As this decade closes out at midnight today, the Mets will actually enter their seventh decade of baseball. Before proceeding forward, let’s take a look at the best moments from each year of this decade:

2010

We didn’t realize it at the time, but the best moment of the year was the Mets drafting Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom.

On the field, it was Angel Pagan hitting an inside-the-park home run and starting a triple play in the same game.

2011

In a moment no one saw coming, Chris Capuano had a two-hit shutout where he struck out 13:

2012

Johan Santana pitches first no-hitter in Mets history with a little help from Mike Baxter.

2013

This was the year of Harvey, and there was a lot to choose from with his near perfect game, bloody nose game, Harvey’s Better game, and others, but it’s hard to top him and David Wright starting the All-Star Game at Citi Field.

2014

Every single defensive play made by Gold Glove winner Juan Lagares:

2015

With this being the fifth pennant in Mets history, there are many moments, but perhaps the biggest is Daniel Murphy‘s postseason heroics:

2016

The Mets would need to make a late charge to make the postseason in consecutive seasons for the second time in team history. The lasting image from that run was Asdrubal Cabrera‘s walk-off homer:

2017

After an injury plagued 2016, Michael Conforto would emerge as an All-Star, and his season was highlighted by an impressive homecoming:

2018

It was melancholy, but we got to see Wright play one final game as a member of the New York Mets:

2019

This was Pete Alonso‘s year, and the biggest moment of the season was his breaking Aaron Judge‘s rookie home run record:

The post Best Mets’ Moment Each Year Of 2010s appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning to all you Amazin’ Mets fans!

Today the Mets will finish off their four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jason Vargas (1-2, 5.22 ERA) will be on the mound for the Mets, in his second start since returning off the IL. In his first start back, Vargas limited the Detroit Tigers to one run across five innings pitched. Vargas will be squaring off against Hyun-Jin Ryu (7-1, 1.65 ERA), who has been a revelation for the Dodgers this year. Ryu had a 32-inning scoreless streak that came to an end in his last start on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m., and the game will be televised on SNY.

Last night the Mets lost in brutal fashion to the Dodgers, as Edwin Diaz blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning to give L.A. the 9-8 victory.

Latest Mets News

After giving Michael Conforto a tip that led to his pivotal grand slam on Tuesday night, Conforto proclaimed Robinson Cano his new hitting coach until he returns of the IL.

Newsdays’ Tim Healey wrote a great piece on Robert Gsellman and a life-changing game he pitched in Dodger Stadium a decade ago, after his mother passed away from her battle with breast cancer.

Mets outfielder Rajai Davis cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on Sunday. Since he cleared waivers, Davis will remain in the Mets organization as he was outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse.

Seth Lugo threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and could return to the Mets this Friday, in time for their next series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Latest MLB News

Former Mets outfielder Angel Pagan was reportedly rescued at sea, after a 15-foot wave capsized his boat in Puerto Rico. Pagan was accompanied on the boat by Orlando Roman, who was a former pitcher that was actually drafted by the Mets in the 31st round back in 1999. Roman never made it to the big leagues, but had a long professional baseball career in Japan, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Mets former top prospect Jarred Kelenic is rising quickly through the Seattle Mariners farm system, after being traded to Seattle this offseason. Kelenic, 19, was just promoted to High-A after hitting .303/.391/.564 in 49 games at Low-A this year, with 11 home runs, 13 doubles, three triples and seven steals.

Houston Astros star shortstop Carlos Correa is heading to the IL after suffering from a freak injury off the field. Reports are that Correa fractured his rib during an in-house massage. The shortstop will likely miss the next four to six weeks, while he recovers from the injury.

Latest NL East News

The Washington Nationals have signed former Braves reliever, Johnny Ventures to a minor league deal. Last year, Ventures won the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award after returning from his third Tommy John surgery, but had a 17.36 ERA this season before being released on May 18th.

Former Marlin Derek Dietrich is making Derek Jeter and company look foolish for releasing him this offseason. On Tuesday, Dietrich had a three-home run game and now has 17 home runs on the season, which is a career-high.

Latest on MMO

Roberto Correa covered a recent mock draft from FanGraphs.

