centerfield maz

Johnny Monell was born on March 27th, 1986, in the Bronx, New York. His father Johnny Monell SR. was a catching prospect with the New York Mets in the 1980's, peaking with the AAA Tidewater Tides but never making it to the big leagues.  Monell SR. also played baseball in Italy, Tawain, Mexico & Puerto Rico. As he & his wife divorced, he would get half custody of Monell Jr.  Johnny would spend time traveling with his father & grew up around many different baseball clubhouses. At seven years old he used to take players equipment & put it in his locker. One day former Met Bernard Gilkey & friends put the kid safely in an equipment bag & hung it on a door. It was their way of telling his father to have him stop taking the others equipment. His father said he let him hang there a bit to teach him a lesson, it was all in fun. Monell grew up in the Bronx across from Pelham Bay Park, playing baseball there & in between the apartment buildings wh...

Frank James Malzone was born on February 28, 1930, in the Bronx, New York. His father Frank was born in Salerno Italy & his mother Pauline was born in America. The two met while Pauline was on an extended visit to Italy. Frank Jr. was one of four Malzone children. In the 1940's, Malzone attended Samuel Gompers High School on Southern Blvd. just off 149th St. Malzone planned to be an electrician if his baseball career didn't work out. As a teen he tried out for the New York Giants in the Polo Grounds but was told he was too short for the big leagues. But he wasn't discouraged & continued on. In 1947, the five foot ten, third baseman was spotted by a Boston Red Sox bird dog, getting signed, for $150 a month by the Sox.  Military Service: Before getting to the major leagues in the early 1950's, Malzone served two years of Military service, during the Korean War. Although he wanted to stay in the states, he was stationed in Hawaii. He was scheduled to go off t...

Christian David Scott was born June 15th, 1999, in Coconut Creek, Florida. Scott went to high school at Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale. In his senior year there he was 11-0 with a 1.44 ERA. Florida Gators: He then attended Florida State University where he pitched as a reliever on the Gators baseball team.  In his career he was 12-5 with a 3.72 ERA & three saves. In the 2021 Draft, Scott was drafted by the New York Mets as the 142nd overall pick. He would become became the 84th Gator to make the big leagues. In 2022 Scott began his career at A ball Brooklyn & St. Lucie.  In 2023 he rose thru the ranks being named the Mets Pitcher of the Year as he impressed across the minor league levels. At AA Binghamton where was 4-3 with a 2.47 holding opponents to a .199 batting average. He struck out 77 batters in 62.2 innings for a 10.98 strike outs per nine innings. In 2024 he entered as the 99th best prospect in the minor leagues. He began the year at AAA Syracu...

Sal Anthony Yvars was born February 20, 1924, on Houston St. in Little Italy, New York. His family soon moved to Westchester County to Valhalla, New York when he was six months old.  Yvars starred in three sports at White Plains High School in the late thirties & early forties. In 1942 he served in World War II with the US Air Force.  When he returned, by 1946 got signed by the New York Giants. He was a tough guy with a mean disposition. Brooklyn Dodger pitcher, Don Newcombe told a story, that Yvars once came to bat in the minors, picked up a handful of dirt & threw it in Roy Campanella's face.  He hit .290 or better every year from 1946-1949 in the minors' leagues. He was also considered a fine defensive catching prospect with a strong arm. The day after he was called up to the Giants, he got married to his high school sweetheart.  MLB Career: Yvars would only make a handful of appearances over the next four seasons backing up the like...

Joseph Anthony Foy was born on February 21, 1943, in the Bronx, New York. He attended Evander Child’s high school on Gun Hill Road in the early sixties & was a standout baseball player.  He originally got signed by the Minnesota Twins in early 1962 but was then drafted away by the Boston Red Sox later that year. In 1965 he won the International League batting title , hitting .302 with 14 HRs & 73 RBIs at AAA Toronto. He was named the Minor League Player of the Year & the league’s MVP. In his rookie year of 1966 he got the job as the Red Sox everyday third baseman replacing the departed, Frank Malzone. Foy deuted in the second Sox game of the year at Fenway Park going 0-3 against the Baltimore Orioles. In just his third career game he was in the Bronx where he had grown up playing against the AL New York team.  Foy got his first career hit that day, an RBI double off Bob Friend, as the Red Sox went on to an 8-5 win. Foy started out slow not getting above ...