Not that it should come as a surprise to anyone who has paid attention over the past 17 months, but Pete Alonso is as excited as anyone for the return of major league baseball.

But he also understands that things are just starting now for a couple of reasons — both the deadly virus that disrupted life as we know it and the thousands of health professionals whose work has allowed for this moment to be possible.

Alonso announced on Thursday that his Homers for Heroes foundation, which he launched in April, will honor a healthcare worker for each of the 60 games this season. “60 heroes for 60 games,” he called it.

“We’re going to be recognizing the hero, naming the hero, explaining their story, bringing their story to light,” Alonso said. “There’s been some absolutely tremendous work from people from all different types of communities around the country.”

Each of Alonso’s heroes will receive recognition and a care package of memorabilia sent to them.

“If I hit a home run maybe a home run ball,” he said.

If his rookie season was any indication, there will be plenty of home run baseballs for Alonso to hand out. Though he won’t come close to the 53 he hit a year ago with about a third of the games, he’s primed to offer similar production scaled to the opportunities he’ll have.

But Alonso will be the first to put the team over himself. In the sprint that will be the 60-game season, that has never been more important.

“I believe so,” he said when asked if the Mets are the team to beat in the NL East. “I think we have an extremely dynamic lineup… There’s no easy out.”

“We also have a great pitching staff,” he continued. “I think we’ve got the pieces to do it.”

There will be plenty of emotion this season as well. Without fans in the seats, Alonso and his teammates, who fed off the Citi Field electricity in 2019, will have to create the atmosphere themselves.

Their first experience with the new normal came last weekend in two exhibitions against the New York Yankees.

“It felt exactly like playing in the Florida State League,” said Alonso, who spent 82 games there with the St. Lucie Mets in 2017. “You could probably count the number of fans on your hands at a Florida State League game.”

But a  lack of in-person faces doesn’t mean an absence of them. “We know that Mets Nation is watching at home,” Alonso said.

The post Pete Alonso Announces “60 Heroes for 60 Games” Initiative appeared first on Metsmerized.

Eric Orze, RHP

Ht: 6’3” Wt: 185 DOB: 8/21/97 (22)

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: University of New Orleans, Louisiana

2020 Stats:  19.2 IP, 22 H, 5 BB, 29 K, 2.75 ERA, 1.37 WHIP

Background

The final selection of the Mets’ 2020 Draft was Eric Orze, a right-handed pitcher out of the University of New Orleans. Orze’s path to the draft was a lot more difficult than most would have expected. Orze was first diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2018 and shortly after that, he was diagnosed with skin cancer. Rod Walker of nola.com wrote a fantastic piece regarding Orze’s miraculous comeback to the diamond.

In the article, Orze says “I have to prove to whatever professional people come to see if I have the ability to play at the next level. A drastic change needs to happen to ensure I’m going to be able to do that if that’s really what I want. So cancer kicked me into overdrive.” I strongly recommend everyone check out the rest of the article because that one excerpt does not do justice to how powerful his story is.

Scouting Report

The righty lost a lot of weight after his two battles with cancer but used the 2019 offseason to get a lot stronger and get himself in baseball shape for 2020. Fortunately for Orze, he was able to resume playing baseball albeit, very briefly. Orze showed off a solid fastball/splitter combination in his 12.2 innings pitched. In those 12.2 innings, Orze had a 17-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio with a fastball that has touched 96 MPH.

He also has a slider but the splitter will be his go to secondary pitch in the future. Here is a video of his splitter in action:

Potential 2020 MLB draft pick Eric Orze splitter compilation from this season. #mlbdraft #mlbdraft2020 #mlbprospect #topprospect #splitter #splitfinger pic.twitter.com/HfpU2wc1Gh

— Brent Pourciau, M.S. (@TopVelocity) April 20, 2020

I expect that to be a legitimate put-away pitch as he develops. He seems to have good command of it and it has crazy vertical movement. Vice President of International and Amateur Scouting, Tommy Tanous, has this to say about Orze’s splitter: “to tell you the truth. He throws a heavy, heavy fastball and he uses that split as his out pitch, his strikeout pitch.” He also referred to the splitter as a “gifted pitch.”

