Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (59-74) had an off day on Thursday for the ninth time this season after avoiding a sweep in their three-game series with the Chicago Cubs (79-54) a day prior.

Latest Mets News

The Mets continue their nine-game road trip as they open up a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants (67-68) tonight. Zack Wheeler (9-6, 3.46 ERA) will get another chance to take on the team that traded him as a minor leaguer for Carlos Beltran in 2011. He will do so as one of the hottest pitchers in baseball right now (6-0, 1.17 ERA in last seven starts) and will be facing Andrew Suarez (5-9, 4.42 ERA) of the Giants. The game will be broadcast on SNY and 710 WOR, with first pitch scheduled for 10:15 p.m. EDT.

Tim Britton of The Athletic compared the Mets’ seemingly proper treatment of veterans like Jose Bautista to the seemingly improper treatment of young players like Peter Alonso.

Mike Petriello of MLB.com analyzed Amed Rosario‘s hot streak over the last three weeks and the significant drop in his strikeout rate in comparison to last season.

Andy Martino of SNY interviewed David Wright who mentioned that he wouldn’t rule out a job in broadcasting or in a front office, but basically ruled out ever having a job as a manager. He was also noncommittal when asked if he would retire this offseason.

Latest MLB News

Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports noted that Eloy Jimenez‘ agents aren’t happy that the Chicago White Sox are unlikely to call up the top prospect this season.

The Minnesota Twins traded Bobby Wilson to the Chicago Cubs for Chris Gimenez and a player to be named later or cash, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.

Shohei Ohtani will return to the mound on Sunday for the first time since June 6.

Latest NL East News

Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post wrote a piece on Tanner Roark who went from one of the worst pitchers in the first half of the season, to one of the best in the second half.

The Atlanta Braves traded Chris Stewart to the Arizona Diamondbacks according to Robert Murray of The Athletic.

6abc Action News reported that five brass plaques stolen from statues at Citizens Bank Park were found in a scrapyard located in South Philadelphia.

Latest on MMO/MMN

John Sheridan continued his “3 Up, 3 Down” series after the Mets three-game set with the Cubs.

Matt Musico broke down Brandon Nimmo‘s impressive plate discipline so far this season.

Mathew Brownstein interviewed former MLB third baseman Corey Koskie.

Michael Mayer made a case as to why the Mets should target Yasmani Grandal this offseason.

Kirk Robinson put together a scouting report for Christian Tripp, whom the Mets selected in the 13th round (380th overall) of this year’s draft.

This Day in Mets History

2002: The Mets finished off the worst month at home in National League history as they lost their 13th straight home game.

2010: The Mets traded Jeff Francoeur to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Joaquin Arias.

Birthdays: Claudell Washington turns 64, Pat Howell turns 50, Hideo Nomo turns 50 and Ramon Ramirez turns 37. It is also the birthday of Tracy Stallard who passed away in December of last year at the age of 80.

The post Morning Briefing: Wheeler Looks To Continue Dominance In San Francisco appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Imagine for a second that you’re a first-round draft pick, selected 23rd overall by your favorite hometown team. Just over three years later, you’re making your major league debut, hitting a three-run home run for your first big league hit.

In your first 39 games in the bigs, you slash .359/.380/.669, with 10 home runs, 13 doubles, a triple, 31 RBIs, and 29 runs scored.

Just under two months in the majors, you’re featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the words “The Natural” placed directly below your image.

Sounds surreal, right?

That is exactly what took place for a 21-year-old outfielder named Jeff Francoeur.

Frenchy, as he was affectionately called by fans and teammates, had an unbelievable start to his major league career, culminating in a third-place finish in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2005.

Francoeur recorded the second-most home runs by an N.L. rookie (14) behind Ryan Howard, was third among all rookies in fWAR (3.0), and made the postseason in his first year with the team he grew up rooting for in his own backyard.

A cannon for an arm and a joyful personality, Francoeur offered more to the game than just raw numbers; he played the game with a passion and appreciation that was instilled in him as a young kid by parents who both worked in the school system. Hustle and respect were two expected traits of Francoeur, whether on or off the field.

New York got to experience Frenchy in parts of 2009-10, and he fared well early on. In 75 games with the Mets in ’09, Francoeur slashed .311/.338/.498, with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs and playing a strong right field.

He posted double-digit outfield assists in ’09 between Atlanta and the Mets, his fifth year in a row with double-digit postings, and he’d make that eight years with his 19 assists in 2012 with the Kansas City Royals.

After 12 years with eight different organizations, Francoeur is calling it a career. He embarks on a new chapter in his life, one that involves being a more present family man and also trying out broadcasting with the Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast broadcast teams starting in June.

I had the privilege of speaking with Francoeur late last week, where we discussed his MLB debut, his time with the Mets and some of his favorite moments from his career.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Jeff: First and foremost was Murph, I loved Dale Murphy. Growing up a Braves guy, the thing I admired about him the most was the fact that he was on some crap teams, man. [Laughs.] He still found a way to go out, play hard and do his thing.

I’m still convinced that if he was on some teams that went to the playoffs more, and he was seen at a national level a lot more, I think he would’ve been in the Hall of Fame or at least knocking on the door.

Murph was one of my guys that I loved watching as a kid, and I loved Cal Ripken Jr. I don’t know exactly what my number was, but I know that I started close to like 500 games in a row or something like that, or played in. And so you start looking, and it’s like he did five times as much as this, and it’s amazing!

MMO: I actually saw a stat that among qualified players from 2006-09, you played in 636 games, which was tied for second in baseball with Prince Fielder and behind only Adrian Gonzalez. So you definitely were consistent, and it’s a testament to your health.

Jeff: Yeah, and you know that was kind of my thing. I always took a lot of pride in that: showing up every day. It’s one of those things that I think looking back sometimes, I think to myself, Could my numbers have been better if you took some days off and took a breather? Probably. But there’s something to be said for being on the field and being with your team.

I had great examples of that in the early nineties growing up a Braves fan when you saw [John] Smoltzie, [Greg] Maddux, [Tom] Glavine, and those guys taking the ball every five days. I think I got spoiled because I used to think pro baseball games were only about two hours and twenty minutes because of watching those guys pitch! [Laughs.]

