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, got the chance to pitch a few innings in college. His strong arm in right translated to sitting in the low-90s on the mound, enticing major league clubs.

The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Rossman in the 22nd round of the 2014 MLB Draft. While some clubs were interested in drafting Rossman as a position player with the idea of transitioning him to the mound if his offense didn’t translate, the Dodgers only wanted Rossman to pitch.

In his first full season with the organization in 2015, the right-hander made 29 appearances out of the pen for their Single-A affiliate, posting a 2.26 ERA with a strikeout rate of 24.1% and inducing ground balls at a 51.1% clip.

Following a triceps injury in which Rossman’s velocity was slow to return, the Dodgers released Rossman near the end of the 2016 season.

Thus began a five-year journey of keeping his dreams of making the majors alive by playing in several independent leagues, including in Canada and Mexico.

Rossman sought out the tutelage of renowned tech-driven baseball outlets such as Driveline, Tread Athletics and Beimel Elite Athletics (co-founded by former major league reliever Joe Beimel). It was at these facilities that Rossman fine-tuned his pitch design, pitch usage and offspeed stuff.

He got his second opportunity in affiliated ball in 2022, when the Philadelphia Phillies signed Rossman to a minor league deal. In a combined 44 games between their Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, Rosman posted a 4.11 ERA, 27.4 strikeout percentage and 14.1 swinging strike percentage over 70 innings pitched.

On July 13, 2022, a 30-year-old Rossman finally made his major league debut, appearing in the eighth for the Phillies against the Toronto Blue Jays on the road. Rossman replaced Kyle Gibson on the roster, one of four Phillies who were placed on the restricted list who did not meet Canada’s Covid-19 vaccination requirements for international travelers.

Rossman allowed a leadoff walk to Alejandro Kirk, followed by a two-run home run off the bat of Teoscar Hernández. Rossman regained his composure and retired the next three batters on nine pitches, including recording his first career strikeout against Matt Chapman on a 99-miles per hour fastball.

Following the 2022 season, Rossman was a free agent and looking for his next chance in affiliated ball. He committed to play on Team Israel for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, a chance to represent his Jewish heritage while also using the tournament as a potential showcase for interested teams.

The hard-throwing righty made two appearances in the tournament, facing tough lineups in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. In total, Rossman tossed two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out three. He averaged 96.9 miles per hour on his four-seam fastball in the tournament, and touched 99.

Rossman parlayed his impressive performance for Team Israel into a minor league contract with the New York Mets. Afforded another opportunity in affiliated ball, Rossman is appreciative and eager to continue living out his childhood dreams.

Resiliency at its finest.

I had the privilege of speaking to Rossman after signing with the Mets, where he discussed playing multiple sports as a kid, working with Driveline and Tread Athletics and getting to pitch in the World Baseball Classic.

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

Rossman: I was never a pitcher growing up. I grew up playing third base, so my favorite player was Chipper Jones because I was a switch hitter. My favorite outfielders, once I converted, were Ryan Braun and Bryce Harper.

MMO: Your father, Charley Rossman, is an actor. What was it like growing up with an actor as a dad?

Rossman: His biggest movie was “Superbad,” and that came out my freshman year of high school. Everyone came up to me and was asking me questions and stuff like that. I think that’s when it kind of blew up.

I’ve been in two baseball commercials in the past few years too. I was in a StubHub commercial in 2017 and Bank of America in 2020, just a small baseball commercial. His agent knows I play baseball and would say, “Audition for this baseball commercial.” They would find out that I actually play baseball, and it became an easy hire.

Everyone always asks about him, so it’s a good conversation starter. He’s met a lot of A-list celebrities. It’s obviously cool, but I’ve never met any. [Laughs.] He always tells me stories, though.

MMO: Your birth name is Charles Rossman III. Where did “Bubby” come from?

Rossman: It originated from Bubby Brister, an NFL quarterback in the nineties for the Steelers and Broncos. Because I’m the third, my dad’s nickname growing up was Buddy and my grandpa’s was Bud, so it was always Big Bud, Little Bud.

My parents were watching football and saw Brister, and my mom’s like, “That’s a close name to yours. Why don’t we just call him that?” That stuck since I was a baby.

I don’t think my parents thought it was going to last this long. Having Jewish heritage and bubbe meaning grandma in Yiddish is a play on words, I guess.

I can’t complain about that, but it’s obviously super weird that I introduce myself as Bubby to new people. Some don’t even know my real name is Charles that I’ve known for years working out in the offseason. They think my real name is Bubby. It’s funny when they’re like, “Who’s Charles?” [Laughs.]

MMO: You were a multi-sport athlete growing up. Did you have a favorite to play?

Rossman: My parents threw me in every sport possible growing up. I think the only sport I never played was lacrosse. I did swimming, football, soccer, basketball and ice hockey.

I’d say my best sport growing up was definitely ice hockey and then baseball. Once the physical aspect of it started adding up when I got older, I had a late growth spurt, so I literally went from the first line to the fourth line. It sort of killed my drive for ice hockey by just not playing as much.

I didn’t know I was going to be this big or I probably would’ve stuck with ice hockey honestly; just the physical aspect of it would’ve been a lot easier for me. But you can’t go wrong. To make the big leagues playing baseball, [I] can’t complain anymore.

MMO: You mentioned that you were an outfielder, and that’s where you primarily played while in college. Did you ever envision that you’d make pro ball as a pitcher instead of position player?

Rossman: If you would’ve told me when I was in college or high school that I would’ve been a pitcher in pro ball, I would’ve been like, ‘I’m going to find a new sport.’ [Laughs.] I’ve pitched before, and my arm was sore for a week, so it was not fun.

I would throw guys out from the outfield my sophomore/junior years, and I won a Gold Glove my senior year just from my outfield assists. They (coaches) were like, “Let’s throw you on the mound, we have a couple pitchers redshirting.” I was like, ‘I might as well if I only have to throw one inning every now and then.’

I hit 90 my first time on the mound, and then I think I was low-90s in the six or seven innings that I pitched in. I had no idea how to throw an offspeed pitch or anything like that, but scouts were interested, and I got drafted by the Dodgers.

There were a couple of teams that wanted to draft me as a hitter and were going to give me a couple of years, and if it didn’t work out then I can switch to pitching. I was all about that, but I got drafted by the Dodgers, and they wanted me to pitch right away. I was like, ‘Okay, great. Let’s see how this goes.’

I had an up-and-down first year, and then once I focused on it and had my first offseason, I put up pretty good numbers in my first full season. I was like, ‘This is something that I can actually do.’

Obviously, the last five or six years learning a whole bunch of stuff, just how to prepare and what works for me, and getting better every season. I just got my third [professional] contract with the Mets, so can’t complain about that.

MMO: You brought up the difficulties of throwing offspeed pitches. Would you say that was the toughest transition going from a position player to pitcher?

Rossman: There was a lot going on. I remember the first outing I had I did really good where I went 1-2-3. Then that second outing I gave up a couple of hits, and I was just like, ‘I have no idea how to hold guys.’

I was playing my first night game under the lights, and my heart sped up ten times. I gave up a couple of runs and got out of it eventually. That was not fun for that first actual stressful pitching situation.

In terms of the offspeed pitches, this is my ninth year pitching, and I’d say the last couple of years were the first time I was comfortable throwing my offspeed pitches. It was usually a struggle of what kind of pitch I need to throw, if I should throw a slider, curveball, changeup, split and always messing around with those.

The last year or two was the first time where I was confident in locating my offspeed [stuff] and throwing it way more. I think my first couple of years with the Dodgers I was throwing 90 percent fastballs. It’s definitely gone down to an average of 60-to-70 percent where I know I can throw that slider or changeup five or six times; double, triple, quadruple up on it if I have to.

MMO: Were the offspeed pitches something you worked on when you were with Driveline and Tread Athletics?

Rossman: Yeah. I was throwing a curveball for three years, and right before I went to spring training with the Phillies, I went to Tread for a week and they were like, “Your curveball’s good but you’re not throwing it hard enough. Try this slider.”

They gave me a grip and I tossed a few and they were in the low-to-mid eighties. They said, “This is going to play way better.” I trusted them, and the whole spring training I threw it.

In the first outing, I struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with it, and I’m like, ‘Okay, this is a pitch that can definitely play once I get more comfortable with it and can throw it where I want to.’

This was the first offseason throwing with it. In the World Baseball Classic, I threw it a lot and did pretty good with it; got a strikeout and a lot of weak contact with it. It’s definitely a pitch that’s been improved in the last year where I kind of was never really confident in throwing a curveball or slider in my first seven or eight years playing pro ball.

MMO: At what point did you work with Driveline?

Rossman: I was with them in 2018. It’s pretty funny because Kyle Rogers and Eric Jagers are coaches [with the Mets], and they were my two coaches when I was there in 2018.

Today (Sunday, March 19) was my first official practice, and I got to see them and give them a hug. It was a little five-year homecoming. It’s pretty awesome how it came around full circle.

MMO: Can you talk about some specific work you did while with Driveline?

Rossman: I actually did pitch design a couple of times with Eric when I was there. I don’t think I ever threw on a Rapsodo before that offseason, and learning about what my pitches did was super interesting. It’s pretty common now, but when I was with the Dodgers, I don’t think we did it one time. And now, with some teams, you can’t throw if you’re not on Rapsodo.

I always knew I had a good fastball, and the numbers showed, so I didn’t really have to mess around with it. But definitely messed around with a lot of those offspeed pitches when I was there and some mechanical issues and stuff I needed to improve on.

Every pitcher has some mechanical deficiencies, so I’m just trying to be more consistent where I don’t actually have to think about it when I’m on the mound. Just be confident in my stuff.

MMO: I read that you also sought out tutelage from both Tom House and former reliever Joe Beimel.

Rossman: I’ve been with Joe Beimel’s place in L.A., that’s where I usually train in the offseason when I’m in L.A. I did work with Tom House for a couple of years in San Diego, too. I’m still using some Driveline techniques, Tom House techniques and all of the stuff I like and do it in my pre-routine every day.

MMO: The number of tech-driven outlets you’ve utilized in your development is pretty impressive.

Rossman: Yeah. I’ve been with Tread for the last couple of years and I like them just because they’re kind of a more customized program for me. That’s why I stuck with them the last couple of years.

It’s awesome just to get to work with some of the best and biggest names out there. A lot of guys can’t say they’ve done that.

MMO: After your release from the Dodgers, you went on to play for five seasons both nationally and internationally. What kept you motivated to continue chasing your baseball dream?

Rossman: Seeing some teammates get that second chance in affiliate ball, I knew that I always was good enough to get a second opportunity. That’s kind of what I wanted to do, to just get another chance with an affiliate and prove that I belong there. That’s pretty much my biggest goal.

It was a grind; it wasn’t fun playing indy ball for all those years. [Laughs.] I’m sure everyone has a story of, not how bad you’re treated, but it’s not a billion-dollar company that you’re working for. There’s a lot of pizza and hot dogs for food every day. There’s no such thing as nutrition in indy ball, it’s go on the dollar menu and save up your money from the offseason.

It was obviously fun just traveling and meeting a bunch of new guys and playing baseball all over the U.S. and Canada and Mexico.

MMO: During that period, were you only pitching? Or did you also play the field?

Rossman: There was a couple of times where I played the field just because of an injury or they didn’t have enough guys. But for the most part, it was just pitching.

MMO: You have your own website, where you list your stats, career bio and scouting videos. When did you create that site?

Rossman: I’m pretty sure it was during Covid. I was just trying to get my name out there, and have a website where I could send scouts to where I don’t actually have to email them. I could just give them my website and just click on it and view.

MMO: I read that you put together a highlights video and that your agent sent that out to teams, and that’s how the Phillies came to sign you to a minor league deal for the 2022 season. Is that right?

Rossman: Yeah, my agent actually sent it to their front office because he was friends with someone there. They sent it to their scouts, and they decided to bring me in for a spring invite but said there was no guarantee.

I pitched well in spring training, and then they sent me to Double-A.

MMO: What are your memories from your major league debut on July 13, 2022?

Rossman: It was very surprising just because I got called on an off day. The first day was not fun going to Toronto because there were five-to-six hours of flight delays and a flight canceled. That first day, I didn’t even get there until game time. I just met everyone and watched the game.

I hadn’t thrown for a couple of days because we had an off day and I pitched three innings on Friday, so I took it light those next couple of days.

I threw after the game in Toronto. They kept the lights on for me, and I talked to Rob Thomson and he said they were going to activate me and hopefully get me in the game tomorrow. I was like, ‘Zack Wheeler’s pitching, there’s no chance.’ [Laughs.]

He didn’t have his A-game that day, and I got to pitch in that last inning. It was a great time! My dad and brother were able to come out and watch me.

It wasn’t a typical flight and all that stuff, it wasn’t perfect. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. That’s what you grow up wanting to be is a professional baseball player in MLB. It’s awesome that I can say that for the rest of my life.

MMO: Finally getting the call that you were going to the majors must have been so surreal, especially given all you went through to get to that moment.

Rossman: It was awesome! When I got the call, I thought I had an asthma attack even though I don’t have asthma. I literally could not breathe and was breathing through my mouth. It was pretty funny. Then I got to call all my friends and family. It was an awesome experience.

MMO: Talk to me about your recent play with Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. What was that overall experience and atmosphere like?

Rossman: We flew into Miami and then went to Jupiter and met everyone. There were a few guys that I played with in Italy for the European Championships a couple of years ago, so it wasn’t like I was going in there not knowing anyone. It was pretty awesome to see Joc [Pederson], who I worked out with in the offseason when I was with the Dodgers, and Garrett Stubbs, who caught me in my debut, and being teammates with them and a few other guys that I played with.

It’s kind of funny, the first day walking into loanDepot park and meeting everyone and scrimmaging them the next day, and did pretty good in that scrimmage. Went to Miami and it was the loudest stadium I think I ever heard in my life! It was a ninety percent Latin crowd and ten percent Jewish crowd, which was obviously not what you wanted to see, but playing in Miami, that’s what you’d expect.

I did not think it was going to be that loud, which was probably the most awesome baseball scene that I could have imagined in my lifetime. It was literally like pitching in the World Series, which is what you could compare it to.

It was awesome getting to face some of the biggest stars for Dominican and Venezuela and getting them out. That was able to give me a contract. The Mets called the next day, my agent negotiated with them and got the deal done in 24 hours, and the next morning I flew out to Port St. Lucie. It was a quick 48 hours after we got eliminated, but [I’m] glad to be here.

MMO: It’s awesome that players get to represent their countries for the WBC, but another big draw has to be for free agents to get the opportunity to showcase their stuff on a big stage. Duque Hebbert, a pitcher for Nicaragua, also got signed to a minor league deal with a major league club (Detroit Tigers).

Rossman: I think I did pretty good with the Phillies last year, and I thought they were going to re-sign me, or another team would. There were a few that were interested and never pulled the trigger, which was disappointing.

In terms of the World Baseball Classic, every player wants to play in the World Series, but every team won’t get there. I heard Mike Trout compare it to the best he’s ever played under.

Mike Trout. Photo via MLB/Team USA

It was an awesome experience to say that you got to play with some superstars and future Hall of Famers and compete against the very best. That’s what you want to do as a pro athlete is prove that you can hang with those kind of guys who are making millions of dollars.

MMO: Is it true that you met Cody Decker and Ty Kelly in 2019, and they gave you some guidance in terms of playing for Team Israel?

Rossman: Yeah. I’m pretty sure Cody Decker is a part owner of Beimel Athletics. Decker, Kelly and Zack Weiss, I met all of them at Beimel’s facility.

Cody Decker was trying to help me get on Team Israel a few years ago, and was vouching for me. I was trying to get on the Olympic team for 2020, but they said the roster was full. A lot of the guys retired after that, which is how I was able to get on the team like a month later.

I know they’re playing in Prague for the European Championships at the end of September this year, but I don’t know the conflict being with the Mets. Obviously, the goal is to be in the big leagues. The goal is to not be playing in Prague at that time. [Laughs.] It’s to be helping the Mets make a playoff push.

MMO: Thanks so much for some time, Bubby. Best of luck this season.

Rossman: I appreciate it.

The post MMO Exclusive: Reliever, Bubby Rossman appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

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 Maddux, 56, lacked in velocity he made up for with impeccable command, late movement and changing of speeds.

The Hall of Fame righty pitched to contact, despite his 3,371 career strikeouts, relying on guile to carve up hitters and navigate through lineups at will.

Blessed with good health and longevity, Maddux was the epitome of a workhorse. The eight-time All-Star tossed 200+ innings in 18 of his 23 major league seasons and went an incredible fourteen consecutive years of 200+ innings pitched from 1988 through 2001. Only Don Sutton (20), Phil Niekro (19) and Cy Young (19) posted more seasons with 200+ innings pitched.

His 5,008.1 career innings pitched are the thirteenth-most in major league history, and that doesn’t include the additional 198 innings he tossed in the postseason (the sixth-most postseason innings pitched of all time).

Maddux’s propensity for pitching deep into games and on seemingly so few pitches, is stuff of legend. So much so that baseball writer Jason Lukehart coined the term “Maddux” to highlight a start in which a starter tosses a complete-game shutout on fewer than 100 pitches. No pitcher has recorded more such starts since 1988, the first year of accurate pitch-count tracking, than Maddux with 13.

In that same span, Maddux has recorded 72 starts where he went at least eight innings and threw fewer than 100 pitches. To put that in greater perspective, if you took the six pitchers with the highest number of aforementioned games pitched since 2010, they’d still be three games shy of Maddux’s total since ’88.

Since the inception of the Cy Young Award in 1956, only four pitchers have won the honor at least four times: Roger Clemens (7X), Randy Johnson (5X), Steve Carlton (4X) and Maddux (4X). Of those pitchers, Johnson and Maddux are the only two to win four-straight Cy Young Awards, with Maddux taking home the hardware from 1992-1995.

The Cy Young Award wasn’t the only piece of hardware Maddux took home in 1995, as the Braves won their first World Series since 1957. Maddux posted a 2.84 ERA over five starts that postseason, with a 1.88 ERA in his three starts that included the National League Championship Series and World Series.

Despite the shortened season in ’95 due to the strike that began in August 1994, Maddux posted a 19-2 record, leading all qualified pitchers in ERA (1.63) and WHIP (0.811), while second in fWAR (7.9).

Hitters were rarely given free passes from Maddux, as the control artist was simply masterful on the mound. In fact, of his 740 career starts, Maddux allowed no more than one walk in 463 of them (63% of his total starts), which is the most such starts in major league history.

The Maddux household no doubt features a large trophy case, as the 355-game winner not only won four Cy Young Awards and a World Series ring but also 18 Gold Glove Awards, the most of any player. That included a stretch of 13 straight years of taking home a Gold Glove Award from 1990 to 2002.

Mets fans were well aware of Maddux’s brilliance, as the righty made 66 career starts against the club. Only Steve Carlton made more career starts against the Amazins’ (76). The Mets were the opponent Maddux faced the most during his career, as he went 35-19 with a career 3.36 ERA in 428.1 innings pitched.

What makes Maddux’s career even more impressive is the fact that he pitched during the height of the steroid era, and yet, still excelled on the mound. No pitcher recorded a higher fWAR in the nineties than Maddux (69.8), while he posted the second-lowest HR/9 among qualified pitchers with a 0.42 mark.

Since retiring from the game following the 2008 season, in which he tossed 194 innings and won his final Gold Glove in his age 42 season, Maddux has kept busy. He’s worked as a special assistant in the front offices for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers, and served as a volunteer pitching coach for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, while his son, Chase, pitched for the team.

Maddux is back with the Rangers this spring, brought in as a special instructor and aiding his brother Mike Maddux, who was hired as the team’s pitching for a second stint this past offseason.

Following his work with the Rangers this spring, Maddux is gearing up to host a celebrity poker tournament at Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas from April 28-30.

The three-day event, which includes the poker tournament, private dining experience and party, is partnered with the Baller Dream Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 2020 that provides various levels of support to alleviate stressors families encounter when dealing with cancer.

Maddux’s daughter, Paige, is the Foundation’s Regional Program Director, having previously worked at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego as the Director of Philanthropy for over five years.

Throughout his legendary playing career and beyond, Maddux and his family have donated considerable time and money to help many different causes. After running a celebrity golf tournament for two decades, Maddux is more than happy to lend his time and celebrity stature for a great cause.

Maddux is indeed a Hall of Famer both on and off the field.

I had the privilege of speaking with Maddux during spring training, where he discussed his game preparation, individuals who aided in his development and the upcoming celebrity poker tournament.

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

Maddux: All the Reds. I grew up a huge Reds fan, so it was Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tom Seaver, George Foster and Tony Pérez.

MMO: From past interviews you’ve given, along with your Hall of Fame speech in 2014, one individual you give a lot of credit to early on in your career was Ralph Meder, who was a former big league scout and local Nevada coach. What did Meder impart on you?

Maddux: He taught me my pitching fundamentals which is movement is better than location; location, change of speeds and then velocity.

