Oh No, Ho Jo…

New Seattle Mariners hitting coach Howard Johnson watched Zack Wheeler and Rafael Montero from the opposing dugout while coaching in Triple-A last season, but it was Mets prospect Jacob deGrom who impressed him the most at Triple-A Las Vegas last season, according to what he told Adam Rubin.

“I saw deGrom. I like him a lot,” HoJo said. “As a matter of fact, at David Wright‘s wedding, I mentioned deGrom to the front office. He pitched one game against us, and he pitched very well. And the things I saw, I liked. He was the guy that I remember, for sure. And we saw them all — Wheeler, Jack Leathersich and some of the other guys.”

DeGrom was added to the 40 Man Roster by the Mets and will be in big league camp vying for a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Reese’s Pieces?

Remember Mets second baseman of the future Reese Havens? Well Adam Rubin reports that the former 2008 first-round pick has decided to hang them up after a professional career that was fraught with one injury after another. Havens played six minor league seasons in all, and finishes with a career .252/.355/.423 batting line in 345 games played. What a shame for a kid who was oozing with so much talent and promise, but couldn’t find a way to stay on the field. Fare well, Reese… We hardly knew ye…

Vaughn For The Road…

Our Minor League Analyst Teddy Klein weighs in on Cory Vaughn who he says needs to stay on the field and get hings going.

“Because of his injury, I could see Cory repeating at Double-A, but just for a moment. At 24, Vaughn is on the cusp of losing prospect status, turning 25 in May. He will join his other outfield counterparts such as Darrell Ceciliani and possibly Alonzo Harris in Triple-A this year afterwards, and likely have a shot at making the bench if Chris Young or Cesar Puello falter. Long Shot, I know.”

Three more weeks until pitchers and catchers report…

The post Mets Minors: HoJo Loves deGrom, Weighing In On Vaughn, Havens Retires appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

That’s the only way to describe another Darin Gorski pitching gem at NYSEG Stadium last night. Last week’s Eastern League Player of the Week dazzled, staying ahead of hitters and once again causing batter after batter to pop the ball into the air, as he threw seven scoreless innings, one batter above the minimum, and picked up his sixth win of the year. Gorski’s string of scoreless innings lowered his ERA to a sterling 1.83 in Binghamton’s 3-0 win over New Hampshire.

Location, location, location could have been his refrain, as he continually pounded the strike zone and hit his spots. The tall left-hander didn’t allow a single base-on-balls, fanned five, and surrendered only two hits, one that was erased on a 6-4-3 double play.

As is his habit, Gorski continually enticed Fisher Cat batters to pop the ball in the air. He forced15 of the 21 outs to come via pop-ups, fly balls, or strike outs. Only three New Hampshire batters hit the ball on the ground during the game, a broken bat soft tap to first base, a weak 4-3 putout and the 6-4-3 double play.

Gorski set the tone in the early innings going 0-2 in the count to the first five batters he faced. The B-Met lefty threw first pitch strikes to 15 of the 22 batters he faced and was ahead in the count after 3 pitches in 15 of 20 at bats. He threw 68% of his 88 pitches for strikes, with only 10 of his 88 pitches coming from the stretch. Gorski got some flashy leather work from right-fielder Travis Taijeron in the visitor’s fourth to preserve his shutout. New Hampshire third baseman Andy Burns led off with a flare single over second baseman Danny Muno’s head into right field. That brought former Met power hitter Adam Loewen to the plate. Loewen blasted a 2-1 fastball into the gap in right-center with Taijeron on the run.

The B-Met right fielder had a “Ron Swoboda Moment” launching his body into the air parallel to the ground and snaring the Loewen bomb in mid air with his backhand. It was one of the more outstanding B-Met defensive plays of the season.

Fisher Cat shortstop Kevin Nolan followed with ground ball to short with Tovar, Muno and Lucas ‘turning two.’ The double play started a streak of 12 consecutive outs for Gorski to close his night’s work.

New Hampshire starter Deck McGuire matched Gorski frame-for-frame for most of his outing. McGuire no-hit Binghamton through five innings and allowed the first of three B-Met runs in the sixth without yielding a hit. Here’s how it went down. Joe Bonfe opened the inning with a ground ball to third but Burn’s throw to first pulled Kevin Ahrens off the bag for an infield error. Alonzo Harris worked a base-on-balls and Daniel Muno laid a slick sacrifice bunt down the third base line to advance both runners.

