Reese Kaplan -- Not For Weak Constitutions

Where do you begin with this game?

Well, when the first pitch of the game results in a stand-up inside-the-park home run that fell between the normally sure-handed Yoenis Cespedes (and not fielded by Michael Conforto either), you knew this night was not going to be easy.

Then there were the first 3 innings or so when the closest the Mets got to a hit was the excellent sliding grab made by Alex Gordon in left field to rob Wilmer Flores (who later got robbed by Mike Moustakis, too).

The Fox Sports multitude of broadcast problem…

When Lucas Duda twice beat the shift, it looked like fortunes could be turning…

Curtis Granderson provided the long ball that Daniel Murphy finally failed to deliver.

A couple of slick fielding plays by the guy they say can't play shortstop.

Juan Lagares delivering with the bat and his legs even though his arm looks totally shot.  His AB against Herrera was a thing of beauty (as was his leadoff bunt in the 11th)

The ball gets by Buckner, er, Hosmer...that looked like the final positive omen that the Mets were destined to win this one...

When Jeurys Familia gave up the game tying homer to Alex Gordon you could only tip your hat to the All-Star left fielder...remember, folks, even Mariano Rivera blew saves occasionally.

Stunning catch by Curtis Granderson in the bottom of the 11th.

The weird hit off the bag that popped up into the air by Salvador Perez...

Jon Niese delivering arguably the strongest couple of innings of his career...

Tough break on the carom from the wall right into Perez' glove on Murphy's strikeout.  

Bartolo Colon showing big cat-like reflexes off the mound to field the bunt and throw out the baserunner to Murphy at 1st.  

Flores putting a charge into one off Chris Young, but foul...then working out a rare walk only to have Kirk Nieuwenhuis squander the baserunner.  (But hey, at least he made contact which is more than Cuddyer did in his ABs)...

Colon getting out of trouble not once, but twice 

Wright having defensive issues in the 13th and 14th innings...

Then came Hosmer's sac fly to end it all...

The first 4.5 years of Terry Collins once again reared its ugly head tonight in multiple ways – playing Michael Cuddyer instead of Juan Uribe for multiple ABs (3 Ks in a row for the former Rockie and Twin)...being afraid to lift Matt Harvey in the 6^th when he was losing it before the runs scored...not letting Addison Reed start the 8^th after cruising effortlessly in the 7^th...bringing in Juan Lagares for defense early in the game when it's clear to everyone but Terry Collins that he's NOT the player he was in 2014...

October 27th 2015 -- World Series Game 1 -- Royals 5, Mets 4 (14 innings)

