Boyhood allegiances typically go away after a player is drafted and signs with a team other than the one he (or she) grew up following. Drew Gilbert isn’t necessarily an exception to that rule, but the 24-year-old St. Paul native does retain a soft spot for the Minnesota Twins. “I think that happens a little more so as you get older, not necessarily exactly when you sign,” said Gilbert, whom the Houston Astros drafted 24th overall in 2022 out of the University of Tennessee. “You move around a lot. I went from Minnesota to Tennessee, and then once you get drafted you go around the country with different affiliates. I don’t want to say you lose the fandom, but it naturally goes away a little bit. That being said, when [the Twins] were in the playoffs last year it was still super fun to watch. Of course, any time you get playoff baseball, no matter who you’re rooting for, it’s a cool thing to watch.”
The 2023 Twins aren’t the only team he’s had reason to root for in the postseason. The Astros won the World Series in his 2022 draft year, and his new organization’s parent club has a chance to do so this year. The New York Mets acquired Gilbert as part of last summer’s Justin Verlander trade deadline deal. “The Astros have been the best team in Major League Baseball for the last five or 10 years,” Gilbert said of his since-coming-to-pro-ball allegiances. “Any chance I was able to get to watch them, I did. With all the great players they have on that roster, I would be a fool not to tune in. And now… I mean, any time you’re in an organization that’s going deep in the playoffs it’s a pretty cool thing. Again, it’s super fun to watch.”
Which brings us back to his boyhood fandom, and on to his hopes of forging a long and successful career in a Mets uniform. “I was a big Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau fan,” said Gilbert, who reached Triple-A this year but played in just 62 games due to injuries. “Those were three of my favorite players to watch. I’m not necessarily similar to any of them — they all had 10-plus years in the big leagues — so while I’m improving, I haven’t done what they have. I’m not saying I won’t.”
Jeff McNeil was asked for his thoughts on Jett Williams when the former made a brief rehab stint in the Arizona Fall League before joining the Mets’ NLCS roster. Following up on another reporter’s question, I asked the now-32-year-old if he ever reflects back on when he was the highly-regarded infield prospect’s age. “When I was 20, I was still in college,” replied McNeil, who had been on the shelf since early September with a wrist injury. “He seems to be flying through the system. He’s in Double-A. These kids have bright futures. I feel like the game is getting younger and younger.”
Drafted 14th overall in 2022 out of Texas’s Heath-Rockwell High School, Williams suffered a wrist injury of his own and was out from mid-April until mid-August after undergoing surgery. He entered the season No. 3 on our 2024 Mets Top Prospects list, one spot behind Gilbert.
RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
- Jason Kipnis went 9 for 16 against Jordan Zimmermann.
- Ron Cey went 13 or 25 against Neil Allen.
- Dexter Fowler went 20 for 51 against Clayton Kershaw.
- Brook Jacoby went 21 for 55 against Frank Tanana.
- Julio Franco went 22 for 52 against Frank Viola.
An A.J. Hinch quote caught my eye earlier this month, and while the Tigers have since been eliminated, what he said applies to any team competing in October. Jeff Seidel shared the words of wisdom at The Detroit Free Press. “Being stubborn in your ways is most damaging in the playoffs,” Hinch said. “I think you see that the teams that win, they’ve had to veer off of their norm. I think that is the art of managing in the postseason.”
NEWS NOTES
- The Detroit Tigers are reportedly hiring Shane Farrell as their farm director. The 35-year-old son of former big-league pitcher and manager John Farrell has spent the last five years as the Toronto Blue Jays amateur scouting director.
- The Boston Red Sox are promoting Kyle Boddy to the role of director of baseball science. The Driveline founder and former Cincinnati Reds pitching coordinator was a special assistant to Craig Breslow this past season.
- Gaylen Pitts, an infielder who appeared in 28 games for the Oakland Athletics across the 1974-1975 seasons, died on October 9 at age 78.
- Bud Daley, who pitched for three teams — the Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Athletics, and New York Yankees — from 1955-1964, died earlier this week at age 92.
The answer to the quiz is Dave Kingman, who hit an NL-best 37 home runs with the Mets in 1982. Three years earlier, “King Kong” led the circuit with 48 home runs as a Chicago Cub.
