Kevin Kobel: Promise and Results

From 1973-1980, Kevin Kobel held tremendous promise as a pitcher for both the Milwaukee Brewers and the New York Mets. He was also the only pitcher for the Brewers to make his MLB debut as a teenager; unfortunately, he never lived up to his promising debut.

Kevin Kobel / 1991 Mets WIZ Card

The Brewers drafted Kobel in the 11th round of the 1971 MLB draft out of Saint Francis High School, New York in the 1971 MLB Draft. After three seasons in their farm system, the Brewers made Kobel a major leaguer at 19.

Eventually Kobel left the Brewers after he got arm troubles in 1975. He returned in 1976, but he did poorly in a few appearances; however, that didn’t end his career. He returned in 1978 to the majors when the New York Mets purchased his contract. He pitched well his first two seasons, becoming a full-time starter in 1979.

Kobel found himself one of few decent players in two particularly dark seasons for the New York team; however, when the 1980 season played out, he fell behind with an ERA of 7.00 and was subsequently removed from the pitching rotation.

One of the main oddities with Kevin Kobel’s career is his downfall with the Mets. Despite playing well in the 1978 and 1979 season and being one of the few good players in an otherwise disastrous season, he still lost his position as a starting pitcher in 1980.

Greg Prince, author of Faith and Fear in Flusing, says the reason can be found in Joe Torre’s search for more reliable players in his quest to improve the Mets’ pitching staff.

“Joe Torre judged others as more reliable starters and Kobel seems to have gotten lost in the bullpen shuffle,” Prince said via e-mail.

This significantly impacted Kevin Kobel’s career as he was no longer regularly used as a pitcher:

“He didn’t get the regular work in 1980 that he got in 1979, especially as a starter, and pitchers tend to thrive on consistent use,” he said.

After this ordeal, Kobel pitched briefly for the Kansas City Royals, Omaha Royals and the Portland Beavers. He retired shortly thereafter.

What Is MLB's Future Amidst a Global Crisis?

Adam Dunn striking out / Wikipedia Commons

MLB fans, players, and coaches were all shocked when the news broke out on March 12th that spring training was canceled and the season would be pushed back by at least two weeks. Currently, it remains unclear whether or not baseball will happen at all this year. This uncertainty will cause problems for the entire league and raises concerns for everyone involved in baseball.

The announcement comes amidst a series of suspensions across all professional sports, with leagues stopping their games until further notice. Now, one month after the planned opening day for baseball, some people are having doubts if the season will happen at all.

Christian Yelich, the 2018 National League MVP, spoke about the current situation and what it means for baseball. For him, it's a toss-up if the season will be canceled entirely.

"There's a very real chance that we don't play as much as there is that we do play,” he said on WEEI Radio's Ordway, Merloni & Fauria show. “I would say it is probably 50/50.”

With no games being played, the league has set a tiered payment system for the players. This system, however, only applies to players signed to a major league contract. Minor league players are paid by a stipend-based system instead. To help the ballpark employees, the MLB laid out a $30-million fund to support those put out of work.

“The health and safety of everyone in our communities is of the utmost importance to us,” MLB said in a press release last week.

This pandemic also hits hard on a local level, as many teams saw 2020 as a year of opportunity. The New York Mets, for example, had assembled a team full of star players like Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard, Michael Conforto, and Pete Alonso. Now, there are concerns over who will stay and who will leave for free agency.

Still, every team identifies with the struggle of not playing an entire season. The Mets stand to lose $42.1 million, and the league is expected to lose around $4 billion altogether if the 2020 season is lost.

Even so, there is a plan to start the baseball season in Arizona. No fans will be allowed, but games will be played in the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase Field while players and coaching staff stay in local hotels in self-isolation. While this is just an idea, there is hope that we will have baseball in 2020. One thing is for sure, it’s going to take an unprecedented effort to play the game amidst a crisis the world has never seen before.

Jaedon Satchell also contributed to this article.

Is the new Face of the MLB the Wright choice?

David Wright / Keith Allison

David Wright is the obvious choice to be the new “Face of the MLB.” Whether you support the competition or not, Wright’s long career with the New York Mets is studded with records and achievements, while his charity foundation continues to contribute to numerous causes. He epitomizes the characteristics that are worthy of his new title: loyalty, skill and humanity.

