Photo via Virginia Tech athletics.

The most recent mock draft from Baseball America has the Mets selecting two of the more popular prospects in this year’s Amateur Draft. Baseball America mocks the New York Mets selecting Virginia Tech OF Gavin Cross and St. Mary Prep HS RHP Brock Porter at numbers 11 and 14 respectively.

The main point that Baseball America rings home here is the financial flexibility the Mets have in this draft class. The below excerpt describes such:

“New York’s $13,955,700 bonus pool tops any club outside of Baltimore and Arizona, so how it decides to use that will be fascinating. The Mets would be an obvious landing spot for a top talent that starts to unexpectedly slide for whatever reason on draft day (see Watson, Kahlil in 2021 or Liberatore, Matthew in 2018) and they could get aggressive with an over-slot deal by floating a deal if one of the top six players starts falling out of the top-five picks.”

Cross, who will spend the rest of the 2022 season at age 21, has posted a slash-line of .318/.399/.627 with 14 homers and an 11-for-11 stolen base mark so far in his junior season for the Hokies. He battles with James Madison OF Chase DeLauter for the mark of best collegiate outfielder in this year’s class, but Baseball America sees Cross going off the board before DeLauter.

Porter, on the other hand, would be a selection unlike one the Mets have made in recent memory. New York has not selected a prep-school arm in the first round of the Amateur Draft since they did with Michael Fulmer in 2010. Even further back then that, they’ve only done so two other times since 2000: Scott Kazmir in 2002 and Nathan Vineyard in 2007. The Mets have only taken collegiate arms since Tommy Tanous and Marc Tramuta took over control of the draft.

Porter stands in at six-foot-four and 210 pounds with a lively fastball that can touch triple-digits, according to his Perfect Game page. At the moment, he is a fastball-changeup-curveball pitcher who is developing the curveball as a solid third pitch. As for Porter, Baseball America states that:

“This mock would have the Mets getting the best healthy pitcher in the draft class and one of the biggest upside arms available, period. That’s the sort of draft we’re talking about in 2022 when that happens at pick No. 14.”

The post Examining Baseball America’s Latest Mock Draft appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Every sports team can look back at decisions made in their franchise history that they later regretted. After all, hindsight is 20/20. However, these decisions still bring back a sense of pain and beg the question of “What could have been?” The New York Mets are no strangers to these types of regrettable decisions and have been notorious throughout baseball for many of them. One such example is LHP Scott Kazmir.

Kazmir’s Days Within The Mets Organization

The Mets drafted Kazmir in the first round (15th overall) of the 2002 MLB Draft out of Cypress Falls High School in Houston, TX. Prior to the draft, Kazmir was described as an ordinary kid with extraordinary talent.

“In many ways No. 19 is a typical high schooler — a lean, clean-cut teen with broad shoulders who looks like the neighbor kid you hired to mow your lawn,” wrote Jim Molony of MLB.com. “But the word typical does not apply when the conversation turns to this exceptional left-hander’s ability to pitch a baseball. His name is Scott Kazmir, and when next month’s First-Year Player Draft rolls around this extraordinary southpaw could be the very first high school pitcher selected.”

Kazmir ended up being the fifth high school pitcher selected in the draft. The southpaw was picked after RHP Chris Gruler (drafted third overall by the Cincinnati Reds), LHP Adam Loewen (drafted fourth overall by the Baltimore Orioles), his high school teammate Clint Everts (drafted fifth overall by the Montreal Expos) and Zack Greinke (drafted sixth overall by the Kansas City Royals).

Although Greinke turned out to be the best high school pitcher from the draft by far, Gruler and Everts never ended up making the majors and Loewen struggled across parts of five MLB seasons.

Kazmir arrived to New York and quickly established himself as a top prospect throughout baseball. In five starts and 18 innings with the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2002, the 18-year-old Kazmir struck out 34 batters and allowed only one earned run (0.50 ERA). Baseball America ranked him as the 11th best prospect in baseball coming into the 2003 season.

In his first full minor league season in 2003, Kazmir continued to showcase his dominant strikeout rate. The 19-year-old struck out 145 batters in 109 1/3 innings (11.9 strikeouts per nine innings) between the Capital City Bombers and St. Lucie Mets. He also finished the 2003 campaign with a 2.63 ERA and 1.125 WHIP.

Heading into 2004, Kazmir was still high in the prospect rankings as Baseball America ranked him the 12th best prospect in the game. While he started the year in St. Lucie, he continued his quick ascent through the Mets minor league system as he received a promotion on July 10, 2004 to the Binghamton Mets.

Double-A did not slow down Kazmir. In his first four starts for Binghamton, the 20-year-old put up a 1.73 ERA, a 0.962 WHIP and 29 strikeouts in 26 innings. However, beginning in August Kazmir’s ascent through the minors would go through the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization.

A Day Of Trades

The day was July 30, 2004, and the Mets fell to 49-53 on the season and seven games out of a playoff spot after losing to the first-place Atlanta Braves by a score of 3-1. However, that was not the biggest news of the day as earlier in the day, the Mets were involved in three trades with three other teams.

In one deal, the Mets traded C Justin Huber to the Royals in exchange for 3B Jose Bautista. In another deal the Mets flipped Bautista in addition to 3B Ty Wigginton and RHP Matt Peterson to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for RHP Kris Benson and INF Jeff Keppinger. In the third deal the Mets traded Kazmir and RHP Jose Diaz to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for RHP Victor Zambrano and RHP Bartolome Fortunato.

While Bautista would go on to be a six-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger, at the time he struggled to stick with a team. The Mets were his fifth different team (albeit for less than a day) in less than a year before he stuck with the Toronto Blue Jays and found a great deal of success. So while losing out on the future of Bautista may involve a level of regret, it was hard to blame the Mets for the Bautista deal as much as the Kazmir deal.

