Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas defeated Omaha, 7-3.
• Binghamton took down Portland, 6-3.
• St. Lucie was edged by Bradenton, 5-4.
• Savannah was one-hit by Augusta, 11-0.
  

Prospect Pipeline

• Jenrry Mejia made his first “real” rehab start in St. Lucie last night where he lasted three innings. He threw only 61 pitches, and threw 41 of them for strikes, which was a good sign. He allowed five hits and three walks, which led to two earned runs, and struck out six batters. Striking out six batters over three innings is encouraging, although the three walks over the same span is not. I’m very much on the fence with how I think the organization should proceed with Mejia. I get the feeling he will end up being a bullpen arm – and a good one at that, but since we have the time, we might as well work him back as a starter. I’d like to see him rehab and work his way into the starting rotation at Binghamton.
• It might be old news by today, but Zack Wheeler hit the 7-Day DL and should only miss one start – which would have been today. Matt Fox, recently claimed on waivers, was added to the team to bolster the rotation in his absence, and did his job last night. He allowed two home runs over five innings, but held the opposition down to only three earned runs. Josh Edgin looked very impressive in his inning of work, lighting up the radar gun and striking out three batters in his inning of work.
• Cesar Puello has tried to turn it up an extra gear recently and is batting .306 over his last ten games, with three multi-hit games in his last four starts – including one last night. Puello is in the midst of a solid campaign, batting .294 over 109 ABs with five home runs, seven steals, and 24 runs driven in.
• Fellow B-Mets outfielder, Alonzo Harris, managed to put together a nice game as well with two steals. He now has 13 on the year. He has been batting eighth in the lineup recently as opposed to leadoff because of a heavy slump, but it looks like the move down has sparked the Sterling Award winner once again.
• I highlighted Dustin Lawley for his streaky work earlier in the year – and right now, he’s on a torrid hot streak. His last ten games have seen him bat .349 and go deep four times. Lawley is actually second in the FSL with nine home runs, behind only Miguel Sano‘s 11. Aderlin Rodriguez is fifth in the league with seven home runs after he hit another home run last night.
• Jeff Walters struck out the side for his 11th save last night in Binghamton and lowered his ERA to 0.57. We may actually have some potential future depth in this young man.
• On an unhappier note, Phillip Evans is really struggling in the field, as he made his 12th error of the year last night.

Stat Line of the Day

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

Transactions/Updates

• Zack Wheeler and Kai Gronauer were both placed on the 7-Day DL in Las Vegas.
• Brandon Hicks and Matt Fox were added to the 51s team roster in corresponding moves.

Photo of the Day

Yes, Matt Harvey is truly becoming the new King of Queens… (Photo credit goes to Gordon Donovan)

Keep it up, kid. You’ll see AA soon…

Noah Syndergaard took the hill for the St. Lucie Mets tonight, and continued to dominate hitters at the Single-A level. He was bringing 96 mph heat, and mixing in his change-up and curve ball all night. The curve ball was the sharpest it’s looked all year, as he snapped off hook after hook that either left hitters frozen in their stance, or left them swinging wildly like they were trying to hit mosquitoes out of the sky.

This was the kind of performance I was waiting to see from Syndergaard, whose main flaw seemed to be that his off-speed pitches needed more development before the season started. Tonight, he used them confidently — they were sharp, and they were getting hitters out.

On the night, Syndergaard struck out ten hitters in 6.2 innings of work, and walked none. That looks like a Rafael Montero stat line plus four extra strikeouts. He gave up two runs on seven hits, a couple of which were infield hits, but the ten strike outs were the most this season for the young fire-baller.

St. Lucie would go on to lose this game, 3-2, after T.J. Chism allowed a two-out RBI double that scored a runner left on base by Randy Fontanez for a Brevard Country walk-off win. Rylan Sandoval was responsible for the two St. Lucie runs, with a sixth inning two-run single.

Syndergaard is getting closer and closer to Double-A, and is the clear cut favorite to be the Mets No. 1 prospect once Zack Wheeler is promoted. As of right now, I would slot Syndergaard behind Wheeler as the No. 2 prospect in the organization. I’m starting to believe that he was the key addition from the R.A. Dickey trade, and not Travis d’Arnaud.

If I had to rank my top five prospects in the Mets organization now, they would be Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Travis d’Arnaud, Rafael Montero and Brandon Nimmo. It’s nice to imagine a future rotation that includes Matt Harvey, Wheeler, Syndergaard and Montero. Barring injuries, if these guys remain on track, good times are right around the corner for Mets fans.

Keep it up, kid….We’ll see you in Bingo very soon…

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas toppled Round Rock, 6-5. 
• Binghamton was no-hit by and dropped to Harrisburg, 6-1. 
• St. Lucie destroyed Palm Beach, 17-1. 
• Savannah topped Rome, 3-1. 

