Keith Hernandez, MVP Candidate

As fans entered Shea Stadium for the opener of a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs they saw this scorecard with Keith Hernandez, their star first baseman on the cover. Hernandez and the Mets did not disappoint the nearly 45,000 in attendance with a 10-3 win. After the Cubs took a 2-0 lead, Hernandez’s 4th inning RBI single got New York on the board. His next time up in the 6th inning, Hernandez homered to give the Mets a 3-2 lead which they would not relinquish. For the 1986 season, Hernandez hit .310 with an .859 OPS while driving in 83 runs. Primarily for his defense and leadership, Hernandez finished fourth in the MVP balloting, his third straight season finishing in the top-10 in NL voting.