The Mets started to make their initial free agency signings Wednesday as they added depth to both the starting rotation and the infield. They started the day by bringing in a player who spent his first eight season in the big leagues just a borough over, as they signed former Yankee Luis Severino to a one-year deal. The former Yankee is expected to be more of a middle-to-backend  piece for the Mets rotation as they continue to fill out their staff, but has some potential upside if he can rebound from a poor 2023 season. For a more in-depth look into the signing, click here!

Next, the Mets added some infield depth as they agreed to a one-year deal with former Marlins utility infielder Joey Wendle. Wendle, who can play many spots around the diamond, has garnered the reputation of being a reliable glove throughout his career. Despite having career lows in almost every offensive category last season, Wendle has shown the ability to be a good contact hitter when he is right and will hopefully fill the role that recently released Luis Guillorme was in. For a closer look into the Mets signing of Joey Wendle, click here!

Luis Severino. Photo credits USA Today

Latest Mets News

The Mets are reportedly going “full bore” in trying to land Japanese pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shōta Imanaga, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman adds that the Mets are “not messing around” and might not have it in them to completely fold to a year or two turn around. 

Luis Severino seems to be just the beginning of the Mets pitching signings as they are reportedly interested in former Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodríguez, per Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online. To learn more about the report, click here!

Latest MLB News

Former Minnesota Twins reliever Emilio Pagán signed with the Cincinnati Reds, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The two-year, $16 million deal (the second year is a player option) makes Pagán the highest-paid player on the Reds. For more on the signing, click here!

The Reliever of the Year Awards were announced for both leagues Wednesday night as Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers won in the National League and Félix Bautista of the Baltimore Orioles won in the American League. 

Nelson Cruz has found himself a new job as he is joining the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as an advisor, per Tenchy Rodriguez of Z Digital. The recently retired slugger stays in baseball after playing for 19 seasons and being the Dominican Republic’s general manager for their past World Baseball Classic run. 

Trade talks circulating around Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease have started to heat up in the last 48 hours according to a report by Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Morosi noted that some sources believe a deal could be done prior to the start of the winter meetings and that the Atlanta Braves are among the finalists. For more information on Cease, check out our trade profile on him!

Ryan Flaherty is expected to be named the Chicago Cubs’ new bench coach, per Brett Ghiroli of The Athletic. Flaherty was in the mix for the Padres head managing spot before they chose Mike Shildt, so he will now move to Chicago to join new manager Craig Counsell‘s staff in the same role he was in with San Diego. 

The Kansas City Royals agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with utilityman Garrett Hampson, per Robert Murray of FanSided.com. Hampson played in 98 games for the Marlins last season after spending five years in Colorado and has proven to be a plus defender in several positions. 

Former Mets and Padres pitcher Seth Lugo‘s market is heating up and the Dodgers are one of the teams interested, per Ari Alexander of KPRC2 of Houston. Alexander mentions how 2/3 of the league has shown interest in Lugo and that the Houston Astros are not one of those teams. 

Right-handed Reliever Penn Murfee and the Atlanta Braves came to an agreement on a major league deal, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. Since being waived by the Seattle Mariners, Murfee has been claimed and waived by the Mets and claimed and non-tendered by the Braves prior to agreeing to this deal. 

Bob Klapisch of the Newark Star-Ledger reported that any deal that would take place for San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto would be a one-year rental. He added that an MLB executive told him, “Scott Boras clients don’t do extensions.”

Veteran right-handed pitcher Jaime Barria agreed to a minor-league deal with the Cleveland Guardians, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Barria spent his first six seasons in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Angels before being granted free agency last month. 

The Major League Baseball Players Association elected two Minor League Association Player Representatives and two Alternate Association Player Representatives to serve two-year terms, per MLBPA. The elected Association Player Representatives are Cameron Junker of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Williams Simoneit of the Oakland Athletics; the alternate selections are A.J. Lewis of the Colorado Rockies and Jake Walters of the Miami Marlins. 

Liam Hendriks was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Tony Conigliaro Award, per Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. This award is given out by the Red Sox to the “major leaguer who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage that were trademarks of Tony C.”

Latest on MMO

Michael Mayer previewed the next matchup in Mets Madness as the 1973 Mets take on the 2007 Mets. 

Check out the update on Juan Soto’s trade situation between the Padres and Yankees. 

On This Date in Mets History

2012: David Wright signs an eight-year, $138-million extension with the Mets, which was the highest paying deal in team history at the time. 

2007: The Mets trade Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals and receive Brian Schneider and Ryan Church in return. 

Birthdays: DJ Stewart (30), Matt Lawton (52), Juan Berenguer (69), Craig Swan (73)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Make First Major Offseason Additions appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good Morning, Mets fans!

Latest Mets News 

Tim Healey of Newsday reported that the Mets have opened up their spring training facility, Clover Park, to the players.

Several members of the Mets team, including Brodie Van Wagenen and Pete Alonso, participated in yesterday’s #BlackOutTuesday movement on social media.

Mike Axisa of CBS Sports predicted the Mets would select Auburn right-hander Tanner Burns with their first pick in this year’s MLB Draft.

Latest MLB News 

Diamondbacks’ owner Ken Kendrick isn’t a fan of the counter-offer that the MLBPA proposed and is instead calling for no baseball to be played in November.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic talked to several predominant black ballplayers about the recent events that have encapsulated  America.

Rob Manfred sent out an internal memo to MLB Employees, regarding the steps Major League Baseball would take to improve its diversity.

The Rays sent out a powerful tweet, expressing their condolences for George Floyd and calling for the end of police brutality.

Mark Craig of The Athletic opines that MLB has to work on promoting inclusion within the game.

Thanks to the unrelenting fundraising efforts former Major-leaguer Burke Badenhop, Bowling Green will be able to reestablish its baseball team after cutting the program earlier in the year.

Latest on MMO

Rob Silverman wrote about Cleon Jones, the Mets’ first homegrown stud.

In solidarity with the #BlackOutTuesday social media movement, we refrained from posting any more articles during the rest of the day.

On This Day in Mets History 

Mets drafted a slew of future contributors on this date, including Darryl Strawberry (1980), Gregg Jefferies (1985), and Lastings Milledge (2003).

Birthdays: Zach Lutz (34), Carl Everett (49), Aaron Ledesma (49), Barry Lyons (60), Ed Glynn (67) and Jim Dwyer (70).

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Open Up Spring Training Facility To Players appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (5-2) held their home opener on Thursday and fell to the Washington Nationals (3-3) by a score of 4-0. Stephen Strasburg (1-0, 2.84 ERA) outdueled Noah Syndergaard (0-1, 4.50 ERA) as he tossed 6 2/3 innings and struck out nine batters, while surrendering only three hits, one walk and no runs.

