centerfield maz

Wednesday August 6th, 1975: Yogi Berra had been with the Mets since the 1965 season. Manager Casey Stengel & the organization grabbed Berra after his dismissal as the A.L. New York's club manager in 1964. Berra was Stengel's favorite player while managing him in their old days. Berra served as a Mets coach until Spring Training 1972. It was at that point he was named Manager of the team after the untimely death of Gil Hodges. Berra was the most popular guy for the job but not the most qualified.  Whitey Herzog who was the Mets Minor League Director of Player Development probably should have gotten the job. He had helped bring along all the young talent the team had at that point. In any event Yogi Berra, one of New York City's most popular players & personalities ever, got the position. Yogi was very lax as manager, which worked with some players, but it was a problem for others. He was not the strict disciplinarian  who demanded respect like...

Wilmer Alejandro Flores was born on August 6th, 1991, in Valencia, Venezuela. Wilmer has three brothers & two sisters. Two of his brothers are also named Wilmer, but only their father has the honor of being called Wilmer at home.  The six foot three, right hand hitting infielder was signed by the New York Mets on his 16th birthday, while still in high school in 2007. Flores debuted with the A Ball Kingsport Mets in 2008. He moved on to play eight games with Brooklyn Cyclones that year as well as with the Savannah Sand Gnats. While in the Appalachian League he was one of the toughest hitters to strike out & ranked the circuit's #2 prospect. That year he played in the MLB Futures Game. In 2009 he led all short stops in fielding & started at second base in the Futures Game. Flores played the next three seasons with the A ball St. Lucie Mets, hitting .300 in 2010. He began 2012 in St. Lucie & was moved up to the AA Binghamton Mets, where he hit .311 i...