The right-hander made the list because of his seven shutout innings in a win against Altoona on June 8th. The performance included only two hits and one walk allowed, while striking out six.

Montero has been getting a lot of attention, and rightfully so. I talked about his hot streak in this week’s MMN Top-10 Tracker, and we also covered the story of him getting promoted to Triple-A on Friday.

Here’s what the Baseball America staff had to say about the fourth ranked prospect on MMN:

Montero made a spot start for Triple-A Las Vegas on May 21, but following his return to Binghamton he’s been nearly unhittable. He hasn’t allowed a run in three starts, spanning 20 innings, while opponents have collected just 11 hits in 71 at-bats (.155), while striking out 18 times and hitting zero extra-base hits. Montero’s 0.90 WHIP ranks sixth in the minors, which is no fluke given that he finished second in the minors in that category last year.

While there is a little apprehension about watching Montero take the mound in the unfriendly pitching conditions that is the Pacific Coast League, we’ll soon be able to see what he’s made of. This is his third professional season in the Mets organization, and the 22-year-old has experienced nothing but success during his trip through the farm system.

Montero has never seen his season ERA go above 2.50, and has finished each year with a winning record. In 266.1 innings pitched during his professional career, the righty is 23-13 with a 2.33 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 253 strikeouts, and only 43 walks. His career BB/9IP currently stands at 1.5, while his K/9IP is 8.5.

One way or another, he’s ready for the challenge that is Triple-A, and I’m looking to seeing how he can handle it.

(Photo courtesy of Gordon Donovan)

Zack Wheeler is expected to remain with Triple-A Las Vegas and throw his between-starts bullpen session with the Pacific Coast League club before joining the Mets on Monday in Atlanta. He is expected to pitch the nightcap of Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Braves at Turner Field.

Terry Collins said the nighttime assignment is designed to keep Wheeler in a routine.

“We thought it would be better for him, more comfortable for him, to continue on what he’s used to doing, and that’s pitching the night game — give him a chance to get to the ballpark at his regular time, go through his regular routine, without having to get there in the morning at 9 o’clock and not maybe have enough time to get himself prepared,” Collins said.

Matt Harvey will start the 1:10 p.m. opener, which is a makeup of a May 4 rainout. Wheeler will start the 7:10 p.m. nightcap with family and friends in the stands at Turner Field; he lives about 30 miles away in Dallas, Ga.

As he inches ever so closer ton his major league debut, last night, Wheeler took to Twitter and thanked the fans:

Thanks everybody for the support along this road to the show. It's an honor to be called up by the @Mets Big thanks to my family and friends

— Zack wheeler (@Wheelerpro45) June 15, 2013

And the great fans of NY. It's going to be very exciting for many years to come. Thanks again everybody.

— Zack wheeler (@Wheelerpro45) June 15, 2013

Are you ready for Super Tuesday?

Original Post 6/13

Well, maybe Zack Wheeler just needed a vote of confidence from the front office, as he turned in a great performance on the heels of his promotion next week. Adam Rubin reported earlier in the day that Wheeler was on an 85-pitch count limit — and he made good use of all of those pitches. 52 out of his 85 pitches went for strikes.He allowed just one hit over five-and-two-thirds innings, a home run to Carlos Peguero, and two walks. He struck out seven and was pretty much dominant and in control the entire outing.

He walked Franklin Gutierrez before being lifted in favor in Jack Leathersich, who struck out Brad Miller to end the inning. His curveball and slider were on tonight, as if he had the adrenaline flowing the entire evening. His slider was working in the low-90′s, similar to Matt Harvey‘s, if my eyes didn’t deceive me. His fastball sat around the mid-90′s. He actually induced six groundouts over the course of the game, in contrast to one fly out.

Zack’s final line was: 5.2 IP, 1 H, 1 HR, 2 BB, 1 ER, 7 K

There’s not much else to say at this point..Wheeler is a talented pitcher and he will make his debut for the New York Mets next week, and we all wish him the best. I can’t explain how excited I am to see him finally take the mound for the MLB club — wearing the respected No. 45 to boot — and I think he’s going to try to make a name for himself that will hopefully last forever in New York City.

Updated by Joe D,

You can put it in the books. Sandy Alderson strongly hinted today that Zack Wheeler will make his Mets and MLB debut on June 18 in Atlanta.

“You could speculate and be fairly comfortable that you will see him pitch on that day.”

The Mets have doubleheader that day and it could very well be a Harvey and Wheeler pairing for the Mets.

Zoom, zoom..

Original Post 

Well, he definitely wasn’t helped by the home plate umpire tonight, but a tough fifth inning ruined what was shaping up to be an effective start from Zack Wheeler. This was supposed to be Wheeler’s last AAA tune-up before his potential MLB call-up on Monday, and for a while, things looked excellent. Despite what I thought was a terrible strike zone from the ump, Wheeler cruised through his first four innings on the mound — allowing just one earned run off four hits and no walks. He struck out six over that span and was very impressive.

The fifth inning, however, brought a world of trouble for the young righthahder. A lead-off walk, his first of the game, followed by a base knock by Carlos Triunfel put runners on the corners with none out. He would go on to allow three more hits and earned runs in the inning, including an RBI double to Dustin Ackley. He was removed after 105 pitches, 65 of them strikes, in favor of Sean Henn who got him out of the inning without further damage.

His final line was 4.2 IP, 8 H, 1 BB, 4 ER, 7 K.

