My Mets Project

[MPHopcroft1]

I don't know quite how to prove it, but I did the most amazing one-season turnaround I've ever done today at the start of my 1962 Mets project. I had financials and free agency turned on and my goal was to build a world champion before the Mets did historically. Last time I did this project I won the world championship in 1968.

Well, it wasn't the world championship, but my 1963 season was Amazin'. I grabbed a few free agents, spending $1.4 million a year for Juan Marichal who had been inexplicably left to test the waters of free agency. Although Marichal finished just threee games over .500, he ate a lot of innings and the Mets (behind an MVP year from Frank Howard, who'd been acquired in a trade in '62) ended up winning the National League pennant and taking the Yankees to six games before losing 4-2 in the World Series.

I'm now about to start 1964 with my roster largely intact. I lost Roger Craig, who won 20 games for me in 1963, because we couldn't agree on a contract extension, but I got some interesting rookie pitching. Should be intriguing to see what happens in '64.