Jim Maggiore

Spring Training with the Mets in Port St. Lucie Jim Maggiore

Since 1988 the New York Mets have used Port St. Lucie (a.k.a. "St. Lucie") as their spring training home. Loyal fans from Flushing and beyond have made an annual trek to the bucolic backfields of St. Lucie to literally walk in the footsteps of their baseball heroes. The theme of loyalty and patience fill these pages, as we take a pictorial history of the Mets in St. Lucie. Though undergoing some change through the years, the fields of St. Lucie have remained mostly unchanged, while the Mets have migrated through a variety of managing styles, ranging from the brashness of Davey Johnson, Dallas Green, and Bobby Valentine, to the humble demeanors of Jeff Torborg and Art Howe, to the humor-filled reign of Jerry Manuel, who became adept at substituting jokes for wins during his years managing the Mets. Today Terry Collins is at the helm of the team and for only the second time since training at St. Lucie, the team enters 2016 spring training fresh off an appearance in the World Series! While the post September 11th 2001 era ushered in increased privacy for the players, the St. Lucie complex still ranks extremely high in "fan friendliness." In turning these pages, you not only revisit the Mets of yesteryear, but you also get a glimpse of the changing nature of the game, as well as the changing face of the nation.