With the stove being more lukewarm than hot so far this offseason I have been captivated by BlueandOrange.net’s series of posts regarding the best offensive seasons by position in Mets history.

It came as no surprise to me that #1 on the third base rankings was Howard Johnson’s 1989 season.  However, looking back I was even more impressed with the numbers he amassed that season. Check them out:

While these numbers might not seem great by today’s standards given the climate of baseball in 1989 you cannot help but be impresssed by the season Hojo had.  Keep in mind Hojo was second in the NL with his 36 HR’s.  The MVP that year, Kevin Mitchell, hit 47 dingers which at the time was thought to be an insane amount.  Now don’t get me wrong I fully expect David Wright to have a way better season than this one day, but just wanted to give younger Mets fans who maybe do not remember how good Hojo was a glimpse of just how good of a hitter their present hitting coach was.  Especially in 1989.