Bradenton 5, St. Lucie 4

Willy Garcia drilled a bases loaded walk-off single to right off of reliever T.J. Chism as the host Bradenton Marauders defeated the Mets 5-4 on Friday.

Jenrry Mejia allowed two runs and five hits over three innings with three walks and six strikeouts in his first start on a major league rehab assignment with St. Lucie. Mejia had originally been scheduled to make an earlier rehab start, and he did – where he pitched two innings, but it was rained out so the stats were a wash…no pun intended. Mejia threw 61 pitches, 41 for strikes.

Chism allowed a leadoff single to Benji Gonzalez in the ninth and then served up a double by Gregory Polanco. After an intentional walk to Jose Osuna, Chism struck out Dan Gamache. Garcia followed with a line-drive single to score Gonzalez with the winning run.

The Mets trailed 3-1 entering the eighth inning, but rallied for three runs with two outs. Matt Reynolds drew a four-pitch walk. Dustin Lawley ripped an RBI triple to center and scored the tying run on an errant throw into the dugout by shortstop Alen Hanson. Aderlin Rodriguez launched his seventh homer of the season, a go-ahead solo shot to right-center to give the Mets a 4-3 lead.

Garcia hit a game-tying home run to right off of Mets reliever Chasen Bradford in the eighth.

Jim Fuller allowed one run over three innings in relief and Bradford allowed one run over two innings.

Lawley had two hits and two RBIs, including a solo homer in the sixth.

Key Stats

Jenrry Mejia: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 6 K

Jim Fuller: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 2 K

Chasen Bradford: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 1 ER, 3 K

T.J. Chism : 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 1 K

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-4, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

(Team Report)

Brevard County 4, St. Lucie 3

Brevard County held off a Mets rally in the ninth for a 4-3 victory on Wednesday at Space Coast Stadium.

The Mets trailed 4-2 entering the ninth. Aderlin Rodriguez and Travis Taijeron had back-to-back singles to open up the inning. After Charley Thurber‘s sacrifice bunt, Cam Maron had an RBI groundout to cut the deficit to 4-3. With Taijeron at third and two outs, Seth Harvey struck out Gilbert Gomez to end the game.

The Mets committed five costly errors in the field, leading to two runs for the Manatees.

Alex Panteliodis suffered the loss despite allowing two earned runs in six innings and scattered seven hits while striking out six.

T.J. Rivera‘s RBI single to center scored Charley Thurber in the third inning to tie the score. The Manatees had a two-run fourth inning and an added a run in the fifth. Rodriguez ripped an RBI double to right-center to score Matt Reynolds from first to cut the deficit to 4-2 in the sixth. Wanel Mesa pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings while Carlos Vazquez retired two batters in the eighth and was able to escape a bases loaded jam.

The Mets will visit the Manatees on Thursday at 6:35 p.m. Noah Syndergaard will make the start for the Mets.

Key Stats

Aderlin Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R

Cam Maron: 1-for-2, 1 2B, 2 BB, 1 RBI

Charley Thurber: 1-for-3, 1 R

T.J. Rivera: 1-for-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI

Alex Panteliodis: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 0 BB, 4 R, 2 ER, 6 K

Wanel Vasquez: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 2 K

Carlos Vazquez: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

(Team Report)

Brevard County 6, St. Lucie 5

Hansel Robles did not look like himself out there at all for the St. Lucie Mets on Monday, but he was able to keep his posture and bend, not break over the course of five innings. He walked four batters, allowed four hits, and made an errant throw on a pick-off and he still allowed only two runs.

The Mets put a few runs on the board for Robles while he was on the mound, via an RBI triple by Dustin Lawley in the first and an Aderlin Rodriguez RBI single in the third.

Dustin Lawley and Travis Taijeron both went deep in the bottom of the fifth to give St. Lucie a temporary 4-2 lead. It all got shot to hell in the top of the seventh, however, where Chasen Bradford allowed four runs off five hits in the frame, with four of them going for extra bases.

St. Lucie did bang out twelve hits overall, though, including a last-ditch few in the ninth that led to a run.

Key Stats

Robbie Shields: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 R

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-5, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 2-for-5, 1 RBI

Travis Taijeron: 2-for-3, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 1 RBI, 1 R

Rylan Sandoval: 3-for-5

Hansel Robles: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

Jim Fuller: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Chasen Bradford: 1.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 K

Hamilton Bennett: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Carlos Vazquez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

Palm Beach 7, St. Lucie 3

St Lucie’s six game winning streak was snapped tonight by the Palm Beach Cardinals.  St Lucie’s starter Angel Cuan pitched six solid innings in the loss. Cuan allowed one unearned run in the second inning, and surrendered a solo home run to Stephen Piscotty in the fourth inning. St. Lucie was leading 3-2 in the seventh when Cuan exited the game. While Cuan was not dominant, he pitched effectively enough to deserve the win. Unfortunately, the St. Lucie bullpen couldn’t hold on to the lead.