Prospect Pipeline

• Word on the street is that Zack Wheeler could be making his major league debut very soon…like in two more weeks. “Personally, I think if he has a couple of more starts like his last start he’ll be headed to the big leagues, and rightfully so,” Backman told Las Vegas’ ESPN radio affiliate. It starting to look like the Mets are looking for any excuse to promote Wheeler at this point. I recently stated that if Wheeler were called up, he would instantly be better than 80 percent of major league pitchers based on his stuff alone. The question was never about whether or not Wheeler’s pitches needed more development, but whether or not he can control the strike zone.
• Here’s my prediction for what is going to go down with player movement based on the recent talk of Wheeler’s promotion. This is all dependent on Wheeler being promoted by the end of May. Up to fill Wheeler’s spot in Triple-A will be Rafael Montero, who has looked absolutely phenomenal all season aside from one bad start. Filling in for Montero with Binghamton will be Noah Syndergaard, who continues to dominate lower level hitters.
• Speaking of Syndergaard, he keeps getting better with every start. This guy is clearly going to be the Mets’ No. 1 prospect sooner rather than later. When Wheeler gets promoted, Syndergaard will jump over Travis d’Arnaud as the team’s top prospect.
• Binghamton getting no-hit last night also snapped Cesar Puello‘s 15 game hitting streak. It had been the longest in the minor leagues this year.
• Matt Reynolds is quietly having a solid season. Another polished college hitter in the Mets organization, drafted out of the University of Arkansas, he skipped right past short-season A-ball and started his professional career with Savannah. The native of Tulsa, Okla. hit .259/.335/.367 in 42 games for the Sand Gnats after batting .323 with a .427 on-base percentage in his junior season with the Razorbacks. Reynolds was again rapidly advanced this off-season to the Florida State League, where after Thursday’s output, he now sports a .277/.356/.412 line in 31 games for St. Lucie. “I was recognizing pitches a lot better, my swing felt a lot shorter and quicker and more compact. Those are the things I’ve been working on,” he said. “I feel like that was one of my most complete games. I pulled a ball down the left-field line, hit a ball into left center, hit the triple to right center and lined out another time to right field, so I was using all the parts of the field. My swing felt great.”

Stat Lines of the Day

Noah Syndergaard: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 7 K

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

Transactions

Maikis De La Cruz assigned to Savannah Sand Gnats from Brooklyn Cyclones as a result of Brandon Nimmo hitting the DL, which happened on Tuesday May 7th as we reported and not Thursday May 9th as was misreported.

Quote of the Day

Kevin Plawecki regarding his hot start:

“I’ve felt great since reporting to Spring Training after working out all offseason at Purdue,” Plawecki said. “I think the consistency has helped me as much as anything, just doing things over and over. I’ve been focusing on hitting balls in the zone and being consistent at the plate with my approach while making sure my hands and my feet are all working together.”

“Sometimes my hands can get a little too quick and I end up using my shoulders more than I should,” Plawecki said. “I’ve worked hard to make sure everything is working in synch. I’ve definitely been hitting the ball a lot better than I did last year, and it all gets back to being consistent.”

Photo of the Day

Happy Birthday to my daughter and assistant Alina, who turns two today!

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas had their game suspended due to rain. 
• Binghamton dropped to Trenton, 5-0. 
• St. Lucie topped Daytona, 6-2. 
• Savannah dropped two games to Hickory, 4-3 and 5-3. 

Prospect News

The Florida State League has announced that St. Lucie Mets outfielder Travis Taijeron was named the league’s Player of the Week for the period of April 29 – May 5.

Taijeron batted .474 and had nine hits, including one home run and six doubles in six games. He had a .600 on-base percentage and .947 slugging percentage.

Taijeron, an 18th round selection out of Cal Poly Pomona in 2011, has hit safely in eight straight games. Taijeron, 24, is hitting .266 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 29 games played .

Prospect Pipeline

• Welcome back T.J. Rivera. We haven’t mentioned Rivera in the Minors Report for a couple of weeks and he was tired of being ignored, so he went out and got five hits in last night’s game. The lead off man now leads St. Lucie with a .292 average and is second on the team with 19 RBI.
• Brandon Nimmo sat out both games of the Savannah doubleheader yesterday as he recovers from a hand contusion. More about Nimmo in the Quote of The Day.
• Cory Mazzoni made his first start in a month for Binghamton last night, and looked rusty. Trenton jumped out to an early four run lead in the first inning, as Mazzoni gave up seven hits in three innings of work, three of which were extra-base hits.
• Hansel Robles looked sharp in his start last night. He only allowed two opposing batters to reach base, both on hits, as he didn’t allow any walks on the night. Opposing batters are now hitting a skimpy .200 against Robles this season.
• Rafael Montero takes the hill for Binghamton tonight. I really want to see how he bounces back after his last outing on May 1, where he gave up seven earned runs. This is just another test for the young prospect. This is exactly the kind of adversity the Mets wanted to see Montero battle through.
• We want to welcome Matt Musico and Wally Murphy to MMO Minor League Team! Matt was formerly the Executive Editor of Rising Apple where he led the site to great heights. Wally has been covering the Savannah Sand Gnats for eight years and has never missed attending a home game in all that time. Two powerhouse additions to an already great minor league team. Welcome Aboard, guys!

Stat Line of the Day

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

Transactions/Injuries

St. Lucie Mets placed LHP Pedro Feliciano on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to May 4, 2013.

Binghamton Mets placed RHP Tyler Pill on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to May 2, 2013 (right shoulder strain).

Quote of the Day

Brandon Nimmo spoke with Clint Robus, of the Casper-Star Tribune, about the ups and downs he expects to go through in his first full season of professional baseball.

The young prospect started off the season on fire, but things have slowed down lately for the former first rounder. ”I knew this was going to happen,” Nimmo said with a laugh. “So I’m not too surprised.”

“You have to stay even-keeled all the way through the good and through the bad,” Nimmo said.

With regards to adjusting to the everyday grind in the minor leagues, Nimmo said  ”The next day, your body is a little groggy. Your back’s a little stiff, when you get bus you kind of feel like you’ve never walked before. It takes a little bit to get used to.”

Savannah manager Luis Rojas on Nimmo’s little cold spell: Nimmo is just “going through a time. We want him to go through this,” Rojas said. “This is part of his development, and this is the part where he’s going to … figure out a lot more things.”

