Edgy MD

Darryl Strawberry photographed dishing advice to Mark Vientos.

Well, Pete Alonso is currently a hitting machine. Luke Voit has taken over after Pete piled up six bases in his first two at-bats.

=metirish post_id=147894 time=1709142482 user_id=72] Tomàs Nido is still around, wow

The Royals, of all teams, didn't like the new name-on-back lettering, asked if they could keep their old look, and were told, "Sure, whatever." A little bit of thougtfulness can go a long way. [fimg=600]https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/HLSXPzfA6WyKILQjUO0H7w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNzE0O2NmPXdlYnA-/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-02/dbf5f520-d5cf-11ee-9efd-51ac775711c9[/fimg]

And third from the left in the top row for the original New York Metropolitans, I'm pretty sure that's a time-traveling Randy Travis. https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/travis.png>

Hey! Remember Starling Marte?! That old rightfielder who used to play with the Mets?! Apparently he's either still with the team or they're doing some kind of special promotion where they let a retired guy take a few turns in the lineup, because he's making his 2024 Spring Training debut today, leading off, as the Mets host the Cardinals and field a lineup that's a little more Major League-y than yesterday's victorious outfit. Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil are still MIA. Has anybody written any coverage about why presumably healthy veteran players are held out of game action while the likes of Lindor and Alonso have been trotted out every other day? I'm guessing they're working on something. Anyhow, reliever Reed Garrett gets first crack at the Cardinals as the 3-1 Mets have a good chance to catch the first-place Orioles in the Grapefruit League standings, because NOTHING says "ACTION!" like the word "grapefruit"! [FIMG=300]https://floridagrapefruitleague.com/app/uploads/2020/07/floridagrapefruitlogo.png[/FIMG] [TABLE][TR][TH][/TH][TH][FIMG=250]https://cdn.freebiesupply.com/images/large/2x/st-louis-cardinals-logo-transparent.png[/FIMG][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][FIMG=250]https://cdn.freebiesupply.com/images/large/2x/new-york-mets-logo-transparent.png[/FIMG][/TH][TH][/TH][/TR] [TR][TH]#[/TH][TH]Player[/TH][TH]Pos.[/TH][TH]#[/TH][TH]Player[/TH][TH]Pos.[/TH][/TR] [TR][TD]=#C41E3A]1[/TD][TD]=#0C2340]Dylan Carlson (S)[/TD][TD]=#C41E3A]cf[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]1[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Starling Marte (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]rf[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#C41E3A]2[/TD][TD]=#0C2340]Alec Burleson (L)[/TD][TD]=#C41E3A]rf[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]2[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Francisco Lindor (S)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]ss[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#C41E3A]3[/TD][TD]=#0C2340]Nolan Gorman (L)[/TD][TD]=#C41E3A]2b[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]3[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Pete Alonso (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]1b[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#C41E3A]4[/TD][TD]=#0C2340]Luken Baker (R)[/TD][TD]=#C41E3A]dh[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]4[/TD][TD]=#002D72]DJ Stewart (L)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]lf[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#C41E3A]5[/TD][TD]=#0C2340]Alfonso Rivas (L)[/TD][TD]=#C41E3A]lf[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]5[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Mark Vientos (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]dh[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#C41E3A]6[/TD][TD]=#0C2340]Jared Young (L)[/TD][TD]=#C41E3A]1b[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]6[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Brett Baty (L)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]3b[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#C41E3A]7[/TD][TD]=#0C2340]Pedro Pagés (R)[/TD][TD]=#C41E3A]c[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]7[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Trayce Thompson (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]cf[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#C41E3A]8[/TD][TD]=#0C2340]José Fermín (R)[/TD][TD]=#C41E3A]3b[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]8[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Yolmer Sánchez (S)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]2b[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#C41E3A]9[/TD][TD]=#0C2340]Arquímedes Gamboa (S)[/TD][TD]=#C41E3A]ss[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]9[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Tomás Nido (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]c[/TD][/TR] [TR][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][/TR] [TR][TD][/TD][TD]=#0C2340]Miles Mikolos (R)[/TD][TD]=#C41E3A]sp[/TD][TD][/TD][TD]=#002D72]Reed Garrett (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]sp[/TD][/TR][/TABLE] That's an impressive six acute accents in today's opening lineup card — a total that's doubly impressive when you consider that it's a total shutout of Team Accent Grave, Team Tilde, the Cedillas, the Circumflexes, and Die Umlauts.

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: The shame of it nobody recognized that Major League baseball unis are supposed to be prominent, stitched, a little opulent, a little over the top -- that's one of the things that makes baseball unique. Yeah, baseball unis were at their peak when they include neckties. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/mx304vI9t-AtqBwn3pH2V97twb8d2SoLDWaVWiSN-kzjFALnBceHtIlC4PdIkVYsV9hAWRAiZDAR-hAI-taeFhnzhBn73IpI-A68XoUMx16cxBtw-a1G-dI4ucZQZsfPG29ByK4Ax4-fwyCU> [fimg=600]https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/616wzRqzjLL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg[/fimg]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I don't remember the "R. MARTINEZ" who played second base for the Mets that day. Ramón Martinez was a veteran AAAA infielder who suddenly became a regular in Jerry Manuel's lineup at crunchtime. Between injuries and his doghouse, he had cycled through higher-profile options. He supposedly called around to his connections around the league to ask after his own player (Jerry never really paid attention to who the organization had at AAA) and was told Martinez was a "guy who could give you a tough at-bat."

