“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

That Benjamin Franklin quote might sum up the impact an 82 year-old pitching coach named Phil Regan is having on the New York Met pitching staff.

The decision to replace Dave Eiland with Regan was greeted with snickers and guffaws but no-one is laughing now.

Under Regan’s seasoned and calm tutelage, the Met pitching staff, both starters and relievers, have turned the team’s season around. Dramatically.

Last night early in the game, it was obvious to even the casual fan that Noah Syndergaard was off his game.  Not only was Thor being knocked around harder than usual but his pitch location was erratic.  That is until Phil Regan paid a visit to the mound.

In post game comments, Syndergaard mentioned that Regan just worked to get his focus back on pitching.   That fits the profile that is emerging about the Phil Regan approach.

Speaking with syracuse.com shortly after getting the nod to become the Mets new pitching coach, Regan claimed there is not much difference working with modern players as there was when he first got into the business instructing professional pitchers many years ago.

“I think kids today, they want you to be honest.  I don’t ever lie to them. I try to come in and not change their whole delivery,” Regan said.

“I’m not a big believer in doing that, or taking pitches away from them. But there’s a lot of little fundamental things that you have to do as a pitcher. And sometimes a person can see that, maybe just one little thing. Try it, and if you like it stick with it.”

It’s those little things not major overhauls that Regan has learned can make a big difference.

In a Kevin Kernan column in the New York Post earlier in the month, Regan explained his quick fix for Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler addressed closing off the front foot so their arm stays more in line with home plate and their front shoulder doesn’t fly open.  A little adjustment with big results.

I was first introduced to Phil Regan’s impact on Met pitchers interviewing former Binghamton Met and Rumble Pony pitchers for my Tip-Off sports radio show.  In every interview with a Met minor leaguer I ask:

“In your baseball journey are there any people who have played important roles in helping you develop your baseball game?”

To a man, ever young Met pitching prospect I have interviewed over the years has included Phil Regan in their response.

The Mets are amidst a run that is magical.  Every day is punctuated by a new surprise, by someone new wearing the Superman cape.  But, through it all there has been one constant, the steady work on the mound by the Met pitchers and the wisdom and guidance of their  ‘young of heart’ new pitching coach.

The post Reganomics: Mets Pitching Coach Has Rotation and Bullpen Soaring appeared first on Metsmerized.

They didn’t bat No.2/No. 3 in the lineup but even so, Binghamton Rumble Pony fans watching the Mets play on television Saturday in Washington may have experienced a feeling of deja vu.

That’s because New York Met neophytes Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso were tearing up the Washington pitchers at Nationals Park. Just one year ago, the hard hitting duo were flashing their offensive muscles at NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton. The slugging tandem’s back-to-back prowess in the Pony lineup was like nothing Binghamton baseball fans had experienced before elevating McNeil and Alonso to the top of almost every Eastern League offensive category. Saturday’s explosive batting display by the Met youngsters comes as no surprise to Rumble Pony fans.

Even the Binghamton April cold and snow could not deter Alonso and McNeil last spring. In fact, Alonso’s April production was almost other worldly.

The big first baseman lead the Eastern League in batting hitting .408 with seven doubles, seven home runs and 19 RBI in the first month of the 2018 season. Alonso would cool down during the month of May, but only by a little. When the big guy and McNeil were elevated to Triple-A Las Vegas in early June, Alonso was still batting .311 with a league leading 15 homers and 52 RBI.

Alonso’s partner in crime, McNeil was also wreaking havoc on Eastern League pitchers. It took the Rumble Pony second baseman a bit longer than Alonso to get his offensive game in full stride.

McNeil batted .279 with four homers in the first month of the season in Binghamton, but turned in a torrid May batting .340 while doubling his April home run totals. McNeil sizzled over 13 games for Binghamton in June before his Triple-A call-up, batting .362 and adding two more homers.

McNeil’s combined batting totals for Binghamton last spring, a batting average of .327, 16 doubles, 14 HR and 43 RBI. The kid continued to rake in Las Vegas batting .368 over 18 games before being summoned to the ‘Big Team’ in Flushing where the new Met second baseman batter .329 over 63 games to chose a phenomenal year.

