The Crane Pool Forum

Ballot submissions are requested NOW!!!! for The Crane Pool Forum 2024 Keith Hernandez Award for Outstanding Mets Defender.

You can never score enough runs if you can't stop a few, and so we review who was the best at strapping on the glove and getting at it, fielding grounders, flies, and liners; catching throws; backing up bases; tagging would-be advancers; throwing them out when they seek to be safe; backing up bases; cutting off throws. The little things! The big things! Everything done on defense that isn't pitching!

Even passive efforts help. Controlling the running game! Being so awesome on defense that nobody runs when the ball is hit in your vicinity! This wins games too!

Here's a blank ballot for you to copy and paste and type in ten best Mets in the category of TOTAL DEFENSIVE ADROITNESS AND EFFECT AT ANY AND ALL POSITIONS as displayed in 2024.

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You've got to be in it to win it, and when it comes to taking the field on defense, the following Mets were in it:

Luisangel Acuña Ty Adcock Pete Alonso Eddy Alvarez Francisco Álvarez Harrison Bader Brett Baty Paul Blackburn Huascar Brazobán José Buttó Edwin Díaz Jake Diekman

Matt Festa Ben Gamel Reed Garrett Grant Hartwig Adrian Houser Jose Iglesias Tyler Jay Jorge López Francisco Lindor Joey Lucchesi Sean Manaea

Starling Marte Phil Maton Jeff McNeil Tylor Megill Omar Narváez Tomás Nido Brandon Nimmo Dedniel Núñez Eric Orze Adam Ottavino David Peterson

Jose Quintana Brooks Raley Yohan Ramírez Sean Reid-Foley Christian Scott Kodai Senga Luis Severino Zack Short Drew Smith Ryne Stanek DJ Stewart

Cole Sulser Tyrone Taylor Julio Teheran Michael Tonkin Luis Torrens Mark Vientos Josh Walker Joey Wendle Jesse Winker Alex Young Danny Young

Run prevention is beautiful. Run prevention beyond what the pitcher is doing to the batter? That's profound. And you're in the envious position of judging which ten Mets did it the most profoundly of all.

Voting remains open for a week or so, or perhaps until the Mets make a transaction with so much sex appeal that forum explodes on other matters.

Vote wisely. We are judging the Mets, but posterity will be judging us.

An enchanting ballot might or might not look something like this:

1) Francisco Lindor
2) Francisco Álvarez
3) Harrison Bader
4) Luis Torrens
7) José Iglesias
6) Luisangel Acuña
5) Tomás Nido
9) Tyrone Taylor
8) Brett Baty
10) Jeff McNeil

Defender!

1) Francisco Lindor
2) Harrison Bader
3) Tyrone Taylor
4) Jose Iglesias
7) Francisco Alvarez
6) Luis Torrens
5) Jeff McNeil
9) Brandon Nimmo
8) Luis Severino
10) Luisangel Acuna