Good
morning.
One of the most
improved players from 2018 was UCLA infielder Chase
Strumpf. A solid 2017 summer he broke out as a sophomore in 2018.
As a freshman he hit
just .239 in 188 at-bats with 23 runs scored, 9 doubles, 7 home runs, 30 RBI,
and a .315 on-base percentage.
That summer he played
in the Northwoods League and hit .335 in 164 at-bats with 25 runs scored, 15
doubles, 6 home runs, 32 RBI, and a .425 on-base percentage.
Strumpf took that
success into the spring and hit .363 for the Bruins in 226 at-bats with 59 runs
scored, 23 doubles, 12 home runs, 53 RBI, and a .475 on-base percentage.
Mack –
Thisis a power hitting second baseman who is around three year away from being
ready for The Bigs. He should be considered as a 2nd round pick in
the next draft and will go around when the Mets get around to their pick.
Trump administration aims to stop professional
baseball deal with Cuba –
The Trump
administration is expected to take steps to block a historic agreement that
would allow Cuban baseball players from joining Major League Baseball in the
United States without having to defect, according to an official familiar with
the discussions.
The administration
wants to reverse an Obama-era ruling that says the Cuban government doesn’t run
the island’s professional baseball league. Such a position gave MLB space to
negotiate and reach the deal with Cuban baseball and circumvent the U.S.
embargo against Cuba.
Mack –
Normally, we don’t discuss politics here on Mack’s Mets but I feel this story
about the game we love is an exception to that rule.
Discuss on…
The 2019 World Series winner will be ...
The Nationals missed
the playoffs in a disappointing 2018. We think they'll right the ship in '19,
even with the potential loss of Harper in free agency. One big reason is their
formidable starting pitching trio: Max Scherzer,
Stephen Strasburg and marquee free-agent signing Patrick Corbin. Add to that young talents like Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Victor
Robles, and veterans like Anthony Rendon and
Ryan Zimmerman, and MLB.com is predicting a
reascension for Washington to the top of the division.
But it won't be easy.
The defending NL East champion Braves got nearly as many votes as the Nats in
our poll. The Mets -- who have added Edwin Diaz,
Robinson Cano and Wilson Ramos under new
general manager Brodie Van Wagenen -- got a good chunk, too.
Mack –
What? No love for Jeurys Familia?
I’m impressed that the Mets were
even mentioned in this article.
Portland’s
Johnny Pesky was part of the baseball
team that helped win World War II -
During the Second
World War, more than 500 major leaguers paused their baseball careers to serve
in the military. Pesky and Boston Red Sox hitter Ted
Williams joined the Navy to become fighter pilots, while former Red Sox
catcher “Moe” Berg became a spy for the Office
of Strategic Services.
Mack – I
hope Hobie is reading this.
He was
Johnny’s babysitter back in the day and trained him to be a fighter pilot.
Remembering
those the baseball world lost
in '18 –
7 comments:
Mr Staub was a true asset to the game of baseball - put him in Cooperstown.
That UCLA kid looks like he's got the Right Strumpf
The Nats are gonna be tough - Fangraphs projected them now at 91 wins, Mets at 85. Hector Santiago ought to get them to 85 1/2 - the Mets need to do better.
Cuban baseball dudes - not to fret, Pelosi and Schumer have called the wall between Cuba and the US immoral, and are prepared to tear it down LOL. I think Pelosi has had too many Harvey Wallbangers. OK, no more politics.
I still maintain Staub belongs in the Hall of Fame - his numbers were far from mediocre .. and yes I am his illegitimate son
Trump will first block this move but when a deal is struck to open a Trump Casino & vomitorium in Havana the embargo will magically be lifted
JD Davis Acquisition
I like it.
JD Martinez (I mean Davis) is a beast with homerun capability shown in AAA level. Hasn't busted out yet at the MLB level, but should. Also plays left field and first, bats right handed.
With the kids the Mets traded away to get JD...You never miss what you never had. Manea was the only guy I ever heard of and only because of this website really.
The Mets needed another homerun bat, then went out and got one. The Mets had no heir apparent for third base. Now they may. Kudos to Van Halen I say.
Rusty Staub's popularity equaled his playing ability as a Met and an Expo. Rusty is missed and will forever be. That kind of heart and guts do not come along here too often.
If I could have cloned three NY Mets now deceased, probably Rusty would be the first one. Some players do more than just play really well and really hard all the time, they endear themselves to the fan base. Rusty is certainly that guy.
Mets Fan-atic
I practically live for baseball, Mets baseball. I guess that is my only addiction really that I have. I follow the MLB Network all winter long, waiting for NY Mets trades and news to finally arrive, almost like Santa on Christmas Eve when I was a kid. I'd rather watch this than have to watch the other crap on TV that puts me to sleep or brings vomit to my mouth, like the news. Once and awhile, I'll watch a movie. I've seen "Shooter" (with Danny Glover/Mark Wahlberg) now three times so far this winter. It's always on somehow. I have to admit that I kind of like love stories.
Anyway, I was watching an old Mets game recently from 2006, I think it was. My impression was that I still like the old Shea Stadium better. There is something about it, almost like a high school shirt that you used to wear every other day to school despite your mother's protests. Shea had a remnant of Mets' blood, sweat, and tears all over it there and left on its field. Perhaps too, the ghosts of memorable teams past and even the faces of its fans back then all washed in together.
I also saw so many great drunken brawls there in the box seats and above, that I still can see them even now in my memory. Was an extra reason to go there actually, fight night and a game Anyway, it was somehow all magical to us kid Mets fans.
I have never felt that way about Citi Field, or at least not yet. Maybe one day. But it's a different era, and maybe a little bit more corporate and sterile even, not sure. I guess that the real Mets fans have been sort of excluded from taking in most MLB games, too expensive for a family of four. But the old Shea Stadium memories, they do live on for many of us. It was the place to be on a sunny weekend day in the summertime. And I would bet that there are a lot of older Mets fans out there, who feel this same exact way.
So what is it with all this you ask?
To be honest, I wish that I knew, and I have been trying to figure it out for such a long time too. Maybe that's where it all began for many of us post-Polo Grounds Mets fans? Maybe it was watching the team grow from actually nothing really into a Champion team in both '69 and '86? Maybe it had something to do with cheering for loser teams we loved anyway, and then seeing them taste the champagne twice?
But it all happened there, Shea Stadium, and until the NY Mets win the World Series again (and this time in Citi Field) Shea Stadium will be many of us Mets older fans preferential stadium, at least in memory. It's where Ron Swoboda slid to make that great catch in right field, Cleon Jones cleared the bases with a late inning homerun, Tommie Agee was Willie Mays in center field, and Tom "Terrific" Seaver was spectacular almost every time out. And don't forget about Casey either!
Maybe 2019 will be the Mets year once again, only time will tell. And then Citi Field will become every fans, just like Shea Stadium once was.
I have only one question after all this trade fodder...
If we now have Cano playing second, and a platoon on third, what do we do with McNeil?
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