Post by Sha-Le Unique on Jan 20, 2015 17:25:04 GMT -5
The second set of HOFFBL expansion teams have arrived with the additions of the New York Mets and Houston Colt .45's to the National League.
The Mets have finally filled the void left by the Dodgers and Giants leaving for California in 1958. From 1958-1961, the Yankees were the only New York team and the National League had no representation in the Big Apple. But now, the Mets are here and will play in the Giants' old stadium, the Polo Grounds.
Former Pirates GM Shale Briskin is now back in his native New York City running the expansion Mets and had a successful expansion draft in which the majority of the players he selected were minor league prospects.
Catcher/outfielder Whitey Herzog was the Mets' first pick in the 1962 expansion draft and one of a minority of veteran players on the team.
"I wanted to draft as many good young players as possible in the expansion draft because this is clearly going to be a long term process. It makes no sense to draft aging veterans for a couple seasons when I'm trying to build long term success," Briskin stated in his first press conference as the Mets' new GM.
"I'm satisfied with the picks I've made and hope that the talent I have will be able to compete later in the decade. We've got some good pitching and a few nice hitting prospects as well, but in the next few drafts, we will try to put together as much elite talent as possible. This team is nowhere near ready to win, so we're all about building for 5 seasons from now as opposed to right now."
The Mets' top offensive prospects right now include catcher Joe Torre and outfielder Rusty Staub. On the pitching side, Dave Eilers, Jack Cullen, Carl Bouldin, Dave McNally, Aubrey Gatewood and Bill Stafford all have a lot of potential. Stafford will make his major league debut this April. It was recently announced that he made the cut for the Mets' inaugural Opening Day roster.
Briskin also mentioned that Jim Perry will start in the Mets' first ever game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 3. "It is a sincere honor to be making the Opening Day start in the first ever game in Mets' history. This will be a special day for everyone on this team regardless if it's a win or loss. And because the Cardinals didn't protect me in the expansion draft, I hope to make the most of my new opportunity with the Mets and show the Cardinals that they made a mistake in leaving me unprotected. Let's go Mets!" Perry stated at the same press conference.
Jim Perry will be the starting pitcher in the Mets' inaugural game against the Cubs.
Perry's new battery mate Whitey Herzog was present as well. "Shale and I had a very good working relationship for a while in Pittsburgh until of course he traded me to Boston after Earl Averill was acquired. I understood it was just business, but it's nice to see that still felt I was valuable enough to bring to his new team. I hope to create some early memories with the Mets this season," he said.
Briskin though made to sure to leave his old Pirates team in good shape before his departure and even recruited a good friend of his to take over the defending NL East champions. "One of my longtime assistants Dave "Stooolfan" Rowlands was a perfect choice to be the new Pirates' GM because he knows the team very well and I can only imagine he will do a great job. The Pirates are in great shape overall. That team is built to win for years to come, has great finances and an elite ace named Don Drysdale to lead the way." Briskin added. "I have no doubt in Stooolfan's ability to continue to run that team well and his first trade with the rival Cubs to acquire outfielder Leon Wagner shows that Stooolfan is more than ready to be a successful GM in this league. I wish him and the Pirates all the best! Make the most of the next few seasons before the Mets are finally ready to compete," Briskin said with a wink.
Briskin also mentioned he named former Yankees manager Casey Stengel to be a senior advisor.
Casey Stengel was one of the most successful managers in history and won a few championships with the Yankees. He will now bring his legendary expertise to the Mets as a top assistant.
With Briskin and the Mets now settling in, Colt .45's GM Jen Goble and her team are ready to go as well. The Colt .45's made more veteran picks in the expansion draft, but will likely be building for the long-term future as well. Unfortunately, Jen was unavailable for comment on this article. However, the Colt .45's have acquired some good young pitching of their own with Jim Merritt, Jim Duckworth, Sammy Ellis and Pat Jarvis among the team's top pitching prospects. The Colt .45's minor league system is lighter on the hitting side but they did call up third baseman Jack Kubiszyn, who was considered to be the team's top offensive prospect.
According to the Colt 45's depth chart, it looks like Steve Ridzik, formerly of the White Sox will be the Opening Day starter in San Francisco against the Giants. Following that series will be the Colt 45's first home series against the Reds. Jen's husband Jeff is the general manager of the Reds, so that will likely turn into an emotional series for both GM's. Furthermore, which team will their kids cheer for now?
Veteran Steve Ridzik will make the first start in Colt 45's history on April 3. He was also the first overall pick in the 1962 expansion draft.
All in all, this is a great time for National League baseball, which now has 10 teams just like the American League. Another big welcome to the Mets and Colt 45's into the National League and HOFFBL itself!
