Archive for Mets

Direct link to application (please see job details below):

Applied AI Engineer

Applied AI Engineer

Location: Citi Field – Queens, New York

Summary

The New York Mets are seeking an Applied AI Engineer to build and ship production-grade AI capabilities that improve decision-making and streamline workflows across Baseball Operations. This role sits at the intersection of Baseball Systems (software engineering), Data Engineering, Baseball Analytics, Performance Technology, and modern generative AI. You will develop reliable AI-powered applications such as retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), secure tool/data integrations (MCP-style patterns), and agentic workflows that can support deep work and research, while ensuring strong standards for quality, security, privacy, and operational excellence.

This is a hands-on role for an engineer who can translate ambiguous baseball operations and player development needs into working software, iterate quickly with stakeholders, and harden solutions into durable systems used daily by analysts, coaches, scouts, and baseball operations staff.

Note: This role will require extensive in-person collaboration and innovation alongside stakeholders, analysts, and engineers. Applicants must be local to NYC (or willing to relocate) and be able to travel to Citi Field regularly. Travel to Spring Training and affiliates may also be required.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Design, build and maintain AI-powered product experiences that provide intuitive access to baseball information and statistics and workflows across internal systems.

• Develop end-to-end RAG pipelines (ingest, chunking, embedding, retrieval, generation) with strong attention to answer quality, baseball relevancy, analytics accuracy, latency, and cost.

• Implement secure tool and data connectors for AI assistants and agents using standardized patterns (MCP-style), enabling safe interaction with internal APIs, data warehouses, and services.

• Build agentic workflows that can execute multi-step tasks (research, analysis, synthesis, report generation) with clear guardrails, auditability, and human-in-the-loop approvals.

• Partner closely with Product, Analytics, Performance Technology, Player Development, and Baseball operations stakeholders to frame problems, define success, and deliver measurable impact.

• Contribute to shared engineering standards and reusable components so AI capabilities scale across multiple products and teams.

• Ensure strong security and privacy practices (access control, data boundaries, logging and auditing, and safe handling of sensitive information).

• Participate in high-availability support expectations as needed during critical operational periods throughout the baseball season, and during feature releases.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience.

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, including building and operating production services.

• Demonstrated experience building LLM-powered applications in production (prompt/program design, structured outputs, tool calling, reliability patterns).

• Practical experience with retrieval systems (search, embeddings, vector databases, ranking, chunking/indexing) and applying them to real workflows.

• Strong experience with modern backend and data integration fundamentals: APIs, SQL, distributed systems, and cloud infrastructure (GCP/AWS/Azure)

• Proficiency in one or more production languages commonly used for AI applications and services (e.g. Python and/or Typescript)

• Approach work as highly collaborative and stakeholder-driven, with the ability to operate in ambiguity while iterating quickly.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain tradeoffs to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Experience working in sports, health, finance, or other high-stakes analytics-heavy environments, preferred.

• Strong interest in baseball and comfort working within the culture of a professional sports organization, preferred

The above information is intended to describe the general nature, type, and level of work to be performed. The information is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for this position. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The individual selected may perform other related duties as assigned or requested.

The New York Mets value the unique qualities individuals with various backgrounds and experiences can offer the organization. Our continued success depends heavily on the quality of our workforce. The Organization is committed to providing employees with the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.

Salary Range: $180,000 – $200,000

For technical reasons, we strongly advise to not use an .edu email address when applying. Thank you very much.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the New York Mets.

Direct links to applications (please see job details below):

Data Scientist
Intern, Data Science
Associate Analyst, Baseball Analytics: Integration
Associate Hitting Analyst, Baseball Analytics
Associate, Video & Technology (International Scouting)
Senior Data Scientist, Baseball Analytics

Data Scientist

Location: Citi Field – Queens, New York

Summary:

