The Case for Promoting Francisco Alvarez

At the beginning of this season, I was convinced that the Mets should let their uber-prospect have the entire year in the minors. Now I'm beginning to see a path to the big leagues opening up for the young star.

When the year began, and Francisco Álvarez had an all-too-brief opportunity to participate in major league training camp, Francisco didn't hide his feelings that he was ready to play in the majors this season. Besides possessing a strong, mature body and an enviable work ethic, the young catcher also has a deep belief in his abilities that should stand him well. The physical and mental rigors and demands of being a major league catcher, along with the pressure cooker atmosphere of New York City, will provide plenty of tests of the young man's mettle.

Enjoy a Great Read and Help Out a Fellow Mets Fan

My brother, George Steffanos, has been going through a bit of a tough time lately. He recently developed a serious infection in his foot that required surgery. It has left him temporarily unable to work. I know — this is the point in one of these stories where someone asks you to donate to a "Go Fund Me" page. I'm not asking you to do that. I get those requests often, and it's impossible to help out everyone unless you happen to be a hedge fund billionaire.

My brother published a book about his 1983 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. It's a really good story. The book has received excellent reviews. It's for sale on Amazon as a quality paperback for $18.95 or a Kindle e-book for $9.99. Your money helps out a fellow Mets fan who is enduring some tough physical times. In return, you get a great summer read in return along with sincere thanks.

Decisions, Decisions: Position Players

We complete our three-part series on the player decisions the Mets will face after the 2022 season, focusing on position players.

In parts one and two of this series, we looked at New York Mets starters and relievers that would be free agents following this season. Today we wrap up with a look at the position players. Unlike the pitching staff, where the Mets front office will be forced to make several important decisions, there is only one significant position player reaching free agency: CF Brandon Nimmo. But Nimmo is an important player, indeed. Brandon is one of the offensive catalysts for this club and, as a bonus, turned himself into an excellent center fielder.

Get Used to the Trolls

Andy Martino w/o
the TV makeup

For now, it's speculation about whether Jacob deGrom really "likes" pitching in New York. Trolling Mets fans is a full-time job for the local and national baseball media. My advice is: get used to it and ignore it as much as possible.

Over the weekend, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted out, "There is a perception in some corners of the industry that if Jacob deGrom follows through with what he said in the spring and opts out of his Mets' contract, the Braves will be the favorites to land him." I chuckled when I first read it, the wording was artful in appearing to say a lot without really saying much of anything. There isn't much fact-based stuff going on in claiming that a "perception" exists in "some corners of the industry." For instance, a perception exists among the two canine members of my household that they are entitled to share my dinner with me. Understand that both of these dogs have lived with us for years and have never been given people food during meals. Yet that perception, fundamentally wrong as it is, still persists in some corners of my household.

Wednesday Evening with Max

The Mets' decision to bump the rehabbing Scherzer's start back a day worked out well for this fortunate blogger.

When I heard the news that Max Scherzer was scheduled to pitch a rehab start in Harford, CT Tuesday night, I texted several friends to see if they wanted to go to the game with me. I live about 25 miles from Hartford. Unfortunately, by the time I found a willing accomplice, tickets to the game were sold out. I was disappointed but still wanted a chance to see Francisco Álvarez, Brett Baty, and Ronny Mauricio in action, so I bought tickets for the Wednesday night game. As luck would have it, the Mets decided to move Scherzer's rehab start back a day, so I would be watching Max and the three prospects that evening.

Decisions, Decisions: Relief Pitchers

We're looking at some tough decisions the Mets front office will need to make after this season. Today we discuss the bullpen arms.

The New York Mets are in the midst of a special season after years of frustration. I'm very much looking forward to watching my team finally take part in the playoffs come October. But I'm also intrigued by the impending free agency of many important players and what that might mean to the Mets going forward. In part one of this series, we looked at the starting pitchers. Now we'll turn our focus to the bullpen, where the Mets must decide how much they're willing to pay to retain some key contributors.

Decisions, Decisions: Starting Pitchers

The failure during the Wilpon era to institute long-term strategies has forced Billy Eppler and the Mets to face a coming offseason of countless decisions.

The Mets had a tough 2-game series in Houston this week. It was particularly galling for older Mets fans like myself, whose disdain for that club long predates their blatant cheating scandal. And, of course, the Atlanta Braves continue to close the gap between the two clubs. It was down to 4 games after the Braves' win over San Francisco Thursday.

Winning Choices

The 2022 Mets make far fewer mistakes than previous Mets clubs, and it's adding up to many more wins.

As I watch the 2022 edition of the New York Mets, I am constantly reminded of how different this team is from the teams that preceded them. It started with owner Steve Cohen endowing new Mets GM Billy Eppler with an amount of cash that earlier Mets GMs could only dream about. But the direction Eppler chose to take while spending Cohen's money was interesting. I'm not sure that any of the three players that Eppler signed to open the Mets' spending — Starling Marte, Mark Canha, or Eduardo Escobar — were the types of players the Mets would have pursued previously.

This Kid May Have Something

Although he didn't receive much fanfare before this season, Mets prospect Junior Tilien is making himself someone to watch going forward.

I don't normally write about prospects at this site. It's not that I don't care. I actually spend as much time as I can following the exploits of New York Mets prospects. I'm checking daily to keep up with the latest exploits of Mets farmhands like Francisco Álvarez, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Ronny Mauricio. I look forward to the day when top pitching prospect Matt Allan returns after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2021.

Believing in the 2022 Mets

Things have really gone the way of the Braves and Phillies lately, but I still love the Mets' chances to come out on top.

It's been a tough stretch for the New York Mets. Although they had a respectable road trip out west against the Dodgers, Padres, and Angels, breaking even for the ten-game swing, it came at a time when the Braves and Phillies were winning almost every game they played. Since dropping the first two games of a road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Braves have run off 12 straight wins against second-rate opponents. Meanwhile, the Phillies have won 9 of 10. Their opponents have been stronger than Atlanta's, but they were fortunate to catch the Brewers and Angels amid long losing streaks.