McGuire worked carefully to Josh Rodriquez, throwing his first three pitches for balls. Fisher Cat skipper, Gary Allenson, sent in the order to intentionally walk the B-Met third baseman on the next pitch. But, McGuire’s intentional ball sailed past his catcher with Bonfe racing home for Binghamton’s first score.

Taijeron ripped a shot down the left-field line into the corner scoring Harris and Rodriquez. The Mets three sixth inning runs were the only scores in the game.

Wifredo Tovar’s single to left in the seventh was the B-Mets only other hit in the contest. Frank Francisco pitched a scoreless eighth to earn a hold. The former Met closer threw a fastball between 90 and 93 mph and mixed in some low 80’s breaking stuff. Francisco got Ryan Schimpf to fly out to center-field to open the inning. Jonathan Jones grounded a single up the middle but was erased on Binghamton’s second 6-4-3 twin killing of the night.

Jeff Walters shut the door, earning his 38th save in the ninth. That ties him with Justin Eramus, who pitches in the Frontier Independent League for the most saves in 2013 in any professional baseball minor league.

A large and noisy crowd of over 5,000 people welcomed the Eastern League’s Eastern Division winners back to Binghamton for the final series of the regular season.

The post Gorski Demonstrates Pinpoint Control In Dominating Performance Last Night appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

I got to the stadium at 5:30 with a half hour to go. I passed the time by 1) buying tickets 2) waiting in line and 3) walking around the exterior. My first impression of the stadium was eh. I know it’s a minor league stadium, but I wouldn’t expect a Double-A stadium to look as old as it did. But, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover and I didn’t, which payed off. I saw groundskeepers pass time buy playing an intense game of basketball just beyond the right field fence, and two young boys in Yankees attire tossing a ball around outside Gate 1.

When the gates finally opened at 5:59 PM, I was greeted by a friendly woman who scanned my ticket and handed me my Baseball Bingo sheet which I furiously filled out throughout the night. I dashed through the concourse, but didn’t fail to notice the stats/standings board which included Major League and Eastern League info, the NYSEG Stadium Hall of Fame, or the beams decorated with pictures of Mets stars such as Matt Harvey, David Wright, and Ike Davis who used to call this place home.

I ran up the steps to section three and stopped to take in the surroundings. My very first reaction to the inside was, “Wow, this looks A LOT like Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie”. And that’s a good thing, because Tradition Field is probably my favorite Minor League ballpark of the ones I’ve been to.

I noticed some Rock Cats pitchers walking from the left field bullpen to the third base dugout, so I headed down there to see if I could snag some signatures. I heard a man call out “D.J.!”, and knew that it was 2012 Twins draft pick D.J. Baxendale. I saw the back of his jersey and the number confirmed it was him. I had him sign the roster sheet that came in the Mets program.

D.J. Baxendale was kind enough to sign my roster sheet.

After that there was tons of time where there was no player in sight. During this time I flipped through the program and read some very intriguing stories including one about a fan who has sat in the same seat in section 12 since 1992, the team’s inaugural year, and has had wild encounters with a lot of the players to stop at the Double A level.

I decided to wander down near the Rock Cats dugout and see what players happened to be sitting inside it. I couldn’t recognize any of the players but when outfielder Daniel Ortiz walked out of the dugout, he pointed me out and handed me a broken bat of his that was taped up so it was was still intact. Awesome! That was the first bat I had ever gotten at a professional baseball game and I didn’t even have to ask.

After that, a few Mets players began to exit the dugout, including the night’s battery, Mark Cohoon and Blake Forsythe, along with Alonzo Harris who wasn’t even penciled into the lineup. I would have been on that side, but the Rock Cats players were beginning to warm up and I, just like a handful of other fans, wanted to snag Twins top prospect Miguel Sano‘s autograph.

After some light stretching and an intense stretching out of Sano (it makes sense. A Miguel Sano injury = a training staff likely to be fired), he came over and signed my roster sheet right next to Baxendale’s John Hancock. Score! It was now time to get some Mets to sign which is what I really wanted. Unfortunately, by this time only three players remained. Josh Rodriguez and Allan Dykstra were the last pair to throw, as they ended with some pretty nasty knuckleballs, and Ryne Hughes was stretching and taking a few dry cuts before running off into the dugout. When Rodriguez and Dykstra were finished, they both took the time to sign the Mets side of my roster sheet.