The New York Mets are seeking a Data Scientist in Baseball Analytics. The Data Scientist will build, test, and present statistical models that inform decision-making in all facets of Baseball Operations. This position requires strong background in complex statistics and data analytics, as well as the ability to communicate statistical model details and findings to both a technical and non-technical audience. Prior experience in or knowledge of baseball is a plus, but is not required.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Build statistical models to answer a wide variety of baseball-related questions affecting the operations of the organization using advanced knowledge of statistics and data analytics and exercising appropriate discretion and judgment regarding development of statistical models
• Interpret data and report conclusions drawn from their analyses
• Present model outputs in an effective way, both for technical and non-technical audiences
• Communicate well with both the Baseball Analytics team as well as other Baseball Operations personnel to understand the parameters of any particular research project
• Provide advice on the desired outputs from the data engineering team, and guidance to the Baseball Systems team on how best to present model results
• Evaluate potential new data sources and technologies to determine their validity and usefulness
• Consistently analyze research in analytics that can help improve the modeling work done by the Baseball Analytics department

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Masters and/or BS degree in statistics or a related field
• Professional experience in a quantitative position is a plus
• Strong background in a wide variety of statistical techniques
• Strong proficiency in R, Python, or similar, as well as strong proficiency in SQL
• Basic knowledge of data engineering and front-end development is a plus, for the purpose of communicating with those departments
• Strong communication skills
• Ability to work cooperatively with others, and to take control of large-scale projects with little or no daily oversight

The above information is intended to describe the general nature, type, and level of work to be performed. The information is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for this position. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The individual selected may perform other related duties as assigned or requested.

The New York Mets value the unique qualities individuals with various backgrounds and experiences can offer the organization. Our continued success depends heavily on the quality of our workforce. The Organization is committed to providing employees with the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.

Salary Range: $80,000 – $100,000

For technical reasons, we strongly advise to not use an .edu email address when applying. Thank you very much.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

Intern, Data Science

Location: Citi Field – Queens, New York

Summary:

The New York Mets are seeking an intern in our Baseball Analytics Department for the summer of 2027. During the summer, the Intern will build, test, and present statistical models to inform the decision-making of our Baseball Operations department. This position requires strong background in complex statistics and data analytics, as well as the ability to communicate statistical model details and findings to both a technical and non-technical audience. Prior experience in or knowledge of baseball is a plus, but is not required.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Build statistical models to answer a wide variety of baseball-related questions affecting the operations of the organization using advanced knowledge of statistics and data analytics and exercising appropriate discretion and judgment regarding development of statistical models
• Interpret data and report conclusions drawn from their analyses
• Present model outputs in an effective way, both for technical and non-technical audiences
• Communicate well with both the Baseball Analytics team as well as other Baseball Operations personnel to understand the parameters of any particular research project

Qualifications:

• Pursuing a degree in statistics or a related field
• Professional experience in a quantitative position is a plus
• Strong background in a wide variety of statistical techniques
• Strong proficiency in R or Python
• Strong communication skills
• Ability to work cooperatively with others

The above information is intended to describe the general nature, type, and level of work to be performed. The information is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for this position. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The individual selected may perform other related duties as assigned or requested.

The New York Mets recognize the importance of a diverse workforce and value the unique qualities individuals of various backgrounds and experiences can offer to the Organization. Our continued success depends heavily on the quality of our workforce. The Organization is committed to providing employees with the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.

Pay Range: $20.00 – $25.00/hour

For technical reasons, we strongly advise to not use an .edu email address when applying. Thank you very much.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

Associate Analyst, Baseball Analytics: Integration

Location: Citi Field – Queens, New York

Summary:

The New York Mets are seeking an Associate Analyst to join the Baseball Analytics: Integration team. In this role, you will help Baseball Operations answer the wide range of questions that arise throughout the year, taking on fast-moving projects that touch many areas of the organization. This is an opportunity to apply quantitative skills to meaningful baseball decisions, gain broad exposure to how a Major League organization operates, and work closely with colleagues across a variety of functions.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Translate questions from across Baseball Operations into clear research and analytical approaches
• Retrieve, combine, clean, and validate data from internal databases and relevant public sources
• Conduct timely research and analysis across multiple concurrent, short-term projects, using statistical methods or modeling when appropriate
• Communicate findings through concise, easy-to-understand reports, visualizations, and messages
• Collaborate with Data Engineering and Systems teams to turn analytical work into reliable, accessible data and tools for use across Baseball Operations
• Maintain clear, reproducible code and documentation, and develop reusable processes for recurring analytical needs

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field, or equivalent experience
• Experience using R, Python, or a similar analytical programming language
• Proficiency in SQL, including joining, filtering, aggregating, and validating data
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Attention to detail, particularly when reviewing data and analytical outputs
• Ability to organize work, manage competing priorities, and meet deadlines
• Strong verbal and written communication skills

The above information is intended to describe the general nature, type, and level of work to be performed. The information is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for this position. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The individual selected may perform other related duties as assigned or requested.

