From All-Star to disappointment; that’s what fans saw as Jason Bay took the podium last night representing the Pirates at the 2016 MLB Draft.

Pittsburgh fans had a two-time All-Star and a middle-of-the-order slugger. Mets fans, however, saw what could have been, rather than what was.

Bay, in the area for the first time since retiring in 2013, holds similar feelings about his time in New York.

“When I look back,” he told MMO. “I just wish I had done better.”

Bay hit just .234 with 26 home runs in three seasons with the Mets after signing a 4-year, $66 million contract. He was bought out of his contract in 2012.

“I don’t regret it by any means, but I went there to do a job and I didn’t do it,” Bay said candidly about his Mets career. “Ultimately I live with that. It’s a performance-based game, it’s ‘what have you done?’ And I didn’t get it done.”

Bay said he was thrilled to see the Amazin’s capture the National League Pennant last season, and marveled at the quality of the “amazing” pitching staff. The 37-year-old still keeps in touch with several former teammates, including David Wright.

“Nobody cares more than he does,” he said. “He signed with the Mets at a time where things weren’t going well. He wanted to be here. He’s loyal to the Wilpons, he’s loyal to the team, and that goes a long way.”

Bay, who endured two concussions and a broken rib in New York, said injuries were one of the most infuriating parts of his Mets tenure.

“The toughest part is when you’re not healthy, there’s nothing you can do,” he said. “You can’t do anyone any good and that’s a very frustrating feeling.”

While he said he sympathizes with Wright’s situation, Bay stopped short of likening their struggles with injuries.

“I didn’t really build up any good will, I kind of came in here with expectations and didn’t get it done,” he said. “David’s built up an endless supply of good will in my opinion.”

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The Mets just finished a uninspiring and bizarre 10-game road trip that saw them finish at 5-5.

I discuss whether Sandy Alderson needs a trade that puts the “chips to to the center of the table” in 2016.

Are Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy available? If so, would they be a great fit for this team?

I talk about how it would require trading Michael Conforto – a risk – but something that can boost the offense and possibly win the Mets a championship this year.

Clayton Collier, senior editor of Metsmerized Online shares his experience at the 2016 MLB draft, his thoughts on the Mets selections and his conversation with former Met Jason Bay.

Joe DeMayo of @psltoflushing remembers some of the Mets hits and misses of the draft over the past decade.

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As the champagne flowed, the parade of interviews began and the cigar smoke filled the visiting locker room of Great American Ball Park Saturday, a wave of emotions passed over you. Satisfaction, relief, pure elation, perhaps a tear or two; all appropriate.

You’ve been on air all weekend. It’s difficult to explain what you’re feeling to a non-Mets fan.

They don’t have a separate dresser drawer dedicated to shirseys that can no longer be worn in public.

For the first time in nearly a decade, the vicious cycle of April hope, July disappointment and September football has been broken.

You’ve been through the collapses of 2007 and 2008. You remember the Sports Illustrated cover in March of 2009, picking the Mets to win it all; only to witness everyone not named Daniel Murphy or Mike Pelfrey head to the revolving door that became the 15-day disabled list.

Dropped pop-ups, 3-2 curves, valley fever, the Oli folly, boxes of chocolates; you’ve been through it all.

Sure, there’s been some good times, but maybe outside of HI57TORY, you haven’t felt this good about Mets baseball since Endy Chavez robbed Scott Rolen at the “apex of his leap.”

You watched every meaningless game in the dog days of summer, cheered in a half-empty ballparks, all for the hope that a day like Saturday was on the horizon.

You’ve spent the last month counting down the magic number, not trusting that this dream season was a reality until it hit zero.

Few sports fanbases have suffered more in the last decade than Mets fans have.

Now October baseball is real; it’s happening.

Don’t worry about explaining yourself.

Just savor it, enjoy it–you deserve it.

The post For Die-Hard Mets Fans, The Joy Is Indescribable appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In the last three weeks, the conversation has largely shifted from if the Mets make the postseason to when. The question still remaining however, is whether this is a team capable of playing deep into October or not.

Bobby Valentine, who knows a thing or two about quality Mets baseball, believes this year’s club could win it all.

“I think they could win a World Series,” Valentine told me Saturday while I was covering the Mets game for WSOU–Seton Hall’s student radio station. “Those guys are healthy and they’re out there pitching. No one wants to play the New York Mets.

