The 1986 Jackson Mets were the Mets AA affiliate in the Texas League.  They were managed by former major leaguer and future Mets Coach and Manager Mike Cubbage and recorded a record of 72-63 and finished 2nd in the Eastern Division.

The squad fielded 37 players that season and while it is recognized that in the minors, players get promoted and demoted between levels, players from the major league squad play in the minors on rehab assignments, and so on… but if we were to assemble the 1986 Jackson Mets into a 25-man squad, what would it look like?

Randy Milligan

The starting everyday field:

C – Greg Olson

C – Doug Gwosdz

1B – Randy Milligan

2B – Keith Miller

SS – Kevin Elster

3B – Rick Lockwood

OF – Shawn Abner

OF – Jason Felice

OF – John Wilson

UT – Jeff McKnight

 

The starting rotation:

SP – Reggie Dobie

SP – Kyle Hartshorn

SP – Wray Bergendahl

SP – Tom Edens

SP – William Fultz

 

Filling out the roster:

1B – Paul Hertzler

INF – Dennis Glynn

OF – Scott Little

1B – Andy Lawrence

 

Bullpen: 

P – Jeff Innis

P – Mickey Weston

P – Jim Adamczak

P – Mike Santiago

P – Ed Pruitt

P – Kurt Lundgren

Catcher Greg Olson reached the majors in 1989 with the Minnesota Twins.  In 1986, he appeared in 64 games in AA Jackson as well as 19 games with AAA Tidewater.  In 5 MLB seasons with the Twins and Braves, he played in 414 games, batting .242 with 20 HR and 131 RBI and 309 MLB hits.  He played a career high 131 games in 1991 with the Braves.  He was an All-Star in 1990 with the Braves.

Catcher Doug Gwosdz last played in the Major Leagues in 1984 with the San Diego Padres.  In 1986, he played 78 games at AA Jackson as well as an additional 5 games at AAA Tidewater.  In 4 MLB seasons, Doug appeared in 69 games with the Padres, batting .144 with 1 HR and 8 RBI, collecting 14 MLB hits.  He last played for the AAA Nashville Sounds in the Reds organization in 1989 and appeared in 641 games during his minor league career, batting .242 with 53 HR and 273 RBI and 454 hits.

First Baseman Randy Milligan was the Mets first round pick (3rd overall) in the 1981 draft and made his MLB debut in 1987 with the Mets, appearing in three games without recording a hit.  In 1986, he appeared in 78 games with Jackson batting .316 with 7 HR and 53 RBI and played an additional 21 games at AAA Tidewater.  At the end of spring training in 1988, Randy was traded with Scott Henion to the Pirates for Tim Drummond and Mackey Sasser.  In eight MLB seasons with the Mets, Pirates, Orioles, Reds, Indians, and Expos, Randy played in 703 games (including a career high 141 with the Orioles in 1991) with a batting average of .261, hitting 70 HR, 284 RBI, and 553 hits.  Randy also played 8 seasons in the minors, playing 833 games, batting .291 with 77 HR, 469 RBI and collecting 804 minor league hits.

Second Baseman Keith Miller played in 94 games for Jackson in 1986, batting .329 with 5 HR, 36 RBI and 28 stolen bases to go along with 116 hits.  He made his MLB debut with the Mets in 1987 and played with the Mets from 1987-1991.  In December 1991, Keith was traded to the Kansas City Royals along with Gregg Jefferies and Kevin McReynolds for Bret Saberhagen and Bill Pecota.  He spent 9 seasons in the majors with the Mets and Royals, last playing in 1995.  He appeared in 465 games in the majors (including a career high 106 games with the Royals in 1992) batting .262 with 12 HR, 92 RBI, 63 stolen bases and 347 hits.  Keith is currently David Wright‘s agent.

Kevin Elster

Shortstop Kevin Elster was on the active roster for the Mets 1986 World Series championship team.  In 1986, he appeared in 127 games with Jackson, batting .269 with 2 HR and 52 RBI.  After his call up, Kevin appeared in 19 games with the Mets, batting .167 with 5 hits in 30 at bats.  The former 2nd round pick was the Mets primary shortstop from 1988-1991 and played in 149 games for the Mets in 1988 and 151 games in 1989.  His best major league season was with the Texas Rangers in 1996 where he appeared in 157 games and set career highs with 24 HR and 99 RBI, batting .252, earning the Sporting News AL Comeback Player of the Year.  Kevin played in 940 MLB games over 13 seasons with the Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Rangers, Pirates and Dodgers.  He was a career .228 hitter with 88 HR and 376 RBI, collecting 648 hits and played his last MLB game in 2000 with the Dodgers.