Latest Mets News

The Mets are off for the second Friday in a row after their home opener. The team returns to action on Saturday at 1:10 p.m. EDT against the Nationals. Steven Matz (0-0, 1.69 ERA) will head to the mound and be opposed by Patrick Corbin (0-0, 3.00 ERA).

The Mets will being giving out Todd Frazier WWE bobbleheads to the first 25,000 fans for their Saturday matinee game.

Frazier started his rehab assignment with the St. Lucie Mets on Thursday. He played a full nine innings split between third base (five innings played) and first base (four innings played), and he went 0-for-4.

The Mets were not happy about their quick turnaround heading into their home opener. After their night game against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, two Mets were randomly drug tested before they could leave. Dominic Smith was one of the two and he had trouble producing a satisfactory amount of urine to be tested. When things wrapped up, the team finally left on their flight around 11:00 p.m. EDT. They did not get to Citi Field until about 3:00 a.m. EDT and then had to report back to the ballpark at 10:00 a.m. EDT for their 1:10 p.m. EDT game.

The Mets announced that they will honor the late beat reporter Marty Noble by saving him a spot in their press box.

The Mets officially placed Devin Mesoraco on the suspended list at Triple-A Syracuse according to Jacob Resnick of Mets Minors. He is not currently getting paid during his time on the list.

Ron Darling released a statement in which he stood by the recollections in his new book “108 Stitches,” but due to a legal threat, will not make any further comments regarding the recollections at this time.

Latest MLB News

Miguel Cabrera tied Ernie Banks for 29th most RBIs in MLB history with his 1,636th in the Detroit Tigers’ 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Gleyber Torres led the New York Yankees to an 8-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles as he went 4-for-4 with two home runs, two runs and four RBIs.

After having a fan ejected for cursing at him on Wednesday, Adam Jones followed it up by saying that fans should “keep the bantar polite” per ESPN.

“Keep it light, keep it smart,” Jones said. “There’s kids in the stadium. But the second you start cussing me out like I’m a little kid, that’s a no-no.”

Michael Hurley of CBS Boston wrote about why MLB must discipline umpire Ron Kulpa for his combativeness with the Houston Astros on Wednesday.

Latest NL East News

The current standings in the NL East have the Philadelphia Phillies (4-1, .800) in first, Mets (5-2, .714) in second, Nationals (3-3, .500) and Atlanta Braves (3-3, .500) tied for third and Marlins (2-5, .286) in last.

Maury Brown of Forbes wrote a piece discussing the historically-bad attendance rate that the Marlins are already experiencing this season.

Matt Snyder of CBS Sports gave four arguments as to why the Phillies should sign both Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Mathew Brownstein interviewed Darling and discussed his new book “108 Stitches.”

Matt Musico made some observations about Brandon Nimmo‘s slow start to the season.

Dilip Sridhar broke down Jacob deGrom‘s start and exactly what worked for him on his dominant 14-strikeout start on Wednesday.

John Sheridan continued his “3 Up, 3 Down” series following the Mets’ sweep of the Marlins.

Resnick listed some things to watch for around the Mets minor league affiliates during the 2019 MiLB season.

This Day in Mets History

1972: The Mets acquired All-Star right fielder Rusty Staub from the Montreal Expos in exchange for infielders Mike Jorgensen and Tim Foli, and outfielder Ken Singleton.

1976: The Mets and Tom Seaver agreed to a record three-year deal that made him the first pitcher in MLB history to earn $200,000 annually.

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Home Opener Spoiled By Strasburg, Nats appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Lastings Milledge knows all about growing up with lofty expectations.

Selected 12th overall in the 2003 MLB June Amateur Draft by the New York Mets out of Bradenton, Florida, Milledge was listed as the best 16-year-old in the country by Baseball America and later ranked as the best five-tool high school talent by the publication.

In 2006, and at just 21-years-old, Milledge was thrust into major league life as Xavier Nady hit the disabled list. He collected his first major league hit (a double) in his third at-bat on May 30 against Miguel Batista and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The talented young outfielder played in 56 games with the N.L. East Champion Mets in ’06, splitting time in both corner outfield spots.

With all the fanfare that comes with being a No. 1 pick by a team, so too, comes the criticism.

His first major league home run — a solo blast in the 10th with no one on and two outs — tied the game up at six against the San Francisco Giants at Shea. Upon returning to right field for the top of the 11th, an elated Milledge high-fived fans in the front row while jogging to his position.

The rookie was met with contempt by the media, with manager Willie Randolph telling the Florida-native to tone some of his actions down.

While Milledge endured some difficult and contentious moments throughout his career, which included a taped note above his locker at the end of the ’06 season that read, “Know Your Place, Rook,” Milledge counters that it afforded him the opportunity to learn and grow from his mistakes.

Seven years removed from playing his final game in the Major Leagues with the Chicago White Sox, Milledge, 33, has taken all the lessons he’s learned from his six years in the big leagues (plus four seasons in Japan and one in the Independent Leagues) to help nurture and assist the next generation of players.

Specifically, Milledge is on a noble quest: to afford opportunities for minority and less-fortunate kids to learn and play the game of baseball.

Along with his childhood friend and business partner, Logan Wells, Milledge has opened up two baseball academies near his hometown in Florida. The idea came about when the pair, along with Wells’ fiancee Ashley and Milledge’s wife DePree, were stationed in Milledge’s home during Hurricane Irma. While browsing the Internet, they came across a young man’s social media account, which featured several of his own baseball videos. Milledge and Wells were intrigued by the young teen’s swing, with Milledge comparing it to Andrew McCutchen‘s.

The pair got in contact with Kameron Wells, the African-American teen featured in the online videos. Milledge took Wells under his wing, intrigued by the prospect of helping the young player reach his full potential. He invited Wells to a showcase at Perfect Game, a youth baseball business that promotes amateur events, and one in which Milledge was an early pioneer in his young teens. From there, Wells demonstrated the strongest arm in the showcase and now attends Miami Dade College.

The experience with Wells and seeing his success sparked the idea for Milledge and Logan Wells to open up facilities in their local community.

The pair officially opened up their first facility, 1st Round Training, in Palmetto, Florida, in December 2017. They train and mentor kids as young as 2-years-old (yes, 2-years-old!) and recently opened up a second facility in Milledge’s hometown of Bradenton called Manatee Innercity Baseball.

Milledge is well aware of the various programs like RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities), which is designed to promote the game to kids in disadvantaged areas. However, Milledge has a different blueprint, one that entails a more hands-on approach to bringing the game to African-American children.

