Cowtipper

I actually don't mind this deal, despite the snark above. What else were the Mets going to get for a reliever who gave them two injured partial seasons, who was coming off an injured season when he got to New York? It's not a bad trade. Now if the Mets would just stick with developing the prospects the bring aboard instead of shipping them off later on, that'd be greaaaaattttt.

As with most relievers with some pedigree the Mets sign, I was cautiously optimistic about Minter. I remember thinking of him as damaged good when he arrived and he ended up becoming damaged goods with us. But I have no bad memories of his actual performance with the club, when he actually pitched for them. Minter kinda reminds me of Justin Wilson. Very good relievers with the Mets, but because he played basically two partial seasons with the club instead of one full season, he's gonna be harder to remember. If he had done all his work in one campaign a la Mark Guthrie or Ricky Bottalico, he would be a lot more memorable.

Today's hint: Drafted in the 35th round, this Nevada-born right-handed reliever spent six seasons working his way through the Mets' farm system before making his major league debut in 2017 by striking out two batters in a scoreless inning. He went 2–0 with a 3.74 ERA in 28 appearances for the Mets before being claimed off waivers by the Mariners, where he finished his big league career undefeated with a 7–0 record.

Put some Neosporin on it and he'll be fine.

I'm a jenius

Is it Tom Wilson? Wilson the sporting goods brand would be on the front, Wilson his last name would be on the back.

The Stearns train just keeps a-rollin'!

Mr. Wendal, now I get it.

Well, he looks straight-up Irish in the picture. I thought he was mixed race, or had some Mediterranean in him. How do this and this look similar? The mouths look the same. Maybe he just tans well.

My gut for a while has said the Naked Cowboy guy is Johnny Monell, but I'm pretty sure he was more "melanated" than the picture suggests.

Joey Wendle is correct! Today's hint: A slick-fielding infielder from Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, this player was the second major leaguer from the island and later represented the Netherlands in both the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics. He appeared in just 10 games for the Mets in 1998 after previously winning a World Series with the Marlins.

Los Angeles Angels traded C Logan O'Hoppe and RHP Chase Silseth to Texas Rangers for SS Angel Arredondo.

Respectfully, if you can keep a version of yours up in some form, even in sparsely updated, I think that would be for the best. It's still one of the best Mets resources out there.

Butch "Metz"ger sounds like a good answer for #7, and his name sounds more like one that would belong to a catcher not a pitcher, but he's not it. Through process of elimination, we'll get #1 eventually. Even if I get these wrong, I'm weeding out the wrong ones for my fellow posters. There's a silver lining. So, I'll guess for #1 ... Patrick Mazeika.

Today's hint: This Montana-born former big league catcher spent time with the Mariners, Padres, Mets, and Cardinals, but is perhaps best remembered for an unusual twist to his career: he pitched scoreless relief appearances as a position player for both the Mets and Cardinals. During his 2012 stint with New York, he hit .250 in limited action behind the plate while also becoming the first Mets position player since Todd Zeile to take the mound in a game. I forgot to include where the person was born in this one, which has been fixed: This Delaware-born versatile infielder broke through with the Rays, earning an All-Star selection in 2021 after emerging from a career that began as a lightly regarded sixth-round draft pick and included a trade from Cleveland to Oakland before finding success in Tampa Bay. He spent just 18 games with the Mets in 2024 before being designated for assignment and released, ending what proved to be the final major league stop of his career.

I remember watching the highlight of Brent Mayne's win on SportsCenter back in the day. It was pretty big news back then. How many Mets rookie catchers have their been in the 21st century? That whittles it down a bit. I'll randomly guess Kevin Plawecki for #1.

Sue them for breach of contract. Something about goodwill or good faith or something. I think that's a thing.

Brent Mayne got a win.

The rule is no consecutive posts, not no consecutive guesses, so I'll take that hint and run with it .... It's Eli Marrero.

I believe Matt Harvey was traded for Devin Mesoraco. That's #2.

There is a reason Kelenic can't stick anywhere. He kinda sucks. But, astoundingly, he's still only 26. Might be worth a shot.

Honestly, one thing I always thought the Mets were pretty good at was picking backup catchers. I can only remember a couple in my history as a fan than didn't impress me, and they were Anthony Recker and Kevin Plawecki. Let's not forget how solid Brent Mayne was in his sole year as backup, and Rene Rivera had his moments, too.

John Anderson died. https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-gophers-baseball-john-anderson-death-8bd6386cab9138ca52503f0d5034bff8 Who was John Anderson? John Anderson was a longtime University of Minnesota baseball coach who devoted nearly his entire adult life to the program, first as a pitcher, then as a student and assistant coach, and finally as head coach from 1982 to 2024. Taking over at just 26 years old as the youngest head coach in Big Ten history, he compiled a 1,390–1,021–3 record, won seven Big Ten regular-season titles, nine conference tournament championships, made 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, and was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008. Beyond Minnesota, Anderson coached with Team USA, helping lead the national team to a silver medal at the 1993 Intercontinental Cup after previously serving on its coaching staff for the 1990 Baseball World Cup. He retired following the 2024 season after more than four decades at the helm of the Golden Gophers and died in 2026 at age 71 following complications from a heart attack. Eiji Bando died. https://bandoeiji.amebaownd.com/posts/59061098 Who was Eiji Bando? Eiji Bandō was a Japanese pitcher who spent his entire 11-year Nippon Professional Baseball career (1959–1969) with the Chunichi Dragons, compiling a 77–65 record with a 2.89 ERA while earning two All-Star selections. Before turning professional, he became a high school baseball legend by striking out a still-record 83 batters during the 1958 National High School Baseball Championship, including an 18-inning quarterfinal that helped prompt changes to tournament rematch rules due to concerns about pitcher overuse. After retiring from baseball, Bandō became one of Japan's best-known television personalities, working for decades as a broadcaster, variety-show regular, game-show panelist, and later a YouTuber. He remained a familiar public figure long after his playing career and died of chronic heart failure in 2026 at the age of 86.

I thought Vance Wilson was pretty solid.

One can hope.