Estarlin Morel entered the game in relief of Cuan with a man on base and quickly yielded a RBI double to the first batter he faced. However, Morel was able to escape the inning without allowing any more runs.

The Palm Beach Cardinals took the lead in the eighth off St Lucie reliever Randy Fontanez.  Fontanez allowed three runs in the inning, which put the game out of reach for St. Lucie.

Offensivley, Dustin Lawley was St. Lucie’s lone producer. In the fourth inning, Lawley put St Lucie on the board with a RBI triple off the centerfield wall. In his next AB, Lawley crushed a two-run home run to left field that put the Mets up 3-2.  Lawley finished only a double short of the cycle.  The rest of St. Lucie’s lineup went a combined 2-for-26.

Key Stats

Angel Cuan: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 HR, 0 BB, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 K

Estarlin Morel: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1-1 Inherited runners scored

Randy Fontanez: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 K

Wanel Vasquez: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 1 ER

Dustin Lawley: 3-for-4, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 1 RBI

Gilbert Gomez: 1-for-2, 1 BB, 1 R

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas dropped to Round Rock, 9-5. 
• Binghamton topped Trenton, 3-1. 
• St. Lucie defeated Daytona in extras, 6-5. 
• Savannah had the day off. 

Injury and Health News

After being called a hand contusion and nothing serious, it seems that Brandon Nimmo will be headed to the disabled list after all.

We have our Savannah Beat Writer Wally Murphy at the game right now and he will give us the official report later this evening with his game recap.

Yesterday, Joe D. posted the following in our Mets Minors Report:

Brandon Nimmo still has not returned to the lineup since April 29 because of a hand contusion. The Mets now consider it more serious than initially thought and will have him seen by team doctors with a possible MRI as well. DL stint looming.

According to freelance journalist Robert Brender, Mets catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud is due to be examined in New York on May 17 and currently remains in a walking boot.

“I’m in a boot that I’ve been wearing all the time, except when I sleep,” d’Arnaud said.

“It’s really frustrating. I just want to be out there playing and some freak injury happens and I can’t do anything about it. It just takes away time from playing and being on the field. I was feeling really good and was having fun playing (before the injury). I think just not being able to play is the worst part about it.”

“I already had the last half of last year not playing and now this happens. I just want to get back on the field playing again.”

Baseball’s top ranked catching prospect suffered a fractured first metatarsal in his left foot with Triple-A Las Vegas last month. Depending on how the examination goes, he may be able to begin an injury rehab at the Mets complex in Port St. Lucie sometime this month. He was originally expected to return to games around mid-June.

Prospect Pipeline

• Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Rafael Montero, Luis Mateo, and Domingo Tapia are all in the Mets farm system, yet Logan Verrett has pitched the game of the year for the Mets minor leagues, just coming off of one of the more impressive starts I’ve seen in a long time from Montero. As Satish Ram said in the Binghamton Game recap, “Verrett went ahead on Wednesday and tossed perhaps the best game of his career – as he nearly finished the game with a complete game victory. He was taken out of the game after 99 pitches, which perhaps was pitch count related, before he could achieve the final out. At that point, he had allowed just the one earned run in the bottom of the fourth, and was utterly dominant throughout the entire game. His nine strikeouts were demonstrative of that fact.”
• Verrett is flying under the radar this season, but he has been pitching very well. He now has five wins on the year, which is good for tops in the Mets organization, and also tops the Eastern League. He also leads the EL in innings pitched (47.1). Verret is also ranked third in the organization in opposing hitter’s batting average (,207), and fourth in the organization, fifth in the EL, in WHIP (0.97). Pretty impressive. After last night’s performance, it’s safe to say that Verrett is no longer flying under the radar.
• Cesar Puello: All he does is hit home runs? He extended his hit streak to 15 games in grand fashion again by crushing another two home runs last night, one of which was an absolute bomb. His last three hits are now home runs. He’s showing off that power we all have heard so much about and is now batting.296/.360/.531 in 24 games.
• Aderlin Rodriguez has been smoking the ball over the past three games. In that span, he is 7-for-14 with four doubles, two home runs, and eight RBIs. He now leads the Mets organization with six home runs on the year, and he had the walk-off hit to plate T.J. Rivera in the tenth inning of last night’s victory.
• Here is what the Trenton Thunder pitching coach, Tommy Phelps, had to say about Montero after his start on Tuesday night: “Our guys were talking about facing Montero last year in the Florida State League and were very impressed with him…He’s got real good stuff.”
• I’m not sure how many caught this in the transactions section yesterday, but the Mets promoted catcher Xorge Carrillo from Brooklyn, to St. Lucie. This was a major head scratcher here. Kevin Plawecki has earned a promotion at this point, absolutely dominating and overpowering the Low-A pitching in the SAL. What would prompt the Mets to promote a player in Carrillo, who has had 26 hits in 39 professional games? Plawecki has 44 hits alone this season, and showing no signs of slowing down. It’s either the snub of the year, or like I predicted, there serves no point in skipping Plawecki to High-A ball, because the level of competition is not much different. When Plawecki is ready, he will be in Binghamton.
• Adam Rubin reported yesterday that Collin Cowgill and Kirk Nieuwenhuis would both be seeing time in centerfield with Las Vegas this year. Things are going to get real crowded out there once Matt den Dekker returns from his wrist injury.
• Juan Lagares and Andrew Brown were dominating at the Triple-A level, but have looked lost against big league pitchers. The question I raised when I heard they were promoting the two outfielders, was why the Mets would promote offensive players, coming from a “hitter’s league,” when their numbers were inflated, and seemingly ignore the pitchers, because their numbers are deflated due to the same reason. When looking at the PCL players, you have to take the offensive and pitching statistics with a grain of salt, and rely more on good old fashioned scouting when judging whether a player is ready or not.
• I have but one thing to add to this report. Remember back in February when I said that signing Carlos Torres was a useless move that will only create a logjam and keep pitchers at lower levels because of the trickle down effect? Pitchers like Jacob deGrom and Rainy Lara paid the price because they were squeezed into lower levels that would present no challenge to them and that’s exactly what happened. Torres has allowed 23 earned runs in 27.0 innings for a 7.39 ERA. The other two have proven that they should have started at higher levels and one (deGrom) already has been promoted. Lara will be promoted soon as well. Carlos Torres? A 30-year-old flop who was released twice by teams desperately starving for starting pitching? Are you freaking kidding me? (Joe D.)

