For seventeen major league seasons, David Cone continually sought information and tutelage for anything that would help give him an advantage on the mound. From seeking instruction as a 19-year-old prospect from future Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry, to pitch designing before it became en vogue in today’s game, to assimilating with the advanced metrics for his benefit on the mound and...
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The life of a minor league baseball player is one that’s filled with great hope and desire. A desire to fulfill one’s ultimate dream that, for many, started on local baseball fields, sandlots or backyards: to make it to the Major Leagues. In this pursuit, the young players embark on a path that they hope will lead them to this ascension. The countless hours of honing one’s...
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More than two and a half years have passed since Scott Kazmir last appeared in a major league game. The date was September 23, 2016, when the former top pitching prospect toed the rubber for the Los Angeles Dodgers in his 12th big league season. It would be Kazmir’s first start back in over a month for L.A. after he landed on the disabled list with neck inflammation and later thoracic...
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In mid-November, just a few weeks after the New York Mets officially announced Brodie Van Wagenen as the 13th general manager in team history, the club made its first official signing under the Van Wagenen era: left-handed reliever, Ryan O’Rourke. O’Rourke, 30, was signed to a minor-league deal with an invite to big league spring training. With the Mets only carrying one lefty...
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For Ron Darling, it only made sense that the title of his latest book was called 108 Stitches. There are 108 stitches on a baseball, one that he threw in 382 career major league games (364 of those starts) spanning a thirteen-year major league career with three different organizations. The number 108 also pays homage to the number of regular-season wins the 1986 Mets won before defeating the...
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