Rojas goes on to add that Nimmo’s mental approach is special for a player of his age (20), and he has earned respect in the clubhouse for the way he handles himself. ”That’s Brandon right there. Always a smile on his face … happy to be playing baseball,” Rojas said. “He’s going to be giving his best every day.”

Rojas also noted that Nimmo’s hand injury is not serious, and they are keeping him out of games as precaution.

Photo of the Day

Rafael Montero takes the hill tonight for Binghamton. Photo courtesy of MMO contributor Gordon Donovan.

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)

 

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

 

 

 

Wheeler rebounds, but now needs to show consistency. (Photo: Michael Baron)

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas destroyed Reno, 10-2. 
• Binghamton squeaked by Erie, 6-5. 
• The St. Lucie game was suspended in the bottom of the first inning – they were trailing the Tampa Yankees 1-0 at the time.
• Savannah had the night off.

Prospect Pipeline

• I think Zack Wheeler impressed across the board with his start yesterday, as he rebounded from a tough one his last time out. In my opinion, I would like to see about three more of these starts in a row before I even consider talking about promoting him again. Rushing young players has become such a phenomenon… Let this kid pitch and have his ups and downs for a little while so he can improve and hopefully show some consistency. Two bad, one good, two bad. one good is not the consistency I’m talking about either.
• Perhaps one of the most important things to take away from yesterday’s start was the mere one walk that Wheeler allowed – and it was in the seventh inning, as he was nearing his end. There was a nice piece on Wheeler yesterday here, where he himself talked about a mechanical issue he was having in his rotation. “I was lifting my leg and rotating my shoulders and when we looked at the video, we realized I was rotating too much instead of keeping my shoulders square to the plate,” Wheeler explained. I don’t know how much you can credit his success to fixing said mechanical error, but if he is able to string together a second start of ace-like quality, I’ll be the first one to buy into the idea.
• So working off Mets prospects being mentioned in articles. John Sickels had a little to say about Wilmer Flores yesterday. “Through 23 games he is hitting .273/.323/.398, which includes a .300/.327/.480 mark at home but just .237/.319/.289 on the road. He also has a sharp platoon split: .321/.375/.500 against lefties, just .250/.299/.350 against right-handers.” He, of course, notes the issue here with a small sample size and also states that he expects that Flores’ hitting will pick up as the season progresses. I agree with him, because I have learned to believe in the offensive capabilities of Wilmer Flores. Sickels also notes that Flores is STILL just 21 years old, which is so hard to believe considering how long we’ve been discussing the young man.
• Rafael Montero (3-1, 1.95) takes the mound for Binghamton at 6:35 tonight and you all know how high Mitch and I are on the young hurler. He looks to return to what was utter dominance in AA as he showed flashes of humanity in his last start. Of course, a bad start for Montero was allowing two earned runs and two walks over five innings, while striking out eight.
• Andrew Brown doubled and drove in three runs yesterday, as he continues to make a case for an MLB call-up. His .355/.436/.581 line, even if you were to adjust for park factors, is definitely worth a look at the major league level. Especially with Collin Cowgill flailing and Marlon Byrd tumbling back to earth. (Joe D.)
• With a new month, let’s hope for Brandon Nimmo to get back on track. Although he is in the midst of a slump, as a 20-year old hitter, he is bound to go through ups and downs at the plate. Two weeks ago, Nimmo was leading the Mets minor league system in batting. Today, it looks like this: Kevin Plawecki .391; Jayce Boyd .385; Andrew Brown .355; Josh Satin .330; Brandon Nimmo .322. (Joe D.)
• With Tyler Pill on the shelf due to a sore shoulder, Mark Cohoon was tabbed to start in his place yesterday and gave his team four scoreless innings while walking none and striking out three. He faced merely one over the minimum as he was pretty effective. (Joe D.)
• Daniel Muno had an awesome day in support of him, as he had three hits including a double, and even stole a pair of bases. Muno is on a tear after a slow start and is batting .323/.462/.484 in his last ten games. (Joe D.)
• Blake Forsythe, 23, continues to rake and was 2-for-4 with a double and a homer last night bringing his slash to a phenomenal .333/.404/.644 for the season. He’s a solid defensive catcher, but what he’s doing now at the plate is new. Will it last? As always, time, the great equalizer, will tell. (Joe D.)

Stat Line of the Day

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

and…

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

Transactions/Injuries

• OF Jonathan Clark joined the St. Lucie Mets as a call up from Brooklyn.
• As of this point, there has been no update on Hansel Robles, who was placed on the 7-day DL yesterday. Robert Gsellman took his spot in the rotation two days ago.
• Right-hander Michael Fulmer, returning from surgery to repair a meniscus tear, tossed two innings Monday in extended spring training.
• Cory Vaughn who left Monday’s game as a precaution is day-to-day and will not go on the DL. He’ll be back in the lineup by the weekend.
• SP Alex Panteliodis will make his season debut and be activated from the DL to start for St. Lucie on Thursday. Last season for Savannah, Pants went 5-8 with a 3.64 ERA in 22 starts for the Gnats

Quote of the Day

Right-hander Logan Verrett, 22, is now 4-0 with a 2.48 ERA in five starts for Double-A Binghamton this season. Adam Rubin spoke to him about his success to which the Mets prospect had this to say:

“What’s been successful for me all through my career — college and my first [pro] year — was the ability to throw strikes,” said Verrett. “What I’ve improved mostly on is the ability to do that with all four of my pitches (fastball, curveball, slider, changeup) — not just two, or three if it’s a good night.”

“All four of my pitches have been pitches that I can throw in any count, and for a strike if I need to. That’s been a huge deal for me this year — being able to change speeds like that in any given count with any given pitch and keeping the hitters off-balance. It’s kind of allowing them to get themselves out earlier in counts, which keeps my pitch count down and allows me to go deeper into games.”