Combined, Alonso and McNeil hit 29 homers and knocked in 95 runs in two-and-a-half months in Binghamton last spring.

If the first two games of the 2019 season are any indicator, it looks like it’s full steam ahead for the Mets dynamic duo, McNeil had four hits on Saturday in Washington, the fourth four hit game of his short major league career. Alonso had one less hit than McNeil, but blasted two doubles, one that was estimated to leave the bat with the highest exit velocity of any ball hit by a Met batter since that statistic has been taken. Both Alonso and McNeil drove in two runs against National pitchers on Saturday.

Saturday’s batting prowess by the Mets ‘Dynamic Duo’ had to take Rumble Pony fans back to a similar baseball beginning last year. It’s only two games but even so the duo’s explosive offensive production was getting started all over again in 2019.

The post McNeil, Alonso Showcasing Home Grown Talent appeared first on Metsmerized.

Last Saturday, I got my first taste of the new minor league baseball rule that places a runner on second base to start every half inning should a game stretch into extra innings. I’m a season ticket holder for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, but had not been treated to an extra inning affair in any of the games I had attended over the course of the 2018 season.

It’s not surprising that I was openly skeptical about a runner placed at second base to begin the extra innings. “This isn’t baseball,” I found myself muttering to the guy sitting in the seat alongside mine. He agreed.

But, something crazy happened in those extra innings as the Rumble Ponies and the Portland Sea Dogs battled to break the 5-5 tie. For starters, every at-bat, every pitch was instantly magnified and critical. Placing a runner at second base to begin an added frame of a baseball game seemed to emphasize some of the small ball aspects of baseball that I love, something that seems to be dying a slow death the way the game is played today.

Instantaneously, an out was no longer just an out in this revamped extra-inning scenario. The value of the bunt or the ability to hit behind a runner and advance him to third base was so much more important now. There was more electricity, more energy, more excitement in those two extra-innings than in the previous nine logged during regulation play. We saw two bunts, one not handled cleanly, that put Rumble Pony runners on first and third in the bottom of the tenth with no men out. An infield ground ball that failed to score the winning run, then a second infield grounder with the runner thrown out at the plate, only added to the tension and the drama.

Portland executed a sacrifice bunt perfectly to advance the free runner to third base at the start of the 11th inning. A ground ball to the pitcher Matt Pobereyko kept the leading run stranded at first base giving the Ponies the second out of the inning. But when Portland’s Danny Mars lofted a soft bloop that dropped to the ground between shortstop and left field, Portland took the 6-5 lead and it looked as if Pobereyko might become the losing pitcher without allowing an earned run. Free runners who score are not charged as a earned run to the pitcher.

“That’s okay, we still get our at bat,” my wise neighbor informed when Portland went down without adding another run. Will Toffey, the last batter in the bottom of the tenth inning, was placed at second to start the  11th for Binghamton. Patrick Mazeika, a left-handed batter, proved one out can be more productive than another when he hit a sharp ground ball to second base into the shift to advance Toffey to third base in the first at-bat of the inning. A sizzling hot Jhoan Urena then ignited the local faithful by lining a hit to the right of the first baseman and into right field plating Toffey with the tying run. It was Urena’s fifth hit of the game, a gift to himself on his birthday. Urena slammed three home runs, two of the grand slam variety, and set a club record with nine RBI’s in a game played in Hartford earlier in the week. That’s quite a birthday week for the young Rumble Pony outfielder.

The Ponies weren’t satisfied simply tying the game. They intended to win it. Andres Gimenez was hit by a pitch putting Urena, the winning run at second base with one out. The tension only mounted when Gene Cole skied out to left field. That brought the number nine hitter, Oliver Pascual to the plate. The night turned memorable for Pascual, playing in just his fifth game for Binghamton, when the second baseman drove a game winning double to right-center field. It was a nice win for the home team.

