Jeff McNeil
In last night’s game, it took the Mets until the later innings for their offense to explode and route the Braves. Tonight, the Mets scored in each of the first three innings with a seven spot in the third.
Jeff McNeil homered yesterday, and he had a two home run game tonight. He had a four RBI game. Wilson Ramos had five, and Robinson Cano had three.
With Rick Porcello holding the Braves to three earned over six, this was an easy 15-5 victory.
To date, despite the Mets already having 20+ games from their 2020 season canceled, they have yet to issue one refund to their fans. They have not issued a refund despite the fact MLB already has announced it will have a shortened season, and early indications are the season may be played at a neutral site meaning Mets fans may never get to see the Mets play at Citi Field this year.
Still, the Mets, like the other 29 teams and the secondary market, are holding onto your money. The reason is MLB is using the very dishonest practice of calling games which will never be played postponed instead of cancelled. As reported by Bill Shakin of the LA Times, that has already led to a class action lawsuit.
Despite the pending lawsuit, all 30 of the Major League Baseball teams are keeping their fans money. They’re keeping the money of both season and single game ticket holders. At the moment, those fans are getting absolutely NOTHING in return, and it is unclear when, or if, those fans are ever going to get a refund.
While these games have come and gone unplayed, there have been a number of notable promotions for each team. For the Mets, there have already been a number of popular promotions which have come and gone with not one being distributed to the fans.
Those promotions include the Jacob deGrom back-to-back Cy Young bobblehead, the Pete Alonso Rookie of the Year bobblehead, and the Jeff McNeil bobblehead.
#OpeningWeekend will be here before you know it! Be at @CitiField as we start the season against Washington.
Saturday, 3/28 – @Pete_Alonso20 ROY bobblehead
Sunday, 3/29 – @JdeGrom19 Cy Young bobblehead?️: https://t.co/1pkMPg0MsR pic.twitter.com/CvffU826fO
— New York Mets (@Mets) February 17, 2020
On the horizon is the Amed Rosario bobblehead which is purportedly a two part bobblehead which will link up with Robinson Cano. For the Cano one, you have to go to a game in late August. Of course, there is the matter of whether that game ever gets played.
There have also been Free T-Shirt Fridays with a Noah Syndergaard replica jersey among those items which were supposed to be given to fans. There would have been other promotions as well like player posters and magnetic schedules. These were all promotional items which were supposed to be distributed to fans as part of an incentive to get them to spend money on Mets tickets.
Keep in mind, not only are the Mets holding onto their fans money, but they are also holding onto the promotions which would have been distributed at those games. While the Mets may not be able to unilaterally refund their fans money as this is likely a larger MLB policy, there is nothing preventing them from doing the right thing and sending their fans the promotional items for those games.
Overall, if the Mets and the other MLB teams are going to keep their fans money, they should be forced to give the fans some return for their purchase. While the Mets cannot play games in this environment, they can send the promotional items to fans.
No, it is not likely they can do that now. That is unrealistic due to the myriad of safety concerns, and with the shutdown, the Mets cannot possibly have enough employees on site to perform this task. However, that does not mean they should not be preparing to do right by their fans by preparing to send them the promotions they would have received had the games actually been played.
The Mets broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh and then began a complete annihilation of the Atlanta Braves. When all was said and done, they’d win 13-2
Michael Conforto hit two homers, and Pete Alonso finished a triple short of the cycle. The Mets also got homers from Jeff McNeil and Jake Marisnick.
Keston Hiura and Justin Smoak hit a pair of two run homers in the second inning off of Jacob deGrom giving the Brewers an early 2-0 lead. The Mets responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning with a Wilson Ramos solo shot and a Jeff McNeil two RBI double to take a 3-2 lead.
Smoak tied the game back up in the fourth with an RBI double. Ramos’ fifth inning RBI single retook the lead.
Christian Yelich homered off Robert Gsellman to tie the game in the seventh. Gsellman would load the bases that inning, but Jeurys Familia would get out of the jam.
It was Ramos again in the seventh with a go-ahead RBI single scoring Michael Conforto giving the Mets a 5-4 lead.
The Mets would win the game by that score after Edwin Diaz recorded the save. That means the Mets are undefeated this year when wearing their black jerseys on Friday.
The Mets jumped all over the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth with a rally started by Yoenis Cespedes. In six run inning, Jeff McNeil would have a two RBI single, and Pete Alonso would have an RBI single.
