Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

Do you ever pay attention to those little known prospects who're often moved in deadline deals?  The kid you'd never heard of being flipped for a veteran on an expiring contract...   Consider this a little "seller beware" story. Hao-Yu Lee was one of those "lottery tickets" a year ago.  The Phillies sent the Taiwan-born 2nd baseman to the Tigers last July for Michael Lorenzen.  Short-term, the deal helped Philadelphia.   The veteran righty threw a no-hitter and helped the club earn a wild card before moving on to the Rangers as a free agent.  While Lee didn't make waves in '23, he's posted some big numbers this season for AA Erie -- with a dozen homers, 16 doubles, an average around .290 and an .850 OPS.    It took  Carlos Narváez seven-and-a-half years in the Yankees farm system before being called up.  Taking Jose Trevino's roster spot, the backup catcher singled against the Rays last Monday in his first time up in pinstrip...

I got my first look at Brandon Sproat on Sunday.  Rated the Mets top pitching prospect, the Florida native and 2023 second round pick was absolutely dominant in his first two innings facing Erie (the AA Pirates) -- striking out five of the first seven batters he faced  (there was one not-hard-hit single by Erie). Things unraveled in the 3rd after an error put the leadoff man on.  Then a combination of hits, walks, steals and a wild pitch lead to three runs. Sproat returned for the fourth, was unscored on -- but unlike the 1st two frames, the Erie batters kept making solid contact.  Still, he's close to following Christian Scott to Flushing.  Whether Sunday's stumble (Sproat's first loss after four straight AA victories) was from being rattled, overthrowing or trouble locating his fastball, Mets fans have plenty to look forward to.  Just not in 2024. The Braves sported these special patches 10 years ago to honor Henry Aaron becoming baseball's alltime ...

If your birthday is July 19th , you share it with Patrick Corbin .  The upstate New York native jumped from the D'backs to the Nationals as a big money free agent in 2019.  Things couldn't have gone better the first season: after 14 regular season victories, he was the starting and winning pitcher in game seven as Washington won its first World Series in 95 years.  But since then, things couldn't have gone worse, with losing records and bloated ERAs. (Below:) Sharing the day:  Rick Ankiel ,  a two-way player -- just not at the same time.  After a promising start as a Cardinals pitcher (going 11-7 in 2000 with 194 k's in 175 innings), he lost control of the strike zone  and, following time in the minors, returned as a power hitting outfielder.  He's the first player since Babe Ruth to win at least 10 games as a pitcher and hit at least 70 home runs.  Ankiel is also the only player other than Ruth to both start a postseason game as a pitcher an...

July 17th, 1987:   Don Mattingly becomes the first American League player ever to homer in seven consecutive game.  The historic blast, a solo shot off Texas reliever Paul Kilgus in the top of the 6th, extends the Yankees lead in what becomes an 8-4 win over the Rangers at Arlington Stadium.  The following night, Donnie Baseball would extend that streak to eight, connecting off Jose Guzman.  Mattingly would finish the season with 30 home runs and 115 RBI, his fourth straight year driving in 100 or more runs. ( My image was taken at the 2011 Pinstripe Pride autograph and collectibles show in New Jersey. )

A disappointing first half of the season for the Mets ended on a very encouraging note: staff ace Kodai Senga  turned in a pair of impressive rehab starts this week with their Syracuse farm club.    Sunday, in what might be his final tune before returning to the Mets, the righthander threw 66 pitches — 40 of them, strikes — while giving up a run on two hits and two walks, and striking out three. I was on hand for his Tuesday night start, where he went 2-2/3 shutout innings, giving up just a lead off double to Yankee prospect Oswald Peraza in the top of the 1st. While the competition isn't the same as being back in the majors, the Mets had to be pleased that Senga appeared dominant, healthy and ready to help as the club pushes for a post-season spot.  The Mets hit the break holding that third National League wild card. (Below:) Luis Torrens has been one of the Mets most pleasant surprises of 2024 .  Picked up for cash while rising star Francisco Alvarez was rec...

