Jacob Reimer starred for a hot Brooklyn team, notching six extra-base hits and walking three times, raising his OPS to 1.065. The stellar week earned him a spot on MLB Pipeline’s Team of the Week.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the minor-league system, which saw multiple key MLB pieces rehabbing.

Jacob Reimer. Photo by Ed Delany of Mets Minors

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets (10-10) had a great week at the ballpark, winning their first series of the season. They took five of six games from the Buffalo Bisons, including two shutouts. Syracuse pitchers allowed just 13 runs in the six-game set, while the offense scored 29 runs.

Two of the Mets’ recent veteran additions to the Triple-A squad were two of the standout bats from the most recent series.

• Jon Singleton played in just four games but had excellent production, recording three home runs and six RBIs in just 14 at-bats. The former Astro now leads the squad with four long balls.
• Niko Goodrum was the other veteran who shined, as he went 5-for-12 with three doubles, five walks, and a stolen base. His OPS in the five games he played in was 1.246.

Gilberto Celestino continued his hot start to the season by adding two home runs, while Jakson Reetz heated up with two home runs of his own. Both players are tied for second on the team behind Singleton with three home runs.

On the mound, Blade Tidwell had a fantastic week after getting off to a rough start to the season. The top prospect made two starts, allowing two runs in five innings in the first one and allowing no runs in 4 1/3 innings in the second one. He also struck out 13 batters across his two appearances, lowering his ERA through five starts to 4.43.

Brandon Sproat had his best outing of the year, tossing six scoreless innings. Surprisingly, he struck out just one batter. But he has now allowed just two earned runs in his last three starts (14 1/3 innings) and has a season ERA of 3.31.

Brandon Waddell was also fantastic again, allowing one run in six innings with five strikeouts. Through four starts, the lefty has a 1.40 ERA.

Brandon Sproat. Photo Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Double-A

After dropping the first two games of their series against the Reading Fightin Phils, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (7-6) stormed back to win four straight games to clinch the series. Binghamton pitchers locked in after they allowed 19 runs in the first two games, giving up just 10 over the next four.

• Jeff McNeil played in two games for Binghamton, and he made his presence felt. He went 6-for-9 with two home runs and a double, including his most recent game in which he was 4-for-4. McNeil, who has been experimenting with the torpedo bat, should be back on the major league roster before too long.
• Francisco Alvarez also continued his rehab assignment, with his return to the major league roster coming soon as well. Alvarez didn’t have as much success as McNeil but was still productive, recording six hits, including a homer, in five games. He also caught multiple full games.
• Both players will continue rehab this week with Syracuse.

Ryan Clifford had a slow start to the season but began heating up in this series, leading the team with seven hits, including a homer and two doubles. The lefty slugger also led the team with four runs driven in, and he now owns a season OPS of .737.

Jett Williams also had a productive week, recording a double, a triple, a homer, and a stolen base in four games. His OPS for the season is .831.

The highlight of the week on the mound in Binghamton was Nolan McLean, who continues to look like a rising star. McLean tossed six shutout innings with eight strikeouts in his latest effort, moving his ERA through three starts to 0.60.

Jack Wenninger also continued his strong season, allowing just one run in five innings with six strikeouts. He has a 1.20 ERA through three starts.

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones (10-5) took four of six games from the Aberdeen IronBirds, with their two losses coming by a combined total of four runs. Brooklyn had a chance to rattle off four straight wins to finish off the series and remain tied atop the South Atlantic League North division, but they were unable to secure a victory in the series finale.

Two of the hottest batters in the Mets’ system continued their early-season tears this week. Chris Suero didn’t hit much, going just 3-for-17, but two of his hits were home runs and the other one was a double. He also walked four times and stole four bases. His OPS for the year dropped but still remains above 1.000 at 1.128.

Reimer is the other batter, who we mentioned in the intro, tearing the cover off the ball. He went 8-for-19 with two doubles, two triples, and two home runs. He walked three times and raised his OPS to 1.065.