John Sheridan highlighted Mets Minors players of the week.

This Day in Mets History 

Zack Wheeler turns 30 years old today.

2003: David Cone announces his retirement after making four starts for the Mets, where he pitched to a 6.50 ERA across 18 innings pitched.

The post Morning Briefing: Former Met Angel Pagan Rescued at Sea appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning Mets fans! Did you miss the 15-day disabled list? Apparently MLB has and is seeking a return to the 15 days in place of the current 10 days according to The Associated Press. In addition MLB is looking to increase the duration that an optioned player must spend in the minors. These potential moves are said to be sought out to reduce the use of relievers and increase the amount of offense.

Latest Mets News

Brodie Van Wagenen and Jeff Wilpon talked to reporters on Thursday and praised what was accomplished this offseason. Meanwhile they also ruled the Mets out from pursuing Manny Machado or Bryce Harper.

“I don’t know how many teams have two $30 million players, so I think that’s a bit of the answer,” Wilpon said in reference to adding another big free agent alongside Yoenis Cespedes.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic called the Mets out for their lack of interest in both Machado and Harper.

Kevin Kernan of the New York Post spoke with Travis d’Arnaud who is eager to come back and stay on the field in 2019.

Latest MLB News

The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a deal with A.J. Pollock per Rosenthal of The Athletic. Buster Olney of ESPN stated that he already passed his physical and is set to make $55 million over four years. His deal also comes with an opt-out after three years if he gets a set number of plate appearances. Furthermore, it comes with a $10 million fifth-year player option, with a $5 million buyout.

The Chicago Cubs agreed to a deal with Brad Brach as also reported by Rosenthal. The deal is worth $4.35 million for one year with both a team and player option for 2020.

While the Cubs had a large focus on position players in the recent years, they’re starting to shift that philosophy and are focusing on developing some young arms as of late.

Mariano Rivera said on MLB Network Radio that he is going to work with some pitchers on the New York Yankees to help them focus on command instead of just pure velocity.

David Meter, Nick Castellanos‘ agent, made it clear that his client wants a trade sooner rather than later.

Latest NL East News

Dan Kolko and Bo Porter will replace Johnny Holliday and Ray Knight for the Washington Nationals’ pregame and postgame coverage on MASN according to Scott Allen of The Washington Post.

The Miami Marlins have ramped up talks with the Dodgers about trading J.T. Realmuto according to Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports.

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins commented to reporters on the lack of free agents finding homes for yet another offseason. Part of what he said was, “It’s tough to see some of the best athletes in our game aren’t sought after as such. I think it’s something like 100 free agents remain and we are less than a month from pitchers and catchers reporting. Some of those guys not being on the field is going to hurt the competition and the game.”

Latest on MMO/MMN

Mickey Jannis wrote the third installment of his series called: “A Knuckleballer’s Journey.”

Jack Hendon graded Brandon Nimmo‘s 2018 campaign.

Matt Musico broke down how Todd Frazier could bounce back in 2019.

Joseph Hill wrote about Eric Hanhold who is currently MMN’s 23rd-ranked Mets prospect.

This Day in Mets History

1996: The Mets traded Damon Buford to the Texas Rangers for Terrell Lowery.

2006: The Cubs purchased Angel Pagan‘s contract from the Mets.

The post Morning Briefing: MLB Proposes Return To A 15-Day Disabled List appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The offseason is coming to a close as February is right around the corner. While most free agents have found homes on new teams, there are still many who are looking for teams. Some of these players can still give a boost to teams from their respective positions. The following are some of the best at their positions who are remaining.

The All-Free Agent Team

Starting Pitcher – Jason Hammel

Starting pitching is one of the stronger positions for teams who have needs. Doug Fister and Jorge De La Rosa aren’t terrible options. However, Jason Hammel leads this pack. The 34-year old was behind some of the top pitchers in baseball on the World Champion Cubs team. He contributed to the effort by going 15-10 with a 3.83 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 166.2 innings.

Catcher – Matt Wieters

Matt Wieters is one of the most valuable free agents remaining. This is mostly because he is leaps-and-bounds better than most free agent catchers. With competition from players like A.J. Pierzynski, Dioner Navarro, and Steve Clevenger, it wouldn’t be surprising for Wieters to get a decent deal even now.