Development

Orze is likely to head towards the bullpen when he begins his professional career. Baseball America has suggested that Orze’s stuff drops off as he goes deeper into games. He would benefit to a move into the bullpen because he can let his fastball go as hard as it can in one inning stints.

Orze does not have a ton of experience so he might have to start at Columbia or maybe even extended Spring Training. If he can take off in the bullpen as expected though, I think he could play for the St. Lucie Mets in short order. He is also officially signed for $20,000 but with minor league baseball cancelled in 2020, he cannot pitch against professional competition this year.

This might be seen as a money saving pick (which the Mets used to sign J.T. Ginn) but I think he has the legitimate stuff to be a MLB pitcher. Given everything he has gone through, trying to reach the majors will not be mentally challenging for him. He is definitely going to be a fan favorite if he ever does make the majors and it will be very easy to root for him.

The post MMO Draft Profile: Fifth Rounder, RHP Eric Orze appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Allen Greene Photography

According to multiple reports, Major League Baseball will announce today the official cancellation of the 2020 minor league baseball season.

As a result, the season is officially over for the nine Mets affiliates.

While this news was widely expected with just over two months remaining in what would have been the minor league season, this will be a disappoint to many of the Mets’ young players who have stayed ready and conditioned and remained hopeful to play in 2020.

For teams in the Florida State League, including the Mets’ Advanced-A affiliate, the St. Lucie Mets, they have not played a game since August 29, 2019 after the 2019 season was cut short and playoffs were cancelled due to the impending impacts of Hurricane Dorian.

They now see their 2020 season cancelled completely due to the coronavirus.

The question now is if and possibly how minor leaguers will get to see playing time in 2020. It’s possible that an expanded Arizona Fall League or a Florida fall league is instituted but the details have yet to be hammered out.

According to Justin Toscano of the Record, Brodie Van Wagenen and Omar Minaya mentioned today how their players are good players and will figure out a way to stay conditioned and developed in this weird year. They mentioned the use of technology and education to help keep the players developed.

When the Mets’ 2020 regular season begins on July 23^rd or 24^th, the remaining 30 players assigned to the alternate training site will report to MCU Park in Brooklyn, which Van Wagenen mentioned could “eventually feature some younger prospects.”

The Mets’ current 2020 player pool includes 50 players, leaving room for an additional 15 players as the limit is 60.

With this leeway, more players, including younger minor leaguers like Ronny Mauricio and Francisco Alvarez, could be added to the player pool.

Even with the abrupt end to the minor league season, the Mets have committed to paying their players through August 31^st, which is about a week before what would have been the end of the 2020 minor league season.

Another looming concern for various minor league teams is the expected contraction of Minor League Baseball after this season, resulting in the cut of over 40 teams.

For the Mets, the announcement of the cancellation of the 2020 season could be the official end of the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies and Rookie-Level Kingsport Mets, which Baseball America reported on the unofficial list of teams that could be facing elimination.

The Professional Baseball Agreement (PBA) between MLB and MiLB is up at the end of this season and with the most recent proposal between the organizations likely to become a reality, the contraction of teams would reduce Minor League Baseball from 160 to 120 teams beginning in the 2021 season.

This proposal would also see teams changing leagues. Both sides are expected to formulate and come to an official agreement ahead of the 2021 season.

Major league players report to Summer Camp tomorrow, with the regular season beginning July 23^rd or 24^th.

However, for the Mets’ minor leaguers, their season has come to an end before beginning.

The post 2020 Minor League Season Officially Cancelled appeared first on Metsmerized.

19 years ago today, the New York Mets drafted an 18-year-old from Hickory High School in Chesapeake, Virginia by the name of David Wright. Little did they know at the time, they were getting the eventual best position player in franchise history with the 38th overall pick.

