This Week in Mets Quotes: O Captain! My Captain!

Thank you David Wright.

“I think I’m hopefully out of tears for this one, but I spoke to the guys a couple of minutes ago. To my teammates, coaches and staff, it’s certainly been the honor of a lifetime to take the field with you and serve as your captain.” -David Wright [SNY]

“I always wanted to be on the field again to have my daughter see me play. I cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for everything this organization has done and continues to do for me. … this is my extended family.” -David Wright [SNY]

“I love the game; I love the relationships; I love the preparation; I love talking baseball, anything about the game. I miss it. I wish that things could’ve certainly turned out differently physically, but as far as regrets go, I can’t say that I have regrets.” -David Wright [SNY]

Well, maybe one of them deserves it.

”Absolutely [I would honor Wright’s request to start alongside Jose Reyes] They probably both deserve that.” -Mickey Callaway [SNY]

Your 2018 New York Mets: We just couldn’t put up runs again.

“You’ve got to play for something. When he’s out there, we play for him to win the Cy Young. We know he’s going to dominate. I think he broke a record … the more he does that, he’s right up there in winning the thing. We just couldn’t put up runs again.”-Todd Frazier [New York Post]

It’s really that simple.

“Pitching is all about run prevention, no matter how you do it. All the things that Jacob’s done this year is all about run prevention, and he’s been by far the best in Major League Baseball at it. If you put both leagues together he should win the Cy Young out of both leagues in my mind because he’s preventing runs better than anybody else in Major League Baseball.” -Mickey Callaway [New York Post]

Jeff Wilpon: We can’t let Peter Alonso know that not calling him up was a business decision.

Omar Minaya: Don’t worry, I got this.

“I had a conversation with Omar [Minaya] and he said it was just like a business decision, an organizational decision. I respect that. I’m just going to keep continuing to get better.” –Peter Alonso [Newsday]

More than ever

Hour after

Our work is

Never over

“I’m disappointed, not being here. I have to just trust the process. I’m just going to use that as motivation to get better for next year. Have a good winter, getting faster, stronger, and show up for camp ready to go.” –Peter Alonso [Newsday]

Paging Steve Sypa or any of prospect guys, is it common that RHB don’t see a changeup from RHP until AAA?

“A lot of the pitchers are more refined [in AAA]. That was the first time I had ever seen right-on-right changeups. It’s a different level of breaking balls.” –Peter Alonso [Newsday]

Going to write this in my next self review.

”I never felt [that I was going to get fired]. I’ve said this from the beginning, I know I am going to get fired someday. Until then, I am doing to do the best job I can. I never felt like my job was in jeopardy. And I won’t feel that way until they bring me in and tell me.” –Mickey Callaway [MLB]

Does Joe Maddon send every manager that loses a series in Wrigley a bottle of wine?

”I honestly believe we are a better team and a better organization because of what we went through. Because we didn’t quit. Joe Maddon [recently] sent me a bottle of wine with the note, ‘Mets play hard.’” –Mickey Callaway [MLB]

Personally, I’m glad Callaway did not choose the clichéd angry manager approach.

”I did start to ask myself if staying on an even keel was the right way to go about things. Did I need to start yelling at people? Do I need to blow up the locker room? But in the end, I chose to be myself, keep going about things in what I thought was the right way.” –Mickey Callaway [MLB]

As long as ‘everything’ doesn’t include a pennant race or relevance after April.

”Whatever you can experience in one year, just as a manager, I’ve experienced it. Probably everything you can experience in your first year. 11-1 and 5-21 the same year? Really?” –Mickey Callaway [MLB]

RAmen

“I can’t be objective. I want him to win it and I want it for the Mets. I want it for the fan base. I want it for him. He’s been consistently good for a long time. I am pulling for him, there is no question.” –R.A. Dickey [New York Post]

Canadian Smacktalk.

“That place is funny, right? It can go the Jason Bay way or it can go the way it did for me. Thankfully I performed well while I was a Met. To win the 20th game in front of the home crowd, the last year I was a Met in a Cy Young year, that was probably one of the most special days of my whole life and partly because of the relationship I had with the fan base.” –R.A. Dickey [New York Post]

I really admire the honesty.

”I was at the park for 12 hours today. I really would’ve liked to finish it, but I was tired and after throwing 88 innings or whatever it was last year, I figured it would be kind of smart to let somebody else get the ninth. The competitor in me wants to go out there and throw nine every game, but maybe the smart move is ... we aren’t going anywhere right now, so I want to be ready for next year and I just want to play it smart, especially with my history. If we’re contending, I’m going back out there for sure.” –Zack Wheeler [MLB]

Congratulations to Jay Horwitz.

”Thirty-nine years has been a long time to have one job. I look forward to next year with some apprehension because it’s a new thing for me, but I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a new chapter in my life.” –Jay Horwitz [MLB]

”I’m 73 years old now. I could be out playing Parcheesi someplace. I’m happy to have a great job.” –Jay Horwitz [MLB]

”He would fight for the players,” Franco said. “No matter how bad things were, he was there. I love you, man. Thank you.” –John Franco [MLB]

”He’s been a teacher. He’s been a counselor. … You really mean the world to us as players. You’ve always had our backs. I’ve seen you get pretty close to fist fights with members of the media, and that’s certainly something that we’ll never forget.” –David Wright [MLB]

Mets Tweet of the Week