Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo welcome Mets Assistant GM Ben Zauzmer to Episode 10 of The Mets Pod, SNY’s podcast covering all things New York Mets. Connor and Joe talk to Ben about his time with the Dodgers, and what successful elements he saw in Los Angeles that can translate to New York. They also discuss the growth of the Mets research and development department, how analytics are used throughout the organization, the day-to-day of an assistant GM, and owner Steve Cohen’s focus on ways to build the Mets over the long-term. Ben also reveals the work behind his “Oscarmetrics” offseason project, a statistical model that correctly predicted 19 out of 20 Academy Awards last year! Connor and Joe also cover the early Mets returns from their West Coast trip, and open the Mailbag to answer a question about the defensive development of catching prospect Francisco Alvarez. Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

Today’s Show:

0:00 Mets Assistant GM Ben Zauzmer joins the show and big news about The Mets Pod

1:55 Recapping some wins on the West Coast

4:45 JD Davis and Eduardo Escobar might be getting hot

5:25 Joe’s funny story about Eduardo Escobar hitting for the cycle

7:05 Mets Assistant GM Ben Zauzmer joins the show

7:20 Mets vs Dodgers series

8:10 What worked for the Dodgers organization that can work for the Mets

9:15 Balance of data analytics and traditional scouting

10:38 Mets growth in research and development

12:08 Describing the day-to-day for the assistant GMs

13:52 Collaborating on the MLB Draft

16:10 Steve Cohen’s focus on technology and development short and long term

17:40 Ben Zauzmer’s “Oscarmetrics” – predicting the Academy Awards

21:50 Mailbag: Is Francisco Alvarez developing defensively?

23:45 Mailbag: Would you sign up for only 1 guaranteed Mets World Series win in 10 years?