While the Mets ultimately fell short of the postseason, they did receive a quality performance from the veteran outfielder, as he was able to enjoy plenty of success at the plate over the 60-game shortened season. That being said, this offseason could bring some significant changes to this squad, as they appear to have too many players and not enough positions to go around for everyone.

Taking into account the club’s goal to improve its overall defense, which must be a top priority, it’d be wise for the front office to acquire a reliable centerfielder this winter. With that in mind, that would likely result in subtracting one of either Jeff McNeil, Michael Conforto, or Nimmo from the current roster before the start of next season.

Since Conforto is an integral part of the Mets’ core, the team’s longest-tenured position player probably won’t find himself on the trading block this offseason, especially since he’s likely to receive a long-term extension in the near future. As for McNeil, the 2019 breakout star probably isn’t being moved either, as he won’t become eligible for arbitration until next offseason and won’t hit free agency until after the 2024 campaign.

Based on those factors, along with Nimmo scheduled to become a free agent following the 2022 season, it seems the former first-round pick might be suiting up for another organization when players report to training camp next spring. Adding to this, the 6-foot-3 outfielder has struggled mightily in centerfield ever since he made his MLB debut in 2016 and that could also play a huge factor in his potential departure from New York.

This season in particular, the Cheyenne East HS product’s defensive woes reached an all-time high over his small sample size of work, as the former top prospect committed two errors (tied for most among all centerfielders who played at least 300 innings), and recorded a -4 OAA (tied for second-worst), -5 DRS (tied for third-fewest), along with the worst UZR (-4.1) and UZR/150 (-19.2) through his 308 1/3 innings in centerfield, according to FanGraphs.com.

Despite being developed as a centerfielder throughout his minor-league career, there’s no question Nimmo is better suited for a corner outfield position, but the Mets don’t exactly have an open spot available with Conforto and McNeil currently occupying those spots. Since the Wyoming native is too valuable to be utilized as a fourth outfielder, it’d make more sense to swap him for a player who could help address one of the several needs the Mets must address before this offseason concludes.

So what could the front office acquire in exchange for the talented outfielder? And which teams could be a potential match for him? Well, the list of trading partners who could have an interest in the left-handed batter is relatively short, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be moved sometime over the next few months.

As of right now, it seems the Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Houston Astros are three teams who might draw the most attention in Nimmo, as each of them could significantly benefit from adding a quality corner outfielder before next season begins. Depending on the Mets’ views about trading inside the NL East division, the Atlanta Braves could be another potential suitor if veteran Nick Markakis departs through free agency this winter.

Considering the Indians, Brewers, and Braves all feature plenty of starting pitching and bullpen depth, there’s a very good chance the front office could land an impact arm or two in return for the speedy outfielder. But if they complete a trade with the Astros, the Mets could acquire a package of players including versatile infielder Abraham Toro, who has the potential of developing into a quality hitter and is capable of playing at third, second, and first base.

Whoever acquires Nimmo this offseason, for the right price of course, they’ll be adding a player who can be relied on to generate a ton of walks, plenty of contact, along with a surprising amount of extra-base power as well. Taking into account his production from this past season, as long as he’s healthy, “Nimms” shouldn’t have any issues replicating his results over a full 162-game 2021 campaign.

Through 55 games in 2020, No. 9 earned 225 plate appearances, producing eight doubles, eight home runs, 18 RBIs, .204 ISO, .326 BABIP (19th-highest among all qualified outfielders), .387 wOBA (ninth-highest), 14.7% walk rate (eighth-highest), 19.1% strikeout rate (16th-lowest), 20.4% LD rate, 47.2% GB rate, 32.4% FB rate, 7.7% barrel rate (career-high), 32.2% hard-hit rate, 148 wRC+ score (11th-highest), 1.5 fWAR rating (tied for 12th-highest), and a slashing line of .280 (18th-highest)/.404 (sixth-highest)/.484 (21st-highest)/.888 (12th-highest).

With free agency opening next week, these next couple of months should prove to be very eventful for the Mets, as billionaire Steve Cohen is expected to officially take over ownership very shortly and former general manager Sandy Alderson is reportedly set to rejoin the club in the near future as well. As a result, there’s a strong chance this team will likely experience several changes over the winter and could look very different once spring training begins in February.

The post Could Brandon Nimmo be Traded This Offseason? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen also knows this. At the GM meetings this week, Van Wagenen stated that the rotation, bullpen, and centerfield defense are three areas in which the Mets look to improve.

What is their plan of attack? As of yet, he has not said.

It is a good sign that Van Wagenen is acknowledging these lapses on the roster. Now let’s just hope he’s not all talk and the Mets actually do add to these three lacking places in the offseason.

In terms of adding to the rotation, the Mets did extend a qualifying offer of $17.8 million to Zack Wheeler, which he will decline. They have made it known that they do have a plan in terms of acquiring another starter — trades and other free agents will be considered, as well as moving Seth Lugo or Robert Gsellman into the rotation.

The bullpen was arguably the biggest issue for the Mets in 2019. It was something they should have added to before the trade deadline. Hopefully they do not make this same mistake this offseason. Having a reliable bullpen makes or breaks a game — as we saw many times in 2019. The Mets need to add strong, stable arms and should make this a priority.

With Juan Lagares now a free agent, the Mets truly do not have a “real” centerfielder (unless you count their manager, Carlos Beltran!). Having a strong arm in center will be a big benefit — we all know this, and it will be nice to see again, especially with Beltran there leading the way.

All of this is great that the Mets know where they are lacking. Now hopefully they just make the right moves to fill those gaps and make the right changes to fully get this team performing to their fullest potential.

