Greg Harts: Early Seventies Mets Outfield Prospect: (1973)

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Gregory Rudolph Harts was born April 21, 1950, in Atlanta, Georgia. The six-foot tall left hand hitting Harts, was signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in 1970. 

In 1972 Harts stole 22 bases with 23 doubles 4 HRs & 18 RBIs while batting .286 at A ball Visalia. He closed out the season at AA Memphis. 

Harts was invited to Spring Training in 1973 with a chance to compete for the back up centerfield job to Willie Mays. Mays at age 42 would be limited in his playing time. But Hart lost out to Don Hahn & Rich Chiles. Also ahead of him was highly touted prospect Dave Schneck. So Harts returned there in the Mets 1973 pennant season, batting .263 stealing eight bases & hitting 23 doubles in 133 games played.

MLB Debut: He got a September call up, during the heat of the Mets tight pennant race, making his MLB debut as a pinch hitter on September 15, 1973, in the second game of a double header in a 7-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs. 

Harts had the honor of getting a hit in his first career at bat, a fifth inning single off Rick Reuschel. He only had one other at bat that week, then appeared as a pinch runner in his final game on September 20, 1973.

Primarily an outfielder, but he never played on the field with Mets. After not getting an outfield position in 1974, Harts actually tried to transition being a pitcher, but that didn’t work out. 

He played in the Mets system through 1975 making it as far as AAA Tidewater for 35 games that season, but only hit .184. 

He retired from the game & moved on becoming another early 1970's yearbook prospect that never quite made it. At the plate he went 1-1 lifetime good for a .500 average.

Trivia: Harts was nicknamed "the Peanut Man".

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