Now it was time for the Mets relievers to make the walk to the right field bullpen. I recognized a few of them, such as Chase Huchingson and Jeff Walters but not all. One of them, who sported Rec-Specs and a funky mustache, was wearing the pink backpack so a number on his jersey was not visible. He was taking to an older man with facial hair not unlike the player he spoke to for a solid 30 seconds before they embraced and the player walked off with his teammates.

I asked the man who he spoke to and I found out that not only was the player Hamilton Bennett, but I was speaking to Hamilton Bennett’s father. We talked for about as long as he talked with his son, during which I told him I saw his son pitch during a spring training game against the Cardinals. Jeremy Hefner was hit in the arm by a line drive off the bat of Carlos Beltran, forcing him to leave early and the Mets to borrow some pitchers from minor league camp. I told him how impressed I was by his son. Our conversation ended with me saying “Best of luck.” To which he responded, “it’s on him not me”, before walking away. Cool guy. I crossed paths with him again throughout the night.

After my encounter with Mr. Bennett, I headed over to the home plate end of the Mets dugout, which was right by our seats, to see if any bench players were willing to sign. The National Anthem provided a minute long interruption, but once the song was through, backup catcher Xorge Carrillo was more than glad to sign my roster sheet.

The game was now underway and boy was it an interesting one. Only needing one game to clinch their first playoff birth since 2004, the B-Mets couldn’t muster a single hit through five innings. Mark Cohoon was knocked around early, including an absolute bomb on the first pitch of the second inning, courtesy of Miguel Sano. And let me tell you, Miguel Sano is 6-3, 195, but he looks 6-6, 240. The guy looks like a big leaguer and all evidence points to him being a real good one. The Rock Cats ended up with three runs after that inning and made it four in the fifth.

Miguel Sano: This kid is going to be a star one day.

Speaking of the fifth inning, The Mets secured a number in the hit column that inning with a RBI single courtesy of Josh Rodriguez after two men had reached via the walk. After loading the bases off of reliever Ryan O’Rourke, Allan Dykstra punched one into left to make it a 4-2 ballgame. Cory Vaughn added to the excitement, driving in another run off of the third pitcher of the inning, Cole Johnson, and paving way for Travis Taijeron to pull the Mets ahead with an RBI double just past the third baseman, Sano. A very peculiar inning which saw the B-Mets go from being no hit, to putting up a five spot.

In the midst of the fifth, I called out to Mets hitting coach Luis Natera who happened to be the closest person in uniform to where I was sitting. When he turned around I said, “Nice game you guys got!” In response he smiled and gave me the thumbs up. If only I could have that conversation with Dave Hudgens at Citi Field…

I love minor league ballparks. Because they are so small, they give fans the opportunity to interact with the players and get close to the action, a nice alternative to either shelling out the cash at a big league stadium, or having connections. I enjoyed being able to get fist bumps from Wilfredo Tovar, and Ryne Hughes. I enjoyed being able to hear manager Pedro Lopez and pitching coach Glenn Abbott communicate with catcher Blake Forsythe. I enjoyed watching Alonzo Harris and Richard Lucas make their teammates (and the fans) laugh. But most of all, I enjoyed being able to watch the beautiful sunset fall over the wilderness just beyond left field. To me, that’s what baseball is all about.

Chase Huchingson came in to relieve Cohoon in the seventh and pitched two innings. Huchingson struck out four batters and got his fastball up to 89 mph, which was enough to baffle the hitters. He also mixed in a slider that came around 78. It was on to the ninth with the score still 5-4 Mets in front. And now it was time for – you guessed it – Jeff Walters. But no! Walters was nowhere to be seen – except for coaching first base, sharing the duties with Richard Lucas. Apparently he was unavailable which was disappointing for me, and most of the other fans who would have liked to see Walters add to his more than impressive save total. And wouldn’t it have been symbolic for him to get the save to send the team to the playoffs?

Anyway, no worries as Chasen Bradford came in to save the day and the game. Bradford was brought in and pitched a perfect ninth to lower his ERA to 0.48 and to earn his first save of the season.

Let the celebration begin, and it did!