In regards to Kazmir, the Mets gave up on a top prospect and quickly rising star in their organization for a couple of pitchers who were basically non-factors in the team’s pursuit for success.

While widely looked upon as poor in the present, at the time some were happy with the deal.

“Some may believe the Mets mortgaged their future for the present,” wrote Mark Hale of the New York Post on July 31, 2004. “After all, Kazmir and Peterson are their two top pitching prospects. But the Mets’ philosophy is they were willing to trade unproven minor league talent for proven major league talent that is both young and controllable for several years.”

Mets general manager Jim Duquette was thrilled with the deal at the time.

“We felt Zambrano was a guy Kazmir eventually could be,” Duquette said. “But Kazmir is still a ways away.”

Duquette was all-in despite the Mets being three games under .500 and six games out of a playoff spot earlier in the day. He felt the trio of deals would help put the Mets over the top and the reward of the trades would outweigh the risks.

“We’re still in the hunt and we’re still in the mix. Let’s go for it,” Duquette said. “With these guys added to the rotation, we’re going to have a chance to win every night.”

An Ace Is Born In Tampa Bay

Upon his trade to Tampa Bay, Kazmir made four dominant starts for the organization’s Double-A affiliate Montgomery Biscuits before being called up to the majors on Aug. 23, 2004. Despite Duquette saying Kazmir was “still a ways away,” on July 30, the Devils Rays felt the 20-year-old was ready for The Show less than a month later.

Kazmir appeared in eight games and made seven starts during the final stretch of 2004. Although his results were a mixed bag in his first handful of starts, it was a completely different story from 2005 to 2008.

In 2005, Kazmir finished ninth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. While he struggled with control (as evident by his league-leading 100 walks issued), he had a solid season overall as he went 10-9 with a 3.77 ERA, 1.462 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 186 innings pitched.

Kazmir took a step forward in 2006 although in only 24 starts. The 22-year-old was selected to his first All-Star game in a season where he went 10-8 with a 3.24 ERA, 1.272 WHIP and 163 strikeouts in 144 2/3 innings.

The 2007 season was when Kazmir reached the apex of his career. The southpaw led the league in strikeouts with 239, and went 13-9 with a 3.48 ERA and 1.379 WHIP in 206 2/3 innings.

In 2008, Kazmir dealt with a strained elbow that delayed his season until May 4, but did not hold him back from another overall successful season. On May 14, he was rewarded for his production by the newly-named Tampa Bay Rays with a four-year, $28.5 million extension. He responded by having another All-Star season that helped carry the Rays to the franchise’s first winning season, first playoff appearance, first and only ALCS appearance and first and only World Series appearance.

After 2008, Kazmir’s career took a turn for the worse. He struggled in 2009 with the Rays and was traded to the Los Angeles Angels. While he found some brief success with the Angels in his six starts with the team in 2009, he experienced the worst season of his career in 2010. The 26-year-old went 9-15 with a 5.94 ERA, 1.580 WHIP and 93 strikeouts in 150 innings.

Kazmir made only one start in 2011 and was pitching for the Sugar Land Skeeters, an independent baseball team, by 2012.

Kazmir experienced a career renaissance from 2013-2016 which resulted in a few more solid seasons and a third All-Star selection. While he has not pitched in a major league game since 2016, the southpaw still seeks a comeback to this day, confirming to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times at the end of January that he wanted to return to the majors in 2020.

Despite an up-and-down overall career, Kazmir experienced stretches of success that could have helped the Mets had they held onto the southpaw.

What Could Have Been For The Mets

On the flipside you have the post-Kazmir trade Mets.

In 2004 the Mets finished the season with an abysmal 71-91 record and 21 games out of a playoff spot.

Zambrano only pitched 14 innings in 2004 and 25 1/3 innings in 2006. His best season came in 2005 when he went 7-12 with a 4.17 ERA, 1.485 WHIP and 112 strikeouts in 166 1/3 innings.

While Kazmir contributed 16.6 bWAR to Tampa Bay in parts of six seasons, Zambrano contributed 1.7 bWAR to the Mets in parts of three seasons.

Fortunato, on the other hand, made 15 relief appearances for the Mets in 2004 in which he struck out 20 batters in 18 2/3 innings. He pitched to the tune of a 3.86 ERA and 1.446 WHIP in those handful of games.

The reliever then missed all of 2005 due to injury and pitched a total of three innings in 2006 to end his Mets career and major league career.

What really stings in hindsight is thinking how much better Kazmir would have made the Mets at a time when a pitcher of his caliber could have put them over the top.

Does Kazmir bring the 83-79 2005 Mets into the playoffs? Does Kazmir help the 97-65 2006 Mets win the World Series? Does Kazmir help prevent the historic collapses of the 88-74 2007 Mets and 89-73 2008 Mets?

Kazmir was not a once in a lifetime generational pitcher. The Kazmir trade made by the Mets on July 30, 2004 was not quite like the Nolan Ryan trade on Dec. 10, 1971 where they gave up too early on a future Hall of Famer. However, the Kazmir trade caused the Mets to miss out on a pitcher who dominated during a four-year stretch where the Mets were good, but needed a little extra boost. Kazmir was that extra boost, but Mets fans will never truly know what his presence would have resulted in from 2005-2008.

The post Amazin’ Mistakes: Trading Scott Kazmir Haunts Mets appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning, Mets fans! Another week approaches. We can do it!

Here’s what you need to know:

Latest Mets News

Per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com: Marcus Stroman continued to get his throwing in, and his bullpen setup is certainly stirring up some envy.

