Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

Heading into the Allstar break the New York Mets sat in first place of the National League East. Now one month after the break, the Mets have dropped 15 of their last 24 games leaving the team sitting in third place.

After the team has just been swept by division rival Philadelphia Phillies in a three game set, questions are starting to be asked not just about the offense, but also about the manager Luis Rojas.

After Saturday’s contest in Philadelphia the manager was questioned on how secure he felt in the Mets job, he responded with:

“My focus will always be on the team and nothing more than that. We have got to win games.”

No Mets Manager has been fired in-season since 2008 when the club let go of Willie Randolph. This trend, for now will continue on as Steve Cohen has insisted that Rojas’ job is secure.  Cohen believes that the Mets roster makeup is not made for a mid-season, Steinbrenner-esque, sudden change in management.

With only 51 games to go, the time for the Mets to turn it around is now. With key contributors in Degrom, Lindor, and Syndergaard all coming back from injury. The belief is that Rojas can still lead this Mets team, in a division with no single dominant team, to a division title.

We’ll see.

The post Luis Rojas’ Job as Mets Manager is Secure appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Credit: Kam Nedd-USA TODAY Sports

In Game One of a two-game series against the Baltimore Orioles, Marcus Stroman was wheeling and dealing. The right hander bounced back after a bumpy first two batters to put together, yet another, great outing.

Cedric Mullins began the game with a lead-off single, and Austin Hays followed up with a ground ball back to Jonathan Villar, who botched the play causing Mullins to go from first to third.

Stroman used his glove to get out of trouble, making beautiful defensive play on a comebacker off the bat of Trey Mancini, cutting down Mullins, who was trying to score on the play.  Freddy Galvis grounded out to end the inning.

Marcus Stroman with the heads-up play and gets the runner at third in a rundown 💨 pic.twitter.com/qXqEWKdZ8Z

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 11, 2021

Stroman began to find a rhythm in the second inning, recording two strikeouts, before hurling perfect frames in the both the third and the fourth innings. Stroman has always been known for his ability to generate a lot of ground balls throughout his career, and that was paramount in this contest.

Stroman has the fifth-best ground ball percentage in the majors at 56.4%. The ground balls were rolling last night, as eight of the first 12 Baltimore outs were made on groundouts.

“He was outstanding. Everything working for him: sinker, slider, changeup. They have some really good hitters in that lineup and he was mixing well.” Mets manager Luis Rojas said of Marcus Stroman’s outing at Citi Field.

Flash forward to the seventh inning, where Stroman had retired 14 of the last 15 batters, and hadn’t given up a hit since the second inning.

Nonetheless, he began to run into trouble that inning, as Galvis and Maikel Franco led things off with back-to-back singles. After Rio Ruiz grounded out, Pedro Severino was intentionally walked, loading the bases.

This marked the end of Stroman’s night, as the Mets turned to Aaron Loup to get out of the jam. The left-hander allowed a sacrifice fly, accounting for the only earned run attributed to Stroman, before inducing a groundout that ended the inning.

All told, Stroman allowed four hits, two walks and one earned run across 6 1/3 innings, while striking out five batters. He lowered his season ERA to 2.01 with this great performance (which ranks 6th in the National League.)

“I just compete. I get my body and mind in the best place possible over my five days.” Stroman said.

On the season Stroman owns a 1.02 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, and his 3.8 K/BB which are all the best marks he’s produced since 2014, which was his rookie season.

With Jacob deGrom on the IL, the Mets will continue to rely heavily on Stroman as the ace of the staff until the two-time Cy Young can return to the mound.

The post Marcus Stroman Produces Another Quality Start Against Baltimore appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Spring Training 2021 is officially under way. Mets pitchers and catchers reported Wednesday to Clover Park in Port Saint Lucie and position players are scheduled to report on Monday. However, there will be one non-roster invitee and a very popular and well-known player missing when position players report, and that is fan-favorite, Tim Tebow, who on Wednesday announced his retirement from professional baseball.

Tebow was signed by the Mets to a minor league contract on September 8, 2016 and has spent the last four years in the Mets minor league system, most recently making it to Triple-A Syracuse in 2019.

