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In an interview with Mike Puma of the New York Post, Mets bench coach Eric Chávez said he hopes to manage an MLB team down the line. Chávez served as the team’s hitting coach last year, and Puma reports that there was a chance the Mets could’ve lost the 45-year-old to another organization had they not promoted him.
“When I signed here, I told Buck that I want to manage and I have been pretty clear about that,” Chávez said in the interview.
Chávez said he still talks about hitting with players during games but spends most of his time by Buck Showalter‘s side.
Latest Mets News
The Mets fell to the Cardinals 12-7 in their Grapefruit League contest Monday, but there were some bright spots. David Peterson threw two scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out three batters, while also making a very athletic play in the field. Ronny Mauricio homered for the second game in a row, cracking a two-run homer, and William Lugo hit his first homer of the spring. Luis Guillorme was solid at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 while driving in two runs. José Quintana will make his first start of spring training today, facing off against Luis Garcia and the Astros at Clover Park. The game will be televised on ESPN, and first pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm.
After Monday’s game, Mauricio spoke to the New York Post and said he wants to be in the majors to start the season.
“I want to be on this team. I want to be in the big leagues and on this team,” Mauricio said.
Buck Showalter told reporters that Eduardo Escobar will get some reps in left field this spring because he may have to play the position for Venezuela in next month’s World Baseball Classic. In his career, Escobar has played 267 innings in left field, registering -1 DRS.
Max Scherzer will make his second Grapefruit League start on Friday. He threw 43 pitches in two innings on Sunday. Justin Verlander will make his first spring training start as a Met on Saturday against the Marlins.
Latest MLB News
The Blue Jays are hiring former Astros general manager James Click as their Vice President of Baseball Strategy. Click was dismissed by Houston after the two sides couldn’t agree to a new contract after the 2022 World Series.
MLB has announced they have selected SeatGeek to replace StubHub as its official ticket resale partner. SeatGeek also recently became the official resale partner for Paciolan, giving the site a huge boost to its inventory.
Sixto Sánchez threw off a mound Monday for the first time since arriving at camp. Sánchez finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting in 2020 but hasn’t thrown a pitch since due to injuries. In fact, Sánchez still maintains his rookie eligibility because he’s only thrown 39 innings in the majors.
In 2020, a large number of jerseys were stolen from teams despite no fans being in the stands for games. Stephanie Apstein of Sports Illustrated takes a deep dive into how the jerseys disappeared from clubhouses despite so few people being in stadiums.
The MLBPA announced they’ve opened an office in Arizona. MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said it was important they opened the office because of the large number of players they have that reside in the state.
Aroldis Chapman slipped and fell in his home on Saturday, causing him to crack a tooth and split his lip open, for which he required stitches. Chapman said he feels okay now and hopes to get in a game soon.
A Mariachi band was in attendance at Red Sox camp Monday as part of a presentation Alex Cora had Alex Verdugo and Jarren Duran put together for Team Mexico.
MLB’s average salary rose to a record $4.22 million after the end of the lockout last year, representing a 14.8% increase. The increase was driven by the large contracts given to Max Scherzer, Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien, and Corey Seager.
In an Instagram comment, Joey Votto predicted that extraterrestrials will arrive on Earth and the Reds will win the World Series. You can read his full comment here.
Seiya Suzuki has withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic. The Cubs outfielder has been battling left oblique tightness.
Latest on MMO
In the latest episode of MMO Weekly, Mike Mayer and Sal Monzo spoke with Tim Healey of Newsday to discuss the various happenings of spring training.
On This Date in Mets History
1975: The Mets purchase Dave Kingman from the Giants. The right-handed power bat has struck out in 30% of his at-bats in his career thus far, but he hit 29 homers as a 23-year-old in 1972.
1981: Six years after acquiring him for the first time, the Mets re-acquire Dave Kingman in exchange for Steve Henderson. Kingman only played 81 games in 1980, but he’s coming off three very productive seasons for the Cubs, hitting .278/.338/.569 (138 OPS+) with 94 homers in 345 games.
2006: The Mets re-sign left-handed reliever Pedro Feliciano. The 29-year-old made 51 appearances for the Mets between 2002-04 but was sold to the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks of NPB for the 2005 season.
Birthdays: Brian Bannister (42)