Zach Thornton was brilliant once again, dominating to the tune of six shutout innings. He allowed just one hit and no other baserunners while striking out eight. The Mets’ 2023 fifth-round pick has yet to allow a run in three starts (16 innings) and has allowed just nine baserunners all year.

Noah Hall, another 2023 draft pick, also impressed by allowing one run in five innings with seven strikeouts. Hall struggled in four starts in Brooklyn a year ago but has just a 1.23 ERA through three starts in Brooklyn this year.

Marco Vargas. Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets (8-7) won four of their six games against the Tampa Tarpons. The series between the two teams featured a ton of offense, including the series opener in which the Mets scored 17 runs. In all six games, the Mets scored 44 runs while the Tarpons scored 32.

Marco Vargas and A.J. Ewing were at the forefront of the offensive attack, with Vargas going 7-for-16 with a home run, four walks, and eight runs, while Ewing went 8-for-20 with a double, a triple, five RBIs, and five stolen bases. Vargas (.438) and Ewing (.429) are ranked first and second in the Florida State League in average, and both maintain an OPS eclipsing 1.150.

Colin Houck and Trace Willhoite both hit two home runs during the series, despite not hitting much otherwise. Willhoite led the team with seven RBIs in the series while Houck walked five times. Willhoite has been great, with an .861 OPS while Houck has struggled for the most part, owning a .674 OPS.

Nate Dohm and Will Watson, two of the Mets’ 2024 draft picks, each pitched five innings while allowing just a run. Dohm allowed just one hit and struck out six in his effort while Watson allowed five hits and struck out four. Both have been great so far, but Watson has especially impressed with a 0.71 ERA in three appearances.

Out of the bullpen, Chandler Marsh had a phenomenal series. In two appearances, he tossed four perfect innings and struck out seven. Marsh was signed in the middle of last season as an undrafted free agent and has looked great early in his pro career.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Marco Vargas (STL) – .438

OPS – Marco Vargas (STL) – 1.155

HR – Chris Suero (BRK) – 5

SB – A.J. Ewing (STL) – 10

Pitching

ERA – Zach Thornton (BRK) – 0.00

SO – Blade Tidwell (SYR) – 28

WHIP – Zach Thorton (BRK) – 0.44

Players of the Week

Offense – Marco Vargas, 2B/SS St. Lucie

For the second week in a row, the minor league offensive player of the week comes from St. Lucie. Vargas had a brutal 2024 in which he was injured for most of the year and when he did play, he was unproductive. This year, he’s showing why the Mets thought so highly of him to bring him in as the centerpiece of the David Robertson trade in 2023.

Vargas is leading the Florida State League in average and on-base percentage and is second in the league in OPS. He also has more walks than strikeouts, which is a stat that actually applies to his entire career to this point. Still just under 20 years old, there’s a bright future ahead for Vargas if he can stay healthy.

Pitching – Zach Thornton, P Brooklyn

Thornton had a so-so season in 2024 between St. Lucie and Brooklyn, compiling a 4.10 ERA in 20 games between the two squads. This year, he still has yet to allow a run and is barely allowing baserunners through three starts. His latest start was his best yet, and a promotion to Binghamton may not be too far off if he continues to pitch this way.

Upcoming Schedule – April 22-27

• Triple-A Syracuse: @ Worcester
• Double-A Binghamton: vs. New Hampshire
• High-A Brooklyn: @ Jersey Shore
• Low-A St. Lucie: vs. Daytona

The post Minors Weekly Report: Jacob Reimer Stars for Brooklyn appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets defeated the Cardinals on Friday night 7-1, giving the team three consecutive wins for the first time since July 16-19. The team is in the midst of a solid stretch, having won five of their last six, after looking completely flat following the trade deadline. With their better play of late, even with that abysmal stretch after their sell-off, the Mets enter today just seven games out of a wild card spot, the exact number of games back they were at the trade deadline.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Now, onto the morning briefing!