The post Brodie Van Wagenen Acknowledges Three Areas Mets Are Lacking appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Andrew McCutchen

Position: OF
Bats/Throws: R/R
Age: 10/10/1986 (32)

Traditional Stats: .255/.368/.424, 145 hits, 30 2B, 3 3B, 20 HR, 65 RBI, 14 SB
Advanced Stats: 2.7 bWAR, 2.6 fWAR, 118 OPS+, 120 wRC+, .304 BABIP

It’s been 10 years since former top-prospect Andrew McCutchen made his MLB debut against the Mets, and five years since his MVP season for the Pirates. Is it time for the once-elite McCutchen to come to Queens?

McCutchen is far from the player he was in 2013, but he is also far from useless. 2018 was his first season away from Pittsburgh. Splitting time in San Francisco and across town in the Bronx, McCutchen put up a .792 OPS.

When looking at his total season stats, it is hard not to see the signs of regression for the now 32-year-old. However, he showed signs of legitimate life once he donned the pinstripes. In 25 games, he posted five home runs and an .892 OPS. This is a significant increase from his .772 OPS in 130 games as a Giant. Is this sample size too small to definitively say McCutchen is back? Of course it is.

Let’s not be silly. While his tenure in New York should be indicative of what an aging Cutch can still do, McCutchen is still on the wrong side of 30, and his production appears to be on the downturn. He homered eight fewer times in 2018 compared to 2017, and he struck out 29 more times in one fewer at bat.

And we cannot forget about his defense. McCutchen was once an infamous hit-stealer when he patrolled centerfield for the Pirates. He won the 2012 Gold Glove in center, which was also the last time that McCutchen posted positive Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) figures until his move to rightfield in 2017, when McCutchen’s diminished range and foot speed forced him to a corner spot.

He posted -28 DRS in 2016 in well over 1,000 innings in centerfield, which is indicative enough of the kind of defender he had become. However, McCutchen grades out to be an average-at-worst rightfielder; he posted 2 DRS in the ninth position in both 2017 and 2018.

If the Mets were to target McCutchen, he would likely slot into rightfield, while Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo split duties in left and center. Things could get complicated when Yoenis Cespedes returns from injury, but he is a big question mark at the moment.

The Mets, lacking Cespedes for the foreseeable future, are sorely missing a big, right-handed bat. McCutchen, despite his regression, would help to balance the Mets’ lineup and split up some of the lefties in the middle of the order.

Prediction

MLB Trade Rumors predicts that McCutchen could see a three-year, $45 million dollar deal. He made just south of $15 million in 2018, so it is hard to envision him settling for any less after a relatively productive year. Still just 32, McCutchen will likely ask for a three-year deal, and some team with a need in the outfield might just give it to him. A two-year deal worth $25-28 would likely be McCutchen’s market if he finds that he has to settle. A team might try to sweeten this deal with a third year option loaded with performance incentives.

Recommendation

McCutchen is not a perfect fit for the Mets. Despite him being a right-handed bat, the Mets would be better served exploring true centerfielders before expanding the outfield search to include corner-only guys. And, outfield should not even be one of the top priorities for the team this offseason. The Mets should only look to players like McCutchen after addressing the bullpen and the catching position. For this reason, as well as his age and declining production, McCutchen should not be super high on the Mets radar this offseason.

The post MMO Free Agent Profile: Andrew McCutchen, OF appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Boston Herald

Fred Lynn’s early success in the major leagues had many thinking he was on a Hall of Fame trajectory.

Lynn’s meteoric rise from a three-time collegiate champion at the University of Southern California to winning both the A.L. Rookie of the Year and M.V.P. Awards in 1975 – the first player to take home both pieces of hardware in the same season – made him an instant fan favorite.

Lynn, 66, played seventeen seasons in the majors, best known for his seven years spent with the Boston Red Sox from 1974-80.

Lynn embraced the college vibe Boston exuded, as many of the key contributors on the Sox were in their mid-to-late twenties at a time when the club was routinely fielding a competitive team.

Along with his impressive play during the regular season, Lynn seemed to always come through big in the bright lights of each year’s All-Star Game, one in which Lynn made nine straight seasons (1975-83).

The competition and desire to win the game were heightened back then, with each league having its own president and with interleague play only occurring during spring training, the Midsummer Classic and the World Series.

Lynn thrived off the competition, wanting to showcase his talent against some of the game’s very best. Among the all-time leaders, Flynn is fifth in slugging percentage (.900), fourth in OPS (1.264), tied with Ted Williams for the second-most home runs (4), and tied with Stan Musial for the second-most RBIs (10). He also holds the distinction of hitting the first and still only All-Star Game grand slam, taking lefty Atlee Hammaker deep to right field in the third inning in the 1983 exhibition.

After leaving the Red Sox via trade in 1981, Lynn would play another ten seasons with the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres. However, injuries cost Lynn plenty of playing time, as from 1981-90 he averaged just 114 games per season. A host of injury issues afflicted Lynn, including cracked ribs, a broken toe, hamstring issues and several knee operations.

The lost playing time did Lynn no favors when it came to helping his Hall of Fame prospects. Despite the injury woes, Lynn carved out an impressive major league career, amassing over 1,900 hits, 388 doubles, 306 home runs and a .360 career on-base percentage.

Identifying with the Red Sox is an easy choice for Lynn, as he remains involved with the organization, each year making trips to Boston and hosting their corporate clients in luxury suites. Among all-time Red Sox players, Lynn is 7th in slugging percentage (.520), 7th in OPS (.902) and 10th in Win Probability Added (18.4).

I had the privilege of interviewing Lynn in early March, where we discussed his U.S.C. career, winning both the Rookie of the Year and MVP Awards in 1975 and how he views his legacy.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Lynn: I grew up on the West Coast, and we didn’t get to see all of the players all the time. I never got to see Mickey Mantle play, if I had, I probably would’ve thought he was a pretty cool player to watch or emulate.

Because I was in the West, I did get to see Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente. I used to go back and visit my grandparents in Chicago, and I got to see them play a number of times there. Those two guys were just great to watch; they could do everything. They had no holes in their game, and they looked like they were having fun when they were playing, and that’s one of the things that I tried to emulate as a kid and as a player; just have fun when you’re doing it.

