How Mets top prospects performed in their MLB debuts

Amed Rosario, the highly touted shortstop and crown jewel of the Mets’ farm system, makes his major league debut Tuesday night at Colorado. Here’s a look at how some of the Mets’ other top prospects through the years have performed in their first big-league game.

Darryl Strawberry

The No. 1 overall pick in the 1980 draft, Strawberry made his MLB debut on May 6, 1983, batting third and playing rightfield. Strawberry went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts but did pick up two walks and scored a run in a 7-4 win over the Reds.

Kevin Mitchell

Mitchell, the fiery platoon outfielder on the 1986 World Series team, was first called up on Sept. 4, 1984, to pinch hit. He didn’t manage to get a hit.

Lenny Dykstra

Dykstra got the call to debut in centerfield on May 3, 1985, the Mets’ 20th game of the season and a 9-4 win over the Reds. He went 2-for-5 with a home run, his only blast of the 1985 season.

Gregg Jefferies

On Sept. 6, 1987, Jefferies pinch hit in a 3-2 loss against the Dodgers that went 14 innings. He went 0-for-1.

Ryan Thompson

Toronto traded Thompson, along with Jeff Kent, to the Mets for David Cone in 1992. Thompson debuted on Sept. 1 of that year as a defensive replacement in centerfield. Thompson went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before being pulled in the eighth inning.

Jeromy Burnitz

Burnitz was called up on June 21, 1993, against the Expos. He was a defensive substitution in rightfield in the seventh inning, batting only once and striking out as the Mets won 8-3.

SEE PHOTOSNotable first career starts in Mets history

Edgardo Alfonzo

Alfonzo made his debut as a pinch hitter in extra innings on April 26, 1995. Hitting for John Franco in the 10th inning, Alfonzo flew out to centerfield, moving a runner to third. He was replaced the next inning.

Alex Ochoa

Acquired in a deal that sent Bobby Bonilla to Baltimore, Ochoa joined the Mets in 1995 and made his debut on Sept. 18. He pinch-hitin the sixth inning, recording a single in his first at bat and staying in the game in rightfield. He finished 1-for-2 with a strikeout in a 7-1 Mets loss to the Braves.

Rey Ordonez

Ordonez made the Mets out of spring training in 1996, earning the starting shortstop position. On his first Opening Day, Ordonez went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run.

Preston Wilson

Wilson came into the majors hot on May 7, 1998, going 3-for-4 in a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. He debuted in leftfield.

Benny Agbayani

Agbayani was part of a slew of Mets outfielders called up in the summer of 1998, making his debut on June 17. He entered the game in the eighth inning in rightfield and struck out in his only at-bat.

Jay Payton

Payton was called up on Sept. 1, 1998, and played leftfield in a 9-8 loss to the Padres. He went 2-for-2 after entering as a defensive sub in the sixth inning.

Melvin Mora

Mora made it to the Mets on May 30, 1999, at age 27. He went 0-for-3 against Randy Johnson and later was replaced in a double switch as the Mets fell to the Diamondbacks, 10-1.

Jason Tyner

Drafted in the first round in 1998, Tyner came to the Mets on June 5, 2000. Hitting leadoff, Tyner went 2-for-3 with an RBI, plus a sacrifice bunt, in a 4-2 Mets loss to the Orioles. By the end of the month, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Timo Perez

Perez was called up on Sept. 1, 2000, pinch hitting and staying in to play left for the ninth inning. The Mets lost, 6-5, to the Cardinals, but Perez slapped a single in his only plate appearance before getting caught stealing later in the inning.

Alex Escobar

Escobar debuted on May 8, 2001, in centerfield. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a strikeout as the Mets were drubbed by the Rockies, 12-4.

Ty Wigginton

Wigginton made his MLB debut as a pinch hitter on May 16, 2002. Wigginton replaced Al Leiter to lead off the seventh, but struck out in his only at-bat in a 3-1 win for the Mets.

Jose Reyes

Reyes joined the Mets on June 10, 2003, a day before his 20th birthday. Batting ninth and playing shortstop, he went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in a 9-7 loss at the Texas Rangers.

David Wright

Wright’s first game with the Mets came on July 21, 2004, against the Montreal Expos. Starting at third base, he went 0-for-4 in a 5-4 Mets victory.

Mike Jacobs

Jacobs showed his power in his MLB debut on Aug. 21, 2005, hitting a pinch-hit, three-run homer in his first and only at-bat of the day. The Mets couldn’t take advantage, however, falling to the Naitonals, 7-4.

Anderson Hernandez

Hernandez played second base and batted eighth in his big-league debut on Sept. 18, 2005. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, but the Mets beat the Braves thanks to Tom Glavine’s complete game.

Lastings Milledge

The highly regarded Milledge never turned out to be the player the Mets anticipated, posting only 0.5 career WAR. In his debut on May 30, 2006, he played right and went 1-for-4 with a double in a 7-2 Mets loss to the Diamondbacks.

Daniel Murphy

Murphy started his first MLB game in leftfield, going 1-for-4 with a run and a strikeout on Aug. 2, 2008. He later was replaced in a double switch and the Mets lost to the Astros in 10 innings, 5-4.

Fernando Martinez

Martinez debuted as a 20-year-old outfielder on May 26, 2009, against the Nationals. In a 6-1 win for the Mets, he went 0-for-3 with an RBI, a hit-by-pitch and two strikeouts.

Ike Davis

Davis came to the majors on April 19, 2010, after just missing the team out of camp. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in the seventh to add an insurance run in a 6-1 Mets win over the Cubs.

Lucas Duda

Duda made his MLB debut on Sept. 1, 2010 against Atlanta. Batting seventh and playing leftfield, Duda went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

Juan Lagares

Most-noted for his glove, Lagares made his debut on April 23, 2013 in a 7-2 loss to the Dodgers. He went 1-for-2 after entering the game in the fifth inning.

Wilmer Flores

Flores got the call on Aug. 6, 2013. He went 0-for-4 while playing third base, but the Mets managed a 3-2 win over the Rockies anyway.

Travis d’Arnaud

The Mets acquired d’Arnaud from Toronto — along with Noah Syndergaard — in the 2012 trade for R.A. Dickey. It wasn’t until Aug. 17, 2013, when d’Arnaud made his first MLB appearance. In an 8-2 loss at San Diego, d’Arnaud was 0-for-2 with two walks.

Dilson Herrera

A Daniel Murphy injury paved the way for Herrera to get the call on Aug. 29, 2014. He went 0-for-3 with one strikeout while filling in at second base in a 4-1 Mets win over the Phillies. Herrera was later moved to the Reds in the Jay Bruce trade.

Steven Matz

LI’s Matz got the win on the mound, but his day at the plate in his MLB debut on June 28, 2015 was largely the reason why. Matz went 3-for-3 with a double and four RBIs, leading the Mets to a 7-2 victory over the Reds.

Michael Conforto

Conforto was called up on July 24, 2015, going 0-for-3 with an RBI in a 7-2 loss to the Dodgers. The highly touted outfielder has bounced between the outfield positions, but he debuted in left, the position he’s logged the most games at since being called up.

Brandon Nimmo

Nimmo, the only player from the state of Wyoming ever drafted in the first round, made his debut in rightfield midway through the 2016 season. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in a 5-2 loss to Atlanta on June 26, 2016.

Gavin Cecchini

Cecchini debuted in a 10-3 Mets win over the Braves on Sept. 11, 2016, at age 22. He struck out as a pinch hitter in his only plate appearance.

Compiled by Ryan Gerbosi and Bobby Wagner