By the time August 8, 2006 rolled around, the Mets were cruising toward an early NL East title, and the front office was still hunting for small upgrades wherever it could find them. One of those moves brought in left-handed hitting outfielder Ricky Ledee, claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The gamble did not pay off. Ledee was used almost entirely as a pinch hitter and finished with a .094 average, going 3 for 36.
His lone home run came in a Mets loss. For most players, that would have been the end of the story.
It wasn’t for Ledee, though, because the Mets kept circling back.
After the season, he became a free agent and signed a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics. Oakland decided he wasn’t worth a roster spot and cut him before Opening Day, and the Mets were willing to take another look. They brought him back on a minor league contract.
He hit well for Triple-A New Orleans, but his next run in the majors didn’t amount to much. From early June through early July, Ledee posted a .222/.310/.389 line in 43 plate appearances. New York eventually designated him for assignment to make room for three catchers.
That third catcher was Sandy Alomar Jr., who appeared in just 8 games for the Mets all season and hit .136. His spot on the roster did, however, let the Mets use Ramon Castro more often as a pinch hitter, and Castro took advantage of it during his .887 OPS season.
Ledee’s career ended the following month when he chose to retire rather than keep bouncing from minor league deal to minor league deal. His final game was a 1 for 6 outing with 3 strikeouts in a 17-inning road win over the Houston Astros that lasted more than five hours. After a day like that, he was ready for what came next.
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Francisco Alvarez Headlines Mets Audition For A Future Role
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For the Mets, the rest of the schedule is serving as an extended audition, and Alvarez is one of the players most worth watching in that setting. The lingering trade chatter around Francisco Lindor and Alvarez only adds another layer to the conversation, since every start and every stretch of games now carries some weight beyond this season. Even with so much unresolved, the organization has made clear these weeks are about finding answers, and Alvarez remains one of the most important ones. [Read more 🡒]