Post by Sha-Le Unique on Sept 8, 2015 16:20:41 GMT -5
Tom Seaver is one of the latest Mets to be drafted into their deep farm system
By Jack Lang
Long Island Press
As every New York baseball fan knows all too well, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants both left the Big Apple in 1957 for Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively. This created a huge void in New York, with no National League team of any kind and only the Yankees representing the biggest city in America.
From 1957-1961, this void remained, but after a committee led by William Shea nearly created a 3rd league, known as the Continental League, MLB eventually gave in and created 4 new teams. The Los Angeles (now the California) Angels and Washington Senators entered the AL in 1961. And in 1962, New York finally got its wish when the Mets were born, along with the Houston Colt .45's (now known as the Astros).
But with very slim pickings in the 1962 expansion draft, the Mets did not start with much in their organization. So they decided to build a young team for the future and continued to do so for a few seasons. Now in 1966, the Mets' long term plan of success is much closer to coming to fruition.
Thanks to drafting, some well-timed trades and a few expansion picks that have actually worked out for the long run, the Mets' future looks brighter than ever right now.
Offensively, the Mets have a young core that includes catcher Joe Torre (the Mets' 1st ever draft pick back in 1960), shortstop Steve Boros (an expansion draft selection and one of HOFFBL's premier base stealers), and rookie third baseman Tony Conigliaro (the Mets' 1963 1st round pick), who is getting called up this season. They also signed veteran right fielder Roger Maris in 1964 and traded for slugging first baseman Gene Oliver in 1965 to bring more power to the lineup. Oliver set a new Mets' single season record with 38 home runs last season and was 4th in the NL. In addition to Conigliaro, the Mets are bringing up Zoilo Versalles (another expansion draft pick) as well to be their left fielder this season and add more speed to the lineup. The current lineup is rounded out by center fielder Earl Robinson (an All-Star in 1964) and veteran second baseman Bob Johnson, who is coming off his best season yet.
"Our offense is coming off the best season they've had in my time here and I expect myself and my teammates to continue hit well and give our pitching staff enough run support to win more games. We really have a solid pitching staff now, so we have to help them as much as we can. It doesn't have to be home runs all the time, although they're always nice to see. Base hits, walks and steals all help create runs as well, as does hitting well in clutch situations. This is the biggest stage in America for sports, but we're not fazed by it. I know I'm certainly not fazed. I enjoy playing for the best and most loyal fans around because they motivate me to keep improving. If I'm not, I will hear the boos from them and that is never a good feeling," said Boros during spring training last month.
Steve Boros has averaged 73 steals in his first 3 full major league seasons and has led the NL in steals twice so far.
But that's not all. The Mets also have more offensive prospects in the minor leagues, including second baseman Joe Foy (the Mets' 1962 2nd round pick), utility man Rusty Staub (the Mets' 1962 1st round pick) and catcher Gene Tenace (the Mets' 1965 1st round pick). All of these hitters could become a big part of the Mets' future as well as they all should be able to provide power, patience, and in Foy's case, more speed on the bases.
On the pitching end, the Mets may finally have a decent pitching staff that opposing offenses won't have as many field days against. Pitching has always been the problem at the Polo Grounds, which the Mets have played at since 1962. But the Mets now finally have a young ace of the future in 1965 NL Rookie of the Year Gene Brabender, who was the Mets' 2nd round pick in 1961. At just 24 years old, Brabender should only get better with time. Veterans Phil Clark and Bill Stafford will return to the rotation and hope to do better this season. Both had down years in 1965, compared to their 1964 seasons.
"It was quite an honor to be voted as the National League Rookie of the Year and to be the first ever Met to win a major award. I'm so grateful to have been given this opportunity by the Mets and will do anything in the future to help the Mets win a championship. We've got a young team that's gonna be really good in due time," Brabender stated after winning the award.
The Mets last season added veteran Camilo Pascual, who was at times inconsistent, but still had a very respectable 3.80 ERA and will look to improve this season. But this past offseason, the Mets traded a top pitching prospect in Tom Kelley to acquire the longtime Red Sox veteran Frank Baumann, who should give a big boost to the Mets' pitching staff. The Mets also have more young arms in the bullpen, including Jack Cullen, Carl Bouldin, Dave McNally, Hal Reniff, and closer Jack Aker.
The Mets are hoping Frank Baumann can help the Mets' pitching staff improve after having one of HOFFBL's worst team ERA's last season.
And this is a pitching staff that will only get stronger with time. The Mets used their first franchise player reservation to select Tom Seaver first overall in the 1966 draft. Seaver, who will start the year in Triple A should be major league ready within 2 seasons and should by then become a co-ace with Brabender. Fred Klages is another top arm in the Mets' minor league system, whom they acquired from the Giants in the Jim Perry deal in 1963. Klages isn't as close to being ready, but should be able to contribute by 1968 or 1969.
"I'm thrilled to be a part of the Mets because they look like they are all about winning and long-term success. And that's exactly what I signed up for. Being in New York will be a lot different than California, but I'm very excited and anxious to help the Mets in the near future!", said Seaver in his introductory press conference after being drafted.