Stat Lines of the Day

Logan Verrett: 8.2 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 9 K

Cesar Puello: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R (game winning, walk-off hit)

Organizational Leaders

Sounding Off

B-Mets pitching coach Glenn Abbott talks about Rafael Montero’s last start and sheds light on the rest of his dominating pitching staff.

Quote of the Day

Today’s quote of the day comes from the Star-Ledger regarding if Jeremy Hefner is hearing Zack Wheeler‘s footsteps:

“If it was right now, if he came up today, then yeah I would probably be the one that gets sent down,” Hefner, 27, said Tuesday. “I’m realistic enough to know that, but I can’t control that.”

“I came up early and then it was all the talk about, ‘When’s Matt coming up?”’ Hefner said. “And much like Zack, they deserve all that press because they’re that good. What it comes down to is I can only control what I can control. If the effort I give every fifth day is good enough to stick, then it’s good enough to stick. And if it’s not, I have stuff I need to work on. If Zack comes up for me, that’s not going to make me hate Zack Wheeler.”

Photo of the Day

After a long hot day on the farm, I like to chill out with my MMO Mets Minors Report.

St. Lucie 6, Daytona 5

Aderlin Rodriguez drilled a two out, walk-off single to center to score T.J. Rivera with the winning run in the bottom of the 10^th as the Mets completed a four-game sweep of the Daytona Cubs with a 6-5 victory on Wednesday.

Rodriguez hit a solo home run in the fifth and finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Rivera had two hits and two runs scored while Dustin Lawley added two hits.

Matt Reynolds ripped his second home run of the season, a two-run shot in the third. Robbie Shields hit a solo home run in the fourth inning.

Alex Panteliodis pitched five innings and allowed two runs and two hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Wanel Mesa gave up one run and two hits and struck out two.

The Cubs tied the game in the eighth on a bases loaded two-run single to left by Dustin Geiger off of Mets reliever Hamilton Bennett.

Frank Francisco walked the first two batters on eight pitches in the ninth, before striking out two hitters with runners at second and third to escape the jam.

Randy Fontanez worked around a hit in the tenth and earned his third victory in relief.

The Mets will host the Palm Beach Cardinals in the opener of a three-game series on Thursday. The game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and gates open at 5:30 p.m. Noah Syndergaard will be on the mound for the Mets.

Key Stats

T.J. Rivera: 2-for-3, 2 R

Matt Reynolds: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-5, 1 2B

Aderlin Rodriguez: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

Robbie Shields: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Alex Panteliodis: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 ER, 4 K

Wanel Vasquez: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K

Hamilton Bennett: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 2 K

Frank Francisco: 1.0 IP, 2 BB, 2 K

Randy Fontanez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER

(Team Report)

St. Lucie 13, Daytona 3

Matthew Bowman pitched six innings and struck out seven to earn his first win in his Florida State League debut as the Mets defeated the Daytona Cubs 13-3 on Tuesday.

The Mets(20-11) won their fourth straight game and have won the first three games of the series between the two teams.

Bowman allowed three runs and six hits and issued just one walk.