Latest Mets News

During the Mets’ 7-1 victory over the Cardinals, Joey Lucchesi pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings in his first start since May. Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil shined offensively, each recording three hits and a home run.

Nimmo recorded his 18th home run of the season on Friday night against the Cardinals, breaking his previous single-season home run record of 17 set in 2018. The Mets’ left fielder has been dynamic for New York this season, recording a 123 OPS+ and 3.2  bWAR this season before Friday night’s matchup.

Brandon Nimmo sets a career-high with his 18th home run of the year! pic.twitter.com/KZSzYIYfsc

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 19, 2023

Mike Puma of the New York Post wrote about Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the star Japanese pitcher set to be posted this offseason, and Kodai Senga‘s thoughts on him. Senga said, “I have known him since he was 20 years old. He’s been at the top level since he was very young, and I know he has a ton of talent. He is an amazing player.” On if Yamamoto were to potentially join the Mets, Senga noted, “Everybody on the team is such a great teammate… I think he would be a great fit and the whole team would welcome him.”

Darryl Strawberry was at the Syracuse Mets’ game on Friday night which was eventually canceled due to weather. Strawberry signed merchandise and souvenirs for fans while at the game.

Latest MLB News

Michael Clair of MLB.com wrote about Genevieve Beacom, an 18-year-old who is a two-way superstar from Australia. She has drawn comparisons to Shohei Ohtani, the best two-way player in the world.

The Angels called up 2023 first-round pick Nolan Schanuel, who was drafted by the team just last month. Schanuel, 21, was in Double-A and had posted a .955 OPS over 75 plate appearances there.

The Dodgers signed infielder Kolten Wong to a minor league contract. Although he struggled mightily this year in Seattle, he is just one season removed from having a 117 OPS+.

Per Sarah Langs, Julio Rodríguez is the second-youngest player with 12 hits in a three-game span since 1901. The only player younger than him to achieve that feat was Buddy Lewis in 1937.

Latest on MMO

In the latest Mets Minors Recap, Sean Kenny wrote about Luke Ritter and Carlos Cortes‘ strong performances with Triple-A Syracuse.

Michael Mayer argued that Ritter and Cortes should get a chance with the Mets.

Michael Mayer wrote about Kodai Senga‘s willingness to help recruit Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as well as the Mets’ reported interest in Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga.

Michael Famulari recapped José Quintana‘s quality start in the Mets’ victory over the Cardinals Thursday night.

Rich Sparago looked at fans’ and customers’ different perspectives on the Mets’ 2023 season.

On This Date in Mets History

1969: Tommie Agee hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 14th inning to give the Mets a 1-0 victory over the Giants. Juan Marichal had given up just five hits and no runs through 13 1/3 innings up to that point, and he recorded the loss despite a fantastic performance. For the Mets, Gary Gentry and Tug McGraw combined to shut out the Giants over 14 innings with McGraw recording the win.

Birthdays: Chris Capuano (45), Jeff Tam (53), Matt Franco (54), Ron Darling (63), Mike Phillips (73)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Win Three Straight For First Time In August appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jun 18, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi (47) throws to the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The key to the Mets’ victory was a strong pitching performance by Joey Lucchesi, who made his first big league start since May 13. After loading the bases in the first inning, he managed to escape the inning scoreless and pitched effectively over the rest of his outing.

After a strenuous first inning, Lucchesi retired 12 in a row, generating lots of easy ground balls over that stretch. His streak of retired batters was broken on the first hit in Masyn Winn‘s MLB career.

Lucchesi exited the game with runners on second and third with two outs in the sixth inning. Phil Bickford relieved him and walked Jordan Walker to load the bases before striking out Alec Burleson to keep the Cardinals off the board. That ensured Lucchesi would end his night with a scoreless performance, which dropped his season ERA almost a full run from 4.43 to 3.54.

Offensively, the Mets put themselves ahead right away before putting the game away late. Brandon Nimmo led off the game by taking the lefty Zack Thompson deep, socking his career-high 18th home run of the year to give the Mets and Lucchesi an early lead to play with. Jeff McNeil added to the lead in the third inning by knocking an RBI single up the middle, scoring Lindor from second base to extend the lead to 2-0.