We learned how to throw a ball with movement on it, sink, run and all of that, as opposed to see how hard we could chuck it.

MMO: Did you grow up throwing what would be your signature two-seamer?

2+ Minutes of Greg Maddux's Front Door Two Seamers. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/h2H2NIxPKy

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) January 12, 2023

Maddux: That was what I threw growing up. Mr. Meder taught me that when I was about sixteen.

When I first started working with him, that was one of the first things he changed. He changed my arm angle from straight over the top to kind of a three quarter-ish type thing. He was trying to teach me a fastball with the most movement.

He kind of changed the arm angle a little bit. I started throwing two-seamers, and it started sinking and moving.

MMO: Was that also the same time that you started focusing on locating your pitches to both sides of the plate?

Maddux: That was later on; I started to learn that in A ball. Jim Wright was the first coach that kind of challenged me to throw a glove-side fastball down and away to righties or into lefties and keep my movement on that as well.

That was the one thing I worked on my whole career. I remember that was the big thing for me was to be able to locate my fastball on both sides of the plate with the same type of movement.

MMO: You debuted with the Chicago Cubs at a very young age (20 years, 141 days old) and had some growing pains your first two seasons. You’ve talked about how going to winter ball one offseason and working with Dick Pole (Cubs’ minor and major league pitching coach) really helped with your changeup and ability to “work slow.” Can you expand on that?

Maddux: The reason I was 6-14 (in 1987) was I didn’t know how to pitch slow. My fastball was okay and my health was good, but I wasn’t changing speeds properly.

I went to winter ball and worked with Dickey on my changeup. That got a little more consistent along with the command of my fastball, and then I was able to have a chance to get hitters out in the big leagues.

MMO: What memories stand out from when you hit free agency following the 1992 season?

Maddux: At first, I was a little upset; I kind of got fired in Chicago. They kind of kicked me out, and I ended up going to Atlanta and got to play with some of the best pitchers in the game and played for one of the best managers in the game. It was a great experience.

I think we won all eleven years that I was there, and they won a couple before and after me. It was just a great experience, great people and created friendships with my teammates and neighbors. It couldn’t have been better.

MMO: There’s so much expanded technologies and improved analytics to better serve organizations and players in today’s game. You were such a student of the game and I’m curious, how would you go about studying and preparing for a start?

Maddux: I’d probably do it the same way: use the analytics to my advantage. The bottom line is you have to pitch with what you got.

I understood myself as a pitcher and things I could and couldn’t do with the baseball, the pitches I could and couldn’t throw. I’d grab some stuff out of it that would probably help me with my pitch selection.

And a lot of the stuff I wouldn’t listen to. I didn’t have a very good slider, so if the hitter has a very low average on sliders, I probably still wouldn’t throw them, man. I’d stick to my strengths and try to get them out the way that was best for me.

MMO: You own the most Gold Gloves of any player with 18. Were you someone that always took defense seriously and worked a lot on PFPs?

Maddux: One hundred percent. It’s part of the game and I felt like if I could make 90 plays a year, that’s thirty innings of scoreless baseball. I looked at it that way.

If I made all the plays I was supposed to make, then my team had a better chance to win, and I had a chance to have a lower ERA when the season was over.

MMO: You tossed 200+ innings in 18 of your 23 major league seasons, including 14 consecutive seasons. What do you attribute your success to staying so healthy and being so consistent for the majority of your major league career to? How important was Keith Kleven (physical therapist/athletic trainer) and his program for your longevity?

Maddux: Keith Kleven helped me out a lot with being able to take care of my shoulder, elbow, legs, everything.

A lot of it was just good luck, a lot of catching a break. Never taking one off the arm or the foot where you break something or twist a knee sliding into second.

A lot of it was just good luck but I did take care of myself, and I tried to prepare myself to pitch over 200 innings every year.

MMO: Did you work with Kleven throughout your whole career?

Maddux: I worked with him from high school all the way until I was done playing.

MMO: I find the mental side of the game so interesting and obviously so crucial to success. I spoke with Bob Tewksbury – who is now a mental skills coach – and he sung the praises of Harvey Dorfman. Did you work with Dorfman during your career, and if so, how did he help you?

Maddux: Absolutely. Harvey was a big part of it. Harvey enabled me to think properly, worry about the things I could control, stuff like that. He helped me a lot off the field with my family life and just how to treat people and teammates. I was very lucky to have him.

MMO: Tewksbury spoke about how he would use visualization techniques on the mound to reset and help clear his head. Is that a technique you utilized?

Maddux: Yeah, absolutely. You had to be able to think properly and you had to recognize when you were nervous and realize that you could still think and pitch when you were nervous. Harvey helped me out with that.

I did do some visualization. You always had a certain couple of pitches that you would go back to. Pitches you threw the right way and just get a quick little snapshot of that before you started your delivery.

MMO: In an interview you gave with MLB Network a few years back, you were discussing some of the differences between your era of pitching and today’s pitchers. I was really fascinated by your quote in which you said, “I tried to get hitters out in the strike zone. I think the majority of pitchers today try to get hitters out, out of the strike zone.” Can you expand a bit on what your pitching philosophy was and how it was so effective for you?

Maddux: My philosophy was to try to keep it in front of the outfield. Very simple. I felt like the team that keeps the ball in front of the outfield the best is the team that’s going to win. It’s going to probably happen in just about every spring training game down here and about every game once the season starts.

The philosophy today is they seem to be looking for guys who get hitters to swing and miss, they want no contact. I think that’s why you see the higher pitch counts, and that kind of limits the innings the guys are able to throw once the season is all said and done.

MMO: On an individual basis, was there a season or two that stands out in your mind as your best?

Maddux: Obviously, the 1995 season when we won the World Series. That one stands out more than all the others because we won, we finally got that ring. That was a pretty special year.

Your first year is pretty special and when you first get called up, but easily the ’95 season.

MMO: What memories do you have from facing the New York Mets and pitching at Shea Stadium?

Maddux: I loved pitching at Shea Stadium. It was a great atmosphere and great place to pitch. Really great golf courses when we weren’t pitching. I enjoyed New York.

It seems like the more you go back to New York, the more you enjoy it even more each time. That was one of the places that kept getting better and better with more time you spent in it.

We played the Mets tough it seems, especially with Atlanta. We had a lot of success against them, so obviously we had more fun playing them.

MMO: And you were close to playing in New York, with the Yankees, when you hit free agency in 1992, is that right?

Maddux: Yeah, real close. I thought I was going to go there and then Atlanta jumped in at the last second.

Back then there was no Interleague [play], and I knew the National League, and I enjoyed hitting and running the bases. I liked the strategy better in the National League. I’d rather face the pitcher than the DH. Those were some of the big reasons why I stayed in the National League.

MMO: Do fans still bring up the “Chicks dig the long ball” commercial you appeared in with Tom Glavine?

Maddux: I still hear that from time to time. We both had won a Cy Young or two at the time and no one really knew who we were. And then we did that commercial and all of a sudden people knew who we were. It was a lot of fun doing that.

MMO: Tell me about the celebrity poker tournament you’re hosting at the end of April. How did you get involved and what can folks expect from the three-day event?

Maddux: My daughter works for the Baller Dream Foundation, and it’s her gig. She asked if I would do it, and I said yes.

I used to run a charity golf tournament for about twenty years, and we no longer do that. She’s doing all of the work, all I have to do is show up and try to round up some celebrities.

It’s for a good cause; I’ve been to a few of her events. The Baller Dream Foundation helps kids with cancer. They do stuff for them, and they help older kids and younger adults. They raise money and they take them on fun trips and things they would like to do, I hate to say it, but before it’s too late.

If they want to go to a ballgame in Seattle or go fishing in Alaska or go to Disneyland, they make sure all their family gets to go and everything as well.

MMO: Is this your first event with the Baller Dream Foundation?

Maddux: It’s the first event I’ve done with them. I’ve supported them for probably the last two or three years. But as far as actually running an event, it’s the first one. It’s also the first one with Circa in Las Vegas.

MMO: You’ve donated a lot of time and money to charity. How long have you been giving back in that capacity, and what does it mean to you and your family?

Maddux: It’s pretty cool. I think we started giving back as soon as we had enough money to give, I’m sure like most people. I think before we had money we gave time and when you have the resources to give back, we’re more than happy to do that and give some time as well.

We’ve usually supported mostly charities in Las Vegas; we like to keep it in the neighborhood. It’s what you do; you always give back. You’re given so much that you like to give back when you can.

MMO: Are you a good poker player?

Maddux: Not really. If I sat down at one of the games in Vegas and if there were ten people there, I might be better than one, maybe two. But they’re pretty good there. With my teammates I was pretty good.

MMO: Which celebrities will be attending this event?

Maddux: Goose Gossage, Wally Joyner, a couple hockey players from the Knights, Tito Ortiz, Roger Clemens, David Wells, Joe Staley, A.J. Cole, Evan Mathis, Derrek Lee, Kenny Lofton, Darren Banks.

We’ll still probably add a couple as we get nearby. You know how celebrities are, they don’t like to look too far in advance. [Laughs.]

MMO: You’re working with the Texas Rangers this spring as a special instructor. What are some of your duties with the club?

Maddux: I’m down here for about twenty days of spring training, and it’s to help my brother pass off his philosophy to the pitchers. I spend time with the pitchers and try to get them to understand the importance of taking PFPs, defense, pitch selection and all of the little things that go around it.

Just kind of an extra coach for twenty days and trying to help out where I can.

MMO: Do you have any aspirations of getting back in the game on a full-time basis?

Maddux: I will say I’m enjoying the time down here. At the same time, I also enjoy retirement. I think we’re doing it the right way.

We did it right in our younger years and we’re starting to enjoy it now. With all the traveling and everything that we’ve been doing now, we’re going to see different parts of the world and enjoy retirement.

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

Maddux: Probably just the longevity of it and the success. I was able to do something I loved for a long time and enjoyed all 22 years of it. I enjoyed practice and never had to get a real job. I never had to grow up.

It’s pretty special being able to do it as long as I could.

MMO: Thanks very much for some time, Greg. It was great chatting with you.

Maddux: I appreciate it. Thank you.

Follow Greg Maddux on Twitter, @gregmaddux

For more information on the Baller Dream Celebrity Poker Tournament, visit here.

The post MMO Exclusive: Hall of Famer, Greg Maddux appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

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 no collegiate offers out of high school and was later drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 22nd round of the 2015 MLB Draft.

Mendick has played all over the diamond in the White Sox’ organization, including 3,000+ plus innings at shortstop, 1,600+ innings at second base, 750+ innings at third base, over 150 innings in the outfield and one scoreless inning pitched.

He made his major league debut on September 3, 2019, appearing as a pinch runner in the White Sox’ 6-5 win over Cleveland on the road. Mendick posted a .308 batting average with a 107 OPS+ in 40 plate appearances in the last month of the regular season.

Since then, Mendick has appeared in parts of the next three seasons, playing in a career-high 71 major league games in 2021.

His breakout year came in 2022 when he appeared in 31 games and posted career highs in on-base percentage (.343), wRC+ (125) and fWAR (0.8). Mendick got a prolonged look at shortstop, as he filled in for two-time All-Star Tim Anderson after he went on the IL with a groin injury in late May.

Unfortunately, Mendick’s ’22 season came to an abrupt end on June 22nd, as he collided with teammate Adam Haseley on a foul popup down the left field line. He underwent surgery on his right knee to repair a torn ACL and has been rehabbing and working his way back to full strength.

After being non-tendered by the White Sox this offseason, Mendick is excited for a new opportunity with the Mets. While his signing didn’t provoke much fanfare, adding a versatile player such as Mendick provides the Mets a solid depth option, which is always needed over the course of a 162-game season.

I had the privilege of speaking with Mendick in early January, where he discussed growing up in upstate New York, how former Mets Willie Harris and Joe McEwing aided in his development and signing with the Mets.

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

Mendick: I was always a big Derek Jeter fan, and I really liked Mike Piazza. I didn’t really watch the Mets as much, but I loved the way that guy played and his story. But I was always a Jeter guy.

As I grew older, I enjoyed watching the game. So, that’s kind of what it came to.

MMO: What was it like growing up and playing baseball in upstate New York?

Mendick: It was cold, that’s for sure. [Laughs.] It’s cool though because it’s different from the guys that always lived in the warm weather. When the warmth started to come around, and you were getting closer to springtime, you were really chomping at the bit.

I always felt like I had that kind of edge where once the weather started to get nice, you were like, man, I can’t wait to get outside and play, rather than those guys that just played year-round. That’s what I enjoyed the most was looking forward to when the snow was gone, and being able to play.

MMO: I read that your grandfather has been a season ticket holder of the Rochester Red Wings for decades. Is that right?

Mendick: Yeah, I kind of grew up on that. We would go to Red Wings games whenever they were home, and on Friday nights we would always go. I was always around the game and watching that I was like, Man, I can do this.

My dad was the one that said, “There’s nothing you can’t do.” Fast forward a little bit, and here we are.

MMO: There’s nothing like watching a minor league game. The atmosphere is great and it’s fun to see the future talent of the sport early on.

Mendick: I think that’s what sometimes gets lost. When people watch you in the big leagues, sometimes they forget how many levels you went through, and how many guys got whittled away. When you get there, you’re playing against the best of the best.

MMO: Can you talk about your journey from not receiving any collegiate scholarships for baseball out of high school to eventually ending up at the University of Massachusetts Lowell?

Mendick: I was a smaller guy out of high school, and I never really got looked at like that. I had a look at Niagara my senior year, but it just didn’t end up working out. I went to Monroe Community College in Rochester and played there.

In my sophomore year, they had a pro day, and I’ll never forget this, I wasn’t invited. Long story short, I was the only one that ended up playing pro out of all of the guys that went.

I ended up going to UMass Lowell because the coach liked how I played. We were playing against Hartford, Connecticut, and Sean Newcomb was pitching that day. In BP (batting practice), my thing was I just laid out for balls. I was at short, and I’d just lay out there in BP.

That’s how I ended up getting drafted because all the scouts there were looking for Newcomb, and they were there watching BP and kind of just picked up on my attitude and play. I got drafted by the White Sox because of that day.

MMO: What are your memories from the 2015 MLB Draft in which you were selected in the 22nd round?

Mendick: The Cubs told me that they were going to take me in the back-half of the top ten. That went through, and that was the second day, and I didn’t get drafted. I was like, All right, tomorrow I’m going to play golf. And if it happens, it happens.

I played 36 holes that day. On the second half of the second eighteen, I got a call from the White Sox telling me they drafted me in the 22nd round and if I wanted to come to Arizona. It was a plane ticket and a dream.

MMO: I read an article where you talked about the impact Willie Harris had on you in the minor leagues in 2017. Can you talk about how Harris aided in your development?

Mendick: He was really helpful. I was a grindy little player, and that’s what I pride myself on. He really emphasized and talked to me about how to not care about the stuff that you can’t control and to just have a chip on your shoulder when you play.

Obviously, it’s a team sport, and you’re playing with the guys on your team and playing for them, but when you get in that batter’s box, he really taught me how to put that mentality of it’s me versus this guy. I’m not going to go up there and half-ass something; I wouldn’t do that in general in life, why would I half-ass an at-bat? I’m going up there one-on-one, and I’m going to get mine. I’m going to beat this guy.

Sometimes you go up there, and early on it was like, I have to get a hit here; I have to go 1-for-3 because my numbers have got to be good. But my mentality has changed to every pitch, every at-bat, I’m going to beat this guy, and I’m not going to give in and let him beat me. That’s kind of what he instilled.

MMO: It seems like Harris was instrumental with the mental side of the game.

Mendick: As I got bigger and stronger, the skill was there. The mental part of it just kind of took over, and then when I started to compete and not really give in to what these guys were trying to do. You start to get up there and think you’re really going to beat this guy.

MMO: Versatility is a big calling card of yours. Growing up, were you always a player that moved around defensively? And do you have a favorite position?

Mendick: I grew up playing shortstop, so I always will love that position and it’s natural to me. I played the majority of middle infield when I was growing up because I was smaller and had good hands.

I’ve said this before, no matter what the position is, you just have to catch the ball, field the ball, throw the ball, throw it to the right base and before the runner gets there. That’s kind of my mentality, whether it’s left field, shortstop, second base; guy hits a ground ball to me I’m going to do the same thing as if it was in the outfield, it’s just a little different dimension.

You take pride in that. Even in BP, take [grounders] everywhere! That’s how you get practice in and gain confidence.

MMO: You had Joe McEwing as a coach for a couple of seasons in the majors. Mets fans remember him well and he carved out a nice career as a versatile player. Was McEwing someone that aided in your development?

Mendick: Yeah, absolutely. He was one of the first ones when I got to the big leagues that I could relate to because we’re the same kind of person. It was great having somebody who has been in the same shoes as you, and have that knowledge of what it was like and how they went through it and handled it.

I had the ability to talk to him about different things. Certain times you’re not playing every day, and you get in there one day and you’re struggling a little bit. Then one day leads to not playing for another four days, and now you’re thinking about it, and how you handle that and remain emotionally strong is important.

To have a guy that’s done it before and also a guy like Willie, they tell you how to get through it and how they did it. Then you come up with your own ways, but they help you transform to what you need to do.

MMO: You’ve been a utility player in the majors after starting in the minors. How do you adjust your mindset and keep yourself ready when you’re not playing every day?

Mendick: I love the game, and I always look forward to the unexpected. I used to have this saying that you have to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. If you don’t play every day, you have to always be ready to play and always ready to make an impact on the game somehow.

When you’re a kid and play sandlot baseball, if you weren’t doing something that day or say you weren’t playing, how can you get in the game? How can you make a play? That’s kind of how I look at it.

I’m going to be the guy that comes off the bench or plays that day and sparks the team and be a sore to the other team.

MMO: You got to pitch in a blowout game on April 19, 2021, against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway. You tossed a scoreless inning and struck out Franchy Cordero. What are your memories from that game, and when did you learn to throw a knuckleball?

Mendick: It was awesome, dude. I don’t even think I threw a knuckleball; it registered as a knuckleball because I threw it so slowly. [Laughs.]

I was talking to Zack Collins, the catcher that day, and I used to throw this type of air-cutter, which sometimes if you grip the ball the right way, it’ll cut based off the wind and the way it catches. That’s what I was trying to throw.

It was just super slow and hung up in the air. Other than that, I was just trying to flick it in there and throw strikes because we were getting absolutely crushed. It was a little nerve-wracking.

They were like, “You’re going to pitch the eighth.” I had to get my arm warm because I was coming off the bench and just went out there and threw strikes. I was just afraid that somebody was going to hit an absolute laser back at me! [Laughs.]

MMO: I assume that you were aware that you were an emergency pitcher for the team?

Mendick: Yeah, I was aware because Tony [La Russa] knew I could throw strikes. He knew I had good accuracy and I could just put the ball in there.

I used to throw BP when I was younger, and I still practice and mess around with it sometimes. He always knew that I could do that and would say, “If we need a guy, are you ready?” I would tell him, ‘Yeah, are you kidding me? I’m always ready.’

MMO: Did you keep the baseball from your first career strikeout?

Mendick: Oh, yeah! That one is sitting in the man cave.

MMO: A couple of numbers stood out to me from your 2022 season. You increased your zone swing percentage by over 4 percent compared to 2021, and you lowered your chase percentage by nearly 7 percent. Was that a specific adjustment you made heading into the ’22 season?

Mendick: I have kind of just been working on my swing. With working on the swing and creating it more efficiently, it’s allowed me to, and I kind of go back to what I said earlier: hunt what I want to hunt.

Nowadays, you get a scouting report, and it tells you everything that the pitcher is good at, and the same thing vice versa. If I go in there and I look and see where he’s going to pitch me, I’m going to have no success because I’m just going to collapse and fall into what he wants to do.

You have to look for the mistakes and look at the heart of the plate and what you’re going to hit and what you want to hit. And then obviously, with two strikes, it becomes a different story; you have to protect and find a way to win the battle.

Early in the count, and what has kind of changed for me, is I would go in there and just be like, Okay, I have two strikes until I really have to hone in. I’m going to look for my pitch until I get to two strikes.

Sometimes you get in there, like when I first got called up, and you’re chasing because you just feel like you have to make contact. Now I give myself two strikes. The first two strikes are mine, and then the third one is on the team. I look for my two strikes, and then I change my swing up a little bit and stay short and change it for two strikes.

MMO: I also noticed that your pull percentage increased by over 8 percent from 2021 to 2022. Was that a conscious effort on your part as well?

Mendick: Yeah. I think early on, and I hate to say this, I had a lot of coaches trying to just get me to hit the ball the other way. The way the game is nowadays, you just have to hit the ball hard. Hit the ball on the barrel, and see what happens.

I was a good pull hitter, and changing what I could do successfully was stupid. I looked at my numbers and knew I can pull the ball, and I can also swing at strikes, and I can still hit the ball the other way. So, it’s like, why would I just try and force it the other way when I can do both? It’s more of a reactionary thing for me now.

