Morning Briefing: Brandon Nimmo Won’t Play in World Baseball Classic
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning, Mets fans!
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported that Brandon Nimmo won’t be playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic next month. Nimmo played for Team Italy back in 2017, but he suffered a hamstring strain during the tournament that forced him to miss the beginning of the season. Francisco Lindor, Edwin Díaz, Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso, Adam Ottavino, and Mark Vientos are among the Mets that are still planning to participate in the event.
Latest Mets News
The Mets designated Khalil Lee for assignment and claimed right-hander Sam Coonrod off waivers from the Phillies. Lee is under an active investigation by MLB after an arrest warrant was issued alleging he assaulted his ex-girlfriend last year. Coonrod made 12 appearances for the Phillies in 2022, getting charged with 11 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings.
Keith Raad and Pat McCarthy were officially announced as new members of the Mets’ radio team on 880 WCBS FM. Raad has been serving as the voice of Wagner College’s football and women’s basketball teams. McCarthy previously was the voice of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs and is the son of former Mets radio announcer and current Phillies TV play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy. Wayne Randazzo tweeted out his congratulatory messages for both new members of the crew.
Congratulations to both. Love seeing the Mets reach into the minor leagues to find their next voices. Keith will do a great job next to @HowieRose. @MetsBooth, make sure to change the bingo card to reflect Keith having never heard of whichever old person Howie is referencing. https://t.co/rBQLrzjJRP
— Wayne Randazzo (@WayneRandazzo) February 6, 2023
Alex Cohen was named a 2023 Power Player in Corporate Social Responsibility by PoliticsNY and amNewYork. She is the president of the Amazin’ Mets Foundation and the Steve and Alexandra Cohen Foundation.
Mets director of major league operations Elizabeth Benn was named one of the top 110 most influential Canadians in baseball in 2022 by Bob Elliott of the Canadian Baseball Network. Benn became the highest-ranking woman to serve in the franchise’s baseball ops department in 2022 and she also pitches for the Yonkers Railsplitters of the NYC Metro Baseball League.
Latest MLB News
Carlos Correa has withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic in a joint decision with the Twins, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. Correa’s wife is pregnant with their second child, which is due the same week that Puerto Rico is scheduled to begin play.
The Rangers have hired four-time All-Star and Rangers Hall of Famer Ian Kinsler as a special assistant to general manager Chris Young. Kinsler previously worked in the Padres’ front office during the 2020 season and will be managing Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic.
The Giants have released their list of 37 non-roster invitees for spring training, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports. Among the NRIs are outfielder Stephen Piscotty, southpaw Sean Newcomb, and Ronald Guzmán, who is trying to be a two-way player. Guzmán has never pitched professionally, but he reportedly hit 96 miles per hour on his fastball according to the Instagram account Dominican Baseball Solutions. A first baseman by trade, Guzmán was a top-100 prospect for the Rangers in 2018 and hit .255/.344/.478 with 16 homers in 373 plate appearances in Triple-A for the Yankees in 2022.
Jason Heyward recently opened his baseball academy in the North Austin neighborhood of Chicago. the 10-acre campus also features Chicago’s largest indoor soccer field.
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Nate Mendelson ranks the aces of every pitching staff in the NL East.
On This Date in Mets History
1979: The Mets get the final piece of their return for Jerry Koosman from the Twins, acquiring southpaw Jesse Orosco as the player to be named later. Orosco was a second-round pick by Minnesota out of Santa Barbara Community College in 1978, and he only allowed five earned runs in 40 innings in Rookie Ball after getting drafted.
2018: The Mets sign two-time All-Star third baseman Todd Frazier to a two-year contract worth $16 million. Frazier split 2017 between the White Sox and Yankees and is coming off an uneven year in which he hit a career-low .213 but walked in a career-high 14.4% of his plate appearances.
Birthdays: Benny Ayala (72), Charlie Puleo (68), Endy Chávez (45)
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