Original MetChris Cannizzaro passed away last week at the age of 78. Cannizzaro was also an original San Diego Padre, and was their first All-Star in 1969.
2004 Bowman’s Best Autographed Tim Stauffer baseball card from my collection
Tim Stauffer appeared in five games for the Mets last September, after injuries and innings limits left the team’s relief corps short-handed. The 33-year-old right-hander was not especially effective and was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for infielder Matt Reynolds following Ruben Tejada‘s injury in the NLDS.
This spring, Stauffer will be pitching for a spot in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ bullpen – he signed a minor league contract in December.
Once upon a time, Stauffer was an elite prospect – the San Diego Padres selected him out of the University of Richmond with the fourth overall pick in the 2003 amateur draft. He was chosen ahead of Nick Markakis, John Danks, Aaron Hill and Adam Jones, among others. Stauffer had shoulder issues from the time he signed with San Diego and never quite lived up to the promise the team saw in him.
Prior to joining the Mets organization last summer, Stauffer appeared in three games for the Atlantic League’s Suger Land Skeeters.
With Stauffer unlikely to ever appear on a baseball card as a New York Met, he will be represented in my collection by this 2004 Bowman’s Best card from his prospect days. It cost $1.38.
Alan Zinter as a Somerset Patriot in 2007 (Photo credit: Paul Hadsall)
Former New York Mets prospect and Somerset Patriots player Alan Zinter will be the San Diego Padres’ new hitting coach.
Zinter, who has been an assistant hitting coach for the Houston Astros and a minor league hitting coordinator for the Cleveland Indians, replaces Mark Kotsay, who left to become the bench coach for the Oakland Athletics.
On Friday, New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphydeclined the club’s $15.8 million qualifying offer, making him eligible to sign with any the other 29 MLB teams. Despite a World Series performance to forget, Murphy should be able to land a multi-year deal this winter, so his decision is not much of a surprise.
And with Dilson Herrera waiting for an opportunity to take over at second base for major league minimum, the Mets never seemed all that interested in negotiating with Murphy. But while Herrera should provide better defense, it’s going to be important for a club that was already offensively challenged in 2015 to find a way to replace Murphy’s hitting contributions. Despite playing in just 130 games, Murphy was second on the 2015 Mets in hits, first in doubles and fifth in home runs.
PaulHadsall.com 