The Mets jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth. Dustin Lawley hit a solo home run to left to make it 1-0. Travis Taijeron lined a home run to right to extend the lead to 2-0. Charley Thurber ripped an RBI triple to right to extend the lead.

Aderlin Rodriguez drilled his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot to left in the fifth.

The Mets pulled away with an eight-run seventh inning, highlighted by Thurber’s bases clearing three-run double.

The Mets will host the Cubs(16-15) on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in the series finale. Alex Panteliodis will make his second start with the Mets.

Key Stats

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB

Aderlin Rodriguez: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R

Travis Taijeron: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R

Charley Thurber: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI, 1 R

Matthew Bowman: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 ER, 7 K

Estarlin Morel: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Chasen Bradford: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

(Team Report)

St. Lucie 6, Daytona 2

It was a good day for Hansel Robles, who retired the 12 Cubs that he faced en route to his third victory of the 2013 campaign. Robles went five solid innings and allowed just two hits over that span, striking out five and walking none. He struck out the side to open the game. The only run he allowed crossed the plate in the fifth, where allowed a triple to Jorge Soler and he scored on a sacrifice fly.

Outside of Angel Cuan allowing a solo home run in the top of the seventh, the St. Lucie bullpen combined to close out the rest of the game relatively uneventfully. You can thank Cuan himself, along with Frank Francisco and Randy Fontanez for that much. Francisco pitched in his second straight game and the velocity/movement on his pitches all seemed to be there. It is safe to say that he is nearing his return to the MLB.

On offense, Rylan Sandoval was the spark plug in the fourth, as he doubled home a run and was eventually brought around to score himself on a Charles Thurber grounder. The St. Lucie Mets ripped five straight hits to open up the bottom of the fifth, capped off by Aderlin Rodriguez‘s bases loaded double, which plated three men. Dustin Lawley had provided an RBI single right before that.

T.J. Rivera had a ridiculous five-hit afternoon – and two of them went for doubles.

Key Stats

T.J. Rivera: 5-for-5, 2 2B, 1 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R

Rylan Sandoval: 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB

Hansel Robles: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 ER, 5 K

Angel Cuan: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 HR, 1 ER, 4 K

Frank Francisco: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER

Randy Fontanez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

Fort Myers 3, St. Lucie 2

The Fort Myers Miracle edged out the St. Lucie Mets on Thursday, on a night where Alex Panteliodis made his FSL debut. Pants was able to provide five effective innings in his season debut and first start off the DL, where he allowed an earned run off just four hits and a walk. His only blemish was allowing a solo home run in the fourth inning, and otherwise, Panteliodis looked pretty much in control during his time on the mound. He rocked an even 5:5 GB/FB ratio.

At the time of his departure, the St. Lucie Mets had alloted him a 2-1 lead, via a Dustin Lawley RBI double in the first and an Aderlin Rodriguez sacrifice fly in the fifth. Fort Myers was able to hold St. Lucie scoreless the rest of the way.

The Miracle would not afford the Mets the same courtesy, however, as they scored a run each in the eighth and ninth innings. Pedro Feliciano handled the sixth inning easily and Randy Fontanez provided a scoreless inning of his own before the trouble began.

An RBI single by Miguel Sano off Fontanez tied the game up in the eighth, and T.J. Chism walked home the game winning run in the ninth…after intentionally walking the previous batter to load the bases. Ouch. Chism is still in the middle of a solid year, as he was handed just his first loss and owns a 1.98 ERA.

Key Stats

Travis Taijeron: 2-for-3, 1 2B, 1 BB

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-for-1, 1 RBI, 2 BB

Gilbert Gomez: 2-for-4

Alex Panteliodis: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 ER, 3 K

Pedro Feliciano: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 ER

Randy Fontanez: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 1 K

T.J. Chism: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 ER

St. Lucie 9, Tampa 2

Domination, thy name is Noah Syndergaard. When d’Arnaud went down with an injury, Syndergaard must have given himself a personal pep talk and told himself to step on – because he has been on his game through his last two starts. After tying his career high of six innings pitched in his previous start, the talented young hurler dominated the Tampa Yankees over seven innings and allowed a mere unearned run.

This is definitively his best start since joining the New York Mets organization and I really think we picked up a future stud in this kid. He scattered five hits and walked only one batter, while striking out seven batters. He looked most impressive in the second inning where he struck out the side. His only run crossed the plate after an error allowed a baserunner to advance to third base, and he allowed a sacrifice fly. The only other time he even looked like he was in a bit of trouble was in the seventh, where he walked and balked, but danced out of trouble.

He induced four fly outs and four ground balls – and of course, struck out seven batters. Hamilton Bennett finished up the game for him, allowing a run in the bottom of the ninth, but halting the rally at that.

