John From Albany – Mets Breakfast Links 7/2/2020

Good Morning.  Happy Birthday Angel Pagan and Cody Bohanek, Chili Davis will work remotely as the virus surges in Arizona, and Rob Manfred admits the MLB never intended to play more than 60 games.

Section Links: Mets Links, MLB Links, Minor League Links, Asian Baseball Links, and This Day in Mets History.

Mets Links:

NY Post: Mets hitting coach Chili Davis will be working remotely. “The Mets hitting coach, according to sources, will work remotely – at least in the short term – amid COVID-19 concerns. The 60-year-old Davis resides in Arizona, where coronavirus cases have surged in recent weeks. Davis does not have the virus but will work remotely for precautionary reasons. Players were awaiting test results in New York on Wednesday for clearance to begin workouts. Any player or staff member testing positive must quarantine for two weeks.”

NY Post: MLB evaluators: New Met Rick Porcello ‘will help’ rotation. “It’s an every-other-year thing,” the first evaluator said of Rick Porcello, who won the 2016 American League Cy Young Award with the Red Sox. “I think part of his problem last year is he got caught up in trying to go the analytics route and pitch to the top of the strike zone with a four-seamer and he’s always been a sinker and two-seam guy.”

Danny Abriano SNY.TV (no longer MetsBlog): Mets 30-man roster prediction 2.0 for shortened 2020 MLB season. Besides the givens like Pete Alonso,  Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, and Jacob deGrom, and the rest of the names we know about he has Jared Hughes, Daniel Zamora, and Hunter Strickland in the pen and Rene Rivera and Melky Cabrera on the bench.

Danny Abriano SNY.TV (no longer MetsBlog): 4 questions Mets manager Luis Rojas needs to answer in first Summer Camp presser. What is your message to the team? How might you manage differently during a 60-game season? How do you plan to use Yoenis Céspedes? Is there a plan for how the 30-man roster will be structured?

Mike’s Mets: Questions Answered, Answers Still to Come.

Metstradamus: The Alternate Universe: Giants at Mets 7-1-2020.

MLB.com looked at the top homes hit by pitchers for every team.  For the Mets - Mets: Bartolo Colon -- May 7, 2016, at SD.  Honorable mention: Noah Syndergaard solo homer, shutout (5/2/19 vs. CIN).

CBS Sports: Mets roster for MLB restart: Four things to know as New York enters shortened season. Can Robinson Cano and Yoenis Céspedes bounce back? How will the rotation behind deGrom fare?

NY Post: Wilmer Flores’ emotional 48 hours culminated with the ultimate feel-good Mets win.

Metsmerized Online:  Five Free Agents the Mets Could Still Sign. Aaron Sanchez;  Andrew Cashner; Rajai Davis; Arodys Vizcaino; Russell Martin.

amNY: Bobby Bonilla Day for Mets leaves door open for ridicule, but good did come out of it. By deferring the money “they were able to afford left-handed pitcher Mike Hampton in a trade with the Houston Astros…as he opted to sign with the Colorado Rockies in 2001. While his move left a hole in the Mets’ rotation, the team received a compensatory draft pick, No. 38 overall in the 2001 draft…With that very pick, the Mets chose David Wright”.

Rising Apple: Mets: Let’s remember Mel Rojas, the pitcher traded to get Bobby Bonilla.

Happy #BobbyBonillaDay pic.twitter.com/t61bA9ArGB

— Marvin FreemanBaseball ⚾️ (@marvinfreeman84) July 1, 2020

Amazing Avenue: Michael Conforto could be great in shortened 2020 season.

Rising Apple: Mets sign Melky Cabrera and put him on standby for a worst case scenario.

Newsday: Mets bullpen looking better since shutdown with a stronger Dellin Betances, addition of Jared Hughes.

Elite Sports NY: Steve Cohen plans to make another bid for the New York Mets (Report).

Metsmerized Online: Short Season Will Test Mets’ Rotation Depth.