I grew up about twenty minutes from Turner Field in Fulton County, and I remember I used to be able to go to a 7:05 game, and I honestly could be back in my house by 10:00 pm. That’s crazy these days thinking about it. I grew up with a lot of people that I enjoyed watching.

My dad grew up in Boston, so he was a Red Sox fan, and I enjoyed watching those guys; Jim Rice and some of those guys which was always fun, too.

MMO: Growing up a Braves fan, and then to be drafted by your hometown team in the first round had to be special. What do you remember from the draft?

Jeff: It was big. I don’t even know if I ever told anybody this story; you might be the first one to get it. Out of high school, I wanted to play for the Braves or the Red Sox; those were the two teams. The year of the Draft in ’02, the Red Sox didn’t have a first-round pick, so they weren’t picking until 38th or 39th.

I remember we sent out a thing, I had my agent/representative send out a thing that we wanted $4 million and to play football at Clemson. [Laughs.]

We scared a shit ton of teams off. So, I ended up going to the Braves at [pick] 23, and I loved it because I always wanted to play for the Braves; it’s where I grew up, and all of their minor league affiliates were in the Southeast.

When I got that call from [John] Schuerholz, it was great! People forget that back in ’02 you saw it on a computer; it’s not like today where you’re up there and you go up on stage and the commissioner says your name. We were just waiting on the computer, and by pick 21, we got a call from Schuerholz saying that he would be taking me in the first round, and it was awesome.

MMO: You were a big football player in high school, and had a scholarship to Clemson as a defensive back. Was it tough to pick baseball over football? Was there ever any consideration to play football in college if the Braves didn’t take you in the first round?

Jeff: There was a little bit, but I knew for the most part that you get drafted in the first round, even if it was with another team, you’re going to get every opportunity to get to the big leagues and show what you can do. For me, it honestly wasn’t that big of a decision.

At the time, I made it act like it was just because you don’t want to give them the upper hand, but really I pretty much knew I was going to sign. It was just a matter of when.

MMO: You made your major league debut on July 7, 2005, against the Chicago Cubs in the second game of a doubleheader. You hit a 3-run home run in the 8th for your first major league hit. What are some of your memories from that day?

Jeff: It was a whirlwind because we were in Montgomery, Alabama, and we got rained out the night before [in Double-A]. We were all eating at a Japanese steakhouse when my phone rang. It was probably 8:00 at night because Brian Jordan went down that night. They were like, “Hey, they need you in Atlanta. They’ve got a doubleheader tomorrow.”

All of a sudden, one of our scouting guys was there, so he drove me all the way back to Atlanta. I remember I got home at like one in the morning and then I had to wake up, and of course, you don’t sleep a lick because you’re so excited.

I remember I had to get up at eight, and I get to the field at about nine, and it’s a day-night doubleheader because it’s the Cubs. When I got there, I got called in, and Bobby [Cox] was like, “Listen, I’m going to let you kind of take a breather the first game.”

And the fact of the matter was we were facing Kerry Wood, so I was kind of like yeah, I don’t exactly want my first game to be against Kerry Wood; I’d like to get my feet wet a little bit.

I remember sitting around all day and then finally getting to play the night game, and when I hit the three-run homer it was cool because my dad is a very hard-nosed, tough love kind of like a New York/Boston-Northeast type of guy. Even in high school football games, he always sat away from everybody. I would score a touchdown, and you always knew where your dad was as a kid, and I remember looking up in the stands and he would never clap; he would always just give me the nod like that’s what you’re supposed to do.

I finally remember after that first game coming around third and looking up, and my dad was just going crazy in the stands. It was a proud moment for me because it was like my dad had made my dream come true for me.

MMO: That must’ve been so rewarding to see your dad like that in the stands going crazy.

Jeff: Oh yeah! Your parents are such a big part, and my mom lugged me around the Southeast so many days for practices and games. And my dad, same thing.

Sunday’s in our family, we’d go to church and come home and have a late brunch. Then my brother, myself, and my dad, we’d take a couple of buckets of balls and we’d go to the field for three hours, and just hit grounders and take BP.

Like I said, for me, it was kind of like all that hard work and it was his way of kind of taking it in.

MMO: And then in 2006 you get to play for Team USA in the first-ever World Baseball Classic. What stands out from your time with that team?

Jeff: My favorite memory from that is just the fact that I remember the first day I walked in for practice, and you look around and see [Derek] Jeter, [Roger] Clemens and A-Rod and all these guys’ names. Then Ken Griffey Jr., and you’re like, Holy crap!

I always gave Chipper [Jones] a hard time because I played with Chipper in Atlanta. I walked around and here is Chipper going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer and I could care less about playing with him in the World Baseball Classic. [Laughs.]

It was so surreal because you grow up idolizing these guys, and to finally be in the same room! I still say I got off to a slow start in ’06, and it was probably because I didn’t play a whole bunch, but I thought I’d go back. And think about Alex Bregman who played in the WBC and barely played.

I wouldn’t trade that for anything because seeing how those guys worked every day enabled me to see where I wanted to be, the work I needed to do, and what I needed to do to be successful.

MMO: And it seems like the WBC has started to gain more traction and become more and more popular among the fans.

Jeff: Absolutely. And I think especially you see the U.S. team finally getting sick of people calling them [out]. It would be great in a few years to see Mike Trout and Bryce Harper play for us. I think it would be really, really awesome!

I understand pitchers; it’s a high risk for some guys. You look at a guy like Clayton Kershaw; that’s tough for him to rev it up that early in the year, he’s such a competitor at this. But as a position player, I have a hard time with position players that turn it down unless there’s an injury or you’re coming off something like that because it’s no different than playing spring training games for position players. The risk is no different.

I would love to see position players start to play in that because we got some great position players. How fun would it be to see those guys roaming the outfield? Imagine in four years your outfield was say, George Springer, Trout, and Harper? I mean, that’s unbelievable!

MMO: That’s the big debate, fans and critics worry that players are ramping it up too early and potentially risking injury.

Jeff: Not position players. You go out there for spring training, and honestly, yeah, the first three or four weeks of spring training you don’t give a rat’s ass if you go 0-for-2 in a game, as long as you get your stuff in. Especially when you know you’re on the team and you’re starting and playing every day.

But there’s no difference; you’re still going out there running down the baseline hard, playing hard in the outfield, so I would like to see position players play. Pitchers I have more sympathy for but not position players.

