In 1989, we were on a family vacation to Philadelphia at the same time the Mets were playing at the Vet.  When my Dad picked up the free hotel newspaper, he noticed that Frank Viola was the Mets scheduled starter.  It doesn’t take much for my Dad to want to take us to a Mets game.  That night, my Dad wanted to take us to the game because we had an opportunity to see a former World Series MVP and Long Island native take the mound.

There haven’t been many players from Long Island who have played in the big leagues.  The best player that comes to mind is Hall of Famer Craig Biggio.  There are even fewer that play for the Mets.  There was the aforementioned Viola.  There has also been John Valenin and John Lannan, both of whom had less than stellar Mets careers.  However, last year, Steven Matz burst onto the scene.

Like my Dad, I took my son to see Matz’s first game at Citi Field.  It was an event with him pitching 7.2 innings allowing five hits, two earned, and two walks while striking out six.  He was also 3-3 at the plate with a double and four RBI.  It was a glimpse into what a special player he was going to become.  So far in his young career, Matz is 11-2 with a 2.36 ERA.  There are many reasons why Matz is so good.  There have been many that have helped him along the way including his AAA pitching coach Frank Viola.

After the first day of the MLB draft tonight, it appears that Viola is going to get a couple more Long Island players to help out.

With the 19th selection, the Mets selected Freeport native Justin Dunn.  Like most, I really don’t know that much about Dunn other than the published scouting reports.  Here is all I’ve seen of him pitch so far:

On a special note, he is slated to pitch tonight for Boston College in the NCAA Baseball Super Regionals against Miami at 5 P.M.  That game will be televised on ESPNU.

The other pitcher the Mets drafted was Anthony Kay who went to high school at Ward Melville.  This is the same high school that Matz attended.  They were not classmates as Kay was in 8th grade when Matz was a senior.  It seems like the Mets have liked Kay for a long time:

The Mets drafted Anthony Kay in 2013 in the 29th round but were unable to sign him. They now get him with the #31 overall pick.

— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) June 10, 2016

Again, like Dunn, I don’t know much about Kay other than the scouting reports.  Unlike Dunn, we’re not going to be able to see him pitch as UConn has already been eliminated.  In the interim, if you are interested in seeing him pitch, here is a clip:

Sooner or later, we will get to see both Dunn and Kay pitch so long as they are able to agree to terms with the Mets.  If so, it is likely they will be placed on the Brooklyn Cyclones roster where they can pitch close to home (closer for Dunn).  Whether or not the fact that these players grew up as Yankee fans is irrelevant.  What matters is that these local players are with the Mets now, and they are going to help the Mets in the future.

With the way things are going, they may eventually be joined by a couple of other Long Islanders since it is suddenly becoming a breeding ground for Mets pitching.