Something worth noting is the long break Wheeler had between the fourth and fifth innings, because the 51s dropped a five spot in the inning after scoring three runs the inning before. He really did look like a different pitcher in the fifth inning compared to the rest of the game, and the Mets are very confident in his readiness, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

Center fielder Matt den Dekker, who suffered a fractured right wrist during a March 24 Grapefruit League game, is ready to get into games according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

Den Dekker was scheduled to DH in a back-field game in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on Thursday until heavy rains forced a postponement. Den Dekker should be in the lineup today.

Here is a video of Den Dekker who talks about what it was like for him on Draft Day when the Mets selected him.

Updated by HoJo At  2:30 PM

A day after Mets prospect Zack Wheeler rebounded with a solid performance for Las Vegas, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that the Mets are considering a variety of factors in setting a date for Zack Wheeler’s major league debut and he could arrive on the next homestand.

The Mets next homestand is the target, with the organization sensitive to putting Wheeler in an optimum position to succeed for his debut. That would mean a strong preference to pitching Wheeler against the struggling Cubs on the weekend of June 14-16 instead of against the NL Central leading Cardinals in the previous series. Team brass also isn’t high on the idea of having Wheeler make his major league debut in Atlanta – despite the fact the Mets will need another starter for a scheduled doubleheader on June 18 – because of the proximity to Wheeler’s hometown of Dallas, Ga. The Mets believe Wheeler will have enough jitters pitching in the majors for the first time and won’t need the added pressure of pitching in front of a large contingent from his hometown.

After two years of waiting for Wheeler to arrive, it looks like the wait is finally over. Puma says that the Super 2 cutoff is still being monitored and it is factoring in the decision regardless of what the team says publicly. It’s always about the money with the Mets and that hasn’t changed yet.

I’m looking forward to seeing Wheeler team up with Matt Harvey and Jon Niese for the rest of this season. The hope is that all three will form the core that the Mets can build around in future seasons.

Original Post 12:30 AM

Well, well, well… that’s how you go out there and inspire everyone to believe in you again, Mr. Zack Wheeler. You go out there and toss six innings of one-run ball, allow only three hits and one walk, then strike out six as the cherry on top of the cake. I was a little worried about Wheeler before this game started, ranging from his mechanics to whether he was going to run into more command issues.

Whether it was mechanics, mental, or just plain rust – Wheeler responded to doubters in a big way. He gave up his only run in the second inning when he gave up a single, induced two ground outs, and then allowed a two-out RBI single to Carter Jurica. After that, Wheeler turned on the cruise control switch and pitched the next four innings while allowing only one hit (to Jurica once again) and recording all six of his punchouts.

Wheeler was afforded a lead after the top of the third when he scored a run himself on a two-run homer from Kirk Nieuwenhuis. I personally think Wheeler turned it up a notch in this game once he was given that lead because he was absolutely dominant moving forward.

He was removed after 95 pitches – 62 of them being strikes. His fastball sat between 92-96 MPH on the evening. With the Super Two date basically becoming a non-issue now, once Wheeler strings   together a few starts like this, expect him in Flushing. It’s imminent.

So I’ll leave you all with his final line for emphasis: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 6 K, 62:33 Strike/Ball Ratio.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas topped Salt Lake, 13-9.
• Binghamton shut out Portland, 5-0.
• Savannah dropped to Augusta, 3-1.
• St. Lucie shut out Bradenton, 8-2.

Prospect Pipeline

• Rafael Montero killed it last night…again. The righty was absolutely dominant through six innings today – allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out eight batters. He allowed no earned runs and dropped his ERA in AA down to 3.08. He was touching 95 mph on the guns last night. #promotemontero
• In case you missed the Prospect Spolight over at MetsMinors.net yesterday, Aderlin Rodriguez is having a month for the ages. Over the past thirty days, his stat line heading into last night’s game is a ridiculous: .321/.353/.571 with 6 HR & 30 RBI.
• Sandy Alderson told reporters yesterday that the organization will limit top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler to 180 to 185 innings this season, likely meaning he will have to go through an end-of-season shutdown, similar to Matt Harvey last year.
• When Zach Lutz was removed from the game in the fourth inning yesterday, speculation ran across Twitter that he was on his way to Flushing to spell the struggling Ike Davis. Unfortunately he was removed due to an oblique injury. With Andrew Brown recently injuring his oblique, Lutz looked to be the favorite. He has more corner infield experience, and currently resides on the Mets’ 40-man roster. Looks like it’s down to Josh Satin and Wilmer Flores as the primary call up possibilities right now — I give Satin the edge.
• Every batter in the starting lineup reached base safely for the 51s last night, and six players had multi-hit games including Omar Quintanilla, who went 4-for-4 with a homer and a walk. If Tejada continues to struggle at the major league level, don’t be surprised if you see Quintanilla get called up to take some time away from him.
• Matthew Bowman (3-0), a 13th-round selection in last year’s MLB Draft out of Princeton University, has worked at least six innings in all four of his starts since being promoted from Savannah earlier this month. Boasting an arsenal that already contains four quality pitches — the changeup being viewed as his primary out pitch — he painted the corners masterfully and sent down the first six Marauders batters he faced last night on during his solid seven inning outing. He struck out five batters and walked only one.

Stat Line of the Day

Omar Quintanilla: 4-for-4, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 RBI, 2 R

Transactions

None.

Happy Memorial Day from all of us at MMO and MMN.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas got swept in a doubleheader with Iowa, 2-1 and 6-5
• Binghamton dropped to New Britain, 9-3.
• St. Lucie dropped Dunedin, 5-3.
• Savannah dropped to Charleston, 2-0. 
  

