We all know the story of the 1986 New York Mets – but there were many other players in the Mets organization that year that have long been forgotten in that magical year. The Mets fielded six minor league teams that season at six different levels.

So who were these men who many of us have long forgotten were Mets in 1986, even if only in the organizational sense?

At the AAA level, the Tidewater Tides played in the International League and were managed by Sam Perlozzo. Sam led the team to a 74-66 record and a 4th place finish. Sam was promoted to the big league club in 1987 where he served as the Third Base Coach in Queens from 1987-1989 and later coached with the Reds, Mariners, Orioles, and most recently was the First Base Coach of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2012. He also managed the Baltimore Orioles from 2005-2007 after succeeding Lee Mazzilli. He took home a World Series ring in 1990 as the Third Base Coach of the Cincinnati Reds.

As with any minor league roster, there will be turnover as players move between levels of the organization. But if we were to assemble a 25 man roster of the 1986 Tidewater Tides from the 33 players that played that year, what would it look like?

The starting playing field:

C – John Gibbons
1B – Tim Corcoran
2B – Steve Springer
SS – Al Pedrique
3B- Dave Magadan
OF – Terry Blocker
OF – Mark Carreon
OF – Stan Jefferson

The starting rotation:

SP- John Mitchell
SP- Dave Wyatt
SP- DeWayne Vaughn
SP- Tony Ferreira
SP- Tom Edens
SP – Bruce Berenyi

Filling out the roster:

OF – Doug Frobel
IF – Ron Gardenhire
C – Barry Lyons
OF – Mike Davis
IF/OF – Marlin McPhail

Bullpen:

P – Tom McCarthy
P – Rick Anderson
P – Terry Leach
P – Thomas Burns
P – Randy Myers
P – Ed Glynn

There are several names on this list that jump out and are recognizable. Others aren’t. Several players spent some time on the MLB roster in 1986. Others never spent a day in the majors.

Catcher John Gibbons appeared in 8 games in the Majors with the Mets in 1986 and also appeared in 10 games with the big league squad in 1984. He played in 18 games in his major league career and collected 11 hits. He last played in 1990 at AAA in the Phillies organization and went onto a successful post-playing career where he is currently the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.

First Baseman Tim Corcoran played 6 games with the Mets in 1986 and did not record a base hit. Tim played for two more seasons at AAA in the Phillies organization and played 9 years in the majors with the Tigers, Twins, Phillies and Mets. He played in 509 major league games with a career batting average of .270 with 12 HR and 128 RBI with 283 career hits.

Second Baseman Steve Springer played a total of 8 games in the major leagues, first reaching the majors in 1990 with the Cleveland Indians and later in 1992 after returning to the Mets organization, appearing in 4 games and collecting 2 hits in 4 at bats. Springer played 14 seasons in the minor leagues where he played 1,583 games and collected 1,587 minor league hits, batting .274 with 128 HR and 770 RBI. He played 1,283 games in AAA.

Shortstop Al Pedrique made it to the majors with the Mets in 1987 and appeared in 5 games, never collecting a hit. He was traded to the Pirates on May 27th, 1987 with Scott Little for Bill Almon. Over parts of 3 major league seasons, Al appeared in 174 games, batting .247 with 1 HR and 36 RBI. He played for 17 years in the minors, appearing in 1,436 games. Al later managed the Arizona Diamondbacks in part of 2004 and was most recently the manager of the Charleston Riverdogs (Class A Yankees affiliate) in the South Atlantic League in 2013.

Third Baseman Dave Magadan appeared in 10 games with the Mets in 1986 and went onto a 16 year Major League career which included 7 years with the Mets. In 1990, Dave played a career high 144 games with the Mets and hit .328 with 6 HR and 72 RBI and was 2nd in the National League in batting. David appeared in 1,582 major league games (701 with the Mets), batting .288 with 42 HR and 495 RBI collecting 1,197 MLB hits (610 as a Met). With the Mets, Dave hit .292 (5th all time in the Mets record books) with an OBP of .391 (2nd all time, behind John Olerud). After his playing career, Dave went onto be a Major League batting coach with the Padres and Red Sox, and in 2013 was the batting coach for the Texas Rangers.

Outfielder Terry Blocker did not appear with the Mets in 1986, but did play in 18 games with the big league club in 1985, collecting 1 hit. He later played in the majors with the Atlanta Braves in 1988-1989 and played 110 major leagues over parts of three seasons with the Mets and Braves, batting .205 with 2 HR and 11 RBI, collecting 50 MLB hits.

Outfielder Mark Carreon made his MLB debut with the Mets in 1987 and played 5 seasons with the Mets from 1987-1991, appearing in 272 games as a Met. He played 10 years in the Majors with the Mets, Tigers, Giants, and Indians and appeared in 738 games, batting .277 with 69 HR and 289 RBI and 557 base hits. His best MLB season was 1995 with the Giants where he hit .301 with 17 HR and 65 RBI, appearing in 117 games. Mark Carreon was later named in the Mitchell Report.

