Baseball season must be here because there was lots of
baseball posts all over. That and the
Caribbean Baseball series continued in Puerto Rico.
MLB.com has all
the upcoming spring training dates. Pitchers
and catchers report date, Monday, Feb. 10; First pitchers and catchers workout,
Wednesday, Feb. 12;
A number of articles about Edwin Diaz:
Per
SNY.TV: Mets' Edwin Diaz ranked a top-10 reliever by MLB network. “Diaz only had 26 saves and a 5.59 ERA in his
first season in Queens, but there's optimism that Diaz can produce a
bounce-back season next year with his youth in mind.” Here are the other pitchers listed: 1. Josh Hader,
Milwaukee Brewers; 2. Kirby Yates,
San Diego Padres; 3. Aroldis
Chapman, New York Yankees; 4. Liam
Hendriks, Oakland Athletics; 5. Roberto
Osuna, Houston Astros; 6. Brad Hand,
Cleveland Indians; 7. Will Smith,
Atlanta Braves; 8. Kenley
Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers; 10. Nick
Anderson, Tampa Bay Rays.
Kevin
Kernan of the NY Post had: “Luis Rojas opens up about new Mets approach, fixing
Edwin Diaz.” About Diaz Luis Rojas said: “I saw Edwin last week and he has
worked so hard in Puerto Rico just to get himself in the kind of shape where he
can perform from Day 1 and be consistent. The key for him is going to be his
game preparation and the stuff he is doing now that will carry over. … Always
maintain his confidence. He’s got a great group of guys around him and I think
that is something that is going to help him out.”
Per
Metsmerized online: “Regarding Diaz, CJ Nitkowksi of MLB Network said
“There’s enough of a track record. This guy should be an absolute force. […] I
would take him in a heartbeat.”
Metsmerized
talked about 3 spring training battles to watch at Mets camp. These include Closer, Back-up catcher, Final
Bullpen spot. Regarding the backup catcher
battle they note this about Ali
Sanchez: “the 23-year-old catcher threw out 44% of base stealers last
season, the fourth best mark in the Eastern League”.
Tim
Boyle of Rising Apple talks about the “Mets Spring Training Battle: Tomas Nido
vs. Rene Rivera for backup catcher.”
He notes: “In this battle, Nido has
a clear advantage. Rivera
is on a minor league contract and Nido is
out of options. If Rivera wins the job, they could lose Nido for good. With a
Nido victory, the team can proceed with caution and allow Rivera to continue on
with the Syracuse Mets until needed in the show.”
Per
SNY.TV: Noah
Syndergaard talked about new Mets Manager Luis Rojas: “I'm really excited
Luis got the job," Syndergaard said. "He's been with the organization
a long time. He's the kind of guy you want to go out there and give your all
for. He's an absolute freak in the weight room, too, so it's really cool to be
able to see."
SNY.TV
also had: Bobby Valentine says communication is key for new Mets manager Luis
Rojas.
Elite
Sports NY reported that the cover of the February edition of ESPN Desportes
magazine will feature Mets First Baseman Pete Alonso.
Pete is
also on the cover on the box of Topps Series One 2020 Baseball cards to be
released tomorrow. (Another sign spring is coming.)
Here
is the checklist to the new 2020 Topps cards. Zack
Wheeler still in a Mets card.
The Brooklyn
Cyclones announced the full coaching staff: Joining manager Ed
Blankmeyer will be Josh Towers (Pitching
Coach), Rafael Fernandez (Hitting Coach), Benny Distefano (Bench Coach),
Anthony Olivieri (Athletic Trainer) and Wyatt Briggs (Performance Coach).
213
Miles from Shea continued reviewing Baseball America’s 2019 Top 30 Mets
Prospects with #22 Carlos
Cortes. Elliot Teichman provides
his usually good insights including this: “Also an important note, he’s
ambidextrous. Throws left when he’s in the outfield, throws right when he’s at
second. That’s pretty neat!”
Also
per Metsmerized: Eno Sarris of The Athletic ranked the top 175 starting
pitchers for fantasy baseball heading into the 2020 season. Jacob
deGrom was ranked #1; Noah
Syndergaard was ranked #14. Zack
Wheeler ranked #24. One surprise me
was recently signed minor league free agent, Pedro
Payano, at # 162.
Empire
Sports Media asks should the Mets trade for Kris Bryant?: Here is one of
the points – “The Cubs will make offers similar to what the Pirates asked for
Marte. Bryant has better numbers and a better future than Marte does. Marte is
on the wrong side of 30, and Bryant is just entering his prime as a player.
Trading away key players like McNeil and Davis for Bryant, on top of prospects,
just to make room for Bryant, is a terrible gamble for the Mets to make.”
Reflections
On Baseball also said that “Jacob deGrom’s remarkable Koufax like run puts him
in line for the HOF”. He notes: “Like
Koufax,
deGrom
is totally dominating National League batters. Consider, for instance, that
deGrom reach a 3-0 count only five times last year, and a 3-1 count 19 times. Moreover,
of the 800 or so batters he faced, deGrom was 0-2 101 times and 1-2 on 159
hitters.”
MiLB.com
looked at four minor league ballparks that will no longer be as they have been
replaced by newer facilities. This
includes Hank Aaron Stadium, Mobile, Alabama.
Great read with lots of great pictures.
The
Diamondbacks signed minor-league deals with outfielder Jon Jay and righty Edwin
Jackson. The club also confirmed previously reported signings of John Hicks
and Trayce Thompson.
Per
Yahoo Sports: How new Giant Brandon Guyer has become elite at getting hit by
pitches. “In 2015, Guyer led MLB after being plunked 24 times while with
the Tampa Bay Rays. But that number becomes more impressive when you consider
that Guyer registered just 385 plate appearances.”
Winter Ball:
Yesterday was day three of the seven
day Caribbean series in Puerto Rico.
Mexico Beat Panama 6-1 (box).
The Dominican Republic beat
Columbia 4 – 0 (box).
In that game, Jordany
Valdespin went 0 for 3 with a walk.
Venezuela beat Puerto Rico 3-2 in
10 innings despite Puerto Rico holding Venezuela to just three hits (box).
Venezuela is now 3-0 and the only
undefeated team in the tournament.
Mexico and the Dominican Republic are each 2-1, Panama and Puerto Rico are
each 1-2 and Columbia is 0-3.
Three more games today.
Mack’s
Blast From the Past comes from February 4, 2013 - Mack’s Mets not quite Top 25 which
included: #28 Daniel Muno;
#27 Phillip
Evans; #26 Juan
Lagares.
1963
|
Mayor Robert Wagner signs a bill
that officially changes the name the of the stadium being constructed in
Queens to William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, honoring the New York lawyer who
was instrumental in obtaining a National League team for the Big Apple. The
ballpark, formerly known as Flushing Meadows Stadium, will serve as the Mets
home from 1964 to 2008.
|
2009
|
Brian Bannister and the Royals
avoid salary arbitration, agreeing to a one-year deal valued at $1,737,500.
The right-hander, who was 9-16 with a 5.76 ERA in 32 starts for Kansas City
in his sophomore season, placed third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in
2007 after being obtained from the Mets for Ambiorix Burgos.
|
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Check out https://sportspyder.com/mlb/new-york-mets/news.
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