Tuesday night in Kansas City, it was Game 1 of the 2015 World Series.  Eric Hosmer’s sac-fly in to bottom of the 14^th inning snapped a 4-all tie. The Royals take game one of the World Series with a 5-4 win. The match-up was Matt Harvey vs. Edinson Volquez. In the bottom of the1st Alcides Escobar led off the series for the Royals hitting the first pitch he saw for an inside the park home run that fell between Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto in left-center. The two obviously making a miscommunication as Escobar jetted around the bases for a 1-0 KC lead. It stayed that way until the top of the 4^th inning.  Daniel Murphy singled and then with one out against the shift, Lucas Duda singled to right to make it 1^st and 3^rd. Travis d’Arnaud followed with infield single that was saved from being a double by a diving Mike Moustakas brining home Murphy and tying the game at 1. In the top of the 5^th, the Mets took their first WS lead when Curtis Granderson hit a solo homer, his first homer of the post season for a 2-1 Met lead. In the 6^th almost a carbon copy of the 4^th inning. Cespedes singled, Duda again singled though the shift allowing Cespedes to easily go to 3^rd. With one out, Conforto hit a sac-fly to make it 3-1 Mets.  In the 6^th the Royals got moving and tied the game.  Ben Zobrist doubled down the right field line.  Lorenzo Cain then singled to make it 1^st and 3^rd with no out.  Eric Hosmer then hit a fly to center that brought home Zobrist and it was 3-2.  Cain stole second and scored on a RBI single by Moustakas. Harvey left after the 6^th.  Going 6 allowing 5 hits 3 runs (earned) walking 2 and striking out 2. Volquez left after 6 as well allowing 3 runs on 6 hits in 6 innings walking 1 and striking out 3. Addison Reed pitched a scoreless 7^th. In the 8^th with 2 out Juan Lagares, who came in for defense, had a huge at bat against Kelvin Herrera which culminated with a single to center. Lagares then stole 2^nd and he scored when a hopper by Flores down the first base line was flubbed by Hosmer and the Mets had a 4-3 lead.  Tyler Clippard navigated 2 outs in the 8^th and left with runners on 1^st and 2^nd.  Jeurys Familia came on in the 8^th two attempted the 4 out save. But with 1 out in the 9^th Alex Gordon hit a home run to dead center field to tie the game at 4. The game went to extras. Jonathon Niese came on in the bottom of the 10^th and pitched 2 effective innings striking out 3. In the bottom of the 12^th Bartolo Colon came on and pitched into the bottom of the 14^th. In that inning, Escobar reached on an error by Wright. Zobrist singled to right to make it 1^st and 3^rd with no out. Cain was intentionally walked to load the bases with no out.  Hosmer then hit the winning sac-fly to right to score Escobar as the Royals win it in 14. Colon takes the loss, former Met Chris Young, who pitched 3 sterling innings picks up the win. Daniel Murphy went 2 for 7 on the night extending his hitting streak to 10 games.  David Wright went 2 for 7 Lucas Duda went 2 for 6. Lagares went 2 for 3 after coming in for Conforto. Zobrist went 3 for 6 for the Royals, Moustakas and Salvador Perez each had 2 hits for KC. The Mets trail the series 1 game to none. Jacob deGrom (3-0 1.80) goes for the Mets, Johnny Cueto (1-1 7.88) goes for Kansas City.

METS VS. ROYALS: A WORLD SERIES PREVIEW by Tom Brennan

METS VS. ROYALS: A WORLD SERIES PREVIEW by Tom Brennan

All teams in the playoffs present a challenge.  The KC Royals are a very good 95 win team.  They’ve won two playoff series to get the World Series.  Very good. 

So were the Dodgers.  So were the Cubs. 

Both of those teams, already very good, overweighted their playoff games started by their 2 aces.  Normally, they’d have started 40% of their teams’ games.  Against the Mets, they started 2/3 of the 9 games the Mets have played so far.  Despite that distortion, the Mets won 7 of 9.  The Mets of August to present, like the Mets of 1969 from August to finish, are really good.

My pick to win ALL THE MARBLES?  Mets over Royals in 6. 

Actually, I think it could be 5 games, but the gate receipts for at least one more game will come in handy when re-signing Murphy and Cespedes.

Some writers like to go position by position.

I will just do it by just 4 categories, starters, relievers, infield, outfield.

1.  STARTING PITCHING

METS: Similar to the Dodgers and Cubs, at playoff time, the Mets eliminate the starters that helped limit us to 90 wins this season: no Dillon Gee, no John Niese.  Even no Bartolo Colon, who was pretty decent as a starter in 2015.

Those 3 had a combined ERA of a substandard 4.30, and were just 23-26.  What we’re left with to start our playoff games is the big 4: Jake deGrom, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Steve Matz.  All outstanding, all ready. 

The youngsters (Thor and Matz) are both ready to dazzle:  Matz perhaps less so, because he had so few starts and the injuries did not allow him to accelerate by season’s end to where he would have been otherwise.  However, Matz has enough starts under his belt, and enough veteran composure, to excel as well.

Syndergaard, the 100 MPH man, is emulating Doc Gooden circa 1984 at season’s end.  Gooden went from splendid with a few growing pains in his first 150 innings, to flat out spectacular after the 150 innings mark in 1984.  Thor is doing a repeat of that Doc stretch.  Spectacular.  On a par now with deGrom and Harvey. 

Oh yeah, before I forget - deGrom and Harvey? Simply, two of the top pitchers in baseball, both well rested by the series start.

Those 4 aces combined for 40-23, 583 regular season innings, a WHIP of about 1.05, 593 Ks, and an ERA of about 2.70.  In the 9 playoff games, even better.  In the World Series, expect dominance from them.

