"There's tons really" - When Mets legend Keith Hernandez couldn't decide on the best player in his heyday
Former first baseman Keith Hernandez played 27 seasons in the MLB, with most of the time spent with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. After his baseball career, he tried his hands at broadcasting and worked as a studio analyst for MLB on Fox for the 2017 postseason.
In May 2018, Hernandez appeared on the show 'Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" and revealed details surrounding his playing career and lifestyle. In an interesting lead-up where the questions were centered on his dating life, Andy asked him about who he felt was the best player during his playing days.
"I couldn't even count. There's tons of really," Keith responded. (1:15 mark).
In the next questionnaire, he also mentioned that he had the worst temper among all his teammates.
Hernandez is now serving as a color commentator for the Mets games on SportsNet New York, where he's joined by former teammates Ron Darling and play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen.
Keith Hernandez's baseball career
Hailing from San Francisco, California, Keith Hernandez was drafted as the 783rd pick by the Cardinals in the 1971 MLB draft.
On Aug. 30, 1974, he made his major league debut at Candlestick Park against the San Francisco Giants, going 1-for-2 with two walks and getting his first major league RBI with a single in the ninth.
In 1979, Hernandez batted impressively, hitting .344 along with 48 doubles and 116 runs scored. Coincidentally, he shared NL MVP honors with Willie Stargell, who received the same number of points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America for the honors, marking it a first in MLB history.
He won his first World Series with the Cardinals in the 1982 season and contributed eight RBIs against the Milwaukee Brewers. Hernandez was dealt to the Mets on Jun. 15, 1983, for pitchers Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey after a series of confrontations with the Cardinals management, most notably manager Whitey Herzog, who said that Hernandez had become a cancer on his club.
With the Mets, Keith Hernandez won his second World Series ring in the 1986 season, securing his legacy in the annals of baseball greats.
However, the five-time All-Star's impressive career was shadowed due to his drug abuse, which meant that he didn't get enough votes to get inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.