Joey Lucchesi drops the churve on Jordan Walker and gets out of bases-loaded trouble pic.twitter.com/XrPT4brwQL

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 19, 2023

Both offenses remained quiet until the seventh inning when the Mets blew the game open. Still up by just two, the Mets loaded the bases with nobody out. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Francisco Lindor, with a questionable throw home by the young shortstop Winn, brought home a run before Francisco Álvarez hit an opposite-field RBI single to make it a 4-0 game.

Jeff McNeil then unloaded a three-run shot over the right field fence, his sixth home run of the year, to extend the lead to 7-0. That home run was McNeil’s third over his last 14 games after he had just three home runs all season before that. He has been swinging the bat much better of late, having entered this game batting .288 in the month of August.

Sam Coonrod and Dennis Santana combined to pitch the final three innings after Bickford managed to escape the sixth inning without allowing a run. Coonrod set down the Cardinals in order in the seventh inning before Santana gave up the shutout with two outs in the ninth inning on a Richie Palacios double. Still, Santana stayed on to record the final out and give the Mets a 7-1 win.

The Mets have now won five out of their six last games, improving their record to 57-66. They have now clinched at least a series tie with the Cardinals with two games still to play before heading to Atlanta to take on the Braves for the final time this season.

Player of the Game

Brandon Nimmo gets player of the game honors in this game. Not only did he set a new career-high for home runs in a season with 18, but he also finished the game 3-for-5 while extending his hitting streak to ten games as he continues to look scorching hot at the plate.

On Deck

The Mets will look to secure a series win against the Cardinals on Saturday evening, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET. Kodai Senga (9-6, 3.30 ERA) will look to continue his stellar rookie campaign as he takes the mound for the Mets, while Miles Mikolas (6-8, 4.27 ERA) gets the start for the Cardinals. The game will be broadcast on PIX11.

The post Nimmo, Lucchesi Shine As Mets Defeat Cardinals 7-1 appeared first on Metsmerized.

Francisco Lindor was scratched from last night’s game against the Braves due to right side soreness. Buck Showalter explained after the game that Lindor felt the soreness during batting practice, and he is set to have medical imaging done today to determine its severity. Lindor remarkably played in every game this year before missing yesterday’s game, a year after he played 161 games and only missed one due to a finger fracture.

Latest Mets News

Denyi Reyes has joined the Mets to start the first game of today’s doubleheader against the Braves, with José Quintana getting the start in the second game.

Mike Puma of the New York Post wrote about how the Mets may consider playing Jeff McNeil at third base next season.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote that he believes the Mets will pursue Shohei Ohtani this offseason. He also believes that Japanese superstar pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto may be the best fit for the Mets this offseason in terms of free agent starting pitchers.

Latest MLB News

José Bautista is officially retiring from baseball. He will sign a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays and enter the team’s prestigious Level of Excellence.

The Yankees placed starting pitcher Nestor Cortes on the 15-day injured list with a left rotator cuff strain. Cortes had been out since May due to injury before returning to make a start last week.

Short once again on starting pitching, the Yankees recalled both Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilks-Barre.

Former Mets’ minor leaguer Allan Winans has a locker in the Braves’ clubhouse at Citi Field, presumably to start one of the doubleheader games today. Winans was left unprotected by the Mets a couple years ago during the minor-league Rule 5 draft, and he will now get a chance to face them in the big leagues.

Latest on MMO

In the latest Mets Minors Recap, Michael Mayer highlighted Brett Baty‘s home run in his first game back with Triple-A Syracuse.

Chris Bello broke down a potentially game-saving decision by Francisco Álvarez during Wednesday night’s win against the Cubs.

James Villani analyzed the updated MLB Pipeline prospect rankings in which the Mets have five top-100 prospects.

