Sunday in Syracuse

Youth was served on Sunday as I was on hand to watch the Syracuse Mets finish their series against the Rays AAA  affiliate, the Durham Bulls.  While Crash Davis wasn't on hand, and Mark Vientos had the day off, I saw plenty of other young talent, such as the Mets Ronny Mauricio.  Now playing 2nd base, this tall power-hitter had a 1-for-5 afternoon including an RBI single, and is hitting around .350 in the early going.  

(Below) Danny Mendick, whose White Sox career was derailed by a serious knee injury, is trying to work his way back to the majors as a Met.  He followed Mauricio's run-producing single in the 8th with one of his own.

What the Rays lack in payroll size or stadium charm, they more than make up in young talent.  Say hello to shortstop Osleivis Basabe.  While his path (like the Mets' Mauricio) seems blocked by an established star, in his case Wander Franco, he's likely to reach the majors before long.  He came into Sunday's game at .351 with an .882 OPS.  This swing produced a lead off double -- and moments later, teammate Jose Siri (below) on a rehab assignment from Tampa, doubled him home.
Outfielder/DH DJ Stewart was dropped by the Orioles over the winter and signed with the Mets.  He pulled Syracuse closer when he homered in the bottom of the 1st.

Stewart's homer was the only real blemish against Durham starter Evan McKendry who worked into the 6th inning, giving up just that one run.
But we're not done with Tampa Bay's Parade of Prospects:
Infielder Curtis Mead seemed to play in every televised game against the Yankees and Phillies during spring training.  The 22 year old Australian didn't just catch my eye.  With the recent recall of pitcher Taj Bradley, he's now the Rays' number-one prospect. 
(Below) Kyle Manazardo could be the Rays' next homegrown 1st baseman.  The lefty swinger popped a pair of home runs Saturday night for Durham.
April 23rd is still early spring in Central New York.  After a sunny start, the day clouded over and the temperature never got to the speed limit.  Just keep this image in mind, as May is soon to approach... with real summer weather arriving in June.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rare Remnant of a Lost Ballpark

Image
When the subject of baseball in Brooklyn comes up, the discussion centers around Ebbets Field, the Flatbush venue most famously home to The Boys of Summer.  Those legendary 1940s and '50s teams that featured such historic and beloved players as Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella and Gil Hodges. Ebbets Field hosted its last major league game in 1957 and was torn down during the winter of 1960. But decades earlier, just before World War One, the Dodgers were based in the Park Slope area and played at Washington Park.  Once they moved out, the land was occupied by another stadium, which housed a different franchise.  The upstart Federal League, which played in the 1914 and '15 seasons, had a Brooklyn team called the TipTops.  Owned by a local baking magnate Robert Ward, whose company produced TipTop bread, the club took over the abandoned lot along 3rd Street and built a new brick and steel venue. The only no-hitter in the Federal League's two-year r
Read more

Another Yankee Trade

Image
Yankee fans: here's a last look at shortstop Trey Sweeney .  The 2021 first round draft choice was part of the three player trade with the Dodgers that brings reliever Victor Gonzalez and infield prospect Jorbit Vivas to New York. Now seeking to rebuild their pitching depth after dealing for Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo, the Yanks deemed Sweeney expendable.  While the Louisville native showed promising power in his three seasons with the organization -- he batted only .248 to go with his 36 career homers -- Brian Cashman has committed to Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza as his young middle infielders.  So Sweeney became a trade chip. ( My images of Trey Sweeney are from the Somerset/Binghamton AA games on July 15th and September 19th, 2023. )
Read more

Will He Wear Zero in the Bronx?

Image
The Yankees bolstered their starting rotation with Thursday's signing of Marcus Stroman .  The Long Island native, who spent 2019 and '21 with the Mets before moving onto the Cubs, brings a 77-76 career record to the Bronx, along with a recent loyalty to uniform number (?) zero.  If he requests that, he'd become the third Yank to wear it, following the path of Adam Ottavino and Domingo German.  Of course, neither of their Yankee tenures ended all that well -- Ottavino struggled badly in 2020, before reviving his career with the Red Sox and Mets; German's alcohol and domestic violence issues sabotaged such Yankee highlights as last year's perfect game. Can a number truly be lucky? You can understand kids in little league or high school ball wanting to wear 2 in honor of Derek Jeter or 7 for Mickey Mantle.  But is there an heroic ballplayer associated with 0?  The closest I recall comes from pro football, where the Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame center Jim Otto wore 00
Read more