In addition to the pitching staff that are “compared to none,” Valentine said the 2015 Mets just have the right formula for postseason success.

“When you get really good talent and then you get really good health you have a chance of being more than competitive down the stretch, I think you have a chance of winning it,” he said.

The flurry of deadline deals, highlighted by the acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes, not only drastically improved an offense that was in dire need of assistance, but made a statement that the Mets were ready to play relevant baseball into the final weeks of the season. Valentine, who’s 1998 team benefited from the midseason trade for Mike Piazza, said it is a major confidence booster for a ball club when a front office chooses to buy at the deadline.

“It just changes the attitude,” he said. “Once the attitude changes, life is good. Guys go up there now feeling good about themselves.”

It is that attitude alteration, particularly on offense, that Valentine said puts the Mets over the top.

“They didn’t have enough confidence, now they have enough confidence on offense,” he said. “So they’re the team to beat.”

The post MMO Exclusive: Bobby Valentine Says Mets Could Win World Series appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Although this year’s MLB Draft was relatively quiet for the New York Mets without their first-round pick, Flushing was well-represented at the draft with Doc Gooden in attendance.

Speaking at the draft in Secaucus, N.J. Monday night, Gooden said he was honored to have been asked to attend by the Mets.

“It’s a great feeling to be here to represent the (Mets), because I did play for a couple teams after the Mets, so to come back, you feel like you’re back into the family now,” he said.

For many former big leaguers at the draft, it was a time for reflection on the day they were drafted. Gooden, who was picked fifth overall by the Mets in 1982, said he was shocked to have been picked so high.

“I remember my high school coach telling me that I’m probably going to be picked between the fifth and tenth round. I said, ‘that’s fine, I just want to get drafted,'” said Gooden, then a 17-year old standout high school hurler from Tampa.

“So we’re watching the draft, it got to the Mets with the fifth pick, and I see my name across the screen, ‘Dwight Gooden,’ I’m like ‘I just got picked fifth.’ I actually called New York to make sure that was right just based on what my high school coach had told me. They said ‘yeah, that’s right.’”

Though the Mets were short a first round pick due to the signing of Michael Cuddyer, New York has fortified themselves with plenty of young talent in recent years, highlighted by their current starting rotation along with Steven Matz still incubating in Triple-A. Gooden said he sees serious potential in the group of arms the Mets have put together.

“Once you get into the playoffs, with that staff, anything can happen,” he said.

.@DocGooden16 flashing his ’86 World Championship ring tonight at the @MLBDraft: @WSOUSports @MetsMerized @Mets pic.twitter.com/5EyFCgPmH5

— Clayton Collier (@Clayton_Collier) June 9, 2015

The 1985 NL Cy Young award winner has been highly complimentary of the Mets young pitchers in the past, going as far to compare them to the 1986 rotation. Gooden said such comments drew some flak from former teammate Bobby Ojeda.

“I actually got a call from Bob Ojeda the other day because I had said that this staff could be better than the ’86 staff, so he didn’t like that too much,” Gooden said with a laugh.

The 2015 Mets are well-positioned to capture their first playoff bid in nine years, so long as they can overcome injuries to their primary bats and the resulting offensive woes. Gooden said if the Mets are going to without Wright or d’Arnaud–who is expected to return this week–for a long period of time, they need to make a move.

“If you can’t get both back, I think they should go out and get a veteran hitter for the middle of the order,” he said.

Although acquiring a bat should be a necessity for the Mets, Gooden said they also have to be careful not to mortgage the future with dealing an abundance major-league ready talent. Instead, he said the Mets should look to deal from the talent in the lower minors.

“You have to make a move, but it’s got to be the right fit, because you don’t give up a young pitcher, then in 3-4 years have it come back to bite you,” he said.

“So I would try to trade my lower minor league guys, because they have prospect pitchers all through the system, and try to stay away from my Triple-A and big league guys if I can do that. But if trade comes along that you can’t resist, you need to figure out what guy you want to move and go for it.”

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When the Phillies officially shipped mainstay Jimmy Rollins to the Dodgers on Friday, they ended his hold on MLB’s longest active streak of games played with a single team.

