In 2019, Drew Smith entered Spring Training hoping to build off a promising 2018 debut to earn a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. He’d pitch in just four Spring Training games before being diagnosed with a torn UCL necessitating Tommy John surgery.

With the typical Tommy John surgery being around 18 months, this mean Smith was going to be away from baseball for a long time. As we have learned that is an emotionally draining time period for a pitcher. Many pitchers have talked about the mental toll it has taken upon them, and Smith was no different.

Smith talked to Justin Toscano of NJ.com about the mental difficulty of the rehab process. Of the rehab, Smith would say, “You’ve got to let it heal and that’s the hardest part, really. Sometimes, you can’t do anything for it. You’ve got to let it rest.”

That means a lot of downtime. That leads to a pitcher just finding things to do. For Smith, it was suddenly becoming an avid reader, and finding an ear or two. Fortunately, Smith had a good support system to help him. He would speak with his father DeWayne Smith, and those conversations helped. The same could be said of his teammates like Steven Matz.

Matz had a more difficult than usual Tommy John rehab when he was a minor leaguer. Matz’s message to Smith was, “You’re going to get through it, it’s normal, you’ve just got to keep your head and trust that you’re going to be back.”

Right now, Smith appears back or close to it. In fact, he told Toscano, “I’m just doing exactly what I did before surgery and letting everything else take care of itself.”

Still, Smith is going through the rehabilitation process, and he’s not quite yet fully there mentally. As he admitted, “It’s natural to have fears and doubts, but you try to keep them in the back of your mind or keep them out.” Fortunately, according to Smith, he is not experiencing those doubts and fears when he is on the mound.

Now, he is a young reliever trying to once again force his way onto the Mets Major League bullpen. We have seen he has the ability to pitch at the Major League level. Chances are, he will have that opportunity sooner or later.

The pitching is going to be the easy part for him. The hard part, dealing with the surgery, idleness, and the wondering he’ll get his stuff back, is almost over.

The post Drew Smith’s Difficult Tommy John Rehab appeared first on Metsmerized.

DBacks0622 164853 — 6/22/2010 — New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez (right) gets a pat on the shoulder from Derek Jeter (cq) after hitting a 2-run home run off Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Dan Haren (cq) during the 1st inning at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ. (Photo by Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic)

Good Morning, Mets fans! Happy Friday! Thanks for starting off your weekend here with us at Metsmerized. Here’s what you need to know:

Latest Mets News

On Thursday, the Mets announced their 15 non-roster Spring Training invites.

Jeff McNeil told Laura Albanese of Newsday that he is “feeling good,” and that he is back to his normal off-season routine after surgery in early October to repair a broken ulna.

Latest MLB News

Here’s a bizarre one for you: According to Brendon Kuty of NJ.com, a former Yankees prospect- who had never made it past High-A ball and boasted a career batting average of .244- has decided to sue the Yanks for a whopping $34M. Garrison Lassiter, the aforementioned prospect, claims in his suit that former Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was to blame for his disappointing career- and that the organization simultaneously “protected” Jeter’s career whilst sabotaging Lassiter’s.

Speaking of the Yankees, the team is said to be close to signing veteran catcher Chris Iannetta to a minor league deal, reports Sweeny Murti of WFAN Sports Radio. Iannetta, who has played the majority of his career with teams such as Colorado and Anaheim, turns 37 this year.

Keith Law’s latest for The Athletic details exactly how players are evaluated in person, as he believes that there are still a number of qualities and skills that can only be gathered with one’s own eyes.

And one to make you smile: According to Corey Brock of The Athletic, Seattle Mariners prospect Austin Shenton donated $5,500 to the Max Higbee Center in Bellingham, Washington- a recreational facility that offers weekly and year-round programs for adults and teens with developmental disabilities- as a way of recognizing all the center has done, namely for his own brother, Ian.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that pitching prospect Matt Liberatore has been traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the St. Louis Cardinals. Tampa Bay is expected to receive major league-level chips in return.

Latest NL East News

The Washington Nationals need to add another high-impact bat if they don’t want to see Juan Soto walk every time he comes to the plate, says Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Latest on MMO

Joe D has one question for you: do you really know the Mets’ 2000 World Series roster?

Michelle Ioannou asks her fellow Metsmerized writers to share what baseball (and the Mets) means to them.

On the latest episode of the Simply Amazin’ podcast, our very own Tim Ryder is accompanied by FanGraphs’ senior writer and author of The Cooperstown Casebook, Jay Jaffe. Together, they discuss some of this year’s Hall of Fame candidates, as well as some of their thoughts on our Metsies.