MMO: Who introduced you to the game at a young age?

Lynn: That would be my dad. I think we started in the backyard, I was probably four or five-years-old and he was tossing me balls. In fact, this is the way he prepared me for not being afraid of a baseball: He bounced it off my head.

He goes, “Hey, did that hurt?”

I’m rubbing my head and going, ‘Well, that didn’t feel great.’

He goes, “It didn’t kill you, right?”

I said, ‘No.’

I didn’t do that with my son, by the way. [Laughs.] But that was kind of my introduction to not being afraid [of the ball].

We did backyard stuff when I was a little guy and I didn’t even start playing organized ball until I was ten.

That’s unheard of in today’s world where my grandson – he’s eight – has been playing ball for two years already! Kids today are getting a head start on guys my age.

I remember when I was nine, you could sign up for Little League, and that year my dad said, “Well, you’ve got to go back to the Chicago area and visit all of your relatives.”

So I didn’t play baseball until I was ten. You can still have a pretty successful amateur career even though you start late.

MMO: You were originally recruited to play football for the University of Southern California (U.S.C.) and you did so in your freshman year. At what point did you realize that baseball was your true calling?

Lynn: It was kind of shown to me in the summer after my freshman season at U.S.C.

At the University of Southern California, when I went there in the fall of ’70, freshmen couldn’t play varsity football. Lynn Swann was my teammate, and Sam Cunningham was on that team, so we had our own team. We would practice with the varsity, and John McKay was the head coach then.

I had a pretty successful season on the freshman team, but in baseball, it was the second year that freshmen could play varsity. And so I did. I made the team as a freshman, and we won the College World Series. I was on the All-Tournament team as a freshman, and then after that was concluded in June, there was a tryout for the Pan-Am team. I went down to Florida, and I made that squad. This is a team representing the U.S., and we kind of barnstormed the Eastern Seaboard for about thirty days to kind of gel as a unit before we went down there. I was really playing well.

We lost to Cuba in the gold medal game, and I led the tournament in home runs as a skinny nineteen-year-old. We had four coaches that were just on me all summer. “Why are you going to play football? Are you crazy? This is what you’re supposed to do.”

It kind of wore me down, really. I could see the handwriting on the wall that, as a freshman, I was one of the best amateur players in the country. I came back that summer, and that’s when I decided to not play football anymore.

MMO: While you attended U.S.C., you went on to win three-straight College World Series championships (1971, ’72, ’73). How did the success at college help prepare you for the majors?

Lynn: It helped me a lot, it really did. Had I not gone to U.S.C., there’s no way that I would’ve done the things that I did as a rookie in Boston. I wouldn’t have been equipped for it, mentally or physically.

Because I went to U.S.C. and we were so successful, we’re playing the best teams all the time, and then we win three consecutive championships like we did. You learn a lot about yourself and what it takes to win. What it’s like to be on a winning atmosphere and a winning team.

Plus, not only was I representing the U.S. my freshman year, but also my sophomore year I went to Japan and played U.S.A. versus the collegiate Japanese All-Stars. Both there and here, so three times I represented the United States.

My amateur career was pretty successful, but back then no one knew about it. When I signed professionally, no one knew at the time that I did all of these things except maybe a couple of scouts. There was no publicity about it, so I just snuck up on the major leagues, and that was a great background for me to sign professionally and be pretty successful right away.

MMO: Leading up to the 1973 Draft, did you have any notions that the Red Sox were looking to select you in the second round (41st overall)?

Lynn: That’s a great question. No. [Laughs.]

I’ve been scouted since I was sixteen, and then the first draft out of high school, the Yankees selected me. I had a lot of scouts around me from the time I was sixteen onward, and none of them were the Red Sox that I could see.

Obviously, they were there. In fact, some of the ex-players that I became friends with, like Frank Malzone, he scouted me in high school. But they never said anything; they were just kind of behind the scenes.

It was just really the Dodgers and Orioles, those were the clubs that had great interest and showed great interest. And because I was a U.S.C. guy, everyone thought I was going to be drafted by the Dodgers. I’m right in their backyard for Pete’s sake. That’s where we thought I was going to be drafted, and then the Red Sox kind of came out of nowhere.

I talked to my coach Rod Dedeaux at U.S.C. about it, because I didn’t know anything about the Red Sox. I knew they were a good club and I knew about Yaz, but that was about it. He said they were a quality organization and my time is now. I signed after my junior year with Boston.

MMO: You and Jim Rice – “The Gold Dust Twins” – were teammates in the minor leagues in 1973 and ’74. You both debuted in the majors in ’74, and along with Dwight Evans became one of the best outfields. What made your relationship with Rice so special?

Lynn: I think because we started off together at such a young age, we were in Double-A together as well. When I signed – I didn’t sign until late July, which is unheard of because the Draft is in June – I asked the Red Sox if I could play on this U.S.A. team in the summer of ’73 instead of signing and going to wherever. They said, “Yeah, go ahead.”

I did that, and then I went to Bristol, Connecticut, after that, around late July. Jimmy was already tearing it up there; I was twenty-one and he was twenty.

We formed this bond. He’s in left and I’m in center; there’s a communication right there. If he would’ve played say in the infield, I don’t know if we would’ve been quite as tight, but because we were right next to each other all the time and we hit three-four in the lineup, that was a serious bond. And we were both kids, so yeah, I’ve known Jimmy, let’s just say a lot of years now.

We go way back, and then we went to Triple-A together, and again, it’s left-field/center field and three-four in the lineup. And that didn’t even change when we got to Boston; we hit three-four again. It was quite a bonding experience, and we’re always linked just because of that.

MMO: Do you know where the “Gold Dust” nickname originated from?