MMO: You suffered a torn ACL in your right knee after a collision with Adam Haseley in late June. How was the rehab process, and how is your knee feeling now? What’s the ETA for getting back on the field?

Mendick: Everything is great. I know I’m ahead of schedule, and rehab has been great. I think the plan is to build me up and be ready for Opening Day.

I’m doing everything that’s baseball-related: running, cutting, hitting, taking ground balls, all of that stuff. Shouldn’t see anything that’s holding me back.

It was weird, too, because it was the first time in my career that I’ve been injured. I take pride in that. You’re going to have bumps and bruises, and you’re going to be aching, but even in the minor leagues, I wasn’t going to take a day off if I didn’t have to.

The injury was fluky, but I looked at it as God has a plan. The White Sox ended up non-tendering me, and I came here with the Mets, and I’m super excited to be with the Mets and try to go out there and win a World Series with them.

It’s been a blessing to get here, and I don’t know if it would’ve worked out any other way.

MMO: So you should have a fairly normal spring training with no restrictions?

Mendick: Yeah, it should be good. It should be a normal build-up with three innings to five innings to seven innings to let’s go.

MMO: Can you talk about signing with the Mets this offseason, and what made you find them an appealing destination?

Mendick: I was always with the White Sox, and when I got non-tendered it was, okay, let’s see what else is out there. The Mets were one of the first teams to reach out. They stayed in touch and gave me a good deal. And for where I was at, especially after an ACL [injury], I felt like they really believed in me.

What drew me to becoming a New York Met was the owner and his pride in winning, and the organization and way they go about their business.

The biggest thing I take pride in is going out there and winning. You do it for the fans and for yourself, and you just take pride in it. To have an organization that felt the same way, I knew right there and then that it was what I wanted to be a part of.

MMO: Thanks very much for some time today, Danny. Best of luck in 2023.

Mendick: I appreciate it. Thanks!

Follow Danny Mendick on Twitter, @dmendick01

The post MMO Exclusive: Utility Player, Danny Mendick appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mark Canha

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 Colorado Rockies at the request of the Athletics, who arranged a trade for the right-handed hitter.

In his rookie season of 2015, Canha posted a 1.4 bWAR in 124 games and tied for the third-most home runs by an American League rookie that year with 16.

Canha’s breakout year occurred in 2019, when he hit a career-high 26 home runs and posted a .396 on-base percentage in 126 games. Among 169 hitters with a minimum 450 plate appearances in ’19, Canha recorded the ninth-highest wRC+ with a 146 mark.

When the New York Mets showed interest following the ’21 season, Canha, 33, was enthralled with the high stakes and challenges that come with playing in the Big Apple.

In late November 2021, Canha and the Mets agreed to a two-year, $26.5 million deal that included a club option.

His on-base prowess and defensive versatility were two of his main calling cards, as Canha had logged over 700 innings in all three outfield spots and first base heading into the 2022 season.

His .377 on-base percentage from 2019 through the 2021 season was ranked 11th among qualified major league hitters, and his 130 wRC+ was tied for the 10th-highest among qualified American League hitters in that span.

His Mets tenure got off to a great start in the month of April, as Canha posted a .345 batting average with a 140 wRC+ in 63 plate appearances. However, of his 19 April hits, only one was for extra bases (a double on April 29th). Over his first 96 games of the ’22 season, Canha recorded just 18 extra-base hits, posting a higher on-base percentage (.368) than slugging percentage (.367) up to that point.

After making some mechanical adjustments at the plate, Canha’s power surged at the end of the season. He recorded 19 extra-base hits in his final 44 regular season games from August 15th on, and recorded the third-highest ISO on the team with a .208 mark.

Along with his versatility and plate discipline, Canha came to the Mets with a penchant for compiling many hit by pitches. From 2019-2021, Canha had the second-most hit-by-pitches in all of baseball with 55, behind only Anthony Rizzo with 60.

That continued with the Mets, as Canha set a new team mark for most hit-by-pitches in a single season with 28; six more than the previous record holder (Brandon Nimmo, 2018).

Location and pitch type of Mark Canha’s 28 HBPs in 2022.

In his first season with the Mets, Canha appeared in 140 games, hitting 13 home runs and posting a 122 OPS+. Canha was one of six Mets to post an OPS+ of at least 120 in ’22 (min. 500 plate appearances), the most players the club has rostered in a single season in franchise history.

I had the privilege of speaking with Canha in late December, where we discussed his time at the Cape Cod League, the adjustments he made to increase his on-base percentage and what made New York an appealing destination.

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

Canha: I liked watching Barry Bonds, he was probably my favorite player. I was a Giants fan growing up in the Bay Area. I loved Manny Ramírez and Chipper Jones.

MMO: Where did your love of baseball originate from?

Canha: I wouldn’t say that I loved baseball growing up. I liked playing sports, and I was athletic, and baseball was one of the sports that I played. But I wouldn’t even say that it was my favorite sport.

Baseball is fun if you’re good at it, and not fun if you’re not good. Once I started getting good at it, which was probably when I played Little League and got to the major division when I was ten, then it started being fun.

Up until then, I wouldn’t say I was any type of above-average player. I was just learning the game. I felt like I got good, and then it started becoming more fun.

MMO: You played in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2009. I’ve always heard such great things about that league and the player development overall. What are your memories and takeaways from your summer spent there?

Canha: A lot of memories. I had a great host family that I really loved. They would serve us great food, great local seafood. They were the most Cape Cod couple and were so welcoming. My family would come out, and they were welcoming.

Other than that, I don’t have very many nice things to say about the Cape Cod League. I don’t like those collegiate summer baseball leagues; there’s something off.

I played for the Brewster Whitecaps, and I’ll give you an example of what you have to go through as a player. The first day we show up and have a gym meeting at the field. We thought it was going to be an introductory thing. We get there, and the home field is at an elementary school, and the grass at the field is up to our knees! We’re like, we have a game here in two days; what’s going on? They told us the other reason we were there, other than introducing us to the team and staff, is we had to cut the grass and make the field in some sort of playable shape. We had the whole team out there rolling up their sleeves.

Then they mentioned that there was an expectation that you have to get a job and help out in the community. I wasn’t opposed to that, but you’re there to play baseball. You’re playing baseball every day, and that takes energy out of you as a young kid.

My job was to go to school every day and do maintenance. They were great guys, but I was painting walls all day for hours. I was like, I have a game tonight, what am I doing here? I’m exhausted and showing up to games exhausted, which are supposed to be important to my career and getting to the professional level, and being seen by scouts. I’m playing at rinky-dink fields that are just terrible and in terrible shape, and making errors in the outfield because the grass is just terrible and it’s not even a baseball field.

Long story short, I did okay, but I ended up breaking my hamate bone in the summer, so I didn’t have a great experience. I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal. Cape Cod is a beautiful place, and it’s a fun being around the guys and running around Cape Cod is not a bad racket. It felt like it was such a serious thing, but then they were like here are all these caveats to how big of a deal it is.

It’s seemingly not well put together, and it just feels like you’re playing some kind of unofficial league. It’s something that’s very important for young players to do well and show off their skillset at. I don’t know what it’s like now, but when I was there, there was a lot left to be desired playing in that league. It wasn’t something that I enjoyed that much.

It is romantic in a way, they made that “Summer Catch” movie, and a lot of scouts do come out, and it’s the premier collegiate baseball league. But it’s just like, what are we doing? Find somebody to put some money into this thing so it can be real and not just whatever this is.

MMO: After your major league debut on April 8, 2015, in which you went 3-for-5 with four RBI, you paraphrased the famous Crash Davis media line from “Bull Durham.” Did you plan that or was that off the cuff?

Canha: I kind of planned it. I didn’t know I was going to pull it out in that moment.

I had never been in a true big league spring training prior to that season. I got picked up in the Rule 5 [Draft], and then I was in big league camp with the A’s, so I had never been exposed to the media before.

I quickly learned that sometimes they’ll ask you questions that as a young guy, and not having experience at that yet, I didn’t know how to answer all the time. They were asking me these weird questions that I felt were impossible to answer.

I thought that was just my way of dealing with those questions at that time. I thought that was cliché, and would be funny if I did that.

MMO: Do you have a favorite baseball movie?

Canha: I think my favorite baseball movie is “For Love of the Game.” I like that one a lot.

MMO: You went from a .328 on-base percentage in 2018 to a near .400 on-base percentage in 2019 in a similar number of games. Did you make a change in your approach at the plate or alter anything mechanically to see your on-base percentage rise as it did between those two seasons?

Canha: I always get asked this, and it was a very specific thing. At the 2018 All-Star break, I was just thinking about how the year was going. It was going well, but I was just feeling that there was something missing. Why are my numbers not as good as they should be, kind of thing.

I looked up and down the roster and was like, How do these guys get their OPS so high? I looked at my numbers, and my slugging was pretty good at the break, but my on-base percentage I was like, Man, I’m not getting on base, I’m not walking.

I remember the day after the All-Star break I went in early, and we had our first game of the second half in Oakland. I immediately went on the computer and started watching video. I literally started from my first at-bat of the year and watched every single at-bat of the first half. Just on a straight watch, not pausing or anything.

I watched the at-bats and was asking myself, Why am I not walking? Are people attacking me?

I realized that anything remotely close to the strike zone I was swinging at. I was making a lot of bad outs with weak contact. I just said to myself, This seems like some low-hanging fruit that I can address pretty easily if I just shrink the zone and be more selective and more selective with the pitches I’m swinging at. Just try to attack pitches that are more in the middle and let the pitchers have strikes and see what happens. Why not? I wasn’t doing as well as I thought I should be doing.

I started doing that and trying to make a steady, consistent effort. I had to tell myself in the on-deck circle, Hey, we’re doing this, we’re doing this. It has to be a real adjustment; you can’t just say you’re going to do it. You have to stick to it.

Mark Canha’s 2018 (left) and 2019 (right) swing % by zone.

I committed to sticking to that plan, and it obviously worked, you can see it in the numbers. I’ve been a more selective hitter ever since then, and it’s helped me a lot.

MMO: What drew you to sign with the Mets?

Canha: I met with Billy [Eppler] and Sandy [Alderson] in the offseason. I loved their personalities and meeting with them; they were pushing hard. I could tell that they had a vision for the offense and for the team.

It seemed like an organization that wanted to change, and I wanted to change and do something completely different, which was being in the National League and on the East Coast. That was a very different thing than I was used to. It just felt like that was something that was appealing to me, just doing something completely different.

New York was appealing to me. I’m a big food person, as everyone knows, and I think the big market and the big stage is something that I was really craving and found it hard to turn down. I think a lot of people would be intimidated, but I thought whether this goes good or bad, it’s an experience that I need to have. I have to see what it’s like to play baseball when the stakes are high.

I wanted that experience in my life as part of my career.

MMO: Has there been anything about playing or living in New York that’s surprised you?

Canha: No. [Laughs.] The reason I say that is because you have sort of a hyperbolic expectation. It’s kind of exactly what I expected. The scrutiny, the big stage, the city, just being in the city and how loud it is and how passionate people are for their teams.

People were coming up to me all the time and recognizing me, and it was kind of great. It was everything and more that I wanted it to be.

MMO: Since 2019, you’re tied with Anthony Rizzo for the most hit-by-pitches with 83, including a single-season A’s record of 27 in 2021, and a Mets record of 28 in 2022. You’ve mentioned several reasons in the past on why that total is so high, including your proximity to the plate, not always moving out of the way of pitches and perhaps not being liked.

Has being hit so often changed your mindset or approach at the plate, or has the frequency become second nature at this point?

Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-USA TODAY Sports

Canha: I think it’s become second nature. It’s not something I think about; I’m not up there trying to get hit by a pitch or trying to get closer to the plate. It’s just something that’s become habitual with not recognizing those moments when the ball is in the air. Like, oh, this pitch is coming in tight and is just not moving. It’s kind of a muscle memory thing.

I don’t even know how it started, I can’t explain it. In 2019, I did make an effort to get closer to the plate and kind of dare guys to go in there. That kind of went along with my approach, too.

Along with being more selective, another thing I tried to do in ’19 and was kind of successful [with] was I realized that I was pulling the ball pretty successfully. I should just get on the plate because I’m handling the inside pitch pretty well and try to pull. Forget about using any other part of the field; just hit it down the line and pull everything.

I was having a lot of success doing that. It was kind of like a thing where I felt it and was like, Yeah, I can do that and be successful. It’s not an easy thing to do because I try it now and it doesn’t work, and I’m like, I’m not hitting that pitch or controlling that half of the plate.

Once I got close to the plate, naturally you’re going to start getting hit a little more, and that’s what happened. And I was like, That’s a good thing, that’s going to help your on-base, being more productive and scoring more runs. That’s kind of my mentality: don’t move, let it hit you. Why are you getting out of the way? If you can wear those pitches, that’s another weapon you have.

You can see the frustration on the opposing pitchers’ face. They’re pissed because that’s a baserunner, and they didn’t want that to happen, and now so-and-so is coming up or whatever the case may be. That’s a weapon.

MMO: Through your first 96 games with the Mets, you had a total of 18 extra-base hits. In your final 44 games of the regular season, you recorded 19 extra-base hits. After the game against Colorado in late August, you talked about making an adjustment in your setup and limiting your movement. Can you talk about when you first became aware that something was off, and what kind of work you did in order to alter that?

Canha: The numbers didn’t lie; I was hitting for a really high average the first month, and I don’t think I had an extra-base hit in April (Canha had one). It was great that I was hitting over .300 (.346), and for the whole month to hit over .300 is pretty solid. There are not many months in my career where I’ve done that, but it was going to catch up to me because they were all singles.

I knew deep down that it was not sustainable and needed to fix something without sacrificing a lot. We have to make a serious adjustment here to try and get some power.

I was with the hitting coaches and trying to get the ball in the air and use my legs a little bit more and kind of figure it out. It was something I battled all year. It was a tough year for power in general with the way the baseballs were, and we weren’t anticipating that. I think it was a down year for most people power-wise; power was down across the board. That was frustrating.

But the numbers don’t lie, I was not hitting the ball in the air enough. My launch angles, you can only blame that so much, and I knew. I was like, I can’t even hit a double! We just worked on some stuff and used my legs and hips a bit more.

Unfortunately, it’s not something that I can pinpoint. It’s a day-to-day process that takes a long time and I’m expecting the work that I did in the second half of last year and the work this offseason will keep moving forward and progressing. It’s just one of those things in baseball, it’s little, micro-adjustments that you have to make because you’re always weary of if I make a big change, then I can fall into a slump.

Obviously, I was doing something well by seeing the ball, but it’s just about trying to generate my body in a more efficient way. That search is unfortunately never ending for me, and that’s my journey.

MMO: You mentioned the work you put in with the hitting coaches. What was it like working with Eric Chávez?

Canha: He was great. It was a great team with Chavey and Jeremy Barnes.

Chavey and Barnes are very different in the way they teach, and what they teach. Chavey helped me so many times throughout the year. He’s so good at bringing you back to kind of foundational hitting ideas that you have to do to be successful, like having a strong base, being stable and balanced. That’s stuff that he had to remind me of throughout the course of the year when I was trying to make adjustments. It’s like, you can do these adjustments that are advanced hitting adjustments, you can say that are highly technical, but at the end of the day, you have to still do these other things well to make them work.

Jeremy was what I call the upper division hitting guys, and Chavey is kind of hitting 101. You need both to be successful, I think.

MMO: Your go-ahead, two-run home run off now new teammate David Robertson on August 21st was such an incredible game and comeback. Was that the best bat flip of your career?

Canha: [Laughs.] I don’t know. I think I’ve had better ones.

There weren’t many this year, I didn’t hit many home runs so it’s kind of hard to do it. But whenever I flip the bat, it’s just a spur-of-the-moment thing, and not something that’s premeditated or anything. Whatever I’m feeling at that moment is what comes out, that’s just me being me and coming from inside. I’m kind of a wear my emotions on my sleeve-kind of person, and that bat flip manifested in how it happened.

It was just a big moment, and I was in a zone that game, and I kind of knew it. I was just elated to finally have a game where I showed some power. We talked about the power thing and I finally found something. I think I hit a couple of homers the week before and things were starting to click a little bit.

It was a build-up of emotions up to that moment and that’s what you saw there.

MMO: From a player perspective, have you kept tabs on what the club has done this offseason? What are your thoughts on the job Steve Cohen has done with the organization?

Canha: It’s awesome. What more can you ask for? It’s a lot of fun and its craziness and creates hype and that’s why I love playing for the organization, and this version of the Mets. This team is just awesome.

I love the kind of counter-reaction that our owner is having to the rest of the league, and I like how he’s going against the grain and ruffling feathers. I think that creates a dynamic and an atmosphere within our organization that’s a lot of fun, and a lot of pride and that’s a great thing.

MMO: It’s well-known that you’re a big food guy, and you post great pictures on your Instagram page. When did this appreciation and love of food begin for you, and how did that food account come about?

Canha: Growing up, I would say my dad’s cooking inspired my passion for food. Not at the time; I think at the time, as a kid, I didn’t eat all of his food at times. My siblings and I thought it was strange that he was making these gourmet dishes that he would make out of Food and Wine Magazine. He still has this recipe book that he made, it’s just cut-outs from magazines that are compiled into a binder. He’d cook out of this thing and make some crazy dinners, and I didn’t even like it at the time.

Once I got older and my palate got a little more refined, I think the stuff that I was unfamiliar with wasn’t as uncomfortable. It was a normal thing to be exposed to strange things. That’s kind of how I developed my passion for food.

Then once I went to Cal Berkeley, the Bay Area is a very diverse place, and there’s a lot of different options at Berkeley. It’s a great place to go visit if you ever get the chance. It’s beautiful, and there are a lot of different perspectives and cultures represented in the food scene in the Bay Area in general.

I was exposed to a lot of Asian food that I had never had, like Thai, Korean and Indian; stuff that I had never had before growing up just because I wasn’t interested in trying it. Now other people are eating it, and it’s in vogue to go to places at Berkeley and hang out. I drank the Kool Aid and was into it.

In the offseason, right before I made it to the big leagues, one of my ex-teammates at Cal was at this event there, and I was talking to his wife. She was saying how she did a food blog and had an Instagram account that she documents food on and had a bunch of followers. She said it was a lot of fun and enjoyed going around to different places in the Bay Area. I thought it was cool as hell and sounded like so much fun.

Pictures from Mark Canha’s Instagram.

I didn’t have an Instagram account at the time. I wasn’t into Instagram, and I really didn’t see any use for it for me. I told her I was going to copy her idea, and she was like, “Sure, why not?”

I knew that the baseball platform would be another way to add a dynamic to it that would make it interesting.

MMO: Thanks for your time today, Mark. Enjoy the rest of your offseason and best of luck in 2023.

Canha: Thanks very much.

Follow Mark Canha on Twitter, @outtadapakmark

The post MMO Exclusive: Mets Outfielder, Mark Canha appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

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 major leagues as his father, Vince, was good friends with Dodgers’ coach and later Hall of Fame manager, Tommy Lasorda.

Lasorda gave Piazza the opportunity to be batboy on occasion, where Piazza would have the chance to work with players and coaches on his swing. Growing up in Pennsylvania, Piazza spent countless hours training and refining his swing, as his father built him a batting cage in his own backyard.

Piazza’s offensive abilities were evident early on, as one of the greatest hitters the game has ever seen in Ted Williams concurred when paying a visit to a young Piazza at his home while in Pennsylvania for a card show appearance.

After attending the University of Miami and Miami-Dade Community College, Piazza was selected by the Dodgers in the 62nd round of the 1988 Draft due to a recommendation by Lasorda.

Having previously played first base in junior college, the Dodgers decided to convert him to catcher, as that position would give him a greater chance of reaching the majors due to his offensive profile.

The slugging right-handed hitter made his presence known in his rookie season of 1993, when he hit 35 home runs, drove in 112 runs and posted a 153 OPS+ en route to unanimously winning the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award. He became the first National League rookie to hit 35+ home runs and post an OPS+ of at least 150, with only Albert Pujols (2001) joining that list since.

Piazza quickly became one of the more prolific and clutch power hitters in the sport. From his rookie season of 1993 through the 1997 season, Piazza was tied with Mark McGwire for the 11th-most home runs in the majors (167), and posted the fifth-highest wRC+ among qualified hitters with a 162 mark.

While Piazza’s stardom continued to rise, tensions grew between the All-Star catcher and the Dodgers organization in regards to a new contract. On May 14, 1998, the Dodgers traded Piazza along with Todd Zeile to the defending World Champion Florida Marlins for five players, which included Charles Johnson, Bobby Bonilla and Gary Sheffield.

A mere eight days later, Piazza was on the move yet again in what became a defining day in New York Mets history. The club acquired Piazza from the Marlins in exchange for Preston Wilson, Ed Yarnall and Geoff Goetz.