The team rushed out onto the field and celebrated with one another. It was truly a great moment and I am glad I was there to witness it. Pedro Lopez was interviewed after the game, and despite the fact that his mic didn’t work, the stadium gave him a nice standing ovation.

All in all, a great night at the ballpark, and I sure will “bee” back in the future.

LGM

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

The post Watching The B-Mets Clinch Their First Postseason In Nine Years appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

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After a breakthrough season for Advanced-A St. Lucie in 2012, Harris has struggled this season at the plate for the Binghamton Mets, and has been plagued with a couple of minor, but nagging injuries.

Selected by the New York Mets in the 39th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft out of McComb (Miss.) High School, Harris posted a .287/.354/.437 slash for St. Lucie with 38 extra-base hits, 74 runs scored and 40 stolen bases in 433 at-bats in 2012.

However, this season has been a different story for Harris as his .220/.287/.304 batting line will tell you.

Thanks to Mr. North Jersey for the link…

The post Must See Video: Alonzo Harris Makes An Amazin’ Catch appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas knocked off Sacramento, 6-2. 
• Binghamton topped Harrisburg, 6-1. 
• St. Lucie nipped Daytona, 1-0. 
• Savannah had their game postponed due to rain. 

Prospect Pipeline

• Zack Wheeler had his second solid start in a row yesterday against Sacremento. In six innings pitched, he sacrificed three hits while only waling one. He held Sacremento to no runs. It was a nother step in the right direction for Wheeler, who the Mets could desperately use in their rotation. He showed improved command of his fastball in yesterday’s game, but he still has to work on throwing the breaking ball consistently for strikes in order to get major league hitters out.
• MMO’s No. 8 prospect, Domingo Tapia, continues to pitch well. Very well actually. Through 32 innings of work this season, Tapia has compiled 28 strike outs to just 13 walks, only allowed 20 hits, and has only given up eight earned runs this season. The key to Tapia’s success seems to be his ability to handle adversity — the sinking action on his fastball and change up also helps. More regarding Tapia in the Quote of The Day.
• The Binghamton bats awoke from a slumber in yesterday’s game. The team pounded out ten hits, three of which were home runs and the offensive attack was led by Alonzo Harris who had three hits, and a home run of his own. The other two players who added home runs were Richard Lucas and Josh Rodriguez.
• Sticking with Binghamtom, Jack Leathersich is for real — dude mows down hitters. He struck out the side in the ninth inning of Binghamton’s victory last night. He has 27 strike outs in 15 innings pitched this season…wow.
• Collin Cowgill smacked a three-run home run for Las Vegas yesterday. With Matt den Dekker getting closer to coming back and Kirk Nieuwenhuis on the roster, Las Vegas is going to have a log jam of centerfielders.
• If anyone wants to catch Rafael Montero pitch, he should be on the hill tomorrow night in Trenton. Starting in tonight’s game should be Cory Mazzoni (fresh off the DL), and on Wednesday night should be Logan Verrett on the hill.

Stat Lines of the Day

Zack Wheeler: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 4 K

Alonzo Harris: 3-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB

Jack Leathersich: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K

Transactions/Injuries

• Princeton product Matthew Bowman has been promoted from Savannah to St. Lucie.
• Robert Gsellman to Savannah and Hansel Robles is back with St. Lucie and starting today’s game.
• Cory Mazzoni is coming off the disabled list and will start for the B-Mets in Trenton tonight.

Quote of the Day

Here is what St. Lucie manager Ryan Ellis had to say about Tapia, after his start yesterday:

Regarding his breaking ball: “It’s more of a curveball and it’s come along nicely,” Ellis said. “He’s starting to trust it a lot more. Even when he’s behind in the count, he’s comfortable enough to mix it in. He’s found control enough with it where he feels comfortable throwing it.”

“If he can control that fastball with heavy sink and mix in his curve to the other side of the plate, it doesn’t matter how hard he’s throwing,” Ellis said. “He’s going to keep guys off balanced. He’s absolutely confident with [the curve] right now. Hats off to him for that. That’s a big part of his development.”

Regarding dealing with adversity: “I’ve noticed him progressing in a way,” Ellis said. “He’ll slow himself down, step behind the rubber and toss around the rosin bag and calm himself down. He’s not pressing. He’s slowing the game down and making adjustments to get himself back in the zone.

