Good morning, Mets fans!
The Mets have signed infielder David Villar to a minor league contract, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. Though he went just 4-for-20 with the Giants’ big league club, he boasts a .368 average in Triple-A.
Villar is a primary first baseman but also has experience at second and third base.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Latest Mets News
The Mets scraped out a 6-4 victory against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, backed by multi-hit showings from four players. Among those four was Jared Young, who launched his first home run in a Mets uniform. Reed Garrett closed out the game, lowering his ERA to 0.76.
New York faces off against Chicago for the final game of the series today at 1:10 p.m. EST. Griffin Canning (5-1, 2.88 ERA) will go up against Rule 5 pick Shane Smith (1-3, 2.36 ERA).
In an interview with FanGraphs, David Stearns said (via David Laurila of FanGraphs) analytics are now used in every part of a front office, from trades to player development. He added that the models have become so complex he can’t always follow them, so leadership and communication are more important than ever.
As an organization, Met affiliates are leading Minor League Baseball in K%, fastball velocity, and opponent batting average.
Baseball America’s latest top-100 prospect re-ranking features Jonah Tong, whose stock has risen massively. Jorge Eckardt’s Tuesday column highlights Tong and other Mets top minor league pitchers, praising Tong’s elite four-seam fastball.
Check out the MLB Pipeline podcast that has Tong on as a guest!
You can get a photo with Mike Piazza at Mets House on May 28 at 11 a.m.! The first 100 fans are guaranteed a photo.
Official announcement from the Mets: “[Today’s] game against Chicago (AL) has been moved to 1:10 p.m. due to weather. Gates will open at 12:10 p.m. and parking lots will open at 11:40 a.m.”
Mets left-handed reliever Genesis Cabrera was outrighted to Syracuse but declined the assignment, making him a free agent. The Cubs quickly scooped him up. Mike Rodriguez was first to report this.
Latest MLB News
The Washington Nationals’ clubhouse book club, led by Trevor Williams, is reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s works this season. Closer Kyle Finnegan says it’s surprising that baseball players want to be in a book club together. The initiative helps show what teams’ off-field interests might look like. Read more from Andrew Golden of The Washington Post.
The Red Sox traded left-handed pitcher Sean Newcomb to the Athletics, in exchange for cash considerations.
The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired catcher Matt Thaiss from the White Sox in exchange for minor leaguer Dru Baker, who adds to Chicago’s outfield depth. Thaiss, 30, had been sharing time with Korey Lee but faced a roster crunch as top prospects Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel began breathing down his neck.
Mike Trout took light baserunning, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, and will face live pitching in a simulated game tomorrow. He still needs to work on aggressive running, including starts, stops and cuts.
Latest on MMO
Gianna Arantes recaps the Mets’ Tuesday victory.
Jorge Eckardt takes a look at how Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean, and Brandon Sproat are doing down in the farm.
Tyler Antonelle writes his weekly Mets minors report.
On This Date in Mets History
1969: Jerry Koosman strikes out 15 over 10 scoreless innings, and Bud Harrelson walks it off in the 11th with a bases-loaded single. The win kicks off an 11-game streak for New York.
2013: A 43-year-old Mariano Rivera blows a save against the Mets in his final appearance versus them. Daniel Murphy, David Wright and Lucas Duda all record hits to walk it off against Mariano. It’s the first time in Rivera’s career that he blows a save without recording an out.
2016: Noah Syndergaard and Terry Collins are ejected from the game after Syndergaard throws a pitch behind Chase Utley, which ends up making for a legendary hot mic moment.
Born on This Date: Bobby Smith (1934), Mike Defelice (1969), Ryota Igarashi (1979)