Photo of the Day

Which one of you Met farm hands are ready for the show?

Welcome to the first post in a weekly series called “Who’s Hot, Who’s Not,” in which we look at the hottest and coldest players in the Mets’ minor league system from the past week. Here’s a look back at the week that was. NOTE: Stats are from April 20 through April 27.

Who’s Hot

• Jayce Boyd 1B (SAV)- Boyd has come out of nowhere this season, hitting .405/.490/.583 through his first 22 games with two homers and nine doubles, the same number he had in 54 games with the Brooklyn Cyclones last year. With Brooklyn, Boyd hit just .239/.320/.368 with five home runs. The 2012 sixth-round pick batted .500/.581/.769 with a home run and four doubles. 
• Kevin Plawecki C (SAV)- Boyd and Plawecki have led the offensive charge for Savannah this season and are two big reasons why they have gotten off to such a hot start. The power-hitting Plawecki already hit four homers through his first 21 games, including one last week. Las week, Plawecki batted an impressive .440/.483/.680 with three doubles to go along with his home run.
• Rafael Montero RHP (BIN)- Montero has been terrific thus far for Binghamton,putting up a 1.99 ERA in 27.2 innings and a ridiculous 11.6 K/9 rate, having some Mets fans calling for a promotion to the big leagues. While that is unlikely, Montero may soon earn a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas. This past week, Montero, in two starts, allowed two runs in 11 innings while striking out 14 and walking just two.

Honorable Mention: Domingo Tapia RHP (STL)- It was almost a toss-up between Rafael Montero and Domingo Tapia. Both put up very impressive numbers this week. Tapia tossed 12.2 innings in two starts, allowed four runs (only two earned) and struck out 11. He has a 2.51 ERA in 25.1 innings over five starts.

Who’s Not

• Brandon Nimmo OF (SAV)- After a very hot start, Nimmo has gone ice cold, hitting well under the Mendoza line at just .091 over the last week. His .286 On-Base Percentage and .182 Slugging Percentage are also far worse than what we saw earlier in the season from Nimmo. Hopefully he can turn it around soon.
• Cam Maron C (STL)- Maron also started off the season well, hitting .286 through ten games but has struggled since. His batting average has now dropped below .240. This week, he hit .154/.1185/.154.
• Collin McHugh RHP (LAS)- McHugh has allowed only one earned run through 18 innings this season before two bad starts this week. Over 12.1 innings, McHugh got walloped for 20 hits and nine runs allowed, striking out just seven. This kind of week happens to every Vegas pitcher, and isn’t something to be concerned about unless it carries on over his next few starts.

Logan Verrett is quite the talented young pitcher.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas got rocked by Tacoma, 8-2.
• Binghamton defeated Akron, 7-2.
• St. Lucie blew out Bradenton, 13-5.
• Savannah edged out West Virginia, 1-0.

Prospect Pipeline

• I strongly urge you to click the above link leading to the Binghamton recap, which features a wonderful analysis of Logan Verrett‘s most recent start on Saturday afternoon. I remember writing on Verrett months ago and noting that he came into our system at 21 with fairly advanced stuff, so I expected him to advance quickly. Binghamton was supposed to be a serious test for him, and he seems to be passing with flying colors right now. He embodies a lot of great intangibles that you can appreciate in a young pitcher – he works fairly quickly, he pitches with confidence, and has sound mechanics. Verrett won his fourth game, which is tops in the EL.
• Rainy Lara has been gaining ground as a Mets prospect this season and with good reason, as he is finding success in Savannah. Saturday was no different, as he dominated the West Virginia Power for seven-and-a-third shutout innings, which dropped his season ERA to 1.88. Tempering expectations, Lara could end up being a Jeremy Hefner type player in the future, and I say this in a complimentary sense based on versatility and durability. A lot of people believe his stuff is better suited for a middle relief role, but he throws three pitches, and I refuse to give up on him unless he gives me an actual reason. One of the best things about Lara’s start on Saturday was his first pitch strike percentage – 80% (20/25). If he continues to attack with his pitches and his command stays solid, there is no reason to bet against an MLB future for Rainy Lara.
• The Mets had the choice to go with Collin Cowgill or Andrew Brown to break camp with the MLB team to start the 2013 season. They chose Cowgill and the results have been unpleasant, to say the least, so far. Andrew Brown, on the other hand, has been tearing it up in Las Vegas. The PCL is an extremely offensively heavy league and whatever genius thought the Mets would be better off with a Triple-A team in Las Vegas should be sacked, and if they don’t do it right, that person should be sacked. So remembering to take these stats with a grain of salt, here is Brown’s slash so far: .354/.427/.976.
• Speaking of outfielders playing well, Alonzo Harris has been rocking lately. He hit his second home run of the year last night. In his recent ten-game hitting streak, he has stolen eight bases and complemented it with a .341 average. His ten stolen bases are tied for the league lead.
• Prospect Rafael Montero took the mound on Friday evening and showed that he might actually have a human side, as he walked two batters and allowed two earned runs in five innings. He still managed to strike out eight batters, which leaves his K:BB at 35:3 and his ERA at 1.95. Considering the way he was pitching recently, this might actually qualify as a bad start for the young phenom.
• Are we getting to the point where we can take Kevin Plawecki‘s .400 average and Jayce Boyd‘s .405 average seriously now? We’re almost in May. Plawecki has an OPS of 1.144 so far this season, which leads the entire SAL league (Boyd is second). He also leads the   league in doubles with 11, or as Mr. North Jersey calls them, Plaweckis.
• Dustin Lawley has put together a nice pair of games between Friday and Saturday, as he has gone 3-for-7 with two home runs, one double, five RBI, five runs scored, and two walks.
• You wouldn’t believe how many spell Phillip Evans and Collin McHugh incorrectly by subtracting an L from both names. No big deal really, but I heard FOX used “Zach” for Zack Wheeler…and that’s one of his pet peeves. He told MMO that a while back.

