He was hardly a slugger by the time he got to New York, but he hammered two dingers for the club in '79, off of two pretty impressive pitchers. The first was off of 1978 All-Star Ross Grimsley and the second—the final homer of his career—was off of future Hall of Famer Phil Niekro. Both homers broke tie games and helped lead the Mets to victory.

And though he wasn't a Hall of Famer himself, he did make the Hall of Fame ballot in 1986 and he even earned a vote or two. Not too many Mets even make the ballot, so you gotta take what you can get.

Also, I've written him two autograph requests in my day, the first in 2018 and the second in 2020. He's signed both times. Thanks, Jose!

The run of greatness lasted all of a month-and-a-half and 17 games. From April 4 to May 19, he was untouchable. 25 IP. 41 K. 0.72 ERA. Wanted a win when no one else could lock one up? Garrett was your man, as he was 5-0 at that point.

Then, just like that, the wheels fell off. On May 22, he gave up a run in an inning of work against Cleveland for his first loss of the season. On May 24, he allowed five runs against the Giants for his second loss of the season.

From May 22 on, he was 3-5 with a 6.12 ERA in 36 games. Batters had a .803 OPS against him.

ERAs by month—April: 0.57. May: 6.08. June: 3.60. July: 9.00. August: 4.50. September: 3.86. He didn't allow a single run in 13 games from August 22 to September 21, bringing his season ERA back down to 3.18. But just as he was about to redeem himself by going out on a high note, he blew it in his final appearance, surrendering four runs to shoot his ERA way back up to 3.77—typical Garrett!

I couldn't watch the guy. He would get hyper fired up over getting a K or a key out when the issues he was trying to get out of were of his own doing. Don't get fired up over an out when the team is in the shape it's in because of YOU.

And even when he was good, it was all an illusion. He was getting lucky. He walked guys like crazy and surrendered hits like crazy and was just able to finagle his way out of things for a while. Look at that WHIP for the season—1.395. That's awful. Even when his ERA was still below 3 (on May 30, when it was 2.54) his WHIP was 1.341. He was pitching better than his actual skill level for two months. Then the luck ran out.

For most of the season, he pitched like the Garrett that played for the Mets in 2023 (5.82 ERA) and for his entire big league career (7.11 ERA).

You could tell he was overmatched most of the time because he always had this derpy, lost, bewildered, overwhelmed look on his face.

I wasn't around when Doug Sisk was a thing, but I can only imagine the way Garrett made me feel is what Doug Sisk made Mets fans feel in the 1980s. They're even similar statistically—fair ERAs but lots of hits and walks and terrible WHIPs.

Then Garrett went and blew it in the NLCS, posting a 9.64 ERA 4 appearances. I knew the Mets weren't long for the playoffs because they were relying so heavily on guys like him.

Well, that's all I got. All I can say is this post was very cathartic. Sorry Reed, you sucked. Hope to see you with the Long Island Ducks in 2025.

He was lightning in a bottle, but like lightning he was just a flash, and by 2010 he was a bad pitcher and a headache. But I don't really even remember 2010, I focus on his awesome, brief stint in 2009.

He was pitching professionally as recently as 2018.

I could be wrong, but Hudson started off fairly well in the Mets minor league system, but he ended up doing poorly.

I thought his lone game with the Mets happened during their London series, but apparently it happened at Wrigley. He had been called up to be an extra man for the London series, but never got into a game there.

Also 2024 was his first major league action since 2020. Who knew.

He and Grant Hartwig look like they could be brothers.

Who knew there was so much to say about Joe Hudson.

What's even more amazing is that he didn't wow at Triple-A, hitting just 273 there. He certainly wasn't my first choice of guys to call up.

But I'm glad they gave him a shot. I think we all are. He brought a spark. He helped make 2024 memorable, even before they were a playoff-bound, NLCS-appearing team.

In part because of Iglesias, I thought 2024 was a fun and worthwhile campaign, even back when it looked like they might not make the playoffs.

Granted, they really ran "OMG" into the ground after a while, but it was still a worthwhile addition to Mets lore.

And let's not forget he finished 2024 with a 22-game hitting streak.

He recently declared free agency. Woe unto us if they do not bring him back!

Because he was such an awesome—though somewhat unheralded—Met, Floyd was elected to the Mets Hall of Fame project I run on another website with 80% of the vote in his first try on a Veterans Committee ballot.

Alou was a decent outfielder for 12 years before joining the Mets, contributing not much speed on the basepaths or power at the plate, but contributing nevertheless. Averaging just one strikeout every 16.2 at-bats, he was almost a guarantee to at least put the ball in play—and sometimes he did it with great success, hitting .306 with Houston in 1970 and .312 in limited duty for them in 1972.

With the Mets in 1975, he contributed a .265 average in 65 games off the bench for that unheralded better-than-.500 team, posting the second-best average among all non-starting position players. And, he continued his low-strikeout ways, with just five Ks in 102 at-bats.

After a brief hiatus from the majors, he rejoined the Astros in 1978, hitting .324 in what was a career renaissance before wrapping up his major league stay in 1979.

His 15-year career was good enough to earn him a spot on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1985 and even a vote or two.

Interestingly, he was once involved in a trade involving two prominent Mets, though neither were Mets at the time. On January 22, 1969, he was sent from Montreal with Donn Clendenon to the Astros for Rusty Staub. Clendenon refused to report to Houston.

Unfortunately, Alou died March 10, 2023 at 80 years old.

He has a career 3.38 ERA and 120 ERA+ at 26 years old, yet they've only given him 120 total innings!

It's a shame this one-year wonder's one year came the season AFTER he left the Mets and AFTER the Mets went to the World Series in 1973. They might have won more than 82 games in '73 had Capra put it all together that year instead of '74. His performance with the Braves in '74 would win him a Cy Young Award these days.

He later became a longtime coach in the minor leagues, including in the Mets system in the 1990s and early 2000s.

In 2010, he signed a card for me in 12 days through his home address.