Rafael Montero Stays Cool In Las Vegas Heat
BEST PLAYER: On the day he turned 16, a high school kid from Venezuela signed with the Mets as an international free agent. It would be years before the organization expected to see a return on its...
View ArticleJuan Centeno’s Arm Carries Him To Majors
NEW YORK—Catcher Juan Centeno was sitting at his locker on a late-season morning, combing through the 67 games he spent at Triple-A Las Vegas for a suitable highlight. He settled on a single snapshot,...
View ArticleWilfredo Tovar Receives September Surprise From Mets
NEW YORK—He did not expect the call. Shortstop Wilfredo Tovar had returned home to Venezuela, his minor league season long over, when the Mets summoned him for his first taste of the majors. In his...
View ArticleAlderson Has Flashed Tricks Of The Trade
NEW YORK—In his three seasons as general manager of the Mets, Sandy Alderson has exhibited a fondness for exchanging expiring contracts for prospects. This method obtained Zack Wheeler, Travis d’Arnaud...
View ArticleMets Coach Mentoring Matz
NEW YORK–They spoke often, usually after his starts. Steven Matz would put together another solid outing, then turn to his pitching coach to learn what he could have done better. “You just know he’s...
View ArticleMets’ Goeddel Knocking On The Door
NEW YORK—It is easy to overlook his right arm, given that Erik Goeddel finds himself in the same organization as Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero. Those other names...
View ArticleTravis Taijeron A Cal Poly Climber For Mets
NEW YORK—One swing at a time, Travis Taijeron played his way into a promotion. He was hitting .303. He was slugging .564. His OPS was an impressive .960. But when he left high Class A St. Lucie, all...
View ArticleMets’ Ynoa Shows Refinement At Young Age
NEW YORK—Watching the way righthander Gabriel Ynoa works hitters reminds minor league field coordinator Dick Scott of the way another young Mets arm commands the strike zone. Scott sees shades of Mets...
View ArticleMets’ Fulmer Appears Back On Track
NEW YORK—The Mets know it would be unfair to judge him on 2013, to weigh his future on nine starts and a pair of injuries. Pitching at high Class A St. Lucie last year, righthander Michael Fulmer went...
View ArticleMets’ Rodriguez Sees Roadblock In Wright
NEW YORK—As a prospect who aspires to play third base in the majors, third baseman Aderlin Rodriguez can easily spot the roadblock within his own organization. David Wright has seven years left on his...
View ArticleMets Love Den Dekker’s Glove, But Will His Bat Play?
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.—Out of the cloud of dust at the warning track popped Matt den Dekker, another dangerous flyball secured in his glove. Den Dekker has been one of the most maddening prospects in...
View ArticleBrandon Nimmo Looks Forward To Facing Better Pitching
NEW YORK—A purple tinge embedded near the base of the fingernail on Brandon Nimmo’s left thumb provided evidence of his run-in with a pitching machine. “It went off the label,” Nimmo said of the...
View ArticleMets Believe Wuilmer Becerra Can Be More Than Throw-In
NEW YORK—Outfielder Wuilmer Becerra’s name appeared below the fold when the Mets and Blue Jays consummated their front-page blockbuster trade in December. That’s understandable given the other names...
View ArticleDomingo Tapia Touches Triple Digits
NEW YORK—Even at the highest levels, few pitchers’ arms possess triple-digit possibilities. That’s why the Mets are enticed by 21-year-old righthander Domingo Tapia. “He’s a guy with a plus-plus...
View ArticleBattle-Tested Jayce Boyd Drives Savannah Lineup
NEW YORK—Minor league field coordinator Dick Scott made a trip down to Savannah, Ga., in early May to check in on the organization’s low Class A affiliate. Savannah’s Grayson Stadium “might be one of...
View ArticleDominic Smith Sells Mets With Sweet Swing
In the end, the men who watched him fell in love with his swing. There was something beautiful about it, something that left members of the Mets organization enchanted. When Dominic Smith unleashed...
View ArticleCory Vaughn Emerges From Early Slump At Double-A
NEW YORK—Left fielder Cory Vaughn went 2-for-19 during the first five games for Double-A Binghamton this year, sandwiching a 2-for-4 performance between 15 hitless at-bats. He sensed his bat burrowing...
View ArticleMets’ 2013 Draft Class Rings With Echoes Of The Past
NEW YORK—In the 1980s, the Mets brought swagger to the city. Young talent oozed through their farm system, making the Mets—not the Yankees—the envy of baseball. The Mets often try to reach through that...
View ArticleMets Midseason Update: Zack Wheeler Delivers Early Results
BEST PLAYER: Ever since the Mets shipped Carlos Beltran to the opposite coast in July 2011, the Mets have been pinning their hopes on 23-year-old righthander Zack Wheeler. He spent the first three...
View ArticleMatt Bowman Strives To Join Ivy League Alumni In Big Leagues
NEW YORK—Other men who once wandered through Ivy League halls have made the leap. Paul DePodesta, a Harvard-educated executive, has seen some of them firsthand. “We had (former Princeton stars) Will...
View ArticleAllan Dykstra Begins Paying Off First-Round Pedigree
NEW YORK—Most up-and-comers make stops there, then graduate, but first baseman Allan Dykstra has spent his age-24 through 26 seasons playing for Double-A Binghamton. “In all honesty, he deserves to be...
View ArticleJake deGrom Climbs To Precipice Of Majors
NEW YORK—Righthander Jake deGrom’s age-23 season does not exist. It was stripped from the back of his baseball card after he injured his right elbow. But three years after having Tommy John surgery,...
View ArticleKevin Plawecki Learns To Advance And Adapt
NEW YORK—Catcher Kevin Plawecki would not trade those three seasons he spent on a college campus, three years when he built a foundation for his ascent toward the big leagues. “I think it helped me out...
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