When Joe Torre coached the Mets from '78 to '81, the Mets finished better then last place twice when they finished in second to last place in 1980 and 1981. Rusty Staub (remember that ginger?) was on the decline of an epic career, and the other power bat for the early 1980's Mets, Dave Kingman, only played one season of over 140 games. Kingman may have gone on to win the MVP in Oakland the year after he left the Mets, but he's not good enough to make the 1980's Mets top 10 list. 1982 and 1983 were a step backwards however, as George Bamberger led the Mets back into the basement. 1984 however, saw the great Mets coach, Davey Johnson inject some life and propel the Mets into playoff contention. While they were finishing in last place, Lee Mazilli was just about the only bright spot. Guys like Mookie Wilson and Wally Backman were too young to contribute, and found themselves riding pine.

Top 10 Mets of the 1980's

#10 - Wally Backman - NYM 1980-1988
Wally Backman may not have caught the baseball world on fire, but he was the quintessential joe hustle of the team. Backman, a top flight second baseman, was known for his ability to take pitches and allow Lenny Dykstra to steal bases. His uncanny ability for getting down the sac bunt, his wicked speed and clubhouse demeanor sneak Backman into the top 10 1980's Mets list. Lets also not forget, he was a wild boy

#9 - Roger McDowell - NYM 1985-1989
The infamous Second Spitter, Roger McDowell had an immeasurable impact on the Mets clubhouse. Pranks like the Hot Foot, tossing firecrackers in the dugout, and wearing his uniform upside down helped the Mets cut the tension and relax while playing ball. Oh yea, McDowell saved a ball game or two as well.

#8 - Ron Darling - NYM 1983-1990, 1993
Darling's commentator role with the current Mets team definitely helped secure his spot on this list. Ron's pitching was solid with the Mets during the 80's when he won 87 games compared to 55 loses. The .63 win percentage made Darling the ideal #2 guy behind the 1980's Mets ace.

#7 - Jesse Orosco - NYM 1979-1987
Orosco was an unsung hero for the 1980's Mets. The left handed bull-pen specialist was not only on the hill when the Mets won the World Series, but he pitched six seasons in a row with an ERA under 2.75

#6 - Howard Johnson - NYM 1985-1993
Hojo, the current bench coach for the NY Mets, played well for the Mets in the late 80's. He also played every position on the diamond except for Pitcher and Catcher. Hojo's versatility was a valuable asset to the team, and his long balls were a dangerous threat for any opponent.

#5 - Lenny Dykstra - NYM 1985-1989
The other Wild Boy on the team, Lenny Dykstra was as disruptive of a lead-off hitter as the team could get. His daily mouthful of chaw was usually complimented by dirt stains on his uniform. Dykstra once said he did 100 pushups and 100 situps during commercials while he watched TV. I'm sure it was that, and not steroids that jacked him up...

#4 - Gary Carter - NYM 1985-1989
The unquestionable leader of the team, Gary Carter was the anchor for the Mets for 4 seasons. He won two silver slugger awards, made the all-star team every year he was a Met, and finished 3rd in MVP votes in 1986. Let's not forget, he did all of this rocking a fantastic blonde jew-fro mullet.

#3 - Keith Hernandez - NYM 1983-1989
Keith Hernandez was no doubt one of the most clutch Mets of all time. He finished 2nd in the running for MVP in 1984, the year he won the silver slugger award, and was a three time NY Mets all-star representative. Keith had his clutch at-bats with the Mets, but his biggest contribution was playing defence. The south paw from San Francisco won the gold glove five years in a row as a Met, and anchored the right side of the diamond.

Not only did Keith have a great time playing for the Mets, but he is a Met. Keith continues to call the games from the booth to this day, and that just makes him that much more of a Mets legend.

#2 - Darryl Strawberry - NYM 1983-1990
Darryl the dope was an undeniable force for the NY Mets. Reaching the bigs as just a 21 year old was not only unheard of at the time, but truly remarkable. The fact that Darryl went on to win rookie of the year in '83, and then went to seven consecutive all-star games as a NY Met is undeniably cool. As a Mets player in the 80's, Strawberry averaged more than 31 blasts a season and stole 176 bases.

It's too bad he had to give his career a black eye with all of his off-the-field antics. Darryl Strawberry was a star when he played at Shea, but he'll be remembered about as well as Zinedine Zidane.

#1 - Dwight Gooden - NYM 1984-1989
Dr. K threw the heater 95 mph+, and had a knee-buckling 12 to 6 curve ball in the low 80 mph range. He struck out 276 hitters in 216 innings of his rookie season. Dwight Gooden, who had the abnormally high leg kick, was the most dominant pitcher the Mets had on the roster since Nolan Ryan or Tom Seaver. Dwight Gooden boasted an average ERA of 2.81, 226 innings per season, and 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings during his 1980's stint with the New York Mets.

Sure Dwight was probably blowing coke up his nose the entire time. Sure he hit some girlfriends who were talkin smack. I wouldn't even doubt that he tried to hawk his gold toof to pay for a high, but at the end of the day, Dwight Gooden was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball when playing for the 1980's New York Mets.