First Base – Mike Napoli

Mike Napoli hit 34 home runs, scored 92 runs, and drove in 101 RBI with a .239/.335/.465 slash line. Those stats stand for themselves.

Second Base – Chase Utley

Second base is another weak position. Kelly Johnson and Aaron Hill are very similar to each other in production, but Chase Utley is better than both, as painful as that may sound to Mets fans. Also he is primarily a second baseman while the other two play around the field more. After a terrible 2015, he bounced back with a better season as he hit .252/.319/.396 with 14 home runs, 52 RBI, and 79 runs scored.

Third Baseman – Aaron Hill

Luis Valbuena would have made this position, but he just signed with the Angels recently. Both Johnson and Hill play this position as well and as already mentioned, they are similar players. Hill had 297 at bats as a third basemen in 2016 while Johnson only had 60. It’d only be fair to give the edge to Hill.

Shortstop – Alexei Ramirez

This is the weakest position by far. Ramirez slashed just .241/.277/.333 for the season albeit a little better in his time towards the end of the season with the Tampa Bay Rays. The only other Major League free agent at shortstop is veteran Erick Aybar who struggled mightily in 2016 as well.

Outfield – Angel Pagan

There are very few remaining outfielders of value left on the market especially after Mark Trumbo agreed to a deal to stay with the Orioles. Angel Pagan is still a solid player nonetheless. While he may not be a difference-making, his speed, defense, and offense are all serviceable. His 15 stolen bases show he still has some speed on the basepaths. His 12 home runs were actually a career-high. He is all-around one of the better outfielders on the market.

Outfield – Brandon Moss

Brandon Moss fits better at first base, but since Napoli is still on the market he can’t really be considered the best at that position. Since the outfield is so weak and Moss does play outfield, he can definitely be considered one of the best outfielders left. He paces the competition when he comes to power as his 28 home runs pack a powerful punch.

Outfield – Coco Crisp

Coco Crisp leads both the previous outfielders in a category most players don’t want to: age. The 37-year old is at a point where many players see a big decline or retire. Instead he was actually traded to the American League Champion Indians during the season. He has the weaker qualities of the other two outfielders, as in the on-base skills of Moss and the power of Pagan. His 2016 could still arguably be considered his best season since 2013, however.

Designated Hitter – Pedro Alvarez

Since Napoli took the first-base spot, that leaves few top remaining designated hitters. Pedro Alvarez and his 22 home runs in 2016 lead the way here. He also had career best .255 isolated slugging and was a 1.1 fWAR player. Chris Carter deserves mention for his 41 home runs, but also struck out 32% of the time and is a butcher in the field.

Left-Handed Relief Pitcher – Jerry Blevins

This is a tough one between Jerry Blevins and Travis Wood. In 2016 Blevins had a 2.79 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 42 innings. Wood, on the other hand, had a 2.95 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 61 innings. You can’t compare much else of their careers as Wood really only converted to a relief pitcher in 2015, while Blevins never made a MLB start. Since strikeouts are big for relief pitchers, Blevin’s 8.7 career strikeouts per nine innings edges out Wood’s 7.4.

Right-Handed Relief Pitcher – Joe Blanton

Right-handed relief pitchers are still abundantly on the market at this time. Joe Blanton is the best on the market especially after he struck out 80 batters in 80 innings to the tune of a 2.48 ERA. Sergio Romo is another big name, but for relievers of similar ERA production, it would be hard to rank him and his 30.2 innings pitched above Blanton and his 80 innings pitched.

The post The All-Free Agent Team appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets were defeated by the San Francisco Giants by a score of 3-0 Wednesday night at Citi Field. The Mets season is over, and the Giants will advance and face the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS.

Pitching:

Unhittable. Incredible. Norse god-like. Phenomenal. All are words that describe Noah Syndergaard‘s outing tonight. Thor tossed 7.0 dominant innings, allowing only 2 hits while walking 3 and striking out 10. He had a no-hitter going until two outs in the 6th when Denard Span knocked a slider to center field to break it up. The only other hit was an inconsequential infield single by Angel Pagan in the 7th.