MMO: You were with the New York Mets in parts of the 2009-10 seasons. How did you like your time in New York?

Jeff: Man, I remember sitting in Colorado in Bobby Cox’s office, and he called me in and said we made a trade. And so you’re like, Okay, to where?

He said, “New York.”

I said, ‘Really?’

And he said, “Yeah, the Mets.”

All I remember thinking is, Isn’t that supposed to be our biggest rival, and I just got traded to them?

But I’ll tell you what, when you grow up in the South like I did and honestly you grew to dislike the Mets and play there all the time against them and have the fans yelling at you, I was like, no way I just got traded there.

I still tell people today that the Mets organization treated me and my wife the best out of any organization I played for. They were first class! The way they went about things, the way they treat their players, the security people up there who I still to this day [keep in touch with]. Dominic, one of the security guys, we still keep in touch with Dominic, my wife, and me.

It’s one of those things, and I’ve said it from day one; you play hard in New York and you give it everything you’ve got, you’re going to get the benefit of the doubt most of the time. And that’s what they [fans] want, they want someone showing up to play hard, and I had an absolute blast playing up there!

I wish it could’ve finished a little better for me, but at the same time, I honestly didn’t play that awful to get myself out of there. [Angel] Pagan ended up playing really, really well.

MMO: That’s right, you were traded to the Texas Rangers during their postseason run in 2010.

Jeff: Yeah, which ended up being [good]. They took care of me, it was a great opportunity because Omar [Minaya] and Jerry [Manuel] really were great to me.

I remember one year at the trade deadline, and Jerry knew he was going to be gone, and he was like, “Listen, I’m a sitting duck and so is Omar. We know this thing’s going to get blown up, we want to give you a chance to go somewhere if we can and win a World Series.” And hell, I almost did.

MMO: You got to play with David Wright in New York, and obviously, he means so much to the fans. What are some of your thoughts on what’s gone on with David and all the injuries and setbacks he’s had?

Jeff: I love David. We still go to dinner when we come up, and my wife and Molly [David’s wife] are real close. I’ve always said my first and most important thing with David is I just want to see him get healthy, whether it’s to play with his kids down the road, I know he wants to be out there and it’s killing him. And I think he will be back. But I’ve said it sucks; you know injuries are injuries.

I look at certain people throughout when I played, and you know they’re hurt all the time, but David showed up to play every day, and it’s sad to see these injuries get to him. When you start talking about a spine and back and this and that, I mean, that’s your way of life. So for me, I just really hope that they can get that kind of nipped in the bud and he can come back.

More than anything for me, I just want to see him be able to live a normal life.

MMO: Absolutely, that’s well said. His personal health has to come before jeopardizing anything on the field.

Jeff: And no one can ever disregard him. If he can play, he’ll be out there, trust me. I know tough guys; I’ve played enough football and baseball, and he’ll tough through some things.

MMO: He was so loyal to this team during their bleak years, and now when they’re finally competitive he’s been out.

Jeff: Imagine that? That’s what I hate for him, I hate it. My thing is, I’m glad he at least got to play in the World Series in 2015, and be healthy enough for that. But this is killing him.

He was waiting to have a pitching staff like that his whole career, and he finally got one and now he’s been hurt.

MMO: There’s been fan chatter about him hopefully managing the club one day. Can you see Wright in that position?

Jeff: Oh yeah, he could. But it’s the same thing, people ask me all the time: do you want to manage? I’ve said I’d love to, but it’s time-consuming, man. I would love to down the road, but right now, when you think about it, it’s like to be home with kids and to do that, you’re gone even more. It’s got to fit in with what you want to do, and obviously, you have to have a very understanding wife.

MMO: Throughout your career, you were known as one of the nicest players in the game. How humbling is that, and is it something you took great pride in?

Jeff: Well, yeah. The number one thing I’ll say is my dad would whoop my ass if I wasn’t! That was his main thing, he said there are two things that I can always do: I could always be a good teammate, and I can hustle. You always have those qualities and so there was never an excuse for that, and I enjoyed playing the game and I enjoyed people.

The number one thing in our family was my mom and dad were both from the school system, and you treat people how you want to be treated. I never forgot that, and I try to do that every day. So that part actually came easy to me because of the way I was raised. You’re going to go through slumps; you’re going to make some mental mistakes, some hustle mistakes, but you can always hustle and have a good attitude.

MMO: You also had a cannon in the outfield. According to FanGraphs, you were rated with the best arm runs saved above average by an outfielder from 2005-16, and 9th best in defensive runs saved (DRS) during that span. How important was outfield defense to you?

Jeff: Defense was another thing to me that it’s kind of about the hustle, especially in the outfield, getting the ball and doing that. As far as my arm, I’m very, very lucky and blessed because I tell people all the time I never – and a lot of people don’t believe me – threw during the offseason. I would go to spring training, and the first two weeks I’d have a pretty sore arm, and all of a sudden, after three or four infield/outfields, it was like soreness would go away, and BAM I was good.

During the year I practiced, I’d go out and throw to the bases twice a week during the season. Went out early; even when I was on the road, I’d get there and throw to the bases because that’s one thing that I had a very strong arm, but I was very accurate. I took a lot of pride in that. I always tried to tell people I could hit a gnat’s ass from 300 feet. And so I took a lot of pride in that.

MMO: Do you have a favorite moment from your career?

Jeff: Yeah, probably a lot of people don’t know it, but in 2006 we played the Nats, and my grandpa was a huge Red Sox fan, my dad’s dad. We were going up to Boston in ’07 to play, but he got really, really sick, and so he had never seen me play in the big leagues.

He would get really sick, and he came down to Atlanta, which we pretty much knew was going to be his last time down in Atlanta, and we were down to the Nats 9-4. He was at the game, and I think I made the last out or second to last out in the bottom of the eighth, and so they were going to leave, and my dad was like, “Let’s stay. Let’s just stay and see.”

That was the night I hit a walk-off grand slam against the Nats. It was the only game my grandpa ever got to see me play in the big leagues.

The guy that caught the ball a couple of months later found out we were in Colorado when my grandpa died, and so we had an off day and we were going to have the funeral up in Boston. He heard about that being the only game [his grandpa saw], and he overnighted the ball to me in Colorado, and I took it up there and put it in his casket. Just to think, too, about the fan that actually got the ball, heard the story, took the time to overnight it, and do all that, honestly, I took care of that fan very well, but it was a pretty humbling experience.