Stat Line of the Night

Rainy Lara: 7.1 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 9 K

Transactions/Injuries

• Josh Edgin arrived in Binghamton, where in other news down there, Richard Lucas has a cramped muscle and will likely not play on Sunday. Lucas pulled up a little lame after running out a ground ball.
• Cory Mazzoni is still on the DL, but he could be throwing a bullpen session by next week.
• Right-handed pitcher Luis Mateo, who made on start with the B-Mets in place of Mazzoni, is no longer with the team. He has returned to the Mets facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (Thanks to Lynn Worthy.) Mateo should resume throwing again in the next week or so, based on his elbow strength.
• Michael Fulmer threw twelve pitches over the course of an inning in an extended spring training game. No reported issues.

Quote Of The Day

Some guys out kick their coverage with women. I’m more of a dive in my own end zone and take a safety kind of guy.

— Jake Kuebler (@ellskuebler) April 28, 2013

Photo of the Day

I’ll smile if you tell me more about Kevin Plawecki, Satish…

Jayce Boyd strikes a pose for MMO last season. These days he’s mashing baseballs in Savannah.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas got edged out by Tacoma, 13-12.
• Binghamton had the night off.
• St. Lucie got rocked by Bradenton, 9-1.
• Savannah stunned Delmarva, 7-2.

Prospect Pipeline

• All eyes will were on Zack Wheeler last night, and while his performance last night was better than his six walk performance last week, he doesn’t seem to be getting any closer to making his major league debut. Wheeler seems to be stuck in neutral and then puts it in reverse every once in awhile. Maybe he has to adjust and work in the low to mid-90s until he finds his command. He can still reach back when he needs it, but maybe he takes a little off for the time being? 
• Zack Wheeler has now made 65 minor league starts and has yet to reach the major leagues. To put that in perspective, Matt Harvey started in 48 games before he was promoted. Harvey, however, compiled 238.2 innings while at college with North Carolina.
• I feel like every morning report includes notes regarding a great offensive game by either Jayce Boyd or Kevin Plawecki. These guys are advanced college hitters, and Savannah just isn’t a challenge for them. Last night, they were both 3-for-4 with a home run.
• Rafael Montero Watch: Montero takes the hill tonight for Binghamton at 7:05 PM. He is 3-0 this season, and has 27 strikeouts to one walk. You can listen to the game live by visiting the Binghamton Mets official website and clicking the audio tab.
• Domingo Tapia was solid again last night, pitching 5.2 innings, giving up two walks, five hits, and two earned runs. He also struck out five.
• Wilmer Flores is batting .326 over his last ten games with a home run, five doubles and five RBI.
• Yes, I’m still on the Gabriel Ynoa bandwagon even though everyone seems to think he’s just a future reliever. All he did last night was deliver his usual solid performance tossing 6.1 innings and allowing one run on three hits, one walk while striking out six. At one point he retired 12 batters in a row. Nobody could get around on his deceptive fastball which explodes late. (Joe D.)
• Somebody get Brandon Nimmo some Wheaties. He’s gone hitless for two games in a row for the first time this season. Somebody, quick, alert the authorities. His batting average is now down to .367.  (Joe D.)
• Captain Kirk, remember him? Well, Kirk Nieuwenhuis earned the golden sombrero last night with four well earned strikeouts in his first start for the Las Vegas 51s. Yikes. (Joe D.)
• Off Topic, but 20,000+ different readers checked into MMO yesterday. Nice! (Joe D.)

Stat Lines of the Night

Jayce Boyd: 3-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Kevin Plawecki: 3-for-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R

Quote Of The Day

Photo of the Day

I got a pair of aces. Montero and Ynoa…

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• The Las Vegas had a night off — Zack Wheeler takes the hill tonight.
• Binghamton topped Portland, 8-6.
• St. Lucie had the night off.
• Savannah dismantled Delmarva, 9-3.

Prospect Pipeline

• All eyes will be on Zack Wheeler as he is coming off his six walk performance from last Friday night. Wheeler is still seeking his first win at the Triple-A level, as his record is currently 0-1. Hopefully he gets his season back on track tonight.
• With two more hits last night, Jayce Boyd became the leading hitter on the Savannah Sand Gnats. He is now batting .411 on the season, good for tops in the organization and the South Atlantic League. Second on the list: Brandon Nimmo.
• The three top hitters in the organization are all on Savannah – Boyd, Nimmo and Kevin Plawecki. Brandon Nimmo’s average has dropped below .400 after another hit less night. His average is now sitting at .392 for the season, good for second in the SAL. Kevin Plawecki is batting .372, which is sixth-best in the SAL, and he keeps hitting doubles because he’s a doubles machine.
• Alonzo Harris stole another base in last night’s game, he now leads the Eastern League with nine on the year.
• Rafael Montero Watch: Jorge Castillo, of the Star Ledger, asked Terry Collins what he thought about Montero making the jump straight from Binghamton to Flushing this year. “I can envision it absolutely,” Collins said.
• Adam Rubin reports that Matt den Dekker’s cast is scheduled to be removed on Monday, and then he will undergo a two week rehab program before beginning baseball activities. He also reports that Michael Fulmer has completed the rehab process, coming off of surgery for a torn meniscus, and he was scheduled to throw one inning in an inter-squad game in St. Lucie yesterday.