Addison Reed stepped up in the top of the 8th inning. Conor Gillaspie led off the inning with a seeing-eye base hit to right. MadBum bunted him over to second for the first out, then Denard Span popped up to the second baseman. Brandon Belt walked, then the first pitch to Buster Posey got away from Rene Rivera, moving the runners to second and third with two outs. Terry put up four fingers so they loaded the bases to face Hunter Pence, who Reed blew away on four pitches, striking him out on four pitches to end the inning.

Jeurys Familia came in for the 9th with the score tied and was greeted rudely by Brandon Crawford who doubled to left center. Angel Pagan was up to bunt, but Familia worked the count full and struck him out with a 97-mph four-seamer up in the zone for the first out. He worked the count full to Joe Panik as well, but ended up walking him to put runners on first and second with one out. Then Conor Gillaspie broke our hearts and hit a three run home run to right field off a 97 mph sinker that didn’t sink.

Offense:

I wish I could write more in this section. Asdrubal Cabrera, T.J. Rivera, Rene Rivera, and Ty Kelly had hits. Madison Bumgarner lived up to the hype throwing a 4-hit shutout, striking out 6 and walking two. In 25 career innings in win-or-go-home games, he has yet to give up a run. That is the most all-time by far.

This really sucks. It was a pleasure writing for you all this summer and I look forward to working my way onto your computer screens next season. Let’s Go Mets.

The post It’s Over. Bumgarner, Gillaspie Defeat Mets 3-0 Despite Gem from Thor appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The lead had dwindled to one.

Closer Jeurys Familia yielded a leadoff single to the pesky Denard Span and was staring at the stern, focused face of former Met Angel Pagan. The speedy Pagan has flourished since his departure from Flushing for two forgettable experiments in Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez, netting a World Series ring in 2012 and about 40 million dollars in contract money from the Giants. He stood in the batters box as an unlikely candidate to record an out, let alone two. Familia dealt his signature sinker at 96 MPH on the outer half which Pagan rolled over to the right side.

The record breaking regular season crowd of 44,466, two-thirds of them Gnome-less and agitated, fell silent on contact.

In years past, particularly 2015, this was a cue for Mets fans to hide their eyes. Countless times the middle infield of the Mets botched tailor-made twin killings and extended innings. The Mets ranked 26th in executed DP’s last year, ahead of only four clubs. Giving teams extra outs is a classic recipe for disaster.

And of course, look at any game log in the World Series vs the Royals if you need further evidence of their defensive woes up the middle.

Even more significant, but often under-discussed, the defense failing to execute induced double play ground balls can needlessly extend the Mets’ young pitchers who were subject to innings limits in 2015 and pitch counts in 2016.

But, Alas Met fans! Do not avert your eyes! The newly constructed middle infield of Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker are on the case!

Walker fielded Pagan’s grounder on the short hop and adroitly executed his back hand push-flip toss to Cabrera who was in an athletic shuffle transition over the second base bag that would make past Met shortstops ankles hurt. Cabrera fired to first to a splitting Lucas Duda to nail the busting Pagan by an eye lash.

The threat was thwarted. And silly you! You missed it, understandably so, because you had covered your eyes.

While the Mets are on pace to turn almost exactly the same number of double plays this year than in 2015, many variables can account for that. The turnover in the rotation to include more strikeout pitchers and the elimination of contact guys like Neise and Gee now make double play chances few and far between.

Converting these chances is tantamount to any team’s success.

Sandy Alderson acquired Walker and Cabrera to shore up the middle infield defense. With all the talk about the potent bats of the newly acquired double play combination, little has been said about the defense.

But the most basic defensive stat pretty much tells the story about the middle infield.

Last year, Mets shortstops and second baseman combined to make 27 errors. This year, through the first month, the Mets have had TWO errors at those spots. What a difference two players not known for their defense can make.

Countless balls that you are used to seeing squirt through the middle of the diamond have been snagged, some in fancy fashion. Throws have been made from knees, from mid-air, and from posteriors to nail base runners.

So, next time the Mets have an opportunity to roll one up, feel free to watch hopefully instead of hopelessly.

