Good morning, Mets fans!
Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena and Reds second baseman Jonathan India won the Rookie of the Year award in their respective leagues on Monday.
Arozarena posted a .274 batting average in 2021 along with 20 home runs. The 26-year-old was also named ALCS MVP in 2020. India racked up a .269 average at the plate and hit 20 homers in his first season in the majors.
Let’s get into this morning’s briefing.
Latest Mets News
Billy Eppler is expected to become the Mets’ new GM. Patrick Glynn has more on the latest reports.
Former Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado is raising awareness of the importance of the Covid-19 vaccine in Puerto Rico, according to Rich Tenorio of Palabra.
“They were looking for people to continue to get the message across to the population. I was happy to help,” Delgado said.
Dominic Smith‘s BaseballGenerations foundation put on an event giving out some of Marcus Stroman‘s HDMH apparel.
Shout to my brother @TheRealSmith2_ for putting on an unbelievable event for his foundation. Beyond happy to be involved. Hope y’all loved the @HDMHApparel uniforms! @BBGenerations_ pic.twitter.com/l7BRemgWeu
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) November 15, 2021
Latest MLB News
Chris Taylor will decline the Dodgers’ $18.4 million qualifying offer and will test the open market, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Taylor was named as a first-time all-star in 2021 with .254 batting average and 20 home runs.
Former MLB player Julio Lugo died of a heart attack at the age of 45 on Monday. He would’ve been 46 today. Lugo played for seven major league teams over 11 years, and won a World Series with the 2007 Red Sox.
At general manager meetings, White Sox GM Ken Williams expressed his frustration and disappointment with MLB’s insufficient progress in front office diversity. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has more on that in his article.
The Phillies can once again use their original Phillie Phanatic after finalizing the lawsuit settlement on Monday, according to Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The creators of the Phanatic threatened to sell the beloved mascot to another team in 2019.
Latest on MMO
James Villani fills out his report card for New York southpaw Joey Lucchesi.
A few writers here at MMO discuss what their offseason would look like as GM of the Mets.
Matt Musico takes a look at one of the Mets’ biggest one-year turnarounds in franchise history.
On This Date in Mets History
1961: After a logo design contest that saw over 500 entries and a prize of $1,000, the Mets pick sports cartoonist Ray Gatto’s logo that remains the logo today.
Birthdays: Juan Centeno (32), Mark Corey (47), Dwight Gooden (57), Don Hahn (73) and Leon Brown (73).
Let’s go Mets!
