John From Albany – Mets Breakfast Links 3/17/2020

Good Morning and Happy St. Patrick’s Day. 

In relation to St. Patrick’s Day and the Mets I found this note from Amazing Avenue 2013: Being St. Patrick's Day, let's salute the players with McNames that have worked their way into the Mets record books. That includes some well-known men like Kevin McReynolds…Tug McGraw…Roy McMillan.

Still no baseball but you can watch every Mets Pennant Clinch on YouTube.

AP News: MLB delays opening day to mid-May at earliest due to virus. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement after the federal government recommended restricting events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks. “The opening of the 2020 regular season will be pushed back in accordance with that guidance,” Manfred said.  “We’re not going to announce an alternate opening day at this point. We’re going to have to see how things develop.”

NBC Sports Chicago: Several GMs reportedly 'bracing' for Major League Baseball delay to last as late as July.

Hannah Keyser Yahoo Sports: No games, no money: Coronavirus threatens workers who depend on baseball.

Yahoo Sports: According to a player source for More Than Baseball, an organization focused on assisting minor league players, the Rays will give every one of their minor leaguers $800 in a one-time payment to help with expenses while operations are shut down because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Yahoo Sports: Eric Sim, former minor league catcher, sends minor leaguers gift cards to help where MLB hasn’t.

Joe Vasile of Mets 360.com says Wilpons, Mets do the right thing with COVID-19 response. “Many MLB teams have continued this mistreatment in the face of the Coronavirus epidemic and sent their minor leaguers home on and told them that they want them to stay in shape – both on their own dimes. These clubs will continue to not pay their minor leaguers until their seasons start…the Mets are not promising to pay the minor league players their salaries while baseball is on a hiatus, but unlike some teams they are promising to continue to only pay players their daily per diem allowance of $25.”

Yahoo Sports: MLB, players union announced a $1 million joint-donation to be split between Feeding America and Meals on Wheels America.

Tim Brown Yahoo Sports: As coronavirus delays opening day, MLB's players settle into suspended reality.

NBC Sports Chicago: Anthony Rizzo's foundation is raising funds for Lurie Children’s Hospital staff. Donations will be used to provide meals through the foundation’s restaurant partners. Interested supports can also visit https://www.rizzo44.com/donate to contribute anything they can.

NBC Sports Chicago: 5 things that will need to happen to the 2020 MLB schedule once the season starts - There will need to be a second round of spring training; The schedule will need to be entirely redone; The All-Star Game will need to go away; There will need to be October baseball in your home park, so bundle up; The World Series will need to be played at a neutral site.

Kevin Kernan NY Post: MLB must become more fan friendly after coronavirus shutdown. “The bottom line is the product must get better and fan experience must improve. As for the schedule, don’t burden fans with split doubleheaders. Make it a true doubleheader. This is a warning shot across the bow of baseball. Getting back to ballpark basics is the best way to start. That’s why fans love this game in the first place. That’s when players are at their best, keeping it simple. MLB is at a crossroads in the desert.”

SNY.TV: With coronavirus delaying season, Mets' Pete Alonso wants to keep baseball alive with MLB The Show 20.  If Alonso gets 50k retweets, he'll challenge his teammates and other big leaguers in the video game.

SNY.TV: 5 stats that could make or break the Mets' season.  Included are more wins for Jacob deGrom, less home runs from Edwin Diaz – “He set an MLB record by giving up 15 home runs in the ninth inning.” And Noah Syndergaard working on improving his defense against the running game. He gave up 42 steals in 45 attempts (93.3 percent) in 2019 and vowed again to take care of it.

MLB Trade Rumors had a review of the Mets' Off Season.

Yahoo Sports: Transaction freeze not in place yet, but expected soon for baseball.

Yahoo Sports: Joe Panik added to major league roster by Blue Jays.

NBC Sports: MLB rumors: Giants 'willing to consider' signing Yasiel Puig as free agent.

NY Post: Denny Larrondo identified as Yankees prospect with positive coronavirus test. The 17-year-old right-hander from Cuba was signed by the Yankees in 2018 and pitched 12 games for the Yankees’ Gulf Coast League team last season.

Lancaster Online: Atlantic League delays start of 2020 baseball season with CDC safety guidelines in mind. The league-wide opening day was scheduled for April 30 with Lancaster Barnstormers scheduled to open their season May 1 at Long Island Ducks and scheduled to host the Ducks in their May 8 home opener.  The Atlantic League also postponed its tryout mini-camps scheduled for late March and early April.  Atlantic League president Rick White said the league would monitor news and public information sources and make further announcements regarding the schedule at a later date.

Ken Davidoff of the NY Post detailed how the Brooklyn Cyclones Matt Mullenbach came across “baseball heaven in coronavirus escape” and “played catch with a young amateur player from Atlanta for about 10 minutes from 90 feet apart, honoring the work outline he received from his Mets superiors. Even better, Mullenbach learned from The Post, he did this work at the very place that served as the Mets’ spring training home, then known as the Payson Field Complex, for their first 26 years of existence.”

You can read about how Matt Mullenbach threw an “immaculate” inning, nine pitches, nine strikes, three strikeouts in a game for the Cyclones here.

Larry Hammonds Empire Writes Back: New York Mets players who can use COVID-19 break to heal injuries - Dellin Betances; Yoenis Céspedes; Michael Conforto.

Tim Boyle Rising Apple: Mets shortstop Amed Rosario has the longest active Opening Day streak on the team.  Looking at how the team has changed in the last two years Tim notes: “the Mets have only one guy in line to start the same position he did back in 2018: shortstop Amed Rosario.”

Rich Coutinho Elite Sports NY: “I fully realize our sports world seems to be in a state of shambles due to coronavirus but let’s make sure as a country our focus is on the right thing—the safety and health of all Americans.”

Yesterday at Mack’s Mets:

Reese Kaplan -- So Far the Arms are Alright!

Mack – Draft News – Zac Veen, Cole Wilcox, Austin Martin.

Blast From The Past - Introducing the 2010 Mets Bullpen.

Brooklyn Cyclones Statement.

MLB Statement – Coronavirus.

Mack’s Blast From The Past comes from 3-17-12 – Mack had Baseball-Intellect - Mets Top-15 Prospects of 2012. Here were the top 5: 1. Zack Wheeler; 2. Matt Harvey; 3. Brandon Nimmo; 4. Jeurys Familia; 5. Jenrry Mejia; The most amazing thing?  All 15 made it to the major leagues. 

Today in Mets History Per Ultimatemets.com:

Born on this date:

• Vance Wilson (1973)
• Juan Lagares (1989)

Transactions:

New York Mets signed free agent Jerry Martin of the Kansas City Royals on March 17, 1984.

New York Mets traded Pete Walker and Luis Arroyo to the San Diego Padres for Roberto Petagine and Scott Adair on March 17, 1996.

New York Mets signed free agent Timo Perez on March 17, 2000.

New York Mets released Joe McEwing on March 17, 2005.

Cleveland Indians claimed Anderson Hernandez of the New York Mets on waivers on March 17, 2010.

Want more?  Check out https://sportspyder.com/mlb/new-york-mets/news. 

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