Michael Wacha‘s 2019 performance can certainly provide some insight into how 2020 might bode for the righthander, says Matt Musico.

John Sheridan notes that, despite Brodie Van Wagenen’s previously stated desire to upgrade, the Mets have yet to address the backup catching position.

This Day in Mets History

2006: Mets’ first-round draft pick, six-foot-seven pitcher Mike Pelfrey, signs a four-year, $5.25M deal. Marked with high expectations, “Big Pelf” often proved inconsistent throughout his tenure with the Mets, until eventually parting ways with New York in favor of Minnesota at the conclusion of the 2012 season.

Birthdays: Kevin Baez turns 53, Jim Lindeman turns 58, Mario Diaz turns 58, and Kelvin Torve turns 60

The post Morning Briefing: Former Prospect Sues Yanks, Blames Jeter for Disappointing Career appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good Morning Mets fans! The Mets are off today following a disastrous road trip.

Latest Mets News

Robert Gsellman pitched out of the bullpen on Wednesday and that role could be more recurring for him. He will not pitch this Friday as scheduled and may be skipped next time as well due to off-days in the Mets schedule according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. The righty has struggled this year.

Yoenis Cespedes is inching closer to a return. He is set to begin a rehab assignment tonight and could return as early as next week. Marc Carig of Newsday has more on the Mets star.

Steven Matz and Seth Lugo are set to begin rehab assignments today with the St. Lucie Mets according to Anthony Dicomo of MLB.com. Both are scheduled to throw two innings.

Latest Around the NL East

Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post covers top Nationals pitching prospect, Erick Fedde, moving to the bullpen.

Matt Gelb of Philly.com chats with former Phillies ace, Cole Hamels.

Joe Frisaro of MLB.com has the latest on Tom Koehler’s demotion.  

In Case You Missed It 

Mets Daddy takes a look at prospect Michael Paez and his power outburst this season.

David Casillo provides his fix to the bullpen.

This Day in Mets History

1996: Todd Hundley homers from both sides of the plate and drives in seven against the San Francisco Giants.

Birthdays: Nelson Figueroa turns 43 today.

The post Morning Briefing: Much Needed Off Day for Struggling Mets appeared first on Metsmerized.

One by one, like returning warriors, they took the mound, first Jacob deGrom, then Matt Harvey and finally on Monday afternoon the last of the surgically enhanced triumvirate Steven Matz had his chance to show off his preseason form. And what a fine form it was.

Matz tossed two scoreless innings allowing three hits and striking out one. He threw 24 of 39 pitches for strikes, was living in the 92-94 mph range, and more importantly, no discomfort.

“I definitely had some nerves going into it, since it’s been such a long time since I’ve been out there,” Matz said afterward. “I had to make sure I had my cleats on, my hat on when I was first out there. It felt kind of awkward for a second, but once I started throwing it felt good.”

The lone lefthander in the Mets rotation, Matz had what team doctors called a massive bone spur removed from his pitching elbow last October and also received a platelet-rich-plasma injection in his left shoulder.

“I thought he was okay,” Terry Collins told reporters. “It’s been a while. He didn’t throw many changeups today. He wanted to focus on locating his fastball, but he was free and easy. I liked that. I liked that he threw a couple breaking balls that looked okay. For a first step, pretty good.”

While he was out there, Matz was also working on holding runners at first base, an area he is focused on improving after 20 of 26 baserunners were successful stealing on him last season. You can read more about that on NJ.com from Abbey Mastracco.

Matz’s performance comes a day after Matt Harvey gave some people the heebie jeebies after he failed to get his fastball over 93 and had an inning he would like to forget, getting charged with four earned runs in 1.2 innings. Jacob deGrom pitched on Saturday and dazzled, retiring six straight batters and striking out three.

The good news is that none of this hardly matters and what will be more telling is how deGrom, Harvey and Matz are pitching about a month from now. But if you’re one of those blokes who want to agonize over such small sample sizes and are super concerned with Harvey’s performance I’ll leave you with this. “Oh don’t be sad… ‘Cause two out of three ain’t bad.”

The post Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad appeared first on Metsmerized.

Kristie Ackert of the Daily News reports that the Mets will honor longtime beloved staffer Shannon Forde with a belt.

The Mets’ director of media relations passed away last month after battling stage IV breast cancer for nearly four years.

David Wright and clubhouse manager Kevin Kierst decided to specially design a Mets championship belt, like the ones given to boxing champions. They give it to the player who most contributes to that day’s win.

“We were discussing ideas and I wanted to have something that honored Shannon on the belt, that made sure she was still a part of the team,” Wright said. “So we put a shamrock on there and a pink ribbon. That way we will keep her with us this season.”

