Meet at the Apple

About Meet at the Apple

Meet at the Apple with your hosts Vito Calise (@VitoFCalise) and Jonathan Baron (@JMB9191) every Monday and Thursday with exclusive access to the Mets! This is not your everyday baseball podcast; you can get the stats anywhere… Here you’ll get an inside look into the players you love to watch beyond the diamond highlighted by a weekly appearance by Mets manager, Carlos Mendoza!

Publisher

MLB.com

Category

sports

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Feb 2024

Latest episode

12 Nov 2025

Latest episodes

208 of 247 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   12 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Elian Pena Talks His Biggest Influences, Takeaways From Early Struggles and Why He Thinks He’s The Best

   Meet at the Apple presented by PC Richard & Son brings you inside the 2025 Mets Player Development Awards at Citi Field.Vito Calise and Jon Baron sit down with two of the organization’s most exciting young talents — Elian Peña, the DSL Position Player of the Year, and Osiris Calvo, the DSL Pitcher of the Year. Peña opens up about choosing the Mets, rebounding from early struggles, his family motivation, and why he believes he can “pass Rafael Devers.”Calvo discusses his comeback from injury, modeling his game after Clayton Kershaw, and what makes the Mets’ Dominican Academy truly elite. Plus, Vito and Jon recap the awards, highlight the rising depth of the farm system, and shout out the staff driving the Mets’ player development success. 🔵 Presented by PC Richard & Son⚾️ New episodes every week — subscribe for more Mets interviews and behind-the-scenes access. 00:00 – Elian Peña on comparisons to Rafael Devers00:31 – Player Development Awards intro01:48 – The “Trickle-Up” effect in the Mets farm02:41 – Introducing Elian Peña interview03:02 – Peña on signing with the Mets03:52 – Why the Mets stood out to him04:09 – “I can pass Rafael Devers”04:25 – Breaking out after a slow start05:17 – Learning from early struggles06:06 – Off-field life: family & gaming06:44 – Idolizing Carlos González07:18 – Fans following his journey early08:15 – His first big purchases after signing08:38 – Coming stateside next season08:58 – Off-season training goals09:17 – Mets Academy’s support system10:01 – Closing thoughts on Peña10:20 – Recapping Peña’s meteoric rise11:19 – Transition to Osiris Calvo12:05 – The importance of education & English lessons13:06 – Osiris Calvo joins the show13:30 – Experience in New York13:52 – Pitching success & focus14:17 – Battling back from injury14:49 – Life at the Mets Academy15:13 – Pitch mix and mentality15:35 – Growing up idolizing Manny Machado16:00 – Bonds among prospects in the Dominican Academy16:23 – Dreaming of Citi Field17:15 – Outro / Review reminder17:59 – Player development staff shoutouts18:57 – Future of the Mets system19:12 – PC Richard & Son ad read19:35 – Closing: “Thanks for meeting us at the Apple” 🕒 Chapters / Timestamps Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2. 

   23 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Nick Morabito on 49 Steals, a Ring in Bing, and the Mets’ Next Wave

   Nick Morabito joins Meet at the Apple from the Arizona Fall League to talk about Binghamton’s championship season, stacking 49 steals (and why 50 slipped away), how the clubhouse kept rolling through big mid-season promotions, and why Mets fans should be very excited for 2026 and beyond. We also hit AFL life (housemates, no dishwasher!), that “Morabito at Mirabito” commercial, and his day meeting big leaguers like Nimmo, Alvarez, Alonso & Mendoza. Presented by PC Richard & Son.Chapters + clip pulls below 👇 and make sure to subscribe for weekly episodes! 🕒 CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome + setup; Nick joins from AFL (Arizona)00:22 “That day at Citi”: meeting Nimmo, Alvarez, Alonso, Mendoza; windy Queens OF talk01:37 Binghamton title ride: April → clinch 1st half → record → clinch 2nd → win in Erie03:08 Morabito’s game: get on, steal, score; back-to-back impact seasons03:51 Growth since 2023: “this game is really hard” & bouncing back from failure05:18 Perfect Swings USA: uncle’s cage built the swing; lifelong routine06:01 49 steals… not 50 (and the 59→60 story from 2024)07:25 Coming up with Jacob Reimer; “hitting is contagious”08:45 Replacing stars after promotions (Clifford, Jett, Tong, McLean) & still winning10:35 AFL house life: close to field, lots of 2K, no dishwasher 😅11:46 Playing behind Jonah Tong = “off day” in the OF; strikeout city12:37 On the jump to Triple-A: advice from teammates13:41 Why Mets fans should be excited: farm system “exploded” in 202514:59 AFL chemistry + learning from other orgs16:00 “Morabito at Morabito” commercial, ESPN-style spots17:00 Who should we have on next? (AJ Ewing, Jacob Reimer, DeAndre Smith… Chris)17:44 Halloween costume ideas (DC “presidents” bit)18:59 PC Richard & Son sponsor close + invite to a live in-store show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3. 