Prospect Pipeline

• Zack Wheeler gets back on the hill this afternoon against the Iowa Cubs. The Mets top prospect is back on-track to pitch every five days beginning today for the Las Vegas 51s. Sandy Alderson stopped by the SNY booth during last night’s game and added that if Wheeler has two or three more good starts, he will be considered for a promotion. When asked if there was anything that will keep Wheeler from being promoted he said, “as long as he’s healthy, he’ll be promoted.” We still believe that his first start will come on the road and probably come during the five-game Braves series in June.
• Rafael Montero got promoted and still dominated. I couldn’t have been more impressed with Montero’s start. He shows command of his pitches, knows how to get hitters out, works quickly, and can battle back from adverse situations — what more do we have to see? If Montero is sent back to Double-A, it will leave many scratching their heads. With his performance today, he showed that he belongs at the Triple-A level. Even more impressive is the fact that he did this against a Iowa Cubs lineup who has a bunch of guys with previous major league experience. Alderson said that Montero will return to Double-A Binghamton, but expects him to be back with Triple-A Las Vegas mid-season. He sees no reason why Montero cant be in the big leagues before the end of the year.
  
• Cesar Puello is one of the hottest hitters in the Mets organization right now. He added another hit last night, a two-run homer, his sixth long ball in May. He is hitting .338 this month. Check out MetsMinors.net for a Prospect Pulse on Puello.
• Mets officials say Brandon Nimmo was prepared to return from a long absence for a bruised hand when he tweaked his lower back. Nimmo, the organization’s 2011 first-round pick, last appeared for Savannah on April 29.
• Darryl Strawberry will be representing the Mets at this year’s upcoming draft.
• After two hits in last night’s game, St. Lucie second baseman and leadoff hitter T.J. Rivera has gotten his batting average back up to .300 on the year.
• Alex Panteliodis has been solid this season since coming off the disabled list, and last night was no different. The 22-year old southpaw went 5.2 frames allowing two runs (1ER) on four hits while walking two and punching out four, picking up his first win of the season. So far this year, he has 17 strikeouts to only four walks in 21.2 innings of work.

Stat Line of the Day

Rafael Montero: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Transactions

None.

Quote of the Day 

Sandy Alderson spoke about Travis d’Arnaud last night:

He expects that as long as he he returns from the broken foot, he will be with the Mets at some point this season. However, Alderson added that d’Arnaud might not begin playing at Triple-A again until July 1, and he needs to get more minor league games under his belt. “He’s only played in ten or fifteen games over the last year. It’s going to take some time to get back into game shape. Ultimately we need to get him some playing time.”

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas dropped to Omaha 5-4.
• Binghamton had the night off.
• St. Lucie lost to Brevard County in the bottom of the ninth, 3-2.
• Savannah topped Augusta in eleven innings, 6-0. 
  

Prospect Pipeline

• Rainy Lara — the name Rainy is fitting considering the fact that opposing teams are probably hoping for rain every time this kid steps on the mound. Last night’s stat line is utterly ridiculous, as he pitched eight complete innings, holding the opposing offense to two hits and one walk. He added in nine strikeouts for good measure. He leads the organization with a miniscule 1.17 ERA, and is second in the SAL for ERA. Aside from one shaky start where he gave up eleven hits and four runs, Lara has been brilliant all year. He should be rewarded with a promotion soon.
• Noah Syndergaard was outdone by Lara last night, but he still showed off why he is a top five prospect in the organization. The curve ball was knee buckling, the change up was keeping hitters off balance, and the fastball was humming by hitters at 96 mph — the result: ten strikeouts on the night. This kid is nasty. A couple of more starts and this guy will be moving on up.
• Jayce Boyd continues doing woodwork, and added two more hits last night. As I stated yesterday, Boyd is one of the prospects I am most impressed with this year. He now trails Kevin Plawecki by .02 in batting average (Boyd .360, Plawecki .362). He has a very advanced approach at the plate, and I’m still super impressed with him having more walks than strike outs this year.
• Jenrry Mejia makes his season debut tonight. He will be on the hill for the St. Lucie Mets.
• MMO’s newest family member, Matt Musico, thinks it’s time to give Zach Lutz a look while Ike Davis struggles. “A guy who is on the 40-man that is hitting right now is Zach Lutz. The corner infielder is hitting .260/.340/.407 with four homers and 20 RBIs. Those numbers aren’t exactly eye-popping, but he’s currently riding a seven-game hitting streak. Over the last week, he’s hitting .444 with three homers, seven RBIs, and two doubles.” I think everyone’s patience has run out with Davis. He looks completely lost at the plate and reminds me of a kid trying to hit a curve playing wiffleball at this point.

Stat Line of the Day

Syndergaard’s line was good, Lara’s was better…

Rainy Lara: 8.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 9 K

Transactions

Jonathan Clark assigned to St. Lucie Mets from Brooklyn Cyclones.

Quote of the Day

Ike Davis on his poor performance:

“As far as this trip — besides today — it’s probably the best I’ve hit the ball, but I just didn’t get any hits,” Davis said. “Obviously it’s not good to strike out four times in any game, so definitely a bad day today.”

Ike, I hate to break it to you, but saying you’re hitting the ball the best you have, but just not getting any hits, doesn’t make it any better. There is no such thing as a good hitter that doesn’t get hits, no matter how hard they are hitting the ball. Try getting your head out of your backside and trusting your hands again. Focus on shooting the left-centerfield gap instead of trying to pull everything. Get back to the basics.

