The Mets in Las Vegas never made sense. Distance and time from Citi Field and the Syracuse Mets fixes that. Plus, fans get to see the future…
The Triple-A minor league affiliate of the New York Mets will begin to play in April as the Syracuse Mets. And for Mets fans across New York State and the New York Metropolitan area, this should be a welcome change from the desert in Nevada where out of sight was mostly out of mind.
Now, fans can enjoy minor league baseball at its highest level along with a glimpse of the future of the big club up close and personal. Choose a day game on the schedule and fans with an early start in the morning can have the kids safely in bed by nightfall.
Not exactly a hop, skip, and a jump but undoubtedly doable and worth the effort. Others like myself and living in Catskill cuts the trip down to a mere two-and-a-half hours, making even night games feasible
Fans in Albany or downstate can also take Amtrak. The train station is within walking distance to the Syracuse Mets ballpark.
This is a big deal, not only for fans but also for the Mets organization. No longer will players on the run need to travel a full day to get here when they are “called up,” or more significantly when a player on the big club goes down, and the Mets needed a replacement yesterday. No expensive plane tickets (although flights are readily available from SYR to LGA), just rent a car for the player and he gets himself there, with plenty of down “quiet time” to get ready for what lies ahead.
The roster of the Syracuse Mets is far from complete, and there are plenty of names to become familiar with, especially the manager, Tony DeFrancesco, and his coaching staff. Plus, you’ll even see a player like Peter Alonso on the Syracuse Mets roster now, who later figures to be playing first base for the New York Mets when the season begins.
All levels of New York State government have been involved in making the inaugural season of the Syracuse Mets a success, with a particular emphasis on making improvements to MBT Bank Stadium (seating capacity 11,000) before the team takes the field.
Outgoing Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced more than $25 million in funding for upgrades to the stadium. Updates will include improved seating, concessions, and lighting.
I’ve been there before when it was the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals – it was an excellent venue to watch a ballgame, and promises to be even better now with the improvements being made.
A Facebook Group Page has already been established, and you may wish to join as a member.
For those who have never experienced it, minor league baseball at this level is within a hair of being the real thing in “the show.” Players are in their final stages of development, and playing hard for that one last promotion to complete the dream.
There’s also the opportunity for a sneak preview of what opponents of the Mets have as up and coming players. Just to name a few, the Syracuse Mets will be competing against the Triple-A team affiliates of the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Toronto, and a host of other teams not in (their) North Division.
Individual game tickets are now on sale, though I must say when I went to this link, things got a bit fuzzy and confusing.
Beneath all the positive feelings many have felt during the Mets offseason, do not underestimate the value of the Syracuse Mets being in the backyard of the big club. To be sure, this only adds to serve as another level of intrigue on the development of the Mets as an organization in 2019.
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