After starting his career in Port Saint Lucie in the Mets’ development league, Tebow split his first season (2017) as a member of the Mets organization between Single-A Columbia and Advanced-A St. Lucie. In his first at bat in the professional development league, he went deep against the St. Louis Cardinals.

In his first full season between Columbia and St. Lucie, He batted .226/.309/.347, with a .656 OPS in 2017, with 24 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 52 RBI’s, and 43 walks.

Tebow spent the 2018 season with Double-A Binghamton, batting .273/.336/.399, with a .734 OPS. He had 14 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 36 RBI’s and 22 walks in 2018. In his first at bat at the Double-A level, Tebow again went deep with a home run. He was named to the Eastern League All-Star Team and represented the Rumble Ponies as a designated hitter.

He closed out his career in 2019 with Triple-A Syracuse, a level not many thought he would get to when he was first signed by the Mets.

“By reaching the Triple-A level in 2019, he far exceeded expectations when he first entered the system in 2016 and he should be very proud of his accomplishments,” stated Mets team President Sandy Alderson.

Tebow hit .163/.240/.255, with a .495 OPS in 2019, accumulating 10 doubles, four home runs, 19 RBI’s and 20 walks. His 2019 season was cut short after he was placed on the injured-list with a laceration to his left-hand, ending his 2019 season early.

Tebow hangs up his cleats after four-seasons with the Mets. Total over the course of his career in the Mets minor league system, the 33-year old from Makati, Phillippines batted .223/.299/.338, with a .638 OPS. He accumulated a total of 48 doubles, three triples, 18 home runs, 107 RBI’s, and 85 walks.

“It has been a pleasure to have Tim in our organization as he’s been a consummate professional during his four years with the Mets,” stated Alderson.

Tebow, a University of Florida graduate and popular and inspirational icon for many stated that he feels called in other directions at this time. He thanked Sandy Alderson and the Mets organization in a tweet on Wednesday night.

I never want to be partially in on anything. I always want to be 100% in on whatever I choose. Thank you again for everyone’s support of this awesome journey in baseball, I’ll always cherish my time as a Met! #LGM

— Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) February 18, 2021

While he never quite reached his goal of making it to the majors, Tebow’s time with the Mets won’t soon be forgotten from fans who got to watch him play firsthand.

The post Tim Tebow Announces Retirement from Baseball appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

MLB Network continued their “Top 10 Right Now” series and selected their top 10 right fielders in the game. Listed at No. 7 was New York Mets’ right fielder Michael Conforto.

Here is MLB Network’s Top 10 Right Fielders Right Now:

1. Mookie Betts
2. Juan Soto
3. Ronald Acuna Jr.
4. Aaron Judge
5. Bryce Harper
6. Mike Yastrzemski
7. Michael Conforto
8. Joey Gallo
9. Charlie Blackmon
10. Jorge Soler

Conforto, 27, was drafted by the Mets with the No. 10 overall pick in the first round of the 2014 MLB draft out of Oregon State and he quickly become a fan favorite in New York.

In 2019, he hit .257/.363/.494, with a .856 OPS, collecting 29 doubles, one triple, 33 home runs, and driving in 92 runs over 151 games played.

In the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, the Seattle, WA native hit .322/.412/.515, with a .927 OPS, collecting 12 doubles, nine home runs, 31 RBI’s and 24 BB in 54 games played. In right field in 2020, Conforto was worth 1 DRS.

Overall for his career, Conforto has hit .259/.358/.484, with a .843 OPS. He has collected 121 doubles, four triples, 118 home runs, and driven in 341 runs in 632 career games played. Overall in the field over the course of his six seasons with the Mets, Conforto has been worth 5 DRS out in right field.

The post MLB Network Ranks Michael Conforto No. 7 Right Fielder appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

We’re Mets fans. We like to collect Mets memorabilia. So, why not enjoy this off-season and take out the various pennants, bobbleheads, programs, baseball cards and whatever else you collect and share them while reminiscing about how you obtained them and what they mean to you.

Leading off, I’ll share a picture of the Mets pennant I have from my childhood. I was almost born at Shea (Mom and Dad were in the Upper Deck when Mom was 8 1/2 months pregnant and she began experiencing Braxton-Hicks) so from the beginning I was a Mets fan. To this day, that June game and the 23-inning game in 1964 are the only game Dad has ever left before they were over.