Lynn: It came through the press somewhere. I didn’t read the papers very much. You’re hearing things said about you enough and whatnot. There was a contest, maybe?

I never did find out exactly who coined that phrase or where it came from, but it sure stuck. It was fun. And now, every time I see him, he’ll go, “Hey twin, how you doing?” Every time we see each other it’s like we go back in a time machine. We just kind of fall back to when we were kids, basically.

MMO: Obviously, your 1975 season was sensational, leading the A.L. in slugging, OPS, runs scored and doubles. You also became the first player to win both the Rookie of the Year and MVP Awards in the same season. What made that year so special for you?

Lynn: Back then, as I said earlier, you could kind of sneak up on the league. For me, I was a very shy guy, and so was Jimmy. We were getting some press in Boston, but it wasn’t the kind of thing that was overpowering like it would be today. We were just kind of worried about doing a good job and having the team win. That was my goal.

What made the season special for me was that we made the World Series. What made it tough is that we lost [it]. I never lost a championship game before when I was in one. If we win, the whole thing my first year, I could’ve retired and gone to football! [Laughs.] How great would that be? You win all of those awards; your team wins in the first year, and then you said, ‘Nah, this is good. I’m going to go somewhere else now.’

It was fun, not only because of Jimmy and me, but it was a whole core of young guys in the club. You had Billy [Lee], Rick Burleson, Timmy Blackwell; there was a bunch of guys that were great and we all hung together, five or six of us. It wasn’t just focused on myself or Jimmy or one particular guy because there were so many of us that were young, under 25 years old. It was like the kiddie core and the veterans.

I think it was really fun for the people to watch us, especially the college kids because Boston’s a college town. Back then they could just get in for like two bucks! So we were identified with them because we were the same age as all of these guys and gals. It made it fun for us to have this kind of following, and, for me personally, it was a fun year. It wasn’t trying to win those awards or anything like that; it was trying to win, and that was the biggest disappointment that we lost Game 7.

MMO: The ’75 World Series is considered one of the best Fall Classics, with MLB Network airing a special on that Series. Can you talk a little about that World Series against the Reds?

Lynn: By the time we got to the World Series, we swept the Oakland A’s, the defending champs. We were a force to be reckoned with even though we didn’t have Jim Rice. I’m going to throw that out there right now: if we have Jimmy I think we win that series in six games. We had a couple of guys try to replace Jim, but he’s just not replaceable, they didn’t do very well. So we lost our number four-hitter. That would be like taking [Johnny] Bench out of their lineup or Tony Perez. You think they’re going to beat us without one of those two guys? No, they’re not.

Having said that, it was kind of like an extension of the season for me. As a rookie, back then, there was a book on pitchers and players, but you never saw them. As a rookie, you’re seeing everything for the first time.

So, okay, it’s the Big Red Machine; who did they have? Don Gullet, what’s he got? And you’re seeing him for the first time. It’s not like today, where players have already seen the other team by the time they get to the World Series because of interleague play and those kinds of things. Not back then. We had an idea of what these guys could do, but we never saw them. The learning curve is sped up because you only have a few games to compete. Every game was just back-and-forth, back-and-forth.

That key game in Cincinnati, where the Ed Armbrister interference with Pudge was a big play in that game, and we ended up losing that game by a run. Larry Barnett was the umpire back then, and every time he umpired in Boston, “Boo!” They had to have an armed guard when he came back to umpire in Boston. [Laughs.]

It was close all the way; we lost Game 7, 4-3, on a bloop single into center, and it was hard for me to take. Like I said, I never lost a championship game before, so this was the first time I ever was in the other locker room. And boy, it just felt terrible. I still have dreams about some of those plays that could’ve changed the way the Series went. It hung with me for quite a while. In fact, it still does.

It was a great Series, and like you said, MLB Network did a full show just on Game 6, which was a fantastic game to be a part of. I’m proud to have been a part of that game and that Series. But boy, I sure wish it went the other way.

MMO: In Game 6, you put the Sox on top early in the 1st with a 3-run home run off Gary Nolan to right-center field. And then, in the bottom of the 12th, with the game tied at 6-6, you were on the on-deck circle as Carlton Fisk was at-bat against Pat Darcy. Can you talk about both of those moments?

Lynn: Sure, let me just set up Game 6. Obviously, we have to win. We’re down 3-2. We had three straight days off because of rain in Boston. We didn’t go to the field, I mean, it was a swamp and it was delayed. Game 6 should’ve been on a Saturday and Game 7 on Sunday; that’s the way it always worked out.

Well, it got pushed back, and back and back. So now we’re mid-week, and people are going to work. I remember my dad had to go back home because he had to go to work, so it was a really weird atmosphere. Just sitting around doing nothing waiting for Game 6.

We get a couple of guys on in the first inning, and to be honest with you, by the time Game 6 rolls around, I’m probably about 170 pounds; I’m down to nothing. The second half of the season I kind of lost my power, still hit for average and stuff, but I hadn’t hit a ball as far as I hit that one probably since June.

When I hit it, I said, ‘Oh, man!’ It went twenty rows past the bullpen. I don’t know where that came from; probably just adrenaline and just sitting around for three days, maybe just got some extra strength. I don’t know. But the place went bonkers. It was a great start for us because it got the crowd into it right away.

They come back and tie it up. We’re coming to the twelfth inning, and we’re watching Pat Darcy warm up. And Pudge goes, “I’m going to hit one off the wall, and you drive me in.”

Well, he hogged the whole spotlight himself! [Laughs.] I had a perfect view because back then the on-deck circle was pretty close to the plate. I would always cheat a little bit to get closer to the plate so I could see the movement of the baseball for the pitcher. When he hit it, I’m kind of leaning, and I knew it had the length, and it just hooked right in there and I did a big leap. I jumped higher than Pudge.

