"Super" Joe McEwing: 2000 NL Champion Mets Utility Player (2000 - 2004) & MLB Coach

Joseph Earl McEwing was born October 17, 1972, in Bristol, Pennsylvania.

He attended high school in Fairless Hills, Pa. in Bucks County. Joe then attended college in Randolph, New Jersey at County College of Morris. There he was inducted into the schools Hall of Fame.

The five-foot ten right hand hitter was drafted out of college, down in the 28th round of the 1992 draft, by the St. Louis Cardinals. It took him seven years in minor leagues before he got his chance in the big leagues.

In 1998 he was still at AA Arkansas where he hit .354 & then got promoted up to AAA Memphis where he hit .334. He combined for 15 HRs & 92 RBIs that season.

MLB Career: In 1999 he made the St. Louis team after a strong Spring Training. He would play in 152 games as Tony Larussa’s all around guy playing 96 games at second base & 66 games in the outfield. That season he came in fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting batting .275 with 9 HRs 28 doubles, four triples & 44 RBIs.

Trivia: In Busch Stadium he was honored with "Little Mac Land" a play on words to "Big Mac

Land" which was the section in the left field upper deck dedicated to slugger Mark McGwire.

 In 2000, at the end of Spring Training McEwing was sent to the New York Mets for 47-year-old reliever Jesse Orosco who was in camp trying out for a Mets roster spot.

Mets Career -“Super Joe”: In New York he became known as Super Joe McEwing due to his versatility to play at any position. He became a fan favorite, a folk hero & very popular around Shea Stadium.

Manager Bobby Valentine loved him & used him in the outfield (52 games) third base (19 games) second base (16 games) & at short stop (4 games). Joe was also used a pinch runner & pinch hitter.

On May 13th, McEwing debuted for New York batting leadoff in a loss to the Marlins at Shea. He got his first Mets hit that day, a 7th inning double. The next day he drove in a run with a double off Brad Penny. He later scored in the inning on Mike Piazza's grand slam HR in a 5-1 Met win.

On May 20th he got the start at third base, becoming the 119th third baseman in franchise history.

On May 21st he hit his first of two HRs of the year, leading a Mets 7th inning comeback rally against the Arizona Diamond Backs. The Mets tied the game that inning & won it on Derek Bell's Walk off base hit. McEwing collected three hits for the first of three muti- three hit days on the season.

Multi- Three RBI Game: On July 17th, he hit his second HR, a two run HR off Pasqual Coco during a Mets series sweep in Toronto. He later drove in another run in the game on a fielder's choice for his first ever multi- three RBI game.

The next night he was credited with an RBI scoring Todd Zeile on a fielder's choice. Mike Piazza hit a grand slam in this game as well- (centerfieldmaz was in Toronto that night @the game. & met Piazza personally)

On July 19th he helped the Mets come from behind with an 8th inning pinch hit base hit driving in two runs, to put the Mets ahead in the 5-4 win. On that road that week he got a chance to play often & he made the best of it driving in runs in four straight games.

Trivia: McEwing was successful against pitcher Randy Johnson, earning him the moniker "the Little Unit".

In August he had two games against the Diamondbacks where he drove in two runs each time, both coming in Met wins. In September he played more of a defensive role, at the plate he was just 4-21 in 15 games.

Overall, on the regular season hit .222 with two HRs but had 14 doubles & 19 RBIs in 87 games in the 2000 Mets N.L. pennant season.

2000 Post Season: In the post season he was primarily used as a pinch runner & defensive replacement. He was successful in those roles scoring three runs.

2000 NLDS: In the NLDS win over the Giants he appeared in four games.

In Game #3 at Shea Stadium, Joe came in the game in the 12th inning to run for Mike Piazza. 

He remained in the game & in the bottom of the 12th, singled but Edgardo Alfonso thrown out at second base to end the inning. Benny Agbayani won the game with a walk off HR. centerfieldmaz was in attendance that afternoon.

2000 NLCS: In the NLCS win over the Cardinal, Joe appeared in four games.

 In Game #1 in St. Louis, he came in to run for Benny Agbayani in the 9th inning with New York up 4-0. He scored when Jay Payton hit a two run HR. 

In the Mets Game #2 win, McEwing came in to run for Robin Ventura in the 9th inning, with the score tied at 5-5. 

Jay Payton singled to centerfield, McEwing scored all the way from first on Jim Edmonds error in center field. McEwing scored the winning run as the Mets went on to a 6-5 victory to go up two games to none.

In Game #4 he was used a defensive replacement in the 10-6 win. In the series clincher Game #5,
he came in as a pinch runner in the 8th inning & remained in the game in right field.

2000 World Series: In the Subway World Series he appeared in three games, getting one at bat.

In Game #1 he replaced Benny Agbayani in the 8th inning in left field. In his only at bat he flew out to left field.

In Game #3 at Shea Stadium, he came in to run for Benny Agbayani in the 8th inning, after Agbayani broke the 2-2 tie with a double off Orlando Hernandez. McEwing  scored the Mets fourth run on Bubba Trammell's sac fly. 