Admittedly, all that extra-inning excitement hasn’t totally convinced me this experimental rule is good for baseball. But, I can’t deny the sustainable drama placing a runner at second base to start the extra frame created. And, it was heartening to see the importance of the bunt or the value of putting the ball in play – rather than simply swinging for the fences.

As a guy who one time pitched, I once guffawed when the minor leagues installed a pitch clock a few years back. I now scoff to hear the naysayers refer to that clock as debasing the integrity of baseball. It’s a great rule that only adds value to a great game, speeding up play, eliminating dead time and keeping defenses more crisp, sharp and focused. Change isn’t always bad.

The post Mets Minors: Warming Up To New Extra-Innings Rule appeared first on Metsmerized.

Location, Location, Location.

Realtors have understood forever the importance property location plays in making a sale. In a similar light, baseball sages understand the importance the location of pitches plays in pitchers successfully getting outs. You can throw a baseball through a brick wall, but, for a pitcher throwing heat doesn’t do much if you can’t control it.

When it comes to controlling pitches, the number one priority is and will always be to establish control of the fastball. It was the inability to locate his fastball that was Steven Matz’s undoing in his first start of the season Sunday at Citi Field.

As a result, Matz’s pitch count soared with the Met left-hander throwing 89 pitches over just four innings.  Matz allowed three earned runs and picked up the loss when the Mets fell 5-1 to the Cardinals.

In his post game interview, Matz rightfully professed that pitching success for him ‘all rests on the ability to locate my fastball.’  And, after throwing what he felt was a tremendous bullpen session prior to his start, Matz was bewildered at what might have gone wrong. Matz knew his fastball was reaching home plate consistently high, but was unsure why.

“I was trying to do a little too much out there. I was really smooth and easy before the game and was feeling really confident,” Matz said. “Then when a hitter steps in I was trying to make my pitches better and that’s when I get in trouble.”

I was unable to pick up the game on television in the Met half of the first inning, so I didn’t see Matz’s start of the game. Matz’s struggles to get the ball down were quickly apparent in the second. “Oh, he’s not following through,” I said aloud watching the lefty’s delivery from the center field camera angle in the second inning.

I watched Steven Matz pitch in Binghamton in 2014.

He only started a dozen regular season games at the Double-A level but his season-ending near no-hitter in the Eastern League championship game was a baseball moment I won’t soon forget. It was that summer that I came to the conclusion that Matz had mastered that almost classic left-hander’s delivery.

Watching yesterday, it seemed Matz was inconsistent in his follow through. In some cases, Matz would extend his pitching arm, with his frame lowering and his body powering through his pitch. In those cases, Matz’s fastball came in over the lower quadrant of the plate.

But, at other times, it seemed like Matz was finishing his pitches with his body standing tall, almost erect with little or no bend in his back. At those times, his pitches almost always reached home plate high in or out of the strike zone. Met manager Mickey Callaway indicated he drew the same conclusions about Matz’s ability to complete his pitching delivery. Here’s how Callaway explained it after the game to the press:

“He just couldn’t get the ball over the plate consistently – really deep counts, you’re falling behind, things like that,” he said. “He just battled himself all night. He wasn’t finishing at times, and it didn’t look like he had the confidence to throw it over.”

Hopefully, whether it was his follow-through or another intricacy in his pitching delivery, Callaway and new Met pitching coach Dave Eiland will figure it out quickly and get Matz back on track.

We need him.

The post Matz Will Be Good Test For Eiland and Callaway appeared first on Metsmerized.

“In our situation, short term, pitching is everything.”

That was Met GM Sandy Alderson talking with the press early in the week. No one could argue Alderson’s point. Battle weary Met fans understand their team is still blessed with starting pitching riches. But, after the epic 2017 starting pitching collapse, the 2018 spring training outlook of the Met faithful is leery, an outlook that’s hopeful at its core but enveloped in an outer crust of caution, sometimes even skepticism. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Regardless of the edginess of Met fans, like the start of the 2017 season, the Mets have more starting pitching arms than available rotation spots. Citing extra off days added to the schedule this season, Met manager Mickey Callaway doused any thought of a six man rotation. Should somehow the eight guys vying for five rotation spots stay healthy by Opening Day, Callaway has some decisions to make putting together his starting rotation.

