I hope Mets fans had a chance to either watch or DVR the latest “Yearbook” on SNY. Yesterday they aired the 1984 Mets which is a great way for fans to see how a championship team was born.

Since it appeared the film was more internal propaganda than a hard hitting look at the season there were points of goofiness, but it didn’t take away from some of the grainy, but never before seen, clips of that season. You had phenom Dwight Gooden, Rusty Staub at the end of his career, and the first full season of Mex at first. Funny how current Brooklyn Cyclones coach Wally Backman was a main focus as well. Bob Murphy went on to laud him for his grit. I Wonder if it’s a coincidence the Mets aired that this week. I got a kick out of the painter’s hats worn by the Pittsburgh Pirates and even some Mets versions in the stands. I also couldn’t help notice the Manufacturers Hanover billboard below the scoreboard. It was the eighties in full display! Here is a quick trivia question that I will provide the answer to below. What bank is Manufacturers Hanover today?

My main take away from the film was all the young players that team employed. You all know about Strawberry and Gooden, but prospects like Mike Fitzgerald, Kelvin Chapman, Wes Gardner, and Calvin Schiraldi also were mentioned. It appears Schiraldi and Gardner were the two big pitching prospects during that season. I couldn’t believe Schiraldi won 17 games in the minor leagues. When is that last time that happened?

If you think about it the Mets traded a majority of their minor league depth for two players: Gary Carter and Bobby Ojeda. Could you imagine if that was done in the internet world of today? Frank Cashen probably would be called an idiot for giving two huge pitching prospects for a lefty slightly above league average. Carter would have created less of a stir, but some would be concerned about getting a catcher north of 30 for four young players. History was kind to Cashen because, outside of Hubie Brooks, none of the players traded away amounted to very much. You could argue, however, that Calvin Schiraldi did help the Mets with his classic Game 6 and 7 meltdowns in the World Series.

I hope the fans watch this film for enjoyment. It’s also important to learn about the history of your team since very little is discussed by the organization. Take the opportunity while you can! More importantly, look at how Frank Cashen used his prospects to get the team to the next level. You don’t trade “can’t misses” like Strawberry and Gooden, but the “maybes” like Gardner, Youmans, Schiraldi, and Fitzgerald should be fair game. That is why none of the Mets Top 10 should be off limits, even Ike Davis, for the right deal. I sense there are far more Schiraldi’s in the group than Gooden’s. Maybe the next Gary Carter or Keith Hernandez is available (see Adrian Gonzalez) and can help get young players like Wright and Reyes over the top. The slogan in 1984 was “catch the rising stars”. Hopefully you “catch the rising stars” on SNY and learn from it.

Answer to trivia: JP Morgan Chase

You can hear Toby Hyde of Mets Minor League Blog talk about the Mets farms system on NYBD radio here.

Tags: 1984 Mets, Adrian Gonzalez, Bobby Ojeda, Calvin Schiraldi, Catch the Rising Stars, Darryl Strawberry, David Wright, Doc Gooden, Floyd Youmans, Frank Cashen, Hubie Brooks, Ike Davis, Jose Reyes, Keith Hernandez, Mike Fitzgerald, New York Mets, Rusty Staub, Wes Gardner