Tweet of the Day

Barring injuries, the #Mets rotation will include Harvey, Wheeler, Synergaard, and Montero in the near future…scary

— Mitch Petanick (@FirstPitchMitch) May 16, 2013

Savannah 6, Augusta 0

If you like a good pitcher’s duel, you might have found yourself in heaven if you could have watched this Savannah game. Rainy Lara was absolutely incredible in his performance over eight innings where he allowed no runs, two hits, and a walk. He struck out nine in perhaps the best pitching performance of his career. Currently, his ERA stands at 1.17, his opposing average is .192, and his BB:K ratio is 5:47 in 46.0 innings pitched.

I would assume he makes the jump to Binghamton extremely soon because he is absolutely dominating the SAL league right now. The Sand Gnats were unable to score a run until the 11th inning of this game, where they dropped a six-spot to confuse everyone watching. Two walks, two hits, and two errors in the wild inning combined for six runs, which was too much for Augusta to surmount in one frame, leading to their defeat.

Bret Mitchell and Beck Wheeler combined to finish the game for Savannah, with Mitchell vulturing the win from Lara after tossing two scoreless frames.

Key Stats

Eudy Pina: 1-for-5, 1 3B, 1 R

Jayce Boyd: 2-for-4, 1 BB, 1 R

Maikis De La Cruz: 1-for-1, 2 RBI, 1 R

Jeff Reynolds: 1-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 R

Rainy Lara: 8.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 9 K

Bret Mitchell: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K

Beck Wheeler: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Starting Lineup

1. Justin Turner – SS
2. Daniel Murphy – 2B
3. David Wright – 3B
4. John Buck – C
5. Lucas Duda – LF
6. Marlon Byrd – RF
7. Ike Davis – 1B
8. Juan Lagares – CF
9. Dillon Gee – RHP

Game Notes

WFAN Mets beat reporter Ed Coleman has reported that shortstop Ruben Tejada is in Terry Collins’ doghouse and that is why he is out of the lineup and Turner is playing short. That’s all he said. (Hat tip to Leroy)

Veteran outfielder Rick Ankiel went 0-for-3 with a walk and scored a run in Monday’s series-opening loss after signing with the Mets earlier in the day. The Mets signed Ankiel in an attempt to jumpstart their sputtering offense, particularly from the outfield position. Ankiel hit just .194 with 35 strikeouts in 62 at-bats over 25 games with the Astros this season before being designated for assignment last week. In making his Mets debut in center field Monday, Ankiel became the 10th player to appear in the Mets’ outfield in 2013.

Over the club’s last 11 games, Mets starting pitchers are 1-5 with 5.68 ERA (40 earned runs in 63.1 innings). Overall, New York starters are 8-15 with a 4.35 ERA (94 earned runs in 194.1 innings), ranking 21st in the majors.

On Monday, Terry Collins vowed to keep Ike Davis in cleanup spot until he breaks out of his slump. “He’s our guy.” Three days later he’s batting seventh.

The Mets optioned Andrew Brown to Las Vegas and moved Jenrry Mejia to the 60-day DL in order to clear a spot for Ankiel. Mejia will continue to pitch in the minors uninterrupted. Until early June, though, he will not count against the 40-man roster.

The Mets have signed right-hander Matt Fox out of York in the independent Atlantic League. He will work out of the Triple-A Las Vegas rotation. Fox, 30, was the 35th overall pick in the 2004 draft by the Minnesota Twins. His lone four major league appearances came in 2010, with the Twins and Boston Red Sox.

Frank Francisco was examined Monday in New York for continued elbow discomfort. He was diagnosed with a strained flexor pronator tendon in his right elbow and was advised to refrain from throwing for 72 hours. He may then attempt to resume activity. Bottom line: He is making $6.5 million this season. And he likely will not contribute anytime soon.

David  Wright is hitting .433 (13-30) with RISP, tied for third-best mark  in the National League. Daniel Murphy is hitting .500 (5-10) with runners in scoring position and two outs this year, tied for the fourth-best mark in the National League.

Mets OF prospect Matt den Dekker will return to baseball in a few weeks as he continues his comeback from a broken wrist. Catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud, who fractured the first metatarsal in his left foot four weeks ago, has an exam scheduled for Friday in New York. He hopes to be cleared to shed an immobilizing boot and begin weight-bearing activity.

Game Preview

The Mets try to correct the ship tonight in St. Louis and break their four game losing streak. Last night the Mets and Cardinals each  got 3 runs early and then things fell silent until the Cards were able to get to the Mets pen for 3 runs. Meanwhile the Mets were able to do nothing against the Cardinals pen thus locking in a loss in the opener. Tonight Dillon Gee will try to play stopper as he goes up against John Gast in his major league debut.

Dillon Gee is 2-4 with a 5.55 ERA on the season over 7 starts and 35.2 innings of work. After a couple of poor starts in a row, Gee allowed only 1 ER in his last outing, but was only able to stay in the game for 5 innings. Last year he made one start against the Cardinals where he allowed 3 runs, 2 earned over 7 innings of work. The Cards have the following numbers against Gee:

Freese 3-6
Holliday 1-6, 2B
Molina 0-6
Beltran 0-4
Craig 1-2
Descalso 0-2
Jay 0-2
Wigginton 1-2, HR

The Mets bats will try to break out of their collective slump tonight against John Gast in his major league debut. Gast, the left hander, is 3-1 this season over 7 games allowing 5 ER over 38.2 innings in Memphis. When you run the numbers, that’s an ERA of 1.16. In those 38.2 innings he allowed 15 BB and struck out 35 batters. Last season in Memphis he was 9-5 over 109.1 innings and 20 games with an ERA of 5.10.

