Mack’s Apples – Desmond Lindsay, Cap Anson, Wil Banfield, Seth Beer, Citi Field Redevelopment

Good morning.

 New York Mets : 3 prospects to know –

OF Desmond Lindsay - Lindsay is tough to gage because he simply hasn’t showed much on a consistent basis yet. He injured a hamstring in 2016, which was what was expected to be his full-season debut and then tore up the New York-Penn League once he returned. Last season, he got off to an atrocious start, but seemed to right the engine as the calendar turned to July. That’s where his season would end, cut short once again.

I unfortunately only saw Lindsay twice early in the season. He slashed .190/.320/.356 in the first half, so to say it was bad is an understatement. But watching Lindsay in batting practice, there just seems plenty to like.

 Cap Anson and the erection of the color barrier in baseball –

        

   Adrian "Cap" Anson was the first true superstar of baseball. The giant of his era, as both a hitter and field general, Anson is recognized as the first member of the 3,000 hit club, the second manager to earn 1,000 victories, and still the only man to accomplish both. Known for his strength, hustle and bluster in equal measure, he was unafraid to speak his mind, to anyone, at any time. He berated opposing players and intimidated umpires. So it should not come as a surprise that in an era of outspoken racism that Anson, as the most recognizable face and loudest voice in the game, became the leader of the segregation movement sweeping through baseball.

2080 Baseball

        

   Wil Banfield, C, Brookwood (Snellville, Ga.)

Ht/Wt: 6’0”/200          B/T: R/R         Age (as of 2018 MLB Draft): 18y, 6m

An advanced prep receiver with a plus arm, Banfield has plenty of experience handling premium velocity as the travel ball battery-mate of blue chip pitching prospects Ethan Hankins and Kumar Rocker for Georgia-based Team Elite. Though his defense is ahead of his bat, Banfield flashes above-average raw power potential and showed improved bat-to-ball skills this Fall.

Seth Beer  on 2018 plans: Becoming a complete player, not just a great hitter –

What Beer has made his mission — his rallying cry of 2018 of sorts — is to become a more complete player, though, in addition to just being one of college baseball’s best hitters. In 2017, Beer hit .298 with 16 homers and 53 RBIs, but the knock on him was his limited speed as a corner outfielder/first baseman. For as good as Beer is behind the plate, he, too, wants to make sure his glove skills are on the same level, and for that, he has worked tirelessly.

Redevelopment project next to NY Mets'  

stadium is revived -

                 

      A long-planned redevelopment project for a neighborhood of run-down car-repair shops next to the New York Mets' stadium is back on the drawing board.

The New York Times reports that the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio has struck a deal with developers for 1,100 apartments, a school, open space and retail in the Willets Point neighborhood next to Citi Field.

The Willets Point project was first proposed by former mayor Michael Bloomberg. It appeared dead in 2015 when a court ruled that the city could not take a piece of Flushing Meadows Corona Park for a large shopping mall.