The next year we go to Boston, and my whole family is from up there, and I probably left 20 tickets. We left an open seat for my grandpa between my dad and my grandma. And we put his hat there [on his seat]. He always had this Braves hat he wore.

My first at-bat in Fenway I hit a two-run homer off Daisuke [Matsuzaka]. So that was pretty cool.

MMO: Any favorite teammates that stand out during your tenure?

Jeff: Obviously me and [Brian] McCann came up together, and we’re so close. Two guys that I’m still close with today are Alex Gordon and Luke Hochevar with the Royals, and I’ve always stayed real close with them, so those are probably my top three.

MMO: With your recent retirement news, how hard was the decision to step away from playing, and what are some of the things you’ll miss from playing? And you also signed on to be part of the Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast broadcast team for select games, how excited are you for that new chapter to begin?

Jeff: It was hard because you miss certain things. I’ll miss putting the uniform on, I miss being up in a big situation, miss the guys, the team dinners, those were always my favorites! Getting into a city going and getting some cocktails and having a big steak with the guys.

The things that I don’t miss are traveling. I don’t miss the long days at the park and being away from my kids; as I said, I was a very family-oriented kid when I was raised.

I got married when I was 23. Me and my wife are coming up on ten years in November. For me, that part wasn’t tough, the part of walking away and being with my family. The fact that I knew I was going to have the opportunity to do some of this stuff. I’m going to come up and be the Braves representative at the draft in June; we’re pick five.

That part wasn’t hard for me because I’m still going to be very involved and I’m going to be doing what I love, and I’ll be able to be home and kind of set my own schedule. That’s what I want to do.

You hear people say you’ve got to work, but you know me, I love golfing and I love being at home with my family and doing that, so this enables me to be able to do both kind of whenever I want. That’s the part I’m looking forward to.

I was lucky to play for 12 good years and be healthy. You know, one thing I pride myself on is I played for 12 years and I never was on the DL one time in my career. And I would say that’s a lot of good luck, too. But a lot of, like I said, being able to show up and play every day.

For me, there weren’t many regrets because I left everything I had out there.

MMO: And as far as your broadcasting debut goes, what roles can we expect to see you in? Studio analyst? In the booth?

Jeff: I’m doing both. My first studio analyst [job] will be June 5th through the 8th, and then my first game in the booth will be the 16^th with Joe and Chip. Going to get thrown right into the fire. So we’ll see.

MMO: Jeff, thank you very much for your time, and spending a few minutes discussing your career. Best of luck in the future.

Jeff: Absolutely, man. No problem, take care.

You can follow Jeff Francoeur on Twitter, @JeffFrancoeur

The post MMO Exclusive Interview: Former Met Jeff Francoeur Hangs ‘Em Up appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves are interested in signing former Met and former Brave Kelly Johnson.

If the Braves do indeed re-sign Johnson, it would mark the third straight offseason the Braves signed Johnson.  As many Mets fans will joke, this could lead to the third straight season the Mets make an in-season trade for Johnson.

In 2015, the Mets acquired Johnson and Juan Uribe in exchange for then minor leaguers John Gant and Robert Whalen.  In 2016, the Mets acquired Johnson in exchange for minor league reliever Akeel Morris.

Over the past two seasons, Johnson has played in 242 games hitting .256/.310/.414 with 24 homers and 81 RBI.  With the Mets, he has hit .260/.319/.441 with 14 homers and 37 RBI.

If Johnson was to re-sign with the Braves, it is possible the Mets look in-house for the last spot on the bench as they did entering the 2016 season with Eric Campbell making the Opening Day roster.  If the Mets do go in-house, the likely candidates for the spot would be Ty Kelly, Matt Reynolds, and T.J. Rivera,

O’Brien also noted that in addition to Johnson, the Braves are interested in signing former Met and former Brave Jeff Francoeur.

The post Braves Interested in Kelly Johnson appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jeff Francoeur‘s tour of the National League East continues as the Miami Marlins acquired the veteran outfielder in a three-team swap. Frenchy has now played for every team in the NL East but the Washington Nationals.

The Deal saw the Braves acquire minor league shortstop Dylan Moore from the Texas Rangers as well as minor league catcher/first baseman Matt Foley from the Marlins. In return for the share of the trade, the Rangers will receive three international bonus slots with two coming from the Marlins and one from the Braves.

Francoeur looks to help a team who lost their star in Giancarlo Stanton. Overall on the season he has hit to a .249/.290/.381 slash line to go alone with seven homers and 33 RBI.

As the waiver wire deadline approaches, it now appears unlikely that the Mets will make any moves for a bullpen arm. After hearing for quite awhile this would be the team’s focus, Sandy Alderson and crew decided to help the offense at the non-waiver trading deadline.

Many bullpen arms are still floating around out there, but will come at too much a cost for the Mets liking. The team will continue forward with their in-house options as they look to grab a Wild-Card spot that is within their grasp.

The post Marlins Acquire Francoeur In Three-Team Swap appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Dark Knight returned to flushing. The New York Mets (5-3) defeated the Philadelphia Phillies (3-5) by a score of 6-5 on #HarveyDay. While Matt Harvey wasn’t as dominant as he was a week ago in Washington D.C. However, he still had a quality start, pitching six innings while giving up three earned runs and striking out eight.

It was a bizarre game that had a little bit of everything. A few hit batsmen and the electricity of the crowd gave the game a feel of the old Mets-Phillies rivalry from years past.

Harvey gave up a solo home run to Chase Utley in the first inning, his first home run given up in over 60 innings. Utley would homer again later in the game against LHP Sean Gilmartin. The Mets battled back with a couple hits in the first inning that was capped by an RBI single off the bat of Michael Cuddyer plating Curtis Granderson.

The Mets added on in the second inning. After David Wright popped out with the bases loaded, Lucas Duda smacked a bases-clearing double down the right-field line. Duda would smack another double and draw a walk later in the game. He also played fantastic defense all night.

Michael Cuddyer would get hit with a pitch in the hand in the second inning which would force him to exit the game. The x-ray came back negative. Wilmer Flores was also hit on the hand earlier that inning.

Harvey plunked Utley square in the back later in the game, going after the Phillies unofficial leader and strongest offensive player. While Harvey didn’t have his best stuff tonight, he did display the intangibles. He fought with runners on base, got outs when he really needed them, and was able to find a way to keep his team ahead.