In 109 games with the Mets in ’98, Piazza slashed .348/.417/.607 with 56 extra-base hits and 76 RBI. Piazza’s 168 wRC+ is the highest single-season mark in Mets history (min. 400 plate appearances).

Acquiring Piazza helped change the outlook and landscape of the Mets organization, giving the club a bona fide superstar in the middle of their lineup. The club rewarded Piazza with a seven-year, $91 million contract after the season, which was the richest deal in major league history at the time.

In his ensuing seven seasons with the Mets, Piazza gave Met fans countless memories, including a go-ahead, 3-run home run in the eighth off Terry Mulholland in the Mets’ 10-run inning against the Atlanta Braves on June 30, 2000, a go-ahead, two-run home run off Steve Karsay in the eighth in the first major sporting event held in New York ten days after the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, and breaking Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk’s record for most home runs hit by a catcher with his 352nd blast as a backstop on May 5, 2004.

Among all time Mets, Piazza ranks first in slugging percentage (.542), second in OPS (.915), third in home runs (220), third in RBI (655) and sixth in fWAR (28.2).

Piazza was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in his fourth year on the ballot in 2016, receiving 83 percent of the vote. He joined Tom Seaver as the only two players in the Hall of Fame that were enshrined with a Mets cap on their plaque.

The 12-time All-Star is one of fourteen players in major league history with 400+ home runs and a career batting average over .300, and his career 143 OPS+ is the highest among 66 catchers who recorded a minimum of 5,000 plate appearances and played at least sixty percent of their games behind the dish.

This January, Piazza can be seen on a new FOX reality competition show called “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,” in which sixteen celebrities endure some of the harshest, most grueling challenges from the playbook of the actual Special Forces selection process.

Pete Dadds / FOX

Along with the show, Piazza will also be getting back into the dugout as Team Italy’s manager for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. After representing Italy as a player in the inaugural WBC in 2006, Piazza is eager to help promote the game and showcase some of the younger Italian talent on a big stage.

From Norristown, Pennsylvania, to the hallowed halls of Cooperstown, Piazza’s journey from a late-round pick as a favor to the family to the greatest hitting catcher of all time is one of the greatest examples of resiliency in sports history.

I had the privilege of speaking with Piazza in early December, where he spoke about his early career development, tenure with the Mets and upcoming competition series.

MMO: Where did your love of baseball originate from?

Piazza: Growing up in the seventies was a little different than kids today. They have a lot more distractions with computers and video games. It was just a different time.

We were more into riding bikes, building forts, playing baseball and having pickup games. Going to a baseball game was part of my youth and for a lot of people growing up around the same time.

Growing up in Philly, I was fortunate to watch the great Phillies teams of the seventies; my dad had season tickets. We’d go down and watch [Mike] Schmidt and [Larry] Bowa. I was looking at something online, and that’s what I love about online is that you get to go back and see history with [Greg] Luzinski, [Garry] Maddox and Bake McBride, players and teams I used to watch as a kid. That was something for me.

Right away, it was something I always wanted to do. I always wanted to be a baseball player from a very young age.

MMO: It’s well-documented how influential and crucial Tommy Lasorda was for your career. What did having Lasorda in your corner mean to you?

Piazza: Tommy was amazing. My dad was a little younger than Tommy, and they basically grew up together. They knew each other in Norristown, and Tommy went into baseball, and my dad had to do what he had to do. They always remained close.

I remember when Tommy was the third base coach for the Dodgers; I think it was ’76 before he became the manager. My dad would call him over on the third base-side, and they’d be talking. And I remember being so very impressed that he knew somebody on the team.

I think I was around twelve when I became batboy, and Mark Cresse was a coach and put me in the cage. I think there was a rain delay and there was a cage underneath the stadium in the tunnel, and I started hitting off Manny Mota and Cresse. Tommy was extremely impressed and, at that point, knew I had some talent.

It wasn’t a perfect journey. [Laughs.] No journeys to the big leagues are ever easy, but for me, it was interesting.

He was always in my corner. Even when I got older, he’d send me spikes, gloves and equipment. When I went into junior college, he was trying to get me to the right spot where I could develop. Obviously, he convinced the Dodgers to draft me and change positions and the rest is history.

He was everything to me, and there’s no question that if it wasn’t for him, I would have probably not made it to the big leagues.

MMO: One of the jaw-dropping moments early in your 2013 autobiography, “Long Shot,” was when you write about the day Ted Williams showed up at your home and watched you take batting practice in your backyard. What do you remember about Williams’ visit to your home?

Piazza: That was an amazing experience. My father was very close with the former Dodgers and Orioles scout Ed Liberatore, and Eddie was very close with Joe DiMaggio and Williams.

There was a card show at the George Washington Motor Lodge in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and Ted Williams was there signing autographs. Eddie Libertore was talking with him at breakfast one day and said, “My buddy, Vince, has got a kid. He’s a pretty good hitter, and he’s got a cage in his backyard. He practices in his backyard.” And Ted Williams said, “Let’s go see him hit.”

The next thing I know, Ted Williams is coming to my house! I didn’t sleep the night I found out, it was an amazing experience. I have to tell you, aside from just the mechanical part of hitting, which he was working on and complimented my swing, there was also a lot of mental things that were sort of tattooed in my memory.

It was definitely an inspirational moment, a watershed moment in my career that inspired me to work hard. A lot of the lessons he taught me I still teach today and relay to kids today in my coaching.

MMO: How difficult was the transition going from a first baseman to a catcher in your late teenage years? And you went to the Dodgers’ Dominican academy initially to learn the position, is that right?

Piazza: That’s correct. Look, it was definitely difficult for me. I was fortunate at the time that I had a pretty good arm, and I always threw the ball pretty well. There were times when I was actually pitching at fourteen or fifteen, and Claude Osteen, who was the Phillies’ pitching coach and a former Dodger, saw me pitch and said, “I think Mike could pitch as well.”

I was fortunate to have a decent arm, but to sign as a catcher and really have to convert was really difficult. I was fortunate that I was able to have good coaching; I had Johnny Roseboro and Kevin Kennedy, who were my first two catching coaches. They worked with me religiously in blocking balls and throwing and the other intricacies of the position.

One of the first guys that I caught was a guy named Tim Scott, who pitched for the Expos, and was very patient with me. Another guy, Mike Hartley, was in the big leagues for a little bit. I remember these guys were so patient with me and inspired me.

I knew I was raw and had a lot of work to do, but I had great coaches and people in my life who inspired me from Tommy on down. Not everybody was a big fan, of course; there were always people that you’re never going to convince, but fortunately, I had the right people in my corner. I was blessed to have them looking out and helping me.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

MMO: One of those people who you seemed to have in your corner was coach Reggie Smith, who fought hard for the Dodgers to consider you as a prospect. He was also the one who went to your home to bring you back to Vero Beach after you initially decided to quit baseball. How did Smith aid in your development?

Piazza: I think Reggie and I had some really interesting similarities. We gelled right away with the hitting part and had a connection with Ted Williams; Reggie Smith came up with the Red Sox when Williams was the hitting coach there.

There was a real connection, and I think we had the same philosophy. Reggie was able to look at my swing and refine it in a way. He didn’t really change it, but he was able to refine it.

In order to get quicker on the pitch inside, he taught me at the time how to make my swing more compact, more off the hips, and not so much of the bat lag. My swing was a little long, and he was able to refine it and taught me some drills that really helped.

When I was having my problems in the Dodgers organization and wasn’t playing a lot and clashing with some of the coaches, they were going to release me. He was in a meeting, and they were like, “Piazza, non-prospect. We should release him.” And Reggie was like, “Let me tell you something, you release this guy he’s going to come back to bite you in the butt. He has something you cannot teach. You cannot teach power. You can’t teach power, and you can’t teach speed.” He said, “I’m sorry, I just do not recommend releasing a guy that has power.”

They finally relented and gave me a 300-at-bat season, and I went to Bakersfield the next year (1991) and hit 29 home runs. That was a turning point in my life.

If it wasn’t for him looking out for me and going to bat for me, pardon the pun, my life would probably be different.

MMO: It’s been well-documented but that eight-day period between May 14, 1998, and May 22, 1998, in which you were traded twice must’ve been a whirlwind for you. What were your initial reactions to being traded to Florida, and then New York eight days later?

Piazza: That was a very interesting time in the game and in my life personally. It was a little bit frustrating being young and coming up with the Dodgers and thinking I would be there my whole career. And then the Dodgers getting sold and for some reasoning that I don’t understand, we just clashed.

My contract was up, and the Dodgers gave me a two-year deal to get me to free agency because they knew they were selling the team, and then they would wait until the next owners took over.

I don’t know why it was, I have no idea why we clashed. Looking back, I think both of us made mistakes; we were both ego-driven and proud.

At the end of the day, as an athlete, the same competitiveness and drive that allows you to excel at a certain level on the field, you can’t extinguish that when you’re talking about your contract because it’s personal. At that point, I took it personally that they didn’t feel that I was worth what I thought I was worth. I was a little bit immature, and we both said something, and it didn’t work out. It was difficult at the end of the day.

It was only because the Marlins were dismantling their World Series team that they were able to pull off the trade for Gary Sheffield, Charles Johnson and [Jim] Eisenreich. They justified and thought the trade would be good for them. I went to Florida and played for Jim Leyland for a week, and I really enjoyed that. It wasn’t an easy week and then ended up in New York.

I do believe a certain amount of life is throwing it up to fate and realizing things don’t happen by accident. I was able to let that control part go and say I’m going to end up where I’m going to end up.

I ended up with the Mets and had a little bit of a tough start and was really exposed to New York sports in a very intense way right off the bat. But after a while, I played hard and the fans started embracing me.

To be embraced as a Met, by a fanbase that doesn’t necessarily embrace players that are not from their team and coming up through the team, to me, is my biggest accomplishment. Not the home runs as a catcher, not my average, not anything else. To be embraced by the Mets fans as an outsider more or less, and coming up with the Dodgers, even though they had a connection to Brooklyn, that’s the thing I am most grateful for.

There are not too many guys who come here that don’t come up through the Mets organization that the fans embrace.

MMO: Did playing in a big market like Los Angeles help make the transition of playing in New York any easier?

Piazza: They’re two entirely different experiences, that’s for sure. I don’t know if it helped, but I’ve said before that I feel that I’m one of the few athletes in basically the history of sports that was able to be in my prime in L.A. and New York effectively. There’s not a lot of guys who can say that.

With that said, the transition to New York was very difficult. It was just different. I grew up with the Dodgers, and the fans embraced me even when I struggled and were patient with me. And then when money got involved it turned very quickly. [Laughs.] I was sort of ostracized and kind of run out of town.

I will say that playing there is not easy, but it’s less difficult than New York only because New York you have seven papers and fourteen or so columnists. It’s a different experience, no question about it.

For me, it was something that I needed to really guard my armor and prepare for and concentrate on. It was a lot of pressure! I had sleepless nights and nights where I was really nervous about my performance, but I was able to focus and get through it. As I’ve said before, it’s something I’m very, very grateful for.

MMO: You were such a feared hitter and seemingly always came through in the clutch. You own a career OPS over .900 with both runners-in-scoring-position and two-outs and runners-in-scoring-position. Can you talk a bit about your approach at the plate, especially in those higher-leverage situations?

Piazza: It’s interesting you say that. I had a discussion with Dwight Howard on the show about this. There were guys that I knew that I would listen to if we were facing a Greg Maddux or Randy Johnson, and on that day, you could tell that they really didn’t want to be in the lineup. I had the opposite approach. I always felt to be the best I wanted to beat the best. I wanted to be out there in the gladiator arena with the best and going up against the best pitchers.

I also had a gift of focus, and I hope you see it on the show. I saw it at times as, for lack of a better word, the eye of the tiger. I tell kids when I got between the lines a switch went on in my head and I became a different person. Maybe it was schizophrenia, I have no idea. [Laughs.]

I turned into a machine, and I had this feeling that when I failed, I almost became physically sick. I hated the idea of going 0-for-4 and striking out a couple of times. After a game, I was miserable, and it made me sick. It was like this feeling of disgust and resentment if I didn’t do well. That’s why if I got one hit, I wanted to get two; if I got two, I wanted three; if I got three, I wanted four. I never threw those at-bats away later in the game.

There were times where if it was late and close and guys were on, I looked in the stands and I loved it. I reveled in it, and I was like, this is what I’m here for. This is what I’m meant to be and where I’m supposed to be. You have to embrace that as an athlete, and so many athletes don’t understand that, or at least they’re not able to develop that feeling and maturity or ability to want to be on the line, in the box or on the mound with the game on the line.

For me, that was what we did it for, and I had this ability or gift to recognize that.

MMO: I’ve had the chance to interview several pitchers that you caught on the Mets in Glendon Rusch, Al Leiter, Pat Mahomes, Dennis Cook and Steve Trachsel. They all have spoken so highly of your defensive abilities in regard to setting a big target and being a really good pitch framer.

During your career, you were criticized at times for your defense. Yet, with the increased reliance and use of analytics, I feel as if that narrative has turned because of your framing and blocking skills. I’m curious what your take is on your defensive acumen as a catcher, and what you felt your strengths and weaknesses were?

Piazza: That’s a good question. I think because I was a main cog in the lineup, there was probably more scrutiny on my defense because I think there were some coaches who thought I shouldn’t be catching, or at least I’d be best served DH’ing or playing another position.

The best catchers in history like Iván Rodríguez and Johnny Bench [were great at] throwing, and throwing runners out is a very important part of catching, and I’ve never shied away from that. However, there’s a lot more to catching than just having a great arm. Benito Santiago, I was a huge fan and used to love to watch him throw from his knees, and I actually replicated that a little bit and tried it myself.

Once I started catching a lot of games, Tommy Lasorda always made the joke when I wanted or needed a day off, he’d say, “I don’t have a bat long enough for you to hit from the bench.” [Laughs.]

When the pitcher is out of the game, I’m still throwing the ball back to the other pitchers, so my arm strength started deteriorating rather rapidly in my thirties just from use. You only have so many bullets in the holster.

But getting back to my point, yes, throwing runners out is important, and I think that’s something I was most scrutinized for or for not being able to do, especially later in my career.

As you mentioned, there are other things like blocking the plate, which is something I never shied away from, and I got racked good a couple of times; there are some great collisions online. I was never shying away from that. Catching popups, blocking balls in the dirt, just catching the ball or framing, whatever you want to call it. I was larger than most catchers, so guys liked to throw to me.

Coming up with a veteran staff when I came up with the Dodgers in ’93, I had Orel Hershiser, Kevin Gross, Tom Candiotti, Jim Gott, Roger McDowell, Steve Wilson, guys that were really demanding. I was blessed because they were very patient with me, but they were also very hard on me as well. That baptism in fire was great for my career as a catcher.

I also had this feeling, like if I grounded into a double play and I went out there with my head up my butt or just pouting, the pitcher was going to see that. I needed the pitcher to know that I was one hundred percent looking out for him and trying to get him through that game. Even with guys that I didn’t necessarily get along with all the time. I took active pride in that.

I knew I had some shortcomings defensively, but I always felt like there were other things I wanted to overcompensate for. I’m glad and blessed that these guys noticed that. It makes me feel really good.

MMO: The Mets were the first team to play a game in New York since the devastating terrorist attacks on September 11th. Your go-ahead, 2-run home run in the eighth against the Braves is a moment that will forever be etched in time. What memories do you have from that night, and how did you keep your composure during such an emotional time?

Piazza: I was raised in a very religious household, an Italian, Slovakian household. I still believe in prayer, and I believe in mediation, and believe me, it took all that feeling and ability to lift it up to a higher power and let go. We have a tendency in life to want to control every single minutia aspect of our lives, and there are some things we just can’t control.

Before that game and arriving to the stadium and going through all the feelings of that week of just wondering if we should be there, was very difficult emotionally. It’s hard enough to play a major league sport under normal circumstances, but under those circumstances, it was absolutely terrifying in a way because we’re not used to this emotional trauma.

To get out there and then start the program and hear the bagpipes, man, it was heart-wrenching. I didn’t even know if I could play that night. To just look up and pray and say God, please let me get through this night.

The game became secondary until the game started, which I thought was really cool. We all just wanted to get through the night, and I don’t mean rushing through, but we just wanted to get through without any further emotional stress or injury or whatnot. And remember, we were off for a week, so we were a little bit out of our playing shape, or at least the intensity of the everyday experience.

There was a lot of anxiety. But in the end, as I’ve said, it was just blessed. God got me through it and I was in the right place at the right time. I just let it go, and the moment happened.

I can only point it up to my faith, I really can. I don’t remember anything about it; it was almost like I was in a trance-like state and was just very blessed to come through at that moment.

I’m very honored that people still really enjoy it and I’ve always tried to treat that moment as a moment of respect. It’s very flattering and anybody that comes up to me when I’m in public, I’m always blessed and love to listen to people’s stories about that night as well.

MMO: Putting that momentous home run aside, which was bigger than baseball, is there a home run you hit with the Mets that still vividly sticks out in your mind to this day?

Piazza: I had some great moments. And that’s what I love about the Internet: you can go back and share in things.

The 200^th home run against Billy Wagner in the Dome for me was great. A couple of home runs I hit down the stretch in ’98 because those home runs for me were sort of turning the crowd in my favor. The fans were finally realizing that they knew I was starting to rise to the occasion.

It’s funny, when I was playing well down the stretch in September, somebody put a sign up at Shea that said, “100 million is a bargain,” or something like that. At that point, I was like, This is good, I’m starting to make some progress here. Because everyone was like, is he worth the money? Is he not worth the money? These debates were going on ad nauseam for me every day. So, when someone put that sign up, I was like, This is good, this is good. [Laughs.]

The 2000 season and ’99 season, and hitting with John Olerud and Edgardo Alfonzo, and the great players I played with. I say this all the time, but you can’t have personal success because baseball is such a team game; you can’t drive in yourself every time. If you hit 35 solo home runs, you have 35 RBIs. I needed guys on base. I played with the Roger Cedeño, Rickey Henderson, Olerud and Alfonzo, and these guys were out there all the time. They gave me those opportunities.

We had a lot of fun and had great characters on those teams. There wasn’t a day that I didn’t want to come to the ballpark because I just enjoyed laughing with these guys.

Special moments, special times and went by way too fast. I always love to go back. I miss it dearly.

MMO: You certainly don’t have to answer this, but I’m curious if you and Roger Clemens ever spoke and tried to mend fences after all of the history you two had?

Piazza: I have no problem talking about it. I believe in forgiveness. If he ever wanted to reach out, I would talk to him. I have no problem. And if he doesn’t want to, that’s fine, too. We’re not playing golf any time soon; we’re not buds or anything.

As I’ve said before, it was a difficult time in my life as well, that’s something you don’t ever take for granted. When you’re talking about not just injuring but even worse, it could’ve been a lot worse situation. It could’ve been a career-ending injury if he hit me in the eye. It’s something I’m very sensitive to and still am for that matter.

Time moves on, and I’ve always been very philosophical about things like that. I think it was a challenge in my life and my career that I went through. I tried to handle it as well as I could. You’re never going to make everyone happy, that’s part of life too.

No, we’re not really friends. If he wanted to reach out, I’m not going to run away from anything. I’ve always been accountable, and I always felt like I wanted to be there. It is what it is but it’s fine. I don’t lose sleep over it.

The home run I hit off Jeff Nelson in that game (Game 2, 2000 World Series) was one of my most proud home runs, to be honest with you. Think about the dichotomy there, the paradox there.

And putting all the incidents aside with Clemens, taking all that out, it was really frustrating because I felt like we really had a shot to be a miracle team. We’ve could’ve been the second Miracle Mets. Even though they say it wasn’t the Yankees’ greatest team, that would’ve been a moment that we really wanted to give to the fans.

I always thank God for being there and having the opportunity. Even though we fell short we were there and that’s something I will always take away.

MMO: Al Leiter was convinced that if you guys took Game 1 you were winning the Series.

Piazza: I felt the same way. I don’t know how the analytics crowd talks about momentum, but I believe in momentum. And we had momentum. You could look at the Timo Pérez not scoring on Zeile’s hit, if the ball went out it would’ve been a home run.

We just kind of hit a wall and it was frustrating, no question about it. But it gave a great moment for the city and I’m always a glass half-full guy.

Aug 27, 2022; New York City, New York, USA; Former Major League catcher Mike Piazza at Old Timers Day at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

MMO: What did you think of Old Timers’ Day?

Piazza: I thought that was great! I’m involved with the alumni, and I love our history. We have some cool things coming up. Retiring Jerry Koosman’s number a few years ago was great, obviously, Keith’s number was great last year, the Old Timers’ game was great.

I thought everybody enjoyed it. I didn’t realize and I do realize how out of shape we all are. [Laughs.] The funniest thing was after the end of two and a half innings, everyone was like, “I’m not going back out there anymore. I’m done!” [Laughs.] Maybe next year we can have a little bit of a better system.

I made fun of Al Leiter because I was like, ‘Dude, you couldn’t even throw me a freaking strike!’ I think he was afraid of giving up a home run, and then he couldn’t even throw a strike. Get a BP guy in there!

