Brandon Nimmo has been a star for the Mets both on and off the field. Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495Sports
As the New York Mets head into the month of August the franchise holds a 49-54 record, and one that not many had expected them to have.
At the start of the year there was so much optimism and hope with the likes of Justin Verlander being added to the pitching rotation.
There have been glimpses of greatness from this team, and tons of signs that are positive for the 2024 season, including the call up of catcher Francisco Alvarez.
Here are the stats for Alvarez in the last 30 games, as he has 94 AB, 15 R, 21 H, 7 HR, 16 RBI, and a .223 average along with a .305 OBP.
There is always so much hope and optimism whenever Franscisco comes to the plate, and he always is able to come up clutch for the Mets when they need it the most.
One of the other huge bits of news for the Franchise is the fact that slugger Pete Alonso, has come out of his slump. The Polar Bear as he is otherwise known as, just smashed his 29th Homer of the Year in the Bottom of the Fifth in addition to his 30th in the Bottom of the Seventh.
There has been a ton that has happened for the Franchise since the All-Star Break, including the selection of who they hope to be the future of the team in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Some of the highlights from the Draft included the first-round pick of Colin Houck, as shortly after the deal he got himself assigned to Port St. Lucie, which is the rookie level in the Florida Complex League.
Houck is hopefully going to be the shortstop of the future and comes to the team from Parkview High School. So far, the stats for Houck include a slash line of .487/.589/.857 to go along with eight homers and 16 steals.
In another big move that may have shocked many was when on July 28, the team made a deal with the Miami Marlins, as they sent relief pitcher David Robertson to Florida in exchange for Marco Vargas and Ronald Hernandez .
Robertson has been clutch for the Mets, as they have been without Edwin Diaz for most of the season. It was such a heart wrenching moment for Mets fans as Diaz went down on a heap in the field after celebrating Puerto Rico’s victory over the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.
Since then, there have been a ton of relievers stepping up, including Roberston as he went 4-2 with 14 saves and a 2.05 ERA (10 ER/44.0 IP) while in Queens.
Then around July 13 all of Major League Baseball announced the 2024 schedule (boy is time flying) as one of the biggest bits of news is the fact that the guys are going to get to play in London against National League East Rivals the Philadelphia Phillies on June 8-9.
In addition to the team keeping busy on the field, the guys continue to do a tremendous job in Giving Back to the Community as on July 20 they had their Home Runs and Highballs Fundraiser.
Currently the team is having a Food Drive (being held on July 29 and 30, with those being able to bring 10 non-perishable items to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda will receive a voucher redeemable for two tickets to a select Mets regular season home game in 2023.
The most recent event the Franchise held was the inaugural Junior Mets Youth Baseball Camp. The Camp presented by Nike featured 100 youth participants competing in a week-long camp at Leavitts Park in Queens and concluded with being able to sit in front of Outfielder Brandon Nimmo, as he shared stories with the youngsters.
Nimmo also played a huge part in the team’s community related efforts in the team’s Holiday Party in December, which is around when he resigned with the Club, has also been a huge part of the team’s lineup this year.
In the last 30 games Brandon has a stat line of 114 AB, 20 R, 24 H, 8 HR, 15 RBI, 16 BB while also having an OBP .316.
There were also appearances in the camp by Mets Alumni Todd Zeile, as well as Mets Baseball Operations staff.
Then Mets fans got the news on July 28 that right hand pitcher Bartolo Colón is going to retire as a member of the Mets on September 17. Colon played a huge part of the team winning the 2015 National League Championship.
Bartolo had this to say on his time playing in MLB,“I played with a lot of teams during my career but playing for the Mets was very special to me.” Colón added, “The fans treated me great, and I can’t wait to celebrate my career with them on September 17.”
Getting back to the 2023 regular season the Mets and the Washington Nationals are currently in a four game homestand at Citi Field. Game Three between the Mets and Nationals is scheduled to be played at 7:10 p.m.
On the mound for Game Three the Mets send righty Carlos Carrasco to the mound. Overall, the stats for ‘Cookie’ include him having a 3-4 record, a 5.82 ERA and 50 strikeouts.
Carrasco has improved his game and has been able to pick up some new tricks thanks to the magic of social media (those that watch the games on SNY may remember the broadcast crew telling the story of how he has been able to adjust his pitching thanks to Instagram).
As for the Nationals they are going to send lefty Patrick Corbin, as he has a stat line of a 6-11 record, a 5.01 ERA and 85 strikeouts.
Thus far it is looking like things have improved for Corbin in his starts, as in the month of May he is on the best stretch of his career.
With New York picking up victories in the first two games of the season by a final of 2-1 and 5-1 it is going to be interesting to see how the team fares with the month of August being right around the Corner.
To learn more about the New York Mets and all the events and games that they have upcoming fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here: