Anyone who is a baseball fan can look back to their childhood and recall dreams of playing in the major leagues. Being a star. Knocking the game winning hit in the bottom of the ninth. We all had those dreams. A very, very small number of those dreamers had the talent, the perseverance, the confidence to actually pursue that dream.
When this site brings you all the information on potential draft picks, rising prospects, and potential call-ups, we are recording the history of those men following their dream. Very few make it all the way. Today's story is about one that did. Finally.
Hayden Senger is 27 years old. He has been playing baseball for most of those 27, and since he was drafted by the Mets in the summer of 2018 he has been in the Mets' minor league organization. Seven years is a longer life span than most ball players. They either surge to the top or they flame out and find a different way to make a living. Senger has stuck with the dream for a very long time in this organization, working hard every year to improve himself and move up the ladder.
It was not easy for him. He was always a gifted defensive catcher and has refined his pop time and throwing accuracy so much over the years that he was named the Mets' minor league platinum glove winner in 2023. His bat has been a different story. In 1351 at-bats, he has a slash line of .235/.325/.685 which is the reason he was passed over several times.
Hayden was starting for Binghamton (AA) when Francisco Alvarez came up through the organization. Step aside, let the prospect through. Hayden was starting for Binghamton when Kevin Parada came up through the organization. Step aside, let the prospect through. Senger may have been discouraged, but he had no give-up in him. He respected the team direction, continued to work on his skills, and finally spent the last 48 games of the 2024 season at AAA Syracuse.
During that time the Mets were a catcher-heavy organization. They had Nido, Alvarez, Narvaez, Parada, Torrens, O'Neill, and others so it would have been easy to say, "I gave it my best, it just isn't enough". Not Hayden. He battled through the adversity and was having a good spring this year when Alvarez broke his hammate bone swinging a bat. Luis Torrens was thrust into the starting catcher role, so now the Mets needed a back-up.
Welcome to the major leagues, Hayden Senger!! You will be on the 26-man roster for opening day. You made it to the show! Personally, I was thrilled to hear the news because I watched Senger work his way through AA and knew he had the attitude. He had the will to turn the dream into reality.
Alvarez is out 6-8 weeks. No one knows what will happen when he comes back. Maybe it is just a cup of coffee for Senger. Maybe not. Anyone remember Wally Pipp? Keep the dream alive, young man. This is what makes baseball so much fun to watch.
12 comments:
My dreams playing in front of my Ozone Park home. I would throw my Spaulding into my brick stoop, hoping to hit the end of a step which would send the pink ball over my head for a homer
If not, a ground ball would return and I would scoop it back up, throw it against the stoop again, and fielding that would be a ground out
Not fielding it or it being hit over my head would be either a one or two base hit
My dream ended with playing for the Air Force softball team, playing fast pitch softball in the Central Park League alongside the likes of players like WCBS TV anchor Jim Jensen, Duke Carmel, and Arturo Lopez, hitting against Eddie Anton and the King and his court team, and a 1962 tryout with the Mets
Opening day
4 against a power team in their turf. Will be thrilled to leave town 2-2
Hope Holmes gets off to a good start. So much positive has been written about him. Hope he hasn't shared all his tricks
Two Thursday Observations posts today
10am
11am
Senger is a tremendous success story.
Senger hit a lot better in 2024. Still not good, but better. K rate down. He’d probably have been a better hitter now, but only had 1,549 plate appearances since 2018, due to competitors, most of whom flopped. Senger’sOBP lastyear was higher than Acuna’s. He walks more, and gets hit by a lot of pitches. If he has a.280 OBP and isa superior catcher defensively, he won’t be a liability.
My dream ended at the stoop. But it was lots of fun in Sheepshead Bay.
I really don’t care what he hits
I always have valued defense for my backup catcher. PERIOD
(Miss Gus... tossed me one of his sparky comments causing me to shoot a missile back... come back little Sheba)
Loved stoop ball.
I never could hit better pitching, because I was very nearsighted and glasses out the side were blurry. Hard contacts in those day were impossible for me to wear. And it was befor laser surgery. At age 16, at 130 pounds, I did launch one 350 feet. And broke a school window with it…with a cop nearby who took my name down. With a skinny kid hitting a poke like that, he should have asked for my autograph.
The old days in Bay Ridge Brooklyn 50's style and going to my local candy store and get an egg cream and a spald-een and have fun all day for a buck what a time. I'm gonna love Senga to Senger but Keith may have problem saying that lol I will too. Ready for the season to start and probably won't ever get the nickel and dime operation that ran our beloved team for soooo long out of my head but I'm working on it.
Also love a guy like Senger who loves the game (and of course a bigger payday) enough to persevere through it all like Vientos did last year hopefully with somewhat the same results...fingers crossed and lets face it we all love the underdog story like "Hey Rocky" and by the way lets win a Championship.... yeah no pressure.
Candy store on 109th Street and 101st Avenue. Richmond Hill
7 plays on the juke for 25 cents
Tommy Longworth would play I Want You, I Need You, I Love You over and over...
Owner was around 130 years old
When we were.leaving, would order one chocolate chip mint cone which was way in the back of his freeze causing him to have to bend way down to get it
Then Franny Chibaro would steal around 20 candy bars and exit the store
Good times
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