Wright grew up a Mets fan having been only a short distance from their Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk. Here’s what Baseball America had to say about Wright heading into the draft:

Wright has been compared to Michael Cuddyer, a fellow Tidewater product who was the ninth overall pick in the 1997 draft. Both have excellent makeup and work ethic, qualities that endear them to scouts. Their tools are similar, though Wright swings the bat a little better and has better overall mechanics at this age. If Wright were a little bigger and projected better, he’d be a candidate for the first 10 picks. Few players in the country swing the bat as well. Wright has developed more extension with his swing, giving him more power, but he still projects just 20 home runs a year in the big leagues. That’s a marginal output by today’s third-base standards, though he has settled in nicely at the position. He’s at the heart of a strong Georgia Tech recruiting class. College won’t be an issue if he’s drafted in the first 30-50 picks, where he’s projected.

Before we get into the awesomeness of Captain America, let’s dig into how the Mets ended up with the compensatory pick. It all starts with everyone’s favorite Met, Bobby Bonilla.

The Mets originally signed Bonilla in 1991 and he would go on to have three and half solid years with the Mets including two All-Star appearances before he was traded in 1995 to the Orioles. The Mets decided to require Bonilla in November of 1998 when they traded pitcher Mel Rojas to the Dodgers for Bobby.

Bonilla was a disaster in 1999 with the Mets, posting a .579 OPS in only 60 games. Bonilla was under contract with the Mets through the 2000 season for $5.9 million, but the team needed to add pitching to a contending team and ownership wanted financial wiggle room.

Bonilla and his agent offered the Mets a deal that meant they wouldn’t have to pay him his $5.9 million salary for 2000 if they agreed to defer the money. The original $5.9 million would turn into $29.8 million in deferred payments of $1.19 million from 2011 through 2035. Fred Wilpon was okay with paying Bonilla the 8% interest because he believed he was going to make more in his investments with Bernie Madoff.

The financial flexibility allowed the Mets to acquire left-hander starter Mike Hampton from the Houston Astros. Hampton would post a 3.14 ERA in 2000, win the Silver Slugger award, and was named the NLCS MVP.

After the 2000 season, Hampton was in search of a bigger payday and the Rockies gave him that. With the Rockies signing Hampton to an eight-year, $121 million deal, the Mets received a compensation pick in the 2001 draft. That pick was used for David Wright.

Wright hit from the start as a pro, the youngster slashed .300/.391/.458 in 36 games for the rookie level Kingsport Mets. The third baseman struggled a bit in 2002 when his slash line dropped to .266/.367/.401 with the Class-A Capital City Bombers.

The 2003 season would be an important one for Wright, as he hit .270/.369/.459 with 39 doubles, 11 home runs, 75 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases for the St. Lucie Mets. He would play in the Arizona Fall League too as he looked to be closing in on the major leagues.

Wright started out like a ball of fire in 2004 with a 1.086 OPS in 60 games for the Double-A Binghamton Mets. It was a quick stop for Wright in Triple-A Norfolk – .967 OPS in 31 games – before he was promoted to the big leagues in July of 2004.

The Virginia native made his Major League debut on July 21, 2004 against the Expos:

1. Jose Reyes – 2B
2. Kazuo Matsui – SS
3. Ty Wigginton – 1B
4. Cliff Floyd – LF
5. Richard Hidalgo – RF
6. Mike Cameron – CF
7. David Wright – 3B
8. Vance Wilson – C
9. Jae Weong Seo – P

All Wright did was hit .293/.332/.525 with 14 home runs in 69 games for the Mets in 2004.

Wright would then finish 19th in MVP voting during his sophomore season, as the Mets went 83-79 after a 91-loss season in 2005. He had 42 doubles, 27 home runs, 102 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and only struck out 113 times compared to 72 walks. But the highlight from his 2005 season was this ridiculous play on August 9:

The post Amazin’ Memories: Mets Draft Future Captain, David Wright appeared first on Metsmerized.

If you’re a Mets fan, you likely have your own fair share of memorabilia from over the years. Whether it was a giveaway or an autograph, each has its own story, and some are just frankly a bit more obscure than others.

Think about all of your sports memorabilia — is there a piece in your collection that makes you think twice?