Let’s Go Mets!

Harrisburg 3, Binghamton 1

Mark Cohoon didn’t have his best stuff yet turned in a gritty performance which was good enough to win, but good fortune simply didn’t come his way. Cohoon is a thinking pitcher who maximizes his stuff to out smart opposing hitters. Pitch location is a huge part of the winning Cohoon pitching formula, but the B-Met lefty had difficulty spotting his pitches early in the contest. Even so, Cohoon carried a shutout into the Harrisburg fifth.

Senator shortstop Ricky Hague led off the fifth working a 7-pitch at bat lining the final pitch, a 2-2 off speed delivery, just inside the right field foul line into the corner for a triple. Jerad Head pinch hit and lofted a lazy fly to B-Met rightfielder Cesar Puello, which was not deep enough to plate Hogue. The Senators took a 1-0 lead when Brian Goodman grounded a single just past the B-Met infield. In what turned out to be a critical defensive lapse, Cohoon had Goodman picked off, but the B-Mets allowed him to escape a rundown and reach second base. Unnerved, Cohoon caught Sean Nicol looking on a 73 mph curve for the second out.

Lopez used a double switch, lifting Cohoon, who had thrown 92 pitches, in favor of reliever John Church. Anthony Rendon, the Senator’s second baseman, took Church’s third pitch out of the park for a two run dinger that would prove to be the game winner.

Binghamton scored their only run of the game when Richard Lucas, who had entered the game in the double switch, led off the fifth with a double. He later scored on Danny Muno’s infield ground out, the RBI a team leading 19^th for the B-Met second baseman. The B-Mets slammed four doubles in the contest with Josh Rodriguez getting two and Francisco Pena and Lucas one apiece.

Check out Cohoon’s pitching stats: 4.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 5 K

• Batters Faced: 20    
• First Pitch Strikes: 14 of 20 – 70%
• Ahead After Three Pitches: 12 of 19 63%
• Total Pitches: 92    Strikes: 57 – 62%     Balls: 35 – 38%
• Strike Breakdown:  Called: 24 – 42%  Fouled: 14 – 25%  Missed: 7 – 12%  In Play: 12 – 21%
• Full Windup: Total Pitches: 55   Strikes: 35 – 64%    Balls: 20 – 36%
• Stretch:  Total Pitches:  37     Strikes: 22 – 57%    Balls: 15 – 43%

Cohoon is more difficult to chart. His fastball range was 86-90 mph, but he only touched 90 on one pitch. Cohoon’s curve ball bites in the low 70′s. He delivers another off-speed pitch the registers in the low 80′s either a change-up or perhaps a slider. With a small differential between this pitch and his fastball, sometimes it makes me think Mark is simply varying the speed of his fastball. The pitch appears to tail at times, but I’m not exactly sure what it is.

I love watching Cohoon pitch. When he’s locked in he delivers pitches with a surgeon’s precision moving knee high pitches along the corners on both sides of the plate.

Key Stats

Josh Rodriguez: 2-for-3, 2 2B

Francisco Pena: 1-for-3, 1 2B

Daniel Muno: 0-for-3, 1 RBI

Richard Lucas: 1-for-1, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 BB

Mark Cohoon: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

John Church: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 HR, 1 ER, 1 K

Shawn Teufel: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K

Las Vegas 4, Albuquerque 3

Last night I was at Cashman Field to witness the ace of the Las Vegas 51s and prized prospect Zack Wheeler on the mound. In many ways Wheeler lived up to the hype and pitched as expected. However, what I did NOT expect was the competitive spirit he displayed. His poise is more expected of a crafty veteran than a kid three weeks shy of turning 23.

Wheeler pitched well, keeping Albuquerque batters on their toes all evening. He tossed 7 1/3 innings, the longest of any 51s pitcher this season, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits. He fanned 7 while walking just 1. 61 of his 99 pitches went for strikes.

Albuquerque scored in the first. With Elian Herrera on 2nd and two outs Rusty Ryal singled hard to right. Eric Campbell fired a rocket to the plate. Herrera was out by ten feet. However, he avoided the swipe tag by Las Vegas catcher Juan Centeno. Ryal took second on the throw home. Wheeler, however, was unfazed. He turned it up a notch and fanned the next batter. No opposing batter reached second base again until the seventh inning.

In the seventh, with Wheeler and the 51s leading 2-1, he delivered a first pitch fastball that Matt Angle promptly sent high into the Vegas night. Wally Backman showed faith in Wheeler. He didn’t come out to settle him down. He didn’t wave to the bullpen. He gave Wheeler a chance to show what he’s made of and the young pitcher answered the call by striking out the next batter on a knee-buckling curveball.

Eric Campbell’s home run to lead off the home seventh put Vegas back on top, 3-2. Wheeler gave way to Justin Hampson in the eighth after allowing his one and only walk of the night. In the ninth, Hampson squandered the lead and Albuquerque tied the game at 3-3, therefore giving Wheeler a N/D.

