Mickey Callaway

Former Mets Manager Mickey Callaway Accused of Lewd Behavior

/ Del Alba / 2 Comments

Just weeks after Mets ex GM Jared Porter reports of sending 62 unsolicited text messages followed by a lewd photo of himself, Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic release a story about 5 women accusing former Mets Manager Mickey Callaway of lewd behavior.

Mickey Callaway, the former New York Mets manager and current pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels, aggressively pursued at least five women who work in sports media, sending three of them inappropriate photographs and asking one of them to send nude photos in return. He sent them unsolicited electronic messages and regularly commented on their appearance in a manner that made them uncomfortable. In one instance, he thrust his crotch near the face of a reporter as she interviewed him. In another, he told one of the women that if she got drunk with him he’d share information about the Mets. 
-The Athletic https://theathletic.com/2360126/2021/02/01/mickey-callaway-mets-lewd-behavior/

The story also mentions that the Mets learned about the stories about 10 months after Callaway joined the organization in August 2018. This is not a good look for Baseball as the season is coming closer to a start.

(Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

Three Mets that could be dealt away

/ Gem Tablak / 20 Comments

No ones safe… well, Jacob deGrom is probably good being that he’s a back to back Cy Young award winner in the midst of an extremely friendly contract. That being said, the Mets have a handful of players that could serve as serious trade bait during this upcoming offseason.

Here’s my first list of three players that have a higher chance of being traded away than some of others on the roster.

Brandon Nimmo – Rumors have been swirling around former first round pick Brandon Nimmo since his first offseason after being called up. While many fans wonder if Nimmo is just a fourth outfielder (like myself), his OBP is just out of this world extraordinary. While it’s not necessarily his fault that he’s a lead off batter that doesn’t get to cross the plate often, he’s also ranked as the worst defensive centerfielder in all of baseball. Now that’s rough!! Especially since the positions going up the middle are usually the best defensive players on a roster. I imagine it’s also going to depend on if Steve Cohen can lock up Michael Conforto on a contract extension. One thing that Nimmo has in his favor is the potential return of Sandy Alderson, while Alderson almost traded Nimmo in the past, the connection between the two may work in the outfielder’s favor.

Amed Rosario – It seems many fans on the internet want to package Rosario up with Brandon Nimmo in order to get a front line pitcher, but why would an opposing GM do that? The pitchers market is so weak that if the Mets end up non tendering Steven Matz, he might end up being a decent commodity. If the Mets wanted to trade one or either of the two, they’d probably net a similar return for that player packaged with a mid level prospect. Andres Gimenez has shown he is more than capable on the defensive side and has even shown that he has the ability to handle the bat. While he may never grow to be the Mets lead off batter, he can hold his own towards the bottom of the lineup.

J.D. Davis – Davis has all the potential to be a monster in the box but is probably a career DH. Now the DH is likely to stay in the National League but with both Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith locking down First base and the DH spot, Davis may be the odd man out due to his lackluster play at third base. I really like J.D., however if the Mets end up keeping Conforto long term, he may be a player that is directly affected, especially since he doesn’t play any centerfield. I mean, there’s only so many players on a roster, right? It would be an extreme disservice to Davis and the Mets farm system if they kept him to keep him on the bench.

Also read: What to do with Matz?

Luis Rojas deserves managerial job next season

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment

By Angelina Heather Rizzo

The New York Mets are a fourth place, however, here’s why skipper Luis Rojas deserves time to prove his worth in the big apple.

Rojas wasn’t given much to work with outside of Michael Conforto, Jacob DeGrom, Jeff McNeil, Dominic Smith, and none other than sophomore Pete Alonso, who we all expected slight regression from.

Not to mention, we are still smack in the middle of a global pandemic and shortened season. Things aren’t “back to normal” and life in the MLB isn’t easy even when things aren’t affected by Coronavirus.

Third, no rookie manager should be fired in his first year. I don’t care what the circumstances are, Rome wasn’t built in a day. With new Ownership pending the meeting in November, which will likely go through, the Mets will likely see a bunch of faces come and go. He may have more to work with next year, and then, if the job isn’t done right, it’s probably best to find the next man up to fulfill his role.

All I’m saying is, give the man a chance. The problem is not the manager, although the managers haven’t been extraordinarily great either, we all know the root of the Mets issues will be gone shortly.

Better things are on the horizon for this team. Rojas is not to blame.

Carlos Beltran to be named as Mets manager

/ Gem Tablak / 1 Comment

Speculation is circulating that former New York Mets centerfielder and potential future Hall of Famer Carlos Beltran will be named as the manager. This will be Beltran’s first taste of managing or coaching however has always held a positive relationship and impact as a veteran player.

Beltran has spent parts of seven seasons with the Mets before being traded to the San Francisco Giants for then Single-A pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.

Beltran hit .280/.369/.500/.869 with 208 doubles, 17 triples, 149 home runs with 559 RBI’s and 100 stolen bases to top it off. Beltran’s defense has definitely not gone unrecognized as he’s also won 3 Gold Gloves in his tenure in Flushing, Queens.

