Mets fan shares "game plan" for getting autographs at spring training
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The start of spring training means plenty of people from the Tri-State Area are taking a getaway to Florida.
Typically, New York fans head to spring training to escape cold weather. But it's more of a reminder that baseball season is around the corner.
For Mets fans, it can't come soon enough.
"It brings you back to a childhood playing baseball. You see these guys doing the basics, and I talk to the players, the coaches. I said to them that's the drills we do back in Brooklyn. That's what I did as a kid in Prospect Park. And the coaches say to me, 'That's baseball,'" said Mike Anacrelico.
Spring training is work, but the players also embrace it as a time for fun.
"I try to carve out some time early on where I can have some one-on-one fan interaction and become accessible to the point where it's very hard to be during the season," said Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo.
"It makes me feel young again. It makes me feel like a kid, that's the best part of it. And you really can't get this experience back in New York," said Paulie Treyman, from Brooklyn.
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It may be just a few seconds for the players, but each autograph or picture gives the fans something extraordinary. Players are on every field, so one must have a game plan in order to get one.
"I stay in one position pretty much the whole time, because if you bounce all over you might not get one person," said 14-year-old Ryan Westby.
It paid off for Ryan, who got Francisco Lindor's autograph.
"It was really cool to be up front with him and see how strong he was, how athletic," he said.
Meanwhile, Friday was the third day of pitchers and catchers, and the team started to get into its routine.
The day started with the best sight for Mets fans: a look at their two aces pitching side by side.
Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer look primed to pick up where they left off last year. They each have three Cy Young awards, and both are sure-fire Hall of Famers. Most importantly, excellent post-season experience as they hope to lead the Mets through a big season.
The Mets are also expecting a big season from Nimmo. After all, they re-upped him on an eight-year deal to keep him in Queens.
Nimmo is the leadoff hitter, which is why one new rule could affect him the most; this year's bases will be three inches larger. That may not seem like much, but it can be the difference between a stolen base or getting thrown out.
It's a change that excites Nimmo because it allows him to be more aggressive as the team's table setter.
"You'd be surprised by the amount of safe and out calls that are made within the 1-3 inch margin, so it is going to play into how aggressive guys are on the bases now. It will be fun to see in spring training just how much of a difference it makes in the game," he said.
