Your New York Mets are moving on to the NLCS!

Last night, with the chance to get the series clinching win in Game 4, the Mets were finally able to christen the home team locker room of Citi Field with its first champagne bath. In a miracle season, which saw them start 11 games under .500, the Mets will now face the winner of the Padres and Dodgers series for a spot in the 2024 World Series.

While there have been many gimmicks and streaks from both players and outside entities this season, the one constant has been the Mets’ MVP, Francisco Lindor. In this Game 4 battle against the Philadelphia Phillies, Jose Quintana was able to hold the Phillies to only one run in five solid innings of work, however, the Mets’ offense was not holding up their end of the bargain. Having left the bases loaded in the first and second inning, the Mets’ bats were in danger of doing so again in the sixth, but the backbone of the team would not let it happen. Lindor did it again; the star shortstop smoked a 2-1 fastball over the right-center field wall, and the rest is history. 

The Mets will have a very well-deserved three day break as they await the winner ofGame 5 between the Dodgers and Padres on Friday.

Which team do you think would be a better matchup for the Mets? Sound off in the comments!

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

Latin pop star and Mets shortstop Jose Iglesias talked to the Today Show about how the remix of his song “OMG” with Pitbull and Silvestre Dangond came about. The remix will be released on Friday and a music video is planned to come out during the offseason.

Jeff McNeil will play in the Arizona Fall League on Friday and Saturday as Mets manager Carlos Mendoza wants to see him play back-to-back games of nine innings, per Tim Healey of Newsday. Jeff McNeil anticipates being on the NLCS roster, which will be released prior to the series’ start on Sunday, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

Daniel Murphy threw the first pitch to Bartolo Colon prior to Game 4 of the NLDS on Wednesday night. 

Latest MLB News

Game 3 of the ALDS went to the Detroit Tigers as they beat the Cleveland Guardians, 3-0. The Tigers, who went with a bullpen game, completely shut down Cleveland’s bats and will have a chance to move on to the ALCS on their home field on Thursday night. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers bludgeoned the Padres last night 8-0 and forced a winner-take-all Game 5 in Los Angeles on Friday. The winner of the series will host the Mets on Sunday to kick off the NLCS.

Giancarlo Stanton’s eight-inning moonshot blast ended up being the game-winning blow for the Yankees, as they beat the Royals 3-2. Kansas City’s season is on the line Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium.

The MLBPA came to a non-exclusive licensing deal with Fanatics, making it the first licensed sportsbook of the MLBPA, per Mike Mazzeo of Sports Business Journal. 

Houston Astros utility man Mauricio Dubón is slated to undergo surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb this week, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Dubón played the last month of the season with this tear; the expected recovery time is 6-8 weeks, so he should be good to go for spring training. 

The roof of Tropicana Field was ripped off on Wednesday night by Hurricane Milton. The stadium was being used as a shelter for first responders. Prayers go out to all who are affected by Hurricane Milton.

Latest on MMO

A Citi Field celebration 15 years in the making!

Lindsanity will not stop!

Jeff McNeil is nearing a return just in time for the NLCS.

On This Date in Mets History

2015: While trying to turn a double play in the seventh inning of Game 2 of the NLDS against the Dodgers, Rubén Tejada gets taken out by Chase Utley and breaks his leg. Utley would get a warm welcome from the Citi Field crowd during Game 3 of the series.

1973: The Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds to win the second National League pennant in franchise history.

1961: The New York Mets select Giants catcher Hobie Landrith with their first selection in the 1961 MLB expansion draft. Players such as Gil Hodges, Roger Craig, and Al Jackson were selected during the draft. 

Born On This Date: Jeurys Familia (1989), Fernando Martínez (1988), Elvin Ramírez (1987), Ramón Martínez (1972), Grover Powell (1940).

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Are Headed to the NLCS appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Amed Rosario is the Mets’ best prospect, according to Baseball America. He even graced the magazine’s cover recently, so there is little doubt that he will be the most watched minor leaguer in Port St. Lucie this spring. Well, aside from Tim Tebow.

But if history is any indicator, that might not be a good thing for Rosario or the Mets. Baseball America has long kept a list of the top prospects of each organization. Only four of these players became All-Stars with the Mets. Since there’s nothing going on with the team right now besides bloggers speculating about Jay Bruce, let’s take a look at the last quarter-century of Baseball America’s top Mets prospects, and see how they panned out.

2016- Steven Matz–  The book is still out on Matz, but a 3.16 ERA in 28 career starts is pretty encouraging.

2014-15- Noah Syndergaard: The crown jewel of the R.A. Dickey trade has quickly become the biggest star of the Mets’ young guns in the rotation. And that’s only partially due to his spot-on Twitter game.

2012-13- Zack Wheeler: It’s crazy to think that just three years ago at this time, Wheeler was considered to be the best of the Mets’ pitching prospects. He showed potential when he pitched, averaging 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 2014. It’s too bad he hasn’t pitched since due to an extended recovery from Tommy John surgery.

2010-11- Jenrry Mejia– The Mets called up Mejia at just 20 years old in 2010, and after a couple of starts it was abundantly clear that he wasn’t ready. Injuries, poor play and– ultimately– several PED suspensions kept him away from the field. He ended up making history, but not the kind you want to make: He became the first-ever player to get banned by MLB for life due to PEDs, after failing his third positive test last year.