It was a great first re-engagement of the Old Timers’ Game. The guys really loved it, and the response was good, so hopefully it’ll be an annual thing now and we can modify it or refine it a little bit to at least make it a little quicker maybe. But the fans didn’t care. It’s just something I hope becomes a tradition again.

MMO: Tell me about your involvement in the upcoming FOX reality series “Special Forces.” How did that come about and what can viewers expect from the series?

Piazza: Incredible experience, it changed my life in a way. It was really an incredible experience as far as the intensity and authenticity of the show. It was one hundred percent authentic, there weren’t any cuts or let’s do this again or craft services or smoothies or air conditioning. It was straight-out intense from day one until the end of the show.

I met some great people on that show and have all become very close. I just tell people to watch it! I think they’re going to enjoy it and think they’re going to laugh and cry.

There were some amazing moments, and I was impressed with everybody. I was impressed with the people who weren’t professional athletes on the show, they showed a lot of guts and determination. It was a real rewarding experience in watching the human spirit.

Pete Dadds / FOX

MMO: Did you undergo any special training prior to shooting?

Piazza: I work out still. I went to the gym this morning, and I consider myself in decent shape. I’m not, by any means, an elite athlete or what I would consider in elite shape. But I did try to up the intensity a few months out going into that.

But there was nothing you could do to prepare for that!  [Laughs.] Literally nothing unless you did the exact exercises.

It was hard; just running in sand with boots on was hard. Getting to the drills was hard. It was pretty intense, and I think people are going to be pretty surprised with the things we had to do, and the bravery and courage the people showed. I was very impressed.

MMO: You’re also managing Team Italy for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. How’s the preparation been? Do you have any aspirations to coach or manage in the majors one day?

Piazza: I really enjoy trying to grow the game worldwide. Anybody who knows me well knows that I’ve always enjoyed that tournament. And now that it’s coming back, I think it’s great.

We have an incredible group of guys. Our philosophy on building this team was a little different than in years past; we may not have the most established major leaguers. We’re going to have guys that are close to the big leagues. I wanted a team that was a little younger, a little hungrier.

We have some really interesting guys. It’s a little fluid right now because we haven’t finalized the roster, but we’ve named the roster, and I think it’s online. We’re going to have some Italian guys, we’re going to have some native Italian guys who we are very proud of playing over here in the minor leagues. I think it’s an amazing opportunity to grow the game.

As far as my philosophy of managing, I have the two-time Minor League Manager of the Year Blake Butera, who manages for the Tampa Rays. He’s more or less my co-manager because, quite honestly, I’ve been a little out of the game for a while, and the trends are different, the scouting is different, the analytics are different. I would be kind of crazy not to have an amazing staff. Chris Denorfia, who played for Team Italy, he’s the Double-A manager for the Rockies, he’s on my staff.

I really feel if I was going to do it (manage in the majors), it would definitely take a lot of commitment. I don’t think you can go into managing and take it in a way that’s not 100 percent authentic. I would have to go back and re-learn a lot of these trends or sort of get a crash course into how the game is different today. There are a lot of similarities; of course, it’s the same game, but I wouldn’t be able to do this if I didn’t have an incredible staff.

Blake is like my co-manager; he’s more or less going to be helping me tremendously, which I need. The tournament itself has a lot of interesting rules with pitching and pitch counts, so I need a lot of help with that.

I would say not right now, [but] I never say never. I don’t know if this experience turns out to be a positive experience. But it’s like building a coalition, if these guys say, hey, Mike, we’d love to work with you, we’ll take it from there.

We have a lot of work to do, we’re in a very tough bracket, and the teams are very difficult. Cuba and Taipei are good, and the Netherlands, so we don’t have a cakewalk.

We have a good team; we’d love to get out of that bracket and get to Tokyo, which would be a hell of an accomplishment for us. But first things first, we have to hopefully get out of that bracket.

We have our day off first, so we’re going to play four days in a row, which is really difficult, whereas other teams have a day off in the middle. We’ve been given a really tough pool to ride. It’s going to be tough for us, we’ve got our hands full.

MMO: Thanks so much for some time today, Mike. It was great speaking with you.

Piazza: My pleasure, man.

Follow Mike Piazza on Twitter, @mikepiazza31

The post MMO Exclusive: Hall of Fame Catcher, Mike Piazza appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets made several shrewd moves in the early-to-mid eighties that aided the club in winning their second World Series championship in franchise history.

From their trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for Keith Hernandez and adding southpaw Sid Fernandez from the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1983 to trading for Ray Knight from the Houston Astros and acquiring Gary Carter from the Montreal Expos in 1984, the team supplemented its young, talented roster with star players and veteran leadership.

But another deal was made in November 1985 that involved eight players between the Mets and Boston Red Sox that would pay huge dividends in the club winning a franchise-best 108 regular season games and being the last team standing at the end of the 1986 season.

Left-handed pitcher Bob Ojeda was the main piece in this mega trade and played a vital role in both the regular season and postseason in his first year in Queens.

Ojeda, 64, signed with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent in 1978 and pitched as both a starter and reliever for the major league club from 1980 through 1985.

The Mets were looking to add another left-handed pitcher to their staff for the ’86 season, and the front office zeroed in on Ojeda, whose experience both as a starter and out of the pen made for an attractive option.

What the Mets received from Ojeda in their championship season was more than they could have ever dreamed.

Among Mets pitchers, Ojeda led the staff in wins (18) and WHIP (1.090), while second in ERA (2.57) and fWAR (4.2). He finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting and tossed a career-high 217.1 innings and an additional 27 in the postseason.

Ojeda came up big when it counted the most, making four postseason starts and posting a combined 2.33 ERA.

After Mike Scott’s brilliant 14-strikeout performance in the Houston Astros’ 1-0 win in Game 1 of the NLCS, Ojeda toed the rubber for Game 2 and tossed a complete game in the Mets’ 5-1 win on the road.

He became the third Mets pitcher in franchise history to toss a complete game in the postseason while allowing no more than one run, joining Tom Seaver (1969) and Jon Matlack (1973).

The lefty was also the starting pitcher in the Mets’ miraculous comeback victory in Game 6 of the World Series against his former club. He tossed six innings of two-run ball and didn’t allow the Red Sox to score after the second inning.

What’s incredible to remember is that Ojeda was this effective while dealing with a severely injured elbow. Ever the gamer, Ojeda had to navigate pitching through pain and whether that would ultimately lead to ineffectiveness and potential long-term injury.

In total, Ojeda spent five seasons in Queens, posting a 51-40 record with a 3.12 ERA in 140 games (109 starts). Among 42 pitchers with a minimum 500 innings pitched with the Mets, Ojeda ranks 9th in ERA and WHIP (1.182).

Following his playing career, Ojeda rejoined the Mets as a minor league pitching coach for several seasons and later joined SNY as a studio analyst and spent six seasons in that role.

I had the privilege of speaking with Ojeda where he discussed going undrafted, how he dealt with injuries and the championship season of 1986.

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

Ojeda: I was born in L.A. and grew up there, and Sandy Koufax was my guy.

As a kid, I didn’t watch a lot of sports; I was too active and hyper. I could watch a couple of innings of a baseball game or a few minutes of a football game, and then I was out the door to go play.

MMO: At what point during your development did you start focusing primarily on pitching?

Ojeda: I didn’t really grow up honing in on pitching, and that’s an honest and straightforward question.

What happened to me was I didn’t get drafted. I only went to junior college and was good, but I did not get drafted. I signed after the draft for $500, which wasn’t a lot of money then either. [Laughs.]

I went all in. I was like, I got an opportunity, and I’m going to try my best. I showed up at Elmira, and my first manager was Dick Berardino, and this is a message to all these kids out here who hone in on pitching when they’re four years old, and that is, do not do that. Mom and dad, don’t do that to your children.

I showed up at the field and introduced myself to Dick. He said, “What do you do?” I said, ‘Skip, what’s the quickest way to the big leagues?’ He said, “Pitching.” I said, ‘Well, I’m a pitcher.’

Up until then I hit and pitched, and most guys that sign are very athletic and very talented, not only in different sports but different positions. And I was the same. But I did not zero in on pitching until after I signed.

MMO: You mentioned signing as an undrafted free agent with the Red Sox. How did that come about?

Ojeda: A good friend of my father’s, a fellow from the little town I was from, was this classic old dude. He always had a cigar in his mouth. He became a bird dog scout, and that’s a scout who is not really affiliated, but he knew people with the Red Sox.

Once I didn’t get drafted, he came up to me and my dad at my dad’s shop and said, “Look, I can get you $500, and you can sign with the Red Sox. That’s the best I can do.”

Even then, I was a little nervy, and I said, ‘How about $750?’ He said, “Nope, $500, that’s it. Take it or leave it.”

I took it, and that’s how my time with the Red Sox began. He was just a bird dog in town, real nice old man and he’s since passed away. But he’s the one that got me started in professional baseball.

MMO: In a New York Times article you wrote back in 2012, you described how you essentially always pitched in pain, even as a kid. Even through all the pain, you put together a quality career. How were you able to navigate and circumvent the pain throughout the course of your career?

Ojeda: A lot of these guys that we watch on television and are fans of, you don’t know what they go through to get on and stay on the field. A lot of people do that, and that’s the type of thing that I didn’t admit to myself when I was going through it, as with guys today. There are guys who play with pain, I am not the lone ranger by any stretch.

The crux of it is when pain transfers over to glaring injury. That’s the fine line, and how far do you want to push yourself in your particular circumstance to push through.

A lot of guys pitch in pain, but when you’ve already been diagnosed with an injury, and yet, continue to go through it, that’s the part I think is very individualistic. And there’s no right or wrong. It’s just what you can live with.

Now I sit around and am older, and I still do things in the game, but I look back and I would not have missed the ’86 playoffs or World Series for anything in the world. Sitting here today, had I chosen to sit out, would’ve been very difficult to live with.

You get one chance if you’re fortunate, and if you’re really fortunate, you get several chances to go all the way in any particular sport. To sit on the sidelines with something where it’s like, can I actually do this? Potentially hurt myself long-term but I don’t want to miss it, and I’m still effective; that’s an individual choice. That’s something that each guy has to navigate.

MMO: It’s interesting how you mentioned how so many players are dealing with nagging pains and sorenesses, and how fans don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. When I interviewed Trevor May while he was on the IL, he talked about toeing the line between playing through soreness and taking a needed rest when it was something more than that.

Ojeda: In my particular case, I had already been diagnosed with a severely injured elbow. The diagnosis was in and there was no more question about if it’s this or that. I was diagnosed with a frayed ulnar nerve and chips underneath the ulnar nerve and in the groove that was causing my arm to literally lock in place while I’d be warming up for a game.

That just becomes, I’m a rock head, but I don’t want to miss this. I have no regrets.

MMO: When were you diagnosed with a frayed ulnar nerve?

Ojeda: In ’86. The second half of the season, I was struggling pretty much most of the season, but it was like, okay, we all pitch in pain. Nobody plays 100%.

But it kept deteriorating, and I reached a point where I was taking anti-inflammatories and getting shots to get through it. I had the x-rays that confirmed there was an injury; it was a drastic elbow injury. I chose to continue because I was still effective.

My doctor, he’s passed away, Dr. Parkes, allowed me to do that. I told him, ‘Doc, if you say this happened, this conversation, I’m going to tell everybody that it never happened. And that you’re not telling the truth.’ [Laughs.] And for some reason, he believed me.

My trainer, Steve Garland, knew the truth, and yet, allowed me to continue. Why? Because it was my choice and my responsibility to accept the consequences of going forward with an injury, not pain, an injury.

I thank them every time I think about it that they let me do it.

MMO: In that same New York Times piece, two names that stuck out to me in terms of your development were Mike Roarke and Johnny Podres. Can you talk about what each of them meant for you?

Ojeda: I met the Pod in fall ball in 1978 with the Red Sox. He was awesome and a legend. He was this big, old boiler and was chain-smoking like a maniac. I loved the guy. He was just no-nonsense and would give it to you straight. He taught me my changeup and curve.

That was instrumental in me moving forward because I had just come off a 1-6 [season] in Elmira, and then I went down after the season to Sarasota. I learned the changeup and learned the curve, came back the following year, and then I was 15-7 with a 2.43 [ERA], and that was largely because of Johnny Podres.

Mike Roarke, I had him in the big leagues. Mike was the kindest gentleman you ever met. The kindest guys are usually the toughest ones, and Mike was a tough guy. But he was so kind.

My father pretty much taught me everything, but Mike Roarke taught me the professional angle of pitching. I learned immensely the difference between the minor leagues, college and professional [level], when it’s a job.  Mike was instrumental in that.

He was one of the finest gentlemen I ever met and very knowledgeable in the game.

MMO: Did you already have a changeup and curveball in your arsenal and Podres tinkered with your grips, or did he introduce those pitches to you?

Ojeda: Good question, he messed with my grip a little bit. My father did not let me throw a curveball until I was seventeen. My father was ahead of his time, I don’t know how he did it.

He was a big man at six-four, pitched in the army and knew the dangers of pitching because his shoulder blew out and that pretty much ended his career.

He did not allow me to throw a curveball, so I had no idea how to throw a curve. The Pod got a hold of me, and I think I just turned 20 when I went down, and he showed me the grip of the curve and a different grip on the changeup.

I had messed around with a changeup in high school and junior college, but I didn’t need it because I threw really hard. I was a one-trick pony.

MMO: What were your initial reactions on getting traded to the Mets in November 1985?

Ojeda: I was thrilled because Boston, at the time, was a train wreck. Ownership was in turmoil; the organization was turning over from veterans to bringing up younger guys, and there was a lot of animosity in that locker room. That’s one of the most important things that I did as a coach is that you don’t have to love everybody, but there was a lot of animosity and a lot of anger that the old guys were getting pushed out and the young guys were coming in.

To get out of that environment with kind of a bunch of stale, old, crusty guys and come over to New York, well, I sat there for two weeks in spring training and didn’t say anything, I just watched these guys. I felt like I was in a room full of puppies!

At that time, I was a five-year veteran, so I’d been around a little bit. I was a little jaded because I was around all these grumpy, old dudes. I just embraced it. I embraced their youthful exuberance and sort of their blind excitedness of what’s possible. When you’re young, you’re invincible, and I was like, Yeah, this is what I’m talking about.

Did everybody love each other? No. But there was a common goal, and that was to win every day starting at 7:05. And that was so refreshing to come into, especially as a veteran.

MMO: Did you have any idea of how special this ’86 club could be when you arrived?

Ojeda: Not a clue. I’m in my own world, and especially back in the day, I paid attention to what I was doing and what was happening in the American League; I could care less what was going on in the other league. I had my hands full doing my job, so I did not know one thing about the Mets.

I probably did a little reading once I was traded over, but you don’t really know exactly what it is until you get there. You’re reading stories that are interpreted from people who do their best to project a picture. But once I got in that locker room and sat there, honest to goodness, for two weeks and didn’t say a word and was just looking around and taking it in, I was like, Okay, I get it now. These guys are fired up.

Davey [Johnson] certainly sent the message out that we’re winning it all this year. That goal of winning it all was so important; that’s the only time I ever felt that. The only time in my entire career that I ever felt that.

It wasn’t like we were going to win the first ten or have the best pitching staff, the best defense, hit the most triples; none of that nonsense. You know what boys? We’re going to win the most games, and we’re going to win the World Series. Not our division; not this or that. We’re going to win the World Series. Anything short of that is a bust, and I think that helped propel our mentality.

That’s why we were like we were. They say we had a little panache, if you will, and we did and that’s because you have to. But you also have to have the horses, and this ball club was pretty good in ’85, and we just took it over the top in ’86.

MMO: Was there any pressure on not only joining a new team, but a new league when you came to New York?

Ojeda: No. I always put pressure on myself but I didn’t add to it.

I didn’t get to start the year in the rotation, I started in the bullpen. Early in the season, they scheduled a lot of off days, and Davey said, “You’re a starter, and you’re starting for me. We need you and that left side, especially going against St. Louis. But I have to start you in the bullpen.” I told him that was fine, and it’s not about me; it’s about my team, my new team.

I actually started four or five less games than everybody else, but I wasn’t complaining. I was just glad to be in the big leagues, glad to be with an exciting team and winning ballgames like we were eating potato chips; it was nuts!

MMO: What are your memories from your Game 2 start in the NLCS against the Houston Astros?

Ojeda: The season doesn’t start until the playoffs. I know it’s cliché, but it’s true. As you’re playing a season, early in the season there’s a degree of pressure; the middle of the season there’s a degree of pressure; and the end of season until you clinch the playoffs there’s a degree of pressure. You take a nice breath after you clinch, but then it starts all over. Then, all of a sudden, it’s intense.

If you go to the playoffs, the season does not start until you’ve reached the playoffs. That’s the goal and mindset you need to have. I don’t care how good of an April or August or September we had; until you get to the postseason, it becomes real.

When I started that game, it’s a sense of all or nothing. There’s no tomorrow. Each individual game is in and of itself a standalone. I’m not thinking about tomorrow; I’m not thinking about yesterday; I’m not thinking about last week; I’m thinking about today.

The pressure in your head and the pressure of the game is vital to have that attitude that it’s just a game, a huge game, but it’s one game. It’s one out at a time. I know these are clichés, but they’re very, very true and that’s what I drew on when I got to go through it.

MMO: So, you would use those mantras to help keep your mental game in check?

Ojeda: Yes, absolutely. You have to put yourself in a mental place where you can function. And that’s individual.

I was one of those people that liked to play for keeps when we used to pitch quarters and play marbles and all these old people games. We were doing it for fun, but I wanted to win. As soon as the bell rang, okay, this is for keeps. I tended to embrace that.

I always did embrace pressure; I embraced it and liked it. I used the pressure to help me rather than defeat me. But you have to manage it, and you have to manage it to where you can function. It’s not something that happens by accident, and there are people who, no question, fold under pressure.

You’re either a pressure folder or a pressure player. You do it 100 times, and you will be a folder each one of those times, and if you’re a pressure player, you’re going to come through in the time in large part.

There are existential reasons why failure and success happen, but there are people who are chokers and who do not like pressure. And that’s life. I’m not slamming them, that’s just life.

Pitching is individualistic, too, because I’m the guy on the bump; I’m in charge of everything. I promise you there are guys who will pitch a beautiful game and will lose 1-0, 2-1, 2-0. They’ll pitch a beautiful game and afterwards talk about how it was tough luck and know they threw a great game. There are guys who embrace that.

I wanted to be the guy and thrived on being the guy who wins 1-0; who wins 2-1. And it does not feel the same. I promise you, when you’re on the mound, it is not the same because people get exposed when they get a lead. There are guys, you can check with stats, who get a lead, and they’ll give it right back and then settle in. They’re comfortable being good enough to lose. Those are the guys you have to weed out to be a championship club.

MMO: You then started Game 6 of the NLCS, and after giving up three runs in the first inning, you buckled down and threw four scoreless innings after. Even though you guys had a 3-2 lead in the series, it seemed like that game was treated as a must-win, given that Mike Scott was looming for a Game 7. What stands out to you about that game and start?

Ojeda: That was the game where I just had three shots in my elbow two days before. No one knew. Dr. Parkes did it for me; I flew down to Washington and got the shots and flew back. He was awesome.

When I was warming up for that game, I felt like I had sandbags in my elbow. I just could not get loose.

I remember the great Mel Stottlemyre was looking at me like, wow, this really doesn’t look good. He didn’t want to say that, so he said, “How are you feeling? You feeling okay?” I told him, ‘No, I’m good, Mel. [I] just have a little trouble getting loose, but I’m good. I’ll be all right.’ [Laughs.]

I went out there for the first inning and was like, Oh, my god, how the hell am I going to get through this thing?

Fortunately, I got through that first inning and things loosened up, and I was able to give them a few more innings to help us get that win. That was all shot related because it helped with the pain, but it clogged up the elbow a little bit.

MMO: Was there pain pitching in your two World Series starts?

Ojeda: You couldn’t focus on it. The pain was still there, and like I said, I’m not the lone ranger. But I had an injury, and I chose to go forward with it. When you make that decision, you can’t start crying about it; you have to roll with it.

That game in Houston was the most uncomfortable game I had thrown. Game six was pretty uncomfortable as well, but at that point, once we got to the World Series, there are no more shots, no more anything. I just loaded up on pills and was going to do the best I could. I didn’t want to quit on my teammates.

I was still effective even with the injury, but I didn’t want to give up on my teammates, and I said let’s just go with this thing. If it ends your career, so what? I got to the World Series because inside me was a 12-year-old little boy who dreamed about this day. I wasn’t going to miss it.

MMO: Following your playing career, you took some time off before returning as a minor league pitching coach in the organization, and then took some more time before signing on as a commentator for SNY in 2009. What prompted you to come back to the game in a broadcasting capacity?