While no decision has been officially announced and this is PURELY SPECULATION, rumor has it that Beltran will have Terry Collins in the dugout as a bench coach. A move he would’ve likely made when Beltran was close to landing the managerial position with the Yankees.

Also read: Baseball America’s Top 10 Mets Prospects

The Mets dismiss Mickey Callaway

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment

The New York Mets have announced that they’ve fired Mickey Callaway from the managerial position. Jeff Wilpon and Brodie Van Wagenen flew down to Florida to deliver Mickey Callaway the news in person. “This isn’t easy.” Van Wagenen told reporters. Jim Riggleman has also been relieved of his bench coach duties.

Former New York Mets first baseman and current color commentator Keith Hernandez had this to say about Callaway, “I don’t think not making the playoffs is what got him fired…I think that Brodie wants his man”.

Also read: How do you solve a problem like Familia?

How do you solve a problem like Familia?

/ Gem Tablak / 2 Comments

By Fred Aaron,

Going into the off-season, one of the biggest problems confronting Mets’ GM Brodie Van Wagenen was the collapse of the bullpen.  For a second straight season, Met relievers turned into arsonists instead of firemen (unless your idea of a fireman is taken from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451).  This past season, one of the biggest culprits was the previously reliable Jeurys Familia.  During his first stint with the team, from 2012 to the All Star Break in 2018, Familia had recorded 123 saves over 313 appearances, all in relief except for a spot start in his rookie year of 2012.  Diving deeper into the number shows that he had only allowed 95 earned runs over the span of 321.1 innings pitched, while striking out 329 batters, walking only 129, and giving up 14 home runs.  This gave Familia a pitching slash line of 2.66ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 0.39 HR/9, 9.22 K/9, and 3.61 BB/9.  These stats were good enough to land Familia a spot on the 2016 NL All Star Team.  After his trade to the A’s in 2018, Familia pretty much replicated these numbers with a 3.45 ERA, 1.213 WHIP, 0.6 HR/9, and 11.5 K/9.  The only number that should have given pause was an elevated 4.0 BB/9, almost a half point higher than his career average.  This increase in wildness seemed to come with a greater percentage of strikeouts.  This may yield a possible solution to the problem.

Rookie GM Brodie, looking to rebuild the Mets bullpen for the 2019 season, gave Familia a 3-year, $30 million contract.  To give the Mets more wiggle room with the budget, the parties agreed to backend load the money, paying $6,666,666 for 2019, with the Mets on the hook for $11,666,667 for the remaining two years.  This makes moving Familia difficult, since any trade partner would have to take on this salary, or have the Mets eat a substantial portion of the salary in order to trade Familia.  In addition, Familia is entitled to a $1 million trade bonus if he is traded during each of these years.  In this sense, he has become an immovable object for the Mets, so a solution must be found since he will probably be here for the 2020 season.  

Let’s look at the numbers for 2019 (and no, this is not an early Halloween scare tactic, but these numbers are not for the faint of heart).  Familia posted a horrid 5.70 ERA, with a 1.733 WHIP, caused in large part by his 6.3 BB/9, almost double what he had posted during his first time with the team.  Control was clearly a problem for Jeurys in 2019, a continuation of the issue that arose during his brief tenure in Oakland.  However, his K/9 was also up at 9.5, a result of striking out 63 batters in 60 innings.  Also troubling was his 1.1 HR/9.  However, this was a problem for the entire Mets bullpen, as well as most of the league, as the MLB set a record for home runs in a season.  

So, how do you solve this problem?  Clearly, Familia is not suffering from “Ed Whitson Syndrome,” which is where an otherwise good player crumbles under the pressure of performing for a big market team like the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, or Cubs. This might be the situation with Familia’s bullpen mate Edwin Diaz, but that is the topic for another article.  Familia had pitched in New York before and never shown signs of a nervous breakdown.   Instead, it may have to do with reduced velocity due to age, and pitch selection.  Fangraphs has shown that Jeurys was not hitting 100 mph with his fastball as he had done in prior years.  Also, the Mets had pushed him to rely primarily on his slider and sinker, reducing the use of his four-seamer, and completely abandoning his splitter.  Each of these other two weapons had been out pitches for him in prior years.  This year also saw a great many pitchers complaining about the new baseballs being slicker, making it harder to throw sliders effectively.  We saw this with Noah Syndergaard and Edwin Diaz, both of whom who got consistently burned on sliders throughout the 2019 season.