Third Baseman Rick Lockwood never appeared in the majors, reaching as high as AAA in both the Mets and Cardinals organizations.  In 1986, Rick played with Jackson as well as with the AA Charlotte O’s (Orioles affiliate).  With Jackson, Rick appeared in 110 games and hit .282 with 10 HR and 57 RBI.  Over six minor league seasons, Rick played in 676 games with 72 HR and 338 RBI, collecting 571 minor league hits.

Outfielder Shawn Abner was the first overall pick in the 1984 MLB draft.  In 1986, Shawn appeared in 134 games for Jackson, batting .266 with 14 HR and 76 RBI.  After the season, Shawn was traded to the San Diego Padres along with Kevin Brown, Kevin Mitchell, Kevin Armstrong, and Stan Jefferson in the trade that brought Kevin McReynolds, Adam Ging, and Gene Walter to the Mets.  Shawn made his MLB debut in 1987 and played 6 seasons with the Padres, Angels, and White Sox.  He appeared in 392 MLB games and hit .227 with 11 HR and 71 RBI and 191 MLB hits.  He played 9 seasons in the minors, playing in 629 minor league games, collecting 675 minor league hits and batting .278.

Outfielder Jason Felice never appeared in the Major Leagues.  In 1986, he appeared in 125 games for Jackson and hit .263 with 16 HR and 97 RBI.  He was part of the trade that brought Tom Seaver back to the Mets prior to the 1983 season and by 1984, Jason was back in the Mets organization.  In 8 minor league seasons, Jason appeared in 713 games, batting .279 with 92 HR and 450 RBI and 676 minor league hits.

Outfielder John Wilson also never appeared in the majors.  In 1986, he played in 96 games and hit .265 with 2 HR and 19 RBI and 63 base hits.  Over 6 minor league seasons in the Mets and Tigers organizations, he reached as high as AA, playing in 610 games with a career batting average of .273 with 19 HR and 185 RBI with 505 hits.

Utilityman Jeff McKnight wasn’t a regular at any position for Jackson in 1986, but he nonetheless was second on the team in games played, appearing in 132 contests, batting .252 with 4 HR, 55 RBI and 118 hits.  He played 32 games at First, 42 at Second, 21 at Third, 5 at Shortstop, 49 in the Outfield, and even pitched in 5 games.  The utilityman made is MLB debut in 1989 with the Mets where he appeared in 6 games and hit .250 with 3 hits in 12 AB.  After being released by the Mets after the 1989 season, he signed with the Orioles before he returned to the Mets organization as a free agent prior to the 192 season.  In 1993, Jeff played in a career high 105 games with the Mets, batting .256 with 42 hits in 164 AB.  Over 6 MLB seasons, he played in 218 games and hit .233 with 5 HR and 34 RBI, collecting 94 MLB hits.  Jeff played 11 seasons in the minors, appearing in 946 games, hitting .263 with 778 minor league hits.

Pitcher Reggie Dobie started 27 games for Jackson in 1986 and recorded a record of 13-7 with a 3.66 ERA in 155 innings.  He never reached the Major Leagues, reaching as high as AAA with the Mets and Mariners organizations.  His last season of professional ball was 1989 and in 7 minor league seasons, he appeared in 152 games (143 starts) with a record of 59-44 and an ERA of 3.56, pitching 892 career innings.

Pitcher Kyle Hartshorn also never reached the majors and never rose above AA ball.  He pitched 7 seasons in the Mets organization and appeared in 166 games (158 starts).  In 1986, he went 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 26 starts.  For his career, he was 74-45 with a 3.56 ERA in 981 career innings.

Pitcher Wray Bergendahl was a former first round pick of the Seattle Mariners that was acquired at the end of spring training of 1985 in exchange for Frank Wills.  In 1986, Wray started 19 games for the Tides and went 6-8 with a 6.28 ERA in 106 innings.  1987 was his las season in professional ball and he never reached the Major Leagues.  In 6 minor league seasons, Wray pitched in 118 games (96 starts) with a record of 36-38 and an ERA of 4.76, pitching 592 innings.

Pitcher Tom Edens split the 1986 season with AA Jackson and AAA Tidewater, and is a player that can be considered in the 25 man roster for both teams that season.  He made hit MLB debut in 1987, making two starts with the Mets.  Over parts of 7 major league seasons with the Mets, Brewers, Twins, Astros, Phillies, and Cubs, Tom appeared in 182 games (14 starts) with a record of 19-12 with an ERA of 3.87 and 6 saves in 312 MLB innings.  He last pitched for the AAA Rochester Red Wings in the Baltimore organization in 1996.  In 1986, Tom made 16 starts for Jackson, going 9-4 with a 2.55 ERA in 106 innings before earning a promotion to AAA where he made an additional 11 starts going 5-3 with an ERA of 4.55 in 61 1/3 innings.