The 51s won the game in the bottom of the ninth on a lead-off single by third baseman Zach Lutz followed by a walk to Eric Campbell. A fielder’s choice moved the runners to 2^nd and 3^rd. Omar Quintanilla was intentionally walked to load the bases. Backman had Reese Havens pinch hit. He fell behind quickly in the count, 1-2, but managed to work out a walk. A walk-off walk.

After watching him tonight, it’s clear—as we’ve all been reading and hearing—that Wheeler has “the stuff.” What I learned, however, is that he also has the make-up. He did not get rattled. He did not get flustered. When he had to reach back for something extra, he succeeded.

Another interesting observation about Zack Wheeler is the efficiency he pitches with. He keeps the game moving at a quick clip. He doesn’t take a lot of time between pitches. This obviously keeps the fielder’s sharp. Steve Trachsel he’s not.

2bman Wilmer Flores hit his 3^rd HR of the season in the 4^th and almost hit another in the 6^th, sending the OF to the wall. He also flashed some leather, making a nice diving catch in the hole in the 7th.

It seems like every few years we Mets fans hear about ‘the next’ Tom Seaver or Jerry Koosman. We hear it so much we become numb. Am I saying Zack Wheeler will be the next Koosman to Matt Harvey’s Seaver? No.

However, after seeing Harvey pitch over the last month and personally witnessing Zack Wheeler last night, maybe, just maybe, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Key Stats

Wilmer Flores: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Eric Campbell: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Zach Lutz: 1-for-4, 1 R

Zack Wheeler: 7.1 IP, 6 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 ER, 7 K

Justin Hampson: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 K

Zack Wheeler took the hill tonight for Las Vegas, and was locked into cruise control for the majority of the night. He threw 99 pitches, 61 for strikes. Wheeler had seven strike outs and only allowed one walk to his final batter. That last comment is music to a lot of peoples’ ears.

Wheeler looked good the entire night. He gave up a run early in the first inning, but he wasn’t getting knocked around. He settled down after the first, and took control of the game. He did get some help from a couple of guys that swung at pitches after Wheeler got behind them with three-ball counts. One batter swung at a pitch with a 3-0 count which is one of the biggest no-no’s in baseball. If you swing at a 3-0 pitch, it better land on the moon.

Speaking of moonshots, Wheeler gave up a home run to Matt Angle, after Angle jumped all over the first pitch of the seventh inning (fastball). Wheeler showed poise when he retired the side in order after the home run, looking like he wasn’t phased. Regardless of the home run, Wheeler did his job tonight.

Wheeler continues to build on his previous performances, and it really is starting to look as if the mechanical glitch that Wheeler fixed could be the difference. Since the mechanical fix, he has only walked three batters (one in each of his past three starts). He pitched 7.1 innings tonight, which was his longest outing of the season. In his final strikeout in the eighth inning, he was still hitting 96 mph on the radar gun…wow.

Wheeler’s ERA, in a very friendly hitter’s league, is now down to 3.57.

Final Stat Line: 7.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 HR

We will have even more on Wheeler as Rob Silverman will be sharing his insights from Vegas at the conclusion of the game as well as grab some post game quotes from Wally Backman.

Rome 3, Savannah 2

Game two of the four game series between the Savannah Sand Gnats and the Rome Braves was played Friday evening in front of 2,535 fans at Historic Grayson Stadium. Rome scored in the 8th inning to break a 2-2 tie and win the game by the final score of 3-2.

Rome scored a run in the first inning when ss Jose Peraza singled, stole second and scored on a single by second baseman Levi Hyams.

Savannah scored in the 3rd inning. 2b Yucary De La Cruz singled and scored on a doubled by first baseman Jayce Boyd.

In the 5th inning, Rome scored a run to lead 2-1.

Sand Gnats tied the game at 2-2 in the 6th inning. Boyd reached first base on a fielders choice and scored on a double by catcher, Kevin Plawecki.

Rainy Lara starting for Savannah and turned in another stellar performance. The right-hander tossed seven innings, allowed two runs (one earned), gave up five hits, walked nobe, and struck out eight. Reliever Beck Wheeler took the loss after giving up the winning on two hits two innings pitched. He struck out three.

Note: Brandon Nimmo, who was placed on the DL earlier in the week, took batting practice and said he felt fine. He has been dealing with a hand contusion.

Game three of the series starts at 6:05 pm Saturday evening at Grayson Stadium.

Key Stats

Jayce Boyd: 1-for-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 2 BB

Kevin Plawecki: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Maikis De La Cruz: 1-for-3, 1 BB, 1 SB

Rainy Lara: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 2 R, 1 ER, 8 K

Beck Wheeler: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 K

Las Vegas 3, Round Rock 2

Collin McHugh took the mound tonight and pitched a heck of a game. He continued his tremendous start to the season tossing seven scoreless innings. The righty threw 90 pitches (59 strikes), allowed just five hits, struck out five, and left the game with a 1-0 lead. McHugh came into the game leading the 51s with a 3.57 ERA, but after tonight’s masterful performance, he lowered his ERA to 2.98.

McHugh was in line for the win when he left the game heading into the eighth inning, but the combination of Gonzalez Germen and Justin Hampson squandered the lead allowing the tying run to score. Greg Burke took the ball in the top of the ninth up 2-1, but was unable to nail down the save. He allowed a double followed by an RBI single, and saw his ERA balloon to 5.19.