...you share it with Austin Wells .  The Yankees rookie catcher showed good power in a 19-game trial at the end of 2023, popping four home runs.  He's cleared the fences four times so far this year, while splitting the position with veteran Jose Trevino.  It helps that this lefty batter has a "Stadium-friendly" swing, as I saw for myself in the Bronx on the 4th of July. Wells shares July 12th with a pair of longtime major leaguers: Howie Kendrick , who hit .294 over 15 MLB seasons; and the the late Ron Fairly , who starred for the Dodgers and Expos and then spent more than a quarter-century calling and commenting on games for the Angels, Giants and Mariners.  

Modern stars channel the memory of one of the greatest moments in All Star Game history: 50th years to the day after Carl Hubbell struck out five consecutive Hall of Famers (Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons and Cronin) in the 1934 All-Star Game, Fernando Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden team up to fan six straight in the ' 84 Mid-Summer Classic .  After the Dodger lefty works a perfect 4th inning, striking out Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson, and George Brett, Gooden is untouched in the 5th, posting consecutive k's on Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon, and Alvin Davis -- in a game the National League goes on to win 3-1. ( My image of Gooden is from the 2010 CBS Radio Expo at Yankee Stadium .)  

  Ben Rice hadn't grabbed many headlines his first 14 games filling in for injured 1st baseman Anthony Rizzo.   The lefty-hitting Dartmouth grad ramped things up on the 4th of July, with a laser of a home run against the Reds, his first in the majors.  I captured the swing (above) and the ball landing in the right field seats (below),  Two days later, on Saturday, Rice  was  the story: leading off the bottom of the 1st with a solo homer, and adding a pair of three-run blasts later in the game to become the first Yankee rookie ever with a three-home run game.   Watch it land in the right field seats. (Below:)  Trayce Thompson  popped a couple of home runs in spring training.  And while he didn't make the opening day roster, he was "just a phone call away" at Syracuse, where he smacked 16 homers in 62 games.  But that wasn't enough to convince GM David Stearns that he was a better choice  to fill in for Starling Marte ...

...you share it Rich "Goose" Gossage .  Elected to the Hall of Fame in 2008, the ace reliever for the White Sox, Yankees and Padres had 310 lifetime saves.  This nine-time All Star is the only pitcher to save a game in 20 different seasons. In contrast to the closers since the 1990s, Gossage was not just a one inning worker -- 52 of his saves were for seven outs or more,  none bigger than the one-game 1978 playoff game to decide the AL East, when he worked 2-2/3 innings to seal the win.  The last batter he faced: fellow Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski. Barring something unexpected, Shohei Ohtani will join the Goose in Cooperstown one day.  The dynamic two-way player is an offensive force on par with Aaron Judge; but no one since Babe Ruth has been able to excel on this level as a pitcher and everyday player.  Already with a Rookie of the Year title and two MVP's to his credit -- as well as being the runner-up to Judge in 2022 -- he's at or near the top in b...

July 3rd, 1977 :   Mike Schmidt 's inside-the-park home run -- leading off the bottom of the 8th against Larry Demery -- is a highlight of the Phillies 11-7 victory over the Pirates at Veterans Stadium.  It was the second of the three he'd hit during his Cooperstown-bound career.  The others took place in 1974 and 1982.  Mike also tripled, singled and walk twice in this afternoon game, where his was the only Phillies homer. ( This image of Schmidt is from the Phils' 2015 Alumni Weekend.)  

A fond farewell to Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda , who died Friday at 86.  The first home-grown Giants star to debut in San Francisco, he made history as the first player to unanimously win both NL Rookie of the Year and MVP honors. He later starred for pennant or division winning teams in St. Louis and Atlanta. (Below:) Trea Turner had a terrific 31st birthday for the Phillies, contributing three hits and driving in the tying and go-ahead runs in a come-from-behind 7-6 victory the Marlins on Sunday.   Congratulations to Nationals top prospect Jacob Young.   After hitting .350 in AAA the first half of the minor league season, he's been promoted to Washington.  (I caught him in Rochester’s March 29th season opener at Syracuse.) (Below:) While we're talking minors, how about a shout-out for Mets prospect Ryan Clifford .  Obtained along with Drew Gilbert in last year's deadline deal for Justin Verlander, the Raleigh native bashed his ninth homer since joining AA B...