Pitcher Wililam Fultz never reached the Major Leagues.  1986 was his last professional season, which was split between Jackson and AAA Tidewater.  In 5 seasons in the Mets organization, he appeared in 119 games (90 starts) with a record of 34-31 and an ERA of 3.76 in 659 innings pitched.

First Baseman Paul Hertzler never made it to the majors and 1986 was his final season in professional ball.  In 6 seasons in the Expos and Mets organizations, Paul played in 646 games and was a career .275 hitter with 41 HR and 297 RBI and 609 hits.

Infielder Dennis Glynn spent 4 years in the Mets organization, reaching as high as AA. 1986 was his final professional season.  In 263 career games, Dennis hit .240 with 2 HR and 59 RBI and 147 hits.

Outfielder Scott Little split the 1986 season with the A+ Lynchburg Mets of the Carolina League and Jackson.  In 40 games with Jackson, he hit .208 with 0 HR and 8 RBI.  He reached the Majors in 1989 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and appeared in 3 games, going 1 for 4 for his MLB career.  Over 8 minor league seasons, Scott appeared in 750 games, batting .264 with 28 HR, 289 RBI, 616 hits, and 141 stolen bases.

First Baseman Andy Lawrence appeared in only 29 games with Jackson in 1986 before ending up in the Montreal organization where he played an additional 90 games at the A+ and AA levels.  He never made the major leagues, spending 7 seasons in the minors never getting above AA.  He played in 734 games in his minor league career, batting .276 with 63 HR and 401 RBI with 709 hits.

Pitcher Jeff Innis appeared in 56 games out of the Jackson bullpen in 1986 and posted a record of 4-5 with a 2.45 ERA and led the team with 25 saves, pitching 92 innings with a WHIP of 1.01.  Jeff broke into the majors in 1987 and he played 7 major league seasons, all with the Mets from 1987-1993 where he appeared in 288 games with a record of 10-20 and an ERA of 3.04 and 5 saves.  He pitched 361 innings with a career WHIP of 1.27.  After making his last appearance with the Mets in 1993, he played two more years in AAA in the Padres, Twins, and Phillies organizations before finishing his professional career in 1995. Jeff’s 288 games pitched as a member of the Mets is currently 11th on the all time team list.

Pitcher Mickey Weston appeared in 34 games with Jackson (4 starts) in 1986 with a record of 4-4 and an ERA of 4.33 in 70 2/3 innings.  Mickey later broke into the majors in 1989 with the Orioles and he also played in parts of 5 seasons in the bigs with the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Phillies before returning to the Mets where he pitched in 4 games out of the bullpen in 1993.  Mickey appeared in 23 major league games (3 starts) with a record of 1-2 and an ERA of 7.04 in 46 MLB innings.  In 14 minor league seasons, he had a career record of 107-74 with an ERA of 3.41 in 430 games (173 starts) and 35 saves in 1,561 minor league innings.  He finished his playing career in the Marlins organization in 1996.

Pitcher Jim Adamczak played his final professional season in 1986, appearing in 35 games with a record of 3-6 and a 4.46 ERA with 5 saves in 68 2/3 innings.  In 6 minor league seasons in the Cubs and Mets organizations, he appeared in 194 games (40 starts) with a record of 26-37 and an ERA of 3.74 in 512 innings.

Pitcher Mike Santiago split the season between Jackson and A+ Lynchburg.  In 43 games out of Jackson’s pen, he had a record of 6-1 with an ERA of 3.71 and 3 saves in 68 innings.  At Lynchburg that same season, he appeared in 10 games with a record of 0-1 and an ERA of 2.57 and 3 saves in in 14 innings.  Mike’s last season was in 1988, and in 5 professional seasons in the Braves and Mets organizations, he appeared in 188 games with a career record of 16-9 with a 2.71 ERA and 30 saves in 294 innings.

Pitcher Ed Pruitt appeared in 31 games for Jackson with a record of 0-1 and an ERA of 3.92 and 2 saves.  Ed lasted 6 seasons in the Mets organization with 1987 being his final year, never rising above AA.  He appeared in 228 games (3 starts) with a record of 23-17 and an ERA of 2.92 and 23 saves in 320 career innings.

Pitcher Kurt Lundgren appeared in 17 games for Jackson (9 starts) in 1986 with a record of 4-6 with an ERA of 4.59 in 64 2/3 innings.  Kurt spent 5 seasons in the Mets organization, with his last season being 1987, also with Jackson.  For his career, he appeared in 109 games (49 starts) with 6 saves in 414 innings pitched.

(Photo Credit – tradingcarddb.com)