Photo by Ed Delany, MMN
On Wednesday, former New York Mets pitcher Frank Viola announced on Twitter he was leaving the organization after being the pitching coach for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in 2018 and eight seasons overall as a coach.
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported that Binghamton hitting coach Val Pascucci, St. Lucie Mets pitching Marc Valdes and Kingsport Mets manager Sean Ratliff will not be returning to the Mets organization for the 2019 season.
Pascucci, part of 2011 Mets squad, coached in the Mets system for five season including his last two at Double-A Binghamton. He retired in 2013 and started his coaching career the next season with the Savannah Sand Gnats.
Valdes was in the Mets sytem for 12 years while spending the last three as the pitching coach for the Advanced-A St. Lucie Mets. He played in part of six major league seasons.
The 31-year-old Ratliff is done after one season as the manager of the rookie level Kingsport Mets. Previously he had served as the hitting coach for the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2017 and the same role for Kingsport the two prior seasons. The former Mets prospect had his playing career ended after getting hit by a foul ball while in the on-deck circle that broke six bones and required four surgeries.
