Mets Amazin’ Day Lived Up to the Name

Last Saturday, I got the exciting news from Mike Mayer I was approved to cover the 2025 Amazin’ Day at Citi Field.

Sure, it also meant I had to wake up at 6:30 A.M. to drive down from Connecticut, but who wouldn’t be ecstatic about the chance to directly speak to the players, managers of present and past, and get a free ticket to a must-experience event held by the Mets.

The event lasted from 9:30 A.M. to 6:30 P.m., which might seem like a long time to be at Citi Field and not experience one apple raise or fan dressed as Grimace. But despite a long run time, the experience was never dull.

Below I listed my biggest takeaways from Amazin’ Day.

Fan Experience

The biggest and most influential takeaway from Saturday was the fan experience. Steve Cohen has stated fan engagement was of importance when he took over the Mets, and he put on a show for everyone who attended this special event.

Citi Field was open from the Jackie Robinson Rotunda to the Excelsior Level (301-339), and was decked out with numerous activities. Autograph sessions were held, where former, current, and minor league players were available to fans throughout the day.

The Mets also opened a “Meet the Mets Memorabilia” pop-up museum in the Press Conference Room, which was decked out in memorabilia throughout Mets history. It was a nice homage for fans of all ages, whether you wanted to reminisce or learn about your favorite team’s past.

One overlooked fan experience of Saturday took place in the Caesars Sportsbook Club on the Excelsior Level. The Mets set up VR (virtual reality) headsets to simulate players’ swings and take at-bats from home plate at Citi Field, which if you ask my fellow technological brothers and me, seemed like a fun time.

If you splurged on the $950 ticket for VIP access, your family was treated to even more fun activities and access to the stadium. The Delta Sky360 Club was opened to those with the pass, where players, alumni, and coaches were there to meet and socialize.

VIP members were also given all-day access to the VIP Lounge, located in the Ownership Suite. I was told ownership, players, and alumni were also down in the lounge, but I unfortunately didn’t have the time to check it out.

Of course, you wouldn’t be a VIP without perks to the day. Those members were given fast passes for autograph sessions, priority seating for programming, and a package featuring a limited edition Amazin’ Day Poster, lanyard, and credential. Again, I unfortunately didn’t have time to personally witness these events of signings, but it looked like a semi-long wait for such events without VIP access.

The most substantial, and controversial, fan experience of the day was the programming panels. Steve Cohen knocked this idea out of the park (pun intended), having former players from years past talk about former experiences as a Met, and current and future Mets talk about their expectations for 2025.

These panels were hosted by Gary Cohen, Steve Gelbs, and Jay Horwitz, and all three did an excellent job. My personal favorite panel moment came from Jon Niese, who quipped about being on the 2015 panel with David Wright and Matt Harvey.

Of course, the controversy came via panel that featured Steve Cohen and David Stearns. The two talked about Pete Alonso‘s looming free agency, in which boos occurred. I have opinions, but this is a happy article, and I don’t want to get in trouble.

Pete Alonso and Prospects

Alonso was a current theme of Amazin’ Day.

The free-agent first baseman was talked about at the aforementioned panel. David Stearns gave a logical response. Fans booed. Steve Cohen was then honest. We’ll all move on. Right?

“I don’t like the negotiations,” Cohen told the fans at the panel. “I don’t like what’s being presented to us.”

But the talk of Alonso was apparent with the players in the Press Box media events. The questions about him started bright and early at 9:30 A.M., and every player who took part in the 2024 season was more or less asked the same question: Have you spoken to Pete? What do you think about his free agency?

“Thinking about you,” Francisco Lindor said when asked about his personal text message to Alonso. “Hope you’re doing well.”

“I hope he comes back,” Edwin Díaz told the media. “But if he doesn’t come back, we wish him the best. Pete is a great person, great teammate, great clubhouse leader. We’ll see what happens.”

The other response to Pete came via the prospects. Stearns was at the forefront in supporting the upcoming players, saying he was confident in their ability to play a big role in 2025.

“We also feel really good about the young players who are coming through our system,” Stearns said responding to the possibility of Alonso leaving. “And (they) have the ability to play at the major league level. We saw that last year and that’s not the most popular opinion. We saw that last year and we’re going to see that again.”

It’s also important to clarify that Stearns stated he is interested in a reunion with Alonso.

“We all love Pete. And we’ve said that many times. I think as we’ve gone through this process, we’ve continued to express that. We also understand that this is a business and Pete as a free agent deserves the right and has the right, earned the privilege really, to see what’s out there.”

Merch!

What would Amazin’ Day be without the swag?

All fans had a chance to buy some Saturday, with exceptional deals as well. The stores had 50% discounts, and even featured up to 80% discounts on some t-shirts and postseason merch.

There were excellent deals all around, and I hope those who attended took the opportunity to add to their game-day wardrobe.

I’ll throw this here as well, but the Mets also introduced a new road jersey for the 2025 season. It’s an homage to the old road jerseys from the 90s, with a script New York across the center. You can see the jersey by clicking here.

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