Tag: David Cone

We’re 44 days away from the start of spring training, when New York Mets pitchers and catchers are due to report to Port St. Lucie, Florida.

#44 has been popular throughout Mets history. Catcher Harry Chiti was the first to wear it in 1962, and Jason Bay has it now. In between, it’s mostly been the province of short-time Mets though some players like Ron Darling and Howard Johnson who are better remembered for wearing other numbers had it briefly. David Cone was the best player to wear #44 for the Mets.

The Mets were busy debunking bankruptcy rumors yesterday, but it looks like GM Sandy Alderson found time to hammer out a one-year deal with veteran infielder Ronny Cedeno, according to multiple reports.

Signing Ronny Cedeno is hardly exciting, but it’s unfair to expect much of a “wow” factor from any reserve middle infielder. Cedeno’s not much of a hitter, judging by his stats, and at least according to Baseball Reference’s fielding stats his glove isn’t much to be excited about either.

Still, the signing doesn’t really annoy me (the way bringing in Jack Wilson might have) because Cedeno has been largely invisible to me throughout his major league career. I’ve undoubtedly seen him play when the Mets have faced the Cubs or the Pirates, but Cedeno never made any kind of impression.

And if Cedeno ends up playing often enough that we notice him this year, it will mean that Ruben Tejada or Daniel Murphy flopped or got hurt. Those are both bigger potential problems than any concern about how their backup would fare if forced into the lineup on a regular basis.

Some eBay sellers are already courting Mets fans, hoping to sell Cedeno’s cards to a new audience. I’ll have to pick up an autographed card for my collection sometime when I have more cash.