Stat Line of the Night

Jeffrey Glenn: 3-for-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

Transactions/Injuries

• Savannah Sand Gnats placed RHP Logan Taylor on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to April 22, 2013 with a strained oblique.
  
• Adam Rubin reports that Cesar Puello has been held out of games since the 18th with an apparent left wrist injury.

Quote Of The Day

Lefthander Steven Matz is hitting 95 mph on the radar gun. Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, caught up to him, his manager, his pitching coach and his catcher who are all impressed:

Most importantly, Savannah pitching coach/fellow Long Island product Frank Viola noted, Matz has now thrown 81 pitches in each of his last two outings and is growing confident injury woes are behind him.

“It’s so important to know you can do it,” Viola said.

Said Savannah manager Luis Rojas: “He’s a smart kid, and he’s blessed. He still has a great arm. His fastball has got a late hop, and it’s really heavy. His breaking pitch, he’s really discovering now. He’s changing from a curveball to a slider. And he actually has a good feel for it.”

Matz believes the slider is more conducive to his natural arm slot.

“His fastball had a lot of movement, and he obviously was throwing pretty hard,” said Kevin Plawecki, who caught Matz’s most recent outing. “I think he’s still kind of in that phase where he’s getting a feel for his pitches again. That was a good step in the right direction. He’s got a good, live arm. It does jump at you a little bit, especially from the left side. I think it gives hitters a little bit of a struggle.”

Photo of the Day

These Mets Minors Reports always make me smile.

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!

Quick Hops

• RHP Jacob deGrom makes his second career Double-A start for Binghamton. After being promoted from St. Lucie, he was stellar in his debut on 4/17 against Portland. Unfortunately he was tagged with the loss, although he only gave up one run on eight innings in an eventual 1-0 shutout loss to Portland. He surrendered just three hits, struck out eight, and only walked one. Before being promoted, DeGrom was 1-0 in two starts with St. Lucie. In 12.0 innings with the St. Lucie Mets, he allowed four runs  and struck out 13. He was drafted in the ninth round of the 2010 draft by the Mets out of Stetson University.
• Juan Lagares continues to produce. He had a lead off home run for Las Vegas in last night’s loss to Colorado Springs. Andrew Brown and Lagares are making strong bids to be called up to Flushing. Lagares is batting .346 with three home runs in the lead off spot this season, while Brown is batting .343 with nine doubles and fifteen RBI. The only knock on Brown this season is his strikeouts — fifteen so far.
• Hansel Robles pitched another gem last night. In six innings of work he didn’t allow any runs, struck out six and only walked two batters. He is holding opposing hitters to a .215 batting average this season.
• The Binghamton Mets pounded out 13 hits and took advantage of a season-high eleven walks to defeat the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 15-2, at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Allan Dykstra and Danny Muno each drove in three runs as the B-Mets matched a season-high with fifteen runs scored. Alonzo Harris led the offensive day with four singles, becoming the first B-Met in 2013 to compile a four-hit day. Vaughn also chipped into the multiple-hit effort with three of his own. Josh Rodriguez scored three times as the B-Mets had eight different players touch home.
•  Right fielder Cory Vaughn is on another one of his tears at the plate. After a slow start to the season he is batting .395 in his last ten games with three homers and 13 RBI. Entering tonight’s action and is batting .298/.365/.526 for the season.
• So I write an article espousing all the virtues of Collin McHugh yesterday and why he should get called up. If only I had glanced at the schedule and saw he’d be pitching in the notorious Colorado Springs. And as most pitchers do, especially control artists who pound the strike zone. On Sunday, average infield outs went beyond the reach of infielders and dropped in for base hits. McQ got tagged for 13 hits and 12 of them were singles. But get this… zero walks. On Saturday, Collins said referring to Wheeler and the PCL, “I don’t care how many hits he gives up in the PCL, but six walks is unacceptable. He’s better than that.” So I give McHugh a pass.
• It looks like center fielder Brandon Nimmo is human after all. Last night, he went 0-for-3, but still managed to walk twice and even stole a base. His slash line is still at a jaw-dropping .424/.513/.576. The budding star leads the league in Batting, OBP and Triples. He spoke to Adam Rubin last night, “It’s baseball, so we’re going to go through cold streaks and hot streaks,” Nimmo said. “This is a hot streak right now. I’m going to go through a period where I’m not doing very well. We’re just going to try to keep this going as long as possible, just be consistent. But, yeah, there’s a reason people don’t hit .400 in baseball.”
• LHP Adam Kolarek was transferred from Las Vegas (AAA) to Binghamton (AA) where he proceeded to toss two scoreless innings for the B-Mets upon his arrival.
• Mets announced they have signed RHP D.J. Mitchell. He made four relief appearances for Yankees last season before being traded to the Seattle Mariners for Ichiro Suzuki. He’s only made one start for Tacoma (AAA) this year. The right-hander allowed three runs in four innings in the outing on April 8.
• Shaun Marcum threw in a simulated game this morning in St. Lucie and it looks like he is still on target to start for the Mets on Saturday. The right-hander threw 52 pitches over five scoreless innings in an extended spring training game in Port St. Lucie, Fla., the team announced today.

