>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>mfc Salutes Jeff McNeil!

Let's salute a current player. 

I really like what I'm seeing from our 

new infielder Jeff McNeil.

Jeff was drafted by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft.

He made his professional debut with the Kingsport Mets. McNeil played 2014 with the Savannah Sand Gnats and St. Lucie Mets. He spent 2015 with St. Lucie and Binghamton Mets. After the 2015 season, he played in the Arizona Fall League. 

In 2016, McNeil began using an unorthodox knob-less bat given to him by Mets minor league hitting coordinator Lamar Johnson; at that point Jeff began using knob-less bats exclusively. 

He played in only 51 games combined in 2016 and 2017 with Binghamton, St. Lucie and Las Vegas 51s due to numerous injuries. 

Jeff started 2018 with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies and was promoted to Las Vegas during the season. He was called up to the majors for the first time on July 24, 2018.

McNeil's 1st MLB hit.

 He recorded his first Major League hit that night at Citi Field against Phil Hughes of the San Diego Padres on the first pitch he saw. 

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McNeil hit his first 

Major League home run 

off Tanner Roark of the 

Washington Nationals on July 31st.

And he's a damn good fielder too!

The Rusty Staub mfc Collection. RIP "Le Grand Orange" :(

I imagine all real Mets fans already know the news so I'm not going to rehash. So bummed I can't type what I feel if I want this up tonight. So, for now, just Rusty's mfc's. Some of these didn't make the cut for the corresponding years mfc collection and have never been posted here before.

All I will say now is that Staub was a very special person, beloved by all Mets fans.

 \

R.I.P Ed Charles, Metropolitan Poet Laureate

Saddened to hear of the loss of Ed Charles. Mr. Charles was a character of the game and will be missed by every Mets fan who ever was.

In 1968, he led the Mets in home runs with 15.

On September 24, 1969, Ed Homered off Steve Carlton in the N.L. division clincher. This was the last home run in his 8 year career.

Meh, sometimes I get a little over dramatic with the captions. Great stop though.

I had to show the ball getting by Brooks.

Ed played for the Mets from 1967 to 1969 and ended his career on a high note, contributing to and celebrating the Mets 1969 World Series win. 

I will never forget his smiling jubilation at becoming a world champion.

63mfc Charlie Neal Throwback & 2017 mfc Card. Plus Jack Fisher '17mfc.

A 63mfcThrowback card and its 2017mfc counterpart (below).

Charles Lenard Neal (January 30, 1931 – November 18, 1996) was an second baseman for Major League Baseball. He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1950, and won the 1959 World Series after the team moved to Los Angeles. He hit two home runs in Game 2 of the Series, at Chicago's Comiskey Park.

In 1959 Neal had 177 hits with 19 home runs and 17 stolen bases, led the league in sacrifice hits and triples, won a Gold Glove at second base, played in the All-Star Game and earned a championship ring, hitting .370 in the six-game World Series victory over the Chicago White Sox.

The attendance on Oct. 6, 1959 for Game 5 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was 92,706, which continues to be the largest crowd in World Series history.

After the 1961 season, the Dodgers traded him to the New York Mets for outfielder Lee Walls and cash. Neal ended up playing for the Mets' '62 expansion team that lost 120 games, most by a team in a single season since the 19th Century. He was in the inaugural Met starting lineup on April 11, 1962 at St. Louis, batting third, going 3-for-4 and getting the first RBI in the team's history.

Neal remained a Met until a trade July 1, 1963 to the Cincinnati Reds.[1] After he hit just .156 for the rest of that season, Neal was released by the Reds in spring training of 1964, his career over at age 33.

He played in two World Series, also batting four times for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1956 Series. Neal started at second base in Game 3, a 5-3 loss to pitcher Whitey Ford and the New York Yankees, before a Yankee Stadium crowd of 73,977, largest of that series and still one of the 10 biggest crowds in World Series history.

Born in Longview, Texas, he died in Dallas of heart failure at age 65.

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You may have seen Jack Fisher's '67 throwback a few posts back, and here is the mfc set version.

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mfc Breaks Out The 2016 Mets Record Breakers! In April!

So the month of April comes to a close. We aren't running away with anything but we're playing well. Closed the month with a nice little 8 game winning streak. Still haven't caught up to the Nats though. That's okay. Chasing them will be fun. 

Stats after games of May 1st courtesy of ESPN

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Last years model

I was in no big hurry to design the 2016 mfc Record Breakers but the Mets will wait for no fan. Last season I didn't roll out any record breakers until September and there were a total of twelve. There has been all kinds of record breaking stuff going on this April so, even though it's ridiculously early, it's time to make the Record Breakers. And in April alone we get ten cards! This is shaping up to be an amazin' season.

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These new RB cards are pretty sharp. So sharp I have to declare the corners as dangerous weapons.

This years model

After a rather quiet opening week the Mets offense came alive and hasn't let up since. They aren't leading in any offensive category as a team, but they coulda fooled me. Maybe it was that slow start that cost them, because they have been very juggernautish as of late and just a blast to watch.

Mets pitching has been excellent although not entirely dominating. deGrom (3-0, 1.02) and Thor (2-1,1.69) go to the head of the class. The Dark Knight (2-3, 4.76) falters but looks to be recovering. Overall Matz (3-1, 3.86) has done just what we all have hoped for. Bartolo Colon is Bartolo Colon (1-1, 3.42). Spot starter and reliever Logan Verrett (3-0, 0.52!) has been excellent in a back-up roll.