St. Lucie had no problem backing him up offensively either, as Dustin Lawley continued his hot hitting in recent games by driving in three runs off two hits. Travis Taijeron added two RBI of his own. The Mets took a 3-1 lead after the top of the fourth and never once looked back, tacking on six more runs throughout the course of the game for the 9-2 final decision.

Key Stats

Robbie Shields: 4-for-5, 2 2B, 3 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Travis Taijeron: 1-for-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Joe Bonfe: 2-for-4, 1 2B

Noah Syndergaard: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 1 R, 0 ER, 7 K

Hamilton Bennett: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 K

St. Lucie 13, Bradenton 5

Marcos Camarena toed the rubber for St. Lucie on Saturday and ran into the equivalent of a brick wall when he couldn’t make it out of the fourth inning and allowed five earned runs. The good news, however, is that the St. Lucie bullpen and offense had his back – with five-and-a-third scoreless and 13 runs, respectively.

Camarena struggled right out of the gate, giving up a two-run single and an RBI groundout in the first. He allowed a solo home run to Gregory Polanco in the third – and allowed another run to pass in the fourth due to a wild pitch. He was removed from the game shortly after that in favor of Estarlin Morel, and this started a streak of some excellent work from the St. Lucie bullpen. Morel, Randy Fontanez, and Wanel Vasquez combined to pitch the rest of the game scoreless.

This went by the boards, however, because St. Lucie exploded offensively. Rylan Sandoval singled and drove home two in the bottom of the first, and Dustin Lawley followed him with an RBI grounder. Aderlin Rodriguez did his part to help the cause with an RBI double in the third. Charles Thurber, Gilbert Gomez, and Cam Maron would all do some damage in the six-run fifth inning – where St. Lucie batted around. Thurber came back to crush a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to make the game 13-5, which turned out to be the final result.

Key Stats

Cam Maron: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Matt Reynolds: 1-for-4, 1 BB, 2 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 3-for-4, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Rylan Sandoval: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 R

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Charles Thurber: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R

Gilbert Gomez: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 1 R

Marcos Camarena: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 ER, 2 K

Estarlin Morel: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 2 K

Randy Fontanez: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Wanel Vasquez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

For the first two weeks of the minor league season, the Mets were represented with a prospect cracking the Baseball America Hot Sheet. Last week it was Rafael Montero. This week, it’s Wilmer Flores. Both players were listed “In The Team Photo,” which is basically considered an honorable mention.

As I stated in the Mets Minors Report earlier today, Flores is quietly having a nice season offensively. This fine hitting prospect seems like he has been overshadowed by Travis d’Arnaud and Zack Wheeler for these first couple of weeks. But Flores continues to put up solid numbers, and hit his first home run of the season last night, adding three RBI in the Las Vegas 51s victory.

For his efforts over the past week, he was selected to Baseball America’s Hot Sheet. Here’s what they had to say about him:

Wilmer Flores, 3b, Mets. Against the backdrop of Triple-A Las Vegas teammates Zack Wheeler (blister on middle finger) and Travis d’Arnaud (broken foot) dealing with injury woes, Flores just keeps hitting. The 21-year-old went 12-for-30 (.400) with a homer and four doubles this week, but more remarkably he has just three strikeouts in 15 games this season.

Baseball America has to update their files, Flores has been playing second base the majority of the year. But that is besides the point, and Flores is having an excellent season. With the news that d’Arnaud will not require surgery, he should be back in eight weeks or sooner. This could be a chance for Flores to pull himself out of the shadows again with a continued hot play.

I was kind of shocked to see no mention of Brandon Nimmo on the list. He has been virtually impossible to keep off the base paths this season, but it was most likely his power numbers that caused him to get snubbed. Out of all of his hits, he only has three for extra bases this year. Some players on the list had that many home runs alone this past week.

During the Hot Sheet Q&A session this afternoon, a couple of questions came up regarding some Mets prospects. I found one exchange very interesting, regarding Jacob deGrom, which is shared below:

• John (Chicago): Might not be hot sheet worthy, but Jacob deGrom had an 8 ip, 3 h, 8 k, 1 bb line in his first AA start. He’s already 24 (missed a year to injury), but he looks like a major league starter in the making, no?
• Matthew Eddy: Yes, deGrom has a great arm and *just missed* making the Mets Top 10. Some scouts who saw Savannah last year preferred him to Sand Gnats rotation-mates Michael Fulmer and Domingo Tapia. The area to watch for deGrom and all sinker-slider pitchers is the platoon split. Can he consistently retire lefthanded batters?

Players To Watch For Next Week’s Hot Sheet

• Watch out for Aderlin Rodriguez, who is on a tear, and has homered in his last three games.
• Jacob deGrom could crack the list with another solid start on his next visit to the mound.
• Rafael Montero is always a threat—the kid is the goods.
• Kevin Plawecki, who started the season hot and hasn’t started to cool off yet.