“We have got to get in there and really train the kids if we want to make an impact,” Milledge said. “I say we as ex-black American ballplayers, we as the MLB Union and we as Major League Baseball owners and players. If we really want to do something, then this is how it’s got to be done, and no other way.”

He opines that in order to promote the game and encourage minority kids to play baseball over the more popular and less expensive sports like basketball and football, there needs to be further involvement from communities, ex-black Major Leaguers, and a willingness to donate time to not only teach baseball but about life.

“The common goal was not to get to the big leagues, but to make you better as a person and set your bar higher than just getting a college degree or high school diploma. Setting the bar super high, and that’s what it’s all about right there,” Milledge said.

Milledge has also spent off-seasons attending youth basketball and football games, speaking to parents and asking them about their children’s possible participation in baseball. The former major league veteran is doing his own due diligence in seeking answers and motives from these parents and hopes to continue to drum up interest for the game that gave him so much.

His passion and sincerity for helping a new generation of kids are immediately evident when speaking to Milledge. He implores others who have been afforded similar opportunities in the game to take notice of the blueprint he’s set up and continue to provide an outlet for the African-American community.

Being a kid that grew up in the inner city and received help in pursuing his own dreams, Milledge comes full circle now as someone that can assist in a young kid’s life and dreams.

I had the privilege of speaking with Milledge in late May, where we discussed his baseball facilities in Florida, what his ultimate goals are, and the controversial high five-game.

MMO: Talk to me about how you started 1st Round Training in Palmetto, Florida. When did you start it, and what did you hope to accomplish with opening the facility?

Milledge: It started roughly around the time of Hurricane Irma. One of my dear friends, who I grew up playing baseball with, and his parents helped me out. They all came over to my place. I stayed more inland, and they’re right on the water, so they were in the flood zone. His brother Rick Wells is the sheriff of the county, and he ordered everyone in that flood zone to evacuate. Instead of driving 15 hours to Georgia, where the storm ended up hitting anyway, they came inland 20 minutes to my house.

We kind of just boarded up, and we were looking on the Internet and messing around looking at different guys’ swings, watching a little bit of football; just trying to enjoy it as long as we could before the power would go out.

We came across a young man’s swing which Logan [Wells] showed me. From there, I told him I really wanted to get in contact with the kid because I think he had something special, and he reminded me a lot of Andrew McCutchen back in the day, minus the speed.

I got hold of him, and he was very flattered that I wanted to help him. He knew who I was, and he was ready to get to work. I told him, ‘I’ll make it happen. We just have to both put our heads together because we’re 690 miles away from each other.’

We made it work. I talked to his parents, and we started to immediately get to work. Long story short, he was a JV guy last year and not so confident. I got with him and showed him a couple of things. He always had the talent; I didn’t teach him the talent level. But it’s the confidence and how we work at the pinnacle of the sport, how we work in the big leagues vs. how you work in high school or collegiality. I just showed him how we do it, how I did it, how guys that I played with that are Hall of Famers did it.

I showed him how to work, and this year he ended up hitting .400 with five home runs. I went to one of his games and I saw his first home run, and from there I was like, I just want to start doing this more for the black community.

You know and I know what it is; there’s no need to even get into it, it’s national news every year. I was like, I just have to start doing this for more minority kids and black Americans to bring them into the game. Everybody says, “Yeah, yeah, RBI [program], and we need to do this and need to do that.” They donate a couple of balls and a couple of gloves, but that’s not going to do anything. We have got to get in there and really train the kids if we want to make an impact. I say we as ex-black American ballplayers, we as the MLB Union, and we as Major League Baseball owners and players. If we really want to do something, then this is how it’s got to be done, and no other way.

We have to get hands-on and not just throw a couple hundred thousand dollars or a million dollars around and divvy it up between the whole nation and think we’re going to make waves. We’ve got to get hands-on and get these kids trained up and put them in the best position possible to get a college scholarship. That’s what it’s all about.

MMO: In the latest Major League Baseball Racial and Gender Report Card, the numbers show that just 7.7 percent of players on major league Opening Day rosters were African-American, which matches the lowest percentage since MLB began tracking the numbers in 1991. You mention being more hands-on in training and development. Along those lines, what else do you feel needs to be done to get more African-American youths participating in baseball?

Milledge: The thing about it is the participation is there; let’s not get it confused. The interest is there, it’s just not possible for these kids to play. It’s not possible because rec ball is at an all-time low now. Nobody wants to go to the Little League World Series anymore, and nobody cares about the Little League World Series anymore. People are more into Cal Ripken [Baseball] and travel ball being the leading organizations in youth sports now.

I think that the interest is there; it’s the money that’s dividing everything. I would say baseball is more expensive than golf now with the travel ball and everything like that. It’s $1,000 a weekend to go travel regardless, even if you’re going thirty miles away from home. I can go 30 miles away from home to St. Pete Beach, and for me to hang out and have a nice weekend, it’s going to be $700-800. There are no more $50 rooms anymore; everything’s $120-140.

Nowadays, it’s a business with travel ball. Guys are making a living on travel ball, and I’m not faulting those guys because they’re donating their time. You can’t do anything for free, per se, if you weren’t fortunate enough to play Major League Baseball for ten to twelve years and make millions of dollars.

I get it; they’re donating their time and wanting to get compensated. That’s just how the world is. You put in the work and get paid. You can’t fault those guys, but at the end of the day, it’s the kids in the urban areas that are suffering, and they’re forced to play basketball or football because rec ball or for football, Pop Warner, and all of that stuff is huge.

Now you’ve got the seven-on-seven leagues and the flag leagues, so these kids are playing year-round. It’s safer because they’re playing flag for half of the year, and then they’re playing contact for three months out of the year. They’re getting better without putting the stress on their bodies with playing 20 or 30 games.

Now, these kids are getting more reps without playing three months and waiting nine months to be competitive again. Basketball and football were already drawing interest from the urban kids, but now it’s even drawing a bigger interest. Not only is it cheap, but you can play it damn near eight months out of the year.

The thing about how do we do something? I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but you’ve got to do the blueprint that I’ve been doing. You have to create the nonprofits and have the people in the community get behind you. I can want it all day for the kids, but if the community doesn’t want to get behind it, there’s nothing else I can do. My hands are tied.

It’s almost like Lastings Milledge the person, Lastings Milledge the baseball player, Lastings Milledge the ex-major leaguer; he’s here and he has a facility; let’s just keep it going.

