This Week in Mets Quotes: Pete Alonso’s dreams came true, Callaway feels like the Mets can make a run

So you’re saying there’s a chance.

“I feel like we can make a run at this thing. We can sneak into that Wild Card, sneak back in this division. … Anything can happen in baseball.” -Mickey Callaway [MLB]

In a down year for the Mets, it’s really been nice to root for two wonderful players.

“I’m just really happy that my dreams came true.” -Pete Alonso [Newsday]

“I started in Double-A last year. To be an MLB All-Star, I didn’t think it would happen this quick. It’s awesome. I love every minute of it. I hope my career keeps going up and I keep doing well.” -Jeff McNeil [MLB]

“This entire experience, it went by in a blink of an eye. For me, this was a dream. It went by fast, but I feel I did a really good job of slowing things down a little bit and kind of taking things in and enjoying.” -Pete Alonso [MLB]

Really would’ve enjoyed a ‘Chris Farley SNL interview style bit’ where Pete Alonso interviews fellow All-Stars.

“Looking around in this locker room, seeing all these names in this locker room, and seeing all the guys over there, it’s like, ‘Whoa.’ I’m here with the top percent of people in baseball. To me, it’s crazy. Playing with guys I watched in high school, in college, watched on TV all the time, it’s incredible. It justifies all the hard work and sacrifices throughout my career.” -Pete Alonso [MLB]

McNeil’s reaction to deGrom’s picture being on the scoreboard when he came up to bat during the All Star game.

“They had what, two weeks to get ready for this? That can’t happen. That was tough, to see deGrom’s picture up there. I didn’t really like that ... I wanted to see my picture up there. I know my family did, too.” -Jeff McNeil [NY Daily News]

Not to go all CPA on this and love the sentiment, but $1 million is nearly double Pete’s salary this year.

“I grew up wanting to [be in the home run derby]. Whether it was for a million dollars or doing it for free. The biggest thing for me is the bragging rights. I don’t know how much I would pay for that, if I had the money. But to me, the bragging rights are priceless. I mean, a million dollars, you can put it in the bank, you can spend it all. It doesn’t matter what you do with it. At the end of the day, I’m a Home Run Derby champion. No one’s going to take that away from me. I’m going to tell my grandkids about this one day.” -Pete Alonso [Newsday]

Wonder if Pete realizes that he’s representing.

“I don’t just want to represent myself, but I’m the representative of the team. I’m just really happy I could represent the Mets in such a positive light. There’s so many people that have helped me get to where I’m at. This is just something I wanted to do to kind of just represent, you know? Hold it down for Flushing.” -Pete Alonso [Newsday]

You know things are going great when team officials feel like the franchise “needed” a Home Run derby victory.

“We needed this.” -Mets official [Newsday]

I will never forget watching Endy’s catch in my dorm room at Binghamton University and thinking...

“I always joke that I made a lot of good catches, but that was the famous one. I joke with my teammates and my friends — all it takes to be famous in the majors is one catch. That year, I hit .300 for the first time in my career and nobody talked about it. It’s just the catch.” -Endy Chavez [New York Post]

...there was no way the Mets were going to lose this game.

“Everybody thinks they still remember the catch like last week. It’s been a lot of years since, and I’m still signing pictures, I still hear about it. It’s something that I appreciate. … I still remember how the crowd was crazy in there. I thought that stadium was going to fall in. They just started yelling my last name, and I go out for the curtain call. I went out twice — that was a special moment for me.” -Endy Chavez [New York Post]

Todd Frazier has had enough being hit by Phillies pitchers.

“[Arrieta] can say what he wants. I’m just sick of getting hit, especially by this team. At the end of the day, he can say what he wants. A little overboard, but we’ve just got to keep playing. I’m glad we won the game yesterday, and hopefully some things change. I’ve gotten hit four times now, and enough’s enough.” -Todd Frazier [MLB]

Owner of a 4.67 ERA responds.