Fort Myers 11, St. Lucie 8

It was not a good day for the R.A. Dickey trade all around, as on the heels of the news to the injury of Travis d’Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard had a rough time pitching for St. Lucie on Thursday evening. Syndergaard was in consideration for a promotion to Binghamton when Luis Mateo was placed on the DL – but was passed over in favor of Jacob deGrom, who shined in his debut on Wednesday night.

Syndergaard was left to make his scheduled start down in St. Lucie, but unfortunately for the young prospect, he ran into a bit of a wall. He lasted only three innings and was on the hook for seven earned runs off eight hits and two walks, while striking out two. He allowed one home run – a two-run jack in the first inning and never really looked comfortable after that. He allowed a lead-off double to begin the game to Adam Pettersen, who scored on the aforementioned two-run home run with two outs in the first. He gave up two hits in the second, but induced a double play to get out of it.

The third inning brought trouble for him again, however, where he struggled to get the third out once again. After allowing a lead-off single to Adam Pettersen again, he got the next two men out, although Pettersen stole second base. Syndergaard then allowed a walk, triple, single, walk, and double…ouch. The whole fiasco resulted in a five-run third inning and closing the door on Syndergaard’s evening.

St. Lucie overcame the 7-2 deficit by scoring five runs in the third inning, with the big blow coming on a two-run homer by Matt Reynolds, his first of the season. St. Lucie then took an 8-7 the lead in the fourth when Aderlin Rodriguez launched his third homer of the season – a solo job. However, the bullpen failed to get it done. After three hitless innings of solid relief from Jim Fuller, the next four relievers Wanel Mesa, Hamilton Bennett and Randy Fontanez combined to surrender four runs over the final three innings.

Key Stats

Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Dustin Lawley: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 R

Matt Reynolds: 2-for-5, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI

Gilbert Gomez: 2-for-4, 3 RBI, 2 K

Charles Thurber: 1-for-2, 2 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI

Noah Syndergaard: 3.0 IP. 8 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 HR

Jim Fuller: 3.0 IP. 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Hamilton Bennett: 1.0 IP. 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Charlotte 5, St. Lucie 2

Starting off ugly and not getting much better, the St. Lucie Mets got hit hard out of the gate by the Charlotte Stone Crabs and were unable to bounce back, falling by a score of 5-2.

Marcos Camarena took the hill for his start for the St. Lucie Mets and made it one he will soon like to forget. In just five innings of work, Camarena surrenedered four runs on six hits while walking three and failing to punch out a batter. Jake Hager led the game off with a double and was bunted over to third by Taylor Motter, putting him 90 feet away for Drew Vettleson who drove him home with a liner to Travis Taijeron in right that when for a RBI single. Jeff Malm hit a two-bagger of his own in the second to make a 2-0 ballgame and was quickly driven in by Jake DePew who had a Rib-eye steak of his own to make it a three-run lead. Then in the third, Richie Shaffer served up a solo shot that went to left for a home run. Camarena settled down for his final two innings of work but the damage was done as his he takes his first loss of the season while his ERA ballooned to 8.31.

Pedro Feliciano and Frank Francisco each pitched an inning of scoreless relief for their rehab appearances. Feliciano clocked in at 82-83mph as he did all spring. Hopefully he will be able to get his velocity back to his pre-Yankee days.

The St. Lucie Mets on the other hand were baffled by the Stone Crab’s Jesse Hahn. Hahn went only three innings, however surrendered just one hit while striking out six. Jake Floethe took over duties and continued to hold the Mets off the board until the seventh. Aderlin Rodriguez started off the rally with a homer to left to make it a three run ballgame. Travis Taijeron hit a single then got himself into scoring position on a wild pitch. Albert Cordero would drive him in to make it a two-run game however it wouldn’t be enough as the Mets would go onto lose by a score of 5-2, falling to 9-4 on the season overall.

Key Stats

Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Albert Cordero: 2-for-3, 1 RBI

Travis Taijeron: 1-for-3, 1 R

Pedro Feliciano: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K (Fastball at 82-83 MPH)

Frank Francisco: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K (Fastball at 90-92 MPH)

St. Lucie 13, Charlotte 3

Twas a good night for those following St. Lucie as the Met offense down south backed up some strong pitching from Hansel Robles for a commanding 13-3 victory.

Hansel Robles continued a string of solid work so far in St. Lucie with a good start on Tuesday night, going six innings while allowing three runs off  four hits and three walks. He struck out three batters and allowed a two-run home run in the sixth inning. His only run was allowed on a sacrifice fly in the fourth, right after he allowed a runner to advance due to a wild pitch. All in all, it was a good night for Robles – even if he met the bare minimum for a quality start.

The real story of the game, of course, was the St. Lucie offense. Cam Maron did the early damage with a two-run triple in the third inning, but the best was yet to come. A five-run fourth inning was sparked with a lead-off home run by Aderlin Rodriguez, and followed by RBIs from the likes of Cam Maron (again), Matt Reynolds, TJ Rivera, and Brian Harrison. Rivera walked home a run, Maron and Reynolds singled, and Harrison lifted a sacrifice fly.