In a recent interview with Mike Puma of the New York Post, Ron Darling said that he is slowly losing optimism regarding baseball’s return in 2020.

Latest MLB News

Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reported that Justin Verlander and wife Kate Upton plan to donate their upcoming paychecks from MLB to various organizations during baseball’s shutdown.

On the Big Time Baseball podcast, Jon Heyman caught up with Yankees manager Aaron Boone to talk “savages,” big home runs, and the current pandemic.

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN reported that MLB has loosened restrictions on scouting from mid-March. Teams have now been given permission to contact players and gather either video or data from before March 27.

According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, MLB is currently considering holding games in empty Spring Training parks – but this alternative still presents several complications.

Latest NL East News

Per Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos said that both Austin Riley and Johan Camargo were likely to have made the initial Braves roster due to their impressive play in spring. Both Riley and Camargo were competing for the third base position.

Latest on MMO

Rob Piersall wondered what would have become of the 2006 Mets had they not traded Scott Kazmir two years prior.

Ryan Finkelstein pointed out the potential complications that might arise now that Marcus Stroman is represented by Klutch Sports.

Brian Wright opened up the video vault, sharing clips from the Mets’ Old Timers’ Day in 1977.

On the latest Simply Amazin’ podcast, Tim Ryder is joined by Mets’ radio voice Wayne Randazzo to discuss manager Luis Rojas and his handling of baseball’s indefinite postponement.

This Day in Mets History

1983: Tom Seaver took the mound for his 11th Opening Day start with the Mets. Seaver opened the game with a strikeout of the Phillies’ leadoff hitter Pete Rose and finished with a no-decision.

Birthdays: Lastings Milledge turns 35 and Jimmie Schaffer turns 84.

The post Morning Briefing: Verlander and Wife to Donate Paychecks During Shutdown appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Before there was Jarred Kelenic, there was Scott Kazmir.

Like Kelenic, Kazmir was a top Mets prospect who was traded for an underwhelming return in an attempt to turn things around quickly and make a postseason run.

The Kazmir trade went down right before the trade deadline of 2004, when he was shipped off to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for starting pitcher Victor Zambrano.

The Mets were 49-53 at the time of the trade, so even if they did go on a run, it would have required playing a game of catch up and playing at a high level that they hadn’t even proven they could that season anyway.

Zambrano pitched in just three games for the Mets after the trade in 2004, while Kazmir went on to debut for the Devil Rays and became one of their premier pitchers over the next few seasons.

Zambrano pitched in 31 games for New York in 2005 and had 1.4 fWAR on the campaign. The right-hander pitched briefly in ’06 for the Mets but was hurt and pitched in just five games.

The 2006 Mets were special. They mixed marquee pickups with homegrown talent and reinvigorated a fan base that didn’t have a lot to be excited about for several years.

Their Achilles’ heel, however, was their pitching situation.

The rotation was led by ace Pedro Martinez, followed by veterans Tom Glavine and Orlando Hernandez. After that, the corps took a bit of a dip.

Regardless, they had a potent offense and a back end of their bullpen that featured Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner.

Going into the postseason though, Martinez and Hernandez were absent after getting hurt and Sanchez was out for the year after being involved in a taxi accident prior to the trade deadline.

The team went into the playoffs with a decimated rotation and a bullpen that now leaned heavy on their closer.

We all know how things played out. The Game 7 heartbreak that sent even the most rugged and stoic fans home in tears.

The Cardinals, who by all means were an inferior team to the Mets, upset the blue and orange then went on to beat the Tigers in the World Series.

As an 11-year-old, I always wonder what could have been. That Mets team was special and those guys were like superheroes to me. If they just had enough pitching, could they have had the stamina to win it all?

Obviously, it’s not always that simple, but imagine a Mets team that year that also packed a punch by having Kazmir in the rotation.

Things could have looked a lot different that postseason if the team hadn’t traded Kazmir a couple years prior.

With the Devil Rays in 2006, a team that lost 101 games, Kazmir put up 3.6 fWAR. Had he been on the Mets that kind of production would have led the rotation.

In the NLCS that year, Glavine and John Maine pitched two games apiece, while Oliver Perez (acquired after Sanchez got hurt) pitched two to mixed results and Steve Trachsel got lit up in his one start.

Having Kazmir would have softened the blow of losing both Martinez and Hernandez and would have given them more stability for a stretch run.

Of course, it’s hard to ignore that it’s always a team effort and the Mets were flawed in several aspects, so who knows if Kazmir would have made a difference, but when you consider what he went on to do and what Zambrano did, it’s a tough pill to swallow.

The post What Would the 2006 Mets Look Like with Scott Kazmir? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

There are certain names that can make some Mets fans cringe whenever they hear them. Scott Kazmir is always good for few moans and groans, and ditto for Jason Bay. Then, there’s Gregg Jefferies who seemed to win Minor League Player Of The Year every season on his way to being fast-tracked to the Major Leagues. Only when he got there, he proved to be a player in search of a position who was despised by most of his teammates for his (alleged) selfishness and immaturity.

Despite a fairly productive career with the bat after leaving the Mets, Jefferies fell far short of his goals of surpassing Ty Cobb and Pete Rose for the all-time hits record, and he’s become more of a “whatever happened to…”.

But, old-time Met fans like me, will always cringe at the mention of the name Steven Chilcott. For you younger fans who may not be up on early Mets history, let’s go back to 1966.

The Mets had the number one overall selection in the 2nd Annual Amateur Draft and the choice clearly came down to two highly regarded players. There was the star slugging outfielder at Arizona State University, Reggie Jackson, and a high-school catcher out of California by the name of Steve Chilcott.