The Vegas offense was held to just three hits on the night, but was highlighted by Josh Satin hitting his fifth home run of the season, and an RBI single by Juan Centeno. Eric Campbell had a very patient night at the plate, accumulating three walks, and scored the go ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Vegas a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Reese Havens singled to lead off the inning, and was moved to second on a ground out by Satin, before being pinch ran for by Brian Bixler. The next batter Zach Lutz struck out swinging, but the ball hit the dirt and had to be blocked by the catcher. Bixler plated the winning run on an errant throw by the catcher attempting to throw out Lutz at first base.

Key Stats

• Wilmer Flores: 0-for-2, BB
• Josh Satin: 1-for-3, HR, R, RBI, BB
• Juan Centeno: 1-for-3, RBI
• Reese Havens: 1-for-4
• Eric Campbell: 0-for-1, RBI, 3 BB
• Collin McHugh: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, ND

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)

 

Keep it up, kid. You’ll see AA soon…

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas was shut down by Sacramento, 3-0. 
• Binghamton got beat by Harrisburg, 3-1. 
• St. Lucie was also shut out in their loss to Fort Myers, 6-0. 
• Savannah had their game suspended till 5/30, and trailed 1-0 after three innings before the postponement. 

Prospect Pipeline

• Well, it was a relatively quiet night last night in Mets Minors as all three teams that managed to finish their games lost. Each team did receive good starts from their starters – Chris Schwinden, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, respectively. Syndergaard, as I’m sure you all know by now, was the Mets #3 prospect and our #4. His start last night, which spanned six innings and resulted in only one earned run, helped string together a little mini-streak for him. He has not gone less than six innings in his last three starts, while walking no more than two and allowing no more than one earned run. That is a pretty nice sign for a player who had a career high of six innings pitched coming into the season, as he looks to develop a little consistency and move his way to Binghamton.
• In Jacob deGrom‘s case, he had issues out of the gate last night, where he allowed four straight hits to begin the game. The latter hit was a two-run double, which capped off a three run inning against him in the first. The good news, however, was that he immediately settled in and did not allow any more runs for the rest of the game, allowing him the luxury of departing with a quality start. There is a lot to like about deGrom as he progresses through our system and most of it circles around his dominant fastball. I’m interested to see if he and Syndergaard can build on whatever momentum they have built up with a dominating start each in the near future.
• Cesar Puello has been tearing it up since returning from his injury, and he has a ten-game hitting streak to his name to prove it. His .333/.368/.583 slash over the streak has been accompanied with seven RBI and three steals. He went deep last night for Binghamton’s only run.
• Defensive wizard Wilfredo Tovar had his second multi-hit game in as many starts for Binghamton last night, and he has hit safely in eight of his last ten ball games with a .286 average. He still needs to show me more at the plate before I start jumping on that bandwagon.
• The Sand Gnats’ game may have been postponed, but Steven Matz did get the start for the three innings that were played. He allowed one earned run over that span, off two hits and one walk. He struck out four and was actually looking rather impressive. Rainy Lara will start tomorrow, and he leads the entire Mets organization in ERA for qualifying players with a sparkling 1.88 figure in that category.
• Kevin Plawecki failed to get a hit in his one at-bat, which broke his hitting streak, but his .402 average continues to be ridiculous in every possible way. Plawecki got a mention for his insanely hot week, .455 with five doubles, in Jim Shonerd’s BA chat for the week although he said that K-Plaw needed to do a little more to end up on the hot sheet from Low-A ball. Shonerd also mentioned Gabriel Ynoa, where he said “Slightly above-average fastball with control. Secondary stuff has further to go but he’s only 19 (turns 20 later this month) and has pitched well against older competition both last year in the New York-Penn League and so far this year in Savannah.”
• Hat tip to the Leather Rocket, Jack Leathersich, who struck out the side in his inning last night in dominating fashion.
• I’ve kept track of Jeurys Familia for many years, and I was very glad to see him pick up his first MLB save last night. His fastball was always electric, but if his breaking pitches fall into place…can you say closer quality stuff?

Stat Line of the Day

Noah Syndergaard: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 5 K

Transactions/Injuries

• As you may have already heard, Collin Cowgill was demoted to Las Vegas yesterday, and Andrew Brown was called up in his place.
• Brandon Nimmo was not in the lineup for Savannah before their game was suspended. He is still nursing his left hand injury and is not even taking batting practice.
• Marcos Camarena is on the 7-day DL for St. Lucie.

Video of the Day

Check out Kirk Nieuwenhuis performing a catch that may actually be illegal in a few states, where he robs a home run by extending over the barricade…

Photo of the Day

Things weren’t so hot on the farm last night, but we can fix that…

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas dropped to Reno, 5-1.
• Binghamton got thrashed by Erie, 9-1.
• St. Lucie was beaten by Fort Myers, 3-2. 
• Savannah defeated Kannapolis, 5-3. 