Honestly, that’s the only way. It’s the only way. I’m sorry to say it but when you’ve made $10-12 million, who wants to be bothered with a whole bunch of kids all day? Not everybody has my passion, and you can’t fault them for that because they’ve dedicated their whole lives to the game and they just want to be done with it.

They may want to enjoy life and play golf and enjoy their parents while they’re getting older. I get it. This is what it’s going to take; it’s going to take ex-major leaguers, guys who the kids can YouTube, guys who they can see and touch the success of. My kids come to my house; they see the success.

They see the Maserati I’m driving; they also see the ’98 beat-up truck I’m driving, too. But they can see the success, and that’s very, very essential. They can see that this guy worked hard and he had success. Having success isn’t always about being a pro, or getting to the big leagues. It can be saving $100,000 on a D1 scholarship. Or even a D2, it’s money anyway.

I do think a little bit differently than other people. At the end of the day, it’s for the common goal of bringing the kids to baseball. To train them the right way so they know the right information and, ultimately, keeping kids out of debt and getting their school paid for free while playing the game, that’s all.

MMO: I read that you also opened up another facility called Manatee Innercity Baseball in Bradenton. Is that a similar facility to 1^st Round Training?

Milledge: Yes, it’s similar. Obviously, I have more white Americans, people in the 25-30 percent tax bracket that are able to come and pay $60 for 45 minutes. They have the money, and they also want the information. I don’t do it by myself; I have Logan, whose parents helped me out and believed in me because they knew my passion at an early age.

I was being groomed at nine-ten years old on how to carry yourself in the corporate world. If you’ve got a million dollars, what would you do with it? I knew that by the time I was thirteen. I’m not tooting my own horn, but you could’ve given me a million dollars at thirteen, and I would’ve done the same exact thing that I did with it today: pay my parents’ house off and pay their credit cards off for me, putting them in debt by going to USA Baseball and traveling all over the world and country.

All of this stuff is what Manatee Innercity Baseball is exposing these kids to. Not only learning this game and bringing them to the game, but also teaching them how to be successful. Not a million dollars, not $100,000; it could be $40,000 or $30,000 a year. Knowing what to do with it and learning how to be a good humanitarian is what Manatee Innercity Baseball is all about.

Lastings Milledge, Photo from 1st Round Training’s Instagram

MMO: And when did that open up?

Milledge: It opened up roughly five and a half weeks ago. But we’ve been doing non-profit work ever since the day we started. Ever since the day that I reached out to Kam Wells and we started doing that, that’s really when the non-profit work really started.

We didn’t know what name or what outcome it was going to be. All we knew was if anybody wants it, they can get it. They can get the information, they can get the blueprint and everything like that. The non-profit work started about eight months ago, but officially, about five and a half-six weeks ago.

MMO: I also read in the “Where Are They Now” Baseball America piece, that you spend the off-season attending youth football and basketball games to talk to African-American parents about their children trying baseball. What gave you the idea to go about doing something like that? Have you seen further interest and involvement from those you have spoken to?

Milledge: Yes, and the reason why I started going to the games and why I started interacting with the parents is because – I’m sorry to say it – but you, as a reporter, don’t know. You can’t go to every African-American mother and ask them why their kids aren’t playing baseball because you may not be diverse, and that’s not a thing that’s against you. People are used to what they’re used to. That’s not a knock on them; that’s just not what they’re around. With that being said, a lot of the media doesn’t know the true, true answer. They can only speculate.

I started going and asking and bringing in a couple of kids off the street, like literally off the street and bringing them in and saying, ‘Look, come to my cage tomorrow at five.’ They’re going to say yes because they see my Maserati. Okay, that’s fine; I got you in.

I wanted to get the true facts. I don’t want to speculate; I want to ask. Every time it’s, “Well, I can’t travel. I work three jobs, and I just can’t afford it.” I can’t afford it, and I don’t have time to get my kid to practice because, with football, everybody carpools and stays in the same neighborhoods. Baseball is not like that. [With] baseball, you can be separated by fifteen miles.

Johnny is not going to pick up Lastings if Lastings stays 15 miles outside the city in a rough area. That’s the ugly side of it. If you’re making a million dollars, you’re not coming to the hood; that’s just [being] honest.

You know how I am; I shoot it straight. I’ve been shooting it straight since I was 19, which is probably why that got me into a lot of trouble. [Laughs.] Now [that] I’m away from the game, I can really give the answers of what people are looking for, what people are really speculating on. I can give them the true answers.

This is what an inner-city parent is thinking about; these are what my parents were thinking about, and yes, I was in the inner city, but my parents made good money, decent money. Not enough money to be traveling all over the country. I needed help, and it was a team that helped me.

I want to be able to give the kids what I received from parents that believed in me that wasn’t so diverse. It was new for them to be around a different culture, so they learned with me.

I had to learn how to conduct myself around corporate people at nine and ten years old. I had to learn as well, and everybody learned and came together for one common goal. The common goal was not to get to the big leagues but to make you better as a person and set your bar higher than just getting a college degree or high school diploma. Setting the bar super high, and that’s what it’s all about right there.

MMO: What drew you to baseball over football and basketball growing up?

Milledge: It was a family business for me. My dad got drafted, my middle brother got drafted, and my oldest brother got drafted. They all had raw talent, but they could never put it on display.

My parents couldn’t afford to send two of my brothers to $450 camps. That was just the luck of their draw, where they were only separated by two and a half years. Everything that had to be invested at that time was double. When camp cost $400, it was $800. When it cost $250, it cost $500. That was a little bit of luck for me because I was the only kid separated by nine years, so that played a kind of big role where my parents could invest a lot in me because I was the only kid left in the household.

MMO:  Do you have any further plans to open more baseball facilities?  Do you envision branching it out outside of Florida?

Milledge: We want to start in our area first. I already have Kam on board to where if you foresee something four or five years down the road, well, every kid that I help I want them to start what I’m doing for them in their respective communities. That’s how we grow. Not just Lastings Milledge and Logan Wells growing this thing globally, it’s going to take the kids who have been taught to have the domino effect.

When we’re all dead and gone, hopefully we have so many facilities around for the urban community.

MMO: As a baseball instructor at the amateur level, do you have any interest in potentially returning to the professional side one day as a coach or manager?

Milledge: Probably not. I like the amateur world. In Major League Baseball, you’ve got to put your time in. You’ve got to start all over in the minor leagues again, where I feel like I should be higher. Maybe not in the big leagues but somewhere around Double-A or Triple-A, because that’s where the kids need the most mentoring.

