- Today is the first Spring Training Game of the Year! The club is scheduled to play an internal intra-squad game against each other at 12pm today. On the mound for Team Blue will be Jon Niese, Rafael Montero, Sean Gilmartin, Carlos Torres and Vic Black. For Team Orange, Zack Wheeler, Jenrry Mejia, Buddy Carlyle and Jeurys Familia will be on the mound. David Wright, Michael Cuddyer and Curtis Granderson are all scheduled to play but Daniel Murphy, Juan Lagares, and Lucas Duda will all sit.
Rich Dubroff | CSN Baltimore - "the Orioles have a Rule 5 draft choice who threw a scoreless inning. Logan Verrett, taken by the Orioles from the New York Mets, has pitched at a much higher level than Garcia. Because he’s a Rule 5 pick, Verrett has more eyes on him.“I definitely feel like I’m going to get plenty of opportunities to be seen on the mound. I, for, appreciate that opportunity. Being able to get out on the mound, just getting out there, the more times I get out there on the mound, the better I can be. I hope I get as many opportunities as humanly possible to pitch this spring training,”
(Chris Soto: It's been said that the Orioles LOVE what they are seeing from Logan Verrett and that he has a legitimate shot of sticking with the club as their long man out of the bullpen. He's also in the competition for the 5th starter role but is more of a long shot there. We continue to wish Verrett the best of luck. When your in a system that has so much good pitching, naturally there are going to be guys who end up on other teams.)
Chris Cotillo | MLB Daily Dish - "There is an expectation around baseball that Mets' starter Dillon Gee could be traded at some point during spring training, and some in the game believe the Rangers may make a push to acquire him, according to major-league sources.One scenario that is being thrown about in baseball circles is a deal that could send Jurickson Profar to the Mets for Gee and some additional pieces. Profar is likely to miss the entire season due to labrum surgery, though the Mets may be looking to buy low on him.
(Chris Soto: If this rumor has any legs whatsoever.....I am all for it. Gee has made it very clear that he is not a fan of the idea of pitching out of the bullpen. Meanwhile, after Darvish, Gallardo, and Holland, the Rangers have serious question marks in the back end of their rotation. It's a natural fit and the Rangers have additional depth in the middle infield with Rougned Odor and Elvis Andrus. We have to remember that Profar was once a consensus Top MLB prospect. If there truly is a buy low scenario here.....you take it.)
Associated Press | ESPN New York - Jeff McKnight, a versatile player who spent six seasons with the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles, has died. He was 52. McKnight's family told the Mets that McKnight died Sunday after battling leukemia for 10 years. McKnight made his big league debut with the Mets in 1989 and hit .233 with five home runs and 34 RBIs in 218 games. He singled in his final at-bat for the Mets in August 1994, on the final day before a players' strike wiped out the rest of the season.
(Chris Soto: Our condolences to the team's Joe McEwing has his time. I remember McNight being one of the 1st player's I watched when I first started rooting for the Mets when I was kid [1993 I think]. He was a small scrappy guy who always gave the game everything he had. )
TIM ROHAN | nytimes.com “Several characteristics distinguished Juan Lagares’s outfield glove last season. It was orange with blue trim — Mets colors — along with a patch of black on the back. His son’s name, “J Lagares Jr.,” was stitched into the side. Lagares used his glove to win two prestigious awards — a Gold Glove and a Fielding Bible. He used his glove to establish himself as perhaps the best defensive center fielder in baseball. Lagares, 25, is still building his reputation. The Mets signed him as a teenager out of the Dominican Republic. He is entering his third season with the team as a cornerstone, a young player whom they can build around. Consider some metrics. Baseball Info Solutions, one of the sport’s most respected analytics outfits, evaluates outfielders on the number of plays they make in three areas — shallow, medium and deep. The company found that Lagares ranked among the top center fielders in all three categories. Perhaps more impressive, the company concluded that Lagares also saved 52 runs over the last two years, best among center fielders. As a rule of thumb, said John Dewan, the founder of Baseball Info, about 10 runs saved equal about one victory. Lagares’s defense alone, then, could be credited for about five Mets wins over the last two years, and he played center field for only about 68 percent of the Mets’ games in that period. Dewan said Lagares’s impact was comparable to 40 home runs in half a season. Lagares, it should be noted, can do more than field. He hit .281 last season, 39 points higher than his rookie year, and started showing promise as a base stealer. As a defender, though, he is probably at the height of his powers right now.”
