Ed Kranepool - Demoted To Tidewater

Demoted To Tidewater

Period BA OBP SLG OPS
Through 1970 .246 .298 .358 .656
After 1970 .278 .333 .398 .732

On June 23, 1970, Kranepool was batting just .118, and was demoted to the Mets' triple A affiliate, the Tidewater Tides. He considered retirement, but instead, he accepted his reassignment, and batted .310 in 47 games at Tidewater. He was back with the Mets by the middle of August, but saw very little playing time. For the season, Kranepool had only 52 plate appearances in 43 games.

Kranepool would bounce back with perhaps his best season in 1971, batting .280 with 14 home runs, 58 RBI and an OPS+ of 123. He also led the National League with a .998 fielding percentage. The late-career demotion marked a turning point for Kranepool, with him becoming a useful hitter and first baseman/outfielder despite never entering a season with a specific full-time role.

In 1973, Kranepool lost his starting job at first base to John Milner. Kranepool still managed to play 100 games and making 320 plate appearances backing up Milner at first and Cleon Jones in left. The Mets won the NL East, and faced the Cincinnati Reds in the 1973 National League Championship Series. Kranepool's only appearance in the NLCS was in game five, and he drove in the first two runs of the Mets' series clinching victory to lead his team to the 1973 World Series.

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