On This Date in Mets History

2000: Benny Agbayani infamously forgot how many outs there were after catching a fly ball, handing it to a young fan thinking the inning was over. A run came in to score due to Agbayani’s blunder before he realized his mistake and snatched the ball away from the fan.

Birthdays: Barry Manuel (58)

The post Morning Briefing: Francisco Lindor to Receive Imaging for Side Soreness appeared first on Metsmerized.

Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

In his return to the big leagues after a shaky stint in the minors, Megill was hit hard right from the outset. The electrifying one-two punch of Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson led off the game with a single and a home run, putting the Mets in an early 2-0 hole to try to climb out of.

Megill managed to limit any further damage before settling in for a scoreless second inning. However, he allowed a run in each of the next three innings to end his night, including a fifth-inning homer off the bat of Anthony Santander. Megill exited the game having given up five earned runs over 4 2/3 innings, allowing nine hits and striking out three.

“I know that some people might not look at it that way, but I thought it was a good step for him stuff-wise,” Buck Showalter said of Megill after the game. “They did a nice job with him down in Syracuse. He looked more like himself and it’s got a chance to progress better as we go.”

On the other side, Gibson pitched well against the Mets’ lineup aside from two hiccups in the fourth and sixth innings. After throwing three perfect innings with six strikeouts his first time through the order, Gibson allowed a double to Brandon Nimmo and a two-run homer to Jeff McNeil, McNeil’s fourth long ball of the year and his first in nearly two months.

Jeff McNeil gets the Mets on the board with a 2-run homer! pic.twitter.com/PXNM76zmzs

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 6, 2023

McNeil delivered again in the sixth inning after Francisco Lindor reached base via a two-out bloop double. He lined a ball into the outfield which scored Lindor to make it a 5-3 game, keeping the Mets firmly within striking distance. Gibson finished strong, though, exiting after seven strong innings and never allowing the Mets to take the lead.

Baltimore responded to McNeil’s RBI hit in the bottom of the inning, scoring for the fourth consecutive inning with an RBI double off the bat of Ryan McKenna to give the Orioles a 6-3 lead. The O’s added on again in the ninth against Phil Bickford, with Rutschman hitting an RBI double to extend the lead to four.

That proved too much for the Mets to overcome as they never threatened to take the lead, let alone score, over the final three innings. With Megill struggling on the mound and McNeil providing all the offense, the Mets once again gave themselves little to no chance to win. With their fifth consecutive loss following the trade deadline, the Mets now sit at 50-60 on the year.

Megill’s Return to the Rotation

Tylor Megill returned to the big league rotation out of necessity with both Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer out of the picture. He struggled against a potent Orioles lineup, giving up a run in four of the five innings he was on the mound to raise his season ERA from 5.17 to 5.45. If there’s one positive that can be taken away from his outing, it’s that the velocity on his fastball looks as if it’s back to normal after it dipped in several of his starts earlier in the year.

On Deck

The Mets will wrap up their series with the Orioles on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET. José Quintana (0-2, 3.57 ERA) will be on the mound for his fourth start of the year for the Mets, while Kyle Bradish (7-6, 3.32 ERA) will look to continue his strong season for Baltimore. The game will be broadcast on SNY.

The post Mets Drop Fifth Straight, Lose 7-3 To Orioles appeared first on Metsmerized.

After a five-iinning start by Carlos Carrasco was followed up by two solid combined innings from Jeff Brigham and Brooks Raley, David Robertson entered the game in the eighth with a two-run lead. With one out in the inning, a Pete Alonso throwing error and a walk was followed by a three-run homer off the bat of rookie catcher Patrick Bailey. The Mets could not mount a comeback and the Giants won the game 5-4, handing the Mets yet another brutal loss.

On multiple occasions throughout the night, Alonso was seen expressing frustration, including breaking his bat over his knee. “I’m fine with that. They care a lot,” said Buck Showalter after the game. “They’re all wanting to know why. We’ve got to figure out the reasons why.”

“It sucks,” Robertson said. “We’re trying. It seems like nothing is going our way. This clubhouse hasn’t given up, that’s for sure.”