In that same inning, Travis d’Arnaud was called on a catchers interference call which loaded the bases. Terry Collins, who had already argued a few other plays earlier in the game, came out and was fed up. He was eventually tossed from the game.

Later in the game, the Mets finally took advantage of their newly constructed right-center field wall. Daniel Murphy smacked a solo shot over the wall, a home run that Gary Cohen noted wouldn’t of gone out last year.

In the bottom of the 8th, David Wright singled and stole second base. On the play, he seemed to tweak something in his leg and it was announced that he pulled his hamstring. He tried to stay in, but took himself out of the game a few pitches later. Anthony Recker pinch-ran for him and would stay on to play third base for the 9th inning.

Jeurys Familia earned his third save on the night, but not before giving up a solo home run to former-Metroplitan Jeff Francoeur.

Terry Collins noted in the post game interview that it looks like the Mets will have to “make a move” now. The way he spoke about Wright, it did not sound good.

On Deck

The Mets will square off with the Phillies again Wednesday in the final game of the series at 7:10 p.m. Jonathan Niese will matchup with Jerome Williams.

PS: Thank you to my brother @harrisdecker for the awesome Dark Knight graphic used on this post.

The post MMO Game Recap: Mets 6, Phillies 5 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

After passing his physical, the Mets officially announced the signing of our new rightfielder Chris Young this afternoon.

“Chris has had a distinguished career to this point and we think with regular playing time we think he can return to his all-star caliber performance,” GM Sandy Alderson said.

“He’s a tremendous defensive outfielder, brings some power, the approach we’re looking for offensively and some speed on the bases.”

Alderson said that Young could bat anywhere from 5-7 in the lineup.

Young said he spoke to David Wright multiple times on the phone before signing with the Mets, so credit the Captain for helping the Mets to land this sought after player who was being pursued by the Cubs, Giants, Royals and Red Sox before he decided to sign with the Mets..

Young Is Exactly Who We Think He Is

If you’ve read anything I’ve written here, you know that I try my best to support this organization in their decisions. I’m a fan of the team – I supported Minaya to the end, I will support Alderson to the end. Why? Because if I’m gonna be a fan of a team, I’m doing it with the mindset that in order for me to be happy – I need the men who make decisions to succeed.

Ever since Chris Young signed, there seems to be an onslaught of opinions being tossed around. I tried to look at them all, and come up with as informed a decision as I could as to whether or not I liked the acquisition.

This move brought to the forefront the one thing I cannot stand about sabermetrics. At times, people use it as a way to polish a turd. It’s not used to say “let’s look at just how good this guy is,” but merely “let’s look to see if it’s as bad as people really think?” It’s almost at times used in a way a publicist might react in a crisis situation.

“Oh no! The Mets just signed a borderline terrible outfielder, quick – find some numbers that will divert everybody’s eyes!”

That is what is happening, and that is why I cannot stand sabermetrics sometimes.

Chris Young is often being compared to the 2013 Marlon Byrd. I find this comical because what NOBODY could have predicted would happen in Byrd – everybody is seemingly predicting will happen for Young. We saw one fluke season from a corner outfielder, so hey why can’t it happen twice in a row? Because if you know anything about flukes – they are often consistent, right?

This isn’t to say Young has no positive attributes. I recognize he has some speed, some defensive ability and what I’d consider borderline power. That isn’t the problem.

The problem is, this signing says two things to your average Mets fans.

#1 Chris Young is our starting corner outfielder that we desperately needed. Oh by the way, he is a center fielder.

#2 This contract was done with the “just in case” mindset of, “If we’re terrible in 2014 but he bounces back – we can always trade him.”

This idea that they are finding “undervalued” talent to me is exhausting. $7.5million for a below average outfielder is overpaying for his talent – so calling him undervalued is ridiculous.

I’ve also heard conspiracy theories that this signing was done because of potential bad press for the Mets lack of signings so far this off-season. I don’t buy into that at all. Can’t they just make a poor decision without some other motives for that decision? No GM is ever going to be right about every player – they aren’t signing Chris Young because some fans are calling up WFAN complaining – they signed him because they think he’s going to be better than he has been for years.

What really grinds my gears about this move is that I would bet the majority of people who are in favor of Chris Young, are the same people who were against Jeff Francoeur. Francoeur had a great 2009 with the Mets, had his detractors but they really unleashed the fury in 2010. Francoeur in 2010 is very comparable to Chris Young in 2013.

I do not need a bunch of charts to tell me that Chris Young as a starting outfielder is a bad idea. That doesn’t mean it won’t work – bad ideas work at times.

But, that doesn’t mean we should be happy when a bad idea is put into place. For starters, many Arizona fans believe Chris Young hasn’t been the same player (which isn’t saying a lot) since a shoulder injury in 2012 when he crashed into the wall. Great, because if there is one thing Mets fans know all too well it’s that players who have declined due to injury always bounce back for the Mets (right?).

Chris Young is terrible against right handed pitching, he benefited from playing in Arizona, and he’s had 2 good years and five below average years. As Bill Parcells once famously said, “you are what your record says you are.”

We can use whatever advanced stats we want to make ourselves feel better about the fact that Chris Young, as of now is one of our starting outfielders – but sometimes the eye test is valid too. Young has been a below average hitter for the majority of his career – and right now he is a starting outfielder for the 2014 Mets. That’s all you need to know.

The post Mets Officially Announce Chris Young Signing appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

If you are a Mets fan, you know that David Wright is still with team, or that Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are in Toronto and St. Louis, respectively. But what happened to guys like Nick Evans or Rod Barajas? We have the answers.

11 Players who made it into a game in 2010 with the Mets, are still employed by the team. That would be the aforementioned David Wright, Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada (Although he is currently with Triple-A Las Vegas, he is still on the Mets payroll), Lucas Duda, Justin Turner, Jon Niese, Pedro Feliciano (Although he made another stop in the Bronx, he is with the Mets once again), Bobby Parnell, Dillon Gee, Johan Santana, and Jenrry Mejia.

10 players are employed by another Major League team. That would be Jose Reyes, Angel Pagan, Beltran, Josh Thole, Henry Blanco, Joaquin Arias, Mike Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey, Francisco Rodriguez, and Oliver Perez.

