Solid contributor to what offense the Mets did have from the mid 60’s to mid 70’s....too inconsistent to be a star.....Cleon is a Mets franchise grown product from the infamous early years.....a member of the cup of coffee club in 63 and 65 Cleon establishes a foothold in Mets line up in 1966....got some ROY looks....after a lackluster 1967 improves in 1968.....The pinnacle was in the 1969 Miracle Mets year.... as he and his boyhood friend Tommie Agee gave the overachieving squad badly needed offensive punch....with modest numbers chipped in 12 homers and 75 RBIs was near the top for the club.... but it was the .340 BA that shines brightly..... also kept his shoes shined well enough to produce a shoe polish play HBP in game 5 igniting the Mets rally....then scores the go ahead run in the 8th......to cap off the day catches the final out, taking a knee in the process, possibly as genuflection of thanks to the baseball gods....Cleon remains in everyday status for the next two year....another strong effort as he hits .319 in 1971....from then on wear and tear on his body becomes apparent and averages 100 games 1972-73.....was able to resurrect himself in 1973 playoff and WS drive..... Cleon rebounds discreetly in 1974 with numbers approaching his prime....however 1975 was close to a disaster with incidents on and off the field....released on 7/27/75 after 50 at bats and a .240 BA.....unceremoniously ended his NY Met employment.... A last minute signing in 1976 by the Chisox failed to materialize a comeback bid.....possibly his legacy is tainted by an under appreciation by the Mets organization.....yet remains popular with fans remembering the miracle 1969 team.
One of my favorite cards of all time - The Blue in the uniform, great looking background, green fence, the red border and METS team name
ReplyDeleteA very solid photo. Jones took a good picture. I had his 68, 70, and 72 cards.
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