It was a fantastic moment. The place just went crazy, and I, to a man, I think having won that game in the dramatic fashion that we did, I think everybody thought we would win Game 7. What’s interesting is the game ended, let’s say at 12:15, which is really the next day, we come back and play two games in one day. [Laughs.]

MMO: How difficult was it for you to leave Boston in a trade after the 1980 season?

Lynn: Yeah, that was hard. That whole deal with Carlton Fisk, Rick Burleson and myself. I’ll say this about playing in the ’70s and ’80s: it was a pretty contentious time between players and ownership. Free agency was just coming into play, and owners didn’t want to pay guys. You didn’t just walk up to the owner’s office. In fact, I had only met Mr. Yawkey one time.

It was never a buddy-buddy thing, no matter where you played. It just looked like they wanted to get rid of us, for whatever reason. It was hard for me, even though I was traded to the West Coast and the California Angels, and kind of going home so to speak.

I didn’t want to leave Boston. I mean, I hit .350 in that park! I’m a college guy, and .350 kind of resonates with me, and I tailored my swing for that park.

It was a big adjustment when I was traded away. It takes something out of you when you’re traded. Innocence is gone, let’s just put it that way. And then it just becomes, well okay, this is obviously a business. And you know what it is? Your brain tells you that it is, but you have this feeling that this is the team that drafted me and brought me up. So when something like that happens, it took me a while to get used to that.

MMO: Many baseball writers have said that if you had played your whole career in Boston, you were a likely Hall of Famer. Do you ever think about that, and what are your thoughts on that statement?

Lynn: Many people have said that to me, and it’s probably true. I obviously hit pretty well in that ballpark. I’m a competitive guy and I want my teams to do well and that’s what drives me; not individual statistics. I never really cared for that stuff that much. It was more about what the team did.

But the Red Sox were always competitive, and it was fun to play there. We’re playing the Yankees and there’s lots of energy. I missed that energy when I went somewhere else; it was never quite the same.

All of those things you get post-career or post-seasons, those things they just kind of came. I never strived for them, it was not a goal. I played with guys and their goal was to be in the Hall of Fame from day one. And I used to kind of look at them like, ‘Okay.’

That wasn’t my deal. But yeah, if I’m with the Red Sox, I think Jimmy [Rice] and I go in together.

Associated Press

MMO: You were selected to nine straight All-Star Games, and have some tremendous accomplishments from them. Among all-time leaders, you have the fourth-highest OPS in the All-Star Game (1.264), you’re tied with Ted Williams for the second-most home runs (4), tied with Stan Musial for second-most RBIs (10), and you hit the first and still only grand slam in All-Star Game history.

What about that game made the best in you come out?

Lynn: That’s a good question and I appreciate you asking it. To me, that was one of the pinnacles of the season.

I loved playing on the big stage and playing against the best players. That’s what drives me. I wanted to face Steve Carlton; I wanted to face Tom Seaver. I wanted to face the best of the best and okay, I’ll see what I have here. I wanted to compete there.

This is when it was National League/American League. It wasn’t homogenized like it is now, where it’s just under the umbrella of MLB. We had our own umpires, our own president, baseballs, and the strike zones were different in the leagues. When we played them, we’re the junior league; we want to beat these guys.

I used to get calls from our league president, “Freddy, we need to beat these guys this year,” trying to pump the players up.

I didn’t need that. I went in there, and I’m trying to do the best I can. If I’m going to take someone out at second base, I’m going to do that.

For me, it was one of the high points of the year, and I concentrated a lot. I wasn’t giving away anything, and when you’re facing a potential Hall of Famer, like Seaver or someone like that, in front of 60,000 people, that’s fun. I enjoyed it.

Consequently, my games were kind of elevated when I played in those things.

MMO: I’ve read and listened to past interviews you’ve conducted, and you always highlight your defensive abilities as one of your defining qualities. How much pride did you put into the effort and commitment to being a defensive-minded player?

Lynn: You hit it right on the head; defense is effort. I played multiple sports throughout my life; I was a basketball player and a football player, obviously. I was a defensive back in football and a point guard in basketball, so you have all of these drills that you do for footwork.

When I got to play baseball, I already knew the footwork and how to do it. It just came second nature because these are things I learned as a kid, and I knew how to take routes to the ball because that’s football. And cut off guys that are ahead of you, and all of these kinds of things just kind of play into playing center field.

I’m an aggressive guy. I always guarded the other team’s best player, and I wanted to do the best out there. I didn’t want anything falling in my area, whether or not I was going to hit a wall –which wasn’t padded then – or any other thing. I took a lot of pride in it.

That kind of stuff takes a lot of mental energy, because on every pitch you’re moving, you’re already moving. It takes a lot of energy to do that, and over the course of 162 games, that’s where it wears you down. That mental energy and mental fatigue, sometimes it’s physical, but a lot of times it’s mental, too.

I really enjoyed playing in Yankee Stadium in front of 60,000 hostiles, making the stadium go quiet with a defensive play. You know you can’t take something away from their offense; that’s very deflating. I just love that feeling.

MMO: When you look back on your career, what are you most proud of?

Lynn: I think the fact that people appreciated my style of play. They all knew that I got banged up, and part of the reason was because of my style of play. I played for a bunch of different managers – some are Hall of Famers – and they’d say, “Hey, quit running into those walls. We need your bat in the lineup.”

And I’d say, ‘Yeah, okay.’

Then the game would start, and if I can catch the ball, I’m going to catch it.

People remember those things. You remember a big hit or big home run I might’ve had at the plate, but everyone remembers the defensive plays. Going over the fence or throwing someone out and people come up to me and that’s very gratifying.

I knew I put a lot of effort into playing defense, and people appreciated that. So that’s what I take away from my career the most actually.

MMO: Who were some of the toughest pitchers you faced in your career?