The Mets went on to the 4-2 win for their only series win. centerfieldmaz was in attendance for that game.

In Game #4 he was used as a pinch runner in the Mets 3-2 loss.

Quotes- Joe McEwing: "There's nothing like playing in New York. If you're the 24th or 25th guy, it's like being the second or third guy in other cities. I miss it every winter. I miss getting the paper in the morning, going for a sandwich & coffee, everyone in the deli congratulates you or asks you what happened the night before. There's always that buzz."

After the Pennant: Super Joe started the year seeing action as a pinch hitter & position player, a favorite weapon of manager Bobby Valentine.

On April 28th with the Mets down 5-3 in St. Louis, McEwing blasted a two-run top of the 9th inning HR off Steve Kline. The Mets would mount a 6-5 winning comeback.

In June Super Joe batted .333 the best average of any Met with more than 20 at bats. 

Muti- Three RBI Games: On June 10th in a 10-0 win at Tampa, he hit his second HR, a two-run shot off former Met Paul Wilson. McEwing also collected a sacrifice bunt RBI to give him his only three RBI game of the season. 

On June 15th, he hit a HR off Andy Petite during the subway series loss at Shea Stadium. On June 17th, he drew a bases loaded walk off Ted Lilly in an 8-7 Mets win in the series finale.

From June 27th to July 7th, he hit safely in ten straight games batting .366 while getting over the .300 mark for the season. 

On June 27th with the Mets down 4-1 in the 7th inning at Wrigley Field, he helped start a Mets comeback with a two run HR off Kerry Wood. The Mets won the game 5-4. 

The next night he homered off Tom Glavine in a loss in Atlanta for his only back-to-back HR games of the season.

In July he collected ten multi- hit games, with two six game hit streaks & batted .320 for the month.

In an August series at Shea Stadium, with the Brewers McEwing continued his hot hitting. He collected six hits & drove in four runs with back-to-back multi-RBI games in the series. 

In the first game, he drove two runs of the combined two hit 3-0 Mets shut out by Bruce Chen, John Franco & Armando Benitez. In the next game Joe hit a 7th inning HR breaking a 3-3 tie, with what turned out to be the winning run.

Post 911: In the first game played after the 911 attacks, play resumed for the Mets in Pittsburgh. McEwing scored the first Mets run with a solo HR off the Pirates David Williams. In the top of the 5th he doubled, driving in Jay Payton but was thrown out at third base, the Mets went on to a 7-5 win.

In the first game played back in New York, he came up as a pinch hitter in the 7th inning popping up. Mike Piazza would hit his famous game winning HR the next inning. On September 23rd he hit a HR off Tom Glavine in a Mets loss.

Although the Mets made a run at the wild card race they fell short & missed the post season for the first time in three years.

In 2001 McEwing had his best season, getting into 116 games, hitting .283 with 8 HRs 17 doubles, three triples 30 RBIs & 41 runs scored. Super Joe also stole eight bases. He posted a .342 on base percentage & .791 OPS. 

Hit By Pitches: Joe led the team in hits by pitches (10) three short of the franchise record set by Ron Hunt (1963) & Jon Olerud (1999). 

2002: In 2002 as the fifth place Mets (75-86) struggled so did McEwing. This season his average would fall under .200 for the only time in his career.

On April 4th, in his first game of the year, he hit the first lead-off HR of his career in a loss to Pittsburgh at home. He became the fifth outfielder since 1990 to record an unassisted double play. In the 5th inning he caught a line drive off Armando Rios & tagged out runner Jason Kendall who was running from first base.

On April 6th, he collected a pair of hits & hit his first HR of the year in the Mets 3-2 loss to the Pirates. Two days later in an 11-2 win at Atlanta he entered the game in the 7th inning & drove in a run with a double, going 2-3. 

On April 30th in Arizona, he hit a 3rd inning two run HR off Rick Helling for his first multi-RBI game of the year. Mike Piazza homered twice in the 10-1 Mets blow out. 

On May 11th at Shea Stadium, Super Joe hit a 7th inning three run HR off Mike Hampton leading to a 4-3 win over the Rockies.

From May 17th to May 19th, he collected RBIs in three straight games. On May 18th, he had his second multi-RBI game, coming in a 5-2 win at San Diego. On May 27th he drove in a run in a loss to Florida then would only have more RBI over the next three months. 

In late July he would miss almost two weeks of action due to a rib cage injury.

Multi- Three RBI Games: On August 27th, in a 10-5 win in Florida he his biggest game of the year. In the top of the 1st, he hit a two-run single off Michael Tejera putting the Mets up 2-0. He collected a sac fly RBI in the 6th inning as well for his season high three RBI game.

On September 13th, he matched that season high three RBI's in an 11-8 loss in Montreal. It was the seventh time in his career he matched three RBI games.

Mets Trivia: That season Joe was the first Mets player since Kevin Mitchell in 1986 to play six different positions. 

It was his final year playing for manager Bobby Valentine as the Mets released Bobby V after the season. In 2002 Joe's average fell to .199 (39-1960 he hit three HRs with 8 doubles, 26 RBIs & scored 22 runs.