Photo of the Day

Logan Verrett dealing in Binghamton (Photo by MMO Contributor Gordon Donovan)

 

The post Mets Minors Report 5/6: Bowman Promoted To Lucie, Wheeler Heating Up, Leathersich Smoking Hot appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Binghamton 6, Harrisburg 1

The Binghamton Mets launched a season-high three home runs and struck out a season-high fifteen Harrisburg Senators in a 6-1 victory at Metro Bank Park on Sunday afternoon. Binghamton used a ten-hit attack to secure their third series win of the season.

B-Met third baseman Josh Rodriguez set the tone early. After Danny Muno worked out his team-leading 21st walk of the season in the first against Harrisburg starter Caleb Clay, Rodriguez blasted an 0-2 pitch into the left field seats, giving Binghamton a 2-0 lead.

Binghamton starter Mark Cohoon flirted with danger in his second start, but came out unscathed. He allowed seven baserunners through his first four innings, but used six strikeouts to escape. Harrisburg stranded five runners with Cohoon on the mound and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. He capped his day with two more strikeouts in a perfect fifth.

Binghamton added to their lead in the sixth against Clay. Alonzo Harris started with a bunt single, stole second and came home on a single by Muno. Richard Lucas capped the inning by blistering a solo homer to left center, his first round-tripper of the season.

Chase Huchingson took over in the sixth and struck out two in a shutout inning. The southpaw returned for the seventh, but exited after allowing two singles. Sean Nicol greeted reliever John Church with an RBI groundout, cutting Binghamton’s lead to three.

Anthony Rendon singled to right to bring the tying run to the plate in Jerad Head. Church easily dispatched of Head and ended the threat, striking out the centerfielder on three pitches.

Binghamton put the game out of reach with two more runs in the eighth against reliever Pat McCoy. Harris launched his fourth home run of the season to left and Cesar Puello extended his hitting streak to 12 games with an RBI single.

With a comfortable five-run advantage, Church posted a scoreless eighth inning and Jack Leathersich fanned three in the ninth.

Cohoon (3-0) collected his third win and first as a starter in 2013. The southpaw struck out a season-high eight over five shutout innings. Clay (3-1) was tagged for four runs on six hits in seven innings of work in his first loss of the year.

The B-Mets (16-14) continue their roadtrip and start a three-game series against the Trenton Thunder Monday night at 7:05 PM.

Key Stats

Alonzo Harris: 3-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB

Daniel Muno: 2-for-3, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Josh Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R

Richard Lucas: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Mark Cohoon: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 8 K

Chase Huchingson: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 K

John Church: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Jack Leathersich: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K

(Team Report)

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Binghamton 8, Harrisburg 2

The Binghamton Mets broke a tie game with a three-run fourth inning and four pitchers retired the final 19 Harrisburg Senators hitters in an 8-2 win on Saturday night at Metro Bank Park. Binghamton’s victory, their first in May, snapped their season-long three-game losing streak.

Darrell Ceciliani led the offensive charge with a three-hit performance. He drove in three runs and scored three of his own, while Richard Lucas chipped in with two RBI on a double and two singles.

Binghamton wasted little time getting the offense going against Harrisburg starter Paul Demny. Alonzo Harris led off the game with a double to left center and scored when Lucas chopped a single back up the middle. Binghamton doubled their lead on a run-scoring groundout by Allan Dykstra in the third.

B-Mets starter Erik Goeddel sailed through his first two innings, but labored through the third. The righty allowed two hits, walked two and surrendered a pair of runs in the 39-pitch frame. Anthony Rendon‘s 11-pitch plate appearance ended with a walk and set the stage for Jerad Head‘s game-tying two-run single.

After Demny walked Goeddel with two outs in the fourth and Anthony Rendon misplayed Alonzo Harris’ chopper up the line, Ceciliani pushed a two-run single to center to give Binghamton the lead for good. Lucas tacked on with an RBI double to left.

Head’s hit in the third proved to be Harrisburg’s final basrunner. Goeddel (2-2) made the lead stand, retiring the final ten batters he faced to earn the win. The righty allowed two runs on three hits and fanned four over six innings to end his four-game winless streak.

The B-Mets added to their lead with three more runs against the Senators bullpen. Joe Bonfe delivered a pinch-hit run-scoring single in the eighth and Ceciliani crushed his first home run of the season, a solo shot, in the ninth. Cesar Puello added a run-producing fielder’s choice to cap the scoring.

