Trivia Question

[roger_that]

Here's an odd fact I just came across--I will present it for your entertainment in the form of a trivia question poll. I was surprised to learn who began his career as a Met farmhand, had a pretty spectacular season his first time out (12-5, 2.05 ERA), and was promptly released by the Mets, eventually becoming a star pitcher on the 1970s Yankees. Who?

[MFS62]

I collected the Sporting News Baseball Guide every year since the Mets were born, to check out Mets minor leaguers, so I remembered Figueroa. I was excited about his potential but when he wasn't in baseball in 1969, he dropped through the cracks of my fandom.



Later

[roger_that]

I think it might have been sufficient simply to vote for Figueroa rather than detail your special knowledge of the answer, if only to allow your fellow CPForumites to ponder the question for a while. But maybe it was just too urgent an issue for you to restrain your urge to show off your capacious brain immediately.

[dinosaur jesus]

I thought the whole point of this forum was to show off our special knowledge and capacious brains.

[roger_that]

I mean, if it's really that tough to keep from blabbing the correct answer, or restrain yourself in showing off that you know something, or had the research knowledge required to look it up, you could still do it, for a day or two, by writing something like "I know this one--I was a fan of his in the 1970s, and was surprised to find out that he started as a Met"--we will all credit you with being a terrific brain and not a terrific dick.

[roger_that]

And with that said, I wonder if we could assemble a team of folks who started as Mets farmhands but the organization let slip through its fingers, allowing them to bounce around the minors for a while and find stardom with the team that people assume first had them. F'rinstance, Paul Blair started out as a Met, a teammate of Cleon Jones in the minors in 1962 or 1963, and the Orioles took a flier on him. Any other nominees?

[kcmets]

dinosaur jesus wrote: I thought the whole point of this forum was to show off our special knowledge and capacious brains.

I devoutly do that at least twice a week.



https://www.kcmets.com/microwave.gif> https://www.kcmets.com/microwave.gif> https://www.kcmets.com/microwave.gif> https://www.kcmets.com/microwave.gif> https://www.kcmets.com/microwave.gif>

[Edgy MD]

=roger_that post_id=83117 time=1639611007 user_id=128]
And with that said, I wonder if we could assemble a team of folks who started as Mets farmhands but the organization let slip through its fingers, allowing them to bounce around the minors for a while and find stardom with the team that people assume first had them. F'rinstance, Paul Blair started out as a Met, a teammate of Cleon Jones in the minors in 1962 or 1963, and the Orioles took a flier on him. Any other nominees?

[roger_that]

Did Bibby pitch for the Mets? I remember being aware that the bigger brother played for the Mets while the smaller brother (Henry) played for the Knicks, which seemed improbable. I definitely remember Bibby as a Met prospect, while Blair and Figueroa I only learned of their Mets connection after they became stars elsewhere. In Figueroa's case, it was decades later--last Saturday, to be precise.



And to show off my capacious brain, I also saw Bibby coaching for the Lynchburg Mets in the summer of 1986.

[kcmets]

I didn't know, or don't remember, them being related.



Hennn-ryyyy Bibb-bbyyyy is a great MSG PA announcer memory.

[Edgy MD]

Bibbs made it as far as AAA in the Mets system before going to the Cards in a multi-player deal that included Shamsky.

[G-Fafif]

Bibby was called up to the Mets in ‘69, but didn't see game action.



If you need a DH for said team of Met minor leaguer finger slipthroughs, consider Nelson Cruz. I wouldn't play him in right.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Three time all-star Scott Kazmir.

[roger_that]

Hmmm, OK, though I was thinking of players NOT like Bibby or Kazmir who were traded at a point they were the Mets' hottest #1 with a bullet prospects who everybody knew to be valuable. (And who in fact got traded for real major leaguers.) More like, "Huh? You mean we OWNED his contract and gave him away for bupkis" kind of thing.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

The Mets had Jason Bay as a minor leaguer, pre-stardom, and of course more famously in post stardom.



He was acquired in a spring-training trade as a prospect from the Expos for Lou Collier, who I can recall lobbying hard to make the Mets as a reserve, then traded to the Padres for the the immortal Jason Middlebrook , a reliever whom Phillips had a thing for.