Or, if someone comes over and sees it, makes them think twice? It’s just not your normal “David Wright autographed baseball” — not that there’s anything wrong with any of it! Some pieces just tend to be funnier than others and we want to share some of ours with you.

Sal

The most bizarre piece of memorabilia that I own has to be my Marlon Anderson game-used bat. In 2009 I was on vacation with my parents near Port St. Lucie, so naturally we went to Clover Park to watch a St. Lucie Mets game. I’ve always loved and been interested by sports memorabilia, so when I went up to the apparel kiosk and saw game-used bats I had to ask about them. They said that many of the big-league players leave their extra bats and other equipment behind after spring training, which the park then will sell during the minor league season. Of course I couldn’t help myself, and had to examine every game-used bat that they had. I couldn’t afford the David Wright or Carlos Beltran level equipment, so I settled on one of my favorite bench players for the Mets in the mid 2000’s, the great Marlon Anderson.

Laney 

As a kid I was absolutely obsessed with Josh Thole. I can’t tell you why, but one day I spent my 12-year-old life savings to buy a signed Thole ball. I still have it and I plan on putting it in a proper case one day since that’s what a piece of art deserves.

Jack

I have a Matt Harvey bobblehead that I got at a Mets/Pirates game in June of 2016. His glove-hand fell off in my backpack on the train ride home. I decided to keep it anyway. I have the glove somewhere and could superglue it back on, but there’s some foreshadowing going on there that I more or less have to respect. It just sits on my desk, a daily reminder of our mortality.

Jacob 

Jay Horwitz bobblehead. I would not like to offer further comment. (Author’s note: I am trying to get Jacob to comment further on this.)

Matt

When I was younger, I thought Nick Evans was going to be the guy that would lead us to the promised land. I’m still not sure why, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say I was one of the more optimistic Mets fans out there. So, I was beyond thrilled when I met Evans in middle school at a game and got him to sign my David Wright drawstring bag, which was the day’s promotion. Somehow, a decade later, that Nick Evans signed drawstring followed me to college and became my go-to bag for whenever I need one.

Marissa

I don’t have much Mets memorabilia so I’m going to go with a signed ball I have from a Reds spring training game in 2018. You might ask how this has to do with the Mets but one of the team members I got to sign it is Jim Riggleman, who happened to be the Mets bench coach last year. Kind of a weird and funny coincidence.

Sam

Back in 2016, my family and I went on a road trip to see some different stadiums and see the Mets play. We went to Chicago and St. Louis that summer and while in Chicago, I got Terry Collins and James Loney to sign two different baseballs for me. I bring it up as random/odd not because James Loney wasn’t a good player, but because he was on the team for such a short time. I mean if you ask someone in three years from now, or even now, about James Loney being a Met, they will be like “OH YEAH, he did play for them for a minute.”

Mojo

I already mentioned my signed, game-worn Danny Muno, Gavin Cecchini, Kevin Plawecki, and Kyle Regnault 51s jerseys in last week’s roundtable, so I guess I’ll mention the balls that I got signed by essentially every member of the 51s bullpen.

Tim 

Whenever I go on vacation, I still use my Ivory Soap-sponsored, 1986 World Champions toiletries bag I got as a giveaway at my first Mets game in 1987. (Author’s note: I would like one of these giveaways.) 

Michelle

This should come to no surprise to anyone who follows me on social media, but I have a piece of the plate Bartolo Colon crossed post his home run. A solid Christmas gift from my mother, if I do say so myself. It proudly hangs in my home.

Mike 

My brother and I decided to go into this pawn shop Maine because we were bored and saw some cool shit through the window. Now, living in Maine, you don’t see much Mets stuff in stores. So when you do as Mets fans like us, you scoop whatever it is up. They only had one piece of Mets memorabilia in the whole store. I can say I’m the proud owner of a Mo Vaughn Mets bobblehead.

What is your most obscure piece of memorabilia? Comment below or tweet a picture to us @MetsMerized. 

The post MMO Roundtable: Most Obscure Mets Memorabilia appeared first on Metsmerized.