The “Face of the MLB,” needs to be someone who is devoted to the team he is playing for. On that team, they can demonstrate an ability to lead. Wright is exactly that person. As captain of the Mets, he will help his team get back to the World Series, no matter how many obstacles lie in their path.

“If my goal was to win right this second, then obviously, I would’ve been a free agent,” Wright said in a 2014 NorthJersey.com article. “To me, it was more important to show loyalty to the Mets. I grew up rooting for them, they drafted me when I was 18, they’re the only team I’ve ever played for.”

While on the Mets, Wright has put many accomplishments under his belt, including seven all-star games, two Gold Gloves, and the opportunity to play alongside baseball legend Derek Jeter in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Jeter, considered to be the current “Face of the MLB” until he retires at the end of this season, is a person that Wright watched to learn how to be a better player and a better leader.

“Derek, whether he knows it or not, and he probably doesn’t, he’s a guy that being a young athlete in New York, you can not only mold your game after but his leadership skills as well,” Wright said in a 2014 ReviewJournal.com article.

It may seem petty or disrespectful to hold a competition over who gets to be the “Face of the MLB” before Jeter has his last game or like such a prestigious title should be given out with more care, but Wright’s clear place as one of the game’s elites and his familial leadership should be sought after by all athletes. Those skills are worthy of being plastered as the "Face of the MLB."

New York Mets Overcoming the 9/11 Attacks

The 9/11 attacks definitely changed the face of everything in New York. Baseball wasn’t exempt from these changes. Major League Baseball had to deal with a ten game break. During this break, many groups of first responders helped at the site of the attack. What happened when the first responders needed assistance? Bobby Valentine, the former Mets manager said,“Were we just going to be a Band-Aid over this gaping wound or would we make a difference?” So they decided to make a big difference.

The Mets were at the Ground Zero site passing out care boxes for the first responders. They also stayed in the parking lot of Shea Stadium where they handed out boxes of food and water to people helping at Ground Zero and victims the attacks.

Not only did they help the victims of the horrible attacks, they helped the city recover emotionally. Ten days after the terrorist attacks, the Mets played the Atlanta Braves at Shea Stadium. They were down 2-1 at the end of the eighth inning. Mike Piazza, the star catcher on the Mets gave a lift that America needed badly He hit a glorious two-run homerun to give the Mets the lead and eventual win. "I feel blessed to be remembered for a home run that helped heal the city,” Mike Piazza stated to SNY.

Piazza made healing the wounds that were dealt on the dreaded day much easier. His miracle woke America up and told it to get up and move along. America needed this wake up call; they needed something to cheer about. People everywhere still remember this game and how he gave the people what they needed. He gave the people the spirits to move on and continue with their lives, to focus on the present and get over the past.

Every year there is a 9/11 anniversary to commemorate the people that died on that day. This day is where everyone feels great sorrow, where everyone is connected in a special way no matter what race what gender or what nationality, and a day everyone will never forget. Ten long years have pasted and still this feeling of sorrow has not been completely healed. The death of 2,819 cannot be undone, the devastation that came with the 9/11 attacks cannot be forgotten, and the memory of that day will scar the world. The day we lost our sense of security, the people we loved, and the tower that symbolized our pride. We have lost so much but we will always keep one thing with us: our hope.

-Contributed by Alex Long and Jason Wang

Local hero Pedro Beato cracks the New York Mets opening day roster

Pedro Beato / Nicholas Diunte

Once he steps foot on the mound for the New York Mets, Xaverian high school graduate Pedro Beato will have accomplished what every kid with a bat and a glove toiling the New York City sandlots desires - to play big league baseball for the hometown team.

As profiled earlier this spring by our own Marcelo Bravo, Beato represents the hopes and dreams of the thousands of area school-aged children wanting to follow in his footsteps. Blessed with a tremendous arm and a tantalizing 6’4” build, it is apparent why the Orioles offered him a $1 million signing bonus.

Acquired from the Orioles during the Rule 5 draft this winter, Beato will have to stay with the Mets the entire season or else be offered back to the Orioles for $25,000, half of his draft fee. Beato is no stranger to the Mets organization, as they drafted him out of high school in the 2005 MLB Draft, but opted for a year at St. Petersburg Community College when the Mets could not meet his demands for the $1 million he sought as a bonus.

In 12.2 innings this spring, Beato posted a 3.55 ERA. He figures to be used in the bullpen for middle relief. Regardless of whatever capacity he serves for the Mets, Beato will fulfill a boyhood dream when he climbs on the mound fully clad in his Mets uniform. Legions of New Yorkers will be vicariously watching one of their own embark on his major league career.

