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Thoughtful attempt at a reappraisal of George Foster's Met legacy by Roger Cormier (too young to have experienced the downs, ups and dismissal of Foster, but he put in his research; also someone I know some).
| But taking a gander at his numbers, and watching games from Foster's time on the Mets generously uploaded to YouTube showed he wasn't a completely isolated and crummy teammate — that was just the neat, convenient, CliffsNotes version of his deal. His DRC+ was over 100 from 1983-1985 (103, 103, 117). He hit over 20 homers in those seasons — only Darryl Strawberry and Gary Carter accomplished that for the Mets during those years. On Willie Mays Day in San Francisco, Foster hit a grand slam and alertly backed up third base to throw out a runner at home plate. Before a September showdown against the Cubs in ‘84, manager Davey Johnson said that Foster was “probably” his best hitter since the All-Star Break. Foster smacked his 20th homer of the year that night, after Strawberry was intentionally walked in front of him. NBC cameras caught Foster celebrating his big bop with Kevin Mitchell, then a rookie with exactly one plate appearance to his name, dueting on a celebratory tune, using a bat as a microphone. |
Roger's larger goal is to figure how far we have or haven't come in terms of viewing racism in baseball. You can read it and decide how strong the connection from then to now is.
https://meditationsinpaniccity.substack.com/p/from-george-to-dom
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