Binghamton’s bullpen continued their perfect ways to wrap up the victory. Adam Kolarek posted a quiet seventh, Josh Edgin racked up one strikeout in a shutout eighth and Jeff Walters shut the door in the ninth.

The B-Mets (15-14) conclude their three-game series against the Harrisburg Senators (14-15) Sunday afternoon at 2:00 PM. LHP Mark Cohoon (2-0, 4.35) makes his second start of the season against RHP Caleb Clay (3-0, 2.17).

Key Stats

Alonzo Harris: 1-for-5, 1 2B, 1 R

Darrell Ceciliani: 3-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB

Richard Lucas: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Allan Dykstra: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Cesar Puello: 1-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 R

Erik Goeddel: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

Adam Kolarek: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Josh Edgin: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Jeff Walters: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

(Team Report)

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The upstate New York weather was unreal, mid 70’s, our nicest day of the spring. But, it was the B-Met probable starter that had be antsy with anticipation all day long. Binghamton ace Rafael Montero was scheduled to climb the hill for the B-Mets. I had never seen Montero pitch live, and I couldn’t wait.

A ‘pitch to contact’ philosophy seems prevalent in major league baseball. I’m not sure what former pitchers like Nolan Ryan, Bob Gibson, and Tom Seaver would say about that, but ‘pitching to contact’ seems to be the name of the game in today’s major league game.

When pitchers pitch to contact they attempt to get batters to get the bat on the ball and put the ball in play. At it’s best the ball is intended to be hit on the ground preferably within the first three pitches to the batter. Pitchers don’t think contact, Instead they direct their best pitch to the batter’s hittable zone.

Pitching to contact is a byproduct of the emphasis on pitch counts in the modern game. Don’t try to be too fine, pitch to contact, and pound the zone are all part of the ‘pitch to contact’ philosophy.

That seemed to be the approach Montero took to the mound last night. I entered NYSEG Stadium aware of Montero’s other world ability to throw strikes. In that area the young Met prospect didn’t disappoint.

Total Pitches: 95 – Strikes: 65 (72%) – Balls: 25 (28%)

Montero commanded the strike zone regardless of his pitch choice or whether he was throwing from the full wind-up or the stretch.

• Full Wind-up Fastball: Strikes 25 – 71%,  Balls 10 – 29%
• Curves: Strikes 10 – 83%, Balls 2 – 17%
• Sliders: Strikes 3 – 75%, Balls 1 – 25%
• Stretch Fastball: Strikes 17 – 74%, Balls 6 – 26%
• Curves: Strikes 4 – 44%, Balls 5 – 56%
• Sliders: Strikes 6 – 86%,  Balls 1 – 14%

As is my habit, I struggle determining the difference between the curve and slider. Montero’s curve in not of the 12 o’clock to 6′ o’clock variety. The speed differential between the two pitches in minimal. Combining those points could mean my numbers on Montero’s off speed stuff are slightly askew.

As you can see, Montero commands the strike zone. He struck out five and walked 1 meaning his season totals are now 40 K’s and 4 BB’s. That’s a 10:1 K/BB ratio.

The reason I believe Montero had a ‘pitch to contact’ approach in his head was the number of batters who put the ball in play in less than 3 pitches. Montero faced 32 hitters and exactly half, 16, put the ball in play on the first or second pitch thrown to the plate.

Montero threw first pitch strikes at a 69% clip or 22 times of the 32 batters. 10 times batters put the ball in play on the first pitch. The problem: those batters racked up 6 of the 10 hits Montero surrendered. He eased through the first three innings retiring 9 of the 10 batters he faced, allowing one hit, and only throwing 28 pitches. You do the math, that’s an average of only 2.5 pitches per batter.

Things unraveled in the fourth. Here’s the sequence that was Montero’s undoing:

– Leadoff double down the left field line on a first pitch fastball.
– Single to right field on a first pitch fastball.
– Double down the line on a first pitch curveball.
– Infield single on a first pitch fastball
– A second infield single on a first pitch fastball.
– Three pitch strikeout for the first out.
– Five pitch strikeout for the second out.
– First pitch triple on a curveball and a 4-3 groundout on the 4th pitch. You get the picture.

