Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

With the year winding down, join me for one more trip back in time.  It's July 20th, 2015 , as the AA Binghamton Mets (they became the Rumble Ponies two years later) visit the New Britain Rock Cats (now the Hartford Yard Goats).  Three of the Mets top prospects took the field that night: a trio that soon made their big league debuts and have gone onto long, productive careers.  For starters, here's starting pitcher Seth Lugo .  Now a key member of the Royals rotation, after mostly relieving in Flushing, he's getting ready for his 11th big league season. Batting third that night for Binghamton, left fielder Michael Conforto .  Just a year after being the Mets 1st round draft pick -- and four nights before making his big league debut -- he's hitting over .310.  Never quite reaching the heights the organization hoped for, Conforto left for the Giants as a 2023 free agent and now owns a World Series ring as a member of the '25 champion Dodgers. (Below:)  T...

  ...you share it with Chris Chambliss .  The 1970s Yankee first baseman became a franchise icon with his walk-off home run in the 1976 ALCS that gave them their first pennant in a dozen years.   This image is from Old Timers Day in 2010, just days after the passing of George Steinbrenner. Also in the day-after-Christmas birthday circle: Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith .  A statue depicting his acrobatic style, is located just outside Busch Stadium. A 15-time All Star and 13 time Gold Glove winner, Smith was a perfect catalyst on Whitey Herzog's speed, contact and defense-first clubs that won three pennants, including the 1982 World Series. A player with far more speed than power -- reflected by having more than twice as many career stolen bases as home runs -- he crafted a magical Cardinal moment:  a walk-off home run that won Game Five of the 1985 NLDS.  The play was immortalized by Jack Buck's "Go crazy, folks!" call.  A first-ballot Hall of...

Just days after Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz left as free agents and Brandon Nimmo was traded to the Rangers, another longtime Met has called the movers.  The news broke Monday that Jeff McNeil is heading to the A's (along with cash to pay down his salary) for pitching prospect Yordan Rodriguez .   A versatile performer who's switched between 2nd base and the outfield, McNeil reached his peak in 2022, when he won the National League batting title.   Also joining the exodus from the organization is a lesser known but still valuable member:  Reid Brignac , the former big leaguer whose four year tenure as Binghamton Rumble Ponies manager was capped by winning the 2025 Eastern League championship, is heading to the Rays.  He'll be a coach for Tampa Bay's AAA farm club, the Durham Bulls.  It's a homecoming for Brignac, who played parts of five seasons for the Rays, but a loss for the Mets, many of whose best prospects were mentored by Brignac on their path ...

...you share it with Ian Kennedy .  A starting putcher who transitioned effectively to tbe bullpen mid-career, this Southern California native first came up with the Yankees  before moving on to the Diamondbacks, Padres, Royals, Phillies, Royals and Rangers.  His best work came in Arizona, where he won 21 for the 2011 NL West champs.  I caught him in action a decade later on the most recent Phils team to miss the playoffs.  Among pitchers born on this date, Kennedy worked in the fourth-most games (497). Aaron Loup   stands second (with 591), trailing only Mike Fetters (whom I never photographed)...  The lefthanded Loup worked exclusively in relief during a 12 season career that stretched from Toronto to Anaheim and included 2021 in New York, where he went 6-0 as a Mets reliever.  

On the concourse connecting Citi Field's upper deck in right field to the Coca Cola Corner, stop for a moment.  Take note of what's in the distance: to the left, two legacy structures from the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadow Park -- the Unisphere and the New York State Pavilion's observation towers.   Farther to the right is Arthur Ashe Stadium -- the tennis venue that replaced Louis Armstrong Stadium.   Things have changed since I snapped this view in 2010.  The tennis stadium added a retractable roof in 2016 to protect fans after several years of storms disrupted the US Open.  

...you share it with Cristopher Sanchez . Gradually and steadily, the Phils lefthander has risen from skinny prospect to one of the National League's best starting pitchers.  A 13-5 record with 212 strikeouts this past season as he finished second for the Cy Young Award. Marcelo Mayer is pegged for stardom.  The young Red Sox infielder put himself on the map with big minor league numbers.  Now, he needs health and consistency to fulfill his potential.   I saw Mayer in action against Binghamton several times in the 2023 and '24 seasons.  

My most recent visit to Wrigley Field came 10 years ago -- just months after the passing of "Mister Cub" Ernie Banks.  That season, the club paid tribute by chalking his number just behind home plate. Below: the view toward left field, includes the ivy growing over outfield wall, plus the rooftop bleachers atop the apartment buildings across North Sheffield Avenue.  Wrigleyville!  Below, the area's most famous sports bar, and going strong since 1980 Murphy's Bleachers.  Have you noticed in recent years, how many teams have planned or built entertainment and restaurant districts around their ballparks?  Wrigleyville was the original model. As for Wrigley's bleachers, here's the iconic entrance. 

...you share it with Wyatt Young .  The Honolulu native and Pepperdine product was the Mets 15th round draft pick in 2021.  A middle infielder, he's spent most of the past four seasons at AA Binghamton where he plays hard and is a dependable defender.  Trapped behind Brett Baty, Ronnie Mauricio, Jett Williams and Mark Vientos among the organization's infielders, Young isn't on the fast track or likely, any track, to Citi Field.  You have to admire his determination -- suiting up 100 or so nights ever summer, dedicating himself to the game he clearly loves, even if the payoff isn't a multi-million dollar contract. While Young might not ever see his name in a lineup with Juan Soto or Francisco Lindor, he can take pride in once sharing a field with another future Hall of Famer.  I got a kick from the above image from 2023, when then-Met Justin Verlander had a rehab start with Binghamton before returning from injury.   Not deferring a bit to his teamm...

With three everyday players in free agency, the Phillies could be in for a major 2026 makeover -- or maybe not.  The organization appears to want Kyle Schwarber (above), Harrison Bader (below) and JT Realmuto (bottom) to return -- if the price (and contract terms) is right. The trouble is that at least a half dozen other teams will likely show interest in Schwarber and Bader and at least a couple others for Realmuto.  All could fill holes in lineups, make impacts in the field or clubhouse.  And with all three players on the "wrong" side of 30, do owner John Middleton and baseball CEO Dave Dombrowski want to run back the same squad that struggled in the NLDS before falling to the eventual champion Dodgers?  Will bringing familiar faces back close the gap with LA (or Milwaukee) -- especially with the price tags rising?