Of course, Reggie Jackson went on to hit 567 home runs on his way to a Hall Of Fame career. But on the other hand, Steve Chilcott never even made it to the Major Leagues. It was a sad turn of events for the Mets who essentially wasted their number one pick in the nation.

There had been some speculation that the Mets had some question about Jackson’s character and associations, but at the time, most big league scouts were divided as to which of the two was a better prospect.

Based on a personal scouting report from Casey Stengel, probably combined with Casey’s philosophy that “if you don’t have a catcher, you’re gonna have a lot of passed balls”, the Mets went with Chilcott.

That wasn’t the first mistake the Mets had made and it certainly wasn’t the last. But it was definitely among the biggest failures for a young struggling franchise looking to add as many young and talented prospects they could get their hands on.

Anyway, I can say that I am probably one of the few people who actually saw Steve Chilcott play a professional game in New York City.

No, not with the Mets or the Yankees, since Chilcott never made the big leagues. But it was a special pre-game event at Yankee Stadium, a minor league game between the Auburn Mets and the Binghamton Yankees – reminiscent of the annual Mayor’s Trophy Game between the big-league Mets and Yankees.

Binghamton’s Mickey Scott out-dueled Auburn’s talented left-hander Jerry Koosman, 1-0 in front of maybe one-thousand fans tops, most of whom thought they were arriving early for some major league batting practice and a chance to score an autograph or photo with some of the players.

Despite being in enemy territory in the Bronx, there were a handful of Mets die-hards like myself who came out to see the Auburn Mets, and more specifically, to see the future of the Mets – Steve Chilcott. After all the tremendous hype and hoopla, I would finally get to see the catcher the Mets were so high on.

Getting to see Jerry Koosman was, of course, a bonus. Koosman dominated the New York Penn League hitters that season and after a quick jump to Triple-A the following year, he would become a mainstay of the Mets’ rotation for the next 11 years.

As for Chilcott, he hit a double down the right field line, almost a home run into the short right field seats of Yankee Stadium. But he also struck out a couple of times in his other two at-bats and he looked pretty bad doing it.

I was still sure that Chilcott would be starring for the Mets one day because that’s what all the “experts” said.

But little did I know that his appearance that day in Yankee Stadium would be the last chance I would ever get to see him play.

The post Draft Day Flashback: Mets Select Catcher With No. 1 Overall Pick appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (17-20) had a day off on Thursday after returning from a 1-5 road trip. They will look to right the ship as they open a brief three-game homestand against the cellar-dwelling Miami Marlins (10-27) on Friday at 7:10 p.m.

Latest Mets News

Zack Wheeler (2-2, 4.64 ERA) will get the nod in the first game of the series and will be opposed by Pablo Lopez (2-4, 4.03 ERA). The game can be followed on SNY, WCBS 880 and ESPN 1050. 

Steven Matz was placed on the 10-day injured list with radial nerve discomfort, retroactive to May 5. Dominic Smith was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse in his stead.

The Mets will not be activating Jed Lowrie on Friday and he will instead get some playing time over the weekend in Triple-A Syracuse, per Tim Britton of The Athletic.

Furthermore, once Lowrie returns, Todd Frazier will not be the one on the chopping block as confirmed by Tim Healey of Newsday. Healey noted that the Mets value both his defense and leadership.

Latest MLB News

Albert Pujols moved into third all-time in MLB history in RBIs after driving in the 2,000th run of his career on Thursday. Babe Ruth and Cap Anson likely have more, but their totals are neither official nor confirmed due to RBIs only being counted as an official statistic beginning in 1920.

President Donald Trump hosted the Boston Red Sox at the White House for a ceremony to celebrate their 2018 World Series Championship.

MLB did not issue a penalty nor a statement on Thursday regarding the substance on Yusei Kikuchi‘s hat in the Seattle Mariners’ 10-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

Latest NL East News

The Philadelphia Phillies currently sit atop the NL East standings for the 15th day in a row. They are followed in the standings by the Atlanta Braves, Mets, Washington Nationals and Marlins, respectively.

Mark Bowman of MLB.com shared some things that scouts like and do not like in regards to all five NL East teams.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Christopher Soto recapped how each of the Mets minor league affiliates performed on Wednesday, including the Binghamton Rumble Ponies who no-hit the Harrisburg Senators. Michael Mayer then went into more detail about the no-hitter.

Mayer also posed the question of whether Mickey Callaway should be on the hot seat or not right now.

John Sheridan continued his “3 Up, 3 Down” series following the Mets’ three-game set with the San Diego Padres.

Matt Musico examined Wilson Ramos‘ current lack of power.

Mathew Brownstein interviewed former Mets prospect and three-time MLB All-Star Scott Kazmir.

This Day in Mets History

1993: Bret Saberhagen‘s complete-game shutout led the Mets (11-18) to victory over the Marlins (14-17), and outshined Florida’s first complete game in franchise history which was recorded by Ryan Bowen.

Birthdays: Craig Brazell turns 39 and Pete Schourek turns 50. Jim Hickman was also born on this day in 1937.

The post Morning Briefing: Struggling Mets Host Cellar-Dwelling Marlins appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

More than two and a half years have passed since Scott Kazmir last appeared in a major league game.

The date was September 23, 2016, when the former top pitching prospect toed the rubber for the Los Angeles Dodgers in his 12th big league season. It would be Kazmir’s first start back in over a month for L.A. after he landed on the disabled list with neck inflammation and later thoracic spine inflammation.

Kazmir threw 19 pitches in a scoreless first inning against the Colorado Rockies at home; however, he was replaced by rookie pitcher Ross Stripling before tossing a pitch in the second. The southpaw was pulled after experiencing right intercostal spasms, a similar issue Kazmir faced in a minor league rehab start just a few weeks prior.

His season was over.

