Hello Prospects1500 Readers!
I am happy to bring you coverage of the New York Penn League and New York Mets minor league baseball. Before moving to Upstate NY, I grew up in Massachusetts in an environment where Red Sox Nation was woven into my very being. My first baseball game was as a wide-eyed young lad struck with the creaky charm of Fenway Park in the late 90’s. I was surrounded by Rated-R bleacher chatter as the Olde Town Team team got shutout and shellacked by the visiting Kansas City Royals. Despite the defeat, I was forever hooked. From the Curse of the Bambino to three championships seasons in my lifetime, Red Sox Nation has been forever changed, but always holds a special place in my baseball life.
Here in Upstate NY, I have minor league baseball all around me: from Short Season A Ball through AAA action. My most frequent stops take me to Auburn (Doubledays, Nationals, A, NYPL), Binghamton (Rumble Ponies, Mets, AA, Eastern League), and Syracuse (Chiefs, Nationals, AAA, International League). The New York-Penn League offers a distinct optimism with every pitch and every swing during June, July, and August. And with Syracuse changing hands to the Mets AAA affiliate in 2019, I will support the great work of Michael Hivry and get additional looks at Mets players along their last two stops as they work towards a promotion to Queens. Andres Gimenez, Peter Alonso, Justin Dunn, Ronny Mauricio, Jarred Kelenic, Mark Vientos, David Peterson, and many others, represent the next wave of bright young talent to restore the franchise to its 2015, 2000, and 1986 (gasps from the Red Sox fans) glory days.
I broke into writing about baseball under the strong mentorship of Mark Nikolov at Real McCoy Minors. Without Mark, you wouldn’t be reading any of this. A special thanks to Mark for his friendship and encouragement from the get-go. I extend my appreciation to Scott Greene, who was one of the first to support my writing at its outset, and I am thrilled to be a part of this prolific team of baseball minds and wordsmiths.
One of the things that strikes a chord in me most about minor league baseball is that it carries eternal hope in the hearts of young ballplayers, families, and communities all around the world. It is my joy to bring you a slice of baseball from Upstate New York wherever you may be reading.
Featured image of New York-Penn League Logo – via adweek.com.
Ben is an Assistant Editor and also covers the Red Sox and Dynasty/Fantasy baseball content for Prospects1500. He also runs the #2EarlyMiLBMock, an annual prospect-only mock draft, for the Prospects1500 website. Ben is an experienced fantasy baseball player and is a deep league dynasty specialist. He has also contributed at FantraxHQ, RotoFanatic, and retired blogs Real McCoy Minors and Notes from the Sally. Follow Ben on Twitter @TBDubbs11.
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Ben Wilsonhttps://www.prospects1500.com/author/tbdubbs11/
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Ben Wilsonhttps://www.prospects1500.com/author/tbdubbs11/
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Ben Wilsonhttps://www.prospects1500.com/author/tbdubbs11/
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Ben Wilsonhttps://www.prospects1500.com/author/tbdubbs11/
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