea by security guards.
What about Pat Zachary? The idiot punches a wall and breaks his hand – out for the rest of the year.
I also agree with Paul C., Saberhagen was a bum.
Carlos Delgado deserves to be on this list as he quit on the team for not trying to make an effort to come back from injury, plus he never sat with the team when he was hurt & support the other players, a true clubhouse cancer. Ollie Perez should be on here as well.
How could I have forgotten Timo Perez? Way to hustle.
And then there was Aaron Heilman. You just knew that if he came into the game, the Mets were going to lose. Whether he lost his confidence, or his fastball/curveball, it didn’t matter. Mets fans abandoned all hope when Heilman entered.
Dont forget Roger Cedano, he got some really intense boos and for a long time.
Who writes this nonsense??? How do you leave off Jason Bay and Oliver Perez in favor of Mota and Looper?????
I wrote this in 2009 before the career downturns of Bay and Perez. Still though, I think Mota and Looper were more hated by Mets fans than Bay. I don’t think fans really hated Bay. He obviously wasn’t a favorite, but I think there was more disappointment than hatred.
Perez would, of course, make the list today.
How about George Foster, who took his big (at the time) contract and essentially retired while still in active duty as a Met by not showing any hustle, power, anything?
Also, Neil Allen, who was so loved by management and so rotten out of the bullpen. I was amazed when the front office turned him around for Keith Hernandez.
Let’s not forget Strawberry after he boldly proclaimed that he and his pal Eric Davis would be playing for the Dodgers one day soon, all the while playing for the Mets.
Everything you said is right, but this is a list of hated players, not crummy players. A lot of fans didn’t like Strawberry, but plenty did. I can’t imagine that anyone hated Allen. As far as Foster, he may not have been very popular because of his disappointing play, but he wasn’t as hated as the players on the list.
i would add Mickey Lolich
traded for star outfielder Rusty Staub. Lolich went 8-13, in 1976 and retired.
Richie Hebner