Morning Briefing: Mark Vientos Ready To Play All Around Field

Mark Vientos, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

Good morning, Mets fans!

Abbey Mastracco of The Daily News is reporting that Mets prospect Mark Vientos could be an option anywhere in the infield. Vientos came with three different fielding gloves to player several different positions and could realistically be another first baseman option behind Alonso and current designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach.

“I’m ready to play in the big leagues every day,” Vientos told The Daily News.

Latest Mets News

Former pitching coach Phil Regan has filed a lawsuit against claiming age discrimination the New York Mets, according to TMZ.

Regan claims he was not hired as the main pitching coach following the 2019 season only because he was 82 at the time. He also alleged former general manager Brodie Van Wagenen called him “too old” and said the team would hire him back in 2020 “if we don’t find the young pitching coach we are looking for.” The Mets hired Jeremy Hefner that following offseason and has been with the team ever since.

Regan was a popular coach with pitchers in the clubhouse and the fanbase back when he was an interim pitching coach back in 2019 after taking over for fired pitching coach Dave Eiland. He turned the pitching staff around after the Eiland firing, dropping the staff’s overall ERA from 4.88 to 3.48 in the second half of the season. Jacob deGrom also won the Cy Young Award that season with the help of Regan.

Following the 2019 season, Regan has not held a role on any ballclub in the Major Leagues, but has served as a pitching coach in the Dominican Winter League.

Former Mets catcher and recent retiree René Rivera will go back to the ballpark, but as the manager for the Frederick Keys. Rivera announced the hiring on his Twitter account. The Frederick Keys are a part of the MLB Draft League. Rivera will serve as the 25th manager in Keys history and the third during the Keys’ MLB Draft League era.

MLB.com‘s Anthony DiComo recently interviewed some Mets players and coaches and asked if they thought first baseman Pete Alonso would be able to hit 60-plus home runs like local New Yorker Aaron Judge. Second baseman Jeff McNeil said Alonso “could do it” and Mets hitting coach Jeremy Barnes said Alonso “absolutely” has the ability to do so.

“That would be awesome to do that,” Alonso said. “But I just want to play my game, take what the game gives me. You’re just hoping for a few extra to fall over the other side of the fence.”

Latest MLB News

Deesha Thosar of FOX Sports reported that New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge will not participate in this year’s World Baseball Classic.

“It would be an honor to represent my country and play in that,” Judge told FOX Sports. “But my main goal is what I can do here in New York and what I can do to bring a championship back here. I think especially after signing a nine-year contract, for me, priorities are New York. Maybe four years down the road, hopefully I can still make the team and get an opportunity to play. But right now for me, my focus is here.”

Judge recently was named the 16th captain in the team’s history and has spent the past six weeks down in Tampa at the Yankees spring training facility. According to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, he has been coaching some of the other younger Yankees players and encouraging them to work out with him down there.

The Minnesota Twins are in agreement with free agent infielder Donovan Solano on a one-year, major league contract, pending a physical, a source tells The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal. The 35-year old Solano played 80 games for the Cincinnati Reds last season and hit for a .284 batting average.

Former Mets outfielder Tyler Naquin and the Milwaukee Brewers are in agreement to a minor league contract, according to Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Naquin said in an interview that Daniel Vogelbach and pitcher Hunter Strickland highly recommended signing with the Brewers after splitting the 2022 season with the Reds and Mets.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Soroka spoke this morning and said his hamstring issue is clearing up, according to Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game. Soroka continued throwing at camp today with the next step being running. Soon, Soroka will get on the mound, throw bullpen sessions, then get back into games. The Braves will set a timetable for that soon.