2008-09- Fernando Martinez– Remember when it was the biggest deal that the Mets got Johan Santana without having to trade Fernando Martinez?

Martinez was hyped up for years, but he never panned out in the majors. He played in just 47 games with the Mets from 2009-11, batting .183/.250/.290 with a 46 OPS+. In hindsight, they probably should have traded him

2007- Mike Pelfrey– “Big Pelf” was drafted ninth overall in 2005, and was thrust right into the major leagues the next season. He was wildly inconsistent with the Mets; check out his stat lines from 2007-2011:

2007: 3-8, 5.57 ERA

2008: 13-11, 3.72 ERA

2009: 10-12, 5.03 ERA

2010: 15-9, 3.66 ERA

2011: 7-13, 4.74 ERA

His career with the Mets ended in 2012 after a season-ending elbow injury suffered in his third start of the season.

2005-06- Lastings Milledge– Another high draft pick, Milledge was drafted 12th overall out of high school in 2003. He reached as high as No. 9 overall on Baseball America’s top prospects list, and was immediately billed as a five-tool prospect.

But Milledge’s potential never really translated in the major leagues; he played 56 games for the Mets in 2006 and 59 in 2007 before being traded to the Nats for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. He was out of the majors for good by 2011.

2004- Scott Kazmir– Kazmir has won 108 games and made three All-Star appearances over his 12 years in the big leagues. But he never pitched for the Mets, obviously, thanks to one of the worst trades in team history in which the team traded him for journeyman pitcher Victor Zambrano in 2004.

2003- Jose Reyes– This one worked out, to say the least.

2002- Aaron Heilman– Heilman is obviously remembered for his worst moments– most notably letting up Yadier Molina‘s home run in the 2006 NLCS and countless blown holds and saves in big games during the following years. But he actually had some decent seasons as a reliever with the Mets: He posted a 3.27 ERA and 130 ERA+ from 2005-2007. Too bad nobody’s going to remember that.

1999-2001- Alex Escobar– Escobar is another guy who Mets fans were told minor league legends of for years. He’s the only player to take the No. 1 title three times, but Escobar’s MLB career was pretty forgettable– he played just 18 games for the Mets, all in 2001.

1998- Grant Roberts– Roberts is best remembered being caught in a scandal when pictures of him smoking pot surfaced in 2002. His career went up in smoke soon after that; the Mets released him in 2004, leaving him with a 4.25 ERA in 76 career outings.

1997- Jay Payton– Payton’s rookie year with the Mets in 2000 helped catapult them to the World Series, as he batted .291/.331/.447 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs. He went on to have a sold decade-plus long career in the majors.

1996- Paul Wilson– Wilson was drafted No. 1 overall in 1994 and was the poster-child for the “Generation K” trio of Mets prospects, along with Bill Pulsipher and Jason Isringhausen. None of the three accomplished much with the Mets, and only Isringhausen accomplished much at all during his MLB career. Wilson went 5-12 with a 5.38 ERA for the Mets in 1996, which was the only season he spent in the majors with them. He was eventually traded, along with Jason Tyner, to the Rays in the 2000 trade that bought Bubba Trammell and Rick White to the Mets.

1994-1995- Bill Pulsipher– Much like Wilson, Pulsipher entered the majors with much hype but left with little fanfare. He made just 46 big-league starts from 1995-2005.

1993- Bobby Jones– Jones was a staple on Mets teams of the 90s, and was one of the few players from the early-90s doldrums to play for the 1999 and 2000 playoff teams. He went 74-56 with the Mets from 1993-2000, and was named an All-Star in 1997.

1992- Todd Hundley– Hundley is often forgotten because of the guy who became the team’s starting catcher after him. But he put together some very solid seasons for the Mets, namely when he set a single-season club record with 41 home runs in 1996.

So if you’re keeping count at home, just one player on this list turned out to be a long-term star for the Mets: Jose Reyes, although Syndergaard, Matz, and even Wheeler could join him in that category someday. Ten of the 17 players on here did go on to have at least a somewhat productive big-league career: Hundley, Jones, Payton, Heilman (though I cringe putting him in this category), Reyes, Kazmir Pelfrey, Wheeler, Matz and Syndergaard.

Moral of this list: Amed Rosario, no matter what the experts are saying about him, is far from a sure thing.

The post A History of Mets No. 1 Overall Prospects appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

It’s a shame that left-fielder Michael Conforto won’t count as a rookie this year, because I surmise he would’ve given Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager a real run for his money in the Rookie of the Year ballot. In fact, there are a lot of similarities that follow both Seager and Conforto. Both are right-handed throwers who bat from the left side. Both were taken in the first round of the draft (Seager 2012, Conforto 2014). And both were asked to be a part of their team’s respected playoff runs in 2015. These two highly touted players are going to be the next wave of young stars to hit the majors for seasons to come.

Sticking with Conforto (this is a Mets site after all), his promise was too alluring to pass on in the mid summer months for general manager Sandy Alderson. Playing in both High A and Double A in ’15, Conforto slashed a combined .297/.372/.482, good for an OPS of .854 along with 12 homeruns and 54 RBIs.

We can all recall the disarray the Mets lineup was in heading into the week of the trade deadline, and how the fans wanted something, ANYTHING to be done as long as we could rid the likes of John Mayberry Jr. and Eric Campbell from the lineup.