The featured picture of the well-worn Mets pennant they bought me before I was born during that amazing season of 1969.

Almost 50-years old, that pennant has survived at least half a dozen moves; a younger brother who liked to take and tear my things; a girlfriend/fiancee/now wife who strangely feels baseball pennants belong in the man cave rather than the living room; two Mets World Series; and a terrorist attack on New York City. The pennant shown pre-dates the Twin Towers and lasted longer than them despite being only blocks from where the Towers fell.

Note the less politically correct posture of Mrs. Met, and how Shea does not have a large electronic scoreboard or the Pepsi Porch. Ahh, the ’60s.

So what are some of your favorite Mets mementos? Share a picture and the explanation in the comments so other MMO readers can share your Mets memorabilia.

LGM

The post Let’s See Your Mets Memorabilia: Part 1 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Every so often, a player rises up through an organization and everyone knows they are going to be special.

The Mets themselves experienced it in the early 2000’s.

First it was Jose Reyes who burst on the scene in 2003 as a wide-eyed 20-year-old. Then it was David Wright, the Virginia-born Mets fan who supplanted Ty Wigginton at the hot corner in 2004 and ultimately became the team captain.

Prospects are called up all the time although most never meet their lofty expectations. But once in a great while, there are certain players who deliver on all their great promise and I have a gut feeling that Rosario is just such a player – I believe he can be a game-changer.

The Mets are an organization that has always prided itself on great pitching. From Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, to Dwight Gooden and even the failed Generation K. There has always been an emphasis on arms and when the Mets went to the World Series in 2015, it was their starters who were the foundation of the team.

But offensive products? There have been far too few, so when they do come up, it’s even more exciting. You have Darryl Strawberry, Edgardo Alfonzo and the aforementioned Wright and Reyes as the rare position players that the Mets have struck gold with, and we’re all hoping that Michael Conforto will also join those ranks.

But on Tuesday night, Mets fans will see the first game of what many hope will be another player that can go down as one of those home-grown stars: Amed Rosario.

The 21-year-old has a love for the game, and a love for New York, like no other. There hasn’t been a Mets prospect this vocal about wanting to make an impact at the big league level probably ever. And if I’m wrong, correct me.

The No. 2 prospect in all of baseball will make his much anticipated big league debut against the Rockies in what is set to be the most exciting moment for Mets fans all year.

“I’m grateful to share this moment with all of you, especially Mets fans who have showered me with support,” Rosario said late Monday on his Instagram account. “Things won’t always be perfect, but expect me to give you all of me each and every day. Let’s create long lasting memories at Citi.”

At the time of his call-up, Rosario was hitting .328/.367/.466 with seven home runs and 58 RBI in 94 games for Triple-A Las Vegas this season.

It’s been a rapid rise for Rosario, who just last season was playing in Single-A, but he put his head down, worked hard and will now rock No. 1 in a Mets uniform at baseball’s highest stage.

With Michael Conforto breaking out and appearing in his first All-Star game and Dominic Smith likely to be up in the majors sooner than later, the Mets have an exciting young core of position players for the first time since, well, Wright and Reyes.

A dominant force in the middle infield and leadoff hitter potential, Rosario will fill a void that has been left since Reyes left for free agency in 2011.

It’s funny how things change. Reyes is back and Rosario is taking his position, but the two are close as can be.

“Congratulations to my little brother Amed Rosario welcome to the Big Show. THE FUTURE IS NOW #LGM,” Reyes said on Twitter Monday night.

The two reportedly talk on the phone every day. Hopefully Reyes can work as a mentor for Rosario on the field and help him work through the kinks that young players can run into in the majors.

In a lost season, Tuesday will be an exciting game for the Mets. I have butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it.

We aren’t surprised, but we are definitely ready, and so are you. Good luck Amed, we’re all rooting for you.

The post Rosario Is Here And We Are Ready! appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Recently we came across a very cool company, called Athlete Logos, via Twitter and Instagram (@athletelogos). They are a design firm that specializes in creating custom logos and apparel for athletes & sports teams.

They also happen to be owned and operated by a huge Mets fan named Dan who spends a great deal of his time creating some really cool and very unique Mets t-shirts which you can view and purchase on their site.