Ojeda: Very simply, they asked me. I know the Wilpons draw emotion from the fans, which is fine. But they treated me fantastic. They really did. I can’t speak for anyone else, but they treated me great. They actually came to me and said, “We want you back in the organization.”

I coached for those three years, and I told myself I was going to take a break. And then I went back to Shea Stadium for Shea Goodbye, as a matter of fact, and they told me they liked to have me back. They asked me what I’d like to do, would I want to coach again, do this, that or the other. I said, ‘I’m thankful you’re having me back because I do love the Mets and I do love baseball. So whatever you think.’

The great Curt Gowdy Jr. called me up and said, “Look, I’m not giving up this job. You have to audition.” I auditioned for Curt, and they liked what they saw, and then I rolled into that. But I never, ever had any ambitions to do television work because it wasn’t my thing or ambition or goal.

I loved every second of it. They were great to me. They let me be honest, and I always tried to be fair. It wasn’t just getting the microphone and talk smack. I didn’t want to do that because I grew up with that as a player. I’d be like, that ain’t cool, I wish that guy would say that to my face. They get on TV, and all of a sudden they’re talking all of this smack, so I said no.

I always did it like I was talking to a guy when I was doing a show. I’m looking at the camera, and if I’m saying something about a particular guy, I’m saying it to his face, because that helps govern what you say. All of a sudden, you’re not such a big shot when you’re talking to the guy.

I was on the backside of that, where I’m watching an interview on TV or listening on the radio, and I’m thinking, boy, this guy sounds like a different guy when he’s in the locker room. I didn’t want to be that guy, and that helped me do my job, which I loved doing.

MMO: I loved the work you did on SNY. I think many Met fans respected you for your frank and honest analysis, and the fact that you always came prepared during good times and bad.

Ojeda: Thank you very much, that is a great compliment. I didn’t want to phone it in for you guys because I’m a Met fan myself. I just wanted to be honest. And the one thing with you guys is you’re so well-informed. I’m not going to sit there on television and tell you 1+1=7, where you guys will say, wait, 1+1=2. What’s this guy talking about?

I wanted to come at you honestly and show that I did my research, did my homework, and I didn’t just throw out numbers. I used to be with the guys at the studio, and they were such a huge help, and we’d spend hours researching making sure that something I was going to say was true, honest and backed up by numbers.

I was very emotional, and still am, because I have feelings and it matters to me, but it’s based in truth and reality that someone can check. I may have gotten a little hot because it’s an emotional game and I’m an emotional person, but it was always honest, and I loved doing it. I wouldn’t mind doing it again.

MMO: I was going to ask you if you had any desire to get back in the game in a broadcasting/coaching/front office advisory role?

Ojeda: Yes. I had to take a breather because that’s the way I am. So, I’ve taken a breather and recharged my batteries. I’ve never liked doing anything half-way. If I’m going to be a baseball player, I’m going to be a baseball player. If I’m going to be a coach, I’m going to be a coach. If I’m going to be on TV and be an analyst, I’m going to give it my all.

I’m at a point now where I feel great. So, to come back in one of those capacities would be great for two reasons. One, I love baseball, I always have, and most of us do. And two, I really enjoy the Mets, and I enjoy the Met fan.

What’s amazing to me is the Mets are the organization, the players come and go, that’s just life. The players come and go, but you stay a Met fan. As a Met fan, I can’t be traded to the Dodgers; I’m a Met fan, that’s it, that’s my team!

I have that affiliation, and to do any of those above things with another organization is not that appealing, and I probably wouldn’t do it. But to do it for the Mets. Like I said, we don’t have the luxury of being traded; our feelings and allegiance are sort of locked in. And that’s what I admire about Met fans.

The vast majority of Met fans are true and blue and do not give up on their team. Sure, they take a lot of stuff for not winning much in the recent years, but they never quit on you. And that’s the way I feel. I don’t quit on myself, Met fans don’t quit on their team, and we’re in it together. It’s a great feeling to have that connection, and it can’t be broken.

MMO: What was it like coming back for Old Timers’ Day this year?

Ojeda: Fantastic! I have been around the ballpark a lot as a player, coach and on TV, but they treated 65 guys as if we were going in the lineup that night. It was incredible.

They just made us feel so welcome, I can’t say enough about the new ownership. It’s coming from the top down too; I will tell you that right now. That’s coming from the top. He (Steve Cohen) set a tone and a precedent, and it was evident like I have never seen since I last put on the uniform as a player there.

Like I said, they treated me great for years, and I have no axe to grind. I’ve been very, very fortunate with the organization. But everybody who was in that uniform and had some gray hair and a little limp, and even some of these younger guys who aren’t that far removed from playing, were made to feel so warmly welcome. It’s like, you are part of this, it’s like the cliché of a family, I’m not going to go that far but we were made to feel incredibly welcome.

It was so refreshing, and that breath of fresh air that breathed life into that stadium and the stadium even felt alive, it was beautiful. There was a beautiful moment that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I know a lot of my teammates and guys I just met loved it.

They all walked out of there feeling ten feet tall. It was amazingly done for these old guys. It was awesome.

Follow Bobby Ojeda on Twitter, @BobOjeda19

The post MMO Exclusive: ’86 Champ, Bobby Ojeda appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Following the conclusion of the 2022 season, the New York Mets’ bullpen was going to be potentially very different heading into the 2023 season.

For all of the rightful chatter regarding whether the Mets were going to re-sign Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt, Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Díaz (which they did the first day of free agency), the majority of the Mets pen was set to hit the open market.

As the team looks to rebuild its pen for the ’23 season, the Mets claimed an intriguing arm off waivers from the New York Yankees in mid-November. With clubs facing roster squeezes prior to the 40-man roster deadline in order to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft in December, the Mets had several spots available to take advantage of other teams’ roster crunches.

Long Island native and hard-throwing right-handed reliever Stephen Ridings is that intriguing arm who the Mets hope can be a potential option out of the pen.

Ridings, 27, was an eighth-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 MLB Draft out of Haverford College in Pennsylvania.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery early in his minor league career, Ridings had his breakout season in 2021 with the Yankees after he signed a minor league deal with the team before the start of the season.

In 22 appearances out of the pen for the Yankees’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, Ridings posted a career-best 1.24 ERA and 0.690 WHIP, and struck out 42 of the 110 batters he faced (38.2 K%).

That same season, Ridings made his major league debut on August 3 in front of family and friends in the Bronx. The six-foot-eight righty tossed a scoreless inning against the Baltimore Orioles in the seventh, recording all three outs via strikeout.

Of the sixteen pitches Ridings threw in his scoreless inning, two were clocked at 100+ mph and 11 were 97+ mph.

Overall, Ridings made five appearances for the Yankees in the month of August, posting a 1.80 ERA with seven strikeouts to two walks over five innings pitched.

Unfortunately for Ridings, the 2022 season would not be one in which he built off his ’21 success. A lower back injury, shoulder injury and nerve-related complication kept Ridings off the mound except for two late rehab appearances in September.

This offseason, Ridings is continuing a throwing program to strengthen his arm and build the velocity back to his fastball and slider. He’s optimistic on his fastball velocity, as he was sitting 97-99 mph in his rehab outings.

For the Mets, the addition of Ridings provides them with an optionable arm (with all three of his minor league options remaining), which gives them flexibility with their roster construction.

I had the privilege of speaking with Ridings, where he discussed when the triple-digit velocity materialized, the injuries he dealt with in 2022 and joining the Mets.

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

Ridings: I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t watch a ton of baseball growing up. I’m from Long Island, so I knew the Mets and Yankees. I probably didn’t have favorite players until maybe high school or college.

I always looked up to guys like [Jacob] deGrom and [Noah] Syndergaard; pretty much anybody that threw hard. I was a big fan of the old Josh Beckett. Those were probably my upper-tier guys.

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

MMO: Did you play other sports besides baseball?

Ridings: I played basketball and volleyball.

MMO: Considering your height, did you get any collegiate offers for basketball?

Ridings: No. Although, I did get attempted to be recruited out of our college intramural early if that counts for anything. [Laughs.]

MMO: At what point during your development did you start focusing primarily on pitching?

Ridings: I always enjoyed pitching. I would say I became more of a pitcher only right around my junior year of high school.

Obviously, on the travel ball teams, everybody plays every position. When it got a little more competitive that took a back seat. I did not get recruited as a two-way player in college.

MMO: When you made your major league debut in 2021, you hit triple-digits on the radar gun. Do you remember when that kind of velocity started to come into play?

Ridings: Yeah, it was January 6, 2021, the day I got signed by the Yankees. It was kind of out of nowhere. I touched 98 once in college; I had been up to 96 pretty consistently but never averaging anywhere close to [triple-digits].

At the beginning of my minor league career, I had Tommy John [surgery] and the velo dipped a lot. It came back a little bit in 2019, but it still wasn’t where it was now. After I got released, it just showed up one day and stuck around.

MMO: Do you have any idea of how you might’ve increased your velocity?

Ridings: I put on a few pounds, we cleaned up some things mechanically, and started doing a lot of medicine ball work. There’s not really one thing that I can contribute it to.

I get asked that question all the time, and I don’t know the answer. I’d like to think the velo has always been in the arm, and it’s just about putting it all together as a tall, lanky individual.

MMO: What are your memories from the 2016 Draft? Did you have an idea that the Cubs could be a potential landing spot?

Ridings: I had a feeling they were going to be the one. I had heard from most teams; there may have been a handful that I didn’t have any communication with whatsoever. But nobody really gave me any indication as to where I may fall on Draft day.

I knew a couple of people who had some friends in either the scouting department or front office [for the Cubs]. I knew they were probably one of the more well-represented teams in terms of who would come see me the most. I had a good feeling they would be up there.

MMO: I read an article on Major League Baseball’s website that you were a substitute teacher in Florida for several months from 2020 to 2021. Can you talk about how that came about, and some of your responsibilities during that period?

Ridings: It was the first real offseason that I wasn’t going back to school at all. I finally moved down here (Florida) with my fiancée full time, and she was like, “You’ve got to get a job in the offseason. You can’t just work out and do nothing.”

I basically applied to anything and everything I could find on Indeed and all the job recruiting sites. Eventually, Rawlings and the school I was at reached out and said they could use some help.

My responsibilities as a sub were basically show up, take attendance and enforce the rules they had during the Covid period. It wasn’t really any teaching.

I don’t remember the article exactly, but it wasn’t a specific chemistry substitute teaching gig like I know some people have made it out to be. It was what you’d expect out of a substitute teacher: show up, hand out the work, sit there at the front desk and make sure kids don’t get too rowdy. I felt it was more of a babysitting gig than anything.

MMO: Is it true that you ended up signing with the Yankees because you worked out at Eric Cressey’s (Yankees’ Director of Player Health and Performance) gym in Florida during that same time?

Ridings: Yes. I started working out at Cressey’s in the offseason of 2019. Heading into 2020 and the Covid year, I spent all summer working out there. I’m still there to this day in the offseason.

He put out the word to one of his scouts. I think in my second bullpen I was throwing maybe 94-95 mph. He was like, “That’s pretty good for your second time. I’ll get one of the scouts down here to see you.”

I heard nothing the whole week, and then the next bullpen rolls around and he said, “Yeah, he’ll (the scout) will be here.”

And then out of nowhere, I was 97-100 [mph], and they signed me about an hour later. It was a wild turnaround.

MMO: You were used a starter with the Royals organization in 2019, and then switched to the pen with the Yankees. Were there any adjustments to that transition?

Ridings: Not at first. I would say there was more of an adjustment when I got called up to the big leagues, just because it’s the big leagues and you’ve got to be ready at all moments.

Things were more or less structured in the minor leagues with the Yankees for that 2021 year. I would have a solid idea of when I was throwing or what kind of situation I’d be going in for. Then you’d throw and get one-two-three days off: rinse and repeat. It became pretty routine.

The transition initially wasn’t very hard, but learning to find sustainable routines in the big leagues has been taking up more of my thought lately than anything else.

MMO: One of the main adjustments you made was cutting down your walks from 2019 to 2021. You went from an 11.5% walk rate in 2019, to 3.6% in 2021. Was there anything you worked on or altered to see such a big change?

Ridings: I chalk it up to the increase in velo and the timing of everything. I’m a big believer that if I have the ability to sync everything up and throw that hard, I’ll be able to put the ball in the zone. It means things are timed up right and I’m in a good spot.

People chalk it up to throwing 100 and having the confidence not to nibble, and that certainly plays a role.

MMO: You had quite the big-league debut with a scoreless inning with three punch-outs against the Baltimore Orioles on August 3, 2021. What memories do you have from that day and game?

Ridings: That was an emotional day. I was supposed to be going home for a funeral; my grandmother had just died the day before.

I got the call the next day and they said, “We know you have plans to go home, but we’re going to throw a wrench in those plans. We need you to come up to New York.”

I remember calling my fiancée, and she was freaking out because she couldn’t find a flight. I called my parents, and they were literally walking out of a funeral home. They were like, “Hey, not the best time, Stephen. What’s up?” I told them I was going to the Bronx that night. I never heard my dad make noises like he did at that moment. [Laughs.] That sticks in my brain visibly.

I remember getting there pretty much two hours late because they didn’t tell me until two in the afternoon. I missed stretch and missed throw. I got there and everyone was out taking BP, so I grabbed anybody who was willing to throw with me during BP and played catch in the outfield.

I remember not being able to eat my pregame meal. I was super excited but super nervous. Brett Gardner came over and sat next to me and said, “Hey, man, you’re not going to eat any of this food?” I was like, ‘Heck no! I’m pretty nervous right now.’

I had no idea whether or not I was going in the game. I was looking at the other guy who came up with me, Brody Koerner, at one point and we’re up about 7-0. I said, ‘Dude, we might be going in this game.’

They called down to the bullpen, and I’m sitting pretty much right next to Mike Harkey, the bullpen coach, and everybody’s looking at him like who’s going in the game. He said, “It’s going to be this guy sitting right next to me.”

It took me probably a good ten seconds for it to sink in that he was talking about me. I looked down at the rest of the bench, and they were all staring at me. I was like, “Oh, crap, it’s me!’ [Laughs.]

I frantically got up and started throwing balls in the pen. I got out there, waited to find that first strike and then it was smooth sailing.

It was a crazy turnaround. My mom almost didn’t come to the game, she was like, “We have a lot on our plate, Stephen.” They were thinking maybe now wasn’t the best time, and didn’t know if I was going to pitch. It was my fiancée who texted my mom and said you have to go to this game; he could pitch and you’d miss it. Thankfully she came.

I ended up having a bunch of other friends in the stands that I didn’t even know were going to be there. It was nice to see the support after the game. It was a wild twenty-four hours for sure.

MMO: Unfortunately, you dealt with a tough 2022 season where injuries interrupted what you did in 2021. I know you were listed with having a right shoulder impingement, but after reading some articles it seems like there might have been other stuff at play. Can you talk about what you dealt with this past season and the rehab process?

Ridings: It kind of started with a lower back injury in January that we really couldn’t get a grasp on. With the lockout, it was kind of tough to navigate that.

It was weird because I was still working out at Cressey’s place, but I wasn’t allowed to communicate with him at all. Not to say that I was on my own because I could talk to all the other coaches there, but it was kind of up and down. Should I stop throwing? Should I push through this? We couldn’t really tell how severe it was. It felt like it got a little better, and then it would take two steps back.

I think the shoulder [injury] was born from that up and down and not having a set routine. I would stop throwing for a week and then start back up. There was a day where I was getting my second set of MRIs, I’m just going to let it eat today and see where things are at.

Nothing showed up on the MRI that hadn’t already been found, and the next thing I knew a few days later, my shoulder started bugging me. I had some twitching in my hand and pinky and some pain in the front of my shoulder when I threw. Some of the movements in the gym felt a little wonky.

We didn’t get a real handle on it until probably June or July when I went to go see Dr. Meister and Dr. Pearl, who’s the thoracic outlet guy. They kind of said they were leaning in that direction because the MRIs on my shoulder was clean. There was nothing that would give them any reason to think that I should be having pain in the front of my shoulder. The biceps tendon looked fine, the labrum looked fine, the rotator cuff was fine.

They kind of leaned toward something nerve-related. We tested it with a nerve block and got medium results; nothing conclusive enough that they were going to cut me open for surgery.

We ended up trying Botox. When I went to New York to get the Botox injections, they did an ultrasound of my neck and found that some of the nerves that are supposed to run in a certain spot are actually embedded in one of my neck muscles. And that could kind of be predisposing me to some of these symptoms.

While it’s not an exact thoracic outlet syndrome, there’s not really a compression of that first rib like they would normally see, but there is something affecting that nerve branch.

After I worked through the Botox and kept throwing, it just went away. I haven’t really dealt with it too much since. I’ve been throwing for a few weeks now and it’s been totally fine.

That’s what I was dealing with the most this year: up and down, start and stop, not really able to get a good picture of what was going on. Frustrating for many and not what I wanted my 2022 to be.

MMO: Considering what you just went through, are you doing anything different in regard to training? Is there anything off-limits?

Ridings: We’re not exactly sure. Obviously, taking extra care of the shoulder in general is always a priority for any pitcher, regardless of injury history. Making sure the shoulder and arm are in good shape is paramount.

We probably stay away from certain exercises that may flare it up. Just working intelligently through the throwing program, and not doing anything stupid. The goal is to get to spring training in one piece.

MMO: I read that while you were rehabbing you added a cutter. You’re quoted in this article saying you added the cutter because you were concerned that your fastball velocity wasn’t going to come back.

This is a two-part question. First, where is your fastball velocity at today? And second, is the cutter a pitch you’ll continue to hone and possibly use?

Ridings: This current second, I have no idea. I’m only three weeks into a program, so I’m not full tilt by any means.

In the few rehab starts I made, I was told I was sitting anywhere from 97-to-99. The velo came back for sure, so I’m not too worried about that.

As for the cutter, I think I only threw maybe three of them to actual batters in games this year. But it looked solid and it’s something that I have in the back pocket in case the velo didn’t come back. I was working around with it just to give myself a fourth pitch to keep hitters honest.

You never know what’s going to come from a dumpster fire. The slider that I threw in 2021, I started throwing it maybe a week before I showed up to spring training. And they were like, hey, we like this. It became the pitch that I threw all year. You just never know when some tinkering is going to lead to something great.

MMO: What were your initial reactions upon hearing you were claimed off waivers by the Mets?

Ridings: My initial reaction was I didn’t even know I was DFA’d. [Laughs.] I literally got a call saying, “You’ve been claimed by the Mets. We appreciate everything and good luck.”

Honestly, my initial reaction was bittersweet. Nobody wants to hear that they’ve been basically cut. But I was thrilled to be picked up by another team, and a team that’s competing that sees value in what I can bring to the table.

I’m excited about the opportunity and it’s nice that I don’t have to leave New York. Family can still come to games; spring training is even closer to where I live now so I can potentially live at home and commute. Hopefully, it makes life easier for everybody. I’m looking forward to it.

MMO: What are some things you’re specifically looking to work on this offseason heading into 2023?

Ridings: Stay healthy is first, second and third. And just get back to where I was in 2021, and even at the end of this year. Getting the fastball velo to where it needs to be, and keeping control of things in the zone.

Probably my biggest goal after that would be getting the velocity back on the slider and making that more of what it was in 2021, and if not, improving upon it if I can.

Aside from that, it’s about having a good feel for what I can throw and putting myself in a good spot to shoot for a position on Opening Day.

MMO: Thanks for the time today, Stephen. Have a great offseason.

Ridings: No problem. Thanks.

Follow Stephen Ridings on Twitter, @ridings17

The post MMO Exclusive: Mets’ Hard-Throwing Reliever, Stephen Ridings appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Source: The Enquirer

In early November, the New York Mets made a hire that may have gone unnoticed and isn’t as acclaimed as the announcement of a major free agent signing or trade.

At the General Managers’ Meetings in Las Vegas, Mets GM Billy Eppler announced the Mets had hired Eric Jagers as their director of pitching development.

Some of Jager’s responsibilities include overseeing the club’s minor-league pitchers, working with major-league pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and providing assistance and support to the coaching and instructional staff across the organization.

Jagers, 27, already boasts quite an impressive resume in a short amount of time in the game.

His career began as a left-handed college pitcher with aspirations, like so many, of getting drafted. Unfortunately, injuries arose, including a torn labrum and developing thoracic outlet syndrome, so his attention turned from pursuing a playing career to a coaching/instructional one.

While rehabbing and trying to get back on the field, Jagers trained at Driveline, the data-driven facility in Kent, Washington, and became enamored with what they were doing with data and tech, such as Rapsodo and Edgertronic.

Jagers began working at Driveline as their manager of technical development in January 2018, followed by an advisory role as assistant director of pitching.

Through collaboration and a lot of trial and error, Jagers became more and more fluent and familiar with Driveline’s methodologies, technologies and biomechanics work. There, Jagers delved into pitch design by utilizing slow and high-speed footage and overlay videos to help tinker with grips, seam orientation, etc.

