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The 23-year-old who perhaps is the Mets’ catcher of the future does not pride himself most on his bat, his legs, his glove or his arm. Instead, what he focuses on above all else is the other end of the pitcher-catcher battery. It’s not enough to mash baseballs or to throw out runners at a prolific rate when half the job is to make sure the pitcher can do his. If Yadier Molina believes that, then so does Tomas Nido. Nido, an eighth-round pick out of high school in Florida in 2012, steadily is moving his way through the Mets system with tangible stats that reflect he is a legitimate prospect. But where he tries to separate himself is the bond he builds with his pitching staff at Double-A Binghamton. It’s a focus that felt justified upon meeting the most respected catcher in baseball. “The first time I ever met Yadi, the first thing he asked me was what kind of relationship I had with my pitchers,” Nido said over the phone about the Cardinals catcher, whom he lists as an idol and...

Justin Holiday Getty Images MORE ON: NEW YORK KNICKS Knicks center on experimental contract aims for permanent gig The Knicks' future point guard wants their old one back What Knicks execs were really laughing at in Carmelo video Derrick Rose gets first whiff of free-agency interest ORLANDO, Fla. — The Knicks’ second-round draft pick, 6-foot-6 guard Damyean Dotson, has flashed his 3-point prowess and a body ready for the NBA here at summer league. Which is a good thing since Justin Holiday, their backup shooting guard last season, is gone, according to a source. Holiday agreed to a two-year, $9 million deal Sunday with the Bulls, who originally dispatched him to the Knicks in last summer’s Derrick Rose trade. A source said the Knicks never made a formal offer to retain Holiday. The Knicks had the edge over other teams because they could have used part of their early-Bird exception ($8 million per season) on Holiday to soar over the salary cap....

ORLANDO, Fla. — Knicks free agent Derrick Rose was far from summer league Monday —  visiting the Bucks in Milwaukee  on a recruiting trip. While the Knicks wait to see Rose’s market value in their attempt to sign a veteran point guard, their French lottery pick, Frank Ntilikina, would be happy to have him as a mentor. “He’s the youngest MVP of the NBA history, I can learn from him,’’ Ntilikina said after missing his third straight summer league game with a knee bruise. “It would be good. He’s done a lot of things in his career. For sure it would be good. I’m not controlling what management is doing. I trust the management and the coaching staff to do what’s best for the team.’’ The Knicks need a veteran starting point guard because they don’t believe Ntilikina will be ready when he turns 19 this month. They also are trying to get younger and Rose, 29, has undergone four knee surgeries in six years. Former Knicks president Phil Jackson appeared very open to bringing hi...

ORLANDO, Fla. — Knicks center Luke Kornet is one of the NBA pioneers — signed to the new two-way contract found in the brand-new collective bargaining agreement. The 7-foot-1 undrafted Vanderbilt center’s 3-point shooting and rim protection have been impressive enough in three games of summer league that he’s actually shooting to revise that contract after training camp and earn a regular NBA contract. Kornet is 9-of-15 from the 3-point line. In the Knicks’ 99-87 loss to Oklahoma City on Monday, Kornet registered four blocked shots and finished with nine points and four rebounds in 21 minutes. “I am definitely confident in myself and I have a lot to add to a team,’’ Kornet said. “That’s on my mind to show I’m worth a top-15 roster spot. That’s honestly my goal still to show I can contribute to an NBA team. That’s the biggest thing going into training camp.’’ For now, he’s a guinea pig as the NBA’s new rule gives teams more chances to develop young talent. Each team now will ha...

Monday afternoon began at Yankee Stadium with much fanfare surrounding Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, two players at the center of the Yankees’ much-heralded youth movement. The spotlight is well-deserved, but Masahiro Tanaka reminded everyone in The Bronx why he’s so important to whatever hopes the Yankees have this season. The right-hander delivered his third consecutive solid start in a 6-3 win over the Blue Jays, giving up just one run over seven innings despite a wildly haphazard strike zone from home-plate umpire Jerry Meals. Tanaka left after seven innings with a one-run lead, having struck out eight and walked just one. “I feel better out there,” Tanaka said through an interpreter. And he had no explanation for why he’s been throwing 2-3 mph harder in his three most recent outings than earlier in the year. “I don’t know [why],” Tanaka said. “It’s coming naturally. Sometimes I look up at the board and am surprised by the velocity.” His teammates don’t care why he’s...