In his 15 years with Philadelphia, Rollins played 2,090 games for the Phils, a figure that led all active players for roughly ten weeks following the retirement of Derek Jeter.

Now that both shortstops have moved on from their respective franchises, —in one way or another—a new king of the baseball lifers emerges; Mets captain David Wright.

Wright now leads all active players with 1,508 games played with one team; all as a Met, and only a Met.

Chase Utley is a close second; having racked up 1,478 games with the Phillies in 12 seasons compared to Wright’s 11.

Let’s also take this time to wish David Wright a very Happy Birthday as he turns 32 today.

When Wright celebrated the 10 year anniversary of his MLB debut on July 21, 2014, the franchise leader in hits, doubles, runs, walks and RBI reflected fondly on his time with.

“I’ve had some great memories here and hopefully there’s a lot more to come,” Wright said. “Hopefully one day I’ll be able to sit back and reminisce and go through videos or whatever and be able to pat myself on the back and have some fond memories.”

In this frenzied age of free agency, and with all the insane amount of money being tossed around in huge mega deals, it’s becoming increasingly rare to see one player spend his entire MLB career with the team that drafted and developed him.

There is something special to be said about Wright’s more than 1,500 games played in blue-and-orange, especially given a frustrating past several years for the organization.

Contracted to another six seasons in Flushing, the seven-time all-star could very well hold onto this achievement for some time.

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Jon Niese was pulled from his final start of the season Friday night with an elevated heart rate. He exited with one out in the sixth inning, having not allowed a run while throwing just 66 pitches.

Niese has faced this issue in the past, namely on June 3, 2012 at home against the Cardinals and June 25, 2011 in a start against the Rangers at Arlington. Doctors had recommended he undergo an ablation procedure at the time, but was later advised it wasn’t needed.

“They [doctors] said it can come back at any moment, it just happens,” Niese said. “The last time it happened was two years ago. Once every two years I will take. It’s something that can always happen, and if it happened more often I would look to do something.”

Niese wasn’t too worried about it and seemed more interested in discussing his strong outing and his season in general.

“I took a huge step with my changeup this year,” he said. “I figured out how to pitch. Hopefully I can do some things to help my arm strength, and hopefully be able to pitch with my good stuff.”

Niese ends the season with a solid 3.40 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 30 starts for the Mets this year, identical to his 2012 campaign. Despite a lower velocity, he maintained his 6.6 strikeout rate and improved his strikeout-to-walk rate from 3.0 to 2.2.

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Citi Field is quiet; there is not a soul in the stands, say for an usher catching some shut-eye before the gates open up.

Nearly four hours prior to first-pitch Friday, a handful of personnel remain on the field, finishing their first round of batting practice.

Among those taking there cuts, wearing a grey “Mets Baseball” tee, is the organization’s longest tenured player, David Wright. Looking on, already in uniform, is the newest–and youngest–addition to the big leagues, Dilson Herrera.

Now more than a decade since his own debut, Wright said he looks forward to getting a look at what Herrera can do.

“It’s exciting seeing these players you read about and hear about come up and see what they’re all about,” Wright said.

Herrera collected his first major-league hit Saturday, going 1-for-3 in his second game in Flushing. Terry Collins said that although Herrera faces a level of competition he has never seen before, the Mets skipper is confident in his new second baseman’s abilities.

“He’s coming with really, really outstanding reports on how he plays, the way he plays, intelligent kid; all the things you want to hear,” Collins said.

The 20-year-old Colombia-native was called up from Double-A Binghamton late Thursday night after Daniel Murphy was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right calf injury. Once upon in time in baseball, the young-bloods coming up were not always greeted positively. Nowadays, rookies are treated as part of the team, something Wright said he feels is important.

“One of the biggest things to feel comfortable and confident on the field is being welcomed and feeling comfortable in the clubhouse,” he said. “I think that is part of my responsibility and part of everyone’s responsibility.”

Collins admits that skipping Triple-A and going straight to MLB is a difficult transition, but cites past players he sees as similar to Herrera, namely Steve Sax, as examples that it can be done. Collins went on to say that he believes in the minor league coaching staff who have recommended he make the jump.

“I trust them,” he said Friday. “And like everyone else, I am anxious to see him play.”

Photos By Clayton Collier, MMO

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Jacob deGrom tossed seven strong innings against the Phillies on Friday, scattering four hits, allowing one unearned run and striking out five.

