Zeile replacing Figueroa on SNY shows
The Mets’ roster has company in receiving an offseason makeover, The Post has learned.
The team’s pre- and postgame shows on SNY will have a new lead analyst, as Todd Zeile is replacing Nelson Figueroa, according to sources. The 53-year-old Zeile has been a longtime favorite of Mets owner Jeff Wilpon.
Figueroa, 44, is expected to remain with the network in a yet still undefined role. He could pop up on the pre- and postgame, like Jim Duquette does on occasion. SNY also has its daily “Baseball Night in New York” and “SportsNite” shows, where Figueroa could likely appear. SNY declined comment. Gary Apple is expected to remain as the Mets’ pre- and postgame host.
Zeile only played two seasons with the Mets, but they were memorable to anyone 30 or older, as he was the first baseman on the 2000 NL champions.
In the infamous Subway Series Game 1 Timo Perez play, it was Zeile who sent a ball off the top of the leftfield wall in the sixth inning with two outs. Perez did not initially break hard on contact, allowing Derek Jeter to throw him out at the plate to end the inning. The Yankees won Game 1 and the World Series in five.
Zeile was also a big part of the 2001 team that didn’t win anything, but left a positive impression with how it conducted it following the Sept. 11 attacks. He had a very solid 16-year career. His daughter, Hannah, stars on NBC’s “This is Us.”