It’s not all about coaching; these kids are not going to get any better because they have the talent that they’re going to go to the big leagues with. What’s going to separate those guys is the mentorship. How to handle yourself off the field and how to handle yourself when you’re getting $550,000 a year and $30,000 every two weeks. That right there is what the kids need because Minor League Baseball doesn’t prep you for the big leagues. The big leagues prep you for the big leagues; the minor leagues just give you repetition.

It’ll be really tough to mentor professional young kids. Can I do it? Absolutely. Will I ever shut the door? Absolutely not. But right now I think my niche is the amateur level because I can make some type of movement being in the amateur community versus being in the professional community.

When you’re a professional, you’re not a part of the amateur universe and everything they have to do to become a professional. I want to be the guy who has everything to do with becoming a professional, and then once you’re a professional, you take it to the next level, which is being the best professional possible.

MMO: Looking back on your own career and experience with handling the pressures of being a number one pick, how do you feel you handled the lofty expectations that were placed on you at a young age?

Jake Roth/USA Today Sports

Milledge: I knew the expectations were going to come. I knew from day one what I was getting myself into; the contract that I signed, how to handle myself in the media, and how to talk.

As far as the expectations, as I said, I knew what I signed up for. I just always wanted to be the best player I could be. I wanted to be Lastings Milledge; I didn’t want to be David Wright or Jose Reyes or Willie Mays. I didn’t want to be those guys because each one of those guys does something different; they’re Willie Mays and Jose Reyes for a reason. That’s their name; that’s their product. They are their own player.

I always grew up just wanting to be like my dad, so I really didn’t want to be anybody else but my dad. To have the success that my dad had and also be the player that I could be, that’s who I wanted to be like. I never really put pressure on myself or tried to deliver goods that everybody else wanted me to deliver. I just always wanted to deliver the goods that I knew I could do and deliver the goods from the abilities that I had. Not the abilities that somebody else had; there’s no way for me to duplicate, replicate, or clone any other player that somebody else wanted me to be.

At the end of the day, I wouldn’t change anything that I did because it’s a win-win either way. Some of the things that maybe I could’ve done differently or done better if I would’ve been perfect, I would’ve never known that. I wouldn’t say I would do anything differently because I’ve learned such a valuable lesson on how to handle different situations and things like that. Of course, we can go back to 2003 or 2007 or whatever; yeah, I’ll have the answer key, so of course, I’ll turn out better.

When life hits you from all different angles, when you get married and have kids, how are you going to adjust to that? Learning stuff at a young age and having a couple of bumps along the road, they’re good bumps. I never went to jail; I always stayed out of trouble and things like that. I was just always me, so that was other people’s problem. It wasn’t mine or my best friend’s or the people who I dealt with. They never had a problem with me, but everybody else did. As you say, you’re not going to make everyone happy; I can’t even make my own mom happy 100 percent of the time. [Laughs.]

The thing that I always did is I made sure that I did my job 100 percent. I can sleep at night and know that I played the game 100 percent and played the game hard every day. I had a passion for the game, which some of that passion – quote-unquote – had some of you guys not liking me and thinking I was arrogant. Which is okay. At the end of the day, I was happy, and that’s all that matters.

I was doing something that I love doing. Something that I knew at a young age I was going to be in one way or another. I knew I was going to play in the big leagues someday. I accomplished that, so anything else I don’t really worry about what people write about me. It is unfair and it does suck. Have I cried? Absolutely. Have I thought the world was against me? Absolutely. At the end of the day, I’m happy. I’m happy with the way things started. I’m happy with the way things ended, and I’m happy with what I’m doing now.

Anybody else, it doesn’t matter what you like. It doesn’t matter if you wanted me to be better than Willie Mays or David Wright; I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to you because you’re not me.

MMO: Your first major league home run on June 4th drew controversy for you giving fans high fives in the front row after you hit it to tie the game up in the 10^th inning against the San Francisco Giants. Looking back at it all these years later, what are your thoughts from that game and some of the backlash you got over it?

Milledge: With me, I didn’t care. I didn’t care what anybody thought. That was if you wanted to say anything that I could’ve changed, yes, probably that. I was so naive to the fact that people could make something so negative from something that’s every kid’s dream.

Most people hit their first home runs when it really doesn’t matter. I tied it up in extra innings with two outs. It’s like, Hey, how about anybody who’s writing negative stuff get to home plate, turn 97 mph around for your first time ever, at the pinnacle of the sport, on national television, on a national stage, and tell me what you would’ve done. Tell me if you would’ve done anything better.

I felt like it was right because three kids put their hands out and they actually wanted me to sign their ball when I was running out. I knew I couldn’t sign in the middle of the game, so I just gave them a high five. Then everybody gravitated down, and then what am I supposed to do? A lot of people don’t understand that. If you look at the video – if they still have the video – you’ll see what happened.

The backlash is unfair, but you can’t make everybody happy. Some people are not going to like it; some will love it. Some people are going to say they love it but really think you’re an asshole. It’s like, I’m not worried about what those people think. I know I did the right thing. I know I had an emotional moment, and it was great.

I wouldn’t change anything about it.

Travel Japan Blog

MMO: You spent four seasons playing in Japan for the Yakult Swallows. How would you describe your time there and the major differences you found between Major League Baseball and Japanese baseball?

Milledge: Playing in Japan is ten times tougher than playing in the big leagues, and I’ll tell you why. Number one is the culture change. The thirteen-hour difference is so critical because it takes you roughly six months to get used to the first time I went there. The expectations are super high, and the media is bigger because you’re a country now; you’re not just the state. You see it with all of the Asian guys when they come over. How much media follows Shohei Ohtani? How much media follows Masahiro Tanaka? How much media followed Dice-K and Yu Darvish?

The stage is actually bigger in Japan than it is in the United States pound for pound. There’s no lower-level MLB team, no matter what team you play for, and no matter how many losses, it’s still the pinnacle of the sport. If you take the lower end of the MLB, pound for pound, Japan is up there. The lower-end teams [in Japan] still drive in 12-15,000 fans per game. It’s louder, and it’s just a bigger stage, honestly.

It’s such a world game, but over there, everybody’s Japanese except for the foreigners. That’s a difference in itself right then and there, and there’s still some history and bad blood with Americans and Japanese; you see that quite often. More often than not, they’re great people, and they want to see you do well. At the same time, you still have to deal with racism, just like you have to deal with racism here; that’s no secret.

You have two spring trainings and practices are more in-depth. All in all, it’s just tougher on the body. In the big leagues, it’s super easy; everything’s laid out and everything is five-star.

It’s a stricter regimen [in Japan], it really is. It’s really tough, man. It’s not as easy as people think. Oh yeah, you go wash up in Japan, it’s like no, these guys are good. You’re paying the same guys who you’re saying is from a weak league; you’re turning around and paying their stars one hundred million dollars. So if they’re not that good, why aren’t you paying them $500,000?

