The fourth outfielder got 236 plate appearances for the Mets that year.
The roles of forgotten Mets have varied over time. Some of these players include a bad backup catcher, a decent pitcher, and a decent-pitching bad backup catcher. For the first time in this series, a non-catcher position player will be discussed. In 2011, the Mets' forgotten player was Jason Pridie.
Pridie was drafted in the second round of the 2002 draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Arizona native was left off Tampa's 40-man roster before the 2005 Rule 5 draft, and was drafted by the Minnesota Twins, only to be returned to the Devil Rays before the 2006 season. In November 2007, Pridie officially became a member of the Twins as he was part of a deal that sent Matt Garza to Tampa Bay and Delmon Young to the Twin Cities. After two extremely short stints with Minnesota in 2008 and 2009, Pridie was put on waivers. The Mets claimed him on February 9, 2010.
After a hot start with Triple-A Buffalo that almost led to a call-up, Pridie tore his right hamstring, keeping him out for over 100 games. However, his optimism and positivity never wavered, as evidenced by his interview with Amazin' Avenue in December 2010. In January 2011, the Mets designated Pridie for assignment, only to have him clear waivers and end up back in Triple-A. He made his Mets debut on April 22, and spent the rest of the season with the big club.
For a fourth outfielder, Pridie was not abysmal. His finest moments included a clutch home run against the Dodgers the day before the Mets ended Andre Ethier's 30-game hitting streak and a two-run double against the Reds to give the Mets the lead in Cincinnati in July. He didn't provide any more notable performances.
In 236 plate appearances with the Mets, Pridie hit a lukewarm, yet expectation-exceeding .230/.309/.370. In an example of correlation does not imply causation, the Mets went 56-45 in games in which Pridie appeared–26-19 in games he started. His time with the Mets ended in November 2011, when he was placed on waivers.
Pridie inked a deal with the Oakland Athletics prior to the 2012 season, yet was released mid-season before making an appearance. The Philadelphia Phillies signed him a week later, but he only played nine games with them. After sparse playing time with the Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies in 2013 and 2014, respectively, Pridie signed a minor league deal with the Athletics in December 2014.
Jason Pridie is the exemplary fourth outfielder: unspectacular performance, few moments of fame, and short stints with numerous clubs. His time on the Mets was actually somewhat auspicious, yet mainly unremarkable. His beard may have been his most memorable quality. For that, Jason Pridie is a forgotten Met.