MLB insider Jeff Passan was on ESPN’s Get UP Friday morning reporting that after talking to owners, players, and others involved in Major League Baseball, that we aren’t likely to see games until May.

Major League Baseball announced on Thursday that Spring Training has been cancelled and that the start of the regular season will be moved back at least two weeks. That two weeks would bring us to April 9, and given that teams still had close to two weeks left of Spring Training, it seems unrealistic they would jump right into regular season games from an almost month hiatus.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Major League Baseball sent out a memo to teams stating that both minor league and major league players should not leave their current spring locales through Sunday, except for extraordinary reasons that MLB is made aware of.

In the meantime, the St. Lucie Mets released a statement saying that the Clover Park complex will be closed to fans – including the back fields – effective immediately.

They also outlined the ticket refund procedure for the remaining Mets home spring games. You go to the box office Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. or call 772-871-2115.

The post Passan: Likely No Games Until May appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

The past, present and future faces of the Mets franchise crossed paths in the Clover Park press conference room on Wednesday. As Pete Alonso, fresh off signing a record-setting pre-arbitration contract, exited, a smiling David Wright walked in.

Wright faced the media and quipped, “You guys ready for the real stuff?”

The upcoming 2020 season represents the second full year post-retirement for the Mets’ franchise hit leader. He dropped into camp in Port St. Lucie on Sunday for a six-day visiting period.

“Coming down here gets the juices flowing again,” Wright said. “It’s like I’m away for enough time to really start missing it, wanting to talk baseball.”

Wright admitted that his role as Special Advisor to the Chief Operating Officer & General Manager doesn’t keep him regularly involved “by any stretch of the imagination,” but it’s clear that the organization sees immense value in the seven-time All-Star’s presence.

“Yesterday I got the opportunity to talk to the minor leaguers, then talk to the minor league hitting coaches, which I thoroughly enjoyed,” Wright said. “We were there for about 45 minutes just talking hitting. It just brought back that competitive fire that you miss when you’re away from it.

“Occasionally Brodie [Van Wagenen] or Allard [Baird] or Jared [Banner] will give me a call or shoot me a text wanting to pick my brain or run some ideas,” he continued. “I stay in touch with the front office, a lot of the players — some of my best friends are still in that clubhouse.”

In what has become a common theme around Mets camp this spring, manager Luis Rojas continues to draw rave reviews. While he is new to his position, a novice to the organization is the last way anyone would describe Rojas. Wright and Rojas linked up for eight games with the St. Lucie Mets in 2015 and became acquainted in this very setting, across multiple spring trainings.

“I was hurt a lot toward the end of my career so I did a lot of rehab, and I got to play a lot for Luis,” Wright said. “It’s great because he never gets too high, never gets too low, he’s like the same guy. To have that kind of presence, and to have the baseball background that he has, and just that even demeanor, I think it’s going to be very beneficial.

“Just from the time I’ve been here he’s cornered me, asking questions. He wants to be a sponge. He wants to take in as much as he can. He’s certainly come into a good situation with this pitching staff, the additions to the bullpen, and hopefully some of the next steps that these offensive guys can take. It’s a pretty exciting time.”

Wright concluded by offering his thoughts on a potential sale of the team.

“I’ll say this — the way that the Katz and the Wilpon family has treated me and my family has been like an extended family. I guess it’s a strange thought for me because this is all that I know. Like I’ve said throughout my career I wish the best for both families and if that’s what’s best that’s what’s best. I’ve said it from day one that I judge people by how I’ve seen them treat others and it’s been first-class since I’ve been here.”

The post David Wright Speaks on Rojas, Wilpon Sale appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Ed Delany, MMN

No. 15 Carlos Cortes, 2B
B/T: L/S Age: 22 (6/30/1997)
Height: 5’7″ Weight: 197 lbs
ETA: 2021 Previous Rank: No. 25
Acquired: 3rd round in 2018 from University of South Carolina
2019 Stats: 127 Games, .255/.336/.397, 26 2B, 11 HR, 68 RBI, 119 wRC+

The second time was the charm for the New York Mets who originally drafted but did not sign Carlos Cortes out of high school in 2016. They would not to be denied again in 2018 when they took Carlos in the third round and gave him a $1,000,038 bonus.

