Coaches and Players Grind It Out At Minor League Camp

Kevin Morgan stood in front of his players after finishing that day’s workouts. He was extremely blunt.

“We start games in two weeks,” he said. “Some of you may come with us, and some of you won’t come back. You only get one shot at this thing.”

If anyone should know, it’s Morgan. Back in 1997, the Mets called him up to the major leagues, in need of an extra bat for the first interleague series in team history. Morgan watched the first two games against the Boston Red Sox from the bench, but was able to pinch hit and play two innings at third base during the series finale.

He would not play in another big league game.

After spending ten seasons as the Mets’ minor league infield coordinator, Morgan was promoted this offseason to the position of field coordinator. In the new role, one previously held by Dick Scott, Terry Collins, and Guy Conti, the 46-year-old Morgan will “oversee the continuity and consistency of instruction from the major league level through all minor league clubs, visiting the Mets’ minor league affiliates and assisting the front office in baseball decisions,” according to the Mets’ Media Guide.

Although he may no longer be a specialty coordinator, Morgan is still closely involved with running stations during minor league workouts in Spring Training. Walking around from field to field with a bat at his side, he would occasionally take an infielder or two aside, and hit them ground balls. In this case, Morgan requested third baseman Jhoan Ureña backhand a few, then go onto his knees and field with limited mobility.

For a few players each day, workouts begin much earlier than the normal one o’clock start time. While some chose to get some sprints in early with minor league strength coach Jason “Nitro” Craig, four players on this day are called from the minors clubhouse to aide the coaches who facilitate drills with the major league team.

These workouts, which are open to the public, run from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM daily. And while fans are there to catch glimpses of the all-stars like Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom, the minor leaguers are there to prove to the staff that they are willing to do anything to climb up the totem pole.

On this day, first baseman Dash Winningham and second baseman Vinny Siena are called to help field during the pitcher’s fielding practice station, run by senior adviser Guy Conti, international field coordinator Rafael Landestoy, and special instructor Bobby Floyd.

The drills are simple enough. Fake the motion, ground ball to first, sprint to the base, catch the ball, find the bag.

The group of pitchers, which included Noah Syndergaard, Jeurys Familia, and Steven Matz, complete a turn, and head to the back of the line behind the pitcher’s mound, where they discuss various things that may or may not relate to the task at hand.

But for Winningham and Siena, there are no breaks. They must constantly be aware of the situation and the drill being run. They must know if they need to field a ground ball, or catch a throw from a pitcher fielding a bunt.

Over with the other pitchers, minor league catchers Jeff Glenn and Tomas Nido are called to be on the receiving ends of long tosses from various relievers. They assist in various other drills throughout the morning, before they head back to the minor league clubhouse.

At this point, the major leaguers take their final cuts in the cages, and the pitchers make their final throws, before they all slowly make their way back into the stadium. The fans are quickly ushered out of the backfields, as the stadium will open for that day’s game in a matter of minutes.

For now, the fields stand still. The air begins to buzz as the Mets’ exhibition contest against the Atlanta Braves gets underway. As the top of the first inning turns into the bottom, the minor leaguers begin to hustle out of the clubhouse, on their way to the various fields for stretching.

Now they split into groups for live batting practice. On this day, Kevin Canelon and Alex Palsha, both members of the 2015 Brooklyn Cyclones, are tasked with throwing to hitters for the first time since last season. Palsha, who surprised many by dominating out of the Cyclones bullpen a year ago, was rewarded with a Sterling Award, emblematic of the top player on his team.

Palsha stares down a group of Amed Rosario, Jeff McNeil, Jayce Boyd, and Derrik Gibson. On the side, the others watch closely. David Thompson, Kevin Kaczmarski, Ali Sanchez, and Ivan Wilson, among others, kneel along the third base line, picking up Palsha’s every move.

After they hit, the position players are divided into smaller groups to hit off of their coaches. On one field, Columbia Fireflies hitting coach Joel Fuentes throws to Ureña, Nido, Tyler Moore, Victor Cruzado, and others. Across the way, catching coordinator Bob Natal tosses to a group that includes top prospects Milton Ramos and Wuilmer Becerra. The following day, Becerra would find himself in the major league starting lineup, and in right field, when the Mets took on the Detroit Tigers.

Offense is arguably the most exciting part of the game, but poor defense leads to squandered ballgames. After batting practice, the players split into groups by position for fielding drills.

The catchers begin in two smaller groups. First, Bobby Floyd stands in shallow right field with a fly ball machine aimed at home plate. There, Lednier Ricardo, Jose Garcia, Xorge Carrillo, and Dionis Rodriguez take turns catching the ball and attempting to make a successful phantom tag at the base. The key, as Floyd explains, is to stay low at all times.

Up the first base line in foul territory, Natal takes command of the other group of backstops. He works with Colton Plaia, Glenn, Moore, Nido, and others on proper blocking techniques. By the end of the drill, each catcher sports banged up shin guards.

The outfielders run through similar, tedious, instruction. Brooklyn Cyclones manager Tom Gamboa, Cyclones hitting coach Sean Ratliff, and St. Lucie Mets hitting coach Valentino Pascucci take turns hitting ground balls from the lip of the infield dirt to the players, who have divided themselves into two groups of center fielders and corner outfielders.

One after one, the players field, crow hop, and fire back in to the coach. In left field stands second round pick Desmond Lindsay, Kaczmarski, Champ Stuart, and Jared King. Center fielders John Mora and Cruzado look particularly speedy to the ball on this day.

After this drill, the outfielders are done. They head back to the minor league clubhouse with the catchers and pitchers. The infielders remain, though.

The infielders are grouped by position. At third base, Ureña, Thompson, and McNeil take turns fielding ground balls. First a normal roll, then charges and hops. At shortstop, Rosario, Ramos, and Luis Guillorme follow suit, as do Siena and Jonathan Johnson at second base. Winningham and Diehl field the throws at first base.

Fielding ground balls can turn monotonous, but the coaches find ways to spice it up, instructing players to throw to different bases, and having players distract the fielder by essentially dancing in front of the ball.

Morgan herds the players once the drill is complete. “You only get one shot,” he continued. “Now get to the weight room, Nitro is waiting.”