18-year Met Ed Kranepool celebrates a birthday today. He played for the Mets from 1962, their first season, to 1979. He was an all-star in 1965.
None of that gives me any idea how he was chosen for card #1 in Kellogg's first set. Does anyone have an idea about how this happened?
Until David Wright recently passed him, Kranepool was the Mets all-time hit leader with 1,418. Really? That's not a big total. Wright doesn't seem likely to move that number up too high either. Kranepool still leads the Mets in career games played, but Wright might pass him but he's over 300 games behind.
Kranepool was signed by the Mets in June of 1962 as a free agent. He was a few years ahead of the first MLB draft in 1965. There were no other transactions for him in 18 years other than his being granted free agency in November of 1979. He didn't play again in the majors.
He was born in the Bronx and played in his first game for the Mets at age 17. He had the longest tenure of any Met - 18 years.
He played first base and the outfield for the Mets. He was later known for his pinch-hitting skills. He was the last member of the 1969 Mets to retire.
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