ROYALS: They had 10 pitchers start games in 2015.  The best of all of them was former Met Chris Young (11-6, 3.06), followed by Edison Volquez at 13-9, 3.55. Their starters are inferior to what the Dodgers and Cubs threw at the Mets.

Huge advantage in starting pitching, Mets.

2.  RELIEF PITCHING

ROYALS:  Over a full season, the KC pen was strong and generally superior to the Mets’ pen.  Wade Davis was terrific with a 0.94 ERA, 17 saves, 8-1 record, 0.79 WHIP, and more than a K per inning.  Outstanding reliever Greg Holland saw his ERA spike to 3.84 in 2015 after 3 of his previous 4 seasons having ERAs well under 2.00.  But Holland still saved 32 of 37.  Flame-throwing Kelvin Herrera, hard-throwing Ryan Madsen, Luke Hochevar, and lefty Franklin Morales round out the key members of a very fine pen.

METS: Terry Collins and Sandy Alderson did a lot of tap dancing with a pen that had several key injuries, and at times early in the season looked ready to crumble.  Yet with late-season acquisitions, plus the superb and improving closer for the Mets in place in Jeurys Familia, the pen ended up far stronger at season’s end than it was most of the season.  Addision Reed was a superb late season pick up, Tyler Clippard was great until late in the season and is a bit suspect right now but a gamer, hard-throwing Hansel Robles can be used in a limited spot, and starters-turned-playoff-relievers Bartolo Colon and Jonathan Niese makes the Mets pen almost the equal of the Royals’ pen.  With the Mets’ superior starters, the KC slight pen advantage is further minimized.  I’d rate the two bullpens essentially even, for those reasons.

3.  INFIELD

METS: The Mets have, in catcher Travis d’Arnaud, 1B Lucas Duda, SS Wilmer Flores, and 3B Captain David Wright a solid foursome.  They also have the surreal Daniel Murphy at 2B, currently the best player on this or any other planet.  Utility guys are solid in Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe, and also available for use as needed is Michael Cuddyer, and so it is an above-average infield contingent with the bat, and an average one with the glove.

ROYALS: Infield edge goes to KC.  But not by a lot. The combo of 1B Eric Hosmer, 2B Ben Zobrist, SS Alex Escobar, 3B Mike Moustakas, and catcher Salvador Perez is a very strong one, with a combined average of about .280 with solid run production, power, and speed.  Them boys is good.

4.  OUTFIELD

METS: The Mets trotted out a bunch of under-performing minor leaguers early in the season, both in the outfield and in the infield.  Alderson made a gargantuan improvement in the outfield when he added Yoenis Cespedes at the trade deadline, and further spiked the quality of the outfield with the accelerated debut of Michael Conforto.  Curtis Granderson proved to be the consummate lead off man, getting on base, hitting with power, and running adroitly.  Gold glover Juan Lagares and veteran Michael Cuddyer (plus, if needed, Kirk Nieuwenhuis) give the Mets a clearly above average outfield.

ROYALS: Lorenzo Cain had a super season, and he and part-time super-speedster Jarod Dyson stole a combined 54 of 63 bases, so they can wreak havoc with their speed.  Messrs. Gordon, Rios, and Orlando give them 3 more solid outfielders.   Close, but I give the outfield edge to the Mets.

OVERALL:

In the infield, outfield, and bullpen, the two teams are evenly matched. 

The Mets, however, have the lethal rotation, quite a large advantage over KC. 

Given the inordinate impact that an elite rotation can have in a series, I believe (as noted) that the Mets win the World Series in 6 games, perhaps 5 games.