The sixth inning was even huger for the Mets, which was capped off by a Dustin Lawley grand slam. St. Lucie banged out thirteen hits in this game overall, so it was a great night. Every starter picked up at least one hit.

Key Stats

Cam Maron: 3-for-5, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 1 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-5, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R

Gilbert Gomez: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB

Hansel Robles: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 HR, 2 BB, 3 ER, 3 K

Estarlin Morel: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 K, 0 ER

Wanel Mesa: 1.0 IP, 0 ER

St. Lucie 6, Charlotte 3

A six-run sixth inning powered the St. Lucie Mets (8-3) to a 6-3 win over the Charlotte Stone Crabs on Monday night.

Charlotte (4-7) took an early lead after scoring a run in the first, second and third innings, but the St. Lucie bats came alive in the sixth.

Travis Taijeron and Gilbert Gomez led the inning off with back-to-back singles. After T.J. Rivera struck out swinging, Cam Maron knocked an RBI single through to cut the lead to 2-1. Matt Reynolds drew a walk to load the bases which set up Brian Harrison, who stepped in and delivered a two-run single, scoring Maron and Gomez.

With the game tied at 3-3, Aderlin Rodriguez brought home Reynolds on a sacrifice fly. Dustin Lawley capped off the huge inning with a two-run home run, his first of the season, on a fly ball to left field.

Domingo Tapia got the start, and despite allowing one run in the first inning, he eventually settled down to pick up his first win of the season. Tapia finished the night with six innings, five hits, three runs (two earned) to go with one walk and eight strikeouts. Tapia’s ERA stands at 3.55. The St. Lucie pitching staff stymied Charlotte over the final six innings.

Pedro Feliciano, who is working on a rehab assignment, threw a scoreless inning. He allowed one hit to go with one walk and one strikeout.

Key Stats 

Domingo Tapia: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 Ks

Brian Harrison: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 1 R

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R

Gilbert Gomez: 2-for-3, R

St. Lucie Mets 0, Palm Beach Cardinals 1

Hansel Robles took the mound for the Mets on Wednesday night, after leaving the St. Lucie Opener last week with an apparent oblique injury. He showed no ill-effects of the injury, as he pitched 6.1 innings, holding the Cardinals to one run. Robles kept his team in the game all night, but was credited with his first loss, as the Mets’ offense was never able to get on track.

Kyle Hald pitched seven innings for the Cardinals, limiting the Mets to just three hits on the night. Matt Reynolds, Aderlin Rodriguez and Albert Cordero had the three hits for the Mets. Rodriguez had the only extra base hit for the Mets, and after his double, he was the only Met player in scoring position on the entire night.

Hamilton Bennett came in for the Mets, in relief, and pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up no hits and striking out one. The St. Lucie pitching continues to dominate their opposition. The offense will look to get back on track tonight as they close out their three game series with the Palm Beach Cardinals.

Key Stats

• Aderlin Rodriguez – 1 for 3, 2B
• Matt Reynolds – 1 for 3
• Albert Cordero – 1 for 3
• Hansel Robles – 6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 K,1 ER, L
• Hamilton Bennett – 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 K, 0 ER

St. Lucie Mets 4, Palm Beach Cardinals 0

Noah Syndergaard will headline one of the best rotations in the minor leagues.

The roster of this year’s St. Lucie Mets team is packed with some fantastic talent. This year, St. Lucie will showcase some of the finest pitching pitching prospects in the Met system, and even some of the finest in the minor leagues. This year’s team will likely be the most potential-packed of any in the system. Let’s see who will make this season one to watch.