The post Sandy Alderson Dials Up Winning Code in Offseason (643) (463) appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Michael Conforto (Photo by Jim Mancari)

The 21-year-old Oregon State University product finished 2-for-4 with an RBI double, and he added a stellar defensive play in foul territory and an outfield assist – his second in two nights.

However, Conforto’s effort was not enough, as the Brooklyn Cyclones (19-22) fell by a score of 5-2 to the Vermont Lake Monsters, the Single-A short season affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The team is now 4-3 since Conforto joined the team July 19.

Conforto has recorded at least one hit in all seven games he’s played in his first week of professional baseball. In this small sample, he’s hitting .407 (11-for-27) with four doubles and three RBI.

“He (Conforto) take’s a lot of pride in his game, and his at-bats have just been terrific right from day one,” said Cyclones’ manager Tom Gamboa. “The rest of the guys can learn from him in BP and in his pitch selection in the games.”

The first-rounder singled sharply up the middle in his first at-bat and then followed that up with a two-out RBI double into the right field corner in the bottom of third inning to plate the Cyclones’ first run.

He later hit two balls hard to the left side, which went for outs, but he said he feels comfortable hitting the ball to all fields.

“I’m very comfortable,” Conforto said of his offensive production in his first week. “I think I’ve just kind of settled into a mode where I’m seeing the ball well and getting into a rhythm and getting confident. I’m getting a lot of pitches to hit, a lot of fastballs, and I’m doing what I can with them in trying to hit the ball where it’s pitched.”

Conforto’s defense has also impressed early on in his tenure in Brooklyn, especially his throwing.

“It’s one of those things that I’ve worked on, trying to get my arm in shape and making sure that when I was back home I wasn’t losing any arm strength,” Conforto said. “It (his defense) was something that was out there as a question mark, and I took that as a challenge personally. I’ve made it a priority to work on that part of my game.”

Michael Conforto greets Brooklyn fans. (Photo by Jim Mancari)

“The reports on him (Conforto) were adequate defensively, and we’re seeing way beyond that,” Gamboa said. “For a 21-year-old, he’s miles ahead of most guys I see come into professional baseball. That was his reputation coming here. That’s what we were told, except that he runs, throws and fields better than people gave him credit for. The focus was on his bat, but everybody is seeing a more complete player here.”

Righty Octavio Acosta started on the mound for the Cyclones and was able to pitch out of a few early jams up until the top of the fifth inning, in which eight Lake Monsters came to bat to plate three runs.

Acosta had gone at least 6.0 innings in each of his five starts since his 4.2-inning outing on Opening Day. But he only lasted five innings in this one and surrendered a season-high 10 hits. He falls to 3-2 on the summer with the loss.

The Cyclones only mustered seven hits on the night. One of those was a seeing-eye double over the third-base bag for third baseman Jhoan Ureña, which increases his hitting streak to 11 games. The 19-year-old had a 13-game hitting streak earlier this summer, and he joins Angel Pagan (2001) as the only two players in Cyclones’ franchise history to record two 10-game hitting streaks in the same season.

Although the team has cooled off since its hot start, it’s still very much alive in the Wild Card race with the season just beyond the halfway point. Brooklyn came into play at only 2.0 games behind the Staten Island Yankees and Williamsport Crosscutters in the race for the final playoff spot.

The team is back in action at home Saturday night, looking for a series win against the Lake Monsters. Texas native Corey Oswalt bids for his fourth win of the summer at 6 p.m.

Click here to view the complete box score from this game.

The post First-Rounder Michael Conforto Shines In Cyclones Loss appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Dillon Gee warming up in the bullpen (Photo by Diana Colapietro)

BROOKYLN, N.Y. – On Sunday afternoon at MCU Park in Coney Island, Mets’ starting pitcher Dillon Gee returned to his old stomping grounds as he made a rehab start for the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Gee settled in nicely after a rough first inning and tossed 2.2 innings, but he was tagged with the loss after giving up a run on four hits. He also walked one and struck out six.

The Cyclones (11-6) dropped the rubber game 5-4 Sunday against the Staten Island Yankees in the “Battle of the Bridge” series.