10.26.2015 Winter League Results: Dom Smith Goes O-fer, Jairo Perez Clutch off the Bench

Arizona Fall League
- Mesa Solar Sox 10 - 9 Glendale Desert Dogs
- Surprise Saguaros 6 - 1 Peoria Javelinas
- Scottsdale Scorpions 10 - 3 Salt River Rafters

• 1B Dominic Smith: 0 for 4, K

Mexican Pacific League

- Mayos de Navojoa 7 - 0 Tomateros de Culiacan

Venezuelan Winter League

- Bravos de Margarita 0 - 1 Tigres de Aragua
- Bravos de Margarita 4 - 5 Tigres de Aragua
- Tiburones de La Guaira 3 - 6 Cardenales de Lara

• PH Jairo Perez: 1 for 1, R, HR(3), 2 RBI(14, 15) 

Dominican Winter League
- Estrellas de Oriente 1 - 6 Aguilas Cibaenas



Roberto Clemente Puerto Rican League
Side Note: Regular Season begins Thursday, October 30th.

The Morning Report 10.27.2015 | Harvey Ready for Game 1, Match-up in the Royals Favor, David Aardsma on the Mets SP, Cecchini Participating in International Ball.

Dan Martin | New York Post- He was the first of the Mets current crop of young starters to make the jump from the minors, perhaps it’s appropriate, then, that even after all the innings-limits controversies, Harvey will start Game 1 against the Royals. “I think for all of us, we’re kind of sitting around the locker room all talking to each other and I don’t think anything has really set in for us yet,” Harvey said. “Which in our minds I think is a positive. We still realize that it’s a baseball game. And for me this is another start. Obviously, it’s a start on a different level.”

(Chris Soto: I think it is extremely important that Harvey comes out and pitches a great game tonight. 1 psychological advantage the Mets have against the Royals is that their SP is just SOOO Good.....and everyone in the MLB knows it. However, if the Royals are able to come out Game 1 and put a hurting on Harvey, it changes the mentality of the whole series. Hitters thoughts go from "Yea their good....its going to be a challenging series." to "We know we can hit these guys.....We just need to execute." It may not sound like much....but in the game of baseball, mentality and approach are huge parts of the game.)

Thomas Boswell | The Washington Post- The Royals will win because of one main advantage that many people have spotted, yet not seen clearly. The consensus wisdom is that K.C.’s high-average contact hitters do well against power pitchers like those of the Mets. Even Manager Ned Yost said, “We do tend to do well against power pitchers.” The Royals hit .284 this year on pitches that were 95 mph or faster. While this is true, it misses the point: The Royals actually cope particularly well with right-handed power pitchers. Why? Five of the Royals’ best hitters bat left-handed or are switch-hitters — so, sweet matchups. The Royals tend to handle high-strikeout righties. They beat 2014 Cy Young winner Corey Kluber four times this season despite his 245 strikeouts.

(Chris Soto: Hey Mr. Boswell.....go shove it! He makes a fair point though. The Royals have excellent statistics against high profile, high strikeout right handed starting pitchers. If the Mets SPs are going to win these games, they are going to need to trust in the defense to make some plays because unlike the Cubs....these Royals aren't going to strike out.)

David Aardsma | Baseball Essential- There was one moment this season that showed me how special the New York Mets’ young arms are. In mid-June of this season, I was sitting in the Atlanta Ritz-Carlton bar with fellow pitcher Dana Eveland talking baseball. As we were hanging out, we both noticed Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen walk in. After a little small talk about the game we had just played, I asked him the question both Dana and I had been wondering for five days: Why did all the other starters stand in the bullpen and watch that day’s starter throw, then follow him into the dugout before the game? Dan got a huge grin on his face the moment I asked him the question, He looked me right in the eyes and said, “That was completely their idea.”I knew exactly what Dan’s grin meant. Dan knew these kids were different — he knew these kids were special.

(Chris Soto: It's nice to see some good praises coming by way of former MLB players. I wasn't aware that this was an uncommon practice. I guess we have gotten so used to the idea of all the SPs watching each other that it hadn't dawned on us. It honestly has gotten to a point where....what is Dan supposed to do? Like a parent watching their children post college graduation, you just kinda stand there is awe of how much they have grown and just how talented they are...but you standby for the occasional question or point where they need to be reeled in and reminded just how talented they are.)



