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Heading into the New York Mets' 2025 season, much of the conversation was focused on how superstar slugger Juan Soto would transform his team's offense.
However, now about a month into the season, Soto has struggled to make a clear positive impact. Instead, the Mets' success has been owed to their two other superstars, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor.
Heading into New York's April 28 game against the Washington Nationals, Alonso is hitting .333 with a 1.097 OPS, 6 home runs, and 26 RBIs, while Lindor boasts a .312 average, .852 OPS, and 5 home runs.
Alonso brings home Lindor! pic.twitter.com/uTSYcVp3Uq
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 16, 2025
In addition to both of these players constantly producing, another reason why they're beloved by fans is that they remain healthy and on the field.
Alonso spoke to this when discussing Lindor in an April 28 article from Gabe Lacques of USA Today.
“That’s the miraculous thing – there’s no secret formula with him, no secret anything,” Alonso said of Lindor. “His superpower is his consistency. It’s hard work, it’s dedication and him willing to show up every day and have the internal drive to be the best player he can be every single day.
“And act on that internal feeling," he added.
Mets outfielder Jesse Winker added of Lindor, “Every single night he does something special on the field to help the team win and that’s really cool to see. I just think he’s a guy who knows who he is. He knows how to prepare and knows how to execute in all facets of the game.”
Is Francisco Lindor on the Hall of Fame highway? pic.twitter.com/GSbSg6gMzI
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 26, 2025
As long as the Mets have both Alonso and Lindor on the field, they can expect to see success.
More must-reads:
- Guardians executive opens up about Emmanuel Clase investigation, what comes next
- Nationals suffer brutal blow with pitching prospect set to undergo Tommy John surgery
- The 'MLB mascot names' quiz
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Guardians executive opens up about Emmanuel Clase investigation, what comes next
CLEVELAND — Emmanuel Clase is officially off the trading block, and not for the reasons the Cleveland Guardians might have hoped. After Clase was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of MLB’s sports-betting investigation on Monday, Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti acknowledged that the high-profile closer wouldn't be a part of any trades before the upcoming MLB trade deadline later this week. "No," Antonetti responded to reporters on Monday afternoon when asked if Clase would potentially be traded. It's a blow to the Guardians, who likely could have received a loaded return had they chosen to move the 27-year-old right-hander. However, with MLB's investigation underway, Clase is now on leave until Aug. 31. It is Major League Baseball's second look at the franchise in terms of potential sports betting following Luis Ortiz being placed on the same kind of leave earlier in July. That means Cleveland is down two relievers, including Clase and his 24 saves posted so far this season. "I think what's important is that we understand what the reality is and figure out how do we move forward from here," Antonetti said. "That's really the focus. "Both guys won't be available to us in the near term, and we need to figure out a way to overcome that. It's not too dissimilar to the moment when players are injured and they're not available to us. We have to find the next group to step up and shoulder a load and find a way to win games. That's really what we're focused on." Antonetti also told reporters that the two relievers will be the last Cleveland players investigated for this type of potential infringement. "We've been informed by Major League Baseball. They were very clear to let us know that they don't expect any other players or staff members," Antonetti said. While Clase may not be off the trading list, Antonetti told reporters it was still very "active" in terms of other teams reaching out to the Guardians around the 6 p.m. (Eastern) Thursday trade deadline. "We're in constant dialogue with a lot of teams," Antonetti said. "We had a lot of dialogue up through this morning and certainly had dialogue over the last few hours. My expectation is that it will continue over the next few days." Antonetti didn't offer a timeline in terms of when Cleveland might hear official rulings from MLB on the investigations. "What I know is that the suspensions are in place through August 31 and then we'll have to see where things are happening," Antonetti said. "Obviously, for everyone, I think you'd prefer to have the clarity sooner rather than later. But I recognize it's a complicated issue and usually baseball has a number of steps they need to work through to complete that investigation." All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Maple Leafs Top Prospect Shatters Expectations at World Junior Showcase
The World Junior Summer Showcase is in full swing, and Maple Leafs top prospect Ben Danford is shattering expectations, truly proving how good of a player he can be. The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive prospect, Ben Danford, is among the 44 players who were invited to Hockey Canada's World Juniors Summer Showcase. Hockey Canada finally unveiled the 44 prospects who will head to Minnesota for the showcase, after they held the roster release back while the organization dealt with several injuries, which begins Sunday and runs through August 2 in Minneapolis. Defensive prospect Ben Danford is the only Maple Leafs player invited to the annual showcase, where Canada's World Junior staff will get their first look at what their team might look like for the 2026 World Juniors, which will also take place in Minnesota in December. Danford is being called the best player at the World Juniors Summer Showcase Danford has been exceeding expectations, and one source revealed that he has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase so far. The source said Danford is steady, smart, and hard to ignore on the ice. 'Ben Danford has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase he's steady, smart, and impossible to ignore. Makes every shift count, whether he's breaking up plays or starting the rush. Canada's blue line is in good hands.' - An unnamed source The Maple Leafs selected Danford with their first pick (31st overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft. During his visit to Toronto's development camp earlier this month, the defender revealed that he's receiving mentorship from current Leafs defensemen as well as some alumni like Mark Giordano. The 6-foot-2 Danford could make for an excellent fit for Canada should he make the team. He is responsible in his own end, and he demonstrated leadership capabilities when he was named captain of the Oshawa Generals ahead of the 2024-25 OHL season.
Chicago Blackhawks at Risk of Losing First Round Pick as Other Teams Pitch Big-Money Offers
Mason West is a talented prospect of the future for the Chicago Blackhawks, but it appears he may look to leave hockey for big opportunities in football. The Chicago Blackhawks landed Anton Frondell with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, but it was perhaps their second first-round pick that drew the most intrigue, as they drafted centre Mason West out of the USHL. That pick was intriguing for many reasons, with the 6-foot-6 centre having potential with his talent and his physicality, but now, the team may be in danger of losing the talented 17-year old. According to a report from The Athletic, the No. 29 overall pick has been drawing interest from several NCAA programs to join their team as a football player. Standing at 6-foot-6, the Minnesota native is a star in both hockey and football, tallying 49 points in 31 games at the high school level while also being a star Quarterback, and after putting up 9 points in 10 USHL games with the Fargo Force, the future is bright for him in both sports. Ultimately, at 17-years of age, the future is very bright whichever way West ends up going, but given that the Blackhawks used a first-round pick on him in this past seasons draft, they're clearly confident that they can not only keep him in hockey, but make a good NHLer out of him moving forward.
Cincinnati Reds Pitcher Joins Elite Company Through First Six Starts of Career
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Chase Burns pitched well enough to win on Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Reds' offense mustered just two runs in the 5-2 loss at Great American Ball Park. Burns gave up three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked a batter and struck out 10. He became just the 14th pitcher in Major League Baseball since 1901 to record at least 45 strikeouts through his first six career starts, according to Matt Wilkes on Reds Content Plus. The other 13 pitchers to accomplish this were Paul Skenes, Freddy Peralta, Masahiro Tanaka, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Stephan Strasburg, Felix Hernandez, Mark Prior, Hideo Nomo, Kerry Wood, Al Leiter, Jose DeLeon, Gary Nolan, and Herb Score. Burns was the Reds' first-round draft pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. The right-hander has a 6.26 ERA in six games this season with Cincinnati to go along with 45 strikeouts. Despite the high ERA, Burns has pitched better than that number shows. He gave up five runs and recorded just one out against the Red Sox when he was thought to be tipping his pitches. You can see the full post below:
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