As you may know, Jose Reyes was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Toronto Blue Jays this past offseason in a blockbuster deal involving Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, and now former Met, John Buck. Reyes now puts on his uniform in the same locker room as R.A. Dickey and Josh Thole, who were traded together this past offseason from the Mets for Travis d’Arnaud, Buck, and Noah Syndergaard (don’t forget Wuilmer Beccera!). Angel Pagan was traded to the San Francisco Giants prior to the 2012 season for outfielder Andres Torres and pitcher Ramon Ramirez who have both since played again for the team they were traded from.

Carlos Beltran was traded at the deadline in 2011 to the Giants for Zack Wheeler, but has since made his home in St. Louis playing for the Cardinals, where he has enjoyed a couple of very nice seasons, including an All Star appearance this summer. Henry Blanco, who served as the Mets backup catcher in 2010, beat out Josh Thole for the same position on this year’s Toronto Blue Jays team, but was released and then signed by the Seattle Mariners who made the corresponding move by releasing 2012 Met alumni, Kelly Shoppach. Blanco played in Arizona for the Diamondbacks in 2011 and 2012.

Joaquin Arias, of whom the Mets received for Jeff Francoeur late in the 2010 season, played for the Kansas City Royals in 2011, and was then given a championship ring after serving as Pablo Sandoval‘s ninth inning defensive replacement in 2012 for the San Francisco Giants. He has been a key hitter off the bench for the Giants in 2013. Mike Pelfrey, after failing to play a month in the 2012 season, was signed by the Minnesota Twins, where his 5-10 record and 5.06 ERA is good enough to keep him in the starting rotation.

Francisco Rodriguez was traded to the Brewers in 2011 for Daniel Herrera (yes the 5-6 guy) and a minor leaguer, but was traded to the Baltimore Orioles at the deadline this year, downgrading from a closer to a setup man. Finally, Oliver Perez signed a two-year deal with the Seattle Mariners in 2012 and is proving to be an effective arm out of their bullpen. You would think that Perez’s ERA of 9.72 with Henry Blanco behind the plate would be the highest among catchers who have caught the Mexican native, but no. That award goes to Josh Thole, who provides Ollie with a sparkling 16.20 ERA.

Eight players are in the minor leagues with another organization. They are Mike Nickeas, Mike Hessman, Luis Hernandez, Mike Jacobs, Nick Evans, Hisanori Takahashi, Fernando Nieve, and Pat Misch.

Mike Nickeas, who was in the same deal that sent R.A. Dickey north of the border, is currently with the Blue Jays Triple-A team, the Buffalo Bisons, a team Nickeas has played for many times when they were the Mets affiliate. Nickeas has failed to make the Majors this season, playing 55 games in Buffalo. Mike Hessman, who is seven home runs shy of 400 for his minor league career and one shy of 15 for his Major League career, is currently a member of the Louisville Bats, the Triple-A team of the Cincinnati Reds, where he is teammates with base stealing extraordinaire, Billy Hamilton. Hessman played in Japan in 2011 for the Orix Buffaloes, and was with the Astros Triple A team in 2012.

Luis Hernandez, who played all of 17 games for the Mets, is with the Indians Triple-A team, after playing in the Texas Rangers organization in 2012. Nick Evans is the only 2010 Met alumni playing in Double-A. Evans, who is a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks affiliated Mobile Baybears, was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 2012. Mike Jacobs was the placeholder at first base until Ike Davis came up in 2010 but he is now with the Diamondbacks Triple-A team. Jacobs also stopped in Colorado Springs, Toronto, and Mexico. Hisanori Takahashi, who has 12 games started and 21 games finished as a Met, has played in the Majors with the Angels, Pirates, and Cubs. He is now a member of the Colorado Rockies Triple-A team. Fernando Nieve hasn’t played in the Majors since 2010, but he has played with the Astros, Dodgers, Indians, and currently the Athletics, all in Triple-A. Finally, Pat MIsch has seen time with the Phillies and Tigers Triple-A teams.

Five players are not currently with a Major League organization. The names are Jeff Francoeur, Rod Barajas, Jason Bay, John Maine, and Sean Green.

Francoeur was traded to the Rangers for Joaquin Arias in August of 2010. He spent the rest of the year there. Frenchy played in Kansas City during 2011 and 2012, but was released midway through the 2013 season. The Giants picked him up, where he played 22 games. Francouer was designated for assignment of August 20th, and released two days later. Barajas played with the Pirates in 2011 and 2012, before being signed by the Diamondbacks. He ultimately lost the bid to be Miguel Montero‘s backup, as the DBacks went with Wil Nieves instead.

Jason Bay, who was released after the 2012 season much to the delight of Mets fans, was signed by the Mariners for the 2013 season. He hit a home run in his first spring training at bat, but after a disapointing season, was released of August 6th to make room for Mike Morse. John Maine spent 2011 in the Colorado Rockies minor league system, and pitched for the Scranton/Wilkes-Bare Yankees for all of 2012. He played for the Miami Marlins in April of this year, but was released on April 22. The sidearmer, Sean Green pitched with the Brewers in 2011, before playing with the Texas Rangers’ Triple A team in 2012. He also pitched with the Somerset Patriots in 2012 of the Independent Leagues but has not found a team since.

Six players have officially retired. They are Luis Castillo, Alex Cora, Fernando Tatis, Gary Matthews Jr., Frank Catalanotto, and Tobi Stoner.

Luis Castillo was released by the Mets at the same time they released Oliver Perez. Castillo signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, but after a disappointing spring training, he was released, at which time he retired. Alex Cora was released by the Mets in August of 2010, and he played the rest of the year with the Rangers. He played with the Washington Nationals in 2011, and was signed by the Cardinals in the spring of 2012, which didn’t work out. He is now a baseball analyst for ESPN (his brother Joey does the same work for MLB Network). Fernando Tatis was injured of July 4th of 2010. He was placed on the DL the next day and was transferred to the 60-day DL 10 days later. That turned out to be his last major league game as he retired after the season.

The “Son of the Sarge”, Gary Matthews Jr., was released by the Mets on June 15th, 2010. He signed with the Reds on June 24th and played the rest of the year with their Triple-A team, before retiring. Frank Catalanotto was designated for assignment of May 10th, when the Mets brought up Chris Carter. After failing to sign with another team, he retired in March of 2011. Finally, the German-born Tobi Stoner was released by the Mets in March of 2012. During that season, he played in the Independent Leagues with the Bridgeport Blue Fish and the Somerset Patriots. He retired before the 2013 season.