Rafael Montero is fast approaching a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas Tops Colorado Springs 10-6
• Binghamton Shuts Out New Hampshire 3-0
• St. Lucie Edges Fort Myers 6-5
• Savannah Tops Lakewood 6-4

Prospect Pipeline

• Brandon Nimmo had another triple last night and reached base three times (two walks). Let’s face it, if Nimmo isn’t getting on base as much as he is (.520 OBP), then Jayce Boyd and Kevin Plawecki wouldn’t be having as good of years as they currently are. I didn’t research it, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find that 50% or more of Plawecki’s and Boyd’s RBI came from driving in Nimmo this season. Nimmo is the prime example of how having a solid lead off and No. 2 hitter in the lineup are the keys to the success of a team’s offense as a whole.
• Catcher Juan Centeno, who was called up from Double-A Binghamton to replace the injured Travis d’Arnaud, had an impressive Triple-A debut. Centeno went 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored, and also did a nice job behind the plate blocking a couple of pitches in the dirt. (Joe D.)
• Shortstop Phillip Evans was pulled from the game after not running out an infield popup. Gnats’ manager Luis Rojas explained that he had no tolerance for a lack of hustle and gave Evans an earful after the game. (Joe D.)
• Savannah first baseman Jayce Boyd had three hits and drove in four runs as the Sand Gnats defeated Lakewood 6-4 on Saturday. The hot-hitting Boyd is batting .367/.473/.532 in 16 games with 16 RBI this season. (Joe D.)
• Newly signed ex-Yankee Sean Henn made his Mets debut at Triple-A Las Vegas in relief on Saturday night. The left-hander allowed three hits and an earned run in two-thirds of an inning. (Joe D.)
• Sports Media Watchdog caught up with Brandon Nimmo who talked about his hot start. “We’re just going to keep going with this and keep having fun,” said Nimmo. He also praised the organization’s coaching staff for always having something helpful to say when he needed to hear it. “I’m not a major-leaguer yet, but even then, I’ll work on being more consistent, both physically and mentally.” By the way, Sports Media Watchdog is owned by Mike Silva, formerly of New York Baseball Digest. A sharp guy who knows what he’s talking about. (Joe D.)
• How many more games does Rafael Montero have to dominate before he gets the call to Las Vegas? Then how many games will he have to dominate before reaching Citi Field? Because as we learned yesterday, “all he does is dominate.” I’m trademarking that phrase, and going to make a fortune on t-shirts. Seriously though, the kid has a solid fastball, a sharp slider, he’s working on a change up (which is usually the last pitch to develop for young pitchers), and he has complete control over the strike zone — he’s going to be a good one.
• Juan Lagares is slowly proving that he is ready for big league action. He’s been hitting lead off for Las Vegas and he is batting .356, with two home runs and a .390 OBP. The last time I checked the Mets could still use some outfield help and a leadoff man…what’s the hold up?
• Domingo Tapia seems like he has completely bounced back from his start on April 11, where he didn’t make it out of the first inning. Even with that anomaly, his stats are still ridiculous this year — in 19.2 innings of work, he has an ERA of 2.29, and 18 strike outs to seven walks. Now take into account that four of those walks came in the game where he only pitched .2 of an inning. So in his other 19 innings of work he’s only allowed two earned runs, three walks and struck out 17 batters…wow.
• I’ve been preaching it for months — T.J. Rivera is for real. All he does is hit wherever he goes. The native New Yorker from the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx seems determined to make the long journey from undrafted free-agent to Citi Field. We are all rooting for you T.J.!

Stat Line of the Day

Rafael Montero: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 6 K

Transactions/Injuries

• According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, left-hand reliever Robert Carson is due to join the Mets, a baseball source told him. MMO’s Joe D. is projects that Josh Edgin could be heading to Triple-A Vegas to make room for Carson on the Mets roster.
• Rehabbing Frank Francisco threw an inning of scoreless relief in the eighth inning, in his second outing with St. Lucie. That’s two scoreless innings for Francisco since getting back into real game action..

Quote of the Day

Rudy Terrasas on Matt Harvey: “My first impression was that this was a big, strong kid who was built for innings. And then when you saw what came out of his hand, you put it all together and thought, boy this is a pretty good-looking pitcher. He had a plus fastball and plus secondary pitches. The good ones are going to be more polished, and that was the case with Matt. The other thing that impressed me was Matt’s demeanor on the mound. He didn’t let anything bother him; he had a game plan, and he stuck with it.”

Photo of the Day

Brandon Nimmo?! Brandon Nimmo?! Wait until they get a load of me…

Savannah 6, Lakewood 4

Jayce Boyd had a great offensive night and the Sand Gnats received a questionable call from the umpires down in Lakewood en route to a 6-4 victory on Saturday night.

It was Rainy Lara who got the start for Savannah in this one, and he was shaky at best, allowing 11 hits and a walk. This resulted in four earned runs and it could have actually been worse, because the umpires ruled what looked to be a home run, as a ground-rule double. Lara was able to neutralize the threat in the inning and Lakewood ended up with only one run in the frame. Lara pitched into the sixth, lasting 5.1 innings, before he was lifted in favor of Hunter Carnevale with two men on base. Carnevale wrapped up the inning without allowing the runners to score, and Jake Kuebler and Bret Mitchell shut the door down there from there till the end of the game.

As for Savannah’s now high-powered offense, Jayce Boyd was the man of the hour as he torched Lakewood for three hits and four RBI – including two of them with two outs. Boyd actually drove in runs in three different frames, including Brandon Nimmo twice – who tripled and scored two runs in this game. Kevin Plawecki added another double to his stat sheet and continues to merit the nickname “Doubles Machine.”

Key Stats

Brandon Nimmo: 1-for-3, 1 3B, 2 R, 2 BB

Jayce Boyd: 3-for-4, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 1 BB

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

Cole Frenzel: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 BB

Rainy Lara: 5.1 IP, 11 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 4 ER, 2 K

Jake Kuebler: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 3 K

Bret Mitchell: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Savannah 7, Lakewood 2

A four-hit night from Brandon Nimmo and a four-RBI night from Kevin Plawecki propelled Savannah to a 7-2 victory over Lakewood on Friday night.