“He can come see me. I’ll put a dent in his skull.” -Jake Arrieta [The Atheletic]

After Todd’s comments, the Mets did bean Rhys Hoskins, who hit a home run in his next at bat.

“That’s the game of baseball. You’re going to hit our guys, we get a chance to hit theirs. Maybe that’s not the game anymore, but that’s how I grew up playing the game.” -Todd Frazier [MLB]

Prior to a game, Brodie Van Wagenen reportedly ripped his coaches before telling Callway to handle his...

“...fucking press conference.” -Broadie Van Wagenen [NY Daily News]

Former Met Jay Bruce giving away the secret to beat deGrom: ‘keep it close and wait till the bullpen to come in.’

“We knew we had to scratch for everything we were going to get. We waited out [deGrom] long enough. Our pitchers kept us in the game. We got into a situation where we put some runs on the board.” -Jay Bruce [MLB]

Jeff McNeil describing being a judge at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Competition or being a Mets fan.

“It was a lot of fun. Interesting to see. I definitely wanted to experience it and, at the same time, it’s kind of gross.” -Jeff McNeil [New York Post]

Shouldn’t there be pressure to ‘win’ a trade regardless of previous moves.

“In addition, there is pressure on the Mets to “win” any Syndergaard trade in light of the disappointing early returns from the Robinson Cano-Edwin Diaz trade.” -Jon Morosi of MLB Network

Mets Tweet of the Week

AA Quote of the Week

“Re: Lugo

”We need to win this game.”

”So use the good reliever.”

”But if we use him too much, he’ll break.”

”So don’t use him too much.”

”But how much is too much?”

”If he stops being good, you used him too much.”

“He stopped being good, now what do I do?”

”You used him too much.”

”Right, so what do I do?”

”Don’t use him until he’s good again.”

”How do I know when he’s good again?”

”Give it a go after a while, and if he’s still not good, you brought him back too soon.”’-Edfonzo Algardo

‘“I brought him back too soon, now what do I do?”

”Send him out some more to keep him loose”

”But he’s still not good, when will he be good again?”

”When he finds his rhythm”

”When will he find his rhythm?”

”When he loosens up and is good again”’ -D is the point

SiteBot FacePalm of the Week

“Cash in Dominic Smith Sorry, but Dominic Smith is not a starter on a good baseball team. One could argue that if he gets enough bats, his average at the end of the year will be closer to .250 than to .315. He’ll hit .280 in what league? You think he is better than Conforto? Than Rosario? Those guys might hit .280 in good years. Dominic has benefited from a true hot start and limited plate appearances. But what I don’t like about him are these things: 1. His body language puts me (and possibly his teammates) to sleep. He languishes up to the plate, sleepwalks through key at bats, and spends a lot of time looking up to the clouds. Not exactly the intensity that baseball at a high level requires. 2. He’s immature. He’s on the bench with all sorts of high fives, hand signals, inside jokes… always “having fun”. I know some of you may malign me for objecting to this, but good teams keep this to a minimum. The Mets are buffoons in the eyes of hard-nosed players (think Chipper Jones, Frank Robinson, Bob Gibson, and hundreds of other “men” of the game). Young guys like Alonzo, Rosario, Nimmo, and even Conforto could use more stable dugouts, not a middle school party. It looks to me that JD Davis barely tolerates it. 3. He’s not a good outfielder and he does NOT have a strong arm. Resist anyone that intimates the contrary. Watch his throws and where they end up. Do you think the Braves or the Yankees would ever play a guy with that much weakness at his position? I know he’s out of position, and I know how that came to be, but c’mon… he’d better play first base for his future team or be strictly a pinch-hitter. I think the Mets should jump on his current inflated value and grab some piece that they actually need and who might develop… Dom might get better and be a player some day, but I’m not willing to bet on it. Cash him in.” -robspo