While his pursuit of pitching in a major league organization did not come to fruition, it didn’t take long for the Iowa native to find himself working for a major league team, as the Philadelphia Phillies hired him as a pitching strategist prior to the start of the 2019 season.

During his lone season in the Phillies organization, Jagers was responsible for integrating technology for pitching development across the minor leagues, as well as working alongside affiliate coaches, R&D staff, and the front office and baseball operations team.

The Reds came calling for Jagers in November 2019, hiring him as their assistant pitching coordinator. Jagers would work under Driveline’s founder Kyle Boddy, who was hired as the team’s director of pitching initiatives and pitching coordinator just two months prior. After working one season in that role, the Reds promoted Jagers to assistant major league pitching coach.

The hiring of Jagers to oversee the pitching development of the Mets’ minor league system is yet another example of how the organization under Steve Cohen is continuing to increase its presence in the use of data and analytics.

With many young prospects coming into professional ball with an increased knowledge of modern analytics, hiring a wunderkind, who not only has the data/biomechanics foundation but is lauded for his communication skills, can work wonders for aiding in future development.

I had the privilege of speaking to Jagers shortly after he was hired by the Mets, to discuss his time at Driveline, work with the Phillies and Reds and new role as director of pitching development.

MMO: Can you talk a bit about your playing career?

Jagers: [I] played in junior college and got hurt. I got surgery on my labrum and then rehabbed. I came back, and there was still some lingering pain and ineffectiveness as a pitcher.

I took a year off [from pitching] at Driveline and ended up transferring to Iowa and got hurt right away; I was only there for a semester. It wasn’t a re-aggravation of the same injury but a different one; I had thoracic outlet syndrome. That set me up to be old for the upcoming draft, and I literally had no more redshirts to spend.

I left in a good spot with the coaching staff. It was like, hey, go give my money to somebody who’s going to help the team win, sort of deal.

MMO: So, you initially got involved with Driveline in college?

Jagers: Yes. I researched the program and got introduced to some of the concepts in modalities as we were training in the fall of my freshman year.

Nothing wrong with how it was implemented, but I would say that once I dove into the actual research and how they were going about the training from Driveline and found it from the source, I found things that were a bit different.

That’s how I sort of rebuilt myself from a rehab standpoint by using their methods.

MMO: Were you someone that was interested in data and tech growing up?

Jagers: I wouldn’t say so. I was pretty prototypical; I played a ton of Wiffle ball and was always at the community pool. I was generally creative and exploratory in nature, but wouldn’t say it was geared towards the science-side or data and technology. I was never a standout student or anything.

I saw benefits of it being able to help pitchers, and I honestly did not benefit all that much from the data analytics. It was still very much in its infancy.

Towards the tail-end of my playing career, things like Rapsodo were starting to pop up, but it was still very, very new on the scene.

Certainly, there were teams that were already ahead of the curve. Things like PITCHf/x and data were publicly available and probably being studied by people who came before, like a Mike Fast and Josh Kalk, guys who were far beyond their years.

For myself, it was probably more in that realm from a player evaluation and acquisition standpoint and way less about development. I felt like that stuff really hadn’t been there, which is crazy to think about when we’re only talking about five or six years ago.

MMO: At what point did your mindset change from pursuing a playing career to focusing on a coaching/instructional one?

Jagers: It was definitely in the fall at Iowa in 2017. I would say I got a taste of being a player/coach when I was down and nursing my shoulder/neck [injury]. I was still around, and trying to help the guys.

It was there where I started to see real-time changes and guys benefiting from the information. That’s kind of where I got the validation, and it became fun for me, and thought it might be something I could pursue.

MMO: What would you say were some of the bigger takeaways and areas where you grew the most while training and working at Driveline?

Jagers: If I had to point to one thing in particular, I think it was just being a product of the people around me.

I don’t think it’s any secret about the talent that’s come out of there. Being around like-minded individuals, obviously Kyle [Boddy] has been an inspiration for me, but also the likes of Jason Ochart, Sam Briend and Rob Hill.

That’s what really sticks out, and where I was able to push myself further and expand the knowledge base.

MMO: For many, the different metrics and technologies that provide an abundance of information and data can be overwhelming. How did you go about learning and utilizing the various data and implementing it on an individualistic basis with players?

Jagers: Probably through failing a lot and using it the wrong way. Fortunately, we had the literal lab setting [at Driveline], and it was on a bit smaller scale; not having the scrutiny of media and not at the expense of hugely valuable games and organizations.

I would say I was able to experiment on myself a fair bit. There are certainly things I can look back on a couple of years ago where it’s like, man, the way we were doing that just wasn’t right, and we wouldn’t do that now. It sucks when you think about it that way a bit, but I think it’s also healthy to look back and reflect and see that you’ve grown.

I hope I say that in a couple of years too, when we look back to this now and say, I could’ve done that a little better, but we’ve moved forward.

MMO: You’re someone that has been commended for not just the ability to understand and break down data, but to communicate it and present it in a way that makes players buy into and want to incorporate it. Was that something you were naturally good at, or did it take some time to be able to balance both aspects?

Jagers: I think that part does come naturally to me. I would say generally I feel like I am a caretaker and often thinking of others before myself. I’m often trying to think for them and think long and hard about what is best. And that can also be not delivering the information. What’s the right time to give this to the guy? What’s the right place? Right setting? Is he in the right frame of mind? That certainly is where my head goes a lot of the time.

I think some of that is from failure and experience and having missteps at times, or putting something into play, and it’s like, okay, that wasn’t it.

I’m really diligent about my documentation and reflection on those things so that I was able to learn from both success and failure. If something worked and succeeded, hopefully, we can make that happen more in the future and make a note of it. And if it failed, hopefully, we can have less of that in the future because we’re aware of it.

It’s kind of that black box thinking; it makes me think of that book by Matthew Syed (“Black Box Thinking“), where failure is not a bad thing but it’s about making sure you’re on top of the process of what happened. It also makes me think of a Sherlock Holmes-ism to where it’s like, everything under the sun has been done and will be done again.

You can certainly learn from the past and really should lean on it.

MMO: One of the things that you’re well-known for is your work with pitch design. Did that fascination begin with your deep dive into Rapsodo and Edgertronic? And can you talk about some of the characteristics and traits you look at when reviewing pitch design?

Jagers: It was something that was fascinating to me. Pitch design is something that’s been done for many, many years, but just less efficiently due to lesser resources. All we’re doing now is streamlining it and adding more technology.

If you talk to older coaches or guys who played before, guys have always been tinkering with grips, shapes, and things like that. We are really fortunate to be able to have a better understanding of how the best pitches in the world from the best pitchers in the world move. It makes it really easy on us.

It’s definitely something that I saw value in really early on, and it was like, oh, wow, we have to scale this out!

It’s funny to see the cameras get carried around and things like that. I’m not saying that people aren’t careful with the technology because everyone’s got a really nice Pelican case, and they carry it out with a tripod and often with a team of people. When I was first using these cameras, they are $5,000 for the base model of Edgertronic. And to me, that might as well have been five million dollars. [Laughs.] I’m carrying this camera with my life, and I’m so scared.

At Driveline, we had a special model that Edgertronic gave us to test, which is called the SC2X. That camera ran over $20,000. I’m carrying this thing around, which is for sure more money than I had in my bank account; my net worth is less than the camera that I’m carrying! [Laughs.] You can imagine how I felt.

I was just going to the University of Washington baseball games and not necessarily filming pitch design, but getting high-speed footage of side angles and front view of the ball coming into the batter’s path. I would just watch the video for hours on end and be fascinated. Obviously, we’re using a bullpen setting, but then we’re able to use it in a game setting, and you’re just like, wow, the possibilities are endless here.

It was something that was fascinating to me. When you sort of dive into the arsenal as a whole, and you’re starting to build this toolbox for pitchers, it becomes really fun.

MMO: And the work with pitch design started at Driveline, right?

Jagers: Yeah. And let me tell you, Rapsodo, and they would be the first to say this too, and we have a great relationship, but it was really tough sledding early on trying to validate it and get it to read accordingly and move from the 1.0 to the 2.0 to the 3.0. That’s the healthy growth and iteration. But being there on the ground floor, we certainly spent a lot of time in the lab trying to get that stuff to work and that goes for Edgertronic, too.

The processes that exist right now to where it’s all auto-triggered and it syncs with Trackman is really nice, and it goes into the dashboard and can view it on the spot. It’s linked to the pitch data. We were spending so much time and manpower on linking these things up, manually inputting the pitch metrics on top of video, learning Final Cut Pro, and video editing so that we were able to put together side-by-sides and overlays so we could serve the players as best as possible.

All that stuff is automated now. You look at it, and I certainly left the journey in a better place, but the guys at Driveline have continued to push forward, and I think, hold the gold standard for the process in place.

MMO: How did the pitching strategist role with the Philadelphia Phillies come about in 2019?

Jagers: I was just approached. Jason Ochart had recently been hired in 2019, and he was at spring training. I had gotten approached from my bosses at Driveline about a potential opportunity. I was all ears and I think I was really eager to be a part of a team or an organization to where I could get back onto the field, where there’s wins and losses included, and just being inundated in that environment was something that was intriguing.

I had interviewed with them as well as another team, but ultimately, I decided to do that and ended up being really happy about that. I crossed paths with some really awesome people and felt like I grew a ton as a person.

MMO: You were most recently the assistant pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds. What were some of your responsibilities and what are some of the differences between an assistant pitching coach and major league pitching coach?

Jagers: There’s certainly crossover, but it was always about being a supplement and trying to serve the players to the best of our abilities. I think there was a really nice yin and yang and balance between Derek Johnson and myself.

With D.J., he’s been in the game for a really long time and has had a ton of success; you can point to a variety of different areas. I learned a tremendous amount from him and am forever indebted to him.

You’re talking about art and science and the kind of blend of those two, and that’s what we were sort of after, and that goes for the top down. It was everything that we were doing for the major leagues to the Dominican Summer League. The duties were sort of divvied out that way and was able to supplement our vision.

MMO: You’ve worked with both veteran players and young prospects. How would you characterize the attitudes and openness of both types of players when it comes to incorporating and utilizing data?

Jagers: It’s all over the map. I don’t think that you can necessarily put age or rank/level on how the guys both interpret and are open to data and information. There’s so many different walks of life, cultures, and upbringings and obviously a ton of Latin pitchers in baseball, so nationalities and languages and things like that.

We try to meet guys where they’re at, and give them the best possible chance to succeed with the information we feel most confident in. We try and tailor and curate the information in a format that may be really digestible and palatable to them.

It might be the same information formatted five to six different ways that speaks to somebody from different walks of life who just have different preferences. That’s what we try to stay true to is keeping a player-centric approach, and remembering that this is about the players and that’s why we exist.

MMO: Can you talk about how the Mets’ director of pitching development position came about?

Jagers: Same kind of thing, [I] had gotten approached by my bosses with the Reds that there had been interest, and chose to pursue the interview opportunity.

I went through the process and felt like I had talked to some really good people and felt really aligned with the vision and direction of the organization, and ultimately decided to hop on board.

MMO: Billy Eppler told the media that Jeremy Hefner went through the interviews with the candidates for this position, and said that the synchronicity you had with Hefner was a major factor in getting the job. Can you talk a bit about Hefner’s involvement in the hiring process?

Jagers: Yeah, just seeing eye-to-eye is really how I would put it. Every conversation I’ve had with Hef has been awesome. We’ve opened the door for feedback and respect back and forth. We want to be aligned and want everyone to feel included. That’s how we’re attacking this thing; we want continuity from the top down.

For me, that starts with the ID in the draft. Not after we draft a guy, but as we identify an individual who we are interested in joining the Mets, that’s hopefully where our process starts of bringing these guys in, and hopefully it’s streamlined and very seamless process all the way to the major leagues.

MMO: What are your responsibilities as director of pitching development for the Mets? I assume you’ll be responsible for the minor-league development?

Jagers: Yes, primarily focused on the development pipeline. I believe the role also offers exciting opportunities to collaborate with our front office and scouting departments from an acquisition standpoint.

I think this is a total team effort, so I would say there’s not really an area that is a hands-off, stay-in-your-lane [thing]. That was a really intriguing piece because there’s involvement with software developers and analysts in terms of building the tools of the future that will serve our staff and players.

Going beyond the players from a coaching development standpoint, we want to create the best in class in terms of the personnel that we have coaching our players. I want to help our coordinators get to where they want to go and grow in this game if they want to be a major league pitching coach, director of pitching, or just want to be the best Double-A coach they can be.

We do want to have very high standards and want to help those guys with resources to be the best version of themselves. It’s hot in the streets to talk about player plans, but we’re also discussing coach development plans and pathways for those individuals to get better in certain areas.

MMO: Will you still be working at Driveline as well?

Jagers: I’ll continue to provide a senior advisory/consultancy sort of role for Driveline. It is fairly hands-off; I won’t be on-site or working with players actively at the facility.

MMO: You told me that you were currently in the Dominican Republic. Can you talk a bit about what you’re doing there and how long you’re staying?

Jagers: I’m having a blast! It’s Dominican instructs and I’ve got a couple of weeks left here.

For me, this trip was about getting the lay of the land and getting to meet the wonderful staff. We’ve got quite a large group from America here. It’s really encouraging for me to see how many people were involved and putting time and effort into the academy.

I got to watch a game today and watched the prep routines and bullpens and game action for our pitchers. I was really happy with what I saw from an engagement and joy of the game standpoint.

This place always provides me with really fresh perspective and reminds me of the joy that it takes to make it in this game. It can be hard over a career or even 162 games when things are going bad, but the passion and joy that these kids show down here is really special.

MMO: Thanks for some time, Eric. Congratulations on the position with the Mets!

Jagers: I appreciate it.

Follow Eric Jagers on Twitter, @ericjagers

The post MMO Exclusive: Eric Jagers, Director of Pitching Development appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

For over thirty years, Jim Reeves has been traveling the Pacific Northwest as an area scout, responsible for roughly 2,000,000 square miles, to help the New York Mets find the next crop of potential major league talent.

The role of an area scout involves getting to know the programs, schools, coaches, and players in their respective territories, and traveling to various games and showcases in order to assess and analyze potential draft picks for their organization.

Scouts are continuously juggling the current crop of ballplayers who are eligible for the nearest draft while keeping tabs on younger players they’ve come across in their travels for future evaluation and reports.

For Reeves, a sixteenth-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1977 June Amateur Draft, blending professional experience in pro ball with gut instinct and an altruistic nature has led to several significant signings over the last dozen years.

Reeves was the signing scout for Brandon Nimmo (2011), Michael Conforto (2014), and David Peterson (2017), who have all contributed to the Mets and brought their own unique set of skills to the club.

After thirty-plus years of long travel, time away from family, and scouting countless players, Reeves has decided to retire.

The Mets celebrated his decades-long service with the organization on September 4th, when they had him throw out the first pitch prior to the start of their game against the Washington Nationals.

In a touching moment, Peterson caught the pitch from Reeves, and Nimmo came out of the dugout to greet and hug the scout who first gave him what all hopeful young players yearn for: an opportunity.

I had the privilege of speaking with Reeves towards the end of the regular season, where he discussed how he initially got into scouting, learning on the job, and his evaluation process for Nimmo, Conforto, and Peterson.

MMO: You were selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1977 MLB Draft out of Southern Illinois University. How long after your professional playing career ended did you get into scouting?

Reeves: I played in 1977, 1978, 1979, and into 1980. I realized that my baseball career was going to be coming to an end, like a lot of minor league players.

I finished college and moved to Chicago to start a career. I was working for a big telephone company and really enjoyed it, but something was missing.

After about five years, I stumbled upon a place that was a big indoor baseball facility. I would go in there and hang out a bit and met some people.

I ended up giving lessons to younger kids. I met a lot of people, met some coaches, and it turns out a good buddy of mine got a job as a head coach at a junior college there, so I started helping him out. I believe that was around 1985 that I started helping him.

I met some baseball scouts in the area and realized that baseball is in my blood pretty deeply. I started helping my buddy out as I was working full-time; I had three jobs at the time. But I loved baseball and found a way to kind of get back into it with coaching.

Then, through some of my contacts with pro baseball, I kind of started helping out the Mets part-time. There were guys like Todd Hundley, Dan Wilson, and a few other guys [that I helped scout]. I found that really interesting, so I started to get more involved with scouting and coaching.

The guy that was out here for the Mets, Marv Scott, retired and was responsible for Wally Backman, Doug Sisk, and several other players. They offered me a full-time position out here in 1990, and the wife and I said, “Why not? Let’s give it a shot.”

MMO: So your scouting career started with a part-time role?

Reeves: Yes. Most of the scouting was done in the spring and summer. Because I was helping out the junior college team, I was able to see a lot of the junior college teams in the area.

I would go see some high school games on occasion, and help Phil Favia, who was the full-time scout in the Chicago area for the Mets.

I was helping out here and there and evaluating some players; I really had no idea what I was doing, it was more gut instinct than anything. I’d go back and remember watching guys who I played with that I felt had major league potential. It was a big learning experience for me.

MMO: Except for those early years in Chicago, have you always been a scout based in the Pacific Northwest?

Reeves: Yeah, other than those two to three years back in the Chicago area.

My wife and I moved out here, and it’s funny, I thought to move out there, and I’ll get some education as to how to scout for a professional team full-time, and then we’ll probably end up moving back to the Midwest to be closer to our families. We got out here and moved to the Portland area, and it’s a big area, you have Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Western Canada, and Alaska. Obviously, there are not a lot of players in some of those remote areas, but nonetheless, it was a big area and a lot of travel.

We got out here, and my wife loved it; I loved it, We raised our kids out here, and we eventually stayed. I had a couple of opportunities to move down to L.A. or Phoenix, but for Joan (his wife), it just wasn’t what she really wanted to do at the time.

It worked out great, we love it in the Northwest, and it’s a wonderful place to raise a family. A lot of driving and travel is tougher out here in some respects, but we love it.

MMO: You mentioned having to learn on the job as an area scout. What were some of those responsibilities you needed to adapt and adjust to?

Reeves: When you’re getting out there and are responsible for a particular area, it’s up to you to go out and find the players.

The first few years I had to learn my territory; you have to learn where the players come from. It’s mostly the I-5 corridor, which runs from Southern Oregon up Portland and through Seattle and to Vancouver, B.C. That’s where the majority of the population is out here.

You have to learn where the best high school players come from, and of course, back in 1990, it was a lot different than it is today because there weren’t the showcases, you really had to dig! You had to watch the older scouts and where they went and what they were doing and try to figure out a pattern or how they were working the areas. That took a couple of years but I had some really good mentors in the game and those guys helped me out.

You also need to learn how to write reports on players. You’ve got to break them down, break their tools down, assign grades to those tools but then also talk about their strengths and weaknesses, and then an overall summation as to what you think this player is going to be five-to-six years down the road. If he’s going to be a big-league player, what type of player is he going to be at the major league-level? What is he going to bring to that major-league team that’s going to help them win?

So, when you put it like that, when you’re a young scout, that’s tough! You have to feel good about your opinions and you have to go with it and stick to your guns on players.

There were a lot of mistakes made those first few years, no doubt, but I think that happens with every scout. Now we have a lot of analytics and data that help back up those decisions. Back in those days, we didn’t have that, so you were pretty much putting your own reputation and opinions out there. It was a little different back in those days, but it was fun.

I was surrounded by a lot of good scouts, not only here in the Northwest, but within the organization with the Mets. Everybody helped everybody else out. There were those older guys in the area and guys out here in the Northwest that were tough to read at times and couldn’t get information out of. It’s like a big poker game but that was the fun part and I’ve always enjoyed that, trying to figure things out and the psychology of scouting.

I don’t know if we have that as much today, at the higher levels they do, but that’s kind of what made it fun and interesting for me.

MMO: In regards to the amount of data and analytics utilized with all thirty clubs today, are there certain differences you’ve noticed with your job when it pertains to the use of analytics compared to when you first started?

Reeves: That’s a tough question. There’s just a lot of data and analytics that people are relying on.

It’s hard to say, Mathew. I didn’t get into it as much as I know a lot of guys in the office did. They have access to all of that stuff; I really didn’t have a lot of access to it. I didn’t let that bother me, I just did my own thing and pretty much scouted the player themselves and left the analytics to everyone else. Even to this day, I don’t know exactly everything that went into those guys making the decisions that they did.

I think it’s a good thing; the more information you can gather on players, the better. I think in the end, we’re dealing with human beings, and everybody is a little bit different. These are 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21-year-old kids, and nobody knows for sure how they’re going to react when they get into pro ball. I’m glad I’m not doing that end of it! [Laughs.] That’s a little bit over my head, to be honest with you.

I was never a big computer person. Everything was pretty much gut reaction, watching the player, and just getting to know the player and forming those bonds and finding out what makes them tick and if they have the makeup and desire to be able to move onto that next level. And not only move onto that next level but be able to pull out what makes them as good as they can be.

MMO: Besides the athletic tools you were looking for, what other traits would you try to identify when scouting players?

