Time Traveler Tuesdays: Mets 3rd Basemen of the 1980s: Speed, Power, and Leadership

In the early 1980s, Shea Stadium was a place of echoes — echoes of past glory, echoes of empty seats, echoes of a fan base waiting for something to believe in again. The New York Mets were rebuilding not just a roster, but an identity. Nowhere was that transformation more clearly reflected than at third base.

Over the course of the decade, the Mets’ hot corner evolved from a position of stopgaps and hard-nosed placeholders into one of the most productive and symbolic spots on a championship club. The men who played there — most notably Ray Knight and Howard Johnson — told the story of the Mets’ journey from scrappy outsiders to baseball’s most feared team.

Early in the decade, however, Hubie Brooks played a good amount of third base. He became a fan favorite quickly because of the Mets' past struggles at the hot corner. In 1981, Brooks showed tremendous promise, finishing 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Fernando Valenzuela and Tim Raines. Brooks was shaky at best in the field, holding a modern-day Major League record of three errors in one inning at 3rd base.

In 1984, Brooks hit 16 HR and drove in 73 runs, while batting .283. He had 159 hits that year. Still, the Mets knew they needed a more solid fielder at the position, so they made the trade for Knight that same season.

Knight was traded from the Houston Astros for 'three players to be named later.' Those three players were Gerald Young, Manuel Lee, and Mitch Cook.

He brought instant credibility to the club, which was seeking veteran leadership to tutor youngsters coming up from the farm.

He wasn’t flashy, but he was tough, intense, and unapologetically competitive — traits that would soon define the franchise.

Knight struggled at the plate when he first joined the club, but his consistency at 3rd base and his grit provided the club with an identity and helped build special chemistry that eventually ran the table.

He helped bridge the gap between the losing Mets and the coming powerhouse, proving that professionalism and edge could coexist in Queens.

Knight was a key player in some of the biggest moments in franchise history that all Mets fans still talk about 40 years later.

People always talk about the Mookie Wilson, Game-6 grounder between Bill Buckner's legs down the first baseline. It was Knight who scored that run.

Knight also hit the go-ahead home run in Game 7 of the World Series to break a 3-3 tie. He was named the 1986 World Series MVP, hitting .391 for the series. He got hot when they needed him most, and he cemented his place in Mets history while doing it.

1986 and '87 were Knight's two best years of his career, but the young Johnson was ready to start playing full-time in 1987, showing flashes of blazing speed and tremendous power. Johnson remembers when he came to the team and how much he was willing to wait his turn to be a part of that special chemistry.

"When I got to the Mets, I was excited for sure. Pretty much just willing to do whatever Davey asked me to do. They had a pla,n and I was concentrating on getting better and doing a good job," Johnson said.

He remembers all of his hard work paying off to be a contributing member of that legendary 1986 team. "The ‘86 season was a tale of 2 seasons. We cruised through the season for the most part. The NLCs series was epic which included some unbelievable games. Game 6 vs. Houston was insane and was as tough a game I’ve ever been a part of. And not to mention the World Series. Game 6 of that game vs. Boston still lives on," HoJo told us.

From 1987 through 1991, Johnson emerged as one of the most underrated stars in baseball. He combined power, speed, and patience in a way few third basemen ever had. In 1987, he hit 36 home runs. In 1989, he followed with 38. He drove in runs, stole bases, and played solid defense, all while surrounded by a lineup overflowing with talent.

Johnson often flew under the radar, overshadowed by louder personalities and bigger headlines. On a team filled with characters — Strawberry, Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter — Johnson was steady, reliable, and devastatingly effective.

HoJo considered himself a base-stealer until he figured out how to focus on shortening his swing and hitting for some pop.

"Well, my passion was always stealing bases. And I made it something that became a real strength in my game. Hitting for power was different. I had always hit for some power. In ‘82, while in AAA with Detroit, my power numbers took a jump. The year before (‘81) in AA, I started hitting more HRs. And it was something I didn’t try to do! I learned a long time ago that trying to hit HRs was a losing effort. Homeruns are accidents! They happen when you try to hit line drives, and you just miss," He said.

He was considered small in stature, but he could hit the ball a ton.

"Power doesn’t come from size; it’s creating efficient bat speed with a short stroke. That comes from hand and forearm strength and torque created in the lower half. I didn’t learn that right away. It’s something that developed on its own. By staying with what made me a good hitter (line drives), the power just happened," he said.

It's from that swing that made his stats in the late 80s legendary. From '87 to '89, HoJo averaged 32 HR and 89 RBI, and 32 stolen bases to boot. He led the National League in runs in 1989 (tied with Ryne Sandberg) with 104, and his OPS was a whopping .928.

HoJo finished 5th all-time on the Mets in HR and 2B. He's 10th all-time on the team in hits with 997.

HoJo and Knight defined the hot corner for the Mets in the 1980s, adding stability, power, speed, and a championship pedigree.