(Herb G. I have the distinct feeling that Lagares has the makings of a future star. His stellar glove, of course, goes without saying. But offensively, he can be a force as well. Kevin Long recently likened him to Robinson Cano, which I think may be a stretch. I see more of a likeness to Carlos Gomez. Lagares demonstrated his hitting potential in his last few minor league seasons, and perhaps with Long’s tutelage he can even improve on his already satisfactory results of last year at the major league level. Additionally, he seemed to finally learn how to use his speed to advantage on the base paths in the final months of last season. With Lagares batting lead off, as Terry Collins suggested, it could be an exciting season. It even makes one wonder if young Juan could be the player who finally makes Met fans forget the pain of losing Jose Reyes.)
(Chris Soto: If this rumor has any legs whatsoever.....I am all for it. Gee has made it very clear that he is not a fan of the idea of pitching out of the bullpen. Meanwhile, after Darvish, Gallardo, and Holland, the Rangers have serious question marks in the back end of their rotation. It's a natural fit and the Rangers have additional depth in the middle infield with Rougned Odor and Elvis Andrus. We have to remember that Profar was once a consensus Top MLB prospect. If there truly is a buy low scenario here.....you take it.)
Associated Press | ESPN New York - Jeff McKnight, a versatile player who spent six seasons with the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles, has died. He was 52. McKnight's family told the Mets that McKnight died Sunday after battling leukemia for 10 years. McKnight made his big league debut with the Mets in 1989 and hit .233 with five home runs and 34 RBIs in 218 games. He singled in his final at-bat for the Mets in August 1994, on the final day before a players' strike wiped out the rest of the season.
(Chris Soto: Our condolences to the team's Joe McEwing has his time. I remember McNight being one of the 1st player's I watched when I first started rooting for the Mets when I was kid [1993 I think]. He was a small scrappy guy who always gave the game everything he had. )
TIM ROHAN | nytimes.com “Several characteristics distinguished Juan Lagares’s outfield glove last season. It was orange with blue trim — Mets colors — along with a patch of black on the back. His son’s name, “J Lagares Jr.,” was stitched into the side. Lagares used his glove to win two prestigious awards — a Gold Glove and a Fielding Bible. He used his glove to establish himself as perhaps the best defensive center fielder in baseball. Lagares, 25, is still building his reputation. The Mets signed him as a teenager out of the Dominican Republic. He is entering his third season with the team as a cornerstone, a young player whom they can build around. Consider some metrics. Baseball Info Solutions, one of the sport’s most respected analytics outfits, evaluates outfielders on the number of plays they make in three areas — shallow, medium and deep. The company found that Lagares ranked among the top center fielders in all three categories. Perhaps more impressive, the company concluded that Lagares also saved 52 runs over the last two years, best among center fielders. As a rule of thumb, said John Dewan, the founder of Baseball Info, about 10 runs saved equal about one victory. Lagares’s defense alone, then, could be credited for about five Mets wins over the last two years, and he played center field for only about 68 percent of the Mets’ games in that period. Dewan said Lagares’s impact was comparable to 40 home runs in half a season. Lagares, it should be noted, can do more than field. He hit .281 last season, 39 points higher than his rookie year, and started showing promise as a base stealer. As a defender, though, he is probably at the height of his powers right now.”
(Herb G. I have the distinct feeling that Lagares has the makings of a future star. His stellar glove, of course, goes without saying. But offensively, he can be a force as well. Kevin Long recently likened him to Robinson Cano, which I think may be a stretch. I see more of a likeness to Carlos Gomez. Lagares demonstrated his hitting potential in his last few minor league seasons, and perhaps with Long’s tutelage he can even improve on his already satisfactory results of last year at the major league level. Additionally, he seemed to finally learn how to use his speed to advantage on the base paths in the final months of last season. With Lagares batting lead off, as Terry Collins suggested, it could be an exciting season. It even makes one wonder if young Juan could be the player who finally makes Met fans forget the pain of losing Jose Reyes.)