On Wednesday night, Ron Darling, Keith Hernandez, John Franco, Edgardo Alfonzo and Willie Randolph will all be on hand at a special fundraiser at Foley’s Pub in Manhattan.

Proceeds will go to the Forde Children’s Fund. Forde and her husband John had two children Nick, 8, and Kendall, 5. Contributions can also be sent to P.O. Box 718, Little Ferry, NJ, 07643.

“She was usually the first person to give us high-fives when we would come off the field after a win. I am going to miss that. A lot of us will,” Wright said. “We just wanted to remember that and her in a little way.”

The post Mets Will Honor Shannon Forde With Belt appeared first on Metsmerized.

Met fans might end up happy Sandy Alderson was not forced to move Binghamton shortstop Gavin Cecchini in making moves to bolster the Mets big league line-up.

Cecchini is having a breakout season at the Double-A level and is sizzling in Binghamton.  In his last two games, two wins for the first place B-Mets, Cecchini went 9-for-11 including two doubles, one triple and four RBI’s.

The offensive barrage raises Cecchini’s batting average to a team best .317.  Cecchini’s 22 doubles lead Binghamton. His 47 runs batted in trail only Josh Rodriguez who has 62, and Cecchini’s .376 on-base-percentage, aided by 34 base-on-balls, is the 7th best in the Eastern League.

Cecchini seems unfazed by seeing his name appear in recent trade rumors reported by the press.  “It’s out of my control,” Cecchini told Alex Schiffer of NJ.com.

“I just have to go out there and keep getting better and control the things I can control.  I just have to handle my business and that’s what I’m doing.”

Based on recent results, Cecchini is doing that extremely well. The Binghamton shortstop bats at the top of the line-up and brings a disciplined approach to the batter’s box.

In the NJ.com piece, Cecchini credited his brother Garin, a prospect in the Red Sox organization, with assisting his turnaround.

“Every league that I’ve played in beside the Florida State League, he’s played in that league,” Cecchini told Schiffer.  “Talking with him and learning from his pointers has been a huge help.”

Cecchini has moved up the ranks. According to MLB.com he is now the team’s 5th best prospect. His five hits on Thursday night where a career high.

The post Gavin Cecchini Continues To Sizzle In Breakout Season appeared first on Metsmerized.

Dillon Gee expressed some disappointment at the prospect of potentially heading to the Mets bullpen to start the season. In an interview with NJ.com beat writer Mike Vorkunov, the veteran righthander shared his thoughts.

“I feel like I should be starting somewhere,” Gee said. “I think my record and stuff have proven that I could be a starter in the big leagues. So to be sent to the bullpen this early in my career when I could be getting on another role. I’ve pitched well — before I got hurt last year I was pitching extremely well. I’d say it’s just frustrating to know that I could be in the bullpen where I definitely could be starting, a starter still.”

The Mets tried unsuccessfully to move Gee this offseason, but the front office did not find any of the offers for Gee to be satisfactory.

“I think I can still succeed as a starter. It’s frustrating in that regard. If I stay on this team then obviously, number-wise, something is going to have to happen. I’m going to do the best I can wherever that is.”

The 28-year old Gee was told to prepare as a starter this Spring by Terry Collins, but then on Saturday the Mets manager confirmed that Gee would go to the pen if he’s still on the team come Opening Day.

The post Gee Expresses Frustration At Going To Bullpen appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jed Lowrie has agreed to a a three-year deal with the Houston Astros, the team announced this afternoon.

The deal, which is worth $23 million guaranteed according to the Houston Chronicle, runs through 2017 and includes a club option for 2018 that could boost the total value to $28 million.

The Mets were hoping that Lowrie or Stephen Drew would be hanging around in January and that maybe one of them would sign a discounted one year deal.

December 13

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, free agent Jed Lowrie is engaged in talks with multiple teams. Lowrie has a career .261 average and .741 OPS,  but he struggled this year hitting  just .249 with six home runs.

Reportedly, Lowrie is looking for a three-year deal and is being courted by Houston, while the Mets and San Francisco are also interested among other teams.

Mike Vorkunov of NJ.com is also reporting that Stephen Drew‘s agent, Scott Boras, believes that his client could sign in the near future. When asked if he had any discussions with Sandy Alderson, Boras responded that they had a nice chat about him over fruits and nuts.

Drew was solid for Boston in 2013, but he also struggled to produce this season.  In 85 games for the Red Sox and Yankees, Drew batted .162 with four home runs.

