Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker form a fine middle infield

A strong middle infield has been the key to many successful MLB clubs. The powerhouse Brooklyn Dodgers of the late '40s and early '50s had Hall of Famers Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson at short and second base respectively, the go-go White Sox of the '50s had HOFers Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox, the [...]

Kevin Long: 21st Century hitting guru

Kevin Long has been the Mets batting coach since the 2015 season. Previously he had been the Yankee batting coach from 2007-2014. Long so far has been the kind of batting coach who can make good hitters even better. Some of his specialties include wringing more power from hitters, and helping left-handed batters improve against [...]

Sandy Alderson and Theo Epstein: Differing styles for crafting clubs

Both Sandy Alderson, the Mets general manager for the past six years, and Theo Epstein, Cubs president for five years, have been successful architects of their respective teams over the past two seasons. Both teams made the post-season each year, with the Mets claiming the pennant in 2015 and the Cubs winning the World Series [...]

From Bernard Gilkey to Yoenis Cespedes: Met five-tool seasons

We all know what a five tool MLB player is, one who is proficient at hitting for power and average, at fielding and throwing, and speed. It's a term scouts started using decades ago, to describe an elite, complete ballplayer, and such players are pretty rare. I am going to try to determine which Mets [...]

Davey Johnson deserves to make it to Cooperstown

Davey Johnson, who skippered the 1986 Mets to a World Series triumph, deserves to win induction to the Hall of Fame. He fell short in the recent vote of the Today's Game Committee (until recently the Veterans Committee). Hopefully he can make up the deficit in the next election. Johnson managed the Mets from 1984 [...]

Separate cultural surprises: Lady Met and Mike Massimino

A recent "Antiques Roadshow" had a Mets spin on it. If you're not familiar with the show, a viewer brings in a collectible, like the souvenir spoon collection they inherited from their Aunt Lillian and experts tell them what it's worth. It could be $20, or if they are lucky the collection includes the rare [...]