In the offseason before the 1996 season, the New York Mets made three big moves. They traded for Bernard Gilkey, signed Mark Clark, and signed Lance Johnson. Each move would have its own effect on the team, though all three made a significant impact on the team.
All three players turned in tremendous performances in a disappointing 1996 season. Johnson and Gilkey especially had phenomenal seasons. Gilkey’s breakout campaign often dwarfs Johnson’s in minds of Mets fans, which doesn’t make much sense.
Johnson had an equally as good campaign. He didn’t put up the power numbers Gilkey did, but he set a number of major league and Mets records that year.