In his day, DeLeon had the best stuff of anybody not named "Gooden." He rarely put it all together for an extended stretch, but he did win a strikeout title. He also asked the Pirates to keep sending him out there when he was in danger of losing 20, but they stuck him in the bullpen the last two weeks of the season. He managed to lose 19 a second time with the Cardinals in 1990, this time staying in the rotation and losing his last seven starts in a row.

It's a thorough 7-1 thwacking by the back end of the Mets roster.

When there's a new boss, you want to show up for camp ready to make an impression. Transactions, 2/17/2024 [th]Direction[/th][td90]GOING[/td90][th]Transaction[/th][td90]Released[/td90][th]Position Group [/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][th][/th][td90][fimg=90]https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-photos/image/upload/d_people:generic:headshot:67:current.png/w_213,q_auto:best/v1/people/682016/headshot/67/current[/fimg][/td90][th]Name [/th][td90]William Woods [fimg=50]https://thecranepool.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/US-flag.png[/fimg][/td90][th]DoB[/th][td90]1998-12-29[/td90][th]B/T[/th][td90]R/R[/td90][th]High Level[/th][td90]MLB (2022)[/td90] Willie Woods was a waiver claim from the Braves, around the time when seemingly everybody the Braves brought up instantly became an All-Star. He did well in Bingo last season but got pummeled (as so many did last season) in the International League. Transactions, 2/20/2024 [th]Direction[/th][td90]GOING[/td90][th]Transaction[/th][td90]Released[/td90][th]Position Group [/th][th]Starting Pitcher[/th][th][/th][td90][fimg=90]https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2023/12/silhouette-2003.png[/fimg][/td90][th]Name [/th][td90]Aaron Martinez [fimg=50]https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/venezuelan-flag-small.jpg[/fimg][/td90][th]DoB[/th][td90]2003-11-10[/td90][th]B/T[/th][td90]R/R[/td90][th]High Level[/th][td90]DSL (2021)[/td90] Venezuelan Aaron Martinez debuted as a DSL player in 2021, and hadn't appeared since. He sadly leaves the system having not even had the chance to acquire a face. Transactions, 2/24/2024 [th]Direction[/th][td90]GOING[/td90][th]Transaction[/th][td90]Released[/td90][th]Position Group[/th][th][PTEXT=8]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/PTEXT][/th][th][/th][td60][fimg=90]https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/sims-hale-2023.png[/fimg][/td60][th]Name [/th][td60]Hale Sims [fimg=50]https://thecranepool.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/US-flag.png[/fimg][/td60][th]DoB[/th][td60]1999-08-30[/td60][th]B/T[/th][td60]R/R[/td60][th]High Level[/th][td90]Div. I (2023)[/td90] Hale Sims, an undrafted free agent signed out of UNC-Charlotte, may have acquired a face, but he received his release as a pro player having not actually appeared in a game. Transactions, 2/25/2024 [th]Direction[/th][td90]GOING[/td90][td90]=#008410]COMING[/td90][th]Transaction [/th][td90] Placed on 60-Day Injured List[/td90][td90]Claimed off Waivers from DET, Projected for Syracuse[/td90][th]Position Group [/th][th]Starting Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][th][/th][td90][fimg=90]https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-photos/image/upload/d_people:generic:headshot:67:current.png/w_213,q_auto:best/v1/people/656849/headshot/67/current[/fimg][/td90][td90][fimg=90]https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-photos/image/upload/d_people:generic:headshot:67:current.png/w_213,q_auto:best/v1/people/688427/headshot/67/current[/fimg][/td90][th]Name [/th][td90]David Peterson [fimg=50]https://thecranepool.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/US-flag.png[/fimg][/td90][td90]Kolton Ingram [fimg=50]https://thecranepool.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/US-flag.png[/fimg][/td90][th]DoB[/th][td90]1995-09-03[/td90][td90]1996-10-21[/td90][th]B/T[/th][td90]L/L[/td90][td90]L/L[/td90][th]High Level[/th][td90]MLB (2023)[/td90][td90]MLB (2023)[/td90] Koltie currently slots in behind Jake Diekman and Shintaro Fujinami among lefty relief options, and ahead of Nathan Lavender, although Lavender's stock has seemingly risen a bit since the start of spring training.

Nice to see Acuña and Gilbert in on a rally together.

G-Man Choi has quick hands through the zone.

Nathan Lavender in complete command for his second straight appearance, and is in serious danger of entering the opening day picture.

Rylan Bannon looks pretty short but strong. Alex Ramirez looks pretty tall. Taller than the 6'3" he's listed at.

