It was a running joke how the Mets simply couldn't find someone to play third. And it wasn't for a lack of trying. We wish they didn't try so hard, as it cost them some valuable prospects when they went chasing for former glory to fill the black hole of the hot corner.
With Mantilla gone, the Mets used 11 different players at third base in 1963, with Charlie Neal and Jim Hickman seeing the most time. Neal came from the Dodgers, while Hickman came from the Cardinals. Neal was an All-Star in 1959 and 1960 but no one thought of him that way by the time he reached the Mets. Hickman wasn't really a third baseman but in this time frame, it wasn't uncommon to try outfielders at the hot corner. Hickman made 14 errors in 162 chances at third base in 1963.
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