David Robertson. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets had plenty of chances to win the game, even though Carrasco wasn’t very efficient. His 92 pitches after five innings prevented him from going further in the game, but he gave up just two runs and struck out a season high six batters.

Because Carrasco, Brigham, and Raley were able to hold San Francisco to just two runs through seven innings, the Mets played with the lead for nearly the entire game. They started the scoring in the first inning on a Jeff McNeil RBI double and regained the lead in the second with an Omar Narváez sacrifice fly.

When old friend Wilmer Flores stied the game with a solo homer in the fifth inning, the Mets once again rebounded and took the lead right back. McNeil came through like he did in the first inning with his second RBI double of the game. The play was originally ruled a ground-rule double which would have kept Nimmo, the lead baserunner, at third with two outs in the inning. However, the umpires ruled that fan interference occurred and awarded Nimmo home plate.

A Tommy Pham solo homer in the sixth inning gave the Mets another run to make it a 4-2 ballgame, but, of course, that insurance run wound up being moot. The eighth inning three-run home run off of Robertson was a blow that made even a one-run deficit seem insurmountable.

The Mets did get the tying run on base in the ninth after Luis Guillorme walked. But Starling Marte came into the game to pinch run and, when attempting to steal second, he was hosed by Bailey who played the hero yet again. It was the Mets first caught stealing attempt since May 10, but the putout ended the Mets’ threat. On the very next pitch, Nimmo struck out to give the Mets their third loss in a row.

“Tougher things have been overcome,” Showalter said when asked about being 10 games under .500. “I tell you one thing, I wouldn’t doubt these guys. Somebody’s gonna make a mistake if they do.”

Stat of the Game

Only the Royals finished with a worse record than the Mets in June in all of Major League Baseball. The 7-19 record the Mets put up is the team’s worst calendar month since June 2018 when they went 5-21.

The Mets finish June with a 7-19 record, worst in the National League. Only the Royals (6-19, and losing tonight) produced a worse mark this month.

It is the worst calendar month for the Mets since they went 5-21 in June 2018.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 1, 2023

Player Focus

Jeff McNeil hasn’t had a game like tonight in a long time. He simply hasn’t looked right all season, entering the game with a .255 batting average and just a .657 OPS after winning the maj0r-league batting title a season ago. However, he finished 2-for-4 on Friday with two opposite-field doubles and two RBIs in what is hopefully the start of a bounce back second-half campaign.

On Deck

The series with the Giants continues Saturday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET. Justin Verlander (2-4, 4.11 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets after going five scoreless innings against the Brewers in his last start. For the Giants, it will be Anthony DeSclafani (4-7, 4.28 ERA) getting the start. The game will be broadcast on SNY.

The post Robertson Gives Up Three-Run Homer, Mets Lose 5-4 to Giants appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

Will Sammon of The Athletic goes into detail about how the New York Mets and infielder Jeff McNeil began their discussions of an extension and the process it took to get there as well as the simple dinner invite that started the entire process. McNeil signed a four-year, $50 million extension to remain in orange and blue and was all smiles during his press conference.

Now onto the morning briefing!

Latest Mets News

Andrew Marchand of the New York Post wrote a feature about Howie Rose, which reveals his battle with bladder cancer.

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN released his top-100 prospect list for 2023 and it features three Mets prospects within the ranks. Catcher Francisco Alvarez is listed at No. 5, infielder Brett Baty at 20 and Ronny Mauricio at 56. Catcher Kevin Parada and outfielder Alex Ramirez were not on the list but in the group of 50 FV.

Jacob Resnick toured Clover Park in a recent article for MiLB.com.

Latest MLB News

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame announced the induction of four new members.

The 65th Caribbean Series is starting soon. Buster Olney of ESPN has information on how you can watch.

MLB announced a new animated series paying tribute to the Negro Leagues.

The Reds announced that they’ve signed Chad Pinder and Jason Vosler to minor league deals.

