Non-Roster Invitee pitchers with a chance to impress the Mets this spring

With pitchers and catchers having reported to spring training in Port St. Lucie, Florida last week, the time-honored tradition of minor league players wearing numbers in the 70s and 80s showing up in Grapefruit League Exhibition games is right around the corner. As a baseball-starved kid growing up in the early-2000s, my favorite early-February tradition [...]

Starling Marte would be a smart addition for 2020

Flying somewhat under the radar this weekend – understandable given the scope of the fallout from the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal – was a report by MLB insider Robert Murray that the Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates have once again engaged in talks centered on Starling Marte, though he said no deal was imminent. New Pirates [...]

MLB’s proposed ‘Dream League’ is a pipe dream

On Friday night, the ongoing feud between Major League Baseball and the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the governing body of Minor League Baseball took an ugly turn. MiLB published a four-page statement seeking to correct the public record about their willingness to negotiate with MLB, which was responded to with a 191-word threat [...]

Did Chili Davis actually help the Mets offense?

Earlier this month rumors flew around that the Philadelphia Phillies were interested in interviewing Mets hitting coach Chili Davis for the same position. Shortly after those rumors leaked out, Andy Martino reported via Twitter that the Mets had reached multi-year deals to retain Chili Davis and assistant hitting coach Tom Slater in their current positions. [...]

The professional journey of new Met Jamie Callahan

On July 10, 2016 Salem Red Sox relief pitcher Jamie Callahan was struggling against the Lynchburg Hillcats. This wasn’t surprising as the 22-year-old entered his 21st appearance of the season with an ERA north of four and an ugly walk rate of 6.06-per-nine innings (27 BB in 40.1 IP). Lynchburg, the Cleveland Indians affiliate, was [...]

Quotes: Smoltz says Mets pitching is better than 90’s Braves

In an interview with the New York Daily News, soon-to-be-inducted Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz had some high praise for the Mets' young pitching quintet of Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Jacob deGrom. "They're way better," Smoltz told Daniel Popper. "They've got more talent than we could ever have." The [...]

Jacob deGrom continues to be the light in the Mets’ darkness

In April when the Mets were still mostly healthy and the season was young, the club rattled off an 11-game winning streak, seemingly announcing its presence as a legitimate contender in the National League East.  But circumstances, as they often do, have changed.  With Curtis Granderson no longer producing at high levels and a disabled [...]

Can the new Bobby Parnell still be effective?

There was a time a few years ago when Bobby Parnell was half-lovingly nicknamed Captain Fastball.  He could bring the heat - reaching over 100 mph on the gun - but had problems with control and being hittable.  As the now well-known story goes, Jason Isringhausen taught him the knuckle-curve and from that point on, [...]

Michael Cuddyer heating up, but offense needs more

Three short weeks ago, Michael Cuddyer was being left for dead.  He didn’t look particularly good at the plate, and the results backed that up – through May 18th, Cuddyer was hitting .239/.295/.355 in 37 games.  The two-year contract he signed during the offseason where the Mets surrendered a first-round draft pick was looking worse [...]