In closing, there is hope that the Mets can solve a problem like Familia just like the nuns solved the problem called Maria.  Of course, it doesn’t mean making him the governess to a family of an Austrian widower.  Rather, there are a number of ways that are fairly easy to achieve with the right coaching staff.  One way is having Familia utilize all four pitches in his arsenal again.  Also, the walks could be reduced by having him pitch more to soft contact instead of going for swings-and-misses.  There appears to be a correlation between his rise in strikeouts and the doubling of his rate of walks.  Improvements in the Mets defense should also help a guy like Familia who gives up a great deal of grounders.  In 2019, Familia’s FIP (fielding independent pitching) was 4.88, showing that the Mets’ defense may have cost Familia almost an extra run per 9 innings.  Finally, the home runs may go down if the home run bonanza of 2019 turns out to be an anomaly across the league.  A return to his career numbers would make Familia a valuable piece of the Mets bullpen once again, something that the team will definitely need heading into the 2020 season.

Also read: Free Agent Reliever options: Brad Brach

Tuesday Night Lineup: Marlins vs Mets

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment
  1. Nimmo CF
  2. McNeil 3B
  3. Alonso 1B
  4. Canó 2B
  5. J.D. Davis LF
  6. Conforto RF
  7. Rosario SS
  8. Nido C
  9. Syndergaard RHP

Ok, so last night is the night I’m pretty sure I’m throwing in the flag. As a fan (because that’s all I really am), I’ve been pretty optimistic about a potential comeback and the Mets kind of had me looking good at times as they kept it in a punch’s distance. But last night’s loss to a Miami Marlins team that currently has over 100 losses, is a bad blow at a terrible time for all of us.

Noah Syndergaard is the man taking the mound for the New York Mets and will likely have Tomas Nido behind the dish, Syndergaard and Nido put the fish down earlier on this season so we can hope to replicate results. Unfortunately, his last four times out have been pretty grim as he’s allowed four earned runs in three of them.

In his career, Syndergaard owns the the Miami Marlins as he’s 7-1 with an ERA of 1.83 in 10 starts against the fish. Overall on the 2019 campaign, Syndergaard is 10-8 with a 4.22 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, all while striking out 186 batters in 185.2 innings pitched.

The Miami Marlins will send Sandy Alcantara to the bump for his 31st start of the season. In his four starts in September, the right hander owns a 1-2 record while pitching to a 2.83 ERA. On the year, Alcantara is 5-14 with an ERA of 4.00, a 1.33 WHIP and has struck out 140 batters in 184.1 innings.

Robinson Canó will likely be in the lineup after taking a game off due to left hander Caleb Smith being on the hill as well as a bruised toe he sustained on Sunday afternoon after being hit by a pitch. In his last 30 games, Canó is batting .302/.353/.575 with seven home runs in that 106 at-bat stretch.

Also read: #MetsCrushMonday: Carlos Cortes

Canó exits the game

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment

A reoccurring theme with Robinson Canó during his tenure with the New York Mets has definitely taken place. After being hit by a pitch on his right ankle earlier on in the game in the top of the fourth, Mickey Callaway has removed Canó from the game while the Mets hold a 4-1 lead over the Cincinnati Reds.

After taking an MRI, the initial diagnosis is a bruised toe on his right foot, his landing foot. Canó is currently batting .261 during this 2019 campaign.

Conforto’s 31st blast puts Mets up by four

/ Gem Tablak / 1 Comment

While Robinson Canó hit an RBI double to put the New York Mets up on the board first over the Cincinnati Reds, Michael Conforto didn’t wait too long to add to the lead in the top half of the first inning.

Conforto blasted a three-run shot for his 31st of the 2019 campaign, the outfielder now has 87 RBI’s while batting .251 in 526 at-bats.

The home run came off of Cincinnati Reds’ newly acquired Trevor Bauer.

Sunday Afternoon Matchup: Mets vs Reds

/ Gem Tablak / Leave a comment

With the regular season to Major League Baseball dwindling down, the New York Mets chances of reaching that second Wild Card spot has become extremely slim. Yesterday afternoon’s 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds may have put the proverbial nail in the proverbial coffin, putting the Orange & Blue back 4.5 back with eight games left to play.

The Cincinnati Reds will send one of their “Trade Deadline” pick ups to the mound on Sunday afternoon as Trevor Bauer gets the ball. In Bauer’s three September starts, he’s pitching to a 3.26 ERA and a 1-0 record. Overall, Trevor Bauer is 11-12 with an ERA of 4.41, a 1.26 WHIP while having struck out 245 batters in 206.0 innings pitched.

The New York Mets will have a super strong personality of their own take the hill this afternoon. Marcus Stroman has put together back to back strong outings and the Mets will look for the animated right hander to string another solid start together. Stroman is currently 9-13 and has lowered his ERA back down to 3.21 with a 1.31 WHIP and 149 strikeouts in 173.2 innings pitched.

New York Mets super utility man Jeff McNeil has hit 5 home runs in his las 15 games and currently has 23 so far during his 2019 campaign. McNeil hit three home runs in 2018 and it seems like the difference maker has been in “The Flying Squirrel’s” batting stance. It was mentioned during a previous telecast that Chili Davis has suggested that McNeil stand’s a bit more upright in the batters box and the results have been uncanny.