Time Traveler Tuesdays: Mets First Base in the 2000s—Power, Pop, and Plenty of Big Names

With John Olerud leaving Queens for Seattle after the 1999 season, the Mets had to get creative in filling their first base position.

Todd Zeile, whose natural position was originally catcher but who had played nearly 2,000 Major League games at third base, was chosen to man first base for the Mets in 2000.

Zeile knew he had a lot of work ahead to master the footwork and nuances of first base. So he reached out to one of the best to ever do it—a Mets legend.

"I worked with Keith Hernandez diligently in spring training to get more comfortable with the position. He was a great help, especially as a pertained to footwork and nuance of the position," Zeile said.

Zeile did great as a fielder for the two seasons he played at the position with the Mets. However, he was hired for his bat, and he delivered when it mattered.

In 2000, the 34-year-old batted .268 with 22 home runs, 79 RBIs, 36 doubles, and an .823 OPS. He batted .302 in the postseason, with six doubles and 16 total hits. The Mets would ultimately fall to the hated Yankees, 4-1, in the first—and only—Subway Series to date.

2001 had an entirely different vibe for the Mets, not because of baseball, but because of the worst attack on U.S. soil since 1941. September 11, 2001, was a world-shifting event for most Americans, but even more so for New Yorkers. The terror attacks quieted the city that never sleeps and made sports just an afterthought for at least 10 days for most baseball fans.

On September 21, 2001, baseball returned to Queens in an emotional game between the Atlanta Braves and the Mets. The game will always be one of the most memorable for the team, having offered the city a break from the agony and pain of those horrible attacks.

The Mets would beat the Braves 3-2 with a dramatic, late-game homerun by Mike Piazza. Zeile would have a double in the game. He was a man with more than 2000 career hits and plenty of big moments, and he says there was no bigger game for him.

"My most memorable moments at first base would be playing in the post 9/11 game versus the Braves. That was just the most important and memorable game of my career, bar none," Zeile said.

Zeile played 367 games at 1st base for the Mets in the 2000s.

The year 2002 saw Zeile go to the Colorado Rockies, and the Mets took a chance on a power-hitting lefty, Mo Vaughn, who was coming off an injury season. They traded pitcher Kevin Appier to the Angels for the bopper.

The former MVP had averaged more than 35 home runs in his previous eight seasons and seemed like a great addition to the team after Zeile's departure.

Vaughn never replicated his MVP form, hitting only 26 HR and driving in 72 runs, with a respectable .802 OPS. He struck out 145 times that year, so he was still swinging for the fences whenever he could. One time, he swung for the fences and hit the ball an estimated 505 feet at Shea Stadium against the Braves, which made the titanic shot even more memorable.

In the end, Knee injuries eventually ended his shortened career. At one point, he was on pace to make the Hall of Fame. He ended his career as a Met in 2003, playing only 27 games and providing minimal output for the team.

For the next three seasons, the Mets would struggle to find a consistent answer at 1st base. Mike Piazza played at the position for more than 60 games, Zeile re-signed with the team to play 67 games at 1st in 2004.

Doug Mientkiewicz would play almost 90 games at 1st in the 2005 season, which also saw six other players play at first base.

Finally, in 2006, the Mets would find a longer-term answer at 1st base by once again signing a former Toronto Blue Jays first baseman.

Blue Jays legend Carlos Delgado joined the Mets via trade with the Florida Marlins. The Mets had pursued Delgado in 2005 during free agency, but he had initially signed with the Marlins. After one season, the Marlins traded him to New York.

The Mets received Carlos Delgado and $7 million cash, and the Marlins received Mike Jacobs, Yusmeiro Petit, and Grant Psomas.

The trade immediately paid dividends for the Mets. Delgado hit 38 HR, 114 RBI, and a hefty .909 OPS in 2006. He also helped carry the team to an NLCS appearance, losing to the Cardinals in a classic 7-game battle.

From 2006-2009, Delgado averaged 26 HR and 85 RBI for the Mets, with an .857 OPS. Great output from a great player.

Delgado's season was shortened by a hip injury in 2009, which would end up being a career-ending injury at the age of 37. It would also leave him 27 homers short of 500 for his career, which would hold him out of the Hall of Fame.

For the rest of the 2009 season, a fan-favorite would take the job at 1st base. Daniel Murphy, not a first baseman, stepped up to fill in the interim.

Murphy hit 38 doubles, batted .266 with 12 HR and 63 RBI. He would show shades of his future clutch performances as well.

The 2000s started off the same way they ended at 1st base. Players who would sacrifice personal preference and play out of position to serve the team's needs.

The 2010s will provide names that may still trigger Mets fans to this day. Come back next week to see who played 1st for the team that also made a World Series appearance.