There is a lot to like about this kid. Strike zone command is a positive, a solid foundation to make pitching progress. His fastball is sneaky fast and sometimes touched 94 mph. There was no visible reaction when he was getting hit hard. And, to be fair, the two infield hits in the sequence I described could have been ruled errors.

Shortstop Danny Muno made a diving stop on one, sprang to his feet and made a low throw to first. Had the third baseman communicated with Muno, the B-Met shortstop could have nailed the runner on second base who had started to third, stopped and froze when Muno fielded the ball on his stomach.

The next batter hit a hard grounder up the middle, I thought might end as a double play. Josh Rodriguez showed great range backhanding the ball behind the second base bag, but as he lifted his mitt to make the toss to second, the ball dropped out of his glove.

Later, in the SeaWolves three-run seventh, Cesar Puello misplayed a ball in right field that cost at least one and possibly two runs. Through it all Montero seemed unflappable.

Perhaps it’s the traditionalist in me. Perhaps it’s the fact I was raised a pitcher during a different era. Perhaps it’s because I still coach high school baseball at a Class D level where sometimes every batted ball can be an adventure. Whatever the case, I’m suspicious of the “pitch to contact’ philosophy as a rule. It fires me up to see Matt Harvey throw a two-strike pitch intending to punch a batter out, especially when he finds himself in a jam.

In my opinion, Montero was simply too fine in this outing. Extending his pitch count a bit in an attempt to miss a few more bats or at least miss the sweet spot on the barrel of the bat may have been beneficial even if Montero was forced to shorten his outing by an inning. Five consecutive hits on the first pitch is avoidable. Especially when you have this kids stuff.

Last night’s final totals weren’t pretty: 10 runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings. Even so, I’m excited about Montero and see real upside here. He is definitely in the mix of young arms Met fans could see pitching in Citi Field.

Points of interest:

• Alonzo Harris hit a solo homerun in the seventh, his third of the year leaving him one behind team leader Corey Vaughn.
• Darrell Ceciliani laced a triple to right-center field. This kid can fly. B-Met manager Pedro Lopez moved Ceciliani from left field to center field and shifted Harris from center to left last night.
• Blake Forsythe continues to swing the bat well registering another multiple hit game. Forsythe was the DH last night going 2-for-4 with a double.
• Cesar Puello went 2-for-4. The big guy has surprising speed, but struggled making plays in right field. Like many power hitter, that’s an area the B-Mets will look to improve.
• Francisco Pena had a great night at the plate going 3-for-4 with two doubles, both just inside the left field line. Pena flied out to deep left field in his other at bat.
• John Church recorded a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Church has fanned 16 batters in 13.1 innings and lowered his ERA to 2.77.

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Akron 4, Binghamton 0

So Rafael Montero is human after all…

The Binghamton Mets struck out a season-high 16 times, and were shut out for the second time in 2013, in a 4-0 loss to the Akron Aeros Friday night at NYSEG Stadium.

Danny Salazar carved through the B-Met batting order, matching a career-high with nine strikeouts in his five shutout innings. The righty allowed just three base hits, and erased two of them with double-play balls in the win. The Akron offense did just enough against Rafael Montero to support Salazar’s effort. With runners on the corners in the top of the third, Tyler Holt beat out a potential double-play ball which scored Ronny Rodriguez. Two batters later, Holt came around to score as Jesus Aguilar tallied his league-leading 23^rd RBI with a single into centerfield.

Montero’s night ended after five innings; he gave up the two runs and struck out eight. Adrian Rosario walked two of his first three hitters in the sixth, and allowed them both to score on a two-run double by Roberto Perez to give Akron a 4-0 lead.

The combination of Austin Adams and Bryce Stowell picked up where Salazar left off for Akron. Adams struck out four in his two innings on the mound, and Stowell punched out three more in the last two frames.

The B-Mets (11-10) continue their three-game series with the Aeros (9-12) Saturday afternoon at 1:05 PM. RHP Logan Verrett (3-0, 2.55) will start for Binghamton against LHP Matt Packer (0-2, 3.15) for Akron.