Outfielder Stan Jefferson appeared in 14 games with the Mets in 1986, collecting 5 hits. He was traded after the season to the San Diego Padres along with Kevin Mitchell and several other players as part of the trade that brought Kevin McReynolds to the Mets. Stan played 6 seasons in the Majors with the Mets, Padres, Yankees, Orioles, Indians and Reds. He appeared in 296 games, batting .216 with 16 HR and 67 RBI, collecting 180 MLB hits.

Pitcher John Mitchell made 27 starts for the Tides in 1986, but also appeared in 4 games for the Mets in 1986, including one start on September 21st against the Phillies. He also appeared in parts of the 1987, 1988, and 1989 seasons with the Mets and made 19 starts with the Mets in 1987 with a 3-6 record and a 4.11 ERA in 111 2/3 innings. He also appeared in the Baltimore Orioles in 1990, making 17 starts. In 5 major league seasons, John appeared in 51 games (37 starts) with a 9-14 record and 4.35 ERA in 240 career innings. John last pitched professionally in 1998 for the independent Newark Bears.

Pitcher Dave Wyatt played in the Mets organization from 1982-1987 and never made it to the Major Leagues. Over 6 minor league seasons, Dave pitched in 111 games (79 starts) and compiled a record of 41-18 with an ERA of 3.21, 3 saves and 550 career innings.

Pitcher DeWayne Vaughn made 19 starts with the Tides in 1986 and had a record of 6-8 with an ERA of 3.82. DeWayne briefly appeared in the majors in 1988 with the Texas Rangers, making 8 appearances out of the bullpen with a record of 0-0 and an ERA of 7.63 in 15 1/3 innings. Over 8 minor league seasons, he played in 187 games (97 starts) with a record of 42-47 and an ERA of 3.69 and 12 saves in 786 innings.

Pitcher Tony Ferreira briefly appeared in the majors with the Kansas City Royals in 1985, pitching in two games out of the bullpen and never appeared in the Majors again. In 1986, he pitched in 24 games with the Tides (17 starts) with a record of 7-5 with a 3.69 ERA. Over 10 minor league seasons, he had a record of 61-61 with an ERA of 3.92 in 261 games (149 starts) and 11 saves. He last played for the AAA Omaha Royals in 1990.

Pitcher Tom Edens did not appear with the Mets in 1986, but made his 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.

Pitcher Bruce Berenyi made 9 starts with the Tides in 1986 and also made 7 starts at the MLB level with the Mets in 1986, appearing in 14 games. With the Mets in 1986, Bruce had a record of 2-2 with an ERA of 6.35 in 39 2/3 innings. With the Tides, Bruce had a record of 2-6 with an ERA of 6.61 in 49 innings. Bruce was acquired from the Reds in 1984 in a June trade and over 7 major league seasons with the Reds and the Mets, Bruce appeared in 142 games (131 starts) with a record of 44-55 and an ERA of 4.03 in 782 MBL innings. 1986 was Bruce’s last professional season.

Outfielder Doug Frobel never appeared in the majors with the Mets, but did play in parts of 5 MLB seasons with the Pirates, Expos, and Indians, appearing in 268 games, batting .201 with 20 HR and 58 RBI with 109 career hits. Over 11 minor league seasons, he appeared in 924 games, finishing his career in the White Sox organization in 1989.

Infielder Ron Gardenhire did not appear in the big leagues in 1986 and appeared with the Mets for 5 seasons from 1981-1985 and was the Mets starting Shortstop in 1982, appearing in a career high 141 games. Over 5 seasons and 285 games, Ron was a career .232 hitter with 4 HR and 49 RBI with 165 MLB hits. After 1986, Ron moved onto the Minnesota Twins organization, playing the 1987 season with their AAA Portland squad before retiring as a player. In 1988, Ron began managing in the minors and from 1991-2001, Ron served as a coach under Tom Kelly with the Minnesota Twins and was the Third Base Coach for the 1991 World Series championship team. Ron Gardenhire succeeded Tom Kelly as the Twins manager and has been the Major League manager since the 2002 season, amassing 998 victories in twelve seasons through the end of 2013. In 2010, Ron was the American League Manager of the Year.

Catcher Barry Lyons made his Major League debut in 1986 with the Mets, appearing in 6 games without collecting a base hit. He played 5 of his 7 Major League seasons with the Mets (also appearing with the Dodgers, Angels and White Sox) and appeared in 253 MLB games, batting .239 with 15 HR and 89 RBI, collecting 150 MLB hits. Over 12 minor league seasons, Barry appeared in 821 games. He last played in 1995.

