Author: Shannon Shark @metspolice

Oh the Narrative was all there.

The catchy headline Three-PETE was all queued and ready.

The Mets shared some backstage video of Pete lifting weights between rounds (oooooh Pete is SO SERIOUS), and then meditating….oh what a great TV show.

And then he failed.

Pete is a streaky player.  His home runs come in batches (hopefully in October like he’s Daniel Murphy….although against constant GOOD starting pitching I am not sure this will happen.)

My fear/prediction is that Pete’s failure last night is going to stick in his head and we’re going to see a long slump out of the break.  And just wait until the league finally notices that you can throw him low and away with two strikes and get a K seemingly every time.

Pete will never hit 53 Home Runs again.

After a hot start, that batting average is now at .265 and rapidly regressing to the .258 career number.

But hey, Let’s Go Mets with three letters.  Prove me wrong Pete!

 

METS SELECT EIGHT PLAYERS ON DAY TWO OF 2022 DRAFT

FLUSHING, N.Y., July 18, 2022 – The New York Mets today made eight selections in rounds 3-10 to complete day two of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft.

In the third round, the Mets selected Brandon Sproat, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Florida. Sproat, 21, went 9-4 over 17 games (16 starts) and pitched to a 3.41 ERA (34 earned runs/89.2 innings) with 82 strikeouts in 2022. In his final six starts, the Pace, FL, native went 5-0 with a 1.59 ERA. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder pitched for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in 2021 and topped out at 99-100 MPH with his fastball. Sproat was previously drafted by the Texas Rangers in the seventh round of the 2019 First-Year Plyer Draft out of Pace High School (FL).

Jacob Reimer, a third baseman from Yucaipa (CA) High School, was the Mets’ fourth-round choice. Reimer, 18, is the highest draft pick from Yucaipa High School since current Mets pitcher Taijuan Walker was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the supplemental first round (43rd overall) of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder was ranked as the 77th-best high school prospect and the ninth-best high school prospect from California by Perfect Game. Reimer competed at the 2021 Perfect Game National Showcase at Tropicana Field.

With their fifth-round pick, the Mets selected D’Andre Smith, a shortstop from USC. The Diamond Bar, CA, native batted .286 (60-210) with eight home runs, 23 RBI and was tied for the team lead with 40 runs in 2022. As a freshman at USC in 2021, Smith appeared in 13 games and posted a .341/.522/.526 slashline. Smith is the first USC infielder to be selected in the first 10 rounds of the First-Year Player Draft since Ricky Oropesa was drafted in the third round (116th overall) in 2011 by the San Francisco Giants.

New York took Tyler Stuart out of the University of Southern Mississippi in the sixth round. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound, right-handed pitcher made 22 appearances (four starts) and went 4-0 with a 3.38 ERA (15 earned runs/40.0 innings), 38 strikeouts and one save in 2022. In the Hattiesburg Regional, Stuart made three appearances and did not allow a run in 2.2 innings. Stuart missed his redshirt freshman season in 2020 after he underwent “Tommy John” surgery.

In the seventh round, the Mets selected Jonah Tong, a right-handed pitcher from Georgia Premier Academy in Statesboro, GA. Tong, 19, hails from Ontario, Canada, but spent the 2022 season pitching stateside. In seven games (five starts) with Georgia Premiere Academy, Tong went 4-2 with a 1.63 ERA (seven earned runs/30.0 innings) with 46 strikeouts and one complete game. Prior to pitching at Georgia Premier Academy, Tong attended Bill Crothers Secondary School in Canada. Tong was the fifth Canadian player selected in this year’s First-Year Player Draft.

With their eighth-round pick, the Mets took Dylan Tebrake, a right-handed pitcher from Creighton University (NE). Tebrake, 23, was named the Big East Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2021 and 2022. During those two seasons, Tebrake went 16-2 with a 2.82 ERA (52 earned runs/165.2 innings) with 190 strikeouts over 29 starts. His 115 strikeouts in 2022 were the fourth most by a Creighton pitcher in a single season. The two-time All-Big East First Team selection finished his career at Creighton with a record of 21-5, 230 strikeouts and a 2.86 ERA in 222.0 innings over four seasons.

Chase Estep, a third baseman from the University of Kentucky was New York’s ninth round pick. In 2022, Estep batted .302/.416/.560, drove in a team-high 49 RBI and tied for the team lead with 13 home runs and 16 stolen bases. Prior to the 2022 season, Estep hit one home run over his first three collegiate seasons. In the summer of 2021, Estep played for the Kenosha Kingfish of the Northwoods League and batted .294 (27-92) with an .833 OPS in 25 games. Estep’s uncle, Chris Estep, was a 12th-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates from Kentucky in the 1988 MLB June Amateur Draft. His father Chris played two seasons at Kentucky from 1992-1993.

The Mets’ final pick of day two of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft was Zebulon Vermillion, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Arkansas. In 24 relief appearances this past season, Vermillion went 2-0 with a 2.39 ERA (seven earned runs/26.1 innings), 28 strikeouts and two saves. In four games during Arkansas’ run to the 2022 College World Series, Vermillion tossed 3.1 scoreless innings. The 6-5, 240-pounder finished his collegiate career with a record of 10-1 with a 3.58 ERA (42 innings/105.2 innings) and 100 strikeouts in 71 games (six starts).