Collier had come over in the stupid Jeromy Burnitz trade, speaking of Met prospects who blossomed in other organizations and were reacquired once they began to suck.

[roger_that]

Yes, the infamous "JB" re-acquisitions. The Mets are very bad at remembering how old, and how close to the edge of the cliff, most players are once they're in their late 20s, and very early 30s. I think it's cuz their fans want the front office to sign name players for major dollars to show that they're not being chintzy that the GMs are so susceptible to this misunderstanding. It's really a crapshoot to pay someone a shit-ton of money after they've played 7 or 10 years of MLB--likely as not, the dude is history.



The idea that teams sometimes let valuable young players go for close to nothing is interesting, because it suggests the large part luck plays in forming teams. It's not that the Mets were dumb in failing to hang onto Figueroa or Bey, just unlucky. If you can manage to hang onto all the prospects who turn into stars, you've got a great team, and if you let all of them go, you'll get a poor team. But no one can tell you definitively which ones to hang onto and which ones to let go for cheap.



By the way, I looked up that 86 Lynchburg roster to remind myself who else was on that team besides Bibby. I remembered Gregg Jeffries playing in the game, but there was an obscure middle infielder who would be even more instrumental in Mets history on that team who I didn't realize until I looked up the roster this morning. Want to guess?

[seawolf17]

There's guys like Clemens and Palmiero who the Mets drafted but never signed, but those don't really count.

[Edgy MD]

When I nominated Jim Bibby, I had no idea that he was considered a particularly valuable asset. I hadn't known he was a Met prospect until a few years ago when I saw a photo of a Met bigwig (possibly Whitey Herzog) staring at a wall displaying the Mets pitching depth chart sometime around 1969.



I will seek more stealth success.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: When I nominated Jim Bibby, I had no idea that he was considered a particularly valuable asset. I hadn't known he was a Met prospect until a few years ago when I saw a photo of a Met bigwig (possibly Whitey Herzog) staring at a wall displaying the Mets pitching depth chart sometime around 1969. I will seek more stealth success.

Don't bother. You might find stealthier, but not as successful as Blair. Not even close. There are no other Blairs.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I read a bunch of contemporary accounts of the Blair Affair. Back then the proto-Rule 5 procedures could be punishing for shitty teams. Blair was like 17 or 18, instructional league, and they had him fake an injury so as to keep others off the scent. You were required to promote these 1st year guys to the 40 or risk losing up to 4 players each year. Bad for org builders and the players, who missed developing while being benched everyday. Your Musgraves and Powells were subject to the same, resulting in all the pro ball they'd ever play

[stevejrogers]

=roger_that post_id=83143 time=1639657878 user_id=128]
By the way, I looked up that 86 Lynchburg roster to remind myself who else was on that team besides Bibby. I remembered Gregg Jeffries playing in the game, but there was an obscure middle infielder who would be even more instrumental in Mets history on that team who I didn't realize until I looked up the roster this morning. Want to guess?

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Good guess, Rogers

[roger_that]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Good guess, Rogers

But incorrect. Much more important to the Mets than Al Pedrique. Much. More guesses?

[seawolf17]

I feel like the wording of that Lynchburg question is important. Not that he was an important Met, but more like he was traded for somebody. I have no idea, though.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Good guess, Rogers But incorrect. Much more important to the Mets than Al Pedrique. Much. More guesses?

He's got a capricious brain, though.



Also, am I right that the Mets org once had Steve Rogers, the Expo?

[MFS62]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Good guess, Rogers But incorrect. Much more important to the Mets than Al Pedrique. Much. More guesses?

That part gave it away - Steve Phillips.

Later

[kcmets]

I did some sniffing around... Steve Philips?



(if right, no one was gonna get it)

[kcmets]

Beat me by 13 minutes

[roger_that]

Steve Phillips is the answer. I think I saw him play 2B that afternoon. Wish I'd paid closer attention.



Wish they'da released him, in retrospect.

[roger_that]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Also, am I right that the Mets org once had Steve Rogers, the Expo?

Incorrect. You may be thinking of Steve Renko, who was traded early in his Met-hood to Montreal (for Donn Clendenon).