So here comes Conforto, one of the crown jewels of the organization, who at the same time the year prior, had just been drafted by the Mets 10th overall and was assigned to the Brooklyn Cyclones. While he went hitless in his first big league action on July 24th, it was the following day that fans got to witness what the hoopla was all about. The Mets punished the Dodgers 15-2 at home, and saw Conforto go 4-for-4 with four runs scored and also walked in the seventh inning.

Conforto finished the regular season with the line of .270/.335/.506 for an OPS of .841 to go with 9 homeruns and 26 RBI. Conforto contributed a WAR of 2.1 during those 56 games played, which played over a full season might translate to a near 6.0 WAR. Not bad for a 22 year-old rookie. Or put another way, Conforto might have had close to the same WAR over a full season as AL Rookie of the Year winner Carlos Correa. Correa had a 4.1 WAR in 99 games played, which could’ve been in the 6.5 range over 162 games played. Correa also plays a premium position at shortstop, which would make his value somewhat higher due to the demand of the position. That Conforto could be on par with that type of value in leftfield should give Met fans huge Grinch like grins spread wide across their faces.

Conforto was limited to just 14 at-bats against southpaws last season. Mets brass didn’t want to overload the rookie and put him in a position where he might get frustrated due to lack of success. The good news was that while he struggled in Port St. Lucie against lefties, to an OPS of .654, he did pick up the production upon his promotion to Binghamton. There he posted a .904 OPS in 51 at-bats. Yes, a small sample size, but something to build upon and get the much-needed experience.

And now this, when perusing through the projected starting rotations and the opponents the Mets will face in 2016, I came up with a potential of only 26 left-handed starters that he could face. I did not include relievers in this sample, only starting pitchers. Since the Mets face the Nationals 19 times next year, it’s conceivable that he faces their lone lefty Gio Gonzalez more than once, which would push that number up, same goes for the Dodgers who currently feature an almost all lefty rotation sans Kenta Maeda. What’s the point here? The point is, even if we round that 26 number up, and make it 40 times a starting pitcher goes against Conforto, he’s still going to be taking the majority of his at-bats against right-handed pitchers.

The talk of having to substitute guys for righty-lefty matchups does have merit and is a worthy proponent of the modern game. However, I do expect to see Terry Collins run Conforto out in leftfield for the majority of the time, wanting to see how he reacts against left-handed pitchers. And he’ll still mainly face right-handed pitching, especially when facing the NL East division. The aforementioned Nationals feature just Gonzalez, the Marlins have newly signed Wei-Yin Chen, the Phillies might use Adam Morgan and the Braves might use one of the “Killer Bs” the Yankees once had in Manny Banuelos. The Mets face their division mates 76 times in 2016, so surely Conforto will get to feast on the righty-laden starters.

I expect Conforto to put up respectable numbers against lefties going forward. His swing is so smooth and he keeps his body very quiet at the plate. Conforto made such an impression that color analyst Keith Hernandez quipped as early as Spring Training that he “spied another hitter” in our midst. His lasting impression from spring made many of the Mets brass salivate over the prospects of having him man leftfield for years to come.

Conforto is going to be an integral part of this Mets team going forward. While he’s under team control for many more seasons, it would behoove the Mets to look to signing him to an early contract extension. Look at what Tampa Bay did with Evan Longoria and what the Brewers did with Ryan Braun, all signing with their respected teams within the first year of playing in the Majors.

Given time, Conforto should be batting no lower than 5th on this team. He has the ability to drive the ball to all fields, and his hit trajectory suggests he is a line drive hitter, with opposite field power. His OPS with 2 outs and RISP is 1.025. His OPS in a tie game is .949, and within 1 run it’s .880. That’s the type of guy you want up in high leverage situations and runners on base. While the Mets bottom of the order has improved with the additions of Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker, I still prefer having Conforto up with the big boys in the meat of the order. Might even see him move up spots by the middle of the summer.

While it’s fun to project stats and careers for young players, we never can be certain of how it will all pan out. We’ve been fed players with hype in the past (hello Lastings Milledge, Alex Escobar, and Fernando Martinez). But this kid seems a bit different. He played in college ball. He excelled in Double A, which is always considered a good barometer of how well prospects will do. And he’s been in the big spotlight, playing into November for the National League champs. My hopes are extremely high for the young Conforto, and looking forward to ordering my number 30 jersey, and proudly displaying it at Citi Field this coming year.

The post Michael Conforto: You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Right off the bat, 21 players also played for the Mets in 2010, who I covered covered in my previous article. If you wish to learn about what happened to Luis Castillo, Alex Cora, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Jeff Francoeur, Fernando Tatis, Angel Pagan, Jose Reyes, Nick Evans, Josh Thole, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Francisco Rodriguez, Bobby Parnell, Pedro Feliciano, Sean Green, Fernando Nieve, Elmer Dessens, Jon Niese, and Tobi Stoner, check out The 2010 Mets: Where Are They Now?

Only one player (who hasn’t already been covered) that played for the Mets in 2009 is still playing for the Mets, Daniel Murphy who is now one of the top hitters in the Mets lineup. Murphy currently ranks second on the team in batting average and third highest with a 2.7 WAR. Not only does Murphy provide a presence in the top of the lineup, but he may give the Mets strong trade bait going forward.