   3 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Mets 2025 Season Recap: What Went Wrong… and Why 2026 Can Be Special

   We break down the Mets’ 2025 season: the spring-to-Fall injury cascade (Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, Tylor Megill), short starts that gassed the bullpen, an offense that exploded on the wrong nights, and the knife-edge one-run record flip from 2024 to 2025. Then we pivot to why 2026 looks legit: Lindor + Soto (the 30-30 boys), Alvarez’s core-piece trajectory, Brett Baty’s step forward, and a wave of arms (Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong) plus fast-rising names like Jonathan Santucci, Zach Thornton, Will Watson, and more. We also talk minor-league titles (Binghamton/High-A) and how the Mets’ pitching lab + development investments are starting to show up on the mound.Chapters below. Drop your biggest “if this one play went differently…” moment in the comments. 00:00 Cold open + 5-star ask / Offseason vibe00:40 “Frustrating” becomes the word of 202501:07 ’07 vs 2025: collapse vs slow burn02:13 Game 162 sting & what this episode will (and won’t) be03:16 Where it went wrong: injuries + short starts → bullpen strain05:10 Spring injuries: Montas, Manaea; build-up never right06:32 Megill’s underrated absence; rushing kids (Tong)07:59 Bullpen dings: Reed Garrett, A.J. Minter; Brooks steps up08:18 Offense paradox: big totals, wrong nights to go quiet09:31 The six “shoulda” games (Aug–Sept)11:37 0 walk-offs: ninth-inning almosts that never landed12:25 The agony of one game short13:49 Bring back Game 163? Why it matters16:40 One-run game regression: 2024 vs 202520:08 Which losses hurt more? Blown leads vs late surrenders20:51 Bad batted-ball luck examples (Alonso 162, etc.)24:15 We’re not doing scapegoats—big-picture path ahead26:10 Why 2026 can pop: Soto/Lindor locked, Alvarez core27:35 Prospect rocket fuel: McLean, Sproat, Tong, Jack Winokur, Santucci, more30:12 Winning in the minors (High-A & AA champs) → pipeline effects31:11 Syracuse in ’26 could be stacked (Williams, Clifford, Benge, Morabito, Ewing)36:04 Pitching silver linings: Clay Holmes stretch-out, David Peterson innings base38:07 Expecting a Manaea bounce-back with a full build38:30 Which kids break camp? McLean’s case, Sproat/Tong lessons43:32 Inside the lab: why stuff jumps (McLean’s fastball shape)46:16 Wrap: brutal year, but pieces are lining up49:05 Thank yous + offseason programming + PC Richard & Son read TimeStamps Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inside a recent episode

Elian Pena Talks His Biggest Influences, Takeaways From Early Struggles and Why He Thinks He’s The Best

Published 12 Nov 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And I learned that I'm not going to give up that no matter what, no matter how hard the time is going to be, I'm not going to give up. I'm never going to give up on myself. I'm going to continue to work, and I'm going to continue to do everything that I need to do. During those moments, I still went to the gym. I still hit. My head was held high, and I said, it doesn't matter what happens that tomorrow is another day. So tomorrow could be a better day, so that's kind of the way that I was able to put into perspective each and every day. Well, that's definitely the mentality you have to have playing this game. […]

Who has been a guest on Meet at the Apple

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Carlos Mendoza
• Francisco Lindor
• Reed Garrett
• Edwin Díaz
• David Peterson

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

105,414,715

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.3 / 5

124 ratings

Spotify

4.8 / 5

82 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 71 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

69

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

90

Questions about Meet at the Apple