The New York Mets value the unique qualities individuals with various backgrounds and experiences can offer the organization. Our continued success depends heavily on the quality of our workforce. The Organization is committed to providing employees with the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.

Pay Range: $22.00 – $25.00/hour

For technical reasons, we strongly advise to not use an .edu email address when applying. Thank you very much.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

Associate Hitting Analyst, Baseball Analytics

Location: Citi Field – Queens, New York

Summary:

The Associate Hitting Analyst will develop high-impact analytical tools and systems that advance hitting evaluation and drive optimization and improvement strategies across internal player development and external player acquisition. This individual will lead research, monitor performance trends, and collaborate across departments to uncover actionable opportunities that deepen organizational hitting knowledge and strengthen decision-making in both the acquisition and development spaces of Baseball Operations.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Analyze new data sources and their potential to explain performance
• Communicate research to on-field staff and Player Development leadership, translating complex concepts into clear recommendations
• Transform internal data and model results into actionable information that enhances both in-game and player performance strategy
• Collaborate with Biomechanics and Performance teams to analyze players’ physical capabilities
• Systematically identify internal and external players with room for improvement
• Work with Data Science team to understand how players’ capacity to improve impacts their value
• Perform research that explains how players are able to express skills on the field
• Expand the organization’s understanding of how players can improve relative to expectations

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Creativity and curiosity regarding the game of baseball
• Statistical modeling experience. Experience in Biomechanics is a plus
• Knowledge of baseball technology, including but not limited to KinaTrax, Blast Motion, Hawk-Eye, and force plates
• Ability to collaborate and work within and across teams
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and execute tasks under time constraints
• Interest in public baseball research
• Experience in R, Python, or similar programming languages, and proficiency in SQL
• Must be able to work unconventional hours and travel

The above information is intended to describe the general nature, type, and level of work to be performed. The information is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for this position. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The individual selected may perform other related duties as assigned or requested.

The New York Mets value the unique qualities individuals with various backgrounds and experiences can offer the organization. Our continued success depends heavily on the quality of our workforce. The Organization is committed to providing employees with the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.

Pay Range: $22.00 – $25.00/hour

For technical reasons, we strongly advise to not use an .edu email address when applying. Thank you very much.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

Associate, Video & Technology (International Scouting)

Location: New York Mets Complex – Dominican Republic

Summary:

The Associate, Video & Technology (International Scouting) will execute the day-to-day on field video capture, data collection, and technology operations across international amateur showcases, partner programs, and academy tryouts in the Dominican Republic. This individual will serve as the field-level technical hub for the international scouting department—operating portable tracking hardware, capturing standardized scouting video, organizing and tagging digital assets, and syncing data with internal platforms.

Operating in a high-stakes, fast-moving evaluation environment, this role demands absolute confidentiality, meticulous attention to detail, operational problem-solving in challenging outdoor field environments, and proactive collaboration with area scouts, international crosscheckers, and front-office decision-makers.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Field Technology Operations: Set up, calibrate, operate, and troubleshoot portable ball-tracking and bat-tracking technology (e.g., TrackMan Portable, Blast Motion, portable force plates, high-speed cameras) at amateur showcases, private workouts, and academy games
• Scouting Video Capture & Ingestion: Film hitters, pitchers, and defensive drills adhering strictly to organizational filming standards. Accurately tag, trim, log, and ingest video into internal proprietary athlete management databases on daily turnaround times
• Data Quality Control & Reporting: Maintain meticulous quality control over captured data feeds. Making sure the tagged information is accurate before submitting it to the internal platform
• Territory Coverage & Scouting Logistics: Travel across key Dominican scouting circuits (e.g., San Cristóbal, Boca Chica, San Pedro de Macorís, Santiago, Baní, and Santo Domingo), coordinating directly with the DR Video Tech Coordinator along with the DR Scouting Supervisor and Area Scouts to align technical coverage on a daily basis
• Technology Asset Management: Clean, charge, pack, transport, and maintain all mobile hardware, tablets, cameras, tripods, and other tech, ensuring zero downtime during showcases and events
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Assist visiting international crosscheckers, analytical evaluators, and scouting executives by providing real-time data feeds
• International Travel Support: As needed, deploy to international scouting assignments outside the Dominican Republic to support tournament coverage and data intake