That league is a very good league, and it makes it even tougher because of the strike zone. The strike zone is a lot bigger, and the umpires are not as skilled as the big league umps. You’ve got guys like Ohtani that are getting three or four inches off the plate; good luck! When I was facing Tanaka, he was getting four inches off the plate in and out. Good luck!

It just goes back to the same thing that I said before: people speculate, but they really don’t know the answers. I know the answers, and a lot of people will look at me crazy and say no, but the talent level is less. Yes, pound for pound, player for player, yes. But what about the preparation? Who cares about the game? The game is the easiest part anyway. It’s the preparation, everything that goes on before the game.

I’ve got to do a walk and reflection at 11:45 in the morning. I’ve got to walk three miles and reflect on life, and then I’m tired when I get to the field. It’s not just wake up, go to practice, and get ready for the game.

No, It’s waking up at 10:45, doing a walk and reflection at 11:45, and that walk and reflection take two hours. You go have lunch from 1 to 1:45, and then practice is at 3:00. Practice from 3-5, and then you’ve got an hour and a half left before you’ve got to go to the game. You’ve got to show up in the dugout an hour before the game because you’ve got to do four infield/outfield every single day, one hundred and forty-two times a year. Two spring trainings at 30 days a pop. You’re almost taking two hundred infields a year; that’s what people don’t understand. It’s extreme.

MMO: I can’t thank you enough for some time, Lastings. It was great to catch up with you and find out more about what you’re doing in your community. Best of luck with the facilities.

Milledge: Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Follow Lastings Milledge on Twitter, @1stRdTraining

Visit Milledge’s site here.

The post MMO Exclusive: Former Mets’ First-Rounder, Lastings Milledge 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.

The Eastern League named Cesar Puello of @bmets the player of the month for June #mets

— Mets Farm Report (@MetsFarmReport) July 8, 2013

Cesar Puello, who was already having a solid year heading into the month of June, went into another gear before the calendar flipped to July. Last Monday, I talked about the type of month he had for the B-Mets, but every time I look at his June numbers, I have to pick my jaw up off the floor.

The outfielder was limited to just 17 games and 68 at-bats due to a finger injury, but that didn’t slow his production. Actually, he accumulated more home runs (eight) and RBIs (24) in June than he had in either of the previous two months. Combine that with a .441/.465/.897 line, and he had a pretty special month. That line yielded him an OPS of 1.362. And no, that’s not a typo.

The only knock on his game last month was the amount of walks he drew. He only collected two free passes, which were by far his lowest monthly total. Puello hasn’t drawn a walk since June 7th. I’ll get into this more in the afternoon, but I’m not very worried about his lack of walks. Plus, if he’s hitting .441 and slugging .897, I want the man to swing the bat!

Congratulations to Cesar on being named the EAS player of the month for June. I can safely assume that most of us saw this honor coming his way.

By the way, here’s a second look at some of the fantastic original content that was produced by our Mets Minors staff this week:

Pitcher of the Week: Jacob deGrom

Player of the Week: Jayce Boyd

Top Ten Prospect Tracker: Week 13

Meet the Mets: Jack Leathersich

What Will Become of Mejia?

Prospect Time Machine: Lastings Milledge

Boom or Bust: Matt den Dekker

My First Professional Game as a Sports Writer

Lucie Logistics: Plawecki and Boyd Adjusting Well to Life in FSL, Bowman on his Game

Allan Dykstra: From First Round Bust to EAS All Star

As always, we appreciate you coming along for the ride with us… Here’s to another fantastic week of Mets Minor League baseball!

(Photo credit: Gordon Donovan)

The post Puello Named Eastern League Player of the Month appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets have drafted 72 outfielders in the first 5 rounds (top 100 picks) during the 48 year history of the MLB draft. Of those 72, 18 made it to the majors.

Of those 18, six of them enjoyed what can only be described as cups of coffee with a variety of teams. They were, John Gibbons (24th overall 1980), John Christensen (38th overall 1981), Terry Blocker (4th overall 1981), Stan Jefferson (20th overall 1983), Rod Gaspar (40th overall 1967), Ike Blessitt (56th overall 1967).

Seven had careers as back-ups or bench players:

Lastings Milledge: (12th overall 2003) A toolsy outfielder out of Bradenton, Florida, once ranked as the best 16 year old player in the nation by Baseball America. He was considered by many a top three pick who fell to 12th overall because of a history of sexual misconduct. Lastings was much maligned in the Met clubhouse for his enthusiasm on the field and his choice of music in the clubhouse and was eventually traded to the Nationals. His best season was 2008 with the Nationals when he hit 14 homers and had 61 RBI’s. He is currently playing with the Yahult Swallows in Japan.

Jason Tyner: (21st overall 1998) Speedy outfielder out of Texas A& M was traded to the Rays and had one good season with them when he stole 31 bases in 105 games and hit .280. With various stints with Minnesota and Cleveland in the ensuing years he mostly bounced back and fort from AAA to the majors as a back-up.

Jay Payton: (29th overall 1992) Spent several seasons after being traded by the Mets as a 4^th outfielder bench player type. Had a couple of seasons as a regular and one really good season (2003) with Colorado when he hit 28 home runs with .302 average, but never really established himself anywhere.

Shawn Abner: (1st overall 1984) Labeled a “can’t miss” prospect, Shawn never played up to his potential and was eventually traded to San Diego in the Kevin McReynolds deal where he played occasionally. His best season was 1992 with the White Sox when he hit .279 in 208 at bats.

Kal Daniels: (58th overall 1982 but did not sign with the Mets in the January phase, signed with Cincinatti in the June phase). Had a couple of pretty good seasons with Cincinnati and one excellent season with the Dodgers when he hit 27 home runs and had 94 RBI with a .296 average.

Herm Winningham: (9th overall 1981) – became a useful bench player and pinch hitter over several seasons with Montreal / Cincinnati.

Randy Milligan: (3rd overall 1981) several seasons of 20 or more doubles, one 20 home run season (1990) with the Orioles. Walked a lot — had a career OBP of .391 – but otherwise unremarkable.

Only five Mets first round selections out of 72 ended up as All-Stars:

Lee Mazzilli: (14th overall 1973) His best seasons were 1979 and 1980, he got on base, stole bases (41 steals in 1989), and had decent pop with 15 and 16 home runs respectively in those two seasons. Mazzilli was an All-Star in 1979 and was the best player on the Mets for several of the dark late 70’s years otherwise I would have probably included him in the former primarily “back-up” list — he became more well known as a pinch hitter and bench player later in his career.