Only two other players from the 2009 are still in the majors albeit with another franchise: J.J. Putz and Darren O’Day.

Putz, who amazingly only played in 29 games with the Mets, played with the Chicago White Sox in 2010, before heading to Arizona where he played for the Diamondbacks in 2011. He still plays for them now. Side-armer Darren O’Day was claimed off waivers by the Rangers in April of 2009 and played in Arlington until 2011. After that season, the Baltimore Orioles claimed him off waivers. He is currently in his second year with them.

Five players from that team are currently in the Minor Leagues with other organizations and include Omir Santos, Jeremy Reed, Fernando Martinez, Argenis Reyes, and Nelson Figueroa.

Omir Santos did the bulk of the catching for the 2009 Mets, and he now sits behind the plate for the Rockies’ Triple A affiliate in Colorado Springs. He also played for the Toledo Mud Hens in the Detroit Tigers system in 2011, before spending some time with the big league team for the Tigers in  2010. He’s also played with the Indians Triple-A team this season.

Jeremy Reed signed with the Blue Jays in January of 2010 and was called up on April 12th. On July 12th he was sent down, released, and signed with the White Sox. He played the rest of the season with their Triple A team, the Charlotte Knights. The Brewers signed him in 2011 and he made the opening day roster. He was sent down to make room for Jonathan Lucroy, which led to him being traded to the Twins, where he finished the year. He is now in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, but is not currently assigned to a team.

Fernando Martinez was claimed off waivers by the Astros in January of 2012 and played in Houston until he was traded to the Yankees this past June, knowing there was a chance that he could be suspended for steroids. He was among those named in the Biogenesis scandal and is currently serving a 50-game suspension.

Argenis Reyes played in the Red Sox system in 2010 and was then traded to the Cleveland Indians where he played the rest of the season. He spent time with the New Jersey Jackals of the Independent Leagues in 2011 before returning to the Indians system. He is currently not playing with an Indians team although he unassigned.

Nelson Figueroa saw time in the Phillies and Astros systems in 2010, and played in the majors with the Astros in 2011. He also played in the Pirates system that year. 2012 saw him spend time with the Yankees and Red Sox minor league systems, and now plays for the Diamondbacks Triple-A affiliate.

One 2009 Met is officially a free agent and that is Casey Fossum who played all of three games for the Amazins that season. Fossum was released at the end of April in 2009 and soon after signed with the Yankees. He played the rest of the year with their Triple A affiliate and then moved onto the Chicago Cubs system. His 2010 season was spent with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan, where he went 2-5 with a 5.72 ERA. Fossum signed with the Mets again in January of 2011 and played nine games, before being released a year later. He eventually signed with the Orioles but was soon released and has not resurfaced ever since.

13 players have retired. They are Gary Sheffield, Ryan Church, Brian Schneider, Cory Sullivan, Carlos Delgado, Ramon Martinez, Emil Brown, Marlon Anderson, Brian Stokes, Ken Takahashi, Lance Broadway, Jon Switzer, and Billy Wagner.

Gary Sheffield couldn’t find a team to play with in 2010, so he retired in the spring of 2011. Ryan Church was traded to the Braves for Jeff Francoeur and finished the year in Atlanta. 2010 was spent in Pittsburgh until the Pirates traded him to the Diamondbacks along with future Met D.J. Carrasco. He was non-tendered after the year and retired.

Brian Schneider played with the Phillies from 2010 to 2012 and retired officially on January 29th this year. Cory Sullivan, who is most remembered for being the last player to hit two triples in one inning, played with the Houston Astros for half of 2010. He played with the Phillies for half of 2011, and retired after failing to make the Dodgers opening day roster in 2012.

After being injured for most of the 2009 season, the Mets released Carlos Delgado when the season was over. The Boston Red Sox signed the future Hall of Famer to a Minor League contract. He went 3-for-13, was released and retired on April 13th 2011. He was most recently the hitting coach for the 2013 Puerto Rican team in the World Baseball Classic. Current Mets pitching coach Ricky Bones was the pitching coach for that team (and if you ask me, Delgado and Bones look extremely like each other).

Not much to say about Ramon Martinez here. The infielder who played only 12 games with the 2009 Mets was released after the season and immediately retired. Emil Brown retired after being released on June 22, 2009.

Super utility man Marlon Anderson was released in April and signed with the Newark Bears of the Independent Leagues. He played the rest of the season there and retired when the season was done. He was last seen in professional baseball as the hitting coach for the Potomac Nationals in 2012.

Brian Stokes was traded to the Angels for Gary Matthews Jr. prior to the the 2010 season and made 16 appearances for the Halos that year. In 2011 he played in the Arizona D-Back’s system, and then moved onto the Camden RIversharks of the Independent League. Ken Takahashi became the third oldest player to make his Major League debut at the age of 40 on May 2nd 2009. He was released by the Mets in October of that year and went back to his homeland of Japan and played with the Hiroshima Carp in 2010. He retired after that year.

Lance “Best Name in Baseball” Broadway has not played in the Majors since his time with the Mets. He spent time with the Blue Jays organization in 2010 and played with their Triple A team, the Las Vegas 51’s. He has since retired and done what I believe no other Met has done in their lifetime. Lance played Agent O’Neil in the 2013 movie, Olympus Has Fallen. We should keep an eye out for other movies that feature Mr. Broadway.