Now the Mets have a hard hitting middle infielder in the system who seems poised to break out in 2020 likely in the upper minors after starting and ending the 2019 season with Class high-A St. Lucie Mets.

Cortes played with the Brooklyn Cyclones affiliate out of the draft slashing .264 /338/.382, playing exclusively at second base for the Cyclones in 47 games. Then Carlos, at age 22, was pushed past Low A and played the 2019 season with the St. Lucie Mets.  The most impressive stat overall regarding Carlos in 2019 with Lucie, was his slash line with runners in scoring position where he was .342/.415/.508 on the year.

Carlos showed an ability to hit for power, barreling up on the ball often, accounting for 40 XBH during the season while also by the view of this writer often falling victim to the dreaded BABIP (.281).

Carlos Cortes also did not shy away from going opposite field, which could also further explain the impressive numbers with RISP. In the Florida State League for the season Cortes ranked at or near the top 15 in 11 offensive categories, including ranking second in RBIs, third in total bases, fourth in runs scored and finishing top ten in walks, doubles and hits.

Defensively, Cortes has worked hard to make himself a passable defender at second base. He has played there almost exclusively, the ambidextrous Florida native played one game in left field late last year. A position he played a lot in college. He even caught and pitched in high school.

I spoke with Carlos this off-season about the process, training, preparation and planning for the coming season. As of now Carlos still sees himself going forward at the second base position, but would go in the outfield if requested as well to add to his versatility to go with his bat. His lack of speed and arm strength makes second base his likely long-term fit.

I remain very high on Carlos Cortes, reporting early on in spring 2019 to avoid the box scores after a rough start in the stat sheets in April slashing .232/.289/.317/.606. I saw the potential in the bat, the balls hit hard in play or just foul, he was the victim of bad luck early. Myself and fans were rewarded in May, when Carlos slashed .303/.355/.505.  Later in August, he hit .290/.389/.484 and finished the season being named an All Star by the Florida State League.

There is still a potential breakout year in his bat. I would expect an assignment in Double-A Binghamton for 2020 with potential to move up to Syracuse. He has good power that is brought by above average bat speed and a swing with an upward plane. In addition to his power, he struck out only 16.8% of the time in 2019.

Previous Rankings

16 Freddy Valdez – OF

17 Adrian Hernandez – CF

18 Dedniel Nunez – RHP 

19 Alexander Ramirez – OF

20 Ali Sanchez – C

25-21 Led by Jaylen Palmer

30-26 Led by Ryley Gilliam

The post MMO 2020 Top 30 Mets Prospects: No. 15 Carlos Cortes, 2B appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good morning, Mets fans! It’s been a beautiful weekend, with more and more baseball by the day. Let’s keep the good vibes going. Here’s what you need to know:

Latest Mets News

In Steve Serby’s latest Q&A for the New York Post, Jeff Wilpon is under the spotlight as he talks Bernie Madoff, the breakdown of the Steve Cohen deal, and the regret he now feels over the firing of Willie Randolph.

Pete Alonso wants a Gold Glove to prove haters wrong and a World Series parade on which he can be “drunk as hell, celebrating with (his) boys.” Can anyone blame him?

Luis Guillorme is not concerning himself with the specifics of his role on the Mets; he simply wants a spot on their roster.

The St. Lucie Mets announced that the gates to Clover Park will open for workouts at 11:30 a.m. today.

Latest MLB News

Carlos Correa has responded to Cody Bellinger‘s comments, and tensions are practically through the roof. After Bellinger bluntly said that the Astros stole the 2017 World Series title from the Dodgers, that Jose Altuve stole the MVP from Aaron Judge, and that the team has continued to cheat ever since, Carlos Correa responded quickly in an interview – organized by Correa himself – with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. In the interview, Correa disputed the Dodger outfielder’s statements, claiming that “if you don’t know the facts, then you’ve got to shut the f-k up.”

