1. Tom Seaver

It was like a bolt of lightning when Tom Seaver arrived in Queens in 1967.  He was the man who would save a franchise that had spent its first five years of existence setting records for creative ways to lose. While the Mets were still very much the "Lovable Losers" when he debuted, he immediately provided a brand of professional, high-velocity pitching that demanded a change in the clubhouse culture. For twelve total seasons in a Mets uniform, he operated as the undisputed "Franchise," standing as the foundational pillar who proved that greatness was actually possible in Flushing.

Seaver exploded on the scene as the National League Rookie of the Year for a team that still finished in the cellar. Seaver consistently dominated without run support, earning All-Star nods in his first two seasons. He proved he was not just a talented pitcher but a strategic tactician, viewing each start as a battle of wits. This established a strong foundation for a rotation that was becoming league envy.

In 1969, Seaver was the master architect of what was the greatest turnaround in baseball history.  That summer, he demonstrated mastery on the mound, winning 25 games and his first NL Cy Young, leading a young team to a surprising World Series victory. He propelled the Mets from 100-loss inadequacies to champions in two years, giving the city its first baseball glory since the Dodgers and Giants left.  Seriously, that year will never be forgotten.

The early 1970s saw Seaver enter a run of dominance that felt almost unfair to the rest of the league. On April 22, 1970, he performed a total demolition of the San Diego Padres, striking out 19 batters, including a record-setting ten in a row to end the game. He followed that in 1971 with what many statisticians consider his technical masterpiece: a league-leading 1.76 ERA and 289 strikeouts. Despite his 10.2 bWAR that year, the voters somehow gave the Cy Young to Fergie Jenkins, an injustice that didn’t stop Seaver from being the most feared man on any mound in New York.

His time in Queens reached another peak in 1973, a year when he carried the "Ya Gotta Believe" Mets on his back during a frantic September push. He captured his second Cy Young Award while leading the National League in ERA (2.08) and strikeouts (251), proving himself a high-stakes performer as he led the Mets through a grueling postseason all the way to Game 7 of the World Series. He demonstrated the organization his tireless durability by tossing 290 innings, serving as a human firewall against the rest of the National League's offenses.

By 1975, Seaver was firmly established as a premier superstar, capturing his third Cy Young Award with a league-best 22 wins and 243 strikeouts. Even as the team around him began to fluctuate, he remained a professional mainstay, providing a high-quality foundation by frequently driving in his own runs or pitching deep enough to save a taxed bullpen

In 1977, Seaver WAS the Mets, so what transpired during the season had a title all its own: “The Midnight Massacre”.Following a public and bitter contract dispute with Mets Chairman M. Donald Grant, who apparently treated the team’s payroll like he was personally paying in nickels, traded Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds. The trade was so unpopular that it basically caused a widespread slump in morale at Shea Stadium, as fans were forced to watch "The Franchise" pitch in a different uniform while the Mets spiraled back into the basement.

Late in his career, Seaver had a brief homecoming in 1983, showing he still had high-quality craft at age 38. He posted a 3.55 ERA over 231 innings, but the Mets' mistake in leaving him unprotected in a free agent draft led to the White Sox taking him. This forced their icon to win his 300th game in a Sox uniform, not at Shea.

In 1988, when the Mets retired his number 41, it was the final punctuation on a journey that culminated in his 1992 induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. At the time, he entered Cooperstown with a staggering 98.8% of the vote, the highest percentage in history for over two decades. Seaver compiled 198 wins, 2,541 strikeouts, and three Cy Young Awards, and a World Series.