Jon Switzer only got into four games as a New York Met, which led to a 8.10 ERA. He signed with the Astros and played in their Minor League system in 2010. He retired after 2010 and went back to school. He is now a business manager.

Billy Wagner, who is probably the greatest Mets closer of the last 10 years, was traded at the end of the year to the Red Sox for Chris Carter and minor leaguer Eddie Lora. Wagner played two games for Boston and then signed with the Atlanta Braves for the 2010 season. He was injured in the NLDS, but instead of going on the disabled list, he retired. Billy is currently the Head Coach for Miller High School in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Two players are currently in the Independent Leagues. Wilson Valdez played for the Phillies in 2010 and 2011 and was then traded to the Cincinnati Reds before the 2012 season. The Reds traded Valdez to the Giants in December of 2012 but he was released this past March. He signed with the Miami Marlins the next day and was released on May 19th. He is now with the Camden River Sharks. Longtime Mets backup catcher Ramon Castro was traded to the White Sox for Lance Broadway in 2009, but I don’t think it mattered to Ramon, because later in the season he was behind the plate when Mark Buehrle tossed a perfect game. He was released by Chicago after 2011, and did not play baseball in 2012. He signed a Minor League contract with the Dodgers this March but was released after failing to make the roster. He now plays for the Long Island Ducks.

Three players are playing in foreign countries, and they all play in Mexico. They are Anderson Hernandez, Angel Berroa, and Robinson Cancel. Hernandez, who was traded from the Tigers to the Mets back in 2004 for Vance Wilson, was claimed off waivers by the Indians in 2010 but was claimed by the Astros in July. 2011 was spent in Triple A with the Astros franchise. In 2012, Hernandez played with the Pirates Triple A team. This year he has been playing with the Piratas de Campeche, where he is hitting five points south of .300 with 11 home runs.

The 2003 American League Rookie of the Year (I still think Rocco Baldelli should have won) Angel Berroa, who before LaTroy Hawkins and David Aardsma was the last player to play for both the Mets and Yankees, played in the San Francisco Giants organization in 2010. In 2011 he played with the Arizona Diamondbacks Triple A team and the Bridgeport BlueFish of the Independent Leagues. 2012 saw Berroa play with the New Jersey Jackals. He now plays for Leones de Yucantan in Mexico. He is hitting .293 with 12 homers.

Robinson Cancel made his first big league appearance since 1999 in 2008 with the Mets. He spent 2010 with the Long Island Ducks, 2011 with the Astros Triple A team (and a few games in the Majors), 2012 with Monterrey in Mexico, and is still playing in Mexico with Minatilan.

One player is coaching. Andy Green went 1-4 with the Mets in 2009. He spent 2010 in Buffalo playing for the Bisons at the Mets Triple A level. He is now managing the Diamondbacks Double A team, the Mobile Bay Bears. He is managing former Met Nick Evans.

So there are your 2009 New York Mets. What were some of your best and worst memories of that season? Next week we’ll take a look at the 2008 team and the last year of Mets baseball at Shea Stadium.

The post The 2009 Mets: Where Are They Now? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Here is the official statement by Bud Selig on this afternoon’s announcement from MLB regarding the conclusion of their Biogenesis investigation.

“Major League Baseball has worked diligently with the Players Association for more than a decade to make our Joint Drug Program the best in all of professional sports.  I am proud of the comprehensive nature of our efforts – not only with regard to random testing, groundbreaking blood testing for human Growth Hormone and one of the most significant longitudinal profiling programs in the world, but also our investigative capabilities, which proved vital to the Biogenesis case.  Upon learning that players were linked to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, we vigorously pursued evidence that linked those individuals to violations of our Program.  We conducted a thorough, aggressive investigation guided by facts so that we could justly enforce our rules.

“Despite the challenges this situation has created during a great season on the field, we pursued this matter because it was not only the right thing to do, but the only thing to do.  For weeks, I have noted the many players throughout the game who have strongly voiced their support on this issue, and I thank them for it.  I appreciate the unwavering support of our owners and club personnel, who share my ardent desire to address this situation appropriately.  I am also grateful to the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society and our club physicians, who were instrumental in the banning of amphetamines and whose expertise remains invaluable to me.  As an institution, we have made unprecedented strides together.

“It is important to point out that 16,000 total urine and blood tests were conducted on players worldwide under MLB Drug Programs in 2012.  With the important additions of the hGH testing and longitudinal profiling this season, we are more confident than ever in the effectiveness of the testing program.  Those players who have violated the Program have created scrutiny for the vast majority of our players, who play the game the right way.

“This case resoundingly illustrates that the strength of our Program is not limited only to testing.  We continue to attack this issue on every front – from science and research, to education and awareness, to fact-finding and investigative skills.  Major League Baseball is proud of the enormous progress we have made, and we look forward to working with the players to make the penalties for violations of the Drug Program even more stringent and a stronger deterrent.

“As a social institution with enormous social responsibilities, Baseball must do everything it can to maintain integrity, fairness and a level playing field.  We are committed to working together with players to reiterate that performance-enhancing drugs will not be tolerated in our game.”