FLUSHING, N.Y., July 18, 2022 – Longtime Mets Spanish radio broadcaster and pioneer Juan Alicea passed away this morning peacefully in his sleep at his home in Florida. He was 85.

Alicea joined the organization in April of 1969 and served in a variety of capacities including scouting and community relations before finding his home in the Spanish broadcasting booth in 1982, where he remained through 2019.

Alicea was behind the mic for over 4,000 Mets games, including being the leading voice on the International Spanish Network during the 1986 postseason which aired throughout the United States and Latin America. Last year, the Mets named the Spanish Radio Booth at Citi Field in his honor.

“Juan was an innovator and pioneer in the Spanish broadcasting field as well as renowned and respected throughout the industry as an extraordinary broadcaster,” said Mets President Sandy Alderson. “He was instrumental in the creation of Hispanic Marketing, Promotions and Community Events. His 50 years of service made him a highly regarded member of the Mets family. He will be greatly missed and our thoughts and prayers are with his son John and granddaughter Damiana.”

“Juan was a legendary figure on the Spanish Mets broadcasts,” said Tim Scheld, Brand Manager, WCBS 880. “We’ve been proud and honored to have worked alongside someone of such character, kindness and talent.”

“Juan was not only my role model, but a father figure as well,” said Mets Spanish radio broadcaster Max Perez Jimenez. “We have all lost a true master professor of baseball and all his teachings and wisdom will remain with me forever.”

Before you get too excited about these guys, the Mets don’t have the best track record here.  Even the guys that worked out had like 2 good seasons (looking at you 2008’s Ike Davis and 2010’s Matt Harvey)

 

METS SELECT FOUR PLAYERS ON DAY ONE OF 2022 DRAFT

FLUSHING, N.Y., July 18, 2022 – The New York Mets today announced that the club made four selections on day one of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft. In the first round, the Mets selected catcher Kevin Parada with the 11th overall pick from Georgia Tech and shortstop Jett Williams with the 14th overall pick from Rockwall-Heath High School (TX). In the second round, the Mets selected Blade Tidwell, a right-handed pitcher from Tennessee with the 52nd overall pick. The Mets final pick of day was Nick Morabito, an outfielder from Gonzaga College High School (DC), selected in the second round compensation with the 75th overall pick.

Parada, 20, was ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, as well as the top catcher. In his two-year career at Georgia Tech, Parada slashed .330/.420/.638 with 35 home runs, 130 RBI, 120 runs and 12 stolen bases in 112 games. In 2022, the backstop batted .360 (91-250) with 88 RBI and a .715 slugging percentage. He set a Georgia Tech single-season record with 26 home runs, which was tied for the sixth most in Division I. Additionally, Parada led the ACC in runs (78) and RBI (88) and drew 30 walks while striking out just 32 times over 253 at-bats. The Pasadena, Calif., native was the winner of the Buster Posey Award in June, awarded to the top collegiate catcher. Parada earned All-ACC First Team honors in 2022 and was a unanimous All-American selection as well as a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Houser Trophy. In 2021, the 6-foot-1, 197-pounder was named as a Freshman All-American by D1Baseball, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Perfect Game and was selected to the Freshman All-ACC team. Parada is the fourth catcher from Georgia Tech selected in the first round of the draft joining Jason Varitek (1993, 1994), Matt Wieters (2007) and Joey Bart (2018).

Williams, 18, is a plus runner with a 6.50 60-yard dash time. The Mississippi State commit was ranked as the 15th overall prospect by Baseball America and the 21st overall prospect by MLB Pipeline. The 5-foot-8, 175-pounder ranked as the No. 1 high school prospect in the state of Texas according to Perfect Game and was named to both the Perfect Game First Team Senior Preseason All-American and the Perfect Game Texas-All Region First Team for the 2022 season. This past season, Williams batted .411 with seven home runs, 41 RBI, 53 runs and 24 stolen bases at Rockwall-Heath High School. The Rockwall, TX native was selected to play in the 2021 Perfect Game National Showcase at Tropicana Field.

Tidwell, 21, went 3-2 a 3.00 ERA (13 earned runs/39.0 innings) with 51 strikeouts and 11 walks in 13 games (nine starts) at Tennessee in 2022. The 6-foot-4, 207-pounder was named to the Preseason All-American – First Team by both Baseball America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association in 2022. Tidwell, a Loretto, Tenn. native, was named to the Knoxville Regional All-Tournament Team after tossing a career-high 7.2 scoreless innings against Alabama State. The 27th best prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Tidwell was named to the 2021 SEC All-Freshman Team after he won 10 games, the second-most in school history for a Freshman behind R.A. Dickey. His 10th win of his freshman campaign came in the super-regional against LSU, sending the Volunteers to the College World Series for the first time in 16 years. Tidwell teamed with Ryan Weathers to lead Loretto HS to the Tennessee state Class A championship in 2017.

Morabito, 19, was named the 2022 District of Columbia Gatorade Player of the year after batting .545 with 12 home runs, 52 stolen bases, a .644 on-base percentage and a 1.119 slugging percentage this season. The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder was listed as the 82nd-best prospect by Baseball America and by MLB Pipeline as the 91st best prospect. A McLean, VA, native, Morabito was ranked as the fourth-best prospect in the state of Virginia by Perfect game.

These are kind of fun, but I don’t understand the world’s obsession with side-patches. Side-patches suck!  From Hat Club.