Mets Daily Discussion Thread - January 17, 2025

Good morning!

Dario Álvarez turns 35 today. He made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2014 and pitched for the team in 2014 and 2015. He was claimed off waivers by the Braves and last saw MLB action in 2017 at age 28. He spent the next few years in the Mexican League before retiring form pitching after the 2023 season at age 33.

Don Zimmer was born on this date in 1931. He was a veteran infielder who was a member of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers and Cubs before joining the 1962 Mets. On July 7, 1953, he was playing in AAA when he was beaned in the head by Columbus pitcher Jim Kirk; MLB later adopted mandatory batting helmets as a safety measure. Zimmer mostly played as a utility player with the Dodgers and Cubs. He was a member of the 1962 Mets, until he was traded in May 1962 to Cincinnati for Cliff Cook and Bob Miller. In January 1963, Zimmer was traded to the Dodgers for minor leaguer Scott Breeden and the Reds replaced him with some young player named Pete Rose. After retiring from playing, he became a coach and manager, managing the Padres, Red Sox, Rangers and Cubs. He was manager of the Red Sox in 1978 which collapsed in September. Zimmer would go on to manage the Cubs when they won the NL East in 1984 and won NL Manager of the Year award in 1989. He would be a Yankees coach from 1996 to 2003 (during the 2003 ALCS, the benches cleared and Pedro Martínez threw Zimmer to the ground) and worked as a senior advisor for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2004 to 2014. On June 4, 2014, Zimmer died at age 83 in Dunedin, Florida, from heart and kidney problems.

r/baseball has opened their fan voting for the mock Hall of Fame ballot until January 19th

Feel free to discuss whatever you want in this thread.