Lynn: Well, that’s easy for me, one would be Frank Tanana. When he was with the California Angels in the mid-70s, I don’t know if he was a rookie when I was a rookie, but it was pretty close. They had Nolan Ryan and Tanana, their two big horses. Nolan was striking out 320 guys a year, and Frankie was like 280. He’s a lefty, about six-foot-two, and he had four different pitches, whereas Ryan only had two and he was right-handed, so I saw him a little bit better.

I just never picked the ball up against Frank. Even if I squared one up once in a while, they’d catch it. I’ll give you an example: ’75 we went out there, and we’ve got a pretty good club. He strikes out 17 of us, and he strikes me out three times, which was a first for me. I didn’t even foul one off! [Laughs.] Okay, this is a tough night, we have two hits and he struck out 17. Didn’t matter what he was throwing, he was tough on me.

MMO: A foundation you and your wife are heavily involved in is the FACE Foundation. Can you talk a little about how you got involved, and what the charity is about?

Lynn: This is a foundation that’s strictly in San Diego, and my wife found out about it through a friend. It’s a foundation for animal care and education. It provides grants for pet owners who have critically ill or injured animals and they’re unable to pay for it, the cost of the treatment.

What this organization does is it keeps pets from being euthanized. Since its conception a few years back, we’ve saved over 2,000 animals, so that’s really cool. Especially in a military-based area, a lot of these families are military and everyone that’s ever had a pet in their lifetime, when it’s time for that pet to pass on, that’s a big deal. If you can save a pet from going through that, it lights up your family. So it’s an organization that we’re deeply involved with.

MMO: How involved are you with the current game?

Lynn: I go back to Boston probably four times a year. They have a skybox there and I host it for corporate clients and do that. I probably see fifteen or sixteen games with the Sox. I still watch, I try to keep tabs with what’s going on. I worked at ESPN and CBS as an analyst after my playing career, so I look at the game a little differently than most. I try to keep up with what’s going on and the new players.

I don’t know all of the statistics; it takes me an hour now to read the box score because I don’t know all of the stats with the Bill James stuff and WAR. But just watching the players, and I always watch the center fielders, it’s what I do. I watch them to see if they’re getting a jump on the ball and I watch for the little things that I know about that most people won’t watch for.

It’s fun for me; I still enjoy the game. It’s changed a lot. Maybe we’ll do another show on that, which would take about an hour. Having said all of those things, I still love the game. I think you can hear it in my voice, I’m still a fan of the game and I wish I could play it still.

MMO: Congratulations on being inducted into the Pawtucket Red Sox Hall of Fame this summer. That’s a great accomplishment, and something I’m sure you’re very proud of.

Lynn: Thank you! The funny thing about Minor League Baseball is, you don’t want to be there very long! [Laughs.] Your goal is to get to the major leagues as quickly as possible. It’s sometimes a brief stint, other times it’s longer.

I have a lot of fond memories from playing with the Paw Sox. I’m very honored that they’re inducting me into their Hall of Fame.

MMO: I can’t thank you enough for your time today, Mr. Lynn. Thank you for sharing some great insight and memories from your wonderful career.

Lynn: Thanks very much, Mat.

Follow Fred Lynn on Twitter, @19fredlynn

The post MMO Exclusive: Nine-Time All-Star Center Fielder, Fred Lynn appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In 2013, Juan Lagares made his major league debut and would go on to dazzle fans with his defensive prowess in centerfield, quickly establishing himself as the best defender in the league with one highlight reel play after another.

The following season, Lagares etched his name in franchise history when he became only the third Mets outfielder to win a Gold Glove.

Lagares had an incredible 15 outfield assists during his rookie season, showcasing a powerful and accurate arm to go with rest of his defensive repertoire.

The Mets have had their share of outfielders with a great arm in their 55 year history. Twenty-one times a Mets outfielder collected 10 or more outfield assists. This was accomplished by 14 different players.

So you think you know the Mets?

Name these 14 Mets outfielders!

You have 3 minutes!

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In their long history, the Mets have had more than their share of young players who were dealt away and became stars with other teams. Nolan Ryan and Amos Otis are probably the two names mentioned most often. And the trading of future MVP’s Kevin Mitchell and Jeff Kent were in retrospect, major mistakes, too.

But the very first star the Mets let get away was the defensively gifted Paul Blair who became nothing less than the premier center fielder in the American League for 10 years while the Mets were constantly trying to fill the void.

The Mets tried Jim Hickman, Johnny Lewis, Billy Cowan, and Don Bosch among others before landing Tommie Agee to fill the role nicely for a couple of years. Then, the drought began again with the likes of Don Hahn, Dave Schneck, Jim Gosger and Del Unser getting most of the playing time in centerfield while Blair and then Otis were still among the best centerfielders in the game.

Blair had always been a shortstop, until he got into the minor leagues. The Orioles made him a full-time outfielder, and he quickly became the top non-pitching prospect in their organization. The Dodgers refused to sign Blair out of high school, because they thought he was too small to make it the big leagues. He was signed by the Mets originally, for a $2,000 bonus. He played one year for the Mets’ Santa Barbara club in the California League in 1962, batting .228 while playing both infield and outfield.

The Mets didn’t have many prospects following the 1962 season, so their failure to protect Blair by putting him on the 40-man roster is tough to excuse. Obviously, the Orioles saw something in him that the Mets didn’t and drafted him as a first-year player for $8,000 while the Mets were still searching for anyone who could play centerfield.

“Fortunately, I played for a manager who was smart enough to realize that saving a run is just as good as scoring one,” Blair once said of famed Orioles skipper Earl Weaver. “As long as I fielded the heck out of my position, he was going to have me in that lineup regardless of my hitting. So I dedicated myself to making a science out of playing center field.”

Blair went on to have an excellent career. While his hitting was never his strong suit, in 1969, Blair hit .276 with 26 HR’s and 76 RBI. Oddly, the exact HR and RBI totals that Tommie Agee put up for the Mets, and with a better average than Agee.