McNeil and Nimmo still haven't broken the seal on their spring.

"If you listen to the scoreboard, and do what it's asking you to do, you're going to get the best results over the course of a season." — Daniel Murphy

Murphy so far sounds like a guest interview subject, not really a TV presentation voice as yet. Adrian Houser keeping the guests off the board through two, consistently keeping the ball on the ground. One torrid grounder skipped off of Iglesias' glove for a hit.

I think the current #3 refers to Jerry Cram, who pitched a bunch of innings (eight?) in that extra-inning marathon in 1974 that ended with Bake McBride scoring on a pickoff throw. Bob Murphy talked about that game all the time. I thought his record had been broken by a nine-inning stint, but that might not have been scoreless.

Despite the Mets fielding the home squad, they offer a lineup far less representative than the Marlins' of an opening-day peek, with Francisco Álvarez at catcher as very much the main attraction. You do, however, get your first looks at Adrian Houser. [TABLE][TR][TH][/TH][TH][FIMG=250]https://cdn.freebiesupply.com/images/large/2x/miami-marlins-logo-transparent.png[/FIMG][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][FIMG=250]https://cdn.freebiesupply.com/images/large/2x/new-york-mets-logo-transparent.png[/FIMG][/TH][TH][/TH][/TR] [TR][TH]#[/TH][TH]Player[/TH][TH]Pos.[/TH][TH]#[/TH][TH]Player[/TH][TH]Pos.[/TH][/TR] [TR][TD]=#00A3E0]1[/TD][TD]=#EF3340]Luis Arraez (L)[/TD][TD]=#00A3E0]2b[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]1[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Tyrone Taylor (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]cf[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#00A3E0]2[/TD][TD]=#EF3340]Jon Berti (R)[/TD][TD]=#00A3E0]3b[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]2[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Francisco Alvarez (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]c[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#00A3E0]3[/TD][TD]=#EF3340]Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L)[/TD][TD]=#00A3E0]cf[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]3[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Ji Man Choi (L)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]1b[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#00A3E0]4[/TD][TD]=#EF3340]Avisaíl García (R)[/TD][TD]=#00A3E0]rf[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]4[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Mark Vientos (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]3b[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#00A3E0]5[/TD][TD]=#EF3340]Nick Gordon (L)[/TD][TD]=#00A3E0]lf[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]5[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Luke Voit (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]dh[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#00A3E0]6[/TD][TD]=#EF3340]Trey Mancini (R)[/TD][TD]=#00A3E0]1b[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]6[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Ben Gamel (L)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]lf[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#00A3E0]7[/TD][TD]=#EF3340]Tristan Gray (L)[/TD][TD]=#00A3E0]ss[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]7[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Jose Iglesias (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]ss[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#00A3E0]8[/TD][TD]=#EF3340]Jonah Bride (R)[/TD][TD]=#00A3E0]dh[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]8[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Rylan Bannon (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]2b[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#00A3E0]9[/TD][TD]=#EF3340]Nick Fortes (R)[/TD][TD]=#00A3E0]c[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]9[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Alex Ramírez (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]rf[/TD][/TR] [TR][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][/TR] [TR][TD]=#00A3E0][/TD][TD]=#EF3340]A.J. Puk (L)[/TD][TD]=#00A3E0]sp[/TD][TD]=#FF5910][/TD][TD]=#002D72]Adrian Houser (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]sp[/TD][/TR][/TABLE]

Then you're teeing up Jack Hamilton for me. I was leaning toward him, but he felt unlikely as he wasn't one to finish what he started, even in an age where that was much more common. Also, the Mets used him more frequently out of the pen.

Number 5b is clearly Jon Matlack. I'll go with Bob Shaw for 5a.

I know Nick Tropeano not just because he was a seven-year MLB vet (albeit much of that in the other league) when he came to New York, but also because he was a Long Islander and a Stony Brook alum, so Seawolf totally plotzed over him.

Ashborough elected not to honor his one-game winning streak by starting a thread for today's exhibition against division rival Washington Nationals, but not to worry, as the Mets https://www.mlb.com/gameday/mets-vs-nationals/2024/02/26/748226/final/boxpowered past those DC elitists by a score of 6–3. Max Kranick started and threw two perfect innings for the win, Jett Williams collected his first knock in a Mets uniform, and Pete Alonso hammered two doubles in two trips to the plate, but the offensive star of the game was leftfielder Trayce Thompson, who went 2-for-3 with 5 RBI, four of them coming on a third-inning grand salami against big Washington lefty Robert Garcia. Joander Suarez, who has appeared in only three games above high A, but been remarkable enough to garner https://phpbb3.leaptoad.com/mets/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=32718&p=137543his own Crane Pool thread, finished up with two shutout innings to lock down the save. [FIMG=650]https://www.northjersey.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/02/26/PNJM/72750515007-20240226-lbm-zg-8-133.JPG?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp[/FIMG] The Kranickles of Narnia

Yeah, my suspicion is that recent seasons would dominate such a list with most teams.