The Mets take a gamble with Pedro Beato

Pedro Beato / Nicholas Diunte

As an up and coming young prospect, Pedro Beato has produced the numbers necessary to gain the attention of Major League teams. In the 2005 MLB Amateur Draft, the New York Mets drafted him in the 17th round; however, were not able to sign him. At the time, Beato was enrolled in Xaverian High School and although he showed talent, it was not clear whether he was ready for the major leagues. The Baltimore Orioles were willing to take a chance on him in the 2006 Amateur Draft and that same year he struck out a fifth of the batters he faced. After only a season playing for Baltimore's Class-A minor league affiliate, Beato was ranked the 99th best prospect by Baseball America magazine.

With new found recognition under his belt, Beato was able to further develop his skills through in-game experience in the 2007 season. He pitched twice as many games, all of which he started; and struck out 106 batters. Beato's invitation to the 2007 All Star Futures Game solidified his position as a prospect that major league teams would want to keep an eye on.

Soon enough, Beato's years of consecutive success once again caught the attention of the Mets who were now certain of his capabilities. The Mets were finally able to obtain Beato in the 2010 Rule 5 Draft, thereby marking an active investment in him. Last month, the aspiring pitcher noted, "coming around a second time is very exciting," during an MLB.com introductory segment. MLB's Rule 5 draft prevents minor league teams from withholding players that other franchises would have play in the majors. Now the Mets will have to keep Beato for the entirety of the season or trade him back to the Orioles and pay half of his fee. Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen had high hopes for Beato in a recent interview, "So far [The Mets] have been very excited about the life of his arm." With this added pressure, Beato will have to put out his absolute best to guarantee his place on the Mets roster and continue his endeavor to become a star pitcher.

Daniel Murphy: Mets starting second baseman?

Murphy at the plate / Wikimedia Commons

Second base has been a glaring hole in the Mets lineup since the departure of Edgardo Alfonso. Over the last decade, second base has been patrolled by the likes of: a past his prime Roberto Alomar, Danny Garcia, Miguel Cairo, Jose Valentin and most recently the much maligned Luis Castillo. None of these players struck fear in opposing pitchers. To solve this problem the Mets have looked inside their organization and are now hoping Daniel Murphy can fill the hole. Along with Murphy, Rule-5 draft pick Brad Emaus and the aforementioned Castillo are competing for the second base job.

Many people in the Mets organization are hoping for Murphy to win the job because although he is still unproven at the big league level, he has shown the most potential to be a productive hitter. The question with Murphy arises on the defensive side of the ball. When he was first called up to the big leagues, Murphy, naturally a third baseman, played the outfield and had his fair share a struggles with limited range, a poor arm from the outfield, and a tendency to misjudge fly balls. The Mets grew tired with his adventures in the outfield and tried him out at first base where he did improve but still was no Gold Glover. With the rise of Ike Davis, first base is no longer a possibility for Murphy.

In order to keep Murphy's bat in the lineup, the Mets decided to give him a trial at second base. Murphy’s first attempt to be the Mets second baseman was derailed by an injury which incurred while turning a double play in the minor leagues. This sidelined Murphy's chances for most of the 2010 season.

Many critics, based on his defensive history, do not believe Murphy will be able to play second base on the major league level. However, Murphy is confident he can make the switch, claiming, “I've played some second before in the minor leagues. I played in high school. So it's not quite as foreign as I think left field was to me, and even probably first base."

Although Murphy is not a naturally gifted fielder he has the reputation as a notoriously hard worker which will surely help his cause. He claims that he's been improving over the off-season. “I've been working on trying to shorten up my 'stroke' [throwing motion]. It's definitely gotten better." He added, “With the work I've been able to do in the offseason as far as my footwork, it's helped out a lot." With his work ethic, Murphy has the potential to become an adequate major league second baseman, but ultimately if he wants to make the team and have a long big league career, he will have to produce with the bat.

Up in to this point in spring training none of the second basemen have distinguished themselves as a clear front runner to make the team. Murphy has been the most productive hitter despite hitting only .250 compared to .154 and .124 for Castillo and Emaus respectively. Still Murphy is no shoo in to make the team because Castillo is clearly a superior defender and Emaus has the advantage of being a Rule-5 pick where they would have to offer him back to the Blue Jays if he does not make the team. What may give Murphy the upper hand is that new Mets manager Terry Collins has stated that he views second base as an offensive position.