Mike Rosenbaum | MLB.com- USA Baseball named its team for next month's WBSC Premier 12 Tournament, and it's highlighted by a pair of prospects -- Milwaukee's Brett Phillips and Gavin Cecchini of the Mets -- who rank among the best in baseball. The 27-man roster is comprised of players who are not on a Major League team's 40-man roster and features players from 14 different organizations. The team will be managed by former Mets skipper Willie Randolph. the Mets have four players on the squad: SS Gavin Cecchini, RHP John Church, C Dan Rohfling, and RHP Cody Satterwhite.



(Chris Soto: Hey, lets not forget that their is non-World Series related things going on too. This is an excellent opportunity for Cecchini to really grow as a player as he will get to face talented players from all over the globe. The U.S.'s Premier 12 team will take on Canada in a three-game exhibition series in Phoenix, Ariz., from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, before leaving for Taipei. They begin pool play on Nov. 10 with a contest against the Dominican Republic.)

Mack - The 2016 Washington Nationals

Projected free agent losses from their 2016 squad will be SP Jordan Zimmerman, 2B Dan Uggla, SP Doug Fister, SS Ian Desmond, CF Denard Span, RP Matt Thornton, and OF Reed Johnson.

There’s a good chance that the following players will be on the National’s 25-man squad next season:

SP     Max Scherzer        $22.143mil     

SP     Gio Gonzalez     $12.1mil

SP     Stephen Strasburg  (2015: ARB-2, $7.4mil) -

SP     Joe Ross - $508,700

SP     Tanner Roark  -  $529,600

RP     Sammy Sollis       $508,700  

RP     AJ Cole - $507,800

RP     Drew Storen – (2015: ARB-3, $5.7mil) –

RP     Felipe Rivero                 $508,900

RP     Blake Treinen      $508,900

1B     Ryan Zimmerman         $14mil

2B     Yunel Escobar     $7mil -

SS      Trea Turner  -  $508,700

3B     Anthony Rendon – (2015 - $2.5mil) – 2016 – ARB1 -

LF      Bryce Harper – (2016: $5mil – ARB-2) -

UT-OF           Matt den Dekker - $508,700

RF     Jayson Werth      $21.57mil

C       Wilson Ramos – (2015: ARB-2, $3.55mil) –

Other top prospects that are projected to be a factor at some point in the 2016 season include SP Lucas Giolito, C Pedro Severino, SP Austin Voth, and 1B/3B Matt Skole.

The Nats did lose a considerable amount of talent in the off season; however, more than enough remains.

I expect the 5-man rotation I listed above will not be enough to satisfy them, so look for a new top free agent ‘name’ to be added here.

Den Dekker has filled in well while Denard Span was down, but my guess is we will see a premier centerfielder join the Nationals also before the season starts.

And lastly, what do you do with closer Jonathan Papelbon, who has one year left on his contract? I look for him to be dealt off to whoever will tolerate the head case.

Prediction: The Nationals, whether the Mets sign Yoenis Cespedes or not, remain the most talented team in the NL East. 

I love what the Mets did in 2015, but Washington did nothing to win this division, especially late in the season when the Mets seem to be doing everything they could to hand it back to the Nats.

They won’t throw it away next year and will win the division in a tight race against the Mets.

10.25.2015 Winter League Results: Carrillo Pulled Early, Jairo Perez Continues to Rake, Former Mets Spotted in DR

Arizona Fall League
No Games Scheduled.

Mexican Pacific League
- Tomateros de Culiacan 3 - 6 Venados de Mazatlan
- Naranjeros de Hermosillo 2 - 3 Mayos de Navojoa

- Naranjeros de Hermosillo 0 - 1 Mayos de Navojoa
- Yaquis de Obregon 3 - 4 Caneros de los Mochis
- Charros de Jalisco 7 - 9 Aguilas de Mexicali

• C Xorge Carrillo: 0 for 1

Side Note: Carrillo was pulled from the game after the 4th inning. Not 100% sure why but the Aguilas were up 8-1 at that point in the game. Carrillo may have been pulled simply for rest. I'll try to get a confirmation today.