Mets.com: Will Betances be cleared for camp?  “The political answer would be for me to tell you we won’t know for sure until we see Betances pitch, given how slowly he was coming along back in March … but forget it. The Mets are hyping up Betances, so there’s reason to be excited.”

Classic @Mets pic from the archives: Jon Matlack, Charlie Hudson, Jim Bibby, Jerry Bark and manager Pete Pavlick of the Raleight-Durham Mets minor league affiliate. pic.twitter.com/gDJJqEMqUK

— Mets Rewind (@metsrewind) July 1, 2020

7/1/1993 Doc Gooden becomes the franchise leader in home runs by a pitcher when he smacks his 7th career home run off of Marlins’ knuckleballer Charlie Hough. @DocGooden16 pic.twitter.com/ntGhLEDHQW

— This Day in Mets History (@NYMhistory) July 1, 2020

YouTube: New York Mets Videos - Mets 2020 Summer Camp Opens.

MLB LINKS:

Yahoo Sports: Rob Manfred admits MLB never intended to play more than 60 games.

SNY.TV (no longer MetsBlog): Andy Martino asks if during the Pandemic “Is it ethical to have an MLB trade deadline this year?”

Joel Sherman NY Post: The five biggest wild-card teams in shortened MLB season. Angels, Blue Jays, White Sox, Padres, Reds, White Sox.

Ken Davidoff NY Post: Small tweaks to improve MLB’s ‘robust’ coronavirus testing plan. One suggestion – “Testing players for antibodies once a week rather than once a month, to provide a check and balance in case the diagnostic/PCR tests (saliva or nasal swab) don’t pick up an asymptomatic carrier.”

NY Post: MLB spring training 2.0, without usual fun, will be unlike any other.

MLB.com looked at the top 10 minor league outfielders.  No Mets selected but Jarred Kelenic was rated #1.

NBC Sports: Cubs’ pitching coach Tommy Hottovy talks about his COVID-19 battle.

The Athletics have added INFs Eric Campbell and Robert Puason, RHPs Wandisson Charles and Miguel Romero, and OFs Luis Barrera and Brayan Buelvas to their 60-man Player Pool. Campbell will report to the Coliseum, while will the others will report to the team’s alternate site.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 1, 2020

Minor League Baseball:

Baseball Prospectus: Too Far From Town: Kingsport Mets. Tales of Dwight Gooden in Kingsport and catchy tune = “Don’t meet the Mets” featuring the lyrics “Nobody’s coming to town.  They’re gonna leave Tennessee.”

Syracuse.com: Here’s how to get a refund on your 2020 Syracuse Mets tickets.

ESPN.com: Mexico cancels baseball season because of coronavirus pandemic.

Albany Times Union: ValleyCats mull plans for this year, think about possibilities for next year. Tri-City could end up with new affiliation, longer season.

Williamsport Sun-Gazette: Lost season for Minor League Baseball could have financial impact for 2-3 years.

In case you guys are missing the sound too. pic.twitter.com/cYNvCC4QLL

— Manny ® (@Too_Manny) July 2, 2020

Asian Baseball:

Yesterday in Japan:

Yakult Swallows 4 Hiroshima 3 Nori Aoki 0 for 4 with a run scored (Box Score).

In Today’s game Gabriel Ynoa is on mound and Nori Aoki back in LF (Box Score).

Here is the Japan Baseball Scoreboard.

Yesterday in the KBO:

NC Dinos 6 Lotte Giants 2 Aaron Altherr 0 for 4 (Box Score). 

Aaron Altherr is back in CF for today’s game (Box Score).

Here is KBO’s Scoreboard.

Yesterday at Mack’s Mets:

Reese Kaplan -- Four Are Sitting Out the 2020 Season.

OPEN THREAD - The DH.

Mike's Mets - Some Thoughts As Summer Training Looms.

Metstradamus - The Alternate Universe: Giants at Mets 6-30-20.