A recent article from Reuters talked about how the U.S. Justice Department requested a federal appeals court to extend MLB’s “longtime immunity from antitrust law to a dispute involving restrictions on the number of minor league teams that can be affiliated with professional clubs.”

Latest On MMO

FOCO Releases New York Mets Valentine’s Day Bobblehead

Full Hitting Profile Breakdown: Pete Alonso

On This Date in Mets History

2008: One day after signing the largest contract a Mets pitcher received in team history, the Mets officially announced the acquisition of Johan Santana from the Minnesota Twins. In exchange for Carlos Gomez, Deolis Guerra, Phillip Humber and Kevin Mulvey, the Mets acquired Santana and signed him to a six-year, $137.5 million contract.

Birthdays: Chin-lung Hu (39), Ronny Cedeno (40), Jason Vargas (40), Melvin Mora (51), Scott Erickson (55), Pat Tabler (65), Leo Foster (72), Dale Murray (73)

The post Morning Briefing: Inside Jeff McNeil’s Extension Process appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets announced their four-year extension with 2022 batting champ Jeff McNeil on Tuesday morning. The Mets will hold a press conference on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. ET with McNeil at Citi Field.

The four-year, $50 million extension will keep McNeil with the Mets through the 2026 season, and has a club option for the 2027 season as well. The option for 2027 is at $15.75 million with a $2 million buyout.

Contract details:

• 2023: $6.25M
• 2024: $10.25M
• 2025: $15.75M
• 2026: $15.75M
• The Mets have a $15.75 million option for 2027 with a $2 million buyout.

Bonus details:

• $100,000 for winning the World Series MVP
• $50,000 for League Championship Series MVP, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger or All-Star team
• $500,000 assignment bonus if traded (paid by receiving team)

“We are thrilled for Jeff and his family,” Mets owner Steve Cohen said in a statement. “It feels like he hasn’t stopped hitting since he lined a single in his first at-bat at Citi Field five years ago. We are especially proud that Jeff worked his way through our organization over the last decade to become a homegrown star and that he has chosen to extend our partnership.”

McNeil carved out a stellar 2022 season in which he won the batting title leading the major leagues with his .326 batting average. In doing so, the 30-year-old became only the second player in franchise history to win a batting title since Jose Reyes accomplished the feat in 2011 and the first Met to ever lead the majors in batting average for a season.

He slashed .326/.382/.454/.836 with 62 RBI and a 5.7 WAR. McNeil also finished 2022 with an OPS+ of 140, while he hit .336 with an OPS of .806 with runners in scoring position. Since 2018, there have only been five players who have played at least 500 games and posted a batting average over .300 in that span. McNeil is one of them.

Plus, the Mets really value McNeil’s versatility. He made 106 appearances at second base – where he’ll primarily feature in 2023 – and also 47 outings at the corners and in the outfield. The ability to play multiple positions, coupled with his habit of making highlight-reel plays with the glove, makes McNeil a versatile weapon.

“Jeff was a big part of our success last season,” Mets GM Billy Eppler said. “He has truly elite bat-to-ball skill, which has been the foundation of his strong offensive performance throughout his career. On the other side of the ball, his ability to play infield and outfield at a high level adds valuable flexibility to our roster. We’re thrilled to have him here for years to come.”

The post Mets Announce Jeff McNeil’s Extension appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

On Friday, the Mets signed Jeff McNeil to a four-year, $50 million contract extension, with a fifth-year club option that could take the deal up to $63.75 million. MMO’s own Mike Mayer reported that there was optimism a deal could get done after recent extension talks had taken place, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the deal soon after. A perhaps overlooked outcome of this deal is that the Mets and McNeil will now avoid arbitration after McNeil was the only Met to not settle with the team. Both sides now avoid the process entirely and have to be thrilled with this deal.

MMO is giving away a Jeff McNeil relic card to celebrate his extension with the team. All you have to do is retweet the post and follow on Twitter for a chance to win!