Venezuelan Winter League

- Tiburones de La Guaira 6 - 3 Aguilas del Zulia

- Navegantes del Magallanes 3 - 4 Caribes de Anzoategui

• PH-RF Travis Taijeron: 0 for 1, K 

- Bravos de Margarita 4 - 7 Leones del Caracas

• RHP Jose Celas: 0.1 IP, 1 H, Hold(1)  

- Tigres de Aragua 3 - 2 Cardenales de Lara

• LF Jairo Perez: 1 for 4, RBI(13)

Dominican Winter League
- Aguilas Cibaenas 3 - 7 Leones del Escogido
- Tigres del Licey 5 - 0 Estrellas de Oriente
- Toros del Este 6 - 1 Gigantes del Cibao

Side Note: Two old friends were spotted in the Dominican Leagues. 1st is Mr. "I'm the Man" Jordany Valdespin, playing Winter Ball for the Tigres del Licey, went 1 for 4 and is hitting .348 so far this season. 2nd is Mr. "My Back is Too Hurt for the Minors" Cesar Puello, playing for the Tigres de Aragua, went 0 for 3 and even attempted to steal a base yesterday. His back must be feeling better.


Roberto Clemente Puerto Rican League
Side Note: Regular Season begins Thursday, October 30th.

The Morning Report 10.26.2015 | Position by Position Breakdown, World Series Rotation Order, How Much Will Murphy Get Paid?, Uribe and Cespedes Ready for World Series.

Associated Press | New York Times- A position-by-position look at the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals going into the World Series, starting Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium: 1B: Even, 2B: Mets, SS: Royals, 3B: Mets, C: Royals, LF: Mets, CF: Royals, RF: Mets, DH: Royals, SP: Mets, RP: Royals, Bench: Mets, Manager: Mets......Outcome: Mets in 6. Again, if Cespedes is healthy.

(Chris Soto: This is a very even World Series matchup....one that could end up going the distance. Unlike the Cubs, who the Mets just obliterated due to the Cubs propensity to strike out, the Royals are a scrappy bunch who can put the ball in play and make things happen on the basepaths. In order for the Mets to be successful, they will need their SP to go right after these Royals hitters. DO NOT try for the K, they will just run up your pitch count, instead....try and induce weak contact and let your defense do the work....Hopefully Flores is up to the task.)

Josh Peelman | Empire Writes Back- The wait is over. The New York Mets have revealed who they intend to start for their first four games of the World Series versus the Kansas City Royals. Up first, the Mets have decided to go with Matt Harvey as their starter for Game 1 and Jacob deGrom in Game 2. Next up in Game 3 will be Noah Syndergaard, followed by Steven Matz in Game 4. Collins was cautious of using deGrom as his starter in Game 1, mostly because he felt the young pitcher was experiencing fatigue, and the task of playing beyond the regular season was catching up to him. He has struggled to find location with his fastball in recent games leading to quite a few tight spots for the young pitcher.

(Chris Soto: Collins is making the right choice here in terms of his rotation for the World Series. deGrom has in fact looked tired and has seriously labored through his last 2 starts. This configuration will give him a full week of rest in between starts that will hopefully re-energize him to go out and pitch brilliantly once more. Also....should the Mets fail into early trouble in the series, This allows them the capability of pitching both Harvey and deGrom on 3 days rest should they need to for Games 4 + 5, thus pushing Matz to Game 6 since Syndergaard would only be on 2 days rest by then.)

Jacob Shafer | Bleacher Report- Each one of Daniel Murphy's home runs this October wasn't accompanied by a cartoon cash-register sound effect, though they all probably should have been. Murphy slugged the New York Mets to the World Series, sure. But he's also bashing himself toward a hefty free-agent payday this winter. How hefty will it be? And how hefty should it be? "Obviously, he's not going to be as hot as he’s been in the postseason, but he plays positions where his power plays well," an unnamed American League general manager said of Murphy "[but] He’s going to be sought-after and get a five-year deal at around $75 million. Maybe more."

(Chris Soto: My oh my....I love Murphy! But....if $15M per season for 5 years is going to be the running rate for his services....then I'm sorry but I'm passing. I'd rather re-allocate those funds into locking up Cespedes. $15M per season is roughly equavilent to a 3.0 to 4.0 WAR player....I have much more in Cespedes reaching that 4.0 WAR mark on an annual basis then I do Murphy, who's WAR production suffers greatly from his poor defense.)