All in all, the Mets have continued to add talent in order to build a team that has the potential to eventually be successful for a very long period of time. General Manager Shale Briskin had the following to say in his press conference today.
"We really feel that this team is in a good spot for the future. We have drafted and developed young talent, traded for a good mix of established veterans and we still have more top prospects that are itching to be a part of this team in the future. We really feel that the Mets are only going to continue to improve. Maybe we can even get over .500 this season. That's a goal we are trying shoot for."
The Mets though will have to deal with the defending champion Pirates and a very good Cardinals team in their own division. The Pirates return nearly their entire championship team and even added Joe Albanese to make their elite rotation perhaps the best in the entire league. As for the Cardinals, most of their team is still there and they will continue to compete as well.
Do the Mets right now what it takes to overtake both the Pirates and Cardinals? Most likely, not yet. Briskin added, "As much as I want to see this team succeed right now, we have to still be realistic at the same time. The Pirates and Cardinals are 2 great teams that are run by 2 great GM's. Only 1 team in each division in each league will make the playoffs each season. There was already going to be a 2-team race between those teams once again. Fighting against these 2 teams when we are not yet at full strength could be a challenge.
Dealing with the Pirates and their 2-time Cy Young Award winning ace Don Drysdale will not be easy for the Mets, or frankly, any other NL East team.
"I'm not saying to give up on this season, but it just doesn't make sense at this point to trade our future for more win-now veterans because we are trying to build long-term success over the next decade. Sacrificing young pieces to make the NL East a legitimate 3-team race doesn't seem to be the right thing to do right now. Now if we get off to a very hot start and it lasts a few months, then maybe our priorities will change. But we've been patient throughout this process and will continue to be patient until we feel it is the right time to strike. And not to forget, the Cubs have a nice young team of their own that will be more successful by the time our team is in better shape to win, plus the Phillies can always be dangerous with their young ace Dick Hughes on the mound every 4-5 days. The NL East is no joke, but we'll be ready for whatever gets in our way."
Not everyone has agreed with Briskin's long term plan over the years, but he does have a proven track record during his time with the Pirates. As the Pirates' GM from 1953-1961, Briskin put together a dominant Pirates pitching staff and solid lineup that won 2 NL East division titles and won an NL pennant under his watch in 1959. He then handed the reigns to current Pirates GM Dave Rowlands in 1962 after he resigned to become the Mets' new GM. Under Rowlands, the Pirates have won 3 more NL East titles, a 2nd NL pennant in 1962 and a World Series championship in this past 1965 season. Most of the players on the 1965 championship team were either drafted by or traded for during the Briskin regime.
Another topic brought up at Briskin's press conference had to do with the Mets' plans for Shea Stadium, which has yet to begin construction. "Of course we would like to have our own stadium and no longer play under the Giants' shadow at the Polo Ground, but new stadiums can't just be built with the snap of a finger! A massive project like this would be very costly and we simply do not have all the funds we would need to build a new stadium in a timely manner. Any of our fans that would like the Mets to have a new stadium is more than welcome to donate money to the Mets' stadium fund, but as far as New York City helping us out, we can only get a certain amount every year that works with their budget. Our wonderful city has much more important stuff to worry about than just a new sports stadium, so we are grateful for every bit of help we can get!"
The Mets have called the Polo Grounds their home since 1962, but it's clear that they want to have their own stadium in the future.
A Mets business official recently confirmed that the Mets are roughly $35 million short of being able to afford a new stadium. How long it will take for the Mets to come up with this figure remains to be seen.
For now, the Mets are still at the Polo Grounds and will hope to no longer have one of HOFFBL's worst pitching staffs this season with the addition of Baumann atop the starting rotation. They also hope to see their offense improve with Conigliaro and Versalles adding to an already solid lineup that has a good blend of power, patience and speed.
It may take some more time until the Mets are really ready to contend for an NL East division title, but the future is very bright for the Mets and if their plan succeeds, New York will no longer be dominated entirely by the crosstown Yankees.
"When people think about baseball in New York, they think about the Yankees and all their championships and stars and the whole pinstripe aura. It's nice and all, but I'm not having that. There are 2 teams in New York and our city cannot continue to be dominated by the Bronx Bombers. It's time for the Mets to make their own statement and create their own history that fans can rejoice in. It's time to see more fans wearing Mets caps around the city. There are too many Yankee hats and that's the kind of stuff that doesn't help me sleep any better at night. I'm tired of all these local papers putting the Mets as the butt of their baseball jokes. That needs to stop.
"We brought National League baseball back to New York literally. Now we have to bring it back figuratively with the Mets finding more success going forward. As a lifelong New Yorker, nothing would please me more than for New York to become a Mets city for once. Even if it lasts a very brief amount of time. All the work we've done here will mean something if the Mets become the more dominant team in the Big Apple for even just a few seasons in the near future. And I won't stop stressing over it until it becomes a reality. I wish the Pirates, Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies and even the Yankees the best of luck, but we're coming for all those teams for real now. The tanking and losing will now be a thing of the past. It's about time for the Mets to establish themselves as a team to reckon with!", Briskin stated as he closed out his press conference.
With that being said, let the 1966 season begin!