I’ve enjoyed the out of the box thinking Callaway has brought to the Mets’ camp this spring. It feels like Callaway is adding some pages to the baseball book that has governed the way old time skippers have managed the game for so long. Whether it’s analytics, an active and creative mind, or just good old common sense, Callaway seems open to all kinds of ideas that might improve his team’s performance on the baseball diamond.

With that spirit of possibility in place how about a six pitcher cadre in a five man rotation? Everyone knows that Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard are the anchors of the Met rotation no matter who is selected to follow. And, it’s unlikely the Mets expended the kind of money they did on Jason Vargas without providing him every opportunity and more to be a mainstay in Callaway’s rotation. And, more and more, it’s appearing like Matt Harvey is positioning himself to latch on to the fourth rotation slot. That leaves four pitchers plausibly in competition for the final rotation spot.

I entertain the idea of using Zack Wheeler and Steven Matz to share that fifth and final slot. Share a pitching rotation spot? Lunacy, baseball thinkers in the box might suggest, loudly I might assume. But, when you get past the original reaction, the idea might have some merit.

For starters, both Wheeler and Matz see themselves as starters. That’s more important than some might believe. Psychologists have long believed that a person’s actions reflect the person you think you are. It’s not the words that come out of your mouth that determine the course of your life but the words you whisper to yourself. In the cases of Wheeler and Matz, both their spoken words, and I’d wager their private thoughts, all reaffirm their belief they are starting pitchers.

And, in some ways that same sentiment is shared by Met brass. We’ve read the Mets are nervous about the prospect of using either Wheeler, and especially Matz, in relief because of their injury laden past. Both pitchers have been groomed to expect a long warm-up period prior to their pitching starts. The short warm-up and up and down nature of working out of the pen might not fare favorably to oft injured starters. If Wheeler and Matz shared a rotation slot with one staring and targeted to pitch the first 5 innings, and the other coming on and targeted to pitch the final four, and with the pitcher’s alternating starts and finishes, both would benefit with extended time readying to pitch whether they were slated to start or to finish a game.

Then there is the question, should they stay healthy, of how many total innings the Mets will be willing to allow Wheeler or Matz to amass this season. It seems almost certain that with their injury history, the team will place restrictions or inning caps on both pitchers. I doubt that whichever pitcher wins the final rotation spot in the traditional alignment would be allowed to throw much more than 140 to 150 innings.

Sharing starts, even in the best of circumstances, an estimate of average innings per outing would would max out at 4.5. Over 30 starts throughout the course of a season that would come to roughly 145 innings apiece. No Met fan, and certainly not Wheeler or Matz, wants either pitcher to be closed down before the regular season ends, especially if the Mets were in a playoff chase.

From a game strategy perspective, this out of the box rotation idea might also have pay value. Both Wheeler and Matz have histories of struggling early in a game. Should that be the case. Calloway would have another option to go to with a faster hook before taxing his regular bullpen. And, in the rare cases where the combined pair piece together a solid 9 inning outing, the combined effort would provide a day off for the entire Met bullpen, reminiscent of the golden days when guys like Seaver and Koosman hurled complete games without needing bullpen help. In a day and age of starting pitchers going just 6 or 7 innings an off day for the entire bullpen is a precious rarity.

Even more important, should either Wheeler or Matz experience injury, the other pitcher would be stretched out, ready and hopefully able to turn in five or six inning starts using the more old-fashioned traditional rotational alignment we’re used to.

The two starters for one rotation spot scenario would move Robert Gsellman to the bullpen. Of the four starting pitchers, I believe Gsellman has the best pitching repertoire to transition to work effectively out of the pen. And, Seth Lugo, still with options, and pitching with a partially torn collateral injury, could head to Vegas to stretch out as a much needed starting pitching insurance plan.

