Welcome back to the Mets Beat newsletter! Anthony DiComo has covered the Mets for MLB.com since 2007, including the past 17 seasons full-time on the beat. |
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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- In what’s become a March tradition for me, I’d like to use my final Spring Training newsletter to highlight some of the most interesting stories from camp. When our next newsletter lands on Monday, the Mets will have already headed back to Queens in advance of Opening Day. It has been a relatively peaceful camp, with some major news on Day 1 and very little since. The Mets are happy with that. Despite the quiet, plenty of fun angles have emerged from the Mets’ clubhouse. Without further ado, here are those that stood out to me: I am the Eggman My favorite story from spring, by far, was this one on hard-throwing relief prospect Ryan Lambert (No. 18). Back in college, Lambert once chugged 30 raw eggs per day for a month in hopes of increasing his velocity. He still fancies some eggs from time to time, and that’s not the only fanatical part of his diet-and-workout routine. As an optionable reliever who reached 101 mph last year, Lambert could be a huge piece for the Mets if he can hang around the strike zone more efficiently. As one social media user put it: “He is the perfect psychopath for the bullpen … I’m sold.” Francisco Alvarez gave up arepas to cut weight Maybe the genre is a bit overplayed, but I’m a sucker for a good best-shape-of-his-life story. This year’s came courtesy of Alvarez, who set aside some of his favorite foods in hopes of slimming down. It worked; Alvarez dropped around 10 pounds to become more nimble behind the plate. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but this is a crucial season for the 24-year-old Alvarez, who still has all the tools -- and plenty of time -- to develop into a superstar. He just needs to stay healthy and mash. |
A man of many gloves No doubt about it, Brett Baty has had a disjointed start to his career. That continued in January when the Mets signed Bo Bichette, and Baty, who had been slated to start at third base, again found himself without a clear role. At the behest of Mets officials, Baty set to work immediately, spending the rest of his offseason learning to play first base and right field. He could find himself at those positions often this season, bouncing around the diamond in search of regular at-bats. I caught up with Baty’s trusted defensive coach from back home in Texas for a glimpse into what his workouts looked like. The new longest-tenured Met is … For some fans, that became a difficult question to answer after Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz all departed during the same offseason. If you still don’t know, I won’t spoil the answer. You can find it right here. Young blood We’ve covered plenty about Carson Benge’s introduction to the big leagues, including his pinch-me moment meeting Juan Soto and his stoic demeanor while waiting to hear if he’s made the team. Regardless of what happens with Benge, it’s clear he belongs. (It’s tough to watch him hit .406 in Grapefruit League play and think otherwise.) As for that other new guy … The most underrated addition at Mets camp may be Tobias Myers, who came over in the Freddy Peralta trade amidst significantly less fanfare. Myers should serve as an important part of the Mets’ depth, capable of bouncing between roles as needed. Early in camp, he wasted little time in impressing Soto. Myers and Christian Scott -- another interesting Mets story -- could be big factors when the Mets need someone to join the rotation. |
Rochambeau! Spring Training needs its lighter moments. Soto and Nolan McLean provided one early in camp with a spirited exchange about the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System. They settled their disagreement in a curious way. (Another) new lease on life Darryl Strawberry has a new book coming out this summer, and it’s about everything but baseball. The book dives into his ministry work, as well as multiple near-death experiences in recent years. When I caught up with Strawberry to talk about it, I found much of what he said powerful. “My job now,” Strawberry said in the story, “is to help people.” Steve Cohen speaks his mind Some of the most notable camp news came from the ownership box, as Cohen declared, without much prompting, that the Mets will never name a team captain under his watch. De facto captain Francisco Lindor responded to that a few days later. Oh, and Cohen added that he’s “annoyed” the Mets haven’t been winning World Series. Two-seam togetherness I didn’t personally write this last story, but I wanted to share it because I thought it was so cool. This offseason, when Cubs starter Ben Brown moved to Nashville, he kept hearing from folks around the industry that he needed to work out with Clay Holmes. So Brown sought out Holmes, a sinkerball artist who helped Brown develop his own version of that pitch. In the process, the two developed a tight relationship; Holmes is rooting for Brown’s success. |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Which of the following third-round Draft picks produced the most career bWAR in the Majors? A) Rick Aguilera B) Roger McDowell C) Nolan McLean D) Craig Swan |
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Answer: A) Aguilera
McLean has some work to do to catch Aguilera, the Mets’ third-round selection in 1983 who produced 21.9 bWAR over 16 seasons with the Mets, Twins, Red Sox and Cubs. Through eight career starts, McLean is at 1.8 bWAR. |
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