From a Neon Cespedes Bat Flip, to an LGM inspired subway sign, these designs really stand out from other apparel on the market. Check them out at www.athletelogos.com or at their apparel site here.

The post Amazin’ Mets Designs By @AthleteLogos appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In the tenth round of the 2010 draft, the New York Mets added right-handed pitcher Akeel Morris to the organization. The then 17-year old out of St. Thomas, in the Virgin Islands was bursting with potential, however raw it may have appeared. The 6’1”, 170 pound hurler came equipped with an electric fastball, curveball, and change combination that he used to strike out a high rate of batters for the Brooklyn Cyclones this year.

In 45 innings pitched, Morris had a 1.00 ERA with a 1.156 WHIP, 12.0 SO/9 and a 4.6 BB/9. We even wrote about Morris’ past performance here at Mets Minors.

“I would usually work off of my fastball, and when I get my good fastball going and I’m hitting spots, I’ll use my changeup. “I was mainly using my fastball, changeup and changing speeds with those two pitches,” he says.

A combination that led him, despite serving primarily as a closer and pitching in a significantly fewer number of innings, to the ninth spot on the NYPL strikeout leaderboard.

After spending one year with the GCL Mets in 2010, Morris advanced to Kingsport for the next two seasons, before being promoted to Brooklyn in 2013, his first season out of rookie ball, and his first taste of the glimmering lights of New York.

“It was really great, I had a lot of fun. It was my first time actually being in front of a crowd, a consistent crowd.“ He continues, “It was really exciting for me and I liked the crowds.”

“Actually having to sign all of those autographs every night, was exciting too, along with the interviews. People always say it’s like a little taste of the big leagues playing in Brooklyn and I think it lived up to that. It was actually a little taste of it, and it was a lot of fun,” says the pitching prospect.

He’s an aggressive presence on the mound and it shows in his approach to opposing batters. This is a big factor in his high rate of strikeouts, although it occasionally comes at the cost of a few too many walked batters.

“I don’t feel any pressure, while on the mound, because when the adrenaline kicks in, I’m just ready to compete and all that’s in my head is to stay within myself and do well,” says Morris.

Scouts have criticized him for his “extreme” levels of exertion when throwing a pitch, claiming that this could limit his durability and hinder his pitch control. While these issues may claim to project future problems, there doesn’t seem to be any current indication of it’s effect.

“I feel like in games that I’ve started this year, I could have kept going. I pitched up to five innings but that’s just because of the pitch count.  I feel like I can go deeper into games as a starter, and durability wise, I feel healthy and I don’t think that should be a problem,” says the right-hander.

Like all developing pitchers, Morris does have areas that could use improvement.

“I want to be able to control my fastball much better,” he says. “My goal is to keep throwing more strikes, and that’s what I really push for.”

“This off-season I’ve been getting stronger and trying to really emphasize repeating my mechanics and repeating every pitch I throw, whether it’s a fastball, curveball, or changeup, this way my mechanics don’t change.”

Morris even video tapes himself training to send it to coaches for them to critique. He is constantly working to improve and the strides he’s made only seem greater once you consider when he was actually put on the mound.

“I actually played shortstop until I was about 16 years old and then I began pitching,” says Morris.

In case you forgot, he was drafted as “raw” talent primarily for his potential at the age of 17.

Just four years after being drafted, five years after becoming a pitcher, and Morris is dominating much of his competition, accumulating a 1.00 ERA and striking out an average of 12 batters per nine innings.

Even with these accomplishments in mind Morris isn’t satisfied.

“Right now I feel like what needs the most work is improving my mechanics and really consistently getting a good spin, and keeping my curveball down in the zone,” says the fireballer.

The desire to improve, combined with his hard-nosed attitude on the mound has given him the potential to produce into a true big league talent. An aggressive approach and the confidence to produce in any situation are traits valuable to any big league club. And even as he climbs the minor league ladder, Morris doesn’t plan on being shaken any time soon.

“When I get on the mound, I feel like, I shouldn’t be nervous and I try to get in a zone where I’m just thinking that, it’s just baseball.  I’ve been playing this game all my life and that’s what it is, just a game, so I just try to keep it as simple as that,” says Morris.