The Mets would build a 7-1 lead in this one, and they’d hold on to win 7-6 for their third win over their last four games.
Maybe one day, we will look back at Mets history and say Jeff McNeil was the best Mets player to ever wear the number 6. In fact, you could say he is just one good season away from that honor. However, for now, the best Mets player to ever wear that number was Wally Backman.
Backman would make his debut the same day as Mookie Wilson, and it was really just a function of the batting order that Mookie stepped on the field before he did. Whatever the technicalities, the day he and Mookie stepped on the field that September day was the day the greatest run in Mets history was born.
Even with his making his debut as a 20 year old in 1980, it would take Backman a few years to truly establish himself as a member of the Mets. Finally, in 1984, Backman would establish himself as an everyday player. He would be there at second base when that Mets team would go from a 94 loss team in 1983 to a team which won 90 games in 1984 and made a real run at the NL East.
From that point forward, Backman would slate into the second spot in the lineup. He was the old fashioned second place hitter reminiscent of that era. He was a hard nosed player. He was a bit of a slasher more focused on getting on and getting the runners over. As an example of that, in 1985, Backman led the NL in sacrifices.
Backman was looked upon as a fiery personality which matched well with that 1986 team. Speaking of that 1986 Mets, Backman was part of that team who fought tooth and nail to win that pennant. Backman’s fingerprints would be all over that series.
In Game 3, with the Mets trailing 5-4, it was Backman who led off the bottom of the ninth with a drag bunt. He would ultimately score the tying run when Lenny Dykstra would hit the first walk-off homer in Mets postseason history.
in Game 6 in Houston to prevent the team from seeing Mike Scott in Game 7. Through all the hysteria that was that game, one thing which gets overlooked a bit is the fact Backman was thought to have delivered the pennant winning hit with a 14th inning single scoring Darryl Strawberry.
Backman would again be in the middle of things in the 16th. In that inning, he’d draw a walk after Ray Knight‘s go-ahead RBI single. Later that inning, he would score a run, again on a key Dykstra hit. Backman’s run would prove to be the pennant winning run.
Ultimately, that’s what Backman was known for throughout his career. He was a fiery winning player. During that time, he won over Mets fans, who to this day, largely want him to have a role in the organization. On that note, when he did return to manage in the minors, he left a lasting impact on much of the current core, including but not limited to, Brandon Nimmo.
Overall, Backman holds a special place in Mets history even with all of the off-the-field issues. When looking at his contributions, it is hard to argue that as of right now anyone else was a better Mets player who wore the number 6.
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series highlighting the best players in Mets history by highlighting the best Mets player to wear a particular uniform number. In this case, this is not saying Backman was the sixth best player in Mets history, but rather the best Mets player to wear the number 6.
Previous
1.Mookie Wilson
2.Mackey Sasser
3. Curtis Granderson
4. Lenny Dykstra
5. David Wright
These are hard times for us all, and we’re desperately looking for anything close to normal we can get. We got that tonight with Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling announcing a simulated game:
It was phenomenal. They were talking about the gameplay. The hard to see neck tattoos. How poor the caps looked. Brandon Nimmo not smiling or hustling to first on a walk, and Jeff McNeil not swinging at everything. There was also Gare taking a shot at the Astros every chance he got.
In the end, Jacob deGrom outlasted Justin Verlander, and the Mets won 2-1 with J.D. Davis getting the game winning hit in the same ballpark where he used to get the signs.
In addition to the Mets getting the win to improve to 3-7, it was also nice to see Yoenis Cespedes come off the simulated IL, and Edwin Diaz get the save. Mostly, at least for one night, it was great having GKR back in our lives because for one brief moment, everything seemed at least a little normal.
Well, it finally happened. Behind the pitching of Jacob deGrom, the Mets finally have a simulated win for the 2020 season.
For a while, it looked like a typical deGrom start with him shutting down the other side and the Mets not scoring runs. Jeff McNeil was thrown out at the plate, and Brandon Nimmo struck out with the bases loaded.
Finally, Robinson Cano hit an RBI single in the third, and Dominic Smith would hit a three run homer to give the Mets a 4-0 lead. Pete Alonso, who has struggled in 2020 (for what very little that’s worth) also homered in the game.
It was a very rude homecoming for Zack Wheeler who only lasted four innings and would take the loss.
The Phillies didn’t get to deGrom until Nick Williams hit a two run homer in the seventh, but that only pulled the Phillies to within 5-2.