Boston’s newest outfielder, Alex Verdugo, is still recovering from a lower back injury and questionable for Opening Day, reported Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Verdugo himself stated that the team will see where he stands by the end of Spring Training.

Latest NL East News

In case you missed it: Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported on some of the new rules that could potentially be put in place to combat electronic sign stealing, and Nationals’ ace Max Scherzer has some thoughts.

Latest on MMO

MMO’s resident photographer Ed Delany captured some great shots of the Mets in the first few days of Spring Training, and Josh Finkelstein has compiled some of the best.

Matt Mancuso puts in the work, noting which Mets players were most affected by the juiced baseball in 2019.

Brodie Van Wagenen’s biting comments on former Met pitcher Zack Wheeler is yet another addition to the Mets’ laundry list of PR mistakes, says Jack Hendon.

This Day in Mets History

2012: Today we honor the memory of one of the most beloved Mets of all time, catcher Gary Carter, who lost his battle to cancer on this day eight years ago.

Birthdays: Tommy Milone turns 33 and Bill Pecota turns 60.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Jeff Wilpon Addresses Multiple Mets Topics appeared first on Metsmerized.

The $57 million renovations of Clover Park, the Mets Spring Training facility and home to the St. Lucie Mets, are far behind schedule. Worse yet, due to cost overruns, some of the plans have been altered.

The 360-degree concourse is gone. Worse yet, the Little League fields have been scrapped.

What did remain was a beautiful state-of-the-art clubhouse for the Mets’ Major Leaguers. With this doubling as the Mets minor league affiliate, it was a nice touch seeing Tom Seaver in his Jacksonville Suns cap, David Wright in his Capital City Bombers cap, Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry in their Tidewater Tides caps and Edgardo Alfonzo in his St. Lucie Mets cap.

The irony there is not only was Alfonzo fired as a Mets minor league manager, but the Mets are also not permitting their minor leaguers to use the clubhouse. This means the clubhouse will lie dormant and unused approximately 10 months of the year and throughout the regular season.

Keep in mind, this comes at a time when Major League Baseball is threatening contraction of minor league teams partially because of the supposed inability to maintain adequate facilities. They’re also making the position they need to contract teams to begin paying living wages to their players.

Somehow, that didn’t stop the Mets from (mis)allocating municipal resources mostly towards a little-used clubhouse instead of the originally promised Little League fields or other fan amenities. Part of the reason is the Mets were not willing to contribute more than $2 million over and above the $55 million in municipal funds provided.

Of note, the Mets receive 100% of the proceeds for the naming right. This puts in question how much cash outlay the Mets or an affiliate Sterling entity made.

Even if the Mets did provide the money needed for everything promised when the approval for the $55 million was approved, you can still question the wisdom of allocating resources towards a seldom-used clubhouse while not allowing minor leaguers to use it. It seems unnecessarily duplicative to have multiple clubhouses.

As reported by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the Mets justification for not allowing the minor leaguers use the clubhouse was “to give minor leaguers a reminder of the status they’re working to earn.”

The position drew much ire and ridicule. Those responding was former Mets pitcher P.J. Conlon, who tweeted, “As if having 6 dudes living in a 2 bedroom apartment isn’t enough of a reminder that you’re in A ball.”

Therein lies the problem. This is just insult added to injury.

The Mets are telling their minor leaguers they don’t deserve a living wage. They then create a great clubhouse, but they won’t let the minor leaguers use it because they need to know they’re lesser people not deserving of better amenities. Better yet, somehow we’re all supposed to believe a nice clubhouse would prevent them from working hard enough to make it to the majors.

In the end, the Mets built a clubhouse which houses Major Leaguers for just two months. That decision came at the expense of giving severely underpaid minor leaguers a little extra comfort, and it came at the expense of Little League fields.

The one thing it didn’t come at the expense of was the Wilpons or the Sterling entities. That expense came from St. Lucie and Clover.

Despite the Mets not having to reach into their pockets, they’re still well behind schedule on the renovations which are not scheduled to be completed until June.

The post Mets St. Lucie Clubhouse Comes At Quite A Cost appeared first on Metsmerized.