Mack’s Blast from the Past: Mack Ade – AM Report – 7-2-13. Discussing the July 2013 release of Jeff Francoeur from the KC Royals Mack said - It’s hard for me to believe that baseball has seen the end of Jeff Francoeur. Everyone always expected him to be the next Chipper Jones and it just didn’t happen which speaks volumes for this sport. You just don’t know what’s going to happen sometimes. I had the pleasure of being inside the Mets clubhouse when Francouer was on their team…There is no one that brings more positive energy to a group of teammates than Frenchey. I wish him well.

Today in Mets History Per Ultimatemets.com:

Born on this date:

• Hal Reniff (1938)
• Tim Spehr (1966)
• Angel Pagan (1981)
• Cody Bohanek (1995)

Transactions:

New York Mets selected Duffy Dyer in seventh round of free agent draft on July 2, 1966.

New York Mets signed free agent Fernando Martinez of the New York Yankees on July 2, 2005.

New York Mets signed free agent Andy Green on July 2, 2008.

New York Mets signed free agent Amed Rosario on July 2, 2012.

National Pastime.com: 

1967

After Chicago's 4-1 victory over Cincinnati at Wrigley Field, many of the 40,464 patrons stay in the ballpark awaiting the outcome of the Cards/Mets game that, thanks to a New York victory, results with the Cubs in first place by half of a game. The enthusiastic fans refuse to leave the 'Friendly Confines' until the flags above the scoreboard reflect the home team's current position at the top of the standings, a task usually done the next day.

1972

At Montreal’s Jarry Park, the Expos walk away with a 4-3 victory when Mets right-hander Bob Rauch issues his fourth free pass of the inning, forcing in Carl Morton the winning run from third base. The frustrating loss will be the 23 year-old rookie’s only decision during a brief 19-game major league career.

2000

At Shea Stadium, Gregory Sweeney is arrested and charged with reckless endangerment after he throws a ball which Braves reliever John Rocker had tossed into the stands back onto the field. In a few days later, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown exonerates the 26 year-old Brooklyn man when he concludes the Mets fan had no criminal intent and was doing nothing more than following a baseball tradition of returning an unsolicited and unwanted souvenir.

Baseball Reference:

1970: At Connie Mack Stadium, the Phils break their scoreless streak of 53 innings and sweep two from the Mets, 6 - 1 and 3 - 2. With successive pinch hits by Tony Taylor, Ron Stone and Byron Browne, the Phils score six in the 8th inning to win the opener for Jim Bunning, then again come from behind to win the nitecap for Chris Short. The opener is the 6,000th game played at the ancient stadium.

2011: The Mets' Jose Reyes, leading the major leagues with a .354 batting average, injures his hamstring in the 2nd inning of today's game with the Yankees and is headed for the disabled list at a time when trade rumors are swirling around the soon-to-be free agent. The Mets also lose the game, 5 - 2, as Bartolo Colon wins in his first start since returning from a hamstring injury of his own. Curtis Granderson homers for the Yanks.

2019 - The Yankees' record streak of consecutive games with at least one home run ends at 31 in a 4 - 2 loss to the Mets that coincides with 1B Luke Voit, one of the major contributors to the streak, going on the injured list with an abdominal strain. Michael Conforto is the hero for the Mets, with a go-ahead two-run double off Zack Britton in the 8th.

Centerfield Maz: Remembering Mets History: (7/2/1967) Bud Harrelson's Walk Off Winning Run.

Centerfield Maz: Remembering Mets History (July 1973): The Release of Jim Fregosi.

Centerfield Maz: Angel Pagan: Former Mets Outfielder (2008-2011).

Centerfield Maz: Remembering Mets History (7/1/1969) Donn Clendenon Drives In Twelve Runs In Five Games As Amazing Mets Get Closer To First Place.

You tube:

7/2/13: Mets hand Corbin first loss of season.

7/2/16: Walker, d'Arnaud lift the Mets to 4-3 victory.

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