Gee threw 55 pitches – which was the exact number he was slated to throw – in addition to a 30-pitch warm-up session. He has been on the disabled list with a strained lat muscle in his right side since May 14.

This was Gee’s second rehab start, as he also started a game last Tuesday in the Gulf Coast League. In that outing, he pitched two scoreless innings and allowed only one hit with two strikeouts.

“I feel good right now, but the big test is always the next day. So hopefully everything goes the way that it’s been going, and hopefully I’ll be out there for the next one.”

It took Gee 24 pitches to get through the first inning Sunday. Yankees’ center fielder Daniel Lopez led off with a bloop double to right. Gee proceeded to walk right fielder Austin Aune before an RBI single up the middle by second baseman Ty McFarland on an 0-2 pitch up in the zone that gave the Yankees their only run off Gee.

He then gave up a single to Yankees’ catcher Isaias Tejeda before striking out two and getting a fielder’s choice grounder to end the inning.

Gee minimized the damage in the first inning, allowing only one run. (Photo by Diana Colapietro)

“It took me a few batters that first inning to get under control,” Gee said. “I’m not going to lie, I had a little adrenaline going into this game. But I felt fine physically and that’s the goal.”

Gee’s second inning started with an error by Cyclones’ second baseman Anthony Chavez. Gee struck out the next batter but then gave up a single to Lopez before retiring the next two.

With 46 pitches through two innings, Gee returned for the top of the third and struck out both men he faced before being relieved by Josh Prevost. Of Gee’s 55 pitches, 36 went for strikes.

He said he would like to improve upon his fastball command in his next start, which the team will determine sometime after reevaluating him Monday to see how he feels.

“The change-up was pretty good, and the slider was actually pretty good,” Gee said. “The off-speed stuff was pretty good for the most part. I just have to get ahead of hitters better. No matter which level you’re at, you have to pitch ahead.”

At age 21, Gee was a member of the 2007 Brooklyn Cyclones. He was mostly a reliever until being called upon to make 11 starts later in the season. He finished that campaign 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA as a starter.

“It’s pretty special this being the place that I started,” he said. “It’s changed so much. It’s a great place to play, it’s a great place to start your pro career, and to come back and make a rehab start here was a lot of fun. It’s good to come back to the place where you start your career.”

Gee is the first Cyclone to be named an Opening Day starter for the Mets. His outing Sunday was the 19th time in Cyclones’ franchise history that a Met played a rehab game in Brooklyn. Gee also became the second player to play for the Cyclones as a minor leaguer and Major Leaguer, joining Angel Pagan who played on the inaugural Cyclones team in 2001 and then with Brooklyn in a rehab game in 2008.

The game remained 1-0 until the top of the sixth inning when the Yankees tagged Brooklyn righty Corey Oswalt – who had been working on a 13.0-inning scoreless streak through his first two starts – for four runs as they batted around in the frame.

But the Cyclones immediately responded in the bottom of the inning by batting around themselves and plating four runs.

With the bases loaded and none out, third baseman Jhoan Ureña drove in the first run on what would have been an RBI ground out, but Yankees’ pitcher David Palladino dropped the ball covering the bag. Michael Bernal, Tyler Moore and Jeff Diehl each followed with RBI’s.

In the final three innings, the Cyclones only managed two hits against the Yankees’ bullpen and struck out five times. They wound up getting the tying and winning run in scoring position with two outs in the ninth, but catcher Tomas Nido went down swinging to end the threat.

On a positive note, Brooklyn reliever Scarlyn Reyes continues to shine as he threw 3.1 innings of hitless relief.

Meanwhile, Ureña doubled to left field in the first inning to increase his hitting streak to 10 games, becoming only the second Cyclone teenager (19 years old) to have a double-digit hitting streak joining outfielder Alhaji Turay who hit in 12 straight games in 2012.

The Cyclones have Monday off and open a three-game series with the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Single-A short season affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, Tuesday upstate. Lefty Alberto Baldonado will bid for his first win of the season in the 7:05 p.m. start.

Click here to view the complete box score of this game.