The bullpen, for the most part, has come through nicely. Addison Reed (6h), Jim Henderson(5h), and Hansel Robles(4h) have a healthy handful of holds. A minimum of meltdowns. Familia had a fine month, going 8 for 8 in saves. Our team ERA is a very respectable 2.78, but both the Nats and the Cubs, two teams that we will have to get past, lead us in that coveted category.

Verrett should be on the card above, but he didn't show up for the photo shoot. It also should have a little Gary Cohen head in the corner with a talk bubble because "...the Mets obliterated the old record of 169 in 1990!" is a direct quote from the Master of Metromonies.

Hey, it was Gary's birthday the other day, let's give him a special insert card. Happy belated birthday to the Mr. Cohen.

Keith will have to step it up a bit if he wants a fake baseball card. Attendance counts and he cut out of school early after that 12 run fantasy inning the other night. Ronnie, if you want one you'll have to stop doing Braves games on TBS.

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How about Neil Walker in April! I was a big Daniel Murphy fan and I feel a tad guilty for not missing him one single bit. I found out last week that if there's a ground ball to second in the 9th inning of a close game I no longer experience that 3-5 seconds of agita! It simply doesn't happen anymore! Lord be praised! I am healed!
*slaps own forehead

Ironically Walker made his first error of the season the other day and Murphy hasn't muffed a one. Oh, but those homers. And I thought he had his tenth in the San Fran blowout but the OF wall got in the way. If he keeps this up great, but no matter what, getting 9 HRs from a new second baseman to start the season is just amazing. This is welcomed power that I had not been counting on.

Move over Eddie.

The new guys on 3 record breakers!

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"Since badly bruising his right leg April 13, Cespedes has appeared in nine games. The outfielder has recorded at least one extra-base hit in all of them, his grand slam off Broadway setting a franchise-record streak. Ty Wigginton held the Mets' previous mark with an extra-base hit in eight consecutive games in 2004.

A dominant dozen: The most prolific inning in Mets history began, as so many memorable rallies do, with a simple leadoff walk. By the time the Mets were done, they had sent 15 batters to the plate, drawn four free passes, rapped out eight hits and iced the whole thing with Cespedes' slam.

The Mets sent 15 batters to the plate against Giants pitchers Jake Peavy and Mike Broadway, who retired three of them and allowed the other dozen to score. It was the largest single-inning offensive output in Mets franchise history, surpassing an 11-run inning in 2006."
                                                              ~Anthony DiComo

Mrs. Met came out for this one.

There were a lot of little wow moments this April but I recall two BIG WOW moments, both involving Yoenis Cespedes (three if you count him flying into the stands, but that was more like WOW, that guy's crazy!).

The first was the pinch hit 3 run homer against Cincinnati. Down by 3 in the 8th inning and showing little life (at this point of the game New York had scattered 4 hits) Lagares draws a walk, Plawecki singles him to third, Cespedes pinch hits and before you can blink, he ropes a rocket to the left field corner to tie the game. First pitch swinging, no less. It blew my mind, maaaan.

The other was the grand salami in the beatdown on San Francisco. We had already scored 8 runs in the third frame of Friday Nights game, so I wasn't in need of such a boost. Yoenis had already driven in 2 runs earlier in the inning. But boy, what a rush when he whipped that Broadway curve producing a screaming mee-mee that was ultimately drowned out by the eruption from the Citi Field crowd.

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I usually don't make cards for players on other teams, especially current players, but I made an exception for Buster Posey because this is such a great photo of him watching Cespedes go kaBOOM!

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And what do we have here? A natural born hitter in the early phase of what's going to be a magnificent career? Could be.

Michael Conforto was switched into the 3rd slot and he hasn't looked back. Since batting third in the lineup on April 15th the Mets outfielder is hitting .407 (22-for-54) with nine doubles, four homers and 15 RBIs. New York was 12-2 over that span.

Conforto's recent tear included a string of 6 straight games with a double, tying Michael with good old Joe Christopher from the 1964 squad. For the month of April the young Mets outfielder batted a robust .365. 

Allow me to repeat myself in larger font (think of it as yelling like a crazyman).

.365!

This Conforto kid....
Back in the late 1980s I remember thinking Dave Magadan had sweet swing (and was going to be the next Wade Boggs) but his swing looks mechanical alongside that of Michael Conforto's. Hes got complete balance to the ball, whether pulling or going the other way. Quick bat speed makes for high exit velocity. Thank the Gods of Baseball that the Mets brought Michael up so quickly. He's just naturally ready.

The Natural

Some serious team records were matched or broken. 33 long balls in April ties the team mark that was last achieved in 2006.

208 strikeouts in the opening month. Pretty awesome. 

Did I miss anyone? Montero does not make the cut. You have to have an ERA of under 10 to be portrayed on an mfc card.

Wilmer Flores finally got off the schnide clubbing his first homer of the season in Saturday's game. He's got a tough gig waiting on the bench to play. Check out the touching moment on the bench afterwards with Conforto.

These guys are so genuine. It is nice to see.

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>Overall, the Mets have outscored opponents 50-21 during the 8 game winning streak

> The Mets smacked 31 HRs over the final 14 games of April.

What a week. What a month! 

The Mets closed out April with a 15-7 record, 1.5 games out of first place.

Bring it on, May.

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Photography by

Julie Jacobson, Frank Franklin II, Mike Strobe, Anthony Gruppuso, Rich Schultz, Kathy Willens, Kevin C. Cox, John Amis, Erik S. Lesser, Jason Getz, Butch Dill, Scott Cunningham, Sharon Chapman, SNY.

Gifs courtesy of Metsgifs, GIFbaseball, and HarveydeGrom , all via tumblr.