Four players are currently playing in foreign countries. Chris Carter, Manny Acosta, and Ryota Igarashi are playing in Japan, and Jesus Feliciano is playing in Mexico.

Carter (no not the former A’s prospect) played in the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves Minor League system in 2011 before moving to Japan to play with the Seibu Lions in 2012 and 2013. Carter is 3-26 (.115) with three RBI in nine games this year. He is teammates with Kazuhisa Ishii. Manny Acosta pitched for the Mets through 2012 but signed with the Yomuri Giants in 2013 after being released. In 14 games he has an ERA of 5.54. His teammates include former major leaguers Scott Mathieson and John Bowker.

Ryota Igarashi played with the Mets until 2011. He then played in the minor leagues with the Yankees and the Blue Jays in 2012 though he pitched in the majors with both teams. He is now pitching with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks where he sports a 2.15 ERA in 36 games. He is teammates with with Vicente Padilla and former Mets minor leaguer Wily Mo Pena. Jesus Feliciano, who has signed with the Mets four different times in his career, played in all of his 54 career games with the Mets in 2010. He played with the Buffalo Bisons in 2011, the Durham Bulls in 2012, and he is now playing in Mexico with the Rojos del Aguila de Veracruz. He has only played in three games with one hit.

One player is currently a coach. Elmer Dessens is the assistant pitching coach for the AZL Reds in the Arizona League (The Arizona equivalent to Florida’s Gulf Coast League). And here’s a fun piece of information. The manager of that AZL Reds team is former Met, Eli Marrero who the Mets received in 2006 when they traded Kazuo Matsui to the Rockies.

Well, now you know what happened to the 2010 Mets. Next week we’ll look at the players from Citi Field’s inaugural year, 2009.

LGM

The post The 2010 Mets: Where Are They Now? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

What a week we just wrapped up and as is usually the case, there’s plenty of storylines and news we can talk about before the Mets take the field at 10:10 PM against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Who’s At Short?

For the time being Terry Collins is fully intent on going with Omar Quintanilla as his everyday shortstop.

“I’ve yet to see why Omar Quintanilla should lose his job. All he does is make plays like that night after night. You look at his batting average and it’s not what he’d like it to be. But, he’s on base 33 percent of the time and he’s done a really good job. We wouldn’t be playing like we’re playing without him.”

Actually Terry, it’s less than 30%, but fine… go ahead and play him if you like. Just please make sure we address the shortstop position in the offseason because I don’t want to see Q there on Opening Day.

As for Ruben Tejada, he can blame himself for not being here with the team right now. Collins says that Backman told him that Tejada is bent on hitting flyballs. Additionally, Tejada is 4-for-his-last-52, dropping his Pacific Coast League average to .257 since his demotion.

Collins also said that if Tejada was hitting better, he’d be back by now. I have no doubt about that, but would he also continue to reside in Collins’ exclusive dog house?

It appears to me that Tejada has been in Collins’ doghouse from day one when we wondered why Tejada didn’t report to Spring Training 26 days early back in 2012 and read him the riot act when he did show up three days early.

Forever Young?

I’m digging what Eric Young Jr. is doing since being acquired in a waiver trade for Collin McHugh. But can we please stop the “we’re set at left field” narrative now?

Young has exceeded expectations, but to think he’s anything, but a utility outfielder going forward is a bit too much for me to handle. He’s had a solid week defensively, but that doesn’t mean he’s a solid defender, he isn’t. There not one metric that would dispute that. And his arm… What arm?

At the plate, Young has already lost 100 points in batting average which some are calling a slump. It’s not a slump… Just ask any Colorado Rockies fan you know. Eric young is batting .152 in his last 12 games with just nine hits in his last 54 at-bats. He has a career .660 OPS. Anyone up for a Jeff Francoeur revival?

We need to get a left fielder with power this offseason. Young is under team control and will be fine as a 4th outfielder, but please…. nothing more than that… Forever Young? God, I hope not…

Lets Pile On Flores

Matt Cerrone has been talking to his baseball people again. This time they tell him that they all said they project him to hit around .260 in the big leagues — with around 15-20 home run potential — with no real position.

It’s amazing how everyone has already defined Flores’ career after six games and after just turning 22 years old… Wow…

Are these the same people who predicted Harvey would be a lesser version of Mike Pelfrey? Or were those different baseball people? Are these the same people that led him to conclude that Harvey was good, but not Cy Young good? Are these the same people that said Juan Lagares was a lesser version of Kirk Nieuwenhuis?

Why can’t we just enjoy these players who come up and hit the ground running?

Why must they be criticized and defined after such a small sample size?

Poor Wilmer Flores… Might as well hang them up, kid… You’re nothing but a .250 hitting first baseman with 15 home run power. We can get that from anybody. Your trade value sucks too, because every team has five players just like you. Sorry Wilmer, it’s not me, it’s all the experts and the baseball people who talk to MetsBlog…

Can’t we all just sit back and enjoy the game they way it used to be?

Maybe I’m getting old and the game has passed me by. Maybe this is how it is now. Maybe this is the norm.

Too bad… As for me I’ll keep doing what Tug McGraw implored us to do, believe and hope for the best…

The post Hits & Misses: Forever Young? Who’s At Short? A Flores For Your Thoughts? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Shin-Soo Choo: Could he be a target for the Mets this winter?

In a recent interview with Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog, ESPN’s Buster Olney talked about the free agent market, specifically how the Mets will have to approach the offseason in order to land some of the best players on the market:

For example, take Shin-Soo Choo, who is a free agent this fall. I think the Mets will have to do what the Mariners had had to do, in recent years with position players, and overpay Choo. He’s a terrific player, but they’ll be competing against other teams that are in a better position to win than the Mets. And the way you overcome that, if you’re the Mets, is to spend a lot of money. Is that the right thing to do? I don’t think you want to just spend a lot of money on a lot of different players and not know if it fits, just look at the Dodgers. But, at some point, you do have to have that foundation in place so that you can lure other players, veterans, to want to play for your team. And that’s going to be an important step for the Mets.