Despite his rocky road to the majors he remains confident in his abilities claiming, "In some capacity I'm going to be able to help the 2011 Mets to win a pennant."

Mets await for Santana's return

Johan Santana / tedkerwin

Johan Santana, a star player for the New York Mets suffered a rare baseball injury last season. Santana had a rough start to begin season, but was improving until his injury. He went through surgery on September 14th to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder. Six months have gone by and Santana has still not fully recovered. According to general manager Sandy Alderson, Santana might return in late June or early July.

With baseball season only a couple weeks away, the New York Mets pray that Santana’s recovery will be quick because the Mets need veteran Santana's leadership this season. However, even if his shoulder is healed, Santana isn’t sure that he will be able to pitch like he did in his prime. Until Santana's return, the New York Mets will have to manage with Mike Pelfrey and Jonathon Niese. Hopefully Pelfrey will pitch the way he did at the beginning of last season, when he had a record of 9-1; but he will have to be more consistent to make up for Santana's absence.

There Goes the Duke

Duke Snider / Donruss

Edwin Donald Snider nicknamed "Duke" was the pride of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Snider had pride in winning his game, that’s why his father nicknamed him Duke. Snider hit 40 or more home runs each season from 1953 to 1957 and led Brooklyn to their only World Series in 1955. Snider was an exceptional player until 1960 when his ability diminished due to the team moving to Los Angeles and a bad knee. Snider’s impressive home run ability was not apparent as he hit only 15 home runs in 1958. Playing in the Los Angeles stadium was a big obstacle for the left handed slugger Snider because the right field fence was 440 feet away from the home plate. After playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers for five seasons and winning one World Series, he was sold to the New York Mets on April 1, 1963.

Snider was past his prime when he was playing for the Mets. He batted .243 with 14 home runs in 415 plate appearances. Due to Snider's request to play for a winning team he was sold to the San Francisco Giants in 1964 after playing for the Mets for one season. In San Francisco, Snider wore the number 28 uniform because his usual number 4 uniform was worn by Mel Ott and retired by the Giants. The Giants and Dodgers were always intense rivals of each other. It affected the Dodgers fans deeply when Snider played for the Giants. Their rivalry started when both teams were playing in New York and continued when both team moved to California. To Snider it was an honor for him to be compared to Willie Mays of the Giants and explains, "so we had a rivalry as a team, that was it." Snider was well liked and his fans will always consider him a part of the Dodgers. To his fans no one can dethrone the "Duke" and will always upheld him as number one in their hearts.

The back end of Willie Mays' historic career

Willie Mays/ Wikimedia Commons

After Willie Mays’ dominant 1965 season where he won his second MVP, his production began to decline. Nonetheless Mays still was a very effective player in this stage of his career. Mays won three more Gold Gloves from 1966-69 giving him twelve for his career which is tied for most all time among outfielders. Despite being in the latter stage of his career he remained a perennial All-Star.


As one would expect, Mays lost much of his power and speed with age. This resulted in a steep decline his home run and stolen base totals. To cope with his deteriorating natural ability he worked on his plate discipline. Mays averaged more walks per 162 games after 1965 than prior to it and was able to set career highs in walks and OBP in 1971 with 112 and .425 respectively. Both of these numbers led the league.

In the twilight of his career Mays was traded to the Mets for pitcher Charlie Williams. Although he was just a part time player with the Mets, the fans were thrilled to see him back in New York. Mays hit a game winning home run in his first game with the Mets and had the opportunity to play in the 1973 World Series in which he drove in the game winning RBI in the twelfth inning of game two. The Mets went on to lose the series in what would be the last season of Mays’ historic career.

Mays retired with an unparalleled resume which includes his 20 All-Star game appearances, 12 Gold Gloves, 2 MVP's and more home runs then any other center fielder in history. Many people consider Mays the greatest player of all time including former San Francisco Giants manager Charlie Fox who claimed, "This man dominates a game like no other player in the history of the game. I don't think there is any play he can't make." Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax agrees with Fox stating, "I can't believe that Babe Ruth was a better player than Willie Mays. Ruth is to baseball what Arnold Palmer is to golf. He got the game moving. But I can't believe he could run as well as Mays, and I can't believe he was any better an outfielder."