Posts

Showing posts from March, 2021

New York Mets Team Hall of Famer: Rusty Staub (The Pre & Post Mets Years)

Image
Daniel Joseph Staub was born on April 1, 1944 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was a star baseball player while attending Jesuit high school in Louisiana making a local name for himself.  The left handed hitting Staub, threw right handed and played outfield in his early career. Staub worked hard to develop his skills, believing baseball was part discipline & part sport. His science of preparing to play was an obsession to him, "Hitting takes concentration," he said, "practice is the most important thing to my game." He was different from the average ball player; he was worldly, studying the history of gourmet cooking, went to the Theater & enjoyed fine cuisine while on the road. "He leads the league in idiosyncrasies," said one Staub team mate. In 1961 Staub was signed as a “bonus baby” for the expansion Houston Colt 45’s (later becoming the Astros) for $100,000. He was the 1961 Carolina League’s MVP hitting 23 HRs & batting .293. 

Brandon Nimmo: Mets Outfielder (2016-2021)

Image
Brandon Nimmo was born March 27th, 1993 in Cheyenne Wyoming.  Nimmo grew up a fan of the Colorado Rockies & originally wanted to be a bull rider. The six foot three left hand hitting outfielder, was the first draft pick of Sandy Alderson's as General Manager of the New York Mets. He is also the highest player ever drafted out of the state of Wyoming, as the Mets number one pick (13th overall) in 2011. He was certainly a gamble since his high school didn't even have a baseball team. A Ball: He spent 2011 with the Gulf Coast Mets & Kingsport Mets. That year he was ranked 35 in Baseball America's Top 50 prospects. Brooklyn Cyclones: In 2012 he was playing with the Brooklyn Cyclones leading the team with 40 RBIs & second to Kevin Plawecki with 6 HRs, while hitting .248. That year on August 18th, he had a six RBI game topped off by his him hitting second grand slam of the year. He was the only player in the NY Penn. League to hit two grand slams that seas

L.J. Mazzilli - Lee Mazzilli's Son (2013-2017)

Image
Lee Louis Mazzilli Jr. was born September 6th, 1990 in Greenwich, Connecticut. Known as L.J. he has a twin sister Lacey, as well as a second sister, Jenna. As a child his mother Dani would toss baseballs at him in the yard while his father, Lee Mazzilli was still playing in his MLB career. The six foot one, right hand hitting infielder; Mazzilli Jr. attended Greenwich High school, but found that the baseball program was not he main sport, falling behind to to lacrosse & football. Mazzilli then transferred to Iona College in New Rochelle, NY & eventually to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida in his senior year. He then attended the University of Connecticut playing at second base for the UConn Huskies.  He was offered a contract by the Minnesota Twins as a ninth round pick in his freshman year. He declined the offer & by his senior year he signed as a fourth round pick, with the New York Mets. That year he hit .354 with 29 stolen bases & 52 RBIs for the UConn H

Ike Davis: Former Mets First Baseman (2010-2014)

Image
I saac Benjamin "Ike" Davis was born on March 22, 1987, in Edina, Minnesota. His grandfather on his father's side was a paratrooper landing in France on D-Day. His mothers side of the family are of the Jewish faith & Lithuanian heritage. Many of his ancestors were killed during the Holocaust on his mother's side.  His father, a Baptist is former MLB pitcher Ron Davis, who pitched eleven years most notably for the A.L. New York club & Minnesota Twins. In 1979 Ron Davis was 14-2 leading the A.L. in winning % (.875%). In 1981 Davis made the A.L. All Star team & pitched in the World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  After going to the Twins he saved over 20 games for four straight seasons, closing out his career with the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers & San Francisco Giants finishing with a 47-53 record & 130 career saves.  Ike Davis went to high school in Scottsdale Arizona leading his team to three straight State Championships. There