The following is part of each of the series previews here at BP Mets. “Mets Connections” takes a look at the opposing teams’ rosters and highlights some of the noteworthy or interesting links that can be drawn between those players and the Mets organization. Some of these links may be obvious, such as if an opposing player has formerly played for New York, but some may be lesser known tidbits, such as if a player was previously drafted by the Mets. This version of this series analyzes the Rockies’ roster as the Mets begin a three-game set in Denver tonight.
Jeff Hoffman: Many baseball fans probably remember the July 2015 deadline deal as the Troy Tulowitzki trade, but Hoffman was the key return for the Rockies. To help offset Tulo’s salary, the Jays also sent Jose Reyes to the Rockies, which is why Hoffman makes this list.
Campus Connections
UCLA has produced some notable major league players in this century (Gerrit Cole, Brandon Crawford, and Chase Utley to name a few), but with all due respect, the following two players do not top the list. The Mets’ Erik Goeddel (2010, 24th round) and the Rockies’ Pat Valaika (2013, 9th round) can both claim Bruin roots, but they have a long way to go before they are considered among the school’s all-time major league products.
Draft Connections
Steven Matz (Mets, 72), Nolan Arenado (Rockies, 59), and DJ LeMahieu (Cubs, 79), were all selected in the second round of the 2009 draft.
The Mets selected Brandon Nimmo 13th overall in the 2011 draft. Thirty-two picks later, the Rockies picked Trevor Story in the supplemental first round, one spot behind former Met Michael Fulmer.
Back to back to back. Freeland-Hoffman-Conforto. 8-9-10. That is the order these Rockies’ and Mets’ youngsters were selected in the 2014 first round by Colorado, Toronto, and New York.
Hometown Connections
Rockies’ reliever Carlos Estevez shares his birthplace with Mets’ reliever Jeurys Familia, as they both were born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
A rookie hurler for Colorado, Antonio Senzatela was signed by the Rockies in 2011 out of Valencia, Venezuela, the same locale where Wilmer Flores was born.
Colorado reliever Adam Ottavino was born in New York City and went to high school at Berkeley Carroll in Brooklyn.
Photo credit: Jeff Curry – USA Today Sports