Beached! Hangin’ with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at one of the many state beaches marked “CLOSED” for the peasants and peons under his rule. All in all a great day. Played a little Frisbee, got out the metal detectors, threatened some people who thought the beach was open and enjoyed a nice lunch. And no road closures heading home. Thank You. … Joey Chestnut and rival Matt Stonie go dog-for-dog at Coney Island today. From what I saw this weekend the Governor could give them a run for their money. … Where’s Kobayashi? Better yet, where’s JPP? Spending the holiday in Cleveland. Corey Kluber has treated us well this year. Struck out a dozen Rangers last week. Went 4-0 in June with a 1.25 ERA. Padres not likely to get his July off to a bad start. 20 units on the Indians. Fireworks over St Louis. Cards scored a pair of touchdowns and filleted the Marlins 14-6. Adam Wainwright (2 RBIs) was better at the plate than he was on the rubber. Profits jumped to 1,701 nathans.

CC Sabathia was pitching as well as just about anyone in baseball in the month before he went down with a strained left hamstring in June. With the way the Yankees have played — and pitched — lately, they need the lefty to pick up where he left off on Tuesday when he returns from the disabled list. “I feel good,” Sabathia said Monday before the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 6-3 at the Stadium. “I’m ready to go.” Sabathia came out of his outing June 13 after giving up just an unearned run to the Angels. Including that start, Sabathia is 5-0 with a 0.99 ERA in his last six appearances. “When I first got hurt, I didn’t know how long I was gonna miss,” Sabathia said. “To be able to be back in three weeks is a big deal.” Joe Girardi agreed. “I think it’s important,” the manager said. “CC was one of those guys who was a stopper all year long for us, pitching at an extremely high level.”

After a red-hot April, Headley has regressed, producing a pedestrian .255/.348/.378 slash line with a .722 OPS. But Monday night, Headley backed up Cashman’s words of support with a two-hit, three-RBI performance, helping the Yankees to  a 6-3 victory over the Blue Jays  at the Stadium to kick off a six-game homestand. Headley plated the game’s first run by getting hit by a Marcus Stroman pitch with the bases loaded in the first, singled in the fourth inning and plated two key insurance runs in the Yankees’ four-run eighth with a double down the right-field line. “I got a mistake and I was able to hit it in the right-field corner,” he said. It was his first game with three RBIs since May 20, and just his third of the season. He even ended the game with a sliding catch of a Russell Martin line drive down the third-base line. He also had scored from second base in the eighth on Ronald Torreyes’ fielder’s choice in which catcher Luke Maile dropped reliever Ryan Tepera’s th...

New York teen Timothy Weah — son of one of the most famous soccer players in history — is following in his father’s footsteps. The young striker inked his first professional contract with Paris Saint-Germain, the club where his dad, George Weah, became a superstar. A right-sided attacking player, Weah was born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens and even played in the New York Red Bulls’ academy. But he’ll start his professional career with the same team where his father, George, and brother George Jr. played. He joined PSG’s academy three years ago and signed his first pro deal Monday. “I am very proud to continue the adventure,” Weah, 17, told PSG’s team website. “I am at a great club, and I cannot wait to continue to progress toward my goal of one day playing for the senior side.” Weah lived in Valley Stream until he was 4, briefly moving to Florida before return to New York and settling in Queens. After excelling for the Red Bulls academy in 2013-14 — where he was teammates with c...

Aaron Judge has cut a Ruthian swath through baseball’s first half of the season, and to that point, could anyone imagine the Babe turning down the chance to participate in a hypothetical 1927 Home Run Derby? There is as much chance of that as the Bambino rejecting an offer of a six-pack of brews and a fistful of hot dogs on any day of the week ending with a “y.” Now, generations later, we will all rise — or, alternately, all sit in front of our televisions, tablets and other streaming devices — when the Yankees’ larger-than-life linear descendant in right field takes part in Monday’s Home Run Derby in Miami, a day before the All-Star Game. Of course, Judge is all-in on this promotional extravaganza, his formal declaration announced before Monday’s 6-3 win at the Stadium against the Blue Jays. Given a choice, No. 99 never had a choice. For while it may be a stretch to suggest that Judge’s presence in this more-or-less silly event that was created in 1985 to pump the ratings for E...