Q&A: Noah Syndergaard, Mets Pitching Prospect | FanGraphs Baseball

Nice Q&A with Mets pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard. Really seems to be self aware beyond his years.

Matt Harvey says nude photo shoot for magazine 'was really cool' | NJ.com

The only line worth reading in the article:

"“Obviously, they’re not showing my junk,” Harvey quipped."

No, seriously, Matt Harvey is getting even better | Capital New York

Howard Megdal writes something positive about the Mets without bringing up the Wilpons' finances:

"On Sunday, Harvey averaged better than 98 miles per hour with both his four-seam fastball and the sinking two-seamer. He maxed out at 99.8 miles per hour with the two-seamer, and a ridiculous 100.97 with the four seamer. Alone, these two pitches would make for an awfully difficult afternoon for any hitter.

But Harvey has more than this. On Sunday, his slider averaged 91.75 miles per hour, or around the average velocity for a major league fastball. He threw a slider at 93.7 miles per hour. This is unheard of.

Add in his changeup at an average of 87.8, and his curveball at 84.8, and Harvey had five pitches, with a range of better than 14 miles per hour, operating at four different eye levels. The surprising part is that the Phillies managed two hits. It's not any wonder that Harvey has taken a no-hitter into the seventh inning three times this season.

Just as important as the velocity is Harvey's level of command. That slider is extraordinary, speed-wise, but Harvey also threw eight of them, six for strikes. Five of his seven curveballs were strikes. All four of his changeups were strikes. Just under 80 percent of that four-seam fastball were strikes. Only the two-seamer, at 60 percent, missed with any regularity."

Mets360 compares Matt Harvey to Secretariat.

Blue Jays' Reyes will rejoin team in Tampa | Toronto Sun

Nice piece about the bundle of energy that is Jose Reyes.

It does gloss over one of my favorite traditions in baseball: rehabbing major leaguers buying the post-game spread for the minor leaguers.  Most minor leaguers feast on low cost options (Chipotle seems to be the most popular) so I'm sure they appreciated Reyes' gesture:

"The post-game, spread was different: Reyes forked over his credit card for steak and shrimp, an estimated $1,200 bill, for players, coaches and trainers from Pettibone’s the restaurant inside Coca-Cola Field.

Earlier in the home stand he ordered in from P.F. Chang’s. During his three games at Dunedin he ordered steak and Bloomin’ Onion from The Outback."

Kevin Kernan: If Zack Wheeler can be another ace, New York Mets are really onto something | NYPOST.com

Kevin Kernan's column about the future of the Mets pitching staff:

"If Zack Wheeler can follow in Matt Harvey’s footsteps, the Mets will have two tremendous power pitchers for years to come.

In the post-steroids era, the value of two power starters cannot be understated. A true power pitcher in this generation of wild swingers is worth his weight in baseball gold, and to have two of them would catapult any team to success — even the Mets."

While the column is mostly about Zack Wheeler, this great quote about Matt Harvey is succinct and to the point:

"He’s also throwing his slider in the 91-93 mph range, which is basically unfair."

Mets phenom Harvey still talk of MLB | NYPOST.com

Two awesome quotes from Kevin Kernan's column:

"There is no stopping Harvey. He upped his record to 7-1 with the Mets’ 8-0 win over the Phillies as he produced six shutout innings, allowing only two hits and one walk as he struck out six. A rain storm got him out of the game."

"When Ryan Howard managed a broken-bat single to lead off the second he went to first base and muttered something along the lines of: “His [bleeping] curveball is breaking my bat.’’"

Klapisch: Blue Jays creeping up on AL East | NorthJersey.com

Interesting column by Bob Klapisch on how the Blue Jays have clawed back into the AL East Divisional race.

Mets Investing In Bright Future | ESPN Buster Olney Video Blog

Buster Olney has a great video blog post on the future of Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler for the New York Mets:

MUST READ column for Met fans (and people that laugh at the Mets)

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports with a great column on the young Met phenoms Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler. Definitely a must read for Met fans and for people that laugh at the Mets who should now think twice before doing so. Here are a few snippets to whet your appetite:

“From that day forth, everyone who witnessed the incident or heard about it understood a new Mets commandment: Thou shalt not trifle with Matt Harvey. And they gleaned something that they may not have understood at the time but certainly will going forward: If he can stand up against the big, bad leviathan and turn into the alpha dog just like that, so can the team that for the last five years has been nothing but joke after punch line after clown bait.”

