Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

It's been a great three weeks since Don Mattingly replaced Rob Thomson as Phillies manager.  The defending NL East champs, after struggling to a 9-19 start, have righted the ship -- going 16-4, with quality starting pitching, more timely hitting, and to be candid, an easier schedule. What really changed?  A new voice, coming from a deeply respected former player who was one of the game's biggest stars of the middle- and late-'80s.  Marching orders for the Phillies to play "better baseball."  And -- with staff ace Zack Wheeler returning from surgery, closer Jhoan Duran back from injury and ineffective Taijuan Walker off the roster -- the results have been impressive.  The Phils are back on the positive side of .500 and climbing.  From the worst record in the majors when the managerial change was made, they're now tied for second in the NL East.  And with so much of the league bunched together, the Phils are just four games out of the number three wild ...

...you share it with Kody Clemens .  Son of the longtime Red Sox, Yankees and Astros ace, he didn't become a big league regular until age 29.  After being traded last season from the Phillies to the Twi ns, Roger's boy blossomed as Minnesota's everyday 1st baseman, slugging 19 homers. Clemens is one of a good number of current second generation major leaguers, joining Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays), Bo Bichette (Blue Jays), Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres), Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals), Cody Bellinger (Cubs), Jeremy Peña (Astros), Ke'Bryan Hayes (Pirates).Jackson Holliday (Orioles), Brice Turang (Brewers), Daulton Varsho (Blue Jays) and Jack Leiter (Rangers). Kody shares his birthday with Hall of Famers John Smoltz and George Brett -- neither of whom I photographed during (or since) their remarkable careers.

Not every major leaguer succeeds with the organization that first signed them.  Or even the second.  I caught them all with New York farm clubs the last few years, but now they're succeeding elsewhere in the majors.   Jeremiah Jackson , drafted by the Angels in 2018, came to the Mets in a deadline deal five years later.   And while he saw plenty of action in parts of 2023 and '24 for AA Binghamton, he hardly ranked among their top prospects.  Things changed quickly after signing with the Orioles as a minor league free agent a year and a half ago.  After posting good numbers for AA Chesapeake and AAA Norfolk, Jackson was promoted to Baltimore last summer, where he's become a near-regular in the infield.  Last week, he was in the Orioles lineup against the Yankees. Carlos Cortes certainly falls under the banner of "late bloomer."  He spent seven seasons in the Mets system, never hitting above .265 or popping more than 16 homers.  But...

...you share it with Prince Fielder .  The six-time All Star and two-time Home Run Derby champ jacked 319 home runs in his 12-year career with the Brewers, Tigers and Rangers.  Uniquely among the many father-son slugging combos in baseball history, Prince and his father Cecil each hit the same number of home runs! 319 for the father, 319 for the son. (Below:) Tommy Edman   was a handy utilityman for the Cardinals (where I snapped him against the Mets in 2021) before joining the Dodgers just in time for back-to-back World Series champs the last two years.  His LA highlights include earning 2024 NLCS MVP honors and hitting a solo home run in Game 2 of the 2024 fall classic against the Yankees.  

An injury to one of the Yankees best young players has opened the door for another.  With Jasson Dominguez -- who took over for the injured Giancarlo Stanton -- now gone for several weeks after a crashing into an outfield wall -- the Yankees have now recalled the equally promising   Spencer Jones . He will be with the club tonight in Milwaukee as the Yanks begin a weekend series  with the Brewers.  The 6'7 Vanderbilt product has intrigued fans almost from the moment he was drafted.  Built like a lefty-hitting Aaron Judge, Jones has hit with power at every stop.  35 home runs last season and 11 more (along with 41 RBI) in the season's first six weeks.  Yes, he strikes out a lot; but facing better pitching more likely to keep the ball in the strike zone, Jones could become the Yankees next weapon. If you liked what you've seen in Spring Training telecasts, get ready to see if Jones can now deliver on the big stage.  This should be fun. The Scra...

As the Mets struggle in the early going, there’s a ray of hope coming from their top farm club.  Outfielder AJ Ewing , who advanced two levels, from St. Lucie to Brooklyn and then Binghamton.  He impressed so strongly at AA, that he was promoted to AAA Syracuse barely a month into this season. A lefty hitter whose contact makes that sweet sound coming off the bat, Ewing had two hits in each half last Thursday’s doubleheader as Syracuse hosted their Yankee counterparts from Scranton Wilkes-Barre.   Ewing is no slouch with the glove, grabbing attention with a tumbling catch to snuff out a potential Scranton rally. Yes, this Mets season has been six weeks of disappointment.   Injuries, underachievement and an overhauled roster still getting to know each other have left the Mets in last place, far from what was expected.   You hope for Ewing’s sake that the Mets don’t rush him too quickly.  While hitting .500 in his first week with Syracuse was ultra-impressive...