Mets' Top 5 relief pitchers: DiComo's take

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only … if you don’t agree with the order, participate in the Twitter poll to vote for your favorite.

Here is Anthony DiComo’s ranking of the top five relievers in Mets history. Next week: managers.

• Mets All-Time Around the Horn Team: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | LF | CF | RF | Bench | RHP | LHP

1. John Franco (1990-2004)
Key fact: Holds the Mets’ franchise record with 276 career saves

This one needs little explanation, though any argument in Franco’s favor begins with his longevity -- he didn’t join the Mets until age 29 but pitched effectively for them into his 40s, allowing him to amass the types of counting stats that no one else in franchise history has. Given that Franco is the team’s all-time leader for relievers in innings and appearances, it’s no surprise he converted more saves than any other Met (and it’s still not close, nearly two decades later). Despite his blown save in Game 6 of the 1999 National League Championship Series, Franco was also as good as they come in October, allowing just two other runs in 15 career appearances.

Off the field, he served as a clubhouse and community leader as the third of four captains in franchise history. Popular in the community due to his New York roots both in Brooklyn and at St. John’s University in Queens, Franco was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2012.

2. Jesse Orosco (1979-87)
Key fact: The only reliever in Mets history to rank in the top three in WAR, Win Probability Added and adjusted ERA+

The enduring image of Game 7 of the 1986 World Series is that of Orosco flinging his glove into the air, falling to his knees, then popping back up as Gary Carter jumps into his arms. Orosco was not even the Mets’ sole closer in ’86, sharing those duties with Roger McDowell. But he was one of the greatest closers, on a pro-rate basis, the team has ever employed.

Over nine seasons, Orosco did enough to rank second among Mets relievers in WAR, second in adjusted ERA+, third in Win Probability Added and fourth in saves. His postseason contributions included eight mostly high-leverage appearances in 1986.

Orosco’s other claim to fame was pitching until age 46 as one of the oldest players in Major League history. (He actually briefly rejoined the Mets via trade in 1999, but the team flipped him to the Cardinals for Joe McEwing before he could play another game for the franchise.)

3. Tug McGraw (1965-74)
Key fact: The Mets’ franchise leader with 12.8 WAR as a reliever

Back in an era when saves weren’t really a thing, McGraw was one of the premier relief specialists in baseball.

The two greatest relief seasons in Mets history, in terms of WAR? Those both belong to McGraw (4.3 in 1972, 4.1 in ’71). He’s the only Mets reliever to throw 100-plus innings in three consecutive seasons (1971-73), and yet his placement here is not just about volume. From 1971-72, McGraw led all Major Leaguers (minimum 160 innings) with a 199 adjusted ERA+, meaning he was roughly twice as good as a league-average pitcher. Next on the list is Wilbur Wood, at 151.

If that reads as statistical soup, consider this: McGraw twice finished in the Top 25 in NL MVP Award voting while with the Mets, which is no small feat for a reliever. He was an integral part of the Mets’ first two pennant runs in 1969 and ’73, and not just because he is widely credited with coining the latter team’s “Ya Gotta Believe” rallying cry. In Game 2 of the 1969 NLCS, McGraw pitched the final three innings for the save. Four years later, he posted a 1.93 ERA in seven NLCS and World Series games. (McGraw did blow a save in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the World Series, but he threw six total innings in that game to earn the win.)

4. Armando Benitez (1999-2003)
Key fact: The Mets’ all-time leader in Win Probability Added and adjusted ERA+ as a reliever

Statistically, it would not be difficult to make a case for Benitez as the most successful closer in franchise history. He ranks first in Win Probability Added among Mets relievers (despite spending only five seasons in Flushing), first in adjusted ERA+, second in saves, fourth in WAR and fourth in strikeouts.

Of course, Benitez’s reputation falls quite a bit short of what the statistics say, in large part because of blown saves in Game 4 of the 1999 NL Division Series, Game 2 of the 2000 NLDS and, most infamously, in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the '00 World Series. It may surprise Mets fans to know that despite that, Benitez’s career postseason ERA with the club is 2.00. His 43 saves in 2001 stood as the Mets’ single-season record until Jeurys Familia broke it 15 years later, while his 160 total saves rank second behind only Franco.

5. Jeurys Familia (2012-18, 2019-present)
Key fact: Holds the Mets’ single-season record with 51 saves

Much like Benitez, Familia is often criticized for what he didn’t do: convert save opportunities in Games 1, 4 and 5 of the 2015 World Series, as well as keep things tied in the ninth inning of the 2016 NL Wild Card Game. While much of that blame is fair, Familia also fell victim to significant defensive issues behind him in Games 4 and 5 of the World Series. His critics generally fail to mention his spectacular 2015 regular season, which saw Familia go 43-for-48 in save chances with a 1.85 ERA. Is he the greatest reliever in Mets history? Nope. But fifth best seems about right.

Honorable mentions
The list of players worth acknowledging is long, and should probably start with Roger McDowell, Orosco’s co-closer from 1985-87. Although he allowed two runs, McDowell was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 1986 World Series. … Seth Lugo has been one of baseball’s best relievers the past two seasons, as the Mets have used him more like McGraw than Benitez. … On a per-rate basis, it’s tough to top Billy Wagner, a borderline Hall of Famer who gave the Mets three All-Star-caliber seasons from 2006-08. But Wagner’s stay in Flushing was too brief for him to make this list. … Randy Myers and Pedro Feliciano were two of the best lefty relievers in Mets history, playing important roles on two of the franchise’s winningest teams. … Eccentric right-hander Turk Wendell may often be overlooked, but he was a cog of the late-90s to early-2000s Mets bullpens. … Playing almost exclusively for bad Mets teams, Skip Lockwood nonetheless carved out a niche as a fine late-game reliever.