Two starting pitchers to fill one rotation spot? Why not think out of the box? This is quite common in the lower levels of the minors. Once you get over the original gasp and wrap your head around the thought, it might just have some promise.

The post Another Way To View A Mets Six-Man Rotation appeared first on Metsmerized.

When the Mets round off their 40-man roster tonight, adding players who will be eligible as Rule 5 selections, Tyler Bashlor needs to be added to the roster. Bashlor is a hard throwing right-handed pitcher who shared time between Port St. Lucie and Binghamton last summer.

The Mets are just beginning to discover Tyler Bashlor’s tools. Tommy John surgery in his 2014 season would set back the time table for the young Met prospect and Bashlor didn’t fire a professional pitch until early April in 2016. So in many respects Bashlor is still finding himself and his 2017 baseball season speaks of great promise. Bashlor started his season pitching in Port St. Lucie and was just gaining a full head of steam when the season came to a close in Binghamton.

Bashlor has an electric fastball and struck out 89 batters in 49.2 innings while walking only 27 this year. The kid entered a playoff chase in Binghamton and was lights out for the Rumble Ponies. Bashlor pitched 14.2 innings in Binghamton striking out 23 batters and walking only 4, allowing only 7 hits without ceding a run.

Bashlor has heat that hits the high 90’s and a nasty breaking ball. After watching him pitch several times in Binghamton it appeared his change-up was still in the development stages. Bashlor’s 15.22 strikeouts per nine innings led the entire minor leagues for pitchers that threw at least 40 innings this year. That’s potential worth protecting.

Convincing me even more is the reaction I received from a Miami Marlin scout who occasionally frequents NYSEG Stadium during the summer. I have come to know the guy and when he’s at a game I stop and talk baseball. Late this past summer he asked if the Rumble Ponies had anyone I felt was worth noting. I told him I was high on a new relief pitcher, a kid named Bashlor.

It just so happened Tyler closed the game that night. The scout sought me out after the game to thank me and tell me I was spot on about this kid. He had placed Tyler Bashlor on his radar. Here’s hoping Tyler is just a blip on other team’s radar screens, but a guy who continues to develop as a key cog in a future Met bullpen.

The post Mets Must Protect Hard-Throwing Righty Tyler Bashlor appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo By Logan Barer (@LBarer32)

The Rumble Ponies fell tonight 9-6 in a most unusual game for two teams noted for pitching and defense.

Don’t count them out. The Binghamton Rumble Ponies suffered a disappointing loss in game two of the Eastern Division playoffs falling to Trenton in a seesaw affair, 9-6. The loss snapped a nine-game Binghamton winning streak and evened the series at one game apiece. The action will now shift to Trenton with the Eastern Division regular season champions hosting the final three games of the series, if necessary, with the winner moving into the championship round.

Trenton shortstop Thairo Estrada had a monster night in the batter’s box, hitting for the cycle and spearheading an 18 hit Thunder attack. Estrada had an RBI single in the first inning, tripled to lead off the third, blasted a home run to lead off the sixth, and doubled home a run in the ninth. Estrada went 4 for 5, scored three times and drove home three runs.

Trailing 4-0, Binghamton rallied to score five times in the home third. L.J. Mazzilli and Luis Guillorme opened the frame drawing walks. Kevin Kaczmarski laced a triple into the right field corner scoring both runners. Kaczmarski scored when Peter Alonso lofted a soft flair into right field. After Kevin Taylor struck out and Matt Oberste popped out to short, David Thompson placed a double into the gap in right center field. Alonso raced all the way around the bases beating a throw to home plate to score with Thompson trying to reach third on the throw. Catcher Francisco Diaz‘s throw went past third allowing Thompson to score with Binghamton nudging ahead, 5-4.

The one-run lead would hold until to top of the fifth when with two outs, Trenton chunked together five consecutive hits, two against starter, Ricky Knapp, and three against reliever Drew Smith. When the damage was done Trenton had scored three times to grab a 7-5 advantage. The run allowed by Smith was the first allowed by a Binghamton reliever in 30 innings.