Many considered Lowrie and Drew as fallback options for the Mets. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported yesterday that the Mets liked both players more than free agent Asdrubal Cabrera. However things are tightening up so quickly that even Cabrera may become a key target if Drew and Lowrie are off the board.

Sandy Alderson said Wednesday that he no longer believes the team will trade for a shortstop, but rather sign one on the few remaining free agents. But reporters noted that he would prefer to wait as long as January to address the shortstop position in the hopes he can get one of them on a discounted one year deal.

Former Mets trade targets Brad Miller and Chris Taylor of the Mariner’s are now being pursued by the Nationals.

The Mets are considering bidding on Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang, but at the same time Alderson said he preferred someone proven.

Joe D. speculated last month that the Mets were underestimating and miscalculating the shortstop market. He said the odds were that the front office would be in store for some major sticker shock and that in the end they’ll do nothing and he predicted Wilmer Flores will be the Opening Day shortstop. These last few days seem to have the Mets heading in that direction.

The post Astros and SS Jed Lowrie Agree on 3-Year Deal appeared first on Metsmerized.

• The Oakland Athletics announced that they have claimed outfielder Andrew Brown off waivers from the New York Mets. Brown appeared in 19 games for the Mets this season and batted just .182 with a .245 OBP and .546 OPS in 44 at-bats. Brown spent the majority of the year at Triple-A Las Vegas where he batted .283 with 21 home runs and 69 RBI in 103 games. He was not expected to be an option for the Mets bench next season.
• Mike Vorkunov of NJ.com is also reporting that Daisuke Matsuzaka could be on his way back to pitching in Japan. According to Sports Hochi in Japan, the right-handed pitcher has a contract offer from the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks that would pay him approximately $3.5 million per season. Matsuzaka, 34, went 3-3 in 2014 with a 3.89 ERA in 34 appearances including nine starts.
• Finally, the Milwaukee Brewers have claimed catcher Juan Centeno off waivers from the Mets. In parts of two seasons, the defensive-minded backstop batted .225 in 40 at-bats with the Mets.

The post Mets Notes: Andrew Brown and Juan Centeno Claimed Off Waivers, Dice-K Headed To Japan appeared first on Metsmerized.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, reports that Dave Magadan, who was a finalist for the Yankees’ hitting coach job, was informed he did not get the position and that the Yankees and are looking elsewhere.

That makes Magadan the frontrunner for Oakland’s open hitting coach job, Slusser says, particularly with Chili Davis having accepted the Red Sox position and leaving the A’s with the vacancy. Magadan told Slusser he has “had some conversations” with A’s general manager Billy Beane.

The Mets also have talked to Magadan, but as I pointed out last week and you can read below, there’s no chance of that happening given the history between Magadan and Alderson.

Kevin Long is still a possibility, but since last week several more teams have joined the hunt for his services including the Braves, Blue Jays, Brewers, Pirates and Diamondbacks.

October 16

According to what Dave Magadan told NJ.com, he got the sense that neither the Yankees or Mets are in any rush to fill their vacant hitting coach positions. “I don’t think either one of them is in a huge hurry to make any choices.”

George King and Joel Sherman of the New York Post, first reported that the former Met had been contacted by the Mets, telling them that talks were very preliminary.

This evening a reader emailed me to say that Magadan and Sandy Alderson actually have a history, and not particularly a good one. Sandy fired Magadan when the two were together in San Diego.

After a stint as the Padres’ minor league hitting instructor, Magadan was promoted to the big-league staff a year later as hitting coach for manager Bruce Bochy.

“I’d met with Sandy two weeks before, and he was like, ‘You’re doing a great job. Whatever you need — videotape, whatever it is you need that you feel will enhance what you want to do — let us know, we’ll get it for you.’

“Two weeks later, I was driving home…I don’t even remember what I said. I was in such shock.”

Manager Bruce Bochy was upset and angered by the move. He stormed into the team clubhouse to tell his players that Magadan had just been fired and that he had no part in the decision. That didn’t sit well with team brass.

After being granted permission to look for another opportunity, Bochy left the Padres with one year remaining on his contract to become the manager of the San Francisco Giants.

At the time Magadan was fired, the Padres, played in pitching-friendly Petco Park, were just one game out of first place in the NL West.

Merv Rettenmund replaced Magadan as the Padres hitting coach, but he too was fired mid-season just under a year later. Wally Joyner took over as the new hitting coach, but resigned 14 months later citing a difference in hitting philosophy with Sandy Alderson.

The post Hitting Coach Update: Yankees Tell Magadan He Didn’t Get The Job appeared first on Metsmerized.