They were supposed to be a three-headed monster. They were supposed to take their team to glory. They were supposed to be a trio of ace pitchers for years to come. Jason Isringhausen, Paul Wilson and Bill Pulsipher all came up in the Mets' organization with great expectations...only to disappoint many.
Wilson was drafted by the Mets with the 1st overall pick in the 1994 amateur draft. He made his debut two years later, but never really got off the ground in New York. He spent the entire 1996 season with the Mets, but spent the rest of his Mets career in the minors. In 2000, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays just before the trade deadline. After spending 2 1/2 dismal seasons in Tampa, Wilson signed on with the Cincinnati Reds. He became the ace of a mediocre Reds staff, and had his best season in 2003. According to baseballreference.com, he went 11-6 with a 4.36 ERA and struck out 117 batters. But, due to a myriad of injuries, Wilson has not pitched in the Majors since 2005.
Pulsipher was drafted in the second round of the 1991 draft. He did not make his debut until 1995, and never really made his mark in the bigs. He spent half of the '95 season with the Mets, and was kept in the minors until 1998. He was traded by the Mets to the Milwaukee Brewers at the deadline in '98, only to be traded back to them after the 1999 season. He has also pitched for the Red Sox, White Sox and Cardinals - but had his name on the roster for the Rangers, Mariners, Yankees, Diamondbacks and Orioles at one point or another in his career. Like Wilson, Pulsipher has not pitched since the '05 season, thanks to injuries.
Isringhausen has easily had the most success of the trio - but not in the way the Mets had imagined. In parts of four seasons with the Mets, "Izzy" compiled a dismal 18-25 record. In 1999, the Mets lost their patience with the talented righty, and shipped him to Oakland for Greg McMichael and Billy Taylor (another one of those trades that came back to bite the Mets in the butt...). All he's done since that season is save a total of 272 games for the A's and St. Louis Cardinals, help the Cards win the World Series in 2006, and saved a career-high 47 games for the Red Birds in 2004. He's had his bumps in the road, but his achievements over the last seven years certainly outweigh his disappointments in his first seven years in the majors.
Wilson was drafted by the Mets with the 1st overall pick in the 1994 amateur draft. He made his debut two years later, but never really got off the ground in New York. He spent the entire 1996 season with the Mets, but spent the rest of his Mets career in the minors. In 2000, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays just before the trade deadline. After spending 2 1/2 dismal seasons in Tampa, Wilson signed on with the Cincinnati Reds. He became the ace of a mediocre Reds staff, and had his best season in 2003. According to baseballreference.com, he went 11-6 with a 4.36 ERA and struck out 117 batters. But, due to a myriad of injuries, Wilson has not pitched in the Majors since 2005.
Pulsipher was drafted in the second round of the 1991 draft. He did not make his debut until 1995, and never really made his mark in the bigs. He spent half of the '95 season with the Mets, and was kept in the minors until 1998. He was traded by the Mets to the Milwaukee Brewers at the deadline in '98, only to be traded back to them after the 1999 season. He has also pitched for the Red Sox, White Sox and Cardinals - but had his name on the roster for the Rangers, Mariners, Yankees, Diamondbacks and Orioles at one point or another in his career. Like Wilson, Pulsipher has not pitched since the '05 season, thanks to injuries.
Isringhausen has easily had the most success of the trio - but not in the way the Mets had imagined. In parts of four seasons with the Mets, "Izzy" compiled a dismal 18-25 record. In 1999, the Mets lost their patience with the talented righty, and shipped him to Oakland for Greg McMichael and Billy Taylor (another one of those trades that came back to bite the Mets in the butt...). All he's done since that season is save a total of 272 games for the A's and St. Louis Cardinals, help the Cards win the World Series in 2006, and saved a career-high 47 games for the Red Birds in 2004. He's had his bumps in the road, but his achievements over the last seven years certainly outweigh his disappointments in his first seven years in the majors.
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