Binghamton had their chances. The Rumble Ponies added a run in their half of the fifth on an Oberste RBI single, and had first and third and nobody out, but could not score, eventually leaving the bases loaded. Guillorme and Kaczmarski registered back-to-back singles to begin the sixth, but the Ponies failed to capitalize. Down, 8-6, Binghamton loaded the bases again in the eighth but came up short once again.

Kaczmarski would have a huge game offensively for the home team. The Rumble Pony right fielder would go 4-for-5 missing a cycle of his own by the home run. But, a Trenton offensive barrage proved to be too much for the Ponies to overcome.

Dante Bichette Jr., Zack Zehner and Rashad Crawford all had three hit nights for the Thunder. Two advance to the championship round, the Rumble Ponies will now need to win two of three in Trenton.

The series continues tonight with the action getting underway at 7:00 p.m. Right-hander Marcos Molina will be on the mound for the Rumble Ponies.

The post Mets Minors: Kaczmarski With Big Night in Rumble Ponies Loss appeared first on Metsmerized.

Every baseball team that reaches the playoffs hopes to have a pitching ace that anchors their post season effort, that gives them quality innings to get their championship push off the ground.  The Binghamton Rumble Ponies got all that and more last night at NYSEG Stadium from ace right-hander Corey Oswalt.  Oswalt, the Eastern League pitcher of the year, threw 7.0 brilliant innings allowing Trenton, the regular season Eastern League champions, just a single first inning run, as the Rumble Ponies opened their post season drive with an impressive, 4-1 victory.  Oswalt allows 5 hits, walking 1 and striking out 7.

Trenton scored their only run in the first inning.  After striking out Jeff Hendrix to start the game.  Thairo Estrada singled, and after Oswald caught Clint Frazier looking, Garrett Cooper singled driving Hendrix to third. Estrada would score the Thunder’s only run of the game when Oswalt was charged with a wild pitch on a low pitch Dante Bichette Jr. swung on and missed, with the ball scooting past the Ponies catcher Tomas Nido.  I keep score and originally scored the pitch a passed ball because it is so rare to see a ball get behind Nido, but the official scorer saw it otherwise.

The inning ended with a spectacular play by Binghamton second baseman Luis Guillorme when Bichette Jr. the Trenton third baseman, hit a ball every one in the park thought was a single (at least) to right field. But Guillorme made a diving stop with enough time for the Rumble Pony infielder to record the out at first base.  The defensive gem was one of two Guillorme would pull off on the night, with the busy second baseman completing four ground ball outs in the contest.

Binghamton fans were treated to the inclusion of Frazier in the Trenton line-up.  The athletic Yankee super prospect had a tough night at the plate against Oswalt fanning in all three plate appearances.  In fact, the Thunder pinch hit for Frazier in his final scheduled at bat.

Binghamton used a pair of two run doubles in the first three innings to complete the game’s scoring.  Guillorme and outfielder Kevin Kaczmarski opened the Rumble Pony first working a base-on-balls.  The Binghamton tandem have advanced plate discipline, ranking one-two in base-on-balls on the team with Guillorme drawing 72 free passes and Kaczmarski 61.  Guillorme’s 72 total is the second best in the Eastern League.  A good batting eye places both the Binghamton table setters in the Eastern League’s top ten in on-base-percentage.

Peter Alonso, recently elevated from St. Lucie to Bingo, drove a Dillon Tate pitch into he gap in right-center field to plate both Guillorme and Kaczmarski.  The double was Alonso’s 8th extra base hit in 47 at-bats since his promotion.

The Rumble Ponies grouped three straight baserunners to start the bottom of the third to complete the scoring.  Alonso opened the frame drawing a base-on-balls.  Kevin Taylor advanced him to second with a base hit to right field.  Both runners would score when Matt Oberste drove a long drive in the gap in left-center.

