John was a relative old-timer during the Metropolitans' inaugural campaign, being 33 years old in 1883, but he was one of New York's finest hitters that year. Nevertheless, he chose to retire rather than come back for another year (after injuring himself on a headfirst slide), and so missed out on the Mets' championship run of 1884. In his rookie year of 1879, he posted an impressive slugging percentage of .521, and his modest total of two home runs in 1883 was good for a share of the team lead. Click on the "Essays" link at the bottom of this page to read John's 1911 obituary from The Bridgeport Post.