Key Stats

Alonzo Harris: 1-for-4, 1 SB (10)

Allan Dykstra: 1-for-3, 1 BB

Richard Lucas: 1-for-2, 1 BB

Rafael Montero: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 8 K

Adrian Rosario: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 1 K

Chase Huchingson: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Jack Leathersich: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 3 K (0.00 ERA)

(Team Report)

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Catcher Blake Forsythe is making the most of his playing time at Bingo. (Gordon Donovan)

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• The Las Vegas/Colorado Springs game was postponed due to cold.
• Binghamton dropped to Portland in extras, 9-8.
• St. Lucie dropped to Charlotte, 3-2.
• Savannah dismantled Dlemarva, 9-1.

Prospect Pipeline

• All eyes were on Noah Syndergaard last night, as everyone wanted to see how he would respond after his worst professional outing as a Met on April 18. In that game, Syndergaard pitched three innings and gave up seven earned runs — it was his shortest outing as a pro. So how did Syndergaard respond? By pitching six solid innings, scattering three hits and two walks, and holding the opposition to zero earned runs. It was only the second time in Syndergaard’s career that he went six innings into a game.
  
• Jack Leathersich has yet to allow a run to cross the plate on his watch. His season ERA is all zeros, and he has fifteen strikeouts in ten innings pitched. His walks are up a bit, as he has allowed eight over those ten innings, but he is another guy in Binghamton that may be able to make the jump straight to Flushing very soon. Last night, he tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless and hitless relief with three more strikeouts.
• Blake Forsythe is a catcher in the Mets organization that you don’t hear much about. Since Juan Centeno has been promoted to Las Vegas, Forsythe has been getting more playing time. Forsythe is currently batting .345, but he has yet to throw any potential base stealers out.
•  The Rafael Montero watch has officially started. The over/under on him making his major league debut is Memorial Day. “All Montero does is dominate.”
• Juan Lagares made his major league debut last night, adding a hit in the Mets loss to the Dodgers. I said this in the Mets Minor League Report on 4/21: “Juan Lagares is slowly proving that he is ready for big league action. He’s been hitting leadoff for Las Vegas and was is batting .356, with two home runs and a .390 OBP. The last time I checked, the Mets could still use some help in the outfield and the top of the order…what’s the holdup?” Nice to see the Mets read our morning reports. Before Tuesday’s game, Collins called Lagares “the future,” and went on to say that there are people in the organization that think he is a better outfielder than Matt den Dekker. As if we didn’t already know and say that…
• Someone asked me if I had to update our MMO Top 25 would there be any changes in the top five sports. Hell yeah there would be changes. My top five right now is as follows: Zack Wheeler, Rafael Montero, Travis d’Arnaud, Wilmer Flores and Brandon Nimmo. Both Noah Syndergaard and Michael Fulmer would drop out of the top five sports for me, while Nimmo and Montero jump in. That’s the trouble with projecting pitchers who have still to get past Single-A – it’s too volatile to make a real determination and anything can still happen – bad or good. (Joe D.)
• Savannah first baseman Jayce Boyd was 2-for-4 with a double last night and has now raised his batting line to.394/.476/.549 to go with 11 walks and only 9 strikeouts in 18 games this season. The 22-year old is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak and he may just be ready to make the jump to St. Lucie. Unlike Nimmo who is three years his junior, Boyd is a polished college player and will move quickly. (Joe D.)
• I wish people would stop comparing Wheeler to Matt Harvey. The two pitchers couldn’t be more different; one’s a high school pick and the other was highly polished and ready college pick from UNC who made it from his first pro game to the majors in 15 months and after 45 starts. And why are people trying to say that harvey had the same walk issues as Wheeler has as a pro? There is simply no truth to that unless you cherry pick specific small sample sizes to make your point. The only pitcher Zack Wheeler reminds me of is Zack Wheeler. (Joe D.)

Stat Line of the Night

Luis Cessa: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 7 K

Transactions/Injuries

RHP Tyler Vanderheiden was assigned to Savannah Sand Gnats from the Brooklyn Cyclones. Actually he was at extended spring training, but was initially slated to begin the season with Brooklyn.

RHP Tim Peterson (14.24 ERA) was demoted from Savannah where he was getting torched and will be assigned to the Brooklyn Cyclones when their season gets underway.

Tweet Of The Day

In case you missed it, Alonzo Harris got into some trouble as he was spotted in the early evening robbing home by authorities in Binghamton last night.

I stole home today

—” Mr. 102 ” (@Pro_zo) April 24, 2013

Photo Of The Day

I’m totally hooked on these MMO Mets Minors Reports!

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