He returned for spring training in 2017, in the second year of his three-year contract he signed with L.A. in December 2015. A major decrease in velocity in which Kazmir was sitting in the low-to-mid 80s after averaging a low-90s fastball in ’16 – coupled with hip tightness, which messed with his flexibility and mechanics – sidelined the lefty for the entire ’17 season, aside from four minor-league rehab appearances totaling 12.0 innings.

A financially-motivated blockbuster trade in the 2017-18 offseason saw the Dodgers trade Adrian Gonzalez, Brandon McCarthy, Charlie Culberson, Kazmir and cash considerations to the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Matt Kemp.

Kazmir appeared in five spring games for the Braves, posting a 4.22 ERA with a 1.69 WHIP in 10.2 innings pitched. The Braves released the veteran starter near the end of spring training, with Kazmir sitting out the entire year in part due to personal family matters.

The mental and physical obstacles Kazmir underwent while trying to work his way back to a major league mound were strenuous, while the prospects of making a comeback were slowly fading.

Baseball is a fickle game, one in which age and injuries deplete the skills of every player at some point. Some experience prolonged success and go out on their own terms, while others watch their once high skill set diminish quicker than others.

Kazmir fits the latter.

The former 15th overall pick by the New York Mets in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft out of Cypress Falls High School in Houston, Texas, was considered one of the best arms in the draft. Armed with an explosive fastball that sat in the low-to-mid 90s with movement, along with an overpowering slider, Kazmir was one of the most intriguing and well-regarded prospects in the game.

From 2003-05, Kazmir was rated no lower than 12th on Baseball America’s Top-100 Prospects lists and was dominating older competition while working his way up through the Mets’ minor league affiliates.

Fans’ excitement grew over the eventual arrival of Kazmir in Queens, where the hard-throwing left-hander would one day don the orange and blue with the potential of being a top-of-the-rotation starter in an aging rotation.

Those plans were upended on July 30, 2004.

On the morning of, the Mets were sitting in fourth place in the N.L. East, six games out of first and nine games out of the Wild Card race. In a clear short-term move, then Mets GM Jim Duquette made two separate trades a day before the non-waiver trade deadline:

• Dealing Matt Peterson, Jose Bautista and Ty Wigginton to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jeff Keppinger and Kris Benson.
• Dealing Jose Diaz and Scott Kazmir to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Bartolome Fortunato and Victor Zambrano.

The ensuing results were not kind for the Mets, as Zambrano was already dealing with a balky right elbow and made just three starts for the Mets in the rest of the ’04 season.

Meanwhile, the then 20-year-old Kazmir was set to make his major league debut with Tampa Bay less than a month later, firing five shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners on the road.

From regrettable quotes like then pitching coach Rick Peterson suggesting to Mets personnel that he could fix Zambrano in “10 minutes” to Duquette explaining that there were too many “cooks in the kitchen” in regards to the decision-making process, the Kazmir trade left not only the fans disappointed, but the young Texan as well. He grew to love the organization and yearned to prove that the club made the right decision in selecting him in the first round just two years prior.

Instead, Kazmir took that initial motivation along with his intriguing arsenal to Tampa Bay.

From 2005-08, Kazmir was one of the best American League starting pitchers. Among qualified A.L. pitchers, Kazmir was tied for fourth in ERA (3.51), second in strikeout percentage (25.1) and tied for sixth in fWAR (14.4). He made two All-Star appearances with Tampa Bay (’06, ’08) and one in his lone season with the Oakland Athletics in 2014.

In total, Kazmir appeared in 298 major league games (297 starts), with a lifetime record of 108-96 and a 4.01 ERA. Among all-time Tampa Bay pitchers, Kazmir is third in wins (55), fourth in innings pitched (834.0), fourth in strikeouts (874) and third in bWAR for pitchers (16.5).

At 35, Kazmir is still holding out hope that he could make a return to the majors. After attempting a throwing program this past offseason, Kazmir had to shut it down as he wasn’t where he needed to be psychically.

While remaining hopeful and realistic about his future in the game, Kazmir looks back on his time in the majors with great pride. From the success he had with Tampa Bay, including a trip to the World Series in ’08, to making a comeback with the Cleveland Indians in 2013 after being out of baseball for nearly two seasons – which included a stint with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League – Kazmir reflects fondly on his tenure in the game.

I had the privilege of speaking with Kazmir in mid-April, where we discussed being drafted by the Mets, the infamous trade, and his success with Tampa Bay.

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

Kazmir: I was always an Astros fan. I’m from Houston, and I was always a fan of the Killer B’s. To be honest, most of the games were blacked out when I was a kid, so I was watching a lot of the Braves’ games and everything that was on WGN like the Cubs and White Sox. I was always a big David Justice and Andruw Jones fan.

MMO: At what age did you start primarily focusing on pitching?

Kazmir: I’d probably say I was eleven or twelve when I started taking it seriously, and pretty much playing year-round in Houston and throughout the country.

MMO: What are your memories from the 2002 Draft? It seemed as though the Cincinnati Reds were set to take you with the third overall pick, and got scared off by potential contract demands. Were you aware of the Mets’ interest?

Kazmir: At the time, no. The days leading up to the Draft, I thought it was pretty set on the Reds. It was literally the morning of that I got a call that said it was not going to happen.

Throughout the entire Draft, it was kind of just hanging on wondering where I’d go. Once I got selected by the Mets, I was very excited knowing that I’d be with an organization that is very popular and just has a lot of history.

MMO: You excelled and built up quite the billing while pitching with several of the Mets’ minor league affiliates. Being the club’s top pitching prospect, along with the lofty expectations that come with it, did that put any additional pressure on you? Or, did you embrace it?