The Big Names

• Noah Syndergaard (RHP) – The hard-throwing right-hander was only the second biggest name in the R.A. Dickey trade this winter, but by no means should he be overlooked. While he may have been overshadowed by Travis d’Arnaud, Syndergaard also has scouts drooling over his potential. In the Midwest League last season (the equivalent of Savannah), Syndergaard tossed 103.2 innings, putting up a 2.60 ERA and a 10.6 K/9 rate. That went along with an above-average 2.7 BB/9 rate, which is also his career minor league average. Syndergaard was ranked the 29th best prospect in baseball by MLB.com this spring and 54th by Baseball America. After d’Arnaud and Zack Wheeler graduate to the big leagues, all eyes will turn to Syndergaard, who thus far has everyone excited about his future.
• Michael Fulmer (RHP, torn meniscus) – Fulmer is one of the many young and promising arms the Mets have in the lower minors. 20 years old, Fulmer had a terrific season last year with Savannah, posting a 2.74 ERA in 21 starts (108.1 innings) while striking out 101 and walking 38. Fulmer was drafted in 2011 from Deer Creek High School in Oklahoma  He was well-regarded before last season, but he put his name towards to top of every prospect guru’s list with a very impressive season. He will miss most of, if not all of the first half of the season with a torn meniscus, but will return some time this summer.
• Luis Mateo (RHP) – Luis Mateo will do something this year that not many pitching prospects in the Mets system do: skip Savannah. Mateo, 23, had a fantastic season for the Cyclones last year, and along with Hansel Robles, will skip A-Ball and go straight to Advanced A-Ball St. Lucie. Mateo put up a 2.45 ERA last season in 12 starts, striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings while walking only 1.1 He has incredible stuff and is someone you will hear a lot from in the near future.
• Domingo Tapia (RHP) – Domingo Tapia’s two-seam fastball may be one of the best pitches in all of the minors. It has heavy sinking action and sits in the mid to upper 90s. He doesn’t have a breaking pitch, and may end up in the bullpen by the time he reaches the majors, but he is nonetheless a very intriguing pitcher. Tapia threw 108.2 innings last season and posted a 3.98 ERA. He slaso struck out 8.4 batters per nine innings (an increase from 5.8 K/9 in 2011) with 2.7 walks.
• Aderlin Rodriguez (3B) – Rodriguez may already have, at age 21, the most power in the entire Mets farm system. Rodriguez hit a meager .221/.265/.372 in 131 games as a 19 year-old in Savannah in 2011, with the only positive being his 17 home runs. Last year, however, repeating the league, Rodriguez started hitting like he never had before. He hit .274/.336/.497 with 16 dingers in only 83 games before earning a promotion to St. Lucie. Looking deeper into his splits from Savannah, you see that although he hit just .233/.309/.473 in 40 games at home at Grayson Stadium, he hit eight home runs. That;s notable considering that Savannah is not only the toughest park in the South Atlantic League to get a hit in, but it is also the most difficult park in the entire minor leagues to hit home runs. If Rodriguez can hit for power there, he can do it anywhere.

The Sleepers

• Jacob deGrom (RHP) – Coming off six so-so outings in Kingsport in 2010 and Tommy John surgery, Jacob deGrom broke out in a big way last year in Savannah. Overall, he made 15 starts there and put up very impressive statistics: 2.51 ERA, 7.8 K/9, and 1.4 BB/9. He then made four starts in St. Lucie, allowing five earned runs in 21.2 innings. A lanky 6’4″, 185 pounds, deGrom has the physical profile that scouts look for in a young pitcher. Watch out for him this year.
• Hansel Robles (RHP) – In a bit of a surprise, the Mets sent Hansel Robles to St. Lucie for the start of the season instead of Savannah, where he was projected to go. Robles, 22, was the ace of the excellent Brooklyn Cyclone pitching staff last season, posting a 1.11 ERA in 72.2 innings to go along with excellent 8.2 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9 rates. 
• T.J. Rivera (2B) – Rivera doesn’t have any tools that stand out in particular, but he has put up very good numbers ar every level he’s played. Although he hasn’t hit for much power, he has hit at least .290 in every league he’s played in. Last season in 128 games between Savannah and St. Lucie, he hit .320/.372/.444.
• Alex Panteliodis (LHP) – A ninth-round draft pick in 2011 out of the University of Florida, Panteliodis put up a 3.64 ERA in 22 starts in Savannah last year in 108.2 innings.

Other Names to Watch

• Chasen Bradford (RHP) – A reliever out of UCF, Bradford posted an excellent 2.47 ERA in Savannah last year in 51 innings, all out of the bullpen. 
• Camden Maron (C) – Maron may be the second-best catcher in the Mets’ system after hitting .300/.403/.408 in Savannah last year. He didn’t hit for much power (five home runs), but his 13% walk rate was very impressive.

Media Day: St. Lucie Launch Party at Tradition Field

Here is the first look at the St. Lucie Mets roster. The starting pitching staff on this team may arguably be the best pitching staff in the minors, and if not the best, definitely in the discussion.

Pitchers

Hamilton Bennett

Chasen Bradford

Marcos Camarena

T.J. Chism

Angel Cuan

Jacob deGrom - Finger Injury

Randy Fontanez

Jim Fuller

Michael Fulmer - Knee Injury

Luis Mateo

Estarlin Morel

Alex Panteliodis

Hansel Robles

Noah Syndergaard

Domingo Tapia

Taylor Whitenton

Catchers

Xorge Carrillo

Albert Cordero

Camden Maron

Infielders

Joe Bonfe

Brian Harrison

Matt Reynolds

T.J. Rivera

Aderlin Rodriguez

Rylan Sandoval

Robbie Shields

Outfielders

Dustin Lawley

Travis Taijeron

Charles Thurber

Gilbert Gomez

To see pictures from this afternoon’s Launch Party for the St. Lucie Mets, check out their Facebook Page here.