Major League Baseball issued the following discipline today for violations of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program in relation to the Biogenesis investigation. Players receiving 50-game suspensions without pay for their violations of the Program are:

• Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Antonio Bastardo;
• San Diego Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera;
• New York Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli;
• Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz;
• Padres pitcher Fautino De Los Santos, who is currently on the roster of the Double-A San Antonio Missions of the Texas League;
• Houston Astros pitcher Sergio Escalona, who is currently of the roster of the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks of the Texas League;
• Yankees outfielder Fernando Martinez, who is currently on the roster of the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the International League;
• Seattle Mariners catcher Jesus Montero, who is currently on the roster of the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League;
• Free agent pitcher Jordan Norberto;
• Detroit Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta;
• New York Mets outfielder Cesar Puello, who is currently on the roster of the Double-A Binghamton Mets of the Eastern League; and · Mets infielder/outfielder Jordany Valdespin, who is currently on the roster of the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s of the Pacific Coast League.

Norberto’s suspension will be effective immediately once he signs with another Major League organization. All other suspensions are effective immediately. None of the players will appeal their discipline.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Melky Cabrera, Oakland Athletics pitcher Bartolo Colon and Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal, all of whom already have served 50-game suspensions as a result of their violations of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program stemming from their connections to Biogenesis, will not receive additional discipline.

Major League Baseball’s investigation found no violations of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program by either Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez or Baltimore Orioles infielder Danny Valencia.

The post Statement From Bud Selig On Biogenesis Investigation And Punishment appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The nine or so Biogenesis-linked players who may take deals in the next day or two: Mariners catcher Jesus Montero; Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta; Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz; Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli; Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera; minor leaguers Jordan Norberto, Fernando Martinez, Fautino de los Santos and Cesar Puello.

One can only imagine what these deals would be. If I had to guess, it will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 games.

This would be an unfortunate turn of events for Puello, who is having a breakout season with Double-A Binghamton. His success with the B-Mets has been well-documented on MetsMinors.net, as he’s hitting .328/.405/.550 with 16 home runs, 73 RBIs, 21 doubles, 24 stolen bases, and 63 runs scored.

We can only hope for the best at this point, but the waiting game appears to be over. The fate of Puello’s immediate future is now on the horizon.

Thoughts from Joe D.

If there’s a 50 game suspension, serve it, go play some Winter Ball, and show up to Spring Training ready to battle for a corner outfield starting job. Chances are, Puello will start the season in Las Vegas anyway, but his stay there will be short and I’m thinking pretty damn sweet.

I’m thinking it will be less than 50 games because there’s no failed test results and if he were to appeal I can’t see how MLB would win. But lets see what happens…

The good news is that he’s been getting tested regularly for the last 15 months and has come up clean everytime. His hitting coach and manager both refuted the notion that his numbers were not legit when we asked. And sorry coach, but we had to ask…

To get complete coverage of the Mets Minor League system, check MetsMinors.net!

(photo credit: Gordon Donovan)

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• The Las Vegas/Colorado Springs game was postponed due to cold.
• Binghamton dropped a game to Portland, 8-2.
• St. Lucie defeated Charlotte, 2-1.
• Savannah had an off day.

Prospect Pipeline (Morsels From The Minor League Staff)