Darryl Strawberry: (1st overall 1980) Perennial All-Star MVP candidate. One of the greatest players of his generation. Central figure in outstanding Mets teams during the late 1980’s including the 1986 World Series winner. Greatest Right Fielder in club history.

Ken Singleton: (3rd overall 1967). Was traded in 1972 for Rusty Staub. Singleton went on to be a perennial middle of the order All-Star with Montreal and Baltimore. Ended up with 246 career homers and 1065 RBI’s over a 15 year Major League career. Singleton was part of the Baltimore Orioles 1983 World Series winner.

Jeromy Burnitz: (17th overall 1990) Solid Major League outfielder with good power and decent defense mostly with the Brewers. Had 5, 30 + homer seasons and 4 seasons of 100 or more RBI.

Todd Hundley: (39th overall 1987) drafted as an outfielder, Hundley spent most of his career as a catcher. had two All Star seasons and one MVP caliber season (1996), During the height of the steroid era his power jumped from 16 and 15 home runs in 1994 and 1995 to 40 and 30 home runs respectively in 1996 and 1997. Hundley was featured prominently in the Mitchel report as both a user of steroids and a person known for connecting other players with means and access to PED’s.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

In the 48 years since the draft was first instituted, the Mets have drafted five outfielders in the first five rounds who ended up having careers as Major League regulars. Four when you consider one was really a catcher. 48 years, 4 players. That’s one player every 12 years.

David Schoenfield of ESPN recently pointed out that the last time the Mets drafted an all star was 2002 (Scott Kazmir). Prior to that you have David Wright in 2001 and then you have to go back to Bobby Jones, who was drafted in 1991.  People talk a lot about spending on free agents, but when you look at teams who’ve spent recently, the Yankees, the Angels, and the Dodgers, you realize spending big on free agents doesn’t guarantee anything in today’s game. The Mets, as a team, are not struggling solely because they haven’t spent on free agency, they’re struggling because they haven’t drafted well. Teams are becoming better at locking up young exceptional players to long term deals and free agency no longer provides the panacea of talent it once did.

If the Mets are to build a winner they have to do it through the draft, and historically Met drafts have been littered with busts and question marks, particularly in the outfield. The Mets could help themselves tremendously if they pick the right players in today’s draft. I like Hunter Renfroe for his power and defense and as a college player he could progress quickly. Austin Wilson might be a good one, Aaron Judge is another with a huge presence (6’7″) and massive power potential. I also like Billy McKinney for his outstanding bat speed. We should have a shot at at least one of these guys.

Whomever the Mets select today and tomorrow, if they are to field a competitive team in the next few years they’re going to need some decent young outfielders, and relying on free agency may not provide the quality and consistency a championship team requires. A case in point, next year’s free agent outfield pool is headlined by the likes of Hunter Pence and Shin-Soo Choo … decent players to be sure, but not exactly game-changers.

You could go the trade rout, but trades are always a risk as you have to give to get, and given the current Mets farm system, the Mets would almost certainly be giving up pitching talent — something I’d be hesitant to do when you consider pitching is what wins in the playoffs and good pitching is exceedingly hard to come by. Nope, if the Mets want to develop a championship caliber outfield I think the best bet is to focus on drafting some solid outfielders … a scary premise historically for the Mets.

The post The Mets’ Hardscrabble History Of Drafting Outfielders appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

So, just how important is the ingredient of clubhouse chemistry to the relative success of a team? My feeling is that the degree of significance is in opposite proportion to the on-field success of the player involved. One former Met whose flinty personality rubbed people the wrong way everywhere he played was Jeff Kent, yet his undeniable offensive prowess (in more ways than one, I guess) led to a HOF-caliber career which included several seasons in the same lineup as Barry Bonds, no paragon of social niceties himself. In retrospect, the Mets trade of Kent for Carlos Baerga was a total clunker as Kent’s level of production exploded to All-Star level just as Baerga’s went into the tank. But at the time, Baerga was an All-Star who was younger than Kent and who carried none of the baggage associated with Kent, whose primary offense in a Met uniform was refusing to participate in a rookie ritual that involved wearing a ridiculous outfit for a team trip.

Team management saw the opportunity to swap a player they saw as having a somewhat negative effect on team harmony for a proven performer and they went for it. History has shown this to be one in a litany of bad trades that Met fans would just as soon forget, but you can’t argue with the logic at the time.  Add to this the fact that Indians management saw nothing wrong with spinning Kent off in the trade that landed him in San Francisco (where stardom followed) and you can’t really jump on poor Joe McIvaine’s case too hard. Once in Giant livery, Kent reeled off a string of tremendous seasons that culminated in arguably one of the greatest careers of any second baseman in MLB history. But he was still regarded as a major-league prick. I guess most teams would have put up with that aspect of his game as long as the rest of it was intact.

Another interesting chapter in the DSM of Metdom involved one Randall K. Myers and wunderkind batsman Gregg Jefferies. Jefferies, as you undoubtedly recall, was perhaps the most heralded Mets hitting prospect ever outside of Darryl Strawberry. Fans were regaled with tales of his incredible switch-hitting talents, honed through a variety of batting drills such as the semi-weird “swinging underwater in a pool” routine that the sports press of the time delighted in recounting. Upon his arrival, young Gregg looked to be the real thing, ripping off an impressive month at the end of the 1988 season and challenging the team to find a way to fit him into the same infield as Howard Johnson, the incumbent at Jefferies preferred position of third base.

After shifting the rookie across the diamond to second, the team received satisfactory offensive performance from him over the next two seasons, including a league leading 40 doubles in 1990. But prior to that campaign, the team had seen fit to trade Myers, a fireballing lefty reliever, to the Reds for his veteran counterpart and future Mets Hall-of-Famer John Franco. Not a terrible swap in retrospect, but at the time many wondered why the Mets would exchange a talent of Myers’ ilk for a player two years older who relied primarily on a deceptive change-up as an out pitch. The role of closer was one that most felt was better served by the blazer of young Randall K., and so inquiries as to the motivation of management with respect to the trade were made.

Revelations were forthcoming to the effect that the clubhouse friction between Myers and Jefferies was such that it was deemed best for all concerned to “keep ‘em separated,” to borrow a song lyric. Jefferies had been noted as being especially fussy about his bats and other equipment, and had garnered a reputation as a bit of a prima donna due to his helmet flinging episodes following strikeouts. Following reports that Myers had conspired with fellow bullpen denizen Roger McDowell to saw several of Jefferies bats in half and perhaps bring the youngster down a peg or two, it was made clear that the front office preferred to remove elements of controversy from the clubhouse. The element chosen was the self-styled cowabunga warrior Myers, a change that management hoped would help the more sensitive Jefferies flourish.  He did, ultimately, making the All-Star team and challenging for a batting title in 1993-for the St. Louis Cardinals. Prior to that, he had been part of the trade package put together to bring Bret Saberhagen to New York after his various peccadilloes had become less bearable in light of his merely competent level of production.

