When 21-year-old Darryl Strawberry made his major league debut with the New York Mets on May 6, 1983, against the Cincinnati Reds at home, fans were eager for an impact player to help turn the organization’s fortunes around. After all, the club hadn’t made the postseason since they lost to the Oakland Athletics in seven games in the 1973 Fall Classic. In addition, the Mets...
Growing up in Bronx in the 1940s and ’50s, Ed Kranepool spent much of his time playing stickball in local parks. In fact, stickball brought refuge to a young Kranepool. As his stickball reputation grew, local gangs treated Kranepool well and insisted he not hang around with them after dark as they didn’t want him to get into trouble and not be able to play on their teams. Growing up...
In Major League Baseball history, only six players have recorded 90+ triples, 300+ home runs and 150+ stolen bases, showcasing a penchant for both power and speed: Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, George Brett, Andre Dawson, Steve Finley and Curtis Granderson. Granderson, 42, was an easy player to root for, no matter what team he was on. As congenial as they come, the left-handed hitter posted a 47.2...
Growing up, Jett Williams heard the detractors who questioned his abilities on the baseball field due to his height. Instead of letting that define him, Williams, who’s listed at five-foot-eight, used that as motivation to prove them wrong. Selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2022 Draft (14th overall) out of Rockwall-Heath High School in Heath, Texas, Williams has gotten off...
In “For Love of the Game,” the 1999 sports drama starring Kevin Costner as an aging former ace, a line from Vin Scully (who appears in the film as a broadcaster) sums up what many pitchers often feel on the bump. “He (Billy Chapel) will make the fateful walk to the loneliest spot in the world: the pitching mound.” Standing on the mound can be an isolating feeling,...
After the New York Mets squared off against the New York Yankees for five games in the 2000 World Series, it would be six years until they made it back to the postseason. From 2001 through the 2005 season, the Mets finished no higher than third in the National League East, while placing dead last in back-to-back seasons in 2002 and 2003. The early-to-mid 2000 teams featured a heavy dose of...
Thirty years ago this July, a proper name entered the lexicon of baseball fans and film enthusiasts. Henry Rowengartner. For many, the name will elicit memories from childhood and a period when several prominent baseball films were released, including “Angels in the Outfield,” “Little Big League,”The Sandlot” and “Rookie of the Year.” “Rookie of...
Bubby Rossman had dreams of reaching the majors someday. He just never anticipated it would come as a pitcher. The California native was an outfielder while playing at California State University, Dominguez Hills, where he displayed a strong arm. He recorded seven assists in right field his senior year, which culminated in winning a Division II Rawlings West Region Gold Glove Award. Rossman, 30,...
A hitter digging into the batter’s box sixty feet, six inches away from Greg Maddux might not initially be intimidated. After all, Maddux was listed at six-feet tall and one-hundred seventy pounds, never relying on blazing fastball velocity to put hitters away. “The Professor” often wore glasses off the mound, which almost emphasized his unassuming persona. However, what...
Amid a busy offseason for the New York Mets, in which the club committed nearly $500 million to free agents, utility player Danny Mendick may have gone unnoticed. Signed to a one-year, $1 million deal in late December, Mendick, 29, offers the Mets a versatile depth option who still has two minor league options remaining. The Rochester native’s story is one of perseverance, as he received...
After spending his first seven big league seasons with the Oakland Athletics, Mark Canha was ready for a change. Following the 2021 season, the California native was entering free agency for the first time in his career and was ready for new opportunities. After being drafted by the then Florida Marlins in the seventh round of the 2010 Draft, Canha was selected in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft by the...
Mike Piazza’s journey of going from a 62nd-round draft pick (1,390th overall) at the behest of a Hall of Fame manager, to switching positions late in his teenage years and becoming the greatest hitting catcher of all time is one of near improbability. For Piazza, 54, baseball was a way of life and something he innately knew he was destined for. From a young age, Piazza had access to the...