Kazmir: I think I embraced it. Everyone throughout the organization that was there at the time was awesome and made me feel very comfortable throughout every single level that I went to.

As soon as I got to pro ball, I had the privilege of having HoJo as my manager and [Bobby] Ojeda as my pitching coach. It was pretty fun to break into pro ball that way and really be able to talk with those guys and just get used to living the pro ball lifestyle.

MMO: A day Met fans won’t forget and are still upset over is July 30, 2004: when you were dealt along with Jose Diaz to Tampa Bay for Bartolome Fortunato and Victor Zambrano. What were your first reactions when you heard the news that you were being traded?

Kazmir: I was in Binghamton [Double-A] at the time, and I honestly thought that the guys were not telling the truth. They brought me into the office, and I thought they were just joking with me because we joked around throughout the entire year because we were very comfortable.

They were like, “This is not a joke. You’ve got to take this call pretty soon and head to an affiliate with the Rays.”

It was devastating for me, to be honest with you. It was a team I grew to love, and I really wanted to show the organization and fans that they made the right decision in drafting me, and I wasn’t able to do that.

MMO: There was a report that perhaps some of the veterans on the Mets were unhappy with some of your antics, which included changing the music in the clubhouse during spring training. Do you think there was any validity to rumors that some of the veterans might have spoken to the front office about you, or do you think it’s much ado about nothing?

Kazmir: I think that whole thing was blown way out of proportion. I don’t think it was even an issue to begin with, but somehow it got out [about the changing of the music], and it was unfortunate how everything went down, but there are no regrets with anything that happened.

I felt I learned so much throughout that one spring training where I had all of those veterans like John Franco, Al Leiter and all of those guys. They were great to me for the month and a half that I was there in spring training, and I learned so much.

MMO: Less than a month after the trade to Tampa Bay, you were called up and made your major league debut in Seattle against the Mariners. You went five scoreless innings while scattering four hits for the win. What memories do you have from that day and game?

Kazmir: It kind of felt like a blur, to be honest with you. It seemed like I blinked and I was in the fifth inning because I was so amped up.

From what I remember when I was warming up, it only took me twelve or thirteen pitches. I told the pitching coach, ‘I was ready to go,’ and he was in shock. But judging by how the bullpen went he said, “All right, let’s do it!”

I knew the batters I was going to face coming up: Ichiro, Randy Winn and Edgar Martinez. It was guys that I knew I had to be amped up right out of the gate for. It was awesome.

I remember Jose Cruz Jr. hit a home run in the sixth inning to give us a big lead. It was a memorable day.

MMO: From 2005-08, you were one of the best pitchers in the American League. Among qualified A.L. starters, you tied for the fourth-best ERA (3.51), second-highest K% (25.1) and tied for the sixth-best fWAR (14.4). What do you attribute your early success to with Tampa Bay?

Kazmir: I think a lot of that has to do with the staff that I had when I came to the Rays. I had a great training staff that really embraced everything about pitching preparation. I was really able to stick to a good program, and had hands-on treatment that I started progressing with. Everything was feeling more and more comfortable. I was getting more consistent with my delivery and I credit the entire training staff that we had.

MMO: Your 2008 club, which won the A.L. East with 97 wins and ended up facing the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, was a fun and young team. To you, what made that club so special?

Kazmir: I think we knew we had something at the end of the 2007 year. We were very confident heading into the offseason. We knew we had some guys that were coming up, like [Evan] Longoria and David Price. We knew we were going to get full seasons out of them and that they were special.

We just had fun with it. Knowing we’d go to Boston and New York and we’d be these young guys facing these established veterans, we knew we were capable of beating those teams. We just had that swagger about ourselves the whole year.

MMO: You battled a series of injuries following that ’08 season, and eventually were released by the Los Angeles Angels in 2011. You signed with the Sugar Land Skeeters, an independent league team, in 2012 before signing a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians prior to the ’13 season.

Can you talk a bit about some of the things you went through in re-establishing yourself in terms of fundamentals, mechanics and velocity?

Kazmir: Those were tough times. Not being able to do what I loved my entire life in playing baseball, it was tough. I ended up playing in a couple of winter leagues in the Dominican, Puerto Rico and then independent ball to get my innings and just try to reestablish myself. It made me a stronger person, a better player and it’s something I’ll never regret.

I’ll never think of a different path that I should’ve taken because I feel like that was the path that was for me. It really helped me grow up as a person and a player.

MMO: What was the main issue you were facing in your comeback?

Kazmir: It was more physical stuff than mechanics. It was just little things with flexibility, and it was tough to be able to bounce back every five days. It was new environments where it was new stuff going on where it was really tough to be consistent to be honest with you. I just had to go back to square one; learn the fundamentals again, get that flexibility back and just get my innings up.

MMO: I read an ESPN article that detailed some of the work you did with Ron Wolforth – a renowned pitching guru – in your attempts to get back to the majors. How important was he in resurrecting your career?

Kazmir: He was great in the fact that he had some great fundamental stuff just to get you back to good fundamentals as far as your delivery. I think that after I kind of started feeling comfortable with that, I took that to my old [routine]; when I was in high school, just doing long tosses as long as I can, and stuff like that.

I think long toss, after the fact of getting my fundamentals and mechanics right, really contributed to getting my arm strength back and getting back into the big leagues.

MMO: In your lone season with the Cleveland Indians, you got to work with then pitching coach Mickey Callaway. What were your impressions of him?

Kazmir: He was awesome to work with! One of the best pitching coaches I’ve ever been around. Just the guy, being able to talk with him, he’s very easygoing. You can talk to him about anything!

He really made you feel comfortable out there, and he made you feel like he was rooting for you. And that’s huge, especially with the environment that you’re in playing in the major leagues. You want someone in your corner. His personality was infectious. Everyone loved being around him and it was a great combo of him and Tito [Francona] in the dugout. It was awesome.