The young right-hander didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning and was at his best during any hint of trouble when he’d reach back and pitch with some extra zip on his fastball. He recorded 16 of his 20 outs with his two and four seamer and commanded the lower part of the strike zone all night long. The kid has a lot of moxie.

“The location was really good all night with all of my pitches,” said deGrom who won his seventh game of the season and remains a top contender for the league’s rookie of the year award.

DeGrom has pitched at least six innings in 14 of his 18 starts this season, allowing just three runs or fewer in 13 of those contests. 

Boasting an ERA+ of 119 and a 3.07 FIP, deGrom also leads all rookies in innings pitched and strikeouts while checking in with a 1.196 WHIP and a 2.94 ERA for the season.

It’s been quite a debut for deGrom who continues to shine and has entrenched himself in what’s shaping up to be a very formidable and young Mets rotation in 2015 and beyond.

(Joe D.)

August 29

Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen said Jacob deGrom‘s stuff was not the issue in Saturday’s 7-4 loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles, but rather the overuse of his fastball.

“I’m very happy about the way he threw the baseball in LA,” Warthen said. “I wasn’t happy about his pitch selection.”

deGrom surrendered five runs and five hits over six innings of work in his return from the disabled list after battling rotator cuff tendinitis. The Rookie of the Year candidate threw 86 pitches, allowing a three-run homer to Adrian Gonzalez, inflating his ERA from 2.87 to 3.13.

Warthen explained that deGrom getting carried away with his fastball was “understandable” as he was throwing harder than he ever had in his career–topping 97mph–but said the key for the 26-year-old tonight is to utilize all of his pitches. He has no other concerns regarding deGrom.

“His stuff was better than it had been all year,” Warthen said. “He just kind of forgot how to pitch, and we talked about that.

The post DeGrom Remains In Rookie of the Year Hunt appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Capitalizing on a key defensive miscue and working around several of their own, the Mets were able to make the most out of a bounce-back outing from Jacob deGrom to best the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1.

Leading 1-0, a throwing error by Lucas Duda in the top of the seventh set up a first-and-second situation with nobody out. After Carlos Ruiz popped out on cringe-worthy bunt attempt, Cody Asche floated a soft line over the glove of a fully extended Wilmer Flores, scoring Marlon Byrd and evening the game up at 1-1. deGrom would escape further damage on a well-executed, inning-ending double play to send it to the seventh inning stretch.

In the bottom half of the frame, the Mets would load the bases without taking the bat off their shoulders. Matt den Dekker drew a one-out walk, later taking second on a stolen base. Flores was hit by a pitch and Eric Campbell was also issued the free pass with two out for Juan Lagares.

Lagares followed with a shallow fly ball into left field.Grady Sizemore ran in to make the play, calling off Jimmy Rollins and Ben Revere, proving to be the defining play of the game. The ball would miss his glove and drop, scoring den Dekker and Flores, giving the Mets a two-run cushion.

Shortly thereafter, the Mets decided to take a calculated risk. With Campbell on third and Lagares at first, New York went for the double steal. Lagares dashed for second while Campbell raced home.

The pick-off attempt went to second, Rollins made a quick return throw home. Campbell dove headlong, slamming his left hand onto home plate, evading the tag of Ruiz, making it a 4-1 ballgame.

“He’s done a tremendous job of making of everything he can do work for him,” Terry Collins said of Campbell. “He plays all over the place, he’s a better runner than people think, he actually throws throws better than people think. He’s a nice piece to have on a team.”

After deGrom finished one of his better outings on the season, pitching seven innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits and two walks while striking out five and improving to 7-6 on the year, Familia came on and pitched a scoreless eighth.

Jenrry Mejia came on to close out the game, punching out three and converting his 20th save of the season. The 24-year-old Mejia becomes the second-youngest Mets pitcher to save 20-games and the 14th in franchise history The youngest Met to do so was Neil Allen in 1980 at the age of 22.

Dilson Herrera, the first ever Colombian-born player in team history and the 14th to appear in a major league game, went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut and had an error in the ninth inning. 

Bartolo Colon gets the ball for the Mets, taking on the Phillies’ Jerome Williams at Citi Field at 7:10pm in the second of this three-game set.

Photo By Clayton Collier, MMO

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