Unofficial fan projectThe Expansion Years
Ed Kranepool
First baseman and outfielder · Mets 1962–1979
The part fans remember
What the numbers leave out.
Kranepool grew up with the franchise. He debuted as a teenager, survived the early losses, won a championship, and stayed longer than any other Met.
Kranepool signed with the expansion Mets in 1962 and reached the majors at 17. He was so young that his long career began before the franchise had finished its first season. The early Mets rushed him, sent him up and down, and asked him to learn while the team lost around him.
He became an All-Star in 1965 and later settled into a role at first base. Kranepool homered in Game 3 of the 1969 World Series, giving the original Met a direct part in the championship. As younger players arrived, he adjusted again and became one of the league’s best pinch hitters, batting .486 in that role in 1974.
When he retired after 1979, Kranepool had played 18 seasons and more games in a Mets uniform than anyone. He was there for the Polo Grounds, Shea Stadium, 120 losses, a miracle title, another pennant, and the fall back into last place. Other players reached higher peaks; nobody lived more of the franchise’s early history.
The honest version
The best stretch
Kranepool’s 1964–66 peak came while the Mets were still learning how to escape the bottom of the standings. He debuted at 17, carried expectations before he was ready, and became an All-Star in 1965. The left-handed swing produced enough promise that fans could imagine him growing into the new franchise along with Shea Stadium.
The part that got messy
His career did not follow one smooth line. Kranepool lost playing time, was briefly sent to the minors, and later reinvented himself as one of baseball’s best pinch hitters. That second act mattered. He contributed to the 1969 championship, remained useful through the 1973 pennant season, and found ways to help even after it became clear he would not become the superstar once predicted.
Why fans still care
Eighteen seasons with one expansion-born club created a record deeper than totals. Kranepool experienced the Polo Grounds, Shea’s opening, 120 losses, the Miracle, another pennant, the Midnight Massacre, and the return to last place. His career is almost a living timeline of early Mets history. The team changed around him again and again, while number 7 kept appearing on the roster.
Kranepool was not the greatest Met, but he might be the most purely Mets Met. He arrived as a teenager in 1962, survived the losing, won in 1969, and stayed through 1979. Seventeen seasons gave fans one familiar face while the entire franchise changed around him. His pinch-hitting late in his career turned longevity into a real baseball skill, not just a trivia answer.
Signature Mets momentPlayed a franchise-record 18 seasons, all with the Mets.
The short list
The stuff worth remembering.
- 01Original 1962 Met
- 021965 All-Star
- 031969 World Series champion