Your Friday morning dose of New York Mets and Major League Baseball news, notes, and links.
Meet the Mets
Jose Valverde may have give up three home runs in his last two appearances, but Terry Collins says he'll remain the Mets' closer for the time being.
That won't stop the front office from shopping around, though. The Mets watched former Pirates closer Joel Hanrahanwork out on Thursday. A lot of other teams were interested as well.
Vic Black was supposed to be in the mix for saves by now, but he got demoted in March after struggling with his control in spring training. In an interview with the MetsMinors blog, Black explains how he's been tinkering with his mechanics in an effort to get back to the big leagues.
Anthony DiComo offers an inside look at the Mets' organizational hitting philosophy. Very cool stuff here, but it probably won't change anyone's mind about Sandy Alderson.
The Star-Ledger is reporting that Juan Lagares's hamstring injury isn't too serious. He should only need one or two weeks to recover.
Also in the The Star-Ledger, Mike Vorkunov investigates the enigma that is Josh Satin. Terry Collins is having a tough time getting the right-handed first baseman enough playing time these days.
Eric Young Jr. took time off from being a mediocre outfielder to be a terrific human being on Thursday.
In other Young news, Eric's hypnotist might be a quack, and Chris is psyched to get back into the Mets' lineup.
Curtis Granderson donated $5 million dollars to his alma mater to help fund a new baseball venue. On Thursday, he threw out the first pitch at Curtis Granderson Stadium.
Around the NL East
After a strong start to the season, the Marlins have dropped nine of their last 10 games. Pitching has been an issue for the young fish.
The Phillies just lost two of three to the Braves, but at least Cole Hamels is close to coming back to the rotation.
The Nationals just got crushed by Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals 8-0. It was Washington's eighth straight loss to St. Louis.
Around the Majors
The Yankees defeated the Rays 10-2 last night. During the game, they turned 2014's first triple play.
This one play tells you everything you need to know about Yasiel Puig.
The Hardball Times explains how linear weights are used to make wOBA one of the most precise measures of offensive value.
Strikeouts continues to be on the rise in Major League Baseball, and fastball velocity is a big reason why, says Beyond the Box Score. Some skilled young catchers are also making it tougher for hitters to put the ball in play.
MLB Trade Rumors discusses how Randy Wolf and other major league veterans are not fans of the advanced consent form that some front offices are fond of handing out.
The Big Lead ranks the best players from the original RBI Baseball NES game.
Yesterday at AA
Jeffrey Paternostro checked in on Mets catcher prospect Kevin Plawecki. Boiler up.
Chris McShane asked the community to share their favorite Shea Stadium memories in honor of the old joint's 50th anniversary.
Nolan Ryan pitched his first career shutout for the Mets against Philadelphia on this date in 1970.