Prospect Pipeline

• We are starting off another Minor League Report with Kevin Plawecki. He had two more hits again last night, one of which was…you guessed it…a double. What more does he have to prove in the SAL at this point?
• More accolades for Plawecki, as he finally received some recognition by Baseball America after being snubbed on their prospect hot sheet for the past four weeks. Plawecki and Rafael Montero were both named to the Baseball America All-Prospect Team for April. For the month of April, Montero compiled an 11-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio. Both of these guys were ridiculous in April and are well deserving of the recognition.
• I’m a little confused. The PCL is a hitters league and the Mets continue to promote hitters from Las Vegas based on their numbers. I wonder if this means that no pitchers are ever going to be promoted based on their numbers because they are awful. Collin McHugh started the season off strong, prompting many to lobby for a call up, but his last three starts have been pretty bad. His ERA over those three starts is over 6.00.
• Look for Andrew Brown to get some time at first base against left-handed pitchers while Ike Davis continues to figure things out.
• Beck Wheeler is making one hell of a splash in Savannah this year. He has allowed only two base runners, a hit and a walk each, over 11.2 innings pitched with no earned runs. He has recorded 16 strikeouts and opposing hitters are batting .028 against him so far. He picked up his second save of the season last night. Wicked. (Satish)
• Sound the alarms, Aderlin Rodriguez walked twice last night. (Satish)
• Wilmer Flores‘ strikeout rate, at 8.0%, is ranked as second in the PCL for qualifying players. The maturity may not always show in the stats, but Flores continues to make strides to becoming an MLB player as he continues to take more reps at second base. (Satish)
• Brandon Nimmo missed his second game last night due to a hand contusion. (Satish)
• 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. (Satish)

Stat Line of the Day

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

Tweet of the Day
Road troubles…

So over this horrible wifi at the hotel. Can’t even watch How I Met Your Mother without it constantly freezing!

— Rob Whalen (@RobWhalen38) May 3, 2013

 

 

 

Zack Wheeler had a test of fortitude staring him in the face today when he took the mound against the Reno Aces. The good news for Mets fans is that the young Wheeler stared adversity in the face and punched it in the mouth.

He ran into some trouble right out of the gate, as lead-off hitter Tyler Bortnick singled and stole second base. Wheeler then induced two ground balls, one which moved the runner over and the latter one bringing him home. He allowed a single after that, but settled down to strike out Brad Snyder to end the inning.

Wheeler danced out of a self-created jam in the second inning where he allowed two singles by getting Bortnick to fly out. Of course, that’s when the fun started. Including Bortnick’s fly out, Wheeler went on to retire the next eleven batters straight, mixing in a healthy amount of strikeouts along the way and demonstrating overall dominance. The next baserunner that reached against him was due to a fielding error, but that was barely a blip on the radar for him as he went ahead to pick up a flyout and then a strikeout to end the sixth inning.

He took the mound and immediately allowed a lead-off single, and after getting two outs, he walked Evan Frey – that’s when Wally Backman pulled him from the ballgame. I wish he would have left him in. The walk to Frey, by the way, was his first of the day – what an excellent sign. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that Wheeler had some solid defense behind him throughout the entire game, which undoubtedly helped his cause.

Zack Wheeler’s final line was an impressive one:

6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 8 K. 65/108 pitches went for strikes.

For what it’s worth, Wheeler actually had a solid day at the plate, going 1-for-2 with an RBI single, a walk, and a run scored. He is the proud owner of a .333 batting average. Let’s hope this is the beginning of a trend for Wheeler as he settles down to become a huge part of our future plans.

Binghamton 4, Erie 3

Cesar Puello‘s two-run double down the first base line capped a four-run eighth inning in the Binghamton Mets 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Erie SeaWolves on Monday night at NYSEG Stadium. The B-Mets used three hits and two Erie errors in the decisive inning in the series-opening win.

After getting handcuffed for seven innings by Erie starter Warwick Saupold, the B-Mets broke through against the Erie bullpen. Facing reliever Michael Morrison and trailing 3-0, Alonzo Harris started the comeback by reaching on Corey Jones‘ fielding error at third. Darrell Ceciliani followed with a single and Josh Rodriguez walked to load the bases.

With Allan Dykstra at the plate, catcher James McCann fired to third in attempt to nab Harris, but his throw skipped into left field, allowing Harris to score. Dykstra followed by hammering an RBI double to left, cutting Erie’s lead to one. Puello capped the comeback by bouncing a two-run, go-ahead double down the first baseline, plating Rodriguez and Dykstra.

The SeaWolves had jumped out to an early lead by tagging B-Mets starter Erik Goeddel for three runs in the first four innings. Daniel Field homered in the first, James McCann collected an RBI single in the third and Luis Castillo added a run-scoring double in the fourth.

Erie’s run in the fourth proved to be their last. Goeddel battled to complete five innings and handed the reins to Josh Edgin in the sixth. The lefty allowed two hits, but no runs thanks to Cory Vaughn‘s strong throw to the plate, retiring Castillo to end the inning. Edgin returned for the seventh and posted a perfect frame.

Chase Huchingson (1-0) retired all three batters he faced in the eighth and became the winner after Binghamton’s four-run eighth inning. Jeff Walters racked up his league-leading seventh save with a shutout ninth. Morrison (1-1) suffered the loss.

Saupold settled for the no-decision after tossing seven shutout innings. The righty surrendered just four hits and allowed only one runner to reach third base. Goeddel was taken off the hook thanks to Binghamton’s comeback after giving up three runs on eight hits.

The B-Mets (13-11) continue their four-game set against the SeaWolves (12-10) Tuesday night at 6:35 PM. LHP Mark Cohoon (2-0, 7.11) fills in for Binghamton against LHP Matt Crouse (2-1, 3.68).

(Take note that Vaughn left with a potential injury – and Tyler Pill will miss tomorrow’s start, which you can read about here…)

Key Stats

Allan Dykstra: 2-for-3, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Cesar Puello: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Francisco Pena: 2-for-4, 1 2B

Erik Goeddel: 5.0 IP, 8 H,1 HR, 3 BB, 3 ER, 6 K

Josh Edgin: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 3 K

Chase Huchingson: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Jeffrey Walters: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

(Team Report)