That would be all the runs the Rumble Ponies would muster on the night.  The Ponies opened the fourth with back-to-back singles from Gustavo Nunez and Luis Guillorme putting runners on the corners with nobody out, but Mesa Jr. worked out of the jam without allowing a run to score,

Tim Peterson took over for Oswalt in the eighth inducing a Guillorme to Oberste ground ball and fanning the next two batters he faced.  Newcomer Tyler Bashlor created some anxious moments before tossing a scoreless ninth.  Bashlor entered the game throwing 14.2 scoreless innings in relief as a Pony, striking out 23 while walking only 4 and allowing 7 hits.  That was good for a 0.75 WHIP.  Bashlor, has mid 90’s heat with a nasty breaking ball and a developing change up.  His scoreless streak appeared in jeopardy when he walked Garrett Cooper to open the frame and Bichette Jr, slashed a double just inside the third base line leaving second and third with nobody out.  After Binghamton’s pitching coach Glenn Abbott visited the mound, Bashlor settled in striking out the next three batters in succession to end the game.

The Rumble Ponies will face Trenton again in game two, weather permitting, on Thursday night.

The post Mets Minors: Oswalt Pitches Binghamton To 4-1 Victory Over Trenton appeared first on Metsmerized.

And old baseball maxim says ‘Good pitching and defense win championships.’ Lets face it, in baseball a run is a run whether it’s a run scored at the plate, manufactured on the bases or saved in the field. A run the defense prevents the opposition from scoring is equally as important as a run scored by the offense. A team stocked with players who can use the leather efficiently in the field gain an added advantage. As the New York Mets are learning the hard way – defense really does matter.

At long last the Mets elevated rookie shortstop Amed Rosario from Triple-A Las Vegas to Citi Field. Rosario, believed by many to be the top prospect in baseball, has appeared in just a dozen games so far for the Mets. Although the rookie is taking some time to acclimate to major league pitching (Rosario is batting .256 in 39 at-bats) the kid has been nothing short of sensational defensively at shortstop.

Here’s New York Daily News reporter John Harper talking about Rosario’s beginnings in New York City as a Met. “Rosario looks as if he may need some time to adjust to major league pitching, even after his game winning home run on Friday night.”

“But his defense at shortstop has been as outstanding as advertised. By my rough count he’s probably made a doze plays already, most toward the hole, that wouldn’t have been made by Asdrubal Cabrera or Jose Reyes. And his diving play up the middle on a hard-hit ball against the Rangers, which turned into a force out with a flip to Reyes at second, was the most obvious example of his outstanding range.”

Harper finished his short review of the Mets’ new shortstop quoting an unnamed National League scout. “He would have saved their pitchers a ton of runs if he’d been up earlier. He was going to need time at this level as a hitter no matter when he came up, but they had such a need for defense at shortstop that it still puzzles me whey they waited so long.”

The scout’s sense of bewilderment was shared by Binghamton baseball fans who watched Rosario for a lion’s share of last summer manning shortstop for the B-Mets. The kid was outrageously good. Anyone who watched
him play shortstop regularly in Binghamton understood Rosario was by far the organization’s best defensive player at that critical position even as a 20-year old. Binghamton baseball fans were left scratching their head earlier in the summer when it was reported Rosario’s stay in Las Vegas was extended partly due to his need to iron out some defensive issues.

One can only hope that Met brass is paying attention to what is happening in Binghamton this summer. The Rumble Ponies are putting together a playoff bound season currently sitting 19 games above .500 and 7 full games ahead of Reading in the chase for the Eastern Division’s second playoff slot behind League leading Trenton. Stellar defensive play is a critical component of the Rumble Ponies’ success this season.

Binghamton pitchers rank fourth from the bottom in the Eastern League in strikeouts but have surrendered the second fewest hits allowed and runs scored. Those kinds of numbers reflect the impact of the Rumble Ponies’ stellar defensive play.

Photo Credit: Logan Barer, MMO (@LBarer32)

The Binghamton outfield’s defensive play has been sparkling all season long. They have committed only 6 outfield errors while amassing 28 assists. The Mets outfield by comparison has committed 14 errors and chalked up only 18 assists. And, Champ Stuart and Patrick Biondi have outfield ranges that exceed all Met outfielders. Stuart has gunned down 10 runners from centerfield with Biondi, who has served more in a back-up role, nailing 7. L.J. Mazzilli, a slick fielding infielder converted into a right fielder some two months into the season, has an explosive outfield arm gunning down 8 baserunners.

