Mets Daily Discussion Thread - January 13, 2025

Good morning!

Kevin Mitchell turns 63 today! The San Diego native did not play high school baseball and was signed by the Mets as an undrafted free agent following an open tryout at Grossmont College: he was given a $1,500 signing bonus. Mitchell debuted with the Mets in 1984 and in game six of the 1986 World Series, he pinch hit for Rick Aguilera in the bottom of the 10th where he had a two-out single ahead of Ray Knight with Gary Carter on first. Mitchell would go on to score the tying run and everyone knows about the little roller up along first.

Mitchell was traded to San Diego on December 11, 1986, supposedly because GM Frank Cashen believe he was a bad influence on Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden. The Mets traded Mitchell, Shawn Abner, Stan Jefferson, Kevin Armstrong, and Kevin Brown to the San Diego Padres for Kevin McReynolds, Gene Walter, and Adam Ging. In 1987, Mitchell was traded to the San Francisco Giants. In 1989. Mitchell was 27 and was the National League MVP that year, leading the league with 47 homers and 125 RBI. He spent the 1995 season in Japan and would later play for the Mariners, Reds, Red Sox, Indians and Athletics before finishing his playing career with Tabasco in the Mexican League and playing in independent baseball in 2000-2001. Today he lives in San Diego.

On this date in 1998, the Mets signed Japanese pitcher Masato Yoshii. Masato Yoshii was a member of the Yakult Swallows and a part of the Mets rotation in 1998 and 1999, with an 18-16 record and 4.17 ERA in 345.2 innings. He had a career 104 ERA+ with the Mets. In 2000, the Mets traded him to the Colorado Rockies for Lariel González and Bobby M. Jones. (Bobby M. Jones is a lefty reliever not to be confused with Bobby J. Jones, a righty starter who also pitched for the 2000 Mets.) Masato Yoshii later returned to Japan to pitch for the Orix Buffaloes where he was managed by future Mets manager Terry Collins. Yoshii retired from pitching and became a pitching coach for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and since 2023, Masato Yoshii is the manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Elmer Dessens turns 54 today! A righty reliever who pitched for the 2009-10 Mets, he debuted in 1996 with the Pirates. He pitched for the Pirates, Reds, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Royals, Brewers, Rockies, Braves and ended his MLB career with the Mets. He had a 2.71 ERA in 79.2 innings for the Mets. After leaving the Mets he pitched a season in the Mexican League before retiring.

Heath Hembree turns 36 today! He pitched for the 2021 Mets in 15.2 innings pitched. He last pitched in the majors with the Rays in 2023 and is currently unsigned despite deals with the Tigers and Mariners in 2023-24.

r/baseball has opened their fan voting for the mock Hall of Fame ballot

Feel free to discuss whatever you want in this thread.