Requirements:

• Driver’s License & Reliable Transportation: Valid Dominican driver’s license, a clean driving record, and daily access to an insured, reliable vehicle capable of transporting equipment across varying road conditions throughout the island
• Travel & Schedule Flexibility: Willingness and capability to travel extensively across the Dominican Republic, with readiness to travel abroad. Ability to work unconventional hours, including early mornings, weekends and late hours as needed according to the workload
• Technical Savvy & Computer Proficiency: Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, general PC operating systems, tech saavy experience to handle distinct software
• Baseball Technology Familiarity: Demonstrated working knowledge of baseball tracking technology (TrackMan, Hawk-Eye, FlightScope, Blast Motion, Rapsodo, or related optical/radar systems) and high-frame-rate sports cameras
• Bilingual Communication: Professional proficiency in both Spanish and English (spoken and written), enabling seamless coordination between Latin American trainers/players and US-based front oAice personnel
• Discretion & Confidentiality: Absolute integrity and commitment to organizational secrecy regarding prospect evaluations, proprietary metrics, acquisition targets, and internal strategy
• Physical Demands: Ability to carry 40–50 lbs of hardware/tripods and stand outdoors in high-heat and humid conditions for extended periods

The above information is intended to describe the general nature, type, and level of work to be performed. The information is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for this position. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The individual selected may perform other related duties as assigned or requested.

The New York Mets value the unique qualities individuals with various backgrounds and experiences can offer the organization. Our continued success depends heavily on the quality of our workforce. The Organization is committed to providing employees with the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.

For technical reasons, we strongly advise to not use an .edu email address when applying. Thank you very much.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

Senior Data Scientist, Baseball Analytics

Location: Citi Field – Queens, New York

Summary:

The New York Mets are seeking a Senior Data Scientist in Baseball Analytics. The Senior Data Scientist will build, test, and present statistical models that inform decision-making in all facets of Baseball Operations. This position requires strong background in complex statistics and data analytics, as well as the ability to communicate statistical model details and findings to both a technical and non-technical audience. Prior experience in or knowledge of baseball is a plus, but is not required.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Build statistical models to answer a wide variety of baseball-related questions affecting the operations of the organization using advanced knowledge of statistics and data analytics and exercising appropriate discretion and judgment regarding development of statistical models

• Interpret data and report conclusions drawn from their analyses

• Present model outputs in an effective way, both for technical and non-technical audiences

• Communicate well with both the Baseball Analytics team as well as other Baseball Operations personnel to understand the parameters of any particular research project

• Provide advice on the desired outputs from the data engineering team, and guidance to the Baseball Systems team on how best to present model results

• Assist with recruiting, hiring, and mentoring new analysts in the Baseball Analytics department

• Evaluate potential new data sources and technologies to determine their validity and usefulness

• Consistently analyze recent research in analytics that can help improve the modeling work done by the Baseball Analytics department

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in statistics or a related field, or equivalent professional experience

• Strong background in a wide variety of statistical techniques

• Strong proficiency in R, Python, or similar, as well as strong proficiency in SQL

• Basic knowledge of data engineering and front-end development is a plus, for the purpose of communicating with those departments

• Strong communication skills

• Ability to work cooperatively with others, and to take control of large-scale projects with little or no daily oversight

The above information is intended to describe the general nature, type, and level of work to be performed. The information is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for this position. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The individual selected may perform other related duties as assigned or requested.

