The 1977 New York Mets season is best known as the year when everything began to come apart. In the middle of the year, Tom Seaver was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in the “Midnight Massacre.” This and other moves signaled the franchise’s change in direction from hopeful contenders to rebuilders.
This same year was also the rookie campaign for a Mets player we often forget about. A 24-year-old outfielder named Steve Henderson played his first big league game for the 1977 Mets. He was one of several players the Mets received for Seaver.