The Mets were champions. All of the building that had occurred from 1962 on, with the team finally breaking through as a competitive unit in 1968, had resulted in a title in 1969. Soon after the World Series ended, Tom Seaver, who had won 25 games, struck out 208 batters and posted a 2.21 ERA, [...]
"Juan is talented. I've noticed that," Long said. "And I'm excited about this player. He's got a nice demeanor about him. He's confident. Obviously he's going to have to hone in on the strike zone -- and take these chases and swings out of the zone -- and be able to lay off some pitches [...]
The first breath of baseball season has finally arrived. Teams are getting into the preseason swing and the Mets are due for their first game this Wednesday at Atlanta. The Mets roster for the most part is set in stone, with the only real battles the fifth outfield spot and the last man in the [...]
Last season, the Mets were hoping that Ruben Tejada would bounce back into a .280 hitter and a solid defensive player. The defense was not terrible, as he had a .984 fielding percentage, and was posted a 3 in defensive runs saved above average according to baseballreference.com. Sadly, the offensive side did not improve by [...]
In the pre-video age we used to play board games. One such was “The Game of Life” or just “Life.” In this game you had the option to go to college or start working right away. The Mets have their own version of this quandary with Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto, two players born less [...]
Ex-Met shortstop Jose Reyes made a small bit of news this week when he was critical of Ruben Tejada's inability to lock down the starting shortstop job. Specifically, Reyes insinuated that perhaps Tejada simply had not put in the required work to hold it down long-term. This is mostly of note because Reyes isn't very [...]
Sometimes it seems like fate doesn’t want some people to succeed. Nick Johnson could have been great but each year some random injury would come up and sideline him. Rick Ankiel looked like he was going to be an All-Star pitcher for a decade or more and then his ability to throw strikes just left [...]
Unless there’s some sneaky underlying scheming occurring, Sandy Alderson just put the Mets in hot water about Daniel Murphy. Word broke Thursday morning that Murphy has yet to speak with Alderson and co. about extending his contract. The beloved second baseman will pull in $8 million this season as a 30-year-old with six prior seasons [...]
At the conclusion of the 2011 season, General Manager Sandy Alderson was faced with what still stands as the biggest decision of his Mets tenure. David Wright and Jose Reyes were both 28 years old and set to become free agents. Alderson only had the budget to resign one of the team’s two homegrown, fan-favorite [...]
Our friend Greg Prince, the grand guru of Faith And Fear In Flushing -- and the nearest thing the Mets’ blogging community can get to its own Roger Angell or Red Smith, for my money -- had a terrific post today, recapping Old Timers’ Day at Shea Stadium in 1977, complete with video. This was [...]
The New York Mets have a log jam in the starting rotation. This is not news. They failed to trade anyone in the offseason. Also, this is not news. What is news, however, is the report on Tuesday that the team is leaning toward pitching Zack Wheeler (3.54 ERA, 11-11 in 2014) on Opening Day. [...]
The outfield has been a sore spot for the Mets for years. Following the 2013 season they addressed it by signing free agent outfielder Curtis Granderson to a four-year deal. Early returns have been less than overwhelming. This offseason, they inked free agent Michael Cuddyer to a two-year deal. Juan Lagares will more than earn [...]