And of course, Blair had a much longer and more consistent career than Agee. So, letting Blair go was a mistake of major proportions. Especially when you figure that if the Mets had kept Blair, there would have been no reason to make deals for Cowan, Bosch, or Agee. So, the Mets could have used what trading chips they had for help in other areas.

“He played very shallow. People talked about how Willie Mays played shallow, and Paul did the same thing. He played with assuredness,” said Don Buford who played alongside Blair in left field for five seasons in Baltimore. “When you talk about the greatest defensive center fielders, he was right in the mix.”

When you consider all the ones that got away from the Mets, no doubt Nolan Ryan will head that list, but Paul Blair should be right behind him.

Blair passed away in 2013 after playing a round of golf with friends and then suddenly collapsing and losing consciousness. He played 13 seasons with the Orioles and four with the Yankees, winning two World Series titles with each team. Blair won eight Gold Gloves and was widely considered one of best defensive center fielders of all time.

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When the New York Mets traded for Jay Bruce, it made a logjam in the outfield even worse. What makes matters worse is it’s a problem that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon. The Mets could have six MLB-caliber outfielders under contract next season, and it’s likely a problem they will need to solve before doing anything else this offseason.

So here’s a look at those six outfielders and what their future might hold for the Mets:

Jay Bruce

The Mets created a lot of these outfield problems when they traded for Bruce, and his poor play hasn’t made it even better. The most likely scenario is that Bruce will be the Mets’ starting right fielder in 2017, as he has talent and they traded a good piece in Dilson Herrera to get him. However, the Mets could also look to trade him. With only 13 million on the hook for next season, Bruce could be an attractive trade chip for another contender looking for a bat and would solve some outfield playing time issues for New York. They could still get a nice return for Bruce.

Yoenis Cespedes

The most necessary offensive player to have on the roster in 2017 and beyond is also the least certain. Cespedes has a well-publicized opt-out clause after this season and can hit the open market. Just this past weekend’s seres with San Francisco shows how different the Mets are with him in the lineup, and the Mets will likely try to come to an agreement before other teams get start a bidding war.  Even if the Mets get this done, his days of playing centerfield seem to be over.

Michael Conforto

The Michael Conforto question will likely be the toughest to answer in the offseason. It would be foolish to give up on a young hitter that just a season ago was a major offensive piece for the Mets. At the same time, it seems highly unlikely he’ll get regular playing time in any corner outfield spot. The Mets could trade him, but his value has never been lower. The Mets could also play him at centerfield or first base, but he has little experience at both positions. Also, if Lucas Duda is on the roster in 2017, he’s already a lefty. It’s just completely unclear what Conforto’s role will be in 2017, but playing everyday seems unlikely unless the Mets move a corner outfield bat.

Curtis Granderson

There hasn’t been much good to say about Granderson’s 2016 season and with the veteran set to enter his age-36 season in 2017, the end of his career could be near. Considering he’s hit below .230 in three of his last four seasons, the Mets can’t really rely on him for 2017. The Mets should either use him as an expensive bench bat or try to unload his $15 million for next season on a team that has a bigger need for a veteran outfielder. Given his reputation and clubhouse presence, the Mets could likely find a taker for him in a trade if they aren’t expecting much in return.

Juan Lagares

In a perfect world, the Mets would just release Laggers or send him to Triple-A. Over the last two seasons, he’s hit .255/.292/.365 and has failed to play the defense the way he did when he won a Gold Glove in 2014. But alas, Lagares is the owner of the worst Mets contract that no one talks about, as he is due $20 million from 2017-2019. So the Mets can’t cut or demote him and no one will really want to trade for him unless New York eats a lot of money from that contract. Still, the Mets cannot continue to force at-bats for Lagares simply because of what they are paying him. There are too many better options.

Brandon Nimmo

It seems reasonable enough that Nimmo will start 2017 in Triple-A and be the first potential call-up to the major leagues if there is any outfield injury. However, his ability to play centerfield might help his cause to find a way on the major league roster. Still, it’s a cloudy long-term future for Nimmo in terms of having a role with the Mets, so just like his name was popular at the trade deadline, he’ll likely be involved in winter trade discussions.

The prediction

This could go a number of ways (including trading for a true centerfielder), but the best guess here is that the Mets start 2017 with Cespedes in LF, Bruce in RF and Conforto given a chance to play everyday in CF with occasional starts at 1B. Lagares will likely be an expensive fourth outfielder, while the Mets should be able to find a home elsewhere for Granderson. Finally, Nimmo should start 2017 in Triple-A.

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Latest News – July 24

After a couple of weeks of deliberation about playing Michael Conforto in center field, Mets manager Terry Collins finally took the opportunity to play Conforto in center field in spacious Marlins Park on Saturday night.

After coming in as a pinch-hitter and stroking a single in the sixth inning of last night’s 7-2 loss to the Marlins, Conforto remained in the game and made his professional debut in center field.

Before the series, Collins said he would wait until the Mets returned to Citi Field to introduce Conforto to center field, but with the Mets already down by four runs he decided to make the move.

Conforto only had one ball hit to him, but he fielded it cleanly and said he felt good out there and that he’ll get better at the position with more practice. “I felt pretty comfortable. I’m just going to be getting more work at it every single day.”

The Mets plan on using Conforto in center field moving forward so that Yoenis Cespedes can get more time to fully heal his right quadriceps.

Original Report – July 18

Recently recalled Michael Conforto could play centerfield in the near future, manager Terry Collins announced to reporters.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise, considering Conforto has never played a major league inning at the position. However, with star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes‘ request to play left field due to a recent quadriceps injury, Collins is clearly making every effort to accommodate his star player.

Before his demotion, the young lefty was in a complete tailspin, batting .144 over 157 at bats in May and June. Once in Triple A Las Vegas, he turned it on, batting .344 with three home runs and 15 RBI in just 16 games.