Latest Mets News

Mike Puma of the New York Post wrote that Kodai Senga will be the talk of the Mets during spring training, as his ability to transition to MLB is still a question mark. Puma also wrote that several Mets’ coaches including pitching coach Jeremy Hefner have traveled to Seattle to watch Senga pitch and build a rapport with him.

Bill Ladson of MLB.com wrote about Darryl Strawberry and how he plans to preach his message of love to troubled individuals in the prison system.

Latest MLB News

The Twins announced that they will be inducting Joe Mauer into their team Hall of Fame during the 2023 season.

The Braves signed manager Brian Snitker to a contract extension through the 2025 season.

The Rays signed reliever Pete Fairbanks to a three-year, $12 million deal according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal also includes a fourth-year club option.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Cole Hamels threw for teams on Friday and was said to look “insanely good.” It is believed that he will receive interest. Heyman noted that Kyle Crick and Derek Holland also threw for scouts on Friday.

The Blue Jays announced new dimensions to the outfield walls in their stadium. They will be bringing the walls in in left-center and right-center field.

The Rangers signed five players to minor league contracts: Danny Duffy, Clint Frazier, Ian Kennedy, Reyes Moronta, and former Met Travis Jankowski.

The Rangers announced “Rangers U,” a program in partnership with Abilene Christian University that provides Rangers players and coaches with college credit via online courses specifically designed for players.

Latest on MMO

Chris Bello ranked the first basemen of the NL East.

Andrew Steele-Davis analyzed the Jeff McNeil contract extension.

On This Date in Mets History

1967: The Mets selected Ken Singleton with the third overall pick of the 1967 January amateur draft, just one pick before the Red Sox selected Carlton Fisk. Singleton was later traded in 1972 as part of a package for Rusty Staub, and went on to enjoy a productive career mostly spent with the Orioles.

Birthdays: Tsuyoshi Shinjo (51)

The post Morning Briefing: The Jeff McNeil Era Is Prolonged appeared first on Metsmerized.

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The Mets and Jeff McNeil have agreed on a contract extension per Jeff Passan of ESPN. The extension is for four-years, $50 million with a club option that could make it five-years, $63.5 million.

The extension talks were originally reported by MMO’s own Michael Mayer.

McNeil is now under team control through at least the 2026 season with an option for the 2027 season.

McNeil is coming off a stellar 2022 season for the Mets. He bounced back from a rough 2021 campaign to lead the offense and he finished last year in style by leading the majors in batting average. It was McNeil’s first career batting title.

He slashed .326/.382/.454/.836 in 2022 with nine homers and 62 RBI. He also hit 39 doubles, walked 40 times and struck out on just 61 occasions. McNeil finished the year with a 5.7 WAR and a OPS+ of 140. While the third baseman isn’t known for his power, he is known for his clutch hitting. He hit .336 with a .806 OPS with runners in scoring position in 2022.

McNeil is very much a throwback to the baseball player of old. He doesn’t mash and doesn’t live-or-die by the long ball, like so many hitters in the modern game. Instead, he hits for contact, produces gritty at-bats, can put the ball in play and he’s a tough out almost every time he steps up to the plate. Plus, he’s an excellent baserunner and he has demonstrated an ability to produce flashy, highlight-reel plays with the glove.

It is also important to look at the larger sample size when assessing McNeil’s importance to the Mets. Since 2018, there are only five players who have played at least 500 games and posted a batting average over .300 in that span: Freddie Freeman, Michael Brantley, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and McNeil.

McNeil has developed into a key cog in this lineup and he’s very much the straw that stirs the drink for this offense. He can make things happen at the plate and he’s been long overdue a payday by the Mets. A two-time All-Star with a batting title and a silver slugger on his resume, the 30-year-old is deserving of a raise.

A raise McNeil now has and, more importantly, he’s a member of the New York Mets for a long time. With Pete Alonso also needing a long-term extension, it was important for the front office to start locking down their key pieces and extending McNeil is certainly a good start.

The post Mets, Jeff McNeil Agree on Extension appeared first on Metsmerized.