Olney is right to some extent. It makes sense that a team with the third-worst record in baseball would have trouble attracting free agents, but it will be important to see how the rest of the season plays out in order to judge to what extreme that will be the case. I’m not talking about whether the Mets make the playoffs, but more whether a free agent can look at the organization and see a team with a solid foundation. The Mets could finish a 70-win season led offensively by the likes of John Buck and Marlon Byrd, or they could finish with 70 wins with production coming from Juan Lagares, Jordany Valdespin, and others. A free agent could look at the team and see Shaun Marcum as the team’s second-best pitcher, or they could see Zack Wheeler, in which case, I think they would be much more willing to sign. This applies  more to free agents on the younger side rather than someone like Carlos Beltran, however, because it would mean the team is still a year or even two, away from being a contender. The Mets probably would not be going after anyone over 35 or 36 anyway, so that wouldn’t  be a problem.

Of course, if it were a choice between the Giants and Mets, a free agent would likely choose San Francisco, but if the Mets were to offer a little bit more, they could land that free agent. However, they would probably have to overpay possible 10 or even 20 million more if their record this year was “empty,” or mostly fueled by the production of veterans, with disappointing performances from Zack Wheeler, Travis d’Arnaud, and the other young players on the roster.

As for the free agent market itself, it is weak in comparison to past years, but there is still an opportunity for the Mets to make big upgrades. The market doesn’t have the same kind of depth that it has had in years past, likely fueled by more teams signing pre-arbitration players and young arbitration players to team-friendly extensions. A few of the younger prospective free agents signed long-term deals with their teams the past two years, including Carlos Gomez and Adam Wainwright, but again, there are still viable options available. Here is an early look at some of the players who could hit the market this winter:

• Corey Hart 1B/OF: Hart could be a solution at first base if Ike Davis’ struggles continue for the rest of the season, or in the outfield if Davis has a solid ending to the season. Hart, 31, is still out after having knee surgery in late-January, and has suffered a few setbacks. However, it is expected that he will return some time next month. This could make him at least a little bit cheaper if teams are afraid of this injury recurring. Hart has emerged as a pretty good power hitter, knocking 30 home runs last season, slugging .507, and posting a .358 wOBA.
• Shin-Soo Choo OF: Choo may be one of the best fits for the Mets, but he will come at a huge cost. He is a Scott Boras client and is having an incredible season, which will drive up his asking price tremendously. He has nine home runs through 45 games, on pace for a career-best. He has a .293/.441/.523 (his OBP is fluffed up by 12 HBPs) batting line this season along with five stolen bases. Choo will command a high price,, which makes him signing with the Mets less likely than Corey Hart.
•  Jacoby Ellsbury OF: Another Scott Boras client, however unlike Choo, Ellsbury is really struggling this season, and had a terrible year last season as well. Since putting up a .928 OPS with 32 home runs and 39 stolen bases in 2011, Ellsbury has just a .670 OPS with five home runs in 122 games. Looking at his career numbers, 2011 seems to be the outlier, and the only season Ellsbury showed any kind of power. Before 2011, he was only known as a speed guy. It’s really tough to say how much Ellsbury will cost because there are just so many things in play right now.
• Hunter Pence OF: Pence is one of the less flashy options that will be on the market come November, but he can provide much-needed power for the Mets. Pence is a very low On-Base Percentage guy who doesn’t walk much, but can hit 20 to 25 home runs. He had a down year by his standards last season, batting only .253 and was only slightly above league average with a 102 OPS+, however, he has bounced back this season with a 126 OPS+, seven home runs, and a .274 batting average through 48 games with the Giants.
• Matt Garza RHP: The Mets will have their hands full shoring up first base and the outfield, but may need to add a starting pitcher as well if Dillon Gee doesn’t improve. Garza, who just came off the DL, had a solid season last year, his second with Chicago, posting a 3.91 ERA in 103.1 innings. He missed the last two plus months with elbow problems. His value will be largely dictated on how he performs this season.
• Grant Balfour, RHP: Despite Alderson’s efforts, this year’s bullpen is only slightly better than last. Although there are some pieces that can be salvaged, they could need another back-end reliever. Balfour, 35, is on the older side but has been consistent, which you do’t often find with non-closer relief options (although Balfour has closed for parts of the past two seasons). Over the last four year, Balfour has an excellent 2.34 ERA in 211.1 innings.

Other Options: Ryan Madson and Joel Hanrahan are two low-risk, high reward relief options with proven track records who could fill out the bullpen. Other options at first base that may be a bit cheaper include Mike Napoli, Kendrys Morales, and Mike Morse. In the outfield, there is David Murphy, Delmon Young, Jeff Francoeur (laughs!), and Nelson Cruz.

Prospects like Zack Wheeler, Rafael Montero, Travis d’Arnaud, and others may end up being the keys to the Mets’ offseason plans. If they can succeed, the Mets could save quite a few million on a possible offseason spending spree. Those players will not only have an impact by playing well themselves, but could also help attract free agents.The Mets will have a ton of money to spend (that is, if the Wilpons are willing to fork over the money, which is another story entirely). Hopefully they’ll spend it right.

The post Featured Post: Examining The Upcoming Free Agent Market For Mets appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

For those of you that missed it, there was a strange play that took place during the Detroit Tigers’ 7-5 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night. Quite frankly, I’ve never seen anything like it before. Here’s what happened along with the accompanying video from MLB.com.

During the third inning with the Tigers trailing 4-2 and base runners Prince Fielder on third and Victor Martinez at second, Jhonny Peralta lined a single to right field to score Prince Fielder. It should have ended there, but Martinez rounded third and started chugging to third, opting to test the powerful arm of Jeff Francoeur.

The former Met fired a bullet to home that essentially made Martinez a dead duck. But instead of trying to barrel over Royals catcher Salvador Perez who had the plate blocked and was waiting for the slow-footed Tigers DH to make contact. Only a few feet from home plate, Martinez suddenly decides to make a hard right turn and proceeds to head to the dugout. The home plate umpire ruled Martinez out for running outside the baseline and there was never a play at the plate.

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There’s something seriously wrong here. I get that the oft-injured Victor Martinez was probably thinking of trying to avoid another stint on the DL, but still… There’s something wrong here. Seems like fans were denied a good old-fashioned baseball staple – the play at the plate.

The post Here Comes The Throw, Here Comes The Play At The Plate… Not. appeared first on Metsmerized Online.