00:00New look, new vibes, new core.
00:03What's in store for the new season for the new New York Mets opening day?
00:07It's Thursday, folks.
00:08Let's get excited.
00:09So let's talk some Mets baseball with Ricky Ricardo of MLB DraftKings.
00:14Ricky, thanks for hopping on with us this morning.
00:17I got to get your thoughts on Mets opening day.
00:21We're going to get our first official look at the new New York Mets.
00:25What do you think?
00:26Where is this team's ceiling and where is their floor?
00:30That's a great question, but I watched plenty of them down in Port St.
00:35Lucie just a few weeks ago, and Carlos Mendoza is going to have this team ready.
00:40I'm a Mendy backer.
00:42Now, there's a lot of different pieces that are going to have to fit.
00:45Bo Bichette's going to be playing a new position.
00:48You've got a rookie in right field.
00:50The starting rotation has question marks.
00:53And Mets fans obviously were disappointed when Pete Alonso got away.
00:57So, you know, can Jorge Polanco be the solution at first base?
01:02It remains to be seen.
01:03Now, this roster is full of talent.
01:06I'm going to put my trust in Carlos Mendoza to be able to bring this group together.
01:11Obviously, Lindor's injury just in time.
01:14They caught it in time to be able to get him ready for the beginning of the season.
01:18But any team that's got Juan Soto, and obviously with me being a Yankee broadcaster and having gotten to know
01:24Juan Soto as much as I did a couple of years ago,
01:27when you've got a player of this caliber leading your team, you're always going to have a shot.
01:32I am one of those that believes in Carlos Mendoza.
01:37I will take the New York.
01:38As a matter of fact, I even like the Mets on opening day.
01:42The Mets have one of the greatest records of all time on opening day.
01:46They're untouchable, unbeatable on opening day.
01:48So, even with Paul Skeens, the tough, tough right-hander from the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitch for Team USA,
01:55obviously we know what Skeens is all about.
01:57He's the opponent on opening day, but my money on DraftKings, by a matter of fact, is on the Mets
02:05on opening day.
02:06And the Mets in a three-team race in the National League East with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta
02:13Braves,
02:13it'll come down to some key games in the month of September, especially against Philadelphia late in the season.
02:21That's where the division's going to be decided.
02:23I think eventually Atlanta falls off because of the injuries that they have to their pitching staff,
02:28and I see the Mets and Phillies battling it out, maybe all the way to the last week of the
02:34regular season
02:35into late September baseball, Mets, Phillies, turnpike tussle for the National League East.
02:40I absolutely love the positivity and the crystal ball you got, since you got the crystal ball.
02:45What I find love this year, will I get married within the next five years,
02:50because I like the predictions, and I like where the crystal ball is taking you.
02:54You talked about Mindy, Carlos Mendoza, you talked about Juan Soto.
02:58Those are two names that we talked about all throughout spring training,
03:01but the talk of spring training was Carson Bench.
03:05He's going to be making his MLB debut on Thursday.
03:08Could we be looking at the next potential star in the making in New York City?
03:15You know, what I like about this young man's entry into the spotlight is that he is coming in,
03:22he's flying under the radar, flying very low.
03:26It's not like this team is fully depending on this young man to carry them.
03:31They've got the Stars.
03:32They've got the Sotos.
03:34They've got the Lindors.
03:35They've got the Bo Bichettes.
03:37He can come in very quietly and go about learning from these top-notch pros,
03:43go about his business, and maybe the expectation levels aren't as high
03:48as compared to when other prospects come up,
03:52and the team is actually clinging or counting on their performance
03:56to be the one that puts them over the top.
03:58I think Carson Bench will be able to kind of fly under the radar
04:02and just do his thing without the kind of New York City pressure
04:07that a lot of rookies in the past have had to deal with.
04:11He's not the key guy.
04:13He can just be a key piece to the team, go along, improve.
04:17It's going to remind me of Jackson Churio, the very talented,
04:22very young Venezuelan player from the Milwaukee Brewers.
04:26They came in.
04:27They put him in at 19 years of age.
04:29They said, go ahead, play your game.
04:32We're not going to put any weight or pressure on you.
04:34I see a similar situation with Carson.
04:37Come in.
04:38Be the kind of player you are.
04:40You are not the linchpin.
04:42You're not the guy that has to carry the team.
04:44And so quietly, without a lot of pressure,
04:47I think he can reach his potential much quicker
04:50than if he were one of those prospects that had all the super hype
04:55and they were really, really counting on to put the team over the top.
04:58That's not the case with him.
05:00I think with all these other stars on the team,
05:03they will carry him instead of him having to carry anyone else.
05:07All right.
05:07It's almost like the reverse of a Jason Dominguez or Anthony Volpe
05:12coming up within the Yankee system.
05:14So kid doesn't have that much pressure, which is great.
05:17Just go out and ball.
05:19Be you.
05:19Go out.
05:20Just go have fun.
05:21And go have fun.
05:22They kick off the season.
05:24One of 162 regular season games kicks off on Thursday.
05:29Where do you have the Mets regular season win total at?
05:34Well, I'm looking at the Mets somewhere in the low 90s.
05:38Let's say anywhere between 91 and 94.
05:42I'll tell you what.
05:43What you should do is just download the DraftKings app, DraftKings Sportsbook,
05:47which is now in Spanish.
05:48You'll get all the Met numbers.
05:50You'll be able to pick and choose from anything you want with this New York Met team
05:55for the 2026 season.
05:58But as I said, I think the Mets and Phillies end up being the two that are left.
06:03The Braves, I think, can run with this pack for the regular season.
06:08But when it comes down to it, and there's some big series this year, the way the schedule
06:12works, late in September, look for Mets, Phillies, maybe in the last two weeks of the season
06:18to be the last two men standing and may the best team win.
06:22But I think that rivalry really gets heated up this year with New York and Philadelphia.
06:28I like it.
06:29It's fun baseball.
06:30It's exactly what you want in the pennant race.
06:33DraftKings has all the numbers for you.
06:35Download it, but I'm telling you, it's going to be Mets and Phillies down to the wire.
06:40And I will sign up for that any day of the week because if you're a New York guy, whether
06:46you're Giants, whatever, you hate Philadelphia.
06:49So I absolutely love that, that it can come down to the wire.
06:53Mets, Phillies is one thing, but can the Mets or will the Mets be any threat to the Dodgers
07:00or the Monstars if we're going Space Jam reference?
07:05Well, we were one Isaiah Kiner-Falefa base running mistake, in my opinion, should have
07:11had a bigger lead from scoring and knocking the Dodgers out.
07:16But when you're talking about a Shohei Otani, when you're talking about a Freddie Freeman,
07:21when you're talking about a Mookie Betts and now adding a Kyle Tucker on paper and Edwin
07:26Diaz, let's not forget the great Met closer who is now wearing, you know, Dodger blue.
07:31But the game is not played on paper.
07:35We know that.
07:36And just when you think there's a dynasty being formed, then another hungry team can jump up
07:43and bite you in the keister.
07:44I'm not automatically penciling in the Dodgers to be World Series champions.
07:49I think they've got challengers in the National League West with San Diego, even the Giants,
07:55who we'll see tonight against the Yankees.
07:57And I think long term, as 162 unfolds and develops, I think both Philadelphia and New York are capable
08:06of beating the Dodgers in a seven-game series.
08:09But we got to get there first.
08:11All right.
08:11Rick, appreciate you hopping on with us.
08:13And then, of course, we're going to get there first.
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