And this:

“...he came against Freeman, the Braves' best hitter, with a changeup, then a fastball, then two more changeups, then a slider. And with the count full, he twirled in a curve ball, like he was marking his territory, that this mound was going to be his for a long, long time, and using his fourth-best pitch on a 3-2 count was kosher.

Freeman turned back to John Buck, the Mets' catcher.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"He can throw whatever he wants to now, bro," Buck replied.

"That son of a bitch," Freeman said.

That son of a bitch followed with a 97-mph fastball that Freeman spoiled and a 96-mph fastball through which he swung.”

Read the whole thing. It’s worth it.

Matt Harvey, Overwhelming | FanGraphs Baseball

Great post on FanGraphs on how many fastballs over the plate have been swinging strikes for Matt Harvey.

It’s Zack Wheeler Time | FanGraphs Baseball

It’s Zack Wheeler Time | FanGraphs Baseball

Mets Give Fans Glimpse Of Future With Harvey, Wheeler Doubleheader | CBS New York

Mets Give Fans Glimpse Of Future With Harvey, Wheeler Doubleheader « CBS New York

Mets Introduce Must-See Tournament For Scouts | BaseballAmerica.com

This sounds like a fun event. It should be fun watching high school kids playing in a Major League ballpark.

Zack Wheeler, Matt Harvey to start doubleheader Tuesday in Atlanta

It's official! The future on display in Atlanta next Tuesday for Met fans.

R.A. Dickey Talks About His Health | FanGraphs Baseball

R.A. Dickey Talks About His Health | FanGraphs Baseball

The Mets have finally crushed their fans' spirits. | SportsonEarth.com

Will Leitch captures it all right here:

"Being a Mets fan has always contained an inherent sense of fatalism and self-loathing for liking such a painful franchise; the torture the Mets regularly provide is a feature, not a bug. But in my 13-plus years here, I've never seen it like this. It's not even pain anymore: It's just numb, blank stares."

The Mets have finally crushed their fans' spirits. | SportsonEarth.com : Will Leitch Article

Jeff Wilpon and the myth of a free-spending Mets winter to come | Capital New York

Howard Megdal pours some cold water on the hopes of Met fans thinking the club is capable of spending money this offseason:

"So now consider the real winter ahead for the New York Mets owners. They have less than a year to either find a way to pay J.P. Morgan Chase $320 million, or convince the bank to give them more time. And they'll have to do so with more than just a Fred Wilpon press conference sunnily declaring his money problems a thing of the past. If the bank believes, unlike Standard and Poor's, that the Mets are on the cusp of profitability, or that a forced sale now will produce less revenue than giving ownership more time, then a stay of execution is possible.

But it's more complicated than that. Any additional time built into this loan needs to also pass muster with the group holding the more than $600 million in debt against ownership's S.N.Y. holdings in 2015. The structures of the two loans, both held by ownership's parent company, will need to be reconciled.

At that point, can the Mets spend money to sign new players? In theory, if J.P. Morgan Chase decides that an infusion of new talent is worth seeing a bunch of money go to, say, Shin-Soo Choo ahead of the bank to help turn the Mets profitable. And if the S.N.Y. creditors agree."

Klapisch: Wally Backman's Mets managerial audition begins with Ike Davis | NorthJersey.com

Bob Klapisch is starting a fire where one isn't needed:

"Now Davis is Wally Backman’s problem, although it’s worth asking the question that could lead to a more intriguing dialogue: What happens if Backman and his old-school, man’s-man approach actually fixes Davis? Then what?

Such a reclamation project would be more of a reflection of Backman’s interpersonal skills than Davis’ ability to hit for a respectable average. At least we know Davis has talent – we’ve seen it in the past, albeit not consistently since the second half of last season. But Backman is the wild card here, especially because he’s been languishing in the Mets’ farm system for four summers hoping to prove to someone, anyone, that he’s long since outrun his darker demons.