• BREAKING: RHP Christian Montgomery of the Advanced-A St. Lucie Mets, was suspended 50 games for a second positive test of a banned substance. “My job is not done and my goals aren’t reached yet, but I’m striving and dedicated to be where I wanna be,” he said to fans via Twitter.
• NEW: RHP Tyler Pill makes his fourth start of the year with the B-Mets. He got his first win of 2013 in his last start, a 4-3 victory over New Hampshire. He threw 6.0 innings, gave up three runs on seven hits, and struck out six batters. On the season, he has struck out 14, and walked four. Opponents are hitting .338 overall against the righthander, and are hitting .438 (7-for-16) against him with runners in scoring position. Pill was ranked the #25 prospect in the Mets organization by Baseball America  prior to the 2013 season. He was drafted by the Mets in the fourth round of the 2011 draft out of Cal State Fullerton.
• So resident psychic Joe D. gave Juan Lagares a well-deserved shout-out yesterday – and lo and behold, the story broke that he might be making his MLB debut with the Mets ASAP. As for my opinion on the matter, Joe and I are sharing a brain. I know that some people argue that Lagares may be experiencing a little statistical inflation, but I think Lagares has always had the potential to become a successful MLB player. More importantly, he has the tools to do it in CF, where the Mets are desperate for any kind of talent. You never know when a rookie can come up and light a fire under a team with some hard-nosed play, so I wish Lagares the best.
• Wally Backman gave his Lagares a sweet send-off. “He’s a kid who can play all three outfield positions and he’s got speed. He’s a good outfielder. He throws to the right bases. He has a knack for getting the barrel on the ball. He looks like he’s a real good hitter. I mean, if you just watch him, you say, ‘This kid is going to be able to hit.” It’s almost as if it was taken straight out of my Prospect Spotlight on Lagares. (Joe D.)
• Speaking of sharing a brain, Mitch and I both have high hopes for T.J. Rivera – and he is definitely a feel good story. Rivera added two more hits and RBIs to his stat sheet for the 2013 season last night and is continuing to turn heads. Rivera can flat out hit and it may not be long before he is raking in a Binghamton uniform soon.
• Jacob deGrom was a hard luck loser in his first AA start a couple days back, and he ran into some more bad luck on Monday night as the B-Mets had a ton of defensive issues behind him. His final line was tough, as he somehow lasted five innings, but allowed seven hits and four walks. He was on the hook for six runs, but only one of them was earned. The Jake deGrom that you should expect to see going forward is a lot more like the young man we saw in his first AA start – where he lasted eight innings and allowed only three hits and one earned run.
• Jim Callis recently wrote about a piece about a 25-man prospect roster taking at most one player from each team. He chose Zack Wheeler from NY, but he mentioned that he could have easily gone with D’Arnaud. He also answered a direct question about Rainy Lara, where he stated “He’s also old for low Class A at 22, and unless he adds velocity or develops a quality second pitch, he’s looking at a ceiling as a middle reliever.” Lara, as Callis also mentioned, has gained some respect because of the effectiveness of his sinker, which sits at 89-92 MPH. Lara may not be the sexy prospect right now, but I would advise that you keep an eye on him until he gives you a reason not to. The right-hander is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 16.2 innings pitched so far this season, with a 3:15 BB:K ratio.
• Aderlin Rodriguez may have three home runs and three doubles in 68 at-bats, but he is struggling mightily to keep his batting average anywhere near respectable – it fell to .162 last night.
• Shout-out to T.J. Chism, who picked up his second save of the season for St. Lucie and has a 1.59 ERA so far this season.
• Adam Rubin tweeted on Monday that his next farm report would feature Steven Matz…a fun fact? The Mets, as an organization, have only five left handed starting pitchers listed in contrast to 22 right handed starting pitchers according to their organizational depth chart. Jon Niese and Aaron Laffey make up two of them. Angel Cuan, Darin Gorski, and Steven Matz are the other three. Matz’s 1.29 ERA through 14 innings is tops in the Mets Minors right now.
• It’s no fun when Savannah has an off-day and you’re all ready to gush about Kevin Plawecki and Brandon Nimmo. For all the talk about Las Vegas inflating offensive numbers, the top three batting averages in the Mets Minors belong to three Savannah players: Nimmo’s .424, Boyd’s .388 and Plawecki’s .381 who all play at one of the toughest places to hit – Historic Grayson Stadium..
• T.J. Rivera is a well-oiled, finely tuned hitting machine at the plate. After another two-hit game, he’s now swinging a .310/.383/.394 slash and at 24, you’ll soon be seeing him at a Bingo hall near you and I’d be shocked if he doesn’t make it to Sin City and even to that other Citi for a September cup of coffee. (Joe D.)
• You know how I’m always harping on Zack Wheeler‘s command? If only he could put up strikeout to walk ratios like Jake deGrom 21:3, Rafael Montero 27:1, Steven Matz 18:4. Then you’ll know you really have a can’t miss prospect. Wheeler’s K/BB ratio is 21:12 if you want to know how that would translate in the Majors, take a look at Oliver Perez‘s career. I still maintain that Montero is more MLB-ready than Wheeler is (not so crazy now, huh?), but it won’t stop the frenzied fanbase from forcing Wheeler up based solely on his heightened legendary-status that’s being driven by SNY –  who happens to be owned by Fred. Once attends shrivels up some more, you’ll see Wheeler in Flushing – ready or not. Hopefully it won’t lead to his unravelling. (Joe D.)
• The executive producer of SNY told me last week that 99% of Mets fans only care about Wheeler, Nimmo and D’Arnaud, and that nobody cares about Montero, Flores or Lagares. I was asking him why they only cover the same 4-5 prospects day after day and ignore 3-4 dozen other great names and rattled off the three I mentioned. Toby Hyde jumped into our conversation and said, “Bingo!” Whose Minor League coverage would you rather read after seeing a mindset like that? (Joe D.)

Stat Line of the Day

T.J. Rivera: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Tweet Of The Day

Pretty sure I just saw a commercial for a farmers-only dating website. The farmer’s daughter cliche must really be struggling these days.

— Collin McHugh (@Collin_McHugh) April 23, 2013

I thought we had the market cornered here at MetsMerized with pictures of hot farm hands… We may now have some competition. This tweet had some competition from @JohnStrubel, who noted that Jason Bay flew out to Fernando Martinez to end an inning – right before Oliver Perez entered the game…

Transactions/Injuries

• Pedro Feliciano was placed on the temporary inactive list down in St. Lucie. Feliciano left the team to deal with a personal issue in Puerto Rico.
• Darwin Frias was called up to St. Lucie from Brooklyn.
• Shaun Marcum threw 52 pitches over 5.0 innings in an extended spring training game for St. Lucie yesterday. He is scheduled to be promoted to the Mets and start Saturday against the Phillies.
• Mets announced they have signed RHP D.J. Mitchell, who was released by the Seattle Mariners. He’s only made one start for Tacoma (AAA) this year and allowed three runs in four innings. He was assigned to Mets extended spring training camp.

Comment Of The Day

Buddy3 asked… “Do you see Matt Reynolds and TJ Rivera jumping over Tovar and Muno at some point this year or next at the double play combo? Seems like Reynolds is going to push Tejada, not Tovar.”