We want to thank Akeel for his time and wish him a great season in 2014… LGM

The post MMO Exclusive: Akeel Morris, Big Time Fastball, Big League Dreams appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post

Maybe this really is a sign the Mets are back in the business of brandishing, pairing the Colon signing with Curtis Granderson and seemingly stating, for the first time in forever, Madoff’s $50 billion lie finally has stopped chiseling away at their finances and their foundation. The Wilpons and the Katz’s have been steadfast in their argument that Madoff didn’t kill their baseball team as much as you would believe, but the counter evidence of what has become of the Mets these last five years is compelling.

Remember, before Dec. 12, 2008, the Mets had taken on several varsity-level contracts — Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez, Johan Santana, Billy Wagner, even Paul Lo Duca — and bought out the arbitration of their young stars, Jose Reyes and David Wright. The spending didn’t yield a title. But it did produce the best three-year stretch in franchise history, and puts a lie to the theory that whenever the Mets spend money, it winds up in flames. Before Dec. 12, 2008, the Mets had learned to behave like the Yankees — and had learned to like it, truth be told.

Bob Klapisch of The Record

But Jeff Wilpon had a rough day in several of the local newspapers Wednesday, including The Record, as he was challenged to do more after signing Curtis Granderson, and not to punt on the 2014 season. By mid afternoon, the Mets decided to yield to Colon’s demand for a second year. Just like that, the team had its temporary replacement for Matt Harvey.

Of course, Colon is not Harvey; that’s an understatement. And we’ll never know for sure whether the stinging criticism had anything to do with Wilpon’s sudden willingness to stretch the budget. But Mets fans shouldn’t be concerned about the particulars, because Colon is a legitimate front-of-the-rotation presence, despite his risks.

David Lennon of Newsday

The Mets just changed the conversation.

It took close to $90 million, and yesterday’s sizable risk in the extra-large Bartolo Colon. But for the time being, we’re done ripping the Mets for not reaching into their pockets to improve the team. The Mets were the only team to go to four years for Granderson, and with Colon now on board, it’s probably safe to say that no other club was willing to do two. But that’s what we ultimately needed to see from the Wilpons — some signs that they weren’t mailing in 2014 because of the injury to Harvey.

At least the Mets are making us feel like they are back in business. Rather than just hearing about blueprints and a multiyear rebuilding plan, we’re seeing the actual remodeling effort going on, with the addition of impact players who should make a difference right away — not five years from now. Spending money isn’t the answer to everything. But it does stop all the chatter about not having any. For the Mets, that has value.

Thoughts from Joe D.

I beat the Wilpons up all the time, actually I kill them all the time… But to be fair, they are giving Sandy Alderson the opportunity to spend and transform the roster this offseason. Sandy is getting a chance to buy and not just sell. Vaccaro, Lennon and Klapisch do a nice job of conveying that. The Mets do seem to be back in business and regardless of what you think of the moves, just be happy that we can make moves like this again. LGM

The post The Beat Goes On: Signs That The Mets Are Back In Business appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In addition to his 2-for-4 performance during yesterday’s Opening Day routing of the San Diego Padres, Mets backstop John Buck debuted a snazzy new catcher’s mask that has people talking.

Each year, Buck has gotten a new catcher’s mask each year over the past few seasons and this one appears to be the best yet!

“Gerald with VooDoo Air is the one who designs my masks.  He does most of the masks for the NHL goalies as well.” Said Buck “I met him up in Toronto when I played there.  My inspiration for my masks is taken from the city I play for.”

Major League Baseball has imposed heavy restrictions on catcher’s mask deigns like Buck’s in recent years, however he is one of the select few remaining who have been grandfathered, so the incredible designs that honor his team’s cities are permitted.

I’m certainly a fan of Buck’s awesome mask designs, and apparently so is Justin Turner:

This is the coolest catchers mask I’ve ever seen! @johnbuck44 is gonna B looking sweet putting down the signals! #LGM twitter.com/redturn2/statu…

— Justin Turner (@redturn2) April 1, 2013

To learn more about these masks and the incredible airbrush designs, you can do so by checking out TOIgear or Voodooair.

The post Check Out John Buck’s Awesome New Mask! appeared first on Metsmerized Online.