The New York Mets recognize the importance of a diverse workforce and value the unique qualities individuals of various backgrounds and experiences can offer to the Organization. Our continued success depends heavily on the quality of our workforce. The Organization is committed to providing employees with the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.

Salary Range: $120,000 – $150,000

For technical reasons, we strongly advise to not use an .edu email address when applying. Thank you very much.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the New York Mets.

Welcome to the last 2026 edition of Five Things I Liked (Or Didn’t Like) This Week. The regular season is headed to a conclusion, with two division titles and four playoff spots still up for grabs. For me, late September is a great time to catch my breath and watch a little meaningless baseball as a palette cleanser before flipping the switch to the maximum-intensity world of October. So while there are some consequential games this week, this column isn’t about those. It’s about some goofy things I saw in low-stakes matchups, a player I enjoyed watching all season, and some voices that have enriched my baseball-viewing experience over the years. With my customary acknowledgment of Zach Lowe of The Ringer, who popularized the format this column shamelessly copies, let’s get started.

1. Professional Courtesy
Baseball players on opposite teams are competitors, but they’re also workers in the same field. Yes, you’d like to beat the other team, but your counterpart on their squad is one of the people who can most relate to your daily struggles. You might compete against them 10 times a year; the other 355 days, your lives are far more alike than different. Catchers have a particular bond; let people throw projectiles right at you all day, and you’ll naturally gain a lot of respect for other people willing to do the same thing.

When the Brewers and Phillies squared off this week, the stakes were moderate. The Brewers hadn’t clinched the top overall seed yet, though they were headed there. (They did last night, when the Dodgers lost to the Padres.) The Phillies haven’t yet clinched a playoff spot, though again, the writing is on the wall. For the most part, it was a playoff tuneup for both sides. In the top of the ninth on Tuesday, with the Phillies up three and cruising home, William Contreras decided that he might as well burn a challenge:

Read the rest of this entry »

Most of baseball’s awards races are formalities this year. The favorites are clear, and deservedly so. Pete Crow-Armstrong is having one of the greatest seasons of the 21st century. Jacob Misiorowski is a closer throwing starter innings. Bobby Witt Jr. has been terrific, but Yordan Alvarez is unsolvable. Cam Schlittler has more fastballs than batters have answers. Kevin McGonigle is a phenom. But I’m most interested in the sixth major race: National League Rookie of the Year. The gambling odds would tell you that it too is settled, with Sal Stewart the prohibitive favorite. But if I had a vote this year, I’d cast it for JJ Wetherholt, and I want to explain myself because I think this race provides a fascinating look into old school versus new school baseball statistics, and how both have blind spots.

Before we get into my argument, let’s get a few disclaimers out of the way. I am not voting for NL Rookie of the Year. I’m not a member of the BBWAA, even. I haven’t placed any wagers on NL ROY, or on any awards, or on anything even peripherally related to this. I was a Cardinals fan before I started working in baseball, but that has faded away. I have a lot of fond memories of Ozzie Smith, but I’m a fan of the sport now, not a team, and I’ve watched more Reds games than Cardinals games this year because I love watching Elly De La Cruz play. No one in the world is truly unbiased, but I don’t have a horse in this race in any meaningful way.

With that out of the way, let’s get down to brass tacks. The two leading candidates for the award are Stewart and Wetherholt, with Carson Benge a distant-enough third according to the odds that I’m largely leaving him out of the discussion, though he’ll make some cameos. Stewart’s résumé revolves around his thunderous bat. He’s batting .266/.333/.465, with 32 homers and a gaudy 110 RBI. Even in an offense-friendly home park, that’s good for a 115 wRC+, 15th-best among qualifying first basemen, and of course the RBI total is better than that. He’s played so-so defense at first – not that I care much about that in award voting – and has accrued 2.2 WAR per our calculation of the statistic. Read the rest of this entry »

Max Muncy is still a work in progress. Four-plus years after he was featured here at FanGraphs in a piece titled, Oakland Prospect Max Muncy is Trying to Find Himself in High-A, the 2021 first-rounder is doing much the same in the majors. Currently slashing a wholly uninspiring 230/.296/.387 with nine home runs and an 83 wRC+ over 284 plate appearances, Muncy remains — as he readily admitted when I spoke to him earlier this summer — in search of his groove.

