New York Mets (1987–1991)
Jefferies hit .367 with 20 home runs,48 doubles and 101 RBI for Jackson in 1987,earning Jefferies a brief call-up from the Mets at the end of the 1987 season. He went 3-for-6 in 6 games,at the age of 20,making him the youngest player in the major leagues that season. [5]
The Mets decided they needed to make room for Jefferies,but didn't know where to play him,as the veteran team was full at the spots Jefferies played in the minor leagues (shortstop,third base and second base). The outfield was full as well,with the team finding it difficult to get outfielders Lenny Dykstra and Mookie Wilson playing time alongside Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds,so Jefferies was sent to Triple-A Tidewater to start the 1988 season.
After spending most of the 1988 season at Triple-A,hitting .282,Jefferies was recalled at the end of August and allowed to play out the year as a starter,mostly at third base. He responded by hitting .321 over the last 29 games of the 1988 season. The team had an MLB-best 24–7 record after his debut and finished with a league-best 100 wins en route to the National League East title. [3] In his only postseason games,Jefferies batted .333 with two doubles as the Mets lost the National League Championship Series. [6]
The Mets made a full-time roster spot for Jefferies when they traded Wally Backman to the Minnesota Twins,leaving second base open for Jefferies. But Jefferies faltered,hitting .258 with little selectivity as a rookie in 1989.
During a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 27,1989,Jefferies was the last batter to ground out before the Mets lost the game. Jefferies then heard some unkind comments from his former teammate Roger McDowell and charged the mound,starting a bench-clearing brawl. [7]
In response to criticism from teammates,on May 24,1991,Jefferies pleaded his case in an open letter read on sports radio station WFAN. In the letter,Jefferies wrote:
"When a pitcher is having trouble getting players out,when a hitter is having trouble hitting,or when a player makes an error,I try to support them in whatever way I can. I don't run to the media to belittle them or to draw more attention to their difficult times. I can only hope that one day those teammates who have found it convenient to criticize me will realize that we are all in this together. If only we can concentrate more on the games than complaining and bickering and pointing fingers,we would all be better off." [8]
In 2020,Jefferies denied having written the letter but did not reveal who wrote it. [3]
In 1990,Jefferies raised his batting average to .283 while scoring 96 runs and leading the NL with 40 doubles,but the Mets finished second in the NL East for the second straight year. He slipped in 1991,hitting .272 with 30 extra base hits in 486 at bats as the team slipped to 5th place.
Philadelphia Phillies (1995–1998)
Jefferies signed a four-year,$20 million contract (equivalent to $42,400,000in 2024) with the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1994 season. At the time,the contract was the largest in Phillies history. [11] He chose to leave St. Louis because the Cardinals would not give him a no-trade clause. He moved to the outfield for the Phillies,where he performed adequately over the 1995,1996 and 1997 seasons,but injuries to his thumb and hamstring hampered his effectiveness. On August 25,1995,in a game vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at Veterans Stadium,Jefferies became the first Phillie to hit for the cycle since Johnny Callison in 1963. [12]