Outfielder Mike Davis spent 7 years in the Mets organization from 1980-1986 and never appeared in a Major League game. He played in 600 minor league games, batting .264 with 46 HR and 278 RBI, collecting 521 minor league hits.

Infielder-Outfielder Marlin McPhail never made it to the Major Leagues. In 1986, he appeared in 42 games for the Tides, batting .250 with 2 HR and 8 RBI. He played 10 seasons in the minors in the Mets, White Sox, and Expos organizations, appearing in 874 games batting .279 with 53 HR and 360 RBI, collecting 783 hits.

Pitcher Tom McCarthy never appeared in the majors with the Mets, but did play parts of three seasons in the bigs (1985 Red Sox and 1988-1989 White Sox). He appeared in 40 MLB games out of the bullpen with a record of 3-2 and an ERA of 3.60 with 1 save in 85 MLB innings. With the Tides in 1986, Tom appeared in 22 games (8 starts) with a record of 3-2 and an ERA of 4.04 and 3 saves, pitching 84 2/3 innings. Tom pitched 13 seasons and 1,057 innings in the minors with a record of 59-72 and an ERA of 4.44 with 53 saves in 383 games (106 starts). Tom last pitched in the Dodgers organization in 1995.

Pitcher Rick Anderson made his major league debut with the Mets in 1986, appearing in 15 games (5 starts) and recorded a record of 2-1 with a 2.72 ERA and 1 save. In the bigs that year, he pitched 49 2/3 innings allowing 45 hits, walking 11 and striking out 21 with a WHIP of 1.13. Rick was left off the postseason roster and was a spectator from the bench for the World Series. After the season, he was traded along with MLB backup catcher Ed Hearn in the trade to the Royals that brought David Cone to the Mets. Rick pitched with the Kansas City Royals in 1987-1988 and in three major league seasons, he appeared in 28 MLB games (10 starts) with a record of 4-4 with an ERA of 4.75 and 1 save, throwing 96 2/3 MLB innings. Rick played 11 years in the minors, pitching 1,050 innings with a career record of 60-51 with an ERA of 3.26 and 26 saves. As of the end of the 2013 season, Rick served as the Pitching Coach of the Minnesota Twins.

Pitcher Terry Leach appeared in 6 games out of the bullpen for the 1986 Mets and appeared in 34 games (4 starts) for the Tides with a 4-4 record and a 2.49 ERA. Terry pitched 11 years in the majors for the Mets (1981-1982, 1985-1989), Royals, Twins and White Sox. He appeared in 376 MLB games (21 starts) with a record of 38-27 and an ERA of 3.15 and 10 saves, pitching 700 MLB innings. His best season in the majors was 1987 where he had an 11-1 record and an ERA of 3.22 with the Mets, appearing in 44 games (12 starts) in 131 1/3 innings. Terry last pitched with the White Sox in 1993.

Pitcher Thomas Burns never played in the majors and appeared in 54 games out of the bullpen with the Tides with a record of 3-4 and an ERA of 2.80 with 11 saves in 74 innings. He spent 5 years in the minors, last appearing with the AA Jackson Mets. For his career, he pitched in 193 games (39 starts) with a record of 27-25 and an ERA of 3.33 and 29 saves, throwing 513 minor league innings.

Pitcher Randy Myers pitched 10 games out of the bullpen for the big league club in 1986 and appeared in 45 games for the Tides with a record of 6-7 and an ERA of 2.45 12 saves. Randy pitched 14 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Mets, Reds, Padres, Cubs, Orioles, and Blue Jays. He was traded by the Mets in December 1989 as part of the trade that brought John Franco to the Mets. During his 5 seasons with the Mets, Randy appeared in 185 games with a record of 17-13 with an ERA of 2.74 and saved 56 games (11th all time on the Mets). Randy pitched in 728 MLB games and recorded 347 saves (9th in MLB history) with a career record of 44-63 and an ERA of 3.19. He was the NLCS MVP for the World Series Champion 1990 Cincinnati Reds, a four time National League All-Star, and one of the Cincinnati Reds famed “Nasty Boys” bullpen (along with Norm Charlton and Rob Dibble).

Pitcher Ed Glynn did not appear with the Mets in 1986 and never returned to the majors after appearing with 3 games with the Montreal Expos in 1985. Ed appeared in 45 games out of the pen for the Tides with a record of 3-4 and an ERA of 2.56 and 3 saves in 63 1/3 innings. Ed appeared in 84 games out of the bullpen for the Mets in 1979-1980 and over 10 big league seasons with the Tigers, Mets, Indians and Expos, he appeared in 175 games (8 starts) with a record of 12-17 and an ERA of 4.25 and 12 saves in 265 innings. Over 16 minor league seasons, Ed appeared in 418 games, pitching 1,245 minor league innings.

While we all remember the 1986 Mets, their AAA squad included three future major league managers, two current major league coaches, multiple players that appeared in the majors and one of MLB’s all time save leaders.