Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

...you share it with Bernie Williams .  The Yankees centerfielder during their most-recent dynasty was a five-time All Star and four-time World Champ.  This dependable run producer hit .297 over 16 seasons with 287 home runs -- and has plenty of memorable post-season moments: remember game three of 1996 ALDS, when he homered and then robbed a homer from the Rangers?  His walk-off homer in game one of the 1999 ALCS and catching the final out of the 2000 World Series against the Mets...  A gifted guitarist, he's concentrated on music since his playing days ended in 2006.  Bernie's number 51 -- chosen in honor of his native Puerto Rico's aspirations to become our 51st state -- was retired in 2015. Taylor Trammell , once a 1st round draft pick of the Reds, spent parts of 2021-'23 with the Mariners, then bounced from the Dodgers to the Yankees in 2024, spending most of the year at Scranton-Wilkes Barre.  17 home runs and 17 steals in AAA show his potential, but he's yet

Yankee fans got their wish on Monday, when top level prospect Jasson Dominguez was recalled from Scranton Wilkes-Barre.  After an especially hot series against Syracuse -- where I saw him last Tuesday -- the move makes sense, especially with the rest of the Yankee lineup struggling.  Jasson's arrival might lead to more rest for Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, who seem to be slowing down after 140 games. While I caught "The Martian" in a lighthearted move before the game, he wore a more serious expression once the action began. Monday in the Bronx, he went 1-for-4, with a stolen base, that thanks to a Royals error became a run scored. Then on Wednesday, I zoomed in on the two hottest bats for the AA Yanks.  I'd already seen Spencer Jones in early August when Somerset visited Bowie; the young centerfielder impressed again in the series against the Mets prospects in Binghamton, leading off the opening game of a twi-nighter with a bullet of a double. Rafael Flores  is finish

Next to Tom Seaver, there was arguably no player more synonymous with the New York Mets than Ed Kranepool.   His franchise-most 18-season run began in 1962 under Casey Stengel at the Polo Grounds; slowly but surely, the club then assembled a strong core of young talent.  Playing alongside Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Cleon Jones, Tommie Agee and Tug McGraw, Kranepool was a key player on the 1969 World Champs (he homered against the Orioles in game three) and '73 NL pennant winners.  Never the biggest bat in the lineup, he was a steady contributor who hit a lifetime .261.  As his career wound down, Ed found (and excelled in) a new role, becoming one of the game's most effective pinch hitters.  Kranepool was a fixture at Mets-themed events in the New York area.  The top photo is from the 2014 BAT Dinner, where he enjoying reminiscing with Solly Hemus, a coach on the 1962 and '63 Mets. Signed out of James Monroe High School in the Bronx -- where he broke home run records set by Hank

  ...you share it with a trio of players who called New York home during the 2010s.  Clint Frazier , touted for his "legendary bat speed," joined the Yankees in a 2016 deadline deal for reliever Andrew Miller.  Despite flashes of brilliance -- and several serious injuries -- he never stuck as a regular and later bounced in and out of the White Sox and Cubs. (Below:)  Tyler Austin made history in  '16 when he and Aaron Judge homered in their first plate appearances.   Never in 147 years -- reaching back to 1869 -- had there   back to back blasts by two teammates making their big league debuts in the very same game.  But while Judge went on to become the Yankees biggest star and re-write the American League single season home run record, Austin played in just 85 games as a Yank and was out of the majors just three years later. Jerry Blevins was a media favorite during his four seasons as a Mets reliever: so it's no surprise he's going into broadcasting.  He now ap

Nick Castellanos was the difference maker as the Phillies took three out of four in their showdown series against the Braves,  Sunday night, his two-run double tied things in the 6th; his two-out RBI single in the 11th walked off the NL East leaders as they stretched their division lead to seven games with 25 to go.  Tack that onto his two-run 7th inning homer that gave the Phils the lead in Thursday night's series opener and you've got a big reason why Philadelphia is a big step closer to its first division title in 13 years. (Below:)  Austin Wells picked a good time for the first two homer game of his career.  Friday night, the Yankees rookie catcher drove in four in a 6-3 victory over the Cardinals in the Bronx.  ( This image is from the Yanks' 4th of July home game against the Reds .)   Let's zoom in on a couple of players promoted as September began:  Duke Ellis , the gifted base stealer but a marginal hitter, quickly passed through the Mets organization in June