Another notorious bête noire of Met clubhouse history was former first-rounder Lastings Milledge whose escapades are still relatively fresh in the mind of the average Met fan. Now consigned to showing up opponents and teammates in Japan, the young Mr. Milledge arrived in 2006 with a reputation for trouble already established but with his talent still largely a promise of things to come. After two seasons in the Orange and Blue, he was sent packing to Washington for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider, worthy enough role players but lacking any star power of the type hinted at by some aspects of Milledge’s game.  When his potential for stardom failed to materialize after that, he drifted to Pittsburgh, then on to the south side of Chicago before opting for the Far East. Still only 28, he may have finally found himself as a player with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. One can only hope that he has overcome the habits that lead to the posting of the infamous “Know Your Place, Rook” sign in his locker by Met teammate Billy Wagner.

A more unusual aspect of the “player as clubhouse distraction” syndrome was noted during the 2004 and 2005 seasons when Anna Benson, the wife of the contrastingly low-key Met pitcher Kris Benson, arrived on the scene.  The combination of Mrs. Benson’s startlingly frank pronouncements on virtually everything with behavior such as appearing as a va-va-voom version of “Mrs. Claus” at the Met annual Christmas charity function combined to lead to a trade with Baltimore sending her husband out of town after a season and a half. That the male Benson’s apparent talent level was that of an eminently replaceable back-of-rotation starter probably contributed to his exit as well. Had he displayed more in the way of dominant pitching skills, the team’s tolerance for the more “colorful” aspects of his spouse’s persona might have been greater.

So, what of the Mets’ current bad boy? I expect that as long as whatever contributions he makes on the field outweigh the perceived negative effect of his extra-curricular antics, he will stick around. At this point, the team hasn’t done a lot to enhance his trade value anyway.  Considering the organization’s history though, I imagine that if circumstances conspire to raise his baseball value in the estimation of any general manager not named Alderson, he could be on his way somewhere in the relatively near future. Maybe someone will be enticed to take him for a “’Spin?”

The post Prima Donnas and Clubhouse Chemistry: A Met Perspective appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

With Twitter, Facebook and blogs – both mainstream and otherwise – available throughout the 24/7/365 news cycle, it’s impossible to not transfer that meme to those that cover and watch sports.  On Saturday, Jordany Valdespin took one to the forearm a day after he embarrassingly celebrated a home run during a Pirates blowout win.  What resulted was talk about the validity of Pittsburgh’s Bryan Morris‘ actions, and how the Valdespin’s teammates reacted. Instead of continuing this news “filler,” let me set everyone straight as to what the deal is with Valdespin.

First, Jordany Valdespin is nothing more than a backup player. He isn’t the future, nor is he a clone of Jose Reyes, the answer in the outfield or infield, or some sort of energizer for a slumping offense. He possesses poor plate discipline and is an average defender, at best, at any position. His career MILB on-base percentage was .330. In the big leagues he’s shown even less of a penchant to get on-base with his .287 clip. Even worse, he doesn’t come across as a hard worker or someone that possesses a big league baseball IQ. There is nothing with Valdespin’s process that screams big league starter, much less star. I have my doubts he will stick around since he seems unable to endear himself to any clubhouse throughout his career.

This is not about race. The players dislike Valdespin because of who he is. Think it’s just his current teammates? After a game-winning grand-slam against the Dodgers, former B-Mets reliever Erik Turgeon took to Twitter and shared these nuggets:

“Valdespin with a walk off home run. If you need me I will be in the bathroom throwing up! I have Zero respect for that piece of s***”

“If your shocked that, then you don’t kno bout all that! Happy for the mets wish someone deserving got the hit like Lagares!”

“Tough for me to get Valdespin out when I’m on the same team as him don’t ya think?”

“Evidence ask your favorite guy in the organization who there least favorite guy is”

Who cares what a retired minor league reliever says, right? What about his current teammates, none who seemed upset or enraged that he was plunked on Saturday. There was furor about how John Buck conducted the pie celebration after that very same grand slam. When I asked Buck about it last week his response with a coy smile was telling: “A big walk-off home run deserves a big pie to the face.”

Read from that what you will, but contrite, at least in my opinion, is not the word to use when describing Buck’s comments. Remember, this is the same guy that was suspended in the minors for an undisclosed incident (some speculation is that it was for a Ruben Rivera-type action, read into that what you will), and again this past offseason during winter ball. There is too much smoke around Valdespin’s fire.

On a good team Valdespin provides speed and power off the bench. Those are characteristics that do make him valuable. His clownish behavior is probably overshadowing that right now, making the story more about him than the team. This will be tolerated when someone like R.A. Dickey is winning Cy Young Awards, but rarely so with a borderline big league player. Valdespin embarrassed the Mets this weekend. Take those blue and orange sunglasses off and see what the opponents do to another bad team celebrating a meaningless home run. It reminds me of how the Nationals used to be when they had Anderson Hernandez, Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes: Bad attitude, clownish behavior and, worst of all, a lot of losses.

The shame of it all is Valdespin does have some raw talent. If he took the time to learn from those around him, and put the effort into improving, perhaps there would be hope for better days ahead. Right now, you can’t even get him to take extra batting practice. He consistently never shows up to such events, which is almost sacrilegious on a team that is hitting so poorly; even more damning for a wet behind the ears rookie.

If I were the Mets I would move on from Valdespin ASAP. You probably don’t want to release him as he is too good to be put on the waiver wire. Perhaps there is a minor deal that Alderson can spring for an outfielder. Not a starter or star, but someone that is a bench player, but is a starter on this team due to circumstances. Maybe another team looks at Valdespin’s talent and thinks they can “steal” a future contributor. You never know what you can get if you ask.

Sandy Alderson needs to set the tone and show the club that professionalism and behavior matters to this organization. Ridding the clubhouse of Valdespin won’t turnaround this lost season, but it will be addition by subtraction. You are not losing anything on the field as those late-game home runs are bound to run dry as he makes his way around the league.

I am sure this opinion will stir up debate, however I doubt it’s worth the time.

Those that contribute the least spray the most champagne; they also take up the most space when it comes to the news.

The post Those Who Contribute the Least Shouldn’t Be Made the Story appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

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.

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