MMO: What does the future hold for Scott Kazmir? Would you like to get back on the mound? Would you look to stay in the game as a scout, coach or broadcaster?

Kazmir: I’m not sure right now. I really want to be back in the game; I want to play some more. This past November, I started to throw again and started my throwing program in December; it just didn’t turn out too well physically. I was a little bit behind in flexibility and everything, so we kind of shut it down.

I’ve got a lot of stuff going on in my personal life; I’ve got a kid who’s one and a half years old now and another one on the way. I have some family stuff health-wise that my mom’s going through, and I’d like to be close to her these next couple of years. So we’ll see what happens.

I really miss the game. I love watching these games, and it’s bittersweet because I want to be out there. But I’m loving spending time with my family, that’s for sure.

MMO: Do you still hear from Mets fans who are bitter about the trade all these years later?

Kazmir: [Laughs.] I actually do. Out of any fan base, Mets fans are passionate about the trade. I’ll never hear the end of it.

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

Kazmir: There are a lot of things to be proud of. I loved working with the young guys, especially when I was a veteran. It was very fun for me to be able to almost coach them throughout the years and everything like that.

If I said anything I’d be proud of, it would be playing the game the right way; playing it cleanly. I think that was the biggest part for me. I think that would probably be the biggest thing for me.

MMO: Thanks for some time today, Scott. It was great to speak with you about your career.

Kazmir: My pleasure. Thanks.

Follow Scott Kazmir on Twitter, @scottkazmir19

The post MMO Exclusive: Three-Time All-Star Pitcher, Scott Kazmir appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Amed Rosario is the Mets’ best prospect, according to Baseball America. He even graced the magazine’s cover recently, so there is little doubt that he will be the most watched minor leaguer in Port St. Lucie this spring. Well, aside from Tim Tebow.

But if history is any indicator, that might not be a good thing for Rosario or the Mets. Baseball America has long kept a list of the top prospects of each organization. Only four of these players became All-Stars with the Mets. Since there’s nothing going on with the team right now besides bloggers speculating about Jay Bruce, let’s take a look at the last quarter-century of Baseball America’s top Mets prospects, and see how they panned out.

2016- Steven Matz–  The book is still out on Matz, but a 3.16 ERA in 28 career starts is pretty encouraging.

2014-15- Noah Syndergaard: The crown jewel of the R.A. Dickey trade has quickly become the biggest star of the Mets’ young guns in the rotation. And that’s only partially due to his spot-on Twitter game.

2012-13- Zack Wheeler: It’s crazy to think that just three years ago at this time, Wheeler was considered to be the best of the Mets’ pitching prospects. He showed potential when he pitched, averaging 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 2014. It’s too bad he hasn’t pitched since due to an extended recovery from Tommy John surgery.

2010-11- Jenrry Mejia– The Mets called up Mejia at just 20 years old in 2010, and after a couple of starts it was abundantly clear that he wasn’t ready. Injuries, poor play and– ultimately– several PED suspensions kept him away from the field. He ended up making history, but not the kind you want to make: He became the first-ever player to get banned by MLB for life due to PEDs, after failing his third positive test last year.

2008-09- Fernando Martinez– Remember when it was the biggest deal that the Mets got Johan Santana without having to trade Fernando Martinez?

Martinez was hyped up for years, but he never panned out in the majors. He played in just 47 games with the Mets from 2009-11, batting .183/.250/.290 with a 46 OPS+. In hindsight, they probably should have traded him

2007- Mike Pelfrey– “Big Pelf” was drafted ninth overall in 2005, and was thrust right into the major leagues the next season. He was wildly inconsistent with the Mets; check out his stat lines from 2007-2011:

2007: 3-8, 5.57 ERA

2008: 13-11, 3.72 ERA

2009: 10-12, 5.03 ERA

2010: 15-9, 3.66 ERA

2011: 7-13, 4.74 ERA

His career with the Mets ended in 2012 after a season-ending elbow injury suffered in his third start of the season.

2005-06- Lastings Milledge– Another high draft pick, Milledge was drafted 12th overall out of high school in 2003. He reached as high as No. 9 overall on Baseball America’s top prospects list, and was immediately billed as a five-tool prospect.

But Milledge’s potential never really translated in the major leagues; he played 56 games for the Mets in 2006 and 59 in 2007 before being traded to the Nats for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. He was out of the majors for good by 2011.

2004- Scott Kazmir– Kazmir has won 108 games and made three All-Star appearances over his 12 years in the big leagues. But he never pitched for the Mets, obviously, thanks to one of the worst trades in team history in which the team traded him for journeyman pitcher Victor Zambrano in 2004.

2003- Jose Reyes– This one worked out, to say the least.

2002- Aaron Heilman– Heilman is obviously remembered for his worst moments– most notably letting up Yadier Molina‘s home run in the 2006 NLCS and countless blown holds and saves in big games during the following years. But he actually had some decent seasons as a reliever with the Mets: He posted a 3.27 ERA and 130 ERA+ from 2005-2007. Too bad nobody’s going to remember that.

1999-2001- Alex Escobar– Escobar is another guy who Mets fans were told minor league legends of for years. He’s the only player to take the No. 1 title three times, but Escobar’s MLB career was pretty forgettable– he played just 18 games for the Mets, all in 2001.

1998- Grant Roberts– Roberts is best remembered being caught in a scandal when pictures of him smoking pot surfaced in 2002. His career went up in smoke soon after that; the Mets released him in 2004, leaving him with a 4.25 ERA in 76 career outings.