“It’s one of those things that might be ever-evolving,” said the 24-year-old infielder, who put up not-dissimilar numbers after debuting with the A’s last season. “You have to just keep working at it. Every level presents a new challenge — the pitchers are better, so you have to make adjustments — and luckily there is no level higher than this one. Once I get enough at-bats, get to play consistently, I’m going to do what I know I can do. I’m going to be a good player.”

Muncy said in our 2022 conversation that he had been doing a lot of experimenting, and to a large extent that has continued throughout what is now more than 2,200 professional PAs. Read the rest of this entry »

On Tuesday night at Citi Field, the 2026 Mets season reached either a rather humiliating new low or a moment of catharsis, depending upon your point of view. With one out in the top of the ninth inning and the Mets clinging to a 3-2 lead over the Orioles, closer Kodai Senga left an 82.5-mph forkball over the plate, and Pete Alonso absolutely hit the fork out of it for a game-tying solo shot, the 300th home run of his career. The 31-year-old slugger punctuated the shot with an emphatic bat toss as the ball caromed off the face of the second deck in left-center field. While most opponent homers in such situations would elicit groans and boos, Alonso — who made his long-awaited return to Queens this week after signing a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles last December — instead received a standing ovation and made a curtain call.

Though unorthodox, the response from the crowd was understandable. Alonso hit 264 home runs during his seven seasons with the Mets, the most homers in franchise history, making five All-Star teams and two trips to the postseason while earning a spot in the hearts of fans as their beloved Polar Bear. Tuesday night’s game was just his second at Citi Field as a visitor, and as they’d done the night before, Mets fans brought their homemade cardboard signs displaying sentiments such as: “Thank You Pete — Forever a Met,” “Mets Fans Still Love Pete,” and “Should’ve Paid Pete.” The last of those also featured a Mets logo in front of the phrase “Fans Rooting For” before an Orioles logo.

Prior to Monday night’s first pitch, the Mets presented a tribute video, and shortstop Francisco Lindor joined the crowd of 35,880 in an ovation before Alonso’s first plate appearance. Alonso went 0-for-3 with a walk in Baltimore’s 2-1 win that night, a victory that officially eliminated the Mets from playoff contention. Tuesday’s homer, his 36th of the season, was his lone hit in five plate appearances, though it loomed large in an 11-inning, 7-5 win that sent the Mets to their 82nd loss, guaranteeing them their first sub-.500 season since 2023, before David Stearns took over as president of baseball operations.

In the wake of Alonso’s homer, the scene at Citi Field took a surreal turn, as chants of “Fire Stearns!” followed Alonso’s cameo, ringing out around the ballpark. The crowd — officially 28,097 but in actuality much more sparse, befitting a home team playing out the string — vented its anger and disappointment regarding Stearns’ offseason overhaul of the roster.

Pete Alonso grins as Mets fans chant “fire Stearns” after Alonso hit his 300th home run in his old ballpark pic.twitter.com/XbNLhDE7yn

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 16, 2026

Read the rest of this entry »

Dominic Canzone is having a strong season with the stick. Playing on a Seattle Mariners team that went into last night having scored the fewest runs in MLB, the 29-year-old outfielder/DH has slugged 22 home runs while putting up a .258/.327/.482 slash line and a 131 wRC+ over 474 plate appearances. Along with Randy Arozarena he is only player in Dan Wilson’s lineup with 300 or more plate appearances and a wRC+ higher than 108.

His performance hasn’t come out of the blue — at least not to fans in the Pacific Northwest. Canzone began establishing himself last season. The sample size wasn’t particularly large, but he nonetheless logged a .300 batting average, 11 round-trippers, and a 141 wRC+ in 268 trips to the plate. Selected in the eighth round of the 2019 draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks and subsequently swapped to Seattle in 2023, Canzone has turned into a formidable presence in the batter’s box.

The most meaningful developmental stride he’s made since coming to pro ball?

