There used to be a Mayor’s Trophy Game, I recall. I recall the time George Steinbrenner created his own version of March Madness, requiring the team to defeat the Mets in spring training or face consequences. I recall that there used to be at least a mild dislike of Subway shown just by looking at each other.
However, the Yankees and Mets changed from being antagonistic to cordial on Tuesday. Instead of animosity, this was more of a reunion.
Before their first of three spring games between New York and the Yankees, former players Harrison Bader, Luis Severino, and Carlos Mendoza, in particular, embraced and spent time with old teammates close to the batting cage. The follicle-free Yankees, who noted with a good-natured sneer at the beards of Bader and Severino as well as the goatee of Mendoza.
Mendoza, the newly appointed manager of the Mets, “had to tighten up” his hirsute pursuit, Aaron Boone said. Mendoza was his previous bench coach.
This rivalry seemed to have reduced to a hairline today and would vanish tomorrow.
But take a closer look. Beyond how well-liked and respected Mendoza was in The Bronx, there are other ties. There are crossing points between Queens and The Bronx, and these parallels should reveal a lot about the course of the New York season:
Pete Alonso vs. Juan Soto
What is the walk year approach taken by Scott Boras’s clients? From a baseball perspective, Alonso is more similar to Aaron Judge than to Soto since he is a homegrown slugger that supporters are begging him to stay in the game. How near can Alonso go to Judge’s platform season of 62 home runs and, in turn, force Steve Cohen to make the same financial sacrifices that Judge did for Hal Steinbrenner?
Soto bats in front of Judge in the interim, which could result in fewer walks but a lot more hitstable pitches.
Francisco Alvarez vs. Anthony Volpe
By this time last year, MLB.com had Volpe ranked sixth and Alvarez as the third-best prospect in the majors. They both batted the same, but they exceeded modest defensive expectations .209 in uninspired seasons with good power but high strikeout rates. They are viewed as middle-of-the-diamond fixtures by their organizations. Is their offensive able to advance to meet the projections?
Carlos Rodon vs. Sergio Luis
Only David Cone’s 6.91 ERA from 2000—a pitcher who made at least 14 starts—was worse for the Yankees than Severino’s 6.65 and Rodon’s 6.85 from the previous campaign. Severino was required to sign a $13 million, one-year make-good contract with the Mets. In an effort to win back people’s trust, Rodon lost weight. Pitchers who were used to having exceptional stuff and dominating hitters trying to adjust and respond to being pounded around both seemed to lose confidence in their abilities during the previous season.
Severino persisted on throwing during the off-season in an attempt to have his best season since 2018. Rodon moved to Tampa in January in order to prepare himself for the next season. Can one or both of them find their best selves again?
Jeff McNeil vs. DJ LeMahieu
Former batting champs (in LeMahieu’s case a two-timer) who both produced a 96 OPS-plus last season; LeMahieu while hitting .243 and McNeil .270. Their versatility has been helpful over the years, but LeMahieu looks mostly locked in at third base and McNeil at second. LeMahieu had a good second half and has looked good this spring, encouraging the Yankees that he can bring a veteran savvy in front of Soto and Judge.
Because of soreness in his left biceps, McNeil has been sidelined from games. The team is not planning imaging, according to Mendoza, which is a sign of minimal concern. Mendoza stated that while McNeil is working on defense, he expects a hitting progression to pick up speed this week, making McNeil ready for Opening Day.
Peterson David vs. Schmidt Clarke
It’s not only that Schmidt was selected with the sixteenth overall choice in 2017 and Peterson with the twentieth. This is a better representation of both clubs (at least for the time being) choosing to forego signing Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell in favor of breaking in with cheap pitching in order to put themselves in a better position to re-sign Alonso or Soto and generally continuing to be active in free agency.
Peterson will be out for at least two months following hip surgery. The Mets, however, continue to think that there is a starter there. They haven’t given up on Tylor Megill either, who will probably fill in for Kodai Senga (shoulder) for the first few weeks as he recovers. The Mets also have a bunch of starting prospects that they really like, including Mike Vasil and Dominic Hamel, both of whom should make it to the majors this season. One of them is Christian Scott.
Schmidt was the second-most dependable starter for the Yankees in the previous season, and they haven’t indicated that they plan to heavily rely on Snell and move Schmidt into the rotation depth just yet. They think that Will Warren’s qualities and his slow-tempo disposition will aid in depth, and that as the season goes on, Chase Hampton might also play a role. Clayton Beeter, Luis Gill, and Yoendrys Gomez may also play a role.
Which New York club will benefit more this season from its young pitchers?