Time Traveler Tuesdays: Mets' 3rd Basemen of the 90s; We're still paying the price

The 1990s saw the end of an era for a beloved Mets third baseman, and the beginning of an era that still hasn't ended. That era is still shelling out just over $1 million a year until 2035, so we still got a ways to go. The decade ended with a legendary bat, who came through NYC and provided one of the best walk offs in team history.

The Early 90s started the way the 80s ended, with the speed and the pop from the fan-favorite, Howard Johnson. In '90 he hit 23 HR and drove in 90 RBI, with 34 steals and 37 doubles. A great stat-line from one of the all-time greatest Mets. That would also be the year Daryl Strawberry left the Mets, so 1991 would see Hojo stepping up into the lead power hitting role on the club.

Johnson then put together a season that would earn him legendary status with the club. Hojo led the National League in HR (38) and RBI (117), while scoring a career-best 108 runs. He also stole 30 bases and hit 34 doubles. He only finished 5th in MVP voting, when he was clearly the most valuable player on the Mets. Since the Mets finished 5th place in the NL East, no one was trying to give him the trophy. He did make the all-star team and win the Silver Slugger award that year, however. Injuries slowed down the slugger in the next few years and his playing time and power numbers dwindled. It was a quiet ending to a very excited era for the Mets at 3rd base.

Bobby Bonilla arrived to play outfiled and see some significant time at 3rd base for the Mets in 1992, just in time to set the media fire ablaze, with a hype machine the team had never seen before.

Bonilla was just one of the many free agents the Mets had signed to "guarantee" legitimacy in the National League for years to come. It's unfortunate that the Mets had to actually play any games after the "worst team money could buy" was assembled. On paper, they were a 110-win team. In reality, the 72-win Mets were horrendous, and since Bonilla was getting paid a top-3 salary in the league, the media and the fans did not treat him kindly.

His stats were never actually that bad, they just weren't "top-3" money stats. Bonilla was a solid player and he never actually stopped being one, even in those early 90s seasons. In 1992, Bonilla hit 19 HR and 70 RBI, with 23 doubles and a .779 OPS.

In 1993, Bonilla was an all-star, finishing the year with 34 HR, 87 RBI and an .874 OPS. The 1994 strike-shortened season saw Bonilla bat .290 with 20 HR and 67 RBI in 108 games.

The Mets traded Bonilla to the Baltimore Orioles in 1995, for OF Alex Ochoa and minor leaguer Damon Buford. Bonilla would return to the Mets quietly later in the decade, but made no real significant impact on the team.

Butch Huskey jumped into the hot corner for the mid 90s (1996) but he wasn't going to last long, with his range and throwing issues. He showed some promise with his bat, but another future, home-grown, fan favorite started to do some serious hitting, and his name was Edgardo Alfonso (Fonzie).

Fonzie was more than just a major league hitter; he could glove almost any ball and make throws from almost any angle. In 1997, Alfonso had 163 hits, with a .315 batting average, 27 2B, 10 HR, 72 RBI, and an .823 OPS. He was a clutch hitter, and the future was bright for the 24-year-old. In 1998, his final year as the Mets' 3rd baseman, he batted .278, with 28 2B, 17 HR, 78 RBI, and a .782 OPS. Alfonso would hit some of the Mets' most memorable shots in 1999, but he had already been moved to second base when those happened, so you'll have to check back to when we write about the all-time best Mets 2nd basemen.

1999 was a special year at 3rd base, and it was a special year for the Mets as a ball club. In arguably one of the best years in franchise history, the Mets signed a perennial Gold-Glover to the team, who also added some clutch, power-hitting as well. Robin Ventura was signed to the team in December of 1998, so there was plenty of time to get Alonso prepped for his move to 2nd base, as the Mets weren't about to keep the young phenom out of the lineup.

Ventura delivered a whopper of a season, with 32 HR, 120 RBI, 38 2B, a .301 batting average and a .908 OPS. He finished 6th in MVP voting, and he also predictably won his second Gold Glove Award in a row.

Ventura's power and stellar fielding helped the Mets become a legitimate contender and took them deep into the playoffs. The most memorable moment was on October 17, 1999, with the bases loaded in the NLCS against the hated Atlanta Braves. It was the bottom of the 15th inning,g and the Braves had just taken a one-run lead in the top of the 15th. The Mets had tied it at three when Ventura slammed a 2-1 pitch out of the park, and was mobbed just after he rounded 1st base. The Mets would win the ballgame, but Ventura was only credited with a single, since his teammates never let him fully round the bases. Truly one of the most memorable moments in franchise history.

The 1990s were a decade of swings for the Mets. From one of the worst teams in the franchise's history to one of the most exciting Mets teams at the end of the decade, they never failed to make headlines in NYC.