In the Grapefruit League opener, the Mets fell to the Cardinals, 10-5, despite Alex Ramirez reaching base twice.
The Mets’ Tylor Megill took the mound and gave up a single and a hit by pitch to the first two batters he faced. After that, he was able to calm down and end the inning with just one run scored by using two strikeouts, one of which was with his new forkball.
Returning for the second inning, the right-hander ended his afternoon with a much better inning in which he recorded another strikeout and rolled a 6-4-3 double play to cap off a perfect frame of work. Megill gave up just one run on two hits, one walk, and three strikeouts in his first 39 pitches while hitting between 94 and 96 miles per hour on the radar gun.
– Brett Baty had the first opportunity at the hot corner and impressed with the leather more than anything else. He went 1-for-2 with an infield single. In the fourth, the 24-year-old produced two elegant plays, the second of which was a diving stop in the hole to record the inning’s second out.
– Since it was the inaugural spring game, after the midway mark, New York’s fresh talent started to show. With two hits and a stolen base, top outfield prospect Alex Ramirez—who was added to the 40-man roster this offseason—made an impression. Francisco Lindor, who went 0-for-2 over three innings, was replaced by Luisangel Acuna, a 21-year-old who displayed his rifle arm and looked
In the last four innings, Drew Gilbert covered ground in center field and set up a great relay to drive in a run at third base. Utility player Carlos Cortes went 2-for-2 with two singles and a run scored, while catcher Hayden Senger went 2-for-2, including the Mets’ first home run of the spring.
– The Mets’ pitching staff struggled to find success outside of Megill, but Nate Lavender struck out the side in the eighth inning to give himself a good start in his bid to break into the big league roster. Throughout 54.1 innings of work with Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse last season, the lefty reliever recorded a 2.98 ERA and 86 strikeouts.
By recruiting Carlos Beltran as a special assistant to then-GM Billy Eppler last year and keeping him in that capacity under new president of baseball operations David Stearns, the franchise has gone one step further. Recently, Beltran has been seen in uniform, contributing significantly to the team’s success.
All of that is fantastic, but there’s still a big gap left by the departure of Terry Collins, the manager with the longest tenure in franchise history, the most recent captain to lead the team to a World Series, and a very well-liked person on the streets of Port St. Lucie and New York.