That’s why Backman relishes the chance to work on Davis’ swing, confidence and career, although not necessarily in that order."

Now Send Down 16 More of Them | Faith and Fear in Flushing

This might be true but seriously, OUCH!

"The number of Mets for whom a demotion would be unjust is perilously small: If your name’s not Wright, Murphy, Harvey, Parnell, Niese or Byrd, you have no reason to squawk if someone’s preparing a pink slip or a [Mets' Triple-A affiliate Las Vegas] 51s uniform with your name on it."

Popper: 20 years later, Drazen Petrovic tragedy still stings | NorthJersey.com

The only guy willing to talk trash with Michael Jordan during the 1992 Olympics. Taken from the NBA way too soon: Popper: 20 years later, Drazen Petrovic tragedy still stings - NorthJersey.com

Mets Go Back To Cali, Draft Sweet-Swinging Dominic Smith In 1st Round | CBS New York

I wasn't high on the Mets' pick of 1B Dominic Smith in the first round, but after hearing more about his personality and background he is starting to grow on me.

Bullpen Banter has a great video of Smith posted on YouTube. This is one smooth, sweet swing!

BP Unfiltered: Dissecting the Draft: Dominic Smith (Player Report) | Baseball Prospectus

Great scouting report at Baseball Prospectus on Mets first round draft pick Dominic Smith. It says he has great defensive upside at 1B. Fortunately for Smith and the Mets, the Mets have the greatest defensive 1B in MLB history sitting in their broadcast booth every night.

Perfect storm in 2010 draft brought stud righty Harvey to Mets | NYPOST.com

Great column by Ken Davidoff in the New York Post about how all the different pieces had to precisely fall into place for the Mets to snag Matt Harvey with the 7th overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft.

Does MLB have a case this time? | The Hardball Times

Does MLB have a case this time?

When it comes to drugs, Major League Baseball has learned nothing from the past, wishes to learn nothing in the future | HardballTalk

When it comes to drugs, Major League Baseball has learned nothing from the past, wishes to learn nothing in the future | HardballTalk

Steroids Bad, Leaks Worse | Mets Minor League Blog

Great writeup at Mets Minor League Blog. This story is slowly creeping away from Major League Baseball:

Steroids Bad, Leaks Worse | Mets Minor League Blog

Klapisch: Alex Rodriguez in fight to save his legacy - NorthJersey.com

Klapisch: Alex Rodriguez in fight to save his legacy - NorthJersey.com

How the Biogenesis suspensions could help the Yankees, and hurt the Mets | Capital New York

How the Biogenesis suspensions could help the Yankees, and hurt the Mets | Capital New York

THIS is going to get very, VERY interesting...

SportsCenter - Outside the Lines has learned MLB preparing to suspend Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, others connected to Biogenesis clinic.

"[Jason] Kidd was magician in New Jersey", says ESPN's Ian O'Conner (but I'll always remember the 1993 game against Duke.)

Jason Kidd announced yesterday that he is retiring from basketball. Ian O'Conner wrote a great column about what Kidd meant to the New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets as a franchise mired in what could have optimistically been called 'mediocrity' at the time. This is also a bittersweet moment for me as a fan.

I first saw Jason Kidd single-handedly defeat the defending national champion Duke Blue Devils in the 1993 NCAA tournament. What amazed me was this is a guy playing on a highly competitive level the way I liked to play on the playground (with much less success): pass first, pass second, no-look pass third, and then maybe shoot the ball himself. As great as other great point guards have been (John Stockton, Magic Johnson), no one played with the same flair as Jason Kidd. The only recent player I've seen come close is Minnesota's Ricky Rubio, who is also one of my favorite players in the league today.

For all his off-court troubles, Jason Kidd has been a fun player to watch over the years and his retirement makes me feel really old, especially since I have very fond memories of his game against Duke, which is posted below. ENJOY!

Baseball's new executives are Ivy Leaguers | Newsday

Great article in Newsday about the increase in Ivy League grads in MLB:

Baseball's new executives are Ivy Leaguers