Defensive statistics only tell part of the story. The eye test is equally important. Season ticket holders and other folks who watch Binghamton baseball can tell you the current edition of Rumble Ponies would contend defensively with any of the recent Binghamton squads who have realized baseball success during recent seasons.

As baseball great Willie Mays says it, “Defense is the key to playing baseball.” Everyone knows when you’re talking defensive baseball there is no better authority than the Say Hey Kid.

The post The Value of Defense appeared first on Metsmerized.

There are those rare baseball nights when you strike Trifecta Gold. That was the case for me last night as the New York Mets outlasted the Milwaukee Brewers in an exciting 5-4 twelve inning marathon.

Three young Mets played prominent roles in the late night victory. Tyler Pill turned in a gutsy, steely performance starting his first ever major league game. Buttressing a tired, overworked bullpen, Josh Smoker was brilliant turning in three scoreless innings in relief. Then T.J. Rivera led off the Mets twelfth with a line drive single to centerfield and eventually raced home with the winning run on Jay Bruce‘s walk-off single.

All three of those young Mets were previous radio guests on my Friday morning Tip-Off show. In fact, over the past couple of seasons I’ve used my radio interviews as the basis of Mesmerized Online articles I’ve written about these guys.

My season ticket is located directly behind home plate at Binghamton’s NYSEG Stadium. That’s an area of the ballpark where the pitchers for both teams sit and chart pitches and radar speed readings. Baseball scouts also congregate in these sections. In fact, there were double digit scouts on hand for Sunday’s game, making me wonder if they were checking out Rumble Ponies starting pitcher P.J. Conlon.

I penned my first Metsmerized piece on Tyler Pill before he agreed to a radio interview. Passing where Tyler sat after the post was published I stopped and chatted. Tyler was not familiar with MMO at the time. I encouraged him to check it out and told him I thought his Mom would like the piece I wrote about him.

On warm Sunday days I like to get to NYSEG early. Sometimes Binghamton’s pitching coach Glenn Abbott will be addressing his charges down the right field line. A former high school and college pitcher, I enjoy standing by the railing and listening in. On one particular day after the group disbanded, Tyler jogged over to the rail near where I was standing, “Hey,” he said. “My Mom did like that piece you wrote about me.”

Pill, Rivera and Smoker were great interviews. I met each of them at the Stadium and all three are first rate guys. Binghamton was a huge step for Smoker when he made his storybook return to baseball. He was this polite guy who addressed you as “Sir.”

It was near the close of the 2015 season when me and Josh Smoker talked at the Stadium and I asked him about his plans for 2016. He told me he would love to be back in Binghamton. “Listen,” I replied. “I would love to see you back here again, but you have to be thinking about the next step, you need to get to Vegas. If you can work on your secondary pitches, you have the stuff to pitch in the big leagues. I’m expecting to see you in Citi Field next year.” Watching him reach that milestone last year was incredible.

And, I use T.J. Rivera’s story with the young athletes on my baseball team. It’s a exceptional story and he’s an exceptional kid. His sheer will and focus compliments his skill. Without that unbreakable determination and attitude, Rivera could have never made it to the big leagues.

It’s that kind of community that makes minor league baseball so special for me. Of course, it’s local and for most fans it’s nearby. I hold the privilege of being the Rumble Ponies seasons ticket holder that resides the farthest distance from the ballpark, an almost two hour drive.

The minor league experience is personal. It feels like the team is really yours. It feels like the guys on the team are family. And, it makes following the kids who play in Binghamton as they elevate to Vegas and then hopefully some day to Citi Field a special moment to behold.

The renovated NYSEG Stadium has a newly constructed building where fans can catch glimpses of pitchers warming up or sometimes even guys hitting in the cage. The front of the building reads, “The Road to Queens runs through Rumbletown.” That was punctuated with last night’s Mets victory.

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