Seth Lugo got touched up for two in the eighth, but Edwin Diaz would shut the door in the ninth to preserve the Mets 5-4 win, their first of the season.
Let’s call it what it is. Rob Manfred and Major League Baseball sought to kill the Major League draft not because of the COVID19 pandemic. No, he used it as a ruse to facilitate his plan to contract minor league baseball.
Remember, Baseball America first reported Manfred’s plans to contract 42 minor league teams in November. That plan included reducing the draft to 20 rounds, and it was going to be pushed back from June to August. There was also going to be a limit of 150-200 minor leaguers for each organization. Currently, there is no limit.
By and through these plans, short season ball is going to be effectively eliminated. In terms of the Mets, that means no more Kingsport Mets, and it means the Brooklyn Cyclones will have to pay a fee in the ballpark from $8 – $12 million dollars to move from the New York-Penn League to Double-A.
That also effectively puts the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in limbo. Actually, that’s not entirely true. The Rumble Ponies have already been pegged as one of the 42 teams subject to contraction. It is something they are fighting fiercely.
One of the key elements to having no short-season ball is to not accumulate a larger number of minor league players. With fewer minor leaguers, you do not have enough players for leagues like the Appalachian, Gulf Coast, New York-Penn, and other leagues. By moving the draft back to August, you no longer have the need to have a league for college and high school players to get some playing time in before the end of the year.
This is exactly what Major League Baseball is doing a year earlier, and they are using the COVID19 pandemic as an excuse. They’ll say they didn’t have an opportunity to scout players who are entering this year’s draft due to high school and collegiate years being shut down, but that’s a lie. Major League Baseball has been well aware of those players they were going to draft, and they have been scouting them for years.
What they missed is the opportunity to see them grow or regress. Keep in mind, they have no issue using their big money on those draft picks as the first five picks receive the largest bonuses. This was more about cost control by prorating bonuses paid to minor leaguers over a few years, by capping the bonuses given to now undrafted players, and by taking a step forward in eliminating a significant portion of the minor leagues.
To show you how short-sighted this plan is look at the New York Mets roster by where they were drafted:
- Stephen Nogosek 6th
- Jacob Rhame 6th
- Dellin Betances 8th
- Tomas Nido 8th
- Jacob deGrom 9th
- Luis Guillorme 1oth
- Paul Sewald 10th
- Tyler Bashlor 11th
- Jeff McNeil 12th
- Robert Gsellman 13th
- Seth Lugo 34th
- Daniel Zamora 40th
- Brad Brach 42nd
Think about that for a second. Under this plan, the reigning two-time Cy Young award winner who has established himself as the best pitcher in baseball would not get drafted in 2020. Looking further, under Manfred’s master plan, Mike Piazza, one of two Mets in the Hall of Fame, would never have been drafted, and it is questionable if he ever would have received an opportunity due to the cap on minor league players.
Looking at this plan and agreement, there is one glaring omission. In addition to deferring payments to 2020 draftees, there was no provision in this agreement to pay minor league players their 2020 salary. On that note, both Rob Manfred and Tony Clark should be ashamed of themselves.
Really, this entire agreement is an embarassment for baseball. The sport needed better leadership than what they are providing, and worse yet, the commissioner is taking advantage of global pandemic to take away money and jobs from players and minor league employees.
The Mets didn’t have Opening Day. No one did, but everyone tried to do something to celebrate Opening Day. The Mets tried something interesting, and they simulated Opening Day using MLB The Show, and it was broadcast on Twitter and YouTube.
In the game, Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer pitched no decisions, and much like last year, Robinson Cano homered off of Scherzer.
Ultimately, the Mets would lose in extra innings. Robert Gsellman walked the lead-off batter, Adam Eaton, and then the Mets couldn’t turn a double play in two attempts.
The first, Jeff McNeil pulled Cano off the bag. The second, Eric Thames beat the throw giving him a go-ahead RBI ground out which would prove to be the winning run in the 3-2 game.
What does this all mean? Nothing really. It’s not indicative of how this game would’ve went, nor is it a harbinger of things to come in 2020 when the Mets are able to play.
Overall, it was something, which is far better than nothing. In the end, it helps pass the time, is mildly entertaining, and it would be made much better if they can get Gary, Keith, and Ron to announce the games.
Hopefully, they’ll continue to show these games in some fashion until we get actual baseball. More than that, the real hope is real, actual baseball can return soon.