Gee addresses the media after his start. (Photo by Jim Mancari)

The post Gee Feels Fine After Rehab Start, Cyclones Drop Rubber Game To Staten Island appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In a response to all the criticism of Terry Collins in the past two weeks – and in particular this weekend – Adam Rubin of ESPN New York responded by saying the blame for the current state of the Mets belongs to Sandy Alderson and not the manager.

This regime has been peddling the future for four years now…

There ought to have been more competitiveness, at least by now, while fans await the future faces of the organization. And that requires better identification of talent by the front office.

Rubin contends that there should have been more competitiveness by now and the reason there hasn’t been a lack of identifying better talent by the front office.

He writes:

The painfully slow rebuilding, which eats at the fans, has to gnaw at the Wilpons, too, because their financial lifeblood is derived from revenue from attendance. I’ve covered this team for a dozen seasons as the beat writer, and I have never seen this level of combined anger, distrust, frustration and dismay directed collectively at the organization by its fans. By now, even if the Mets weren’t challenging the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves for the division, there ought to have been positive energy in the ballpark, like there was in 2005 with the “New Mets” — a palpable feeling something bigger was looming.

Rubin also took issue with Alderson’s “Moneyball” pedigree, which was supposed to identify low-cost players to keep the team competitive until the farm system started producing players.

With rare exceptions such as LaTroy Hawkins, there have been swings and misses and more swings and misses, particularly in the bullpen. To name a few: D.J. Carrasco, Frank Francisco, Ramon Ramirez (in a trade for Angel Pagan), Scott Atchison, Brandon Lyon and now Jose Valverde…

The Mets seem to always need to win the trade, or there is inaction.

He concludes:

There may come a day in the next few seasons that the Mets realize that 90-win goal. And then people might praise Alderson for leaving the organization in such good shape. But if the price was, say, six losing seasons under his watch first — plus the two from Minaya that preceded it — was that really great front-office work? Or if you fail enough seasons, is it simply inevitable that at some point you’ll accrue enough young talent to be competitive again?

As I wrote in a post last week, expect more heat for Alderson from the media who by and large have given him a free pass during until now.

Sandy went into this offseason with three years of his own acquisitions under his belt, plenty of time to evaluate the players and prospects he inherited, and $50 million to spend this Winter.

This current team and their results are finally all on Sandy, and this was the year he promised transformation when he took the job in the fall of 2010.

Still, it’s hard for me to be too critical of him or the previous GM as long as this current ownership remains in place. That’s where the real issue is.

The post Rubin: Criticism Should Be Directed At Alderson Not Collins appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

On this past Wednesday’s edition of the “Shouts From Shea” podcast featuring Stephen Keane from “The Kranepool Society” and myself we had Mets prospect expert, Joe DeMayo of PSL To Flushing, on to discuss everything from the Yankees signing of Masahiro Tanaka, the prospect of Stephen Drew wearing a Mets cap come Opening Day, as well as his opinions on many of the Mets minor league prospects and how he feels they will pan out.

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And with that said…. HERE COMES THE INFAMY!!!!!

Mets alumni celebrating a birthday today include:

Mets pitching coach from the ’03 season, Vern Ruhle would have been 67  (1951).

Other notables include:

Sadly on this date in 2010, Jane Jarvis, the longtime Shea Stadium organist passed away.  I remember as a child in the ’70’s sitting in my seat before every first pitch just to listen to Ms. Jarvis serenading myself along with the rest of the crowd to her rendition of Meet The Mets.

The New York Mets traded reserve outfielder, Damon Buford to the Texas Rangers for minor league outfielder, Terrell Lowery on January 25, 1996.

The New York Mets sold Angel Pagan to the Chicago Cubs on January 25, 2006. The Mets would reacquire him just before the start of the ’08 season. He would prove to be a decent hitter and defender when he was focused – which wasn’t all the time.

The New York Mets signed free agent middle reliever, Aaron Sele of the Los Angeles Dodgers on January 25, 2007. Sele went 3-2 with an ERA of 5.37 in his lone season with the Mets.

Mo Vaughn will be rooting for the Seattle Seahawks for next Sundays Super Bowl because he prefers a good craft beer to Rocky Mountain Oysters!!!

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