Reeves: I think the most important thing about a young player is I want to see them compete almost every time they go out there. That’s the one thing that I think separates the players.

There have been many, many players over the years I’ve watched, and you just watch them go out on the field and you can tell that they’re competing. Sometimes instincts can improve obviously, but just watch a kid play.

A lot of times, I’d put myself in the shoes of a hitter if I’m watching a pitcher. I’d put myself in the batter’s box and think, Can this guy get me out? Will this guy intimidate me? Doing that with all the different players, if possible, as a scout, I felt that it always helped me because I used to play. I was involved with it, and I knew what these guys were thinking when they were in the box or on the mound and what pitch they were going to throw. Things like that and just seeing if they’re playing the game the right way, and just their attitude.

A guy like [Brandon] Nimmo, man, he was fearless out there. He wasn’t the greatest player at the time in high school, and he knew it, but he also knew he was going to get better. Talking to these kids and knowing that they’re going to do everything they can to make themselves as good as they can be, that’s really, really important.

I’ve talked to kids along the way who felt they were really good and were just going to go out there and be better than everybody else without putting in the effort. Those guys weren’t the ones we wanted.

There are a lot of things that come with it, depending on what position you play, but I looked at the guys who were dedicated to what they were doing and just had a lot of fun doing what they were doing.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

MMO: You were the signing scout for three big names in recent memory in Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, and David Peterson. Can you talk about your recollection of scouting each one? Let’s start with Nimmo.

Reeves: He was drafted in 2011, so he was the first guy to come along. A bit of a funny story, he has an older brother who was probably five-to-six years older than Brandon. I believe his name is Bryce. He wasn’t as big as Brandon, was a centerfielder, a left-left guy, and I had gotten word that there was a good player over in Wyoming. I called his coach and got all the details and flew over.

It was early May, and with American Legion Baseball there was a little tournament going on, and they were matching up with a big right-handed pitcher out of Montana who was going to Stanford. I thought this would be a good chance to see this guy (Bryce) that I had been hearing about, so I flew over, and there was maybe a dozen or so scouts there from the area.

It was cold; it was like twenty-five degrees and snowing, so it wasn’t a very pleasant day in Casper, Wyoming, and the wind just howls there! We’re watching the game, and there’s nobody in the stands and this family comes and sits right behind me.

We start talking, and it turns out it was the Nimmos; it was mom, dad, and Brandon. And Brandon was probably 12 years old. We struck up a conversation, and I told him I was there to see their other son. Their son was a really good player, but he was going to the University of Nebraska.

I got to know them a little bit, and a few years later the head coach called me and said, “This Brandon Nimmo kid is starting to fill out and get a bit bigger and is a pretty good ballplayer.” I got to know him a little bit, and I saw him, I believe, after his sophomore year in high school, and at different tournaments. They would always come over and play in Idaho or Oregon or some summer tournaments. I just got to see him, and I had a little flag there saying, hey, I better keep an eye on this kid, he looks pretty athletic.

I saw him in the summer after his junior year, and he’s really coming along. His instincts were improved; he was a centerfielder then, and I just liked the way he swung the bat. He was aggressive, sprayed the ball all over, could run; all the tools that we look for. It was still hard at that time to put the whole thing together; I think he was going to the University of Arkansas, so he had a good scholarship waiting for him.

Fortunately, he got to play in some showcases, and I think he played in the Under Armour tournament in Chicago at Wrigley Field. Some guys saw him out there and we agreed that this guy has some ability. That’s what you do, you keep following guys and watching them and see how they progress. And that was the thing with Brandon, every time I saw him he added a little something to his game.

I know a lot was made of him only playing American Legion and there was no high school [ball], but if you go to Montana and Wyoming, there’s no way they can play baseball in the springtime in those areas. They had a really good Legion program, and they started working out around February-March, as soon as basketball was over. They weren’t outside a lot but they had a nice indoor facility and the coach would take them down to Arizona for a little spring training and play some high school teams. That spring that’s what I did, I saw him play in Arizona a couple of times and then I saw him in the fall before that in Arizona as well.

He was on the map and on our radar, and one thing led to another, and our guys saw him in the springtime. Chad MacDonald and [Paul] DePodesta saw him and liked him. He just kind of fell in our laps, and I was a little surprised, to be honest with you, that we would take a guy from Wyoming, but players come from everywhere.

I have to hand it to the guys in the front office and scouting department; everybody that saw him had good reports on him. Those decisions aren’t made by just an area scout. I just said what I had to say about him as far as his abilities and let them know that this kid wants it really bad; he’s got great makeup, a great family that supports him, and then we got him.

He went to the minor leagues and showed everybody he could do it. And even to this day, you look at Brandon over the last year or two, and he’s improved his outfield play, his ability to hit left-handers, and that’s what makes these guys good major leaguers is they continue to improve on their weaknesses.

Brandon was the type of guy where it was easy once I got into his makeup and realized I had nothing to worry about with this kid. I mean, he’s just going to work his tail off.

It’s when you get those phone calls about this guy is in trouble or he’s not doing his work, those are the phone calls you don’t want to get.

MMO: How about Conforto?

Reeves: Michael was easy pretty much. He went to high school in the Seattle area, and I think I saw him when he was fifteen or so.

He was playing at a higher level than most of his classmates, and you could just see it, man. He had the ability to hit. He was a shortstop at the time, obviously, I didn’t think he was going to be a shortstop, but you just loved the way he swung the bat.

He had big, strong shoulders when he was sixteen and had some juice in his bat, and could do a lot of things. But when he got into his senior year of high school, they made it pretty clear that he was going to college, and he went to Oregon State. We followed him, and I kept my eye on him, and he just flourished in college.

[He] got with Pat Casey in Oregon State, and when he was younger he had more of an uppercut swing. Pat got a hold of him and tried to level his swing out, which really helped, and did great work with him there. It helped make him into the player that he is.

Michael has a great family and great genes – both his parents were athletes – so that was an easy one for me. I was a left-handed hitter myself and I just loved his swing, I thought it was a beautiful swing.

I also felt that Michael came a long way with his defense too. He was a corner outfielder, and I know I read some things where people didn’t like his defense, but I thought it was more than adequate. He was taught well at Oregon State, and I wasn’t worried about his defense at all.

Honestly, I never thought he’d be a center fielder, and I know he got some time with us in center, but I think it was just because it was what they needed at the time.

Michael was a pleasure, he was humble, and the makeup was just off the charts. You knew this guy would do everything he could to make himself into a player.

Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

MMO: And Peterson?

Reeves: David was a Colorado kid, so I never saw him when he was young. I think he was possibly a high pick coming out of high school, but he broke his lower leg in basketball, so pro ball didn’t work out for him at the time.

He came to the University of Oregon, and I remember seeing him in his freshman year and thinking, Holy cow, look at the size of this guy! It’s like when you see a guy for the first time and the hair on the back of your neck stands up a little bit and you go, oh, I really like what I see here. It’s just one of those instinctual things the first time you see a player.

I really liked what I saw in the fall. He’s a big guy that’s athletic, and he needed to get his body in shape, and I think he knew that maybe coming off that leg injury. And he did.

I got great reports from his coaches on his makeup and that he works harder than anybody else on the field. I think in his freshman year he might’ve led the team in wins out of Oregon, and he really just opened some eyes for a lot of people.

I got to know him and knew that this kid was intense; he wanted to win and was a competitor. I keep going back to that, and the same way with Michael. When the game was on the line you wanted them in those spots, and David was like that. He was a winner, a competitor, and again, he kind of fell into our laps with the 20th pick. At the time, we didn’t think there was anybody else better in the draft, and we took the shot with Petey, and he’s turned out to be a very fine major league pitcher.

I think with just about any other club in Major League Baseball, he’d be a front-line starter. He’s been doing a great job, and I think he’s about to break out.

MMO: I interviewed Jon Updike – the scout who signed Pete Alonso and Matt Allan – for Mets Merized a few years back, and he told me that watching the players he signed move up the ranks and make it to the majors made him feel like a proud parent. Is that how you viewed it as well?

Reeves: Absolutely! Not only with the guys, you get in the draft, but with guys that you got to know along the way that other teams have drafted. You spend a lot of time with these guys.

I’ll be honest, I’m probably a bit more partial to hitters, just because I was a hitter. We would do things in the Northwest and in the Portland area, and for many years on Sunday nights we’d get various indoor places and there’d be about four-to-six scouts and we’d invite players: high school, junior college, college, anybody wanting to come in and hit for a few hours. They’d hit for free and just hang out. We’d throw batting practice and talk with them and get to know them a bit, and find out how much they knew about hitting. We also had some pitchers, and it was just a fun time.

You get to know these kids and really care about them. Some scouts over the years have said you don’t want to get too close to these guys, but I wasn’t that way. I felt like I wanted to help these kids if I could a little bit in coaching them. And coaching them wasn’t really a scout’s job and I understand that. It’s hard to keep your opinions to yourself sometimes if you see that a kid is not getting his bat loaded or is dropping his hands. It’s tough to bite your tongue and not say anything.

But you get to know these kids and their families, and you watch these guys play, and you feel like you’re one of their coaches. You want to see them succeed and excel and get to be where they want to be.

I agree with Jon; it’s like they are your own kids. Being a baseball player myself at one time, you feel like you’re teammates with these kids. I think we’re losing some of that, but that’s the way I grew up doing it in scouting, and I felt like I had an edge sometimes against other organizations because I knew these players pretty well.

MMO: You were honored for your years of service and got to throw out the first pitch at Citi Field in early September. What was that experience like and to have Peterson and Nimmo on hand?

Reeves: It was awesome! I can’t tell you enough, especially all the people who were there with the Mets: Sandy [Alderson] and Marc Tramuta. Tommy Tanous wasn’t there but I talked to him a little bit [prior].

The Mets have been great to me and this was a special honor. To be able to take my wife back to New York and be a part of it was just awesome. It’s a great way to go out, and I’ve enjoyed all the years I’ve been with the Mets.

It’s good to see them winning now. I’m still overwhelmed by it! A lot of teams don’t do this type of stuff anymore. I had some older buddies, who are long gone now, where some clubs had done this. But those types of things had died out but for the Mets to do this was really special. I don’t have enough words to express how I feel.

MMO: Thanks for your time and insight, Jim! Congratulations on a well-deserved retirement.

Reeves: Thank you, Mathew.

Follow Jim Reeves on Twitter, @jreevesnym

The post MMO Exclusive: Area Scout, Jim Reeves appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Prior to being traded over to the New York Mets with Javier Báez from the Chicago Cubs at the 2021 trade deadline, right-hander Trevor Williams had almost entirely been a starter for his professional career.

Of the 119 games since his debut in 2016 through his last game with the Cubs in 2021, Williams had started 106 of them between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the aforementioned Cubs.

Williams, 30, made 10 appearances with the Mets down the stretch in 2021, three of which were starts. In 2022, the Mets continued to utilize the righty in a hybrid role, making nine starts and appearing in 21 games out of the pen.

In total, Williams made 30 appearances for a combined 89.2 innings pitched, posting a 3.21 ERA, 1.227 WHIP, and 0.6 fWAR. He was especially impressive out of the pen, where he recorded more than three outs in 14 of his 21 relief appearances and posted a 2.47 ERA.

Williams became the fourth Mets pitcher in club history to appear in 20+ games out of the pen, make 9+ starts, and post a sub-3.25 in a season, and first since Terry Leach in 1987.

One particular area of strength for Williams in 2022 was against right-handed hitters. Among 106 right-handed pitchers who faced a minimum 200 right-handed batters, Williams tied with Tony Gonsolin for the 13th-lowest ERA (2.72), tied with teammate Max Scherzer for the sixth-highest K% (31.7 percent), and posted the thirteenth-lowest opponent batting average (.209).

He services should be in high demand this offseason, where the San Diego-native will be hitting the free agent market for the second time in his career. With his ability to both start and relieve, Williams should be a suitor for plenty of teams who wish to add a veteran arm who can provide quality innings and has the ability to be a swingman.

While Williams and his camp wait to see who he’ll suit up for in 2023, Williams will be busy with his non-profit, Project 34.

While attending Arizona State University in 2011, Williams’ roommate and teammate on the baseball team, Cory Hahn (whose uniform number was 34), suffered a career-ending and life-changing spinal cord injury while sliding headfirst into second base. The non-profit’s mission is to assist individuals living with a spinal cord injury with the proper equipment and funding they need in order to live a more fulfilling life.

I had the privilege of speaking with Williams following the Mets’ exit in the Wild Card series, where he discussed getting traded to the Mets, his transition to pitching out of the pen, and his non-profit.

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

Williams: I grew up in San Diego, and I went to a lot of Padres games growing up. I got to see a lot of Tony Gwynn and Ken Caminiti, and Trevor Hoffman was a big hero of mine.

MMO: At what point during your development did you start primarily focusing on pitching?

Williams: Pitching wasn’t until college. I hit high school pitching very well, but I knew at the next level I wasn’t going to be a good hitter. It was in college that I made the distinction of being a pitcher only.

MMO: What are your memories from the 2013 Draft? Did you have an idea that the Miami Marlins were an interested party?

Williams: We had a good feeling I was going to go the first day. I didn’t know exactly where, and it wasn’t going to be the first half of the first round, but it was going to be anywhere between the second half of the first round to the end of the second round. We were waiting and seeing. We had a couple of hits from teams, and they ended up drafting other players.

We were shocked and excited at the same time that the Marlins picked me (with the 44th overall pick) without a phone call or anything. I got to see my name go across the board in real-time.

MMO: I remember your major league debut on September 7, 2016, with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and how after the game your family was there to greet you. You and your dad had a wonderful moment where you hugged and gave him the game ball. What memories do you have from that day?

Williams: It was a special day for all of us. It was a very raw and emotional day because it was a culmination of all the hard work and dedication that my family has sacrificed and put into my baseball career. To share that moment with him (father) was very special.

MMO: In a podcast appearance you had in March 2021, you told the hosts that prior to signing with the Cubs as a free agent, you were close with another team before front office issues involving text messages occurred. Reading between the lines, is it safe to say you were close to signing with the Mets for 2021?

Williams: At that time, the only strong offer we had was from the Mets. It was at a point in the offseason where we didn’t know if we wanted to wait any longer, so they were definitely among the final few teams.

MMO: What was your initial reaction upon hearing the news that you and Javier Báez were traded to the Mets at the 2021 trade deadline?

Williams: It was exciting because at the time when we were traded over, it was at that point in the year where teams start making playoff pushes, and unfortunately last year we weren’t able to do that.

It was fun to get traded to a first-place team at that point, and it was fun to go from a team that wasn’t going to make it to the playoffs to a team that was fighting for a spot.

MMO: I’ve interviewed several current pitchers on the club, and they all rave about the work Jeremy Hefner has done as pitching coach. What’s your impressions of Hefner?

Williams: It was great meeting him for the first time when I got traded over. It was a pretty seamless transition. He knew what made me good, meaning what he could do to help me and help utilize my repertoire a little more. It’s easy to communicate with him, and he’s helped my career tremendously.

MMO: From 2019 through the 2021 season, you threw your slider at least 20 percent of the time each year. That changed in 2022, where your slider usage decreased to 11.7 percent. What was the reason for limiting your slider this season?

Williams: I think we recognized other pitches were better, and recognized that what makes my slider good is when I throw it less as opposed to throwing it more often.

We relied on other pitches more to not be so heavily reliant upon a four-seam and a slider and be a two-pitch guy. I’m not a two-pitch guy, and when I fall into that category, it doesn’t really give me much success.

MMO: On the flip side, you threw your four-seam fastball more than any other season in your major league career (52.8 percent). When looking at Run Value, your four-seamer was one of the best in the league (-12). Can you talk about why you felt like your four-seam fastball was so effective this season?

Baseball Savant

Williams: When I was young, I was told you have to pitch with your fastball and have to be able to throw it to any spot in the zone. You can’t just fall in love with down-and-away or up-and-in or down-the-middle. It’s a pitch that I will always go to, and I will live-and-die with that pitch. Being able to throw it to all four quadrants and coupling that with my sinker, changeup, slider, and curveball really makes every pitch better.

Like I said, when I throw my slider less, it makes my fastball better. When I throw my sinker more, it makes my slider and my changeup better. When I throw my curveball more, it makes the effectiveness of my changeup better.

I think utilizing all those pitches and using them in different sequencing to get the best out of that pitch was effective this year. In certain games I came into, we had opportunities to throw the fastball more, and instances where I only had to go one time through the lineup. I knew that I could just throw fastballs that you really didn’t need to set-up hitters for the second or third time through.

MMO: Looking at your average horizontal release point for 2022, you appeared to move closer to the third base-side of the rubber with your arm slot (-2.34 feet) compared to 2020 (-1.55 feet). Was there a reason for that mechanical change and how did that aid in your pitching?

Williams: I think 2020 was just an outlier. I was throwing more over the top, and I went back to feeling more athletic. What gives me more deception is having a lower, not necessarily arm angle, but lower approach angle in how I pitch. The lower that it is, you set the eyes kind of lower and it makes my 91-mph fastball look a little harder than it is.

MMO: Are you the type of player that readily utilizes tech and data?

Williams: Yeah, I think it’s a useful tool.

MMO: Do you approach the analysts for information? Do they approach you? How does that process work?

Williams: It’s really how much you want to put into it. We have different guys for infield positioning and why they do that. We have different people for opponent hitters; we have different people for pitching game plans. It’s however much you want to put into it and ask questions.

The biggest thing with the Mets is the communication within. It’s been super helpful the last year and a half to go to them any time that I wanted.

MMO: You have primarily been a starting pitcher for your entire professional career. How difficult was the transition to go from starter to a spot starter/long-man/reliever hybrid this season?

Williams: I prepare to pitch, whether that’s every fifth day or every day. There was a little bit of an adjustment for me this year, but I was able to rely on our bullpen coach and rely on other players who have been in a similar role that I’ve been in to pick their brain on what works and what doesn’t. It was tough at first, but the guys made it an easier transition for me.

MMO: Looking at your 2022 splits, your numbers at home were phenomenal (2.65 ERA compared to 4.08 on the road; 25.1 K% at home compared to 19.0% on the road). Was there anything about pitching at Citi Field that you felt was a strength?

Williams: Nothing that I can think of off the top of my head. I think there’s always comfort knowing that you’re pitching at your home mound; the routine doesn’t get thrown off as much.

I think generally pitchers have a better time throwing at home than they do throwing on the road.

MMO: On an individual level, you had a terrific season in every role that Buck Showalter asked of you. Obviously, the season didn’t end the way the organization or fans wanted it. When you look back on the 2022 season what stands out for you the most?

Williams: Man, we played really well and I’m proud of the guys for the resilience that we had all year. Winning 101 games is tough! Unfortunately, at the end of the day, we came up short. But that’s what makes baseball beautiful because at the end of the year, there’s only one team remaining.

I think there’s a lot to be proud of and I’m looking forward to seeing what the Mets do moving forward.

MMO: Would you welcome a return back to the Mets?

Williams: Yeah, one-hundred percent. I think there’s a lot of good in New York, especially with the Mets, and there’s a lot of things to look forward to. If I’m given the opportunity to come back to New York, I would welcome it and hopefully help the team out as much as I can.

MMO: In your final appearance of the season, you had Francisco Álvarez as your catcher. We know about his offensive profile but what did you think about his receiving skills?

Photo: Corey Sipkin, NY Post

Williams: It was really good! It was a good first date that we had together, and I think we were pretty much on the same page. We had a good meeting before the game on what I like to do and how I like to pitch.

He did his due diligence; he talked with [Tomás] Nido and [James] McCann to get a feel for the type of pitcher I am, and I thought it went really well.

MMO: You have a non-profit called Project 34. Can you talk about why and when you started it, and the foundation’s mission?

Williams: Our mission is to help individuals and families who are living with a spinal cord injury.

My roommate in college, his name is Cory Hahn, he broke his neck in 2011 in our freshman year at Arizona State. He is living with a spinal cord injury, and we both saw that there was a great need for that community, whether that’s financial aid for a new wheelchair, financial aid for proper physical therapy, truly anything that makes those living with an individual or an individual living with a spinal cord injury a more independent and fulfilling life.

We’ve been around for five years now and it’s been great getting to know people all around the country that have been impacted by Cory’s story. It’s an honor and privilege to be able to share Cory’s story and help people even if it’s just in a small way.

MMO: Are there any upcoming events you’d like to promote? And how can people get involved?

Williams: Every year we do a golf event, and an announcement will be made shortly on our social medias on when the date will be. That’s something to look out for and if you follow us on social media, it’s ProjThirtyFour, all spelled out.

MMO: Thanks so much for some time today, Trevor. Have a great offseason.

Williams: Thank you.

Follow Trevor Williams on Twitter, @MeLlamoTrevor

Follow Project 34 on Twitter, @ProjThirtyFour

Check out Trevor’s foundation, Project 34, here.

The post MMO Exclusive: Right-Handed Pitcher, Trevor Williams appeared first on Metsmerized Online.