The Crane Pool Forum

Welcome to the start of 2024's hot, violent, sex-crazed game action!

This is what it's all about! This is what gets you on the bus! is why we drive the Zamboni, or something!

#	Player	Pos.	#	Player	Pos.
1	Brendan Donovan (L)	2b	1	D.J. Stewart (L)	rf
2	Lars Nootbaar (L)	lf	2	Francisco Lindor (S)	ss
3	Jordan Walker (R)	rf	3	Pete Alonso (R)	1b
4	Ivan Herrera (R)	c	4	Brett Baty (L)	eb
5	Luken Baker (R)	dh	5	Mark Vientos (R)	dh
6	Alfonso Rivas (L)	1b	6	José Iglesias (R)	2b
7	Buddy Kennedy (R)	3b	7	Trayce Thompson (R)	cf
8	Victor Scott II (L)	cf	8	Tomás Nido (R)	c
9	Arquimedes Gamboa (S)	ss	9	Taylor Kohlway (L)	lf
	Zack Thompson (L)	sp		Tylor Megill (R)	sp

I know a big part of Spring Training for us all is that exciting and exotic variety of opponents, and this year will be no exception! Our spring lineups sees the Mets go up against (checks notes) SIX different MLB foes!!

HOU (seven games): 23%
MIA (seven games): 23%
STL (six games): 19%
WAS (six games): 19%
NYY (three games): 10%
DET (two games): 6%

I miss our annual matchup with The University of Michigan. Now that Steve Cohen runs the show, we ought to play UPenn every spring.

Or we can do a series, with games against Penn, Michigan, Princeton for Nelson Doubleday, and Brown for Joan Payson.

Would they play Vientos against a righty starter?
We'll have to stay tuned to the next exciting chapter for the answer.
Later

Zack Thompson is a lefthander.

It's good to see Neato back in a Mets uniform. Gary explains that he got a two-year contract last year, which explains why he didn't become a free agent when he was removed from the roster.

It also explains why nobody grabbed him when he went through waivers.

Megill gives up the first two baserunners, and ends up yielding a run despite two strikeouts.

Cardinals DH Luken Baker is a big lad with a swing as violent as Francisco Álvarez.

Plus, his name is "Luken."

Booth discussion José Iglesias, commenting that he doesn't have anything like the mechanics of Francisco Lindor, but he has Guillormesque pair o' hands.

Hunter Parsons on to pitch for the Mets. Falls off the mound erratically. Has already yielded a run.

Unis look predictably bad. The orange hats aren't really picked up well by the camera in the daylight and kind of look velvet-y.

Fugly unis

I'm starting to think Hunter Parsons might not be the answer to our pitching issues.

Two-run single and the Mets are down 4-shnikey. Trayce Thompson isn't showing much of an outfield arm. DJ Stewart is, on the other hand.

Luisangel Acuña on for the Mets at short, wearing braids.

Nido hasn't improved in tag plays at the plate.

Edgy MD wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 1:22 pm Zack Thompson is a lefthander.

That's what I said, and meant. Vientos is in there today against the lefty but we'll have to wait to see if he's in there against a righty.
Later

Edgy MD wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 1:59 pm DJ Stewart is, on the other hand.

Old baseball saw - good thing he has a strong arm because when can't get to a ball in the outfield, he can hold the runner.
Later

Bases-bloated hit-by-pitch and we're now looking up from the bottom of an eight-nothing hole.

Cards thirdbaseman Buddy Kennedy is the grandson of Don Money.

An infield hit for Baty is only the second safety of the game for the Mets.

Vientos follows with a flare single into the sun field and the Mets (finally) have something a-brewing.

Double by Iglesias!!

I'd rather have Iglesias on the team as reserve infielder over Zack Short.
Later

Yaksel Rios seems to throw some gas.

Acuna is short.

Vientos not much of an interview 😕

Luke Voit on for Vientos at DH. Wearing 99 and sporting some really big guns. Maybe the biggest guns I've seen in a Mets spring training uni since Andres Gallaraga.

Had no idea they were starting already.
I'm gong back a ways here, but the first ST game of the year used to land right around my birthday which is still more than a week and a half
away. And many of the players back then needed to use ST as a time to get in shape*, as opposed to now when they all show up that way.
Add that to the idea that the WS was held in early October and the whole thing is six or seven weeks longer.

Not sure that's a bad thing ... but I'm not sure it's a good one either.




* Curt Blefary on coming in to ST with some excess poundage: Just 'water weight' he explained. 'Melted ice cubes no doubt' countered Jim Bouton.

I'm in midseason form - meaning I took a nap after lunch and then woke up forgetting that there was a game on. And thereby missing all of the name players.

Same here

Lavender looked good , sneaky lefty