David Hong | Metsmerized Online- Mets veteran infielder Juan Uribe, who missed the NLDS and NLCS with a chest injury, could possibly be ready to join the Mets World Series roster. But even if he is not, he will still be present with them during the Fall Classic. “Because he’s been to this dance before,” manager Terry Collins said. “I think his presence in the clubhouse and on the bench would be huge.” Yoenis Cespedes looks to be improving. He took batting practice Sunday for the first time since his injury and expects to be ready for Game 1 of the World Series. “Compared to the first day, I feel a lot better,” Cespedes said. “I thought I could probably do a little bit more today, but I didn’t want to push myself. I wanted to give myself another day before I started doing stuff again.”



(Chris Soto: Good to see that Uribe and Cespedes will both be ready to go. This is the World Series guys.....it's all hands on deck time!)

Morning Report 10.25.15 | Uribe to Kansas City, Mets getting Richer, So are Season Ticketholders

Kristie Ackert/ Daily News - Juan Uribe will be heading to Kansas City with the Mets Sunday morning, whether he is on their World Series roster or not. The veteran infielder, who has been recovering from a chest injury, tried to make a case for being activated, taking live batting practice at Saturday’s mandatory workout at Citi FIeld. “Obviously, he looks great in BP. The live pitching today should help indicate some things, how he feels, even though he hasn’t played in a couple weeks,” said Terry Collins, who doesn’t expect a decision until Monday. Even if Uribe is left off the roster — and a team source said it was doubtful that Uribe would make it — “We’re going to take him anyway, because he’s been to this dance before and his presence in clubhouse and bench would be huge,” Collins said.

(Alexander Han - This is great news, whether Uribe plays or not. To me he is one of the keys to the team. A very solid pair of hands in the field, a clutch hitter, Uribe was one of the clubhouse leaders in August and September, in particular to the Hispanic players. How many times did we see Cespedes going to Uribe in the dugout. Frankly, if he is 100% healthy but still rusty from the time off, I would still add him to the roster over Matt Reynolds. Looking forward, although he may be nearing retirement, I would try to sign him for one more year if possible. A real winner.)

Martin Z Braun/ Bloomberg News - Riding on this season’s playoff run, the team projects total 2016 attendance will rise by 500,000 to 3.1 million, generating an additional $25 million in revenue, according to a person familiar with the estimate. That’s on top of a 20 percent attendance increase this year. In 2014, Citi Field generated about $117 million in revenue and had about $84 million in expenses, including a $43 million payment in lieu of taxes, according to a financial statement filed by Queens Ballpark Company LLC, a Mets subsidiary. 

(Alexander Han - the Mets finances are shrouded in secrecy, but trying to puzzle it together, it sounds like Bloomberg is saying the Mets could expect a $25m increase from 2015 vs 2016, on top of a possible $20m from 2014 to 2015. Add to that the increase in SNY revenue, which I'm guessing could be the same order of magnitude, plus revenues from 2015 playoff ball and marketing opportunities from the pennant and maybe more, and you're looking at a potential uplift of revenue for the Mets (which include Citi Field as well as SNY etc) from $263m in 2014 - when the current $100m payroll was devised - to $350m+ for 2016 and future payrolls. A massive step change in fortune, and plenty of cash to spend some of it on Cespedes and Murphy and still leave some to service debt. 

Mark Townsend/ Big League Stew - With Games 3, 4 and 5 scheduled for Citi Field, ticket resale services say the average asking price for seats was sitting on $1,667.82 as of Thursday. That already makes them the costliest tickets in baseball history. And those numbers only figure to rise in the days ahead. In fact, on StubHub, they have a pair of Game 3 tickets going right now for $1 million. The previous record price, according to TiqIQ.com, was held by the 2010 San Francisco Giants at $1,661. The Boston Red Sox were close behind with a $1,660.96 average during the 2013 World Series. 

(Alexander Han - speaking of money, wow. Too bad I didn't get allotted World Series tickets. If I had been lucky enough to get tickets, do I sell them and buy a nice new TV screen to watch the baseball game. Probably go for the game and hope for an unforgettable experience...)