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On March 2nd, I landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on a brief trip to be a part of Spring Training with the New York Mets and Team Israel Baseball before the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
The two hour drive to West Palm Beach gave me a chance to reflect on my favorite Mets moments, as it has been my dream to attend Mets Spring Training in Port St. Lucie since I was a kid. The last time I attended Spring Training was for my 12th birthday, and I quickly became the coolest 7th grader for missing a week of class to watch baseball in Florida.
Spring Training gives prospects an opportunity to showcase their skills and make a name for themselves within the organization. It is a time for players to break out, get on the radar of the big league coaches, and learn from the seasoned veterans and knowledgeable rookies.
When I arrived at Clover Park at 11 p.m. – home of the St. Lucie Mets and the Spring Training facility of the big league club – I got chills as all the memories came flooding back. Being back at Clover Park was magical. Everything felt so familiar, and the lit-up stadium contributed to its aura.
My invitation to Spring Training came from the opportunity to be Team Israel’s bat girl. As a bat girl, I would run onto the field and pick up the players’ bats and protective gear after every at-bat that either ended in a hit or a walk. This allowed me to live out one of my childhood dreams of being able to “play” on the field with my favorite players. I received my own uniform and I felt like I was a part of the team.
Before the game, I was in the outfield during batting practice (BP) and talked to players while attempting to shag fly balls and launch them into the infield.
The first player from Team Israel who interacted with me was Phillies pitcher Max Lazar, who spoke to me about his experience facing Mets’ star Francisco Lindor. Lindor hit a home run off of him, and I said to Lazar that it was a future Hall of Famer.
Playing catch on the field and sharing a dugout with the league’s players was a surreal experience. Before the game, I got goosebumps as I stood on the line with all the players as the national anthems played over the stadium speakers.
Earlier that day I met up with Jackson Cluff, a prospect in the Mets organization. Prior to my trip, he let me know his schedule and when we should meet up. I saw him and other Mets infielders and outfielders doing base running drills. When he saw me he immediately shot me a wave and a big smile. After he completed his drills, he jogged over to me, said hello, and told me he had to rush over to the next practice. On his way out, he tossed me a baseball and told me to meet up with him again later. Other fans around me noticed our interaction and were curious about who the player was and how we knew each other.
Several years ago, I interviewed Cluff for my blog and have since kept a relationship with him. Unfortunately, I was unable to see him again before the game, so he sent the Mets’ ball boy over to the Team Israel dugout to give me a pair of batting gloves, which was a surprise.
As other pitchers finished their training and left the field I was able to fist-bump them and wish them luck on the upcoming season. Just before walking away, Joe Jacques – another one of my interviewees who made his MLB debut a couple of seasons ago – came over to me. I told him that it was nice to see him in blue and orange, and that I hoped to see him in Queens this year.
While standing on the field with the players during the national anthems in full uniform, I realized that this trip was more than a visit to Mets’ Spring Training. It was a reminder of why I fell in love with baseball, and proof that some childhood dreams do come true. In that moment, I felt a step closer to another dream of mine: becoming a sportswriter and sharing the stories behind the game I have loved since I was a kid.
