Antonio Jimenez is one of a kind. The Mets had never drafted a player from the University of Central Florida before the fifth round. That changed in 2025 when the opportunity to add Jimenez to their organization came along. The club poached the draft-eligible sophomore with their third-round pick, 102nd overall, in the 2025 MLB Draft, inking him to a bonus worth $564,000. Jimenez joined UCF...
Adam Ottavino was a steadying presence at the back end of the bullpen for several different franchises throughout his 15-year Major League career. Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round of the 2006 MLB Draft, he began his professional career as a starting pitcher before transitioning to the bullpen after being claimed off waivers by the Colorado Rockies in 2012. Raised in...
Dylan Ross stood from the mound at BayCare Ballpark. He’d just gotten Carter Mathison to stare at a 96 mph fastball in the zone for strike three. It had finished off a perfect inning, one in which he’d struck out the side for the St. Lucie Mets. It was Sept. 7, 2024. For Ross, it was his first game action in over two and a half years. He stopped, then turned to look out at the...
Cooper Flagg’s football coach, Eric Rowell, remembers watching the talented youngster dominate at a young age. “Cooper was always playing two or three year levels up. In third grade, he was playing at a sixth-grade level and excelling,” Rowell said. “He was dunking and playing above the rim in middle school, but his competition wasn’t great. He was dominating, but...
Austin Warren didn’t think he’d be playing professional baseball. He had just started his freshman year at a community college in North Carolina. There weren’t any NCAA offers out of high school. He was a light-hitting shortstop with minimal power. Like any other JUCO baseball player, he just wanted to take his career as far as it could go. But through a switch to the mound,...
It’s no secret the Mets value defensive versatility. It’s also no secret the organization loves a Cinderella story, finding a diamond in the rough and building on the player’s abilities. They’ve done it with players like Sean Manaea and Luis Severino on the pitching side and have found hidden gems like Luis Torrens and Tyrone Taylor on the position player side. Jared...
Over the sixty-plus years of New York Mets baseball, there have been individual pitching seasons that will forever be etched in the organization’s lore. Whether it’s Tom Seaver’s 1969 season, in which he won his first Cy Young Award and helped lead the club to their first World Series championship; Dwight Gooden’s otherworldly 1985 campaign at the age of 20; or Jacob...
Mets fans, an all-new episode is here! This week, Mike and I are joined by a special guest: Jon Hurwitz, co-creator of the hit TV series Cobra-Kai and diehard Mets fan! Jon had some great conversations with us about his love for the Mets, expectations for this season, the Steve Cohen effect, and much more! What does the new ownership group mean to a Mets fan in their 40s who has seen...
When right-handed pitcher Jonah Tong needs to reset on the mound, he’ll glance at the inside of his glove. There, a mantra is written that gives the 21-year-old perspective: Be like water.That quote was made famous by the great martial artist, actor and philosopher Bruce Lee, who preached adaptability. In Tong’s amateur and professional career, adapting has been a focal point....
Among 512 pitchers who tossed eighty or more innings in the minor leagues in 2023, New York Mets right-hander Christian Scott recorded the lowest walks plus hits per inning pitched (0.86) and Fielding Independent Pitching (2.33) while posting the best strikeout minus walk percentage (28.4%). Scott posted a 2.57 ERA in 87.2 innings pitched over three levels and was named the organization’s...
In the ’90s, Major League Baseball was dominated by luminary power hitters, such as Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Albert Belle. Fans were enthralled with the enticing numbers being produced, with larger-than-life personalities regularly receiving the spotlight and fanfare. For all of their rightful attention, players who produced in other ways, and perhaps in a...
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and attending St. John’s University in Queens, John Franco embodied a New Yorker. It was only apt that Franco would ultimately pitch for his beloved childhood team, the New York Mets. Franco, 64, was a four-time All-Star and a reliable arm in the backend of the bullpen. During his 21-year Major League career, Franco made at least 50 appearances 14...