“Approach,” Canzone told me. “I would say that the hardest part to get as a Major League hitter is understanding how pitchers are going pitch to you in certain situations, and then having a solid approach. Everybody has the ability, so it’s all about looking for the right thing in the right spot.

“In college, it was so much easier,” added the erstwhile Ohio State Buckeye. “You pretty much just hunt the heater, because they’re not too great at landing multiple off-speed pitches for strikes. It’s easier to spit on that type of stuff and, obviously, everything isn’t as sharp.” Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to the second Five Things of the week. After a bonus recap of Saberseminar, it’s time to get back to what this column is all about: bunts. OK, fine, that’s not entirely true, but trying to bunt for a hit leads to some of the best on-field action, and by the time we hit September, I’m eager for some exciting fielding adventures, whether they end in an out or not. In fact, exciting adventures are pretty much all I’m looking for at the moment. Whether it’s playoff previews, low-stakes barnburners, or maniacally aggressive baserunners, I’m looking for chaos, tension, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat combined in a single play or single game. The past two weeks haven’t disappointed – just so long as you’re willing to extend your definition of action past the usual homers and strikeouts. So buckle up for another five things – after thanking patron saint Zach Lowe of The Ringer for his delightful column idea, which I’ve been faithfully ripping off for four years now.

1. Seeding Clashes
Five Things is generally the domain of silly baseball. The best plays don’t only happen in games between the best teams – really, there are more mid-level teams than great ones, so if anything, this is more of an underdogs column. But while the past few weeks have plenty of that, there have also been some downright amazing battles between teams fighting for the same playoff spot, and I find myself tuning into those games more frequently than anything else recently.

The impetus for this item actually started several weeks ago, when the Dodgers played seven games against the Brewers and Cubs in a two-week span. I was interested in seeing the best teams in the NL measure themselves against each other – and luckily, the league cooperated. The Brewers and Braves themselves squared off in a three-game set just before the Dodgers traveled to Atlanta. That set up a round robin of sorts between the NL’s best – the Brewers went 5-2, the Dodgers went 1-6, and the Braves were 4-2. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s easy to forget that the trade deadline isn’t actually the last chance for teams to reload before the postseason. Players can join a team through waivers as late as August 31 — Monday, for those of you who, like me, have trouble keeping track of the calendar — and still be eligible for the playoffs.

It’s common practice for teams to put expensive vets on the wire to see if anyone will bite and take the contract off their hands. The Angels famously flooded the waiver wire in 2023, as their last-ditch effort to load up for a playoff run with Shohei Ohtani left backfired in a matter of days. This year, the biggest name on the move was Luis Robert Jr., who’s bound for Baltimore. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m going to give you a little cheat sheet for writing about deadline moves. If you’re talking about a seller who traded a player for a minimal return and you’re looking for silver linings, you can mention “opportunity.” It has two big advantages. First, it’s nebulous and hard to disprove. If you make a claim about a specific player, it might be wrong. If you say that a roster spot is an opportunity, how will someone counter that? But more importantly, roster spots really are opportunities, so your analysis will have the advantage of being correct. Case in point: Nate Lavender.

If you’re wondering who that is, that’s exactly what I’m getting at. Lavender debuted on August 4, the day after the Mets sent half the team out of town at the trade deadline. He was one of five Mets pitchers called up that day, a hockey-style line shift in the bullpen. Not all of them panned out. Xzavion Curry and Chayce McDermott are back in the minors. Jefry Yan has a fun strikeout celebration and a 5.18 FIP. But Lavender has been good enough that he’s worked his way from his big league debut into a setup role in three weeks. Opportunity, indeed.

A quick recap of Lavender’s minor league career: He was the Mets’ 14th-round draft pick in 2021, climbed the minor league ladder despite below-average velocity and stuff, and then blew out his elbow early in the 2024 season. He had an internal brace surgery that summer, and then the Rays plucked him away in the Rule 5 draft that December. They parked him on the 60-day injured list for the entirety of the 2025 season, as a bone spur in his elbow delayed his rehab. When the year ended and the 60-day IL disappeared, the Rays returned him to the Mets rather than place him on their 40-man roster. Read the rest of this entry »