Conforto’s potential move to center favors Curtis Granderson, who will continue to see the bulk of the playing time in right field. What remains to be seen is how Juan Lagares fits into the Mets’ outfield jigsaw puzzle. The 2014 Gold Glove winner has swung the bat better against right handed pitching this season while playing top notch defense in center field.

Despite the challenges of learning a new position at the game’s highest level, Conforto remains optimistic about the opportunity.

“I’ll be an athlete.  I’ll go make the plays.  I’ll do whatever I can.”

The post Michael Conforto Plays Center Field For First Time In His Career appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

You love him. You hate him. He can carry a team. He can make a costly error to lose the game. He can leave you with your jaw hanging low. He can make you use profanity that you never knew you had inside of you.

When the Mets signed outfielder Yoenis Cespedes in the offseason, it was deemed as something as a coup. After the Game 5 loss to Kansas City in the World Series, fans seemed split over bringing back the 30 year-old slugger. While fans were calling for Mets ownership to open the purse strings and sign Cespedes, others felt that after the poor showing in the World Series, costly error and pickoff at first withstanding, that it was okay if the Mets looked elsewhere to fill the void.

But what a void to fill. How many pure power hitters enter the free agent market in their prime in our modern age of baseball? With front offices signing their young talent to team friendly contracts early on in their young careers, fewer and fewer stars hit the open market, creating an emphasis on drafting and international signings.

When the Mets announced they signed Cespedes to a three year, $75 million contract with an opt-out after 2016, fans were amazed that the team was able to pull off such a rare signing, one in which the team got the star for their dollars and years. And Cespedes still is able to say that he obtained the highest AAV of the offseason, keeping both sides mutually content.

As the team and fans witnessed in August and September, Cespedes has the ability to carry the squad on his back, both with his mighty right-handed bat and cannon of an arm. I remember being at Citi Field during those months last season, and not leaving my seat when the broad five-foot-ten inch Cespedes glided effortlessly to the plate, bringing the tens of thousands of fans to their collective feet. How far would he hit this one? How many will he hit tonight? All questions that surmised while watching him on a nightly basis.

But there is a downside to Cespedes’ game, the untimely lapses that will occur whether it is on the base paths or patrolling center field. As fans are aware, Cespedes is much more adept to playing left field, winning a Gold Glove in the process last season. Though when the Mets signed Cespedes, it was with the intention of having him man center on a near permanent basis, albeit the late inning defensive substitutions or occasional righty-lefty matchups, which would push Cespedes back to left. The trouble is, it’s late in his career to be teaching an ‘old dog new tricks’ so to speak, so there’s only so much we can expect from Cespedes in center field.

The miscue in Thursday’s spring exhibition against the Houston Astros is a perfect example of what I’m speaking of. In the top of the second, first baseman A.J. Reed crushed a 2-2 pitch off Matt Harvey which went over Cespedes’ head and planted underneath the center field wall. Cespedes raised his hands up as to indicate the ball was dead, which would place Reed at second base. However, the umpires made no call, and Reed jogged easily around the bases as Cespedes stood there and stared into the infield.

Second base umpire C.B. Bucknor came out to check on the matter, and declared the ball was in play the entire time, and that Cespedes had a clear path to be able to easily pick the ball up and throw it back into the infield.

Even Keith Hernandez, on the SNY broadcast of the game, seemed puzzled by Cespedes’ play, or lack thereof.

“What’s he doing? What’s he thinking, there’s nothing that can go underneath. No you can’t do that, the balls plainly visible.”

While different ballparks do have various ground rules, Spring Training is a different story. Terry Collins explained that he’s never broached the subject of ground rules, so it was a misunderstanding. Collins went on to further explain what was going through Cespedes’ head at the time.

“He thought it got stuck,” Collins said. “What had happened was the umpire went out and swiped the ball and said, ‘Okay, it wasn’t stuck underneath.’ It’s one of those things we could probably talk about a ground rule, which we don’t here in spring training too much. He thought the ball went under and stuck and just threw his hands up.”

Even so, Cespedes is a veteran player, one whose played in a multitude of ballparks and knows the intricacies and what’s deemed playable and not. And while some will argue that it’s only spring training games, it doesn’t quell any lingering worries and fears that we might see more Cespedes miscues heading into the regular season. If anything, Cespedes should be playing as perfect a center field as he can, knowing that these enduring thoughts still percolate through the media heading into the season, and wanting to have a fresh start. Christopher Russo ripped Cespedes’ defense recently on MLB Network and it was a hot topic on talk radio this past week.

Need I remind you of the September 8^th game against the Nationals, when Michael Taylor took a Matt Harvey fastball back up the middle, which should’ve only tied the score. Yet, when Cespedes charged in from center to scoop the ball into his glove, the ball took a last second hop and went right over his glove. While it was a tough hop, many center fielders might have tried to center themselves more in front of the ball to field it. Being able to read how hard the ball is hit, and the different angles or hops that it might take in the path are part of the job description when penciled into the No. 8 designation on the field. That ended up being an inside-the-park home run, giving the Nationals the lead. Luckily the Mets rallied late to win the game 8-7.

But they weren’t so lucky in Game 1 of the World Series. Alcides Escobar smack the first pitch into left-center, with Cespedes trying to backhand the ball like he’s Willie Mays. Poor decision making yet again on his part.

I think Cespedes tries to get a bit too fancy for his own good out in center. While he does have range, and the aforementioned cannon of an arm, he needs to work on the fundamentals of center field, and be able to grasp all the aspects that come with manning that territory. One would hope that Cespedes has sought advice from Juan Lagares in spring, to pick his brain and see how he goes about different game situations. What better tutelage than from a well-regarded top 10 defensive center fielder?

We know Cespedes can crush the baseball as good as anyone in the game, the question is, will he be able limit the damage (the opposing team and his own) while patrolling center? Buckle in, this might be a bumpy ride.

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