Mets Roster: Getting to know Francisco Lindor and the rest of the new guys

Meet the Mets: James McCann

From the moment that James McCann first became a Met, it was evident that he is a family man through and through. In his edition of Marysol Castro’s “getting to know you” interviews with the new Mets acquisitions, he revealed that he found out about the Mets signing becoming official while he was making pancakes for his two twin boys.

Later in the interview, he discussed how his twin boys were born 10 weeks premature, and how they inspired him and his wife Jessica to give back.

“We spent seven weeks in the Vanderbilt NICU with them. . . through the Christmas time, so we saw a lot of things while we were there. We knew at that moment in our lives that this was kind of our calling, and this was where we were going to use our platform to give back.”

Since that ordeal, the McCanns have gotten very involved at that children’s hospital, helping parents who are going through similar situations with premature babies. They plan to continue this involvement with New York-area hospitals for the duration of McCann’s time with the Mets.

Long before McCann was a major leaguer, he played in the same Little League as Jeff McNeil in southern California. The two got a chance to catch up at the 2019 All-Star game, which was the first All-Star selection for both players. Their reunion prompted the following photo, which McNeil shared on social media after McCann’s signing became official.

Though McCann’s most recent big league stop was in Chicago, he told Castro that he prefers New York-style pizza to Chicago deep dish. He later discussed his love of barbecue and that he loves deer hunting during the offseason. New teammates Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and David Peterson have all posted about various offseason hunting trips on their social media accounts, so it seems like McCann will be in good company there.

In slight contrast to his new teammate, Francisco Lindor, McCann also discussed his love for country music, and noted that he and his wife enjoy watching The Blacklist on TV, though they never watch it separately when McCann is on the road.

Finally, McCann answered the question that Mets fans, presumably, have all pondered on their own. . . Is a hot dog a sandwich?

“No, it’s a hot dog,” said McCann. There you have it, folks. Our new catcher has spoken.

Above all else, more so than his food or music preferences, McCann emphasized his commitment to being the hardest worker on any team he has ever been a part of, including his new team in Queens.

“The thing about me that I would love every fan to know is that there is no one who’s ever going to out-work me. I know the expectations that come with playing in New York, but as high as they may be, there’s no one with higher expectations for my performance than myself. . . No one will be more prepared than I will be,” said McCann to conclude his interview with Castro.

Mets fans have to like what they’ve heard so far from their new catcher. I look forward to seeing how his off-the-field work ethic and personality will translate into on-field success.