The Mets traded a decent prospect in Lindsay Gulin to get him. Gulin never reached the majors, but played 16 years professionally.

Also, I've written Wilkins two autograph requests in my day; he has yet to respond.

He was just a great ballplayer. With the Mets he had two 90+ run seasons, three 40+ steal campaigns, two 50+ steal campaigns and from 1985 to 1988, he rattled off an excellent 118 OPS+. In 1984, he had 28 doubles, 10 triples, 10 homers and 46 steals, making him part of a pretty elite group I'm sure—I can't imagine many people are part of the 20-10-10-40 club. He thrice paced the league in double plays turned as a center fielder. He led the league in ABs in 1983.

Of course I've seen the clip of him getting his hit a gazillion times, and that must be mentioned, too.

I also remember his time as the Mets first base coach in the late '90s and early '00s, which were my formative years as a Mets fan.

I've seen him in handful of Mets documentaries and he really does seem like a standup guy. I was especially impressed by his attitude in the documentary about Dwight Gooden, "The Good Doctor."

In the Mets Hall of Fame project I ran on another website, he was elected as a player on his first try, with 88.8% of the vote. He was elected as a coach on his third try, with 75% of the vote.

I've also sent him two autograph requests in my day, with no success.

But pound for pound, he was probably the most disappointing member of Generation K, from a Mets perspective.

He was a #1 overall pick and was once rated the #2 prospect in the game by Baseball America (Pulsipher was a 2nd round pick, Isringhausen a 44th round pick; peak ranks were 12 and 37, respectively).

Wilson pitched just a year with New York, while the other two got multi-season trials. He was perhaps the worst performer in NY (5.38 ERA, 75 ERA+) among them, as Isringhausen had a 4.59 ERA and 88 ERA+ and Pulsipher had a 4.63 ERA and 88 ERA+.

He's also the only one the Mets didn't eventually bring back for a round two. Isringhausen returned in 2011 after not pitching for the club since 1999 and Pulsipher came back in 2000 after departing in 1998.

On the bright side, he did hit his only career homer as a Met.

Also, I've sent him three autograph requests in my day. He signed once, in 2019.

A here-then-gone hurler with a 0.00 Mets ERA.

What I mostly remember about Nitkowski is just how awful a pitcher he was overall. It's astounding he forged a 10-year big league career. He had one or two fleeting blips of success, but no matter how you slice it, he was bad: 18-32, 5.37 ERA, 86 ERA+ overall; 15-27, 5.42 ERA, 86 ERA+ over his first five years, 3-5, 5.20 ERA, 86 ERA+ over his last five.

It's amazing what being a top-ten draft pick can do for your big league fortunes.

Also, I've written him three autograph requests in my day; he has yet to respond.

Wilson was a great outfielder who could've provided solid pop for New York for years and years. He averaged 24 home runs, 84 RBI and 16 steals per season from 1999 to 2005.

But I like the guy they got in return for him, better.

One specific memory of him is when he was with the Marlins I think. He hit a game-winning home run against the Mets, and did some wayyyyy over-the=top celebration in and around the plate before rounding the bases.

At least, that's my memory. But nothing in his home run log actually backs it up. So, after a little research, it was more than likely the September 3, 2002 game in New York (Game 1 of a doubleheader), when he hit a game-TYING home run off of (who else) Armando Benitez in the 9th inning.

Also, I sent him two autograph requests in my day, but he hasn't responded.

Get it? Anyone?

Anyway, talk about selling high. He hits .407 with the Mets, gets traded with others for Gary Carter, then hits .237 over the rest of his career.

He was notable for thrice being a first round pick, albeit in those less heralded off-the-beaten path drafts like the "January draft" and the June Secondary draft."

The Mets took him ahead of Tom Henke in one of those drafts. Can you imagine a 1986 bullpen with Orosco, McDowell and Henke? It would've been something.

Also, I've sent him a couple autograph requests in my day. He signed the second time, in early 2024.

But one losing streak defined his entire legacy. It's a shame.

And talk about hard-luck. He gets cancer and dies at 51. Crazy.

I sent him an autograph in 2016 and he never responded. Since he was battling health issues, I think he had other priorities.

Walker didn't do anything in his cup of coffee with NY in '02, then forged a career as a decent reliever that ended in 2010.

I vividly recall his 2001 Upper Deck Star Rookie card—it's a headshot of him and his happy-go-lucky smile. I'm pretty sure that's the card I got autographed when he signed a through the mail request in 2017.

Tyler Walker, Pete Walker and Tyler Yates all share the same plot of brain matter in my mind due to a variety of similarities.

He never pitched for the Mets after 2002, but he did return to the area in 2011, when he wrapped up his pro career with the Long Island Ducks.

He's a native of the state, so that helps the storyline a bit, too.

His career OPS+ of 118 suggests he has the potential to really light up the stage over a full season here, which offers a lot of hope.

And on the bright side, it doesn't look like the Mets gave up too much to get him in the first place, as the minor leaguer they surrendered—Tyler Stuart—is already 25 and has yet to reach the majors.

The Mets have a good outfield for 2025. Soto is the highlight, but the Winkers and Taylors add solid depth.

Also, in 2024, when he was with Washington, I sent him an autograph request, but he never responded.