I love this question. First off, remember not to count Phillip Evans out – the Mets have invested a lot in him financially and he is pretty talented. Now, although Matthew Reynolds always profiled defensively as a third baseman, it was unlikely that his offensive capabilities would progress to match the expectations for that position – so the move to short should benefit him in the long run.

Reynolds may have a good glove, but Wilfredo Tovar has an elite glove…so although Reynolds will likely work out to be a better offensive contributor than Tovar, he is fighting an uphill battle. Rivera can flat-out hit and that statement will be said so many times this year that it will be drilled into most readers’ minds. I actually do believe T.J. Rivera will eventually overtake Daniel Muno when projecting the future, but Tovar’s defensive wizardry will likely keep him in the conversation over Reynolds for now.

Photo Of The Day

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A sheet of notebook paper, with the words, “Know your place, Rook … signed, your teammates,” was taped over Lastings Milledge’s locker in the Mets’ clubhouse in old RFK Stadium. This, in the late summer in 2006.

The Mets were en route to the playoffs and a veteran laden team was rubbed the wrong way by Milledge’s brashness and arrogance. Then-manager Willie Randolph – who reprimanded Milledge several times that summer – ripped down the sign, but knew he hadn’t ripped away the problem.

The Mets labeled it a misunderstanding, and Randolph called Lastings Milledge “a good kid,’’ but this clearly was not a misunderstanding with a teammate. It was the accumulation of several incidents that rankled several teammates.

Milledge burst upon the Mets, hitting over .300, was dazzling on the bases and showed a strong arm. He was going to be the next “fill in the blank.’’ Willie Mays? Roberto Clemente?

However, things quickly cooled after his first career homer, when on his way to the outfield he high-fived fans down the right field line in Shea Stadium. Randolph sensed how the Giants seethed in their dugout, especially since he saw some of his own players do the same.

Randolph reprimanded Milledge on the unwritten laws in baseball, but it didn’t take. There were ground balls he didn’t run out and times he didn’t hustle in the outfield. He was flash with the jewelry swinging wildly on the field, but in the clubhouse he often sat buried in his locker wearing headphones or playing a video game.

He came off as sullen and angry and clearly couldn’t be bothered by getting to know his teammates. Or, a baseball legend for that matter. During spring training then-GM Omar Minaya brought Milledge to the Nationals dugout to meet Frank Robinson, but Milledge was came off as being in-different.

Finally, he arrived in the clubhouse in Philadelphia an hour before a day game. Although it was early, the veterans made it in on time. David Wright had enough when Milledge strolled in with sunglasses and an iPod as if he owned the place and told him this wasn’t acceptable.

Wright wouldn’t belabor the issue Opening Day, only managing to say “seniority is big in this game,’’ which is the politically-correct translation for Milledge hadn’t earned his stripes.

Milledge popped into my consciousness today when I learned it was his 28^th birthday, an age when he should be in the prime of his career. Instead, Milledge is one of hundreds of baseball prospects given the label of “can’t miss, but eventually did.’’

Seven years ago – the career lifetime of a select few – the Mets had three prized outfield prospects in Milledge, Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez. One by one they arrived, fizzled to the point of exasperation and were traded. Not one of them hustled like journeyman outfielder Collin Cowgill.

After turning down several proposals for Manny Ramirez, the Mets eventually traded Milledge to Washington as part of a trade that brought Ryan Church – he of the concussion fiasco – and catcher Brian Schneider. Milledge had his coffee to go with Washington, then Pittsburgh and finally the White Sox before heading to Japan. Milledge had his head-scratching moments in each place, but basically stopped hitting.

At 28, Milledge is still young. It’s about discipline in Japan and if Milledge comes back with a changed attitude perhaps he’ll get another chance. It’s a long way to Japan, and perhaps an even longer route back to the major leagues.

The post How It All Went Wrong For Lastings Milledge appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

I just find this whole little episode stunning. Giving up Fernando Martinez for nothing just seems odd. Surely Martinez was worth something, like a live arm or two, on the trade market. Moreover, there is still slack on the Mets 40-man roster.

This feels a little bit like the Omar Minaya days when the Mets often seemed out of line with the way teams valued assets (hello, 4 years and $25 million for Luis Castillo).  The Astros, and as the rumor goes, at least five teams were interested in Martinez, and the Mets got nothing. Who was the top prospect like Martinez where a team just gave up at this point when the player still had an option remaining? I’m drawing a blank.  Anyone?

Original Post 1/11

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, the Astros have claimed OF Fernando Martinez off waivers.

Houston, which has first choice in waiver claims because of their MLB-worst record in 2011, selected the 23-year-old outfielder.

The Mets needed to clear 40-man roster spots for the additions of Scott Hairston and Ronny Cedeno, and chose to put Martinez as well as left-hander Daniel Herrera on waivers.

Martinez batted .183 with two home runs and 12 RBI in 131 at-bats for the Mets between 2009-2011.

Like Lastings Milledge before him (the Mets #1 prospect before F-Mart), another one bites the dust.

The post More On Losing F-Mart appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Puma says the Mets are hoping an American League team shows interest in the former Mets #1 prospect, but if there’s no interest they could possibly release him.

Martinez is hitting just .077 (2-for-26) with one RBI in nine games In the Dominican Winter League, and in 131 at-bats in the majors batted .183 career.

And another #1 ranked Mets prospect bites the dust…

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