1997- Jay Payton– Payton’s rookie year with the Mets in 2000 helped catapult them to the World Series, as he batted .291/.331/.447 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs. He went on to have a sold decade-plus long career in the majors.

1996- Paul Wilson– Wilson was drafted No. 1 overall in 1994 and was the poster-child for the “Generation K” trio of Mets prospects, along with Bill Pulsipher and Jason Isringhausen. None of the three accomplished much with the Mets, and only Isringhausen accomplished much at all during his MLB career. Wilson went 5-12 with a 5.38 ERA for the Mets in 1996, which was the only season he spent in the majors with them. He was eventually traded, along with Jason Tyner, to the Rays in the 2000 trade that bought Bubba Trammell and Rick White to the Mets.

1994-1995- Bill Pulsipher– Much like Wilson, Pulsipher entered the majors with much hype but left with little fanfare. He made just 46 big-league starts from 1995-2005.

1993- Bobby Jones– Jones was a staple on Mets teams of the 90s, and was one of the few players from the early-90s doldrums to play for the 1999 and 2000 playoff teams. He went 74-56 with the Mets from 1993-2000, and was named an All-Star in 1997.

1992- Todd Hundley– Hundley is often forgotten because of the guy who became the team’s starting catcher after him. But he put together some very solid seasons for the Mets, namely when he set a single-season club record with 41 home runs in 1996.

So if you’re keeping count at home, just one player on this list turned out to be a long-term star for the Mets: Jose Reyes, although Syndergaard, Matz, and even Wheeler could join him in that category someday. Ten of the 17 players on here did go on to have at least a somewhat productive big-league career: Hundley, Jones, Payton, Heilman (though I cringe putting him in this category), Reyes, Kazmir Pelfrey, Wheeler, Matz and Syndergaard.

Moral of this list: Amed Rosario, no matter what the experts are saying about him, is far from a sure thing.

The post A History of Mets No. 1 Overall Prospects appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Los Angeles Dodgers just announced via Twitter that they have signed free agent LHP Scott Kazmir to a three-year contract. The deal is worth $48 million dollars in total for an average annual value of $16 million.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports also adds that the deal includes an opt-out clause for Kazmir, allowing him to re-enter the free agent market again after just one season.

Kazmir, 31, is certainly no Zack Greinke, but he should lessen the blow quite a bit for the Dodgers. He will join a rotation that includes Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson, Alex Wood and Mike Bolsinger.

In 31 starts for the Athletics and Astros, the former Met went 7-11 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.208 WHIP in 183 innings pitched last season.

We are seeing more and more of these opt-out clauses in recent years. I hate them. In my opinion they have absolutely no benefit to a team. How about if teams got opt-out clauses on deals too, so we can cut bait when players have an awful season?

The post Dodgers Sign Scott Kazmir To Three-Year Deal appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

There are certain names that make Mets fans cringe whenever they hear them. Scott Kazmir is one, as in “How can the Mets trade Scott Kazmir, maybe the best pitching prospect in all of baseball for Victor Zambrano, a mediocre 30-year old pitcher with arm trouble ?”

Remember Gregg Jefferies, who seemed to win Minor League Player Of The Year every season on his way to being fast-tracked to the Major Leagues. Only when he got there, he proved to be a player in search of a position who was despised by most of his teammates for his (alleged) selfishness and immaturity. Despite a fairly productive career with the bat after leaving the Mets, Jefferies fell far short of his goals of surpassing Ty Cobb and Pete Rose for the all-time hits record and has become more of a “whatever happened to…”.

But, old-time Met fans will always cringe at the mention of the name Steve Chilcott. For you younger fans who may not be up on early Mets history, let’s go back to 1966.

The Mets had the number one overall selection in the 2nd annual amateur draft and the choice clearly came down to two players. There was the star outfielder at Arizona State University, Reggie Jackson and a high-school catcher out of California by the name of Steve Chilcott.

Of course, Reggie Jackson went on to a Hall Of Fame career, while Chilcott never made the Major Leagues. There had been some speculation that the Mets had some question about Jackson’s character and associations, but at the time, most big league scouts were divided as to which of the two was a better prospect.

Based on a personal scouting report from Casey Stengel, probably combined with Casey’s philosophy that “if you don’t have a catcher, you’re gonna have a lot of passed balls”, the Mets went with Chilcott.

That wasn’t the first mistake the Mets made and it certainly wasn’t the last, but it was definitely among the biggest.

Anyway, I can say that I am probably one of the few people who actually saw Steve Chilcott play a professional game in New York City. No, not with the Mets or the Yankees, since Steve never made the big leagues, even though he got as close as Double-A and maybe a game or two in Triple-A with the Yankees organization after the Mets released him.

It was a special pre-game event at Yankee Stadium, a regular season league game between the Auburn Mets and Binghamton Yankees.

Binghamton’s Mickey Scott out-dueled Auburn’s Jerry Koosman, 1-0 in front of maybe 1,000 fans, most of whom thought they were arriving early for Big League batting practice.

But there were a handful of Met die-hards like myself who came out to see the Auburn Mets, and more specifically, to see the future of the Mets – Steve Chilcott.

Getting to see Jerry Koosman was, of course, a bonus. Koosman dominated New York Penn League hitters that season and after a quick jump to AAA the next season became a mainstay of the Mets’ rotation.

As for Chilcott, he hit a double down the rightfield line, almost a HR into the short right field seats of Yankee Stadium. But he also struck out a couple of times and looked pretty bad doing it. I was still sure that Chilcott would be starring for the Mets one day because that’s what all the “experts” said.

Little did I know that his appearance that day in Yankee Stadium would be the last chance I would ever get to see him play.

The post Steve Chilcott: Because Without A Catcher You’ll Have A Lot Of Passed Balls appeared first on Metsmerized Online.