2003: Joe would play every infield & outfield position that season, under new manager Art Howe.  

On May 10th, in a l4-2 win over the Padres at Shea, he collected three hits for the first time on the season. He also drew a walk in the game & scored a run.

Old Veterans Stadium: On July 21st, in an 8-6 win over the Phillies, he hit his only HR of the season. It came in Veterans Stadium, which was in its final season before being torn down, as the Phillies would move over into Citizens Bank Park. Having grown up outside of Philadelphia "the Vet" meant a lot to McEwing & that HR was a special one.

On July 22nd, in a 7-5 win at Philadelphia, he matched his career high, collecting three hits in a game. Two of the hits were double. It was the 15th time he had a three hits game.

On September 27th, Joe had an RBI single off breaking a 2-2 tie in the 7th inning, starting a Mets seven run inning. 

In 119 games (278 at bats) he hit .241 with 11 doubles a HR & 16 RBIs. He posted a .309 on base% & .601 OPS. While batting with a runner on third base he was 7-23 with 11 RBIs. Joe also hit .307 in day games. 

Joe played 55 games at second base, 42 games at short stop, five in the outfield & one at first base. The 2003 Mets were a huge disappointment as team fell to fifth place (66-95).

2004: This was McEwing's fifth season with the Mets. The team would finish fourth (71-91) under manager Art Howe. 

Multi- Three RBI Games: On May 2nd, he hit his only HR of the season, a three-run shot off the Brewers Dave Burba. On August 3rd he would collect another three RBIs in a 12-3 win over the Brewers in Milwaukee. He now had 17 career three-RBI games.

In early August he drove in five runs gathering up four hits in a series against the Brewers in Milwaukee. On August 3rd, he had a two-run single off Jeff Bennett, in the Mets big five run 6th inning. 

In the 8th he singled in another runoff Matt Wise, in the Mets 12-3 win. The next night he collected a triple & two run single in the Mets 6-5 win over the Brewers.

On August 12th at Shea Stadium, he singled off Houston's David Weathers in the 7th inning, breaking a 1-1 tie, driving in what proved to be the game winning run in the 2-1 win. 

Season Ending Injury: On August 19th, in a 10-3 win at Colorado, Rockies JD Closser slid into McEwing at second base & he suffered a fractured fibula. The injury would put him out for the rest of the season. Later in the game Mets pitcher Braden Looper hit Closser in the leg with a pitch. McEwing appreciated his teammates pay back.

In 75 games that season he hit .254 with a HR three doubles & 16 RBIs. Super Joe played at every position on the field except pitcher.

2005: During Spring Training, the Mets released him. A young David Wright was particularly upset at the move & publicly defended his friend.

Quotes David Wright: "It's like saying goodbye to a family member. If people saw me play & thought of Joe, I'd like him to be remembered in New York. I want his influence to mold my character so I can be like him".

Mets Career Stats: McEwing spent five years with the Mets playing in 502 games. He batted .243 with 255 hits 53 doubles 6 triples 15 HRs 131 runs scored 107 RBIs & a 296 on base % with a .644 OPS.

Post Mets Career: By March 22nd he had signed with the Kansas City Royals. There he played 83 games batting .239. 

At the end of Spring Training 2006, his contract was purchased by the Houston Astros. He played in just seven games at the big-league level, spending 112 games at AAA where he hit .315 with ten HRs. 

In 2007, he was signed by the Red Sox spending the year at AAA batting .268. In 2008, he retired as a player at age 35.

Career Stats: In a nine-year career, McEwing was a lifetime .251 hitter with 443 hits, 25 HRs 89 doubles 10 triples 217 runs scored & 158 RBIs. He stole 33 bases & had 44 sacrifice hits. He struck out 352 times with 113 walks a .302 on base % & .657 OPS.

Defensively, "Super Joe" played 256 games in the outfield, 238 games at second base, 99 games at short stop, 92 games at third base, & 61 games at first base.

Retirement: After his playing days he became a long-time coach & minor league manager.

White Sox Coach: In 2012 he became the White Sox, third base coach under former Mets teammate, Robin Ventura. 

In 2017 he became the White Sox bench coach for four seasons. 

In 2021 he moved back to third base coach under Tony LaRussa, his old manager from his playing days in St. Louis.

His coaching style was very aggressive as he liked to give runners a green light while rounding third base. 

Super Joe was considered for the Mets managerial position after Terry Collins reign but did not get the position. He had stated his ultimate goal is to manage in the major leagues.

Cardinals Coach & Front Office: In 2023 he became the St. Louis Cardinals bench coach under Oliver Marmol. At the end of the season, he was named special assistant to the Cardinals President of baseball operations.

Family: Joe & his first wife Julia were married from 1999- 2013, together they have three children. In 2018 Joe married his second wife Courtnie, they reside outside of the Philadelphia area.

Honors: In 2013 Joe was named to the Irish Baseball Hall of Fame. He was inducted along with former Met Rusty Staub.