The Mets suited up 12 different infielders (not counting catchers) in 2016. The opening day lineup featured an infield of Lucas Duda, Neil Walker, Asdrubal Cabrera, and David Wright. Wilmer Flores was the primary backup. Injuries beset all four starters and the Mets filled in with replacements from inside (Ty Kelly, Matt Reynolds, TJ Rivera, [...]
Our MLB GM simulation is underway, back for a third season. All teams have a budget and we are tackling arbitration, trades and free agency. We have 30 people spread throughout the country who are doing this because they love the game and they hope to learn something along the way. You’ll see a lot [...]
Three days after the 2016 World Series ends, Yoenis Cespedes can opt out of his contract and become a free agent. All signs point to this happening. If it does, the Mets could still sign him, but there will be plenty of competition for the consensus choice as the best free agent player on the [...]
Jon Matlack was drafted with the fourth pick in the first round by the Mets of the 1967 draft, out of Westchester Pennsylvania. Matlack’s minor league career was mediocre. In 1970 at Tidewater, he was 12-11 with a 4.13 ERA. In 1971, he was 11-1 with a 3.97 ERA. Matlack made his major league debut [...]
The Mets selected Steven Matz 72nd overall in the 2009 amateur draft. They had no first-round pick and Matz was a high risk/high reward option. A kid with great stuff who seemed likely to suffer injuries. As a result of those injuries, he did not make his professional debut until 2012. Thankfully the reward was [...]
Most teams have clubhouses with more than one player who the fans find polarizing. We all have different things that either thrill or annoy us, so this isn’t very surprising. Often times it comes down to players who showboat. A lot of fans love the enthusiasm of these players and others want their guys to [...]
It can’t be denied that the most consistent offensive weapon for the 2016 New York Mets was Yoenis Cespedes. The player batted .280, banged out 31 home runs, and put up an OPS of 884 which is impressive anywhere but doubly so in the pitcher friendly environment of Citi Field. Bloggers, newspersons, and callers to [...]
The Mets 2016 season is over, but there's still baseball on TV. It may be a small consolation for most of you reading this, but at least for this writer, baseball is better than the alternative. Pathetically, this guy would rather watch a local Varsity game than the Super Bowl. There are four really good [...]
I know…I know… It’s been a week, now, and the last thing we need is yet another post-mortem on the Mets’ 2016 season. The wound from their loss in the Wild Card “Series” is still fresh and there are other goings-on in the wide, wide world of baseball. The Toronto Blue Jays stole the Mets’ [...]
Everyone reading this has probably watched at least 1,000 MLB games, most of them involving the Mets. One of the reasons we watch is to see something we’ve never seen before, especially if it involves our team. If you’re a greybeard, you probably remember the thrill of seeing Dave Kingman, a true home run threat. [...]
We've now had a little bit of time to digest the wild card loss to the Giants, and the end of another pretty good season in Queens. Any time the Mets make the playoffs—particularly while the Yankees miss out—feels like a fun year once the disappointment of elimination starts to pass. But here I want [...]
2016 is a year where the Mets overachieved. After a painful loss to the Giants, it is time to look forward to 2017. Injuries decimated the team in 2016. Only time will tell which players can successfully come back and make contributions to the 2017 team. The 2016 Mets relied on the long ball to [...]