Steven Matz was on his game on Friday as he got the start for the Sand Gnats and provided them with five shutout innings. He scattered six hits and a walk while striking out five and was in control throughout the evening. He is sporting a 1.29 ERA so far this season. Tyler Vanderheiden allowed an earned run in an inning of work – and so did Hunter Carnevale, but Beck Wheeler and Bret Mitchell provided a scoreless inning of work each. By the way, Beck Wheeler has yet to allow a baserunner in 6.2 IP so far in Savannah with nine strikeouts.

The real stories of the night were Brandon Nimmo and Kevin Plawecki however, as they continued their torrid hitting in Savannah with yet another great offensive game. I said on many occasions that the NY Penn League was a pitching dominated league and it was important not to worry too much about the offensive stats till they broke out of that area. Lo and behold, their short time in Savannah has resulted in some of the hottest hitting in A-ball right now.

Nimmo ripped four hits, including a triple, while walking once which raised his average to .450. He bounced back after an 0-for-4 ended a streak of sizzling hot offensive performances. Not to be outdone, Kevin Plawecki went 3-for-4, including a home run and a double, (he’s slugging .709) and drove home four runs… I feel a little sense of pride every time that I see Plawecki have a good game because I had such high hopes for him. Savannah had 11 hits as a team and Plawecki and Nimmo combined for seven of them. Nice!

On the heels of a dominant victory for Matt Harvey tonight, time to steal a line… “The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades!”

Key Stats

Chad Zurcher: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB

Brandon Nimmo: 4-for-4, 1 3B, 2 R, 1 BB

Kevin Plawecki: 3-for-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

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

Steven Matz: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 5 K

Tyler Vanderheiden: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 ER

Hunter Carnevale: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Beck Wheeler: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Bret Mitchell: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER

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.

Matt Bowman is off to a solid start for Savannah.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Savannah (7-7) dropped to Lakewood, 3-2
• St. Lucie (9-5) droppedto Fort Myers, 11-8
• Binghamton (8-6) topped New Hampshire, 4-3
• Las Vegas (8-6) topped Sacramento, 10-6

Prospect Pipeline

• Brandon Nimmo cooled off a little last night, and had his first game without a hit in almost a week. He still leads the Mets organization in hitting with a .411 average.
• Travis d’Arnaud will miss some time with a fracture in his foot. Hopefully he won’t need surgery, but the good news is that this kid is ready for the big leagues, so when he does return, don’t be surprised to see him play in a few tune up games and then join the Mets some time after the All-Star break.
• Wilmer Flores continues to have a solid season, and it seems like he has been playing in the shadows of d’Arnaud and Zack Wheeler for the first couple of weeks of the season. He hit his first home run of the season last night and added three RBI in Las Vegas’ victory.
• Being overshadowed by the exploits of his teammate Brandon Nimmo, catcher Kevin Plawecki is raking to the tune of a 375/.426/.667 slash this season. Said one scout about him, “He barrels everything.” Ten of his 18 base hits are of the extra-base variety showing the immense power that was projected of him when he was selected in the first round of the 2012 Draft out of Purdue University. It would be a shock if he doesn’t end the season in Double-A. This kid can hit and shouldn’t be overlooked. (Joe D.)
• Savannah’s Rainy Lara could be the starter to replace Jake deGrom in the St. Lucie rotation now that they have an open slot. Lara has been dominating and has a 0.70 ERA, 0.618 WHIP and 10.1 strikeout rate in 11.1 innings pitched. Matthew Bowman is also an option with a 2-0 record and a 1.62 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 3.50 K/BB in three starts this season. (Joe D.)
• Noah Syndergaard had one of those forgettable starts last night. He gave up seven earned runs in three innings of work. It’s the most runs he had ever given up in a start. Most young pitchers will go through starts like this throughout their careers, and it’s all part of the development process. Everyone will be watching to see how he responds during his next start.
• Though Flores got the nod with the Stat Line of the Day, St. Lucie shortstop and 2013 MMO Sleeper Matt Reynolds was 2-for-5 with a triple, a two-run homerun and three RBI. Reynolds, 22, is  batting .286/.355/.411 in 14 games this season. (Joe D.)
• Andrew Brown is crushing the ball. He had three hits last night – a single, double and triple. He was a home run short of the cycle. He is now batting .351 this season and has a .996 OPS.
• Aderlin Rodriguez looks like he’s in another one of his signature tears at the plate. He’s now homered in three straight games after a dreadful start to the season. I spoke to one coach about him on Wednesday and was told that he’s keeping his leg bag now and using both his upper and lower body when he drives the ball. Let’s see where this continues to go. (Joe D.)

Stat Line of the Night

Wilmer Flores: 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, BB, 2 R

Tweet of the Day

The life of a minor league player trying to live out their dreams in the big leagues.

5:30 AM still on the bus #Grinding

— Jack Leathersich (@LeatherRocket) April 18, 2013

Transactions

Juan Centeno was called up to Las Vegas to fill in for injured Travis d’Arnaud.

Now word yet on the MRI results for right-handers Luis Mateo and Logan Verrett. I’m sure we’ll get word this afternoon at the latest.

Prospect Audio/Video

B-Mets manager Pedro Lopez discusses the team with Tim Heiman and offers a two-week report card on his team.

After a long day on the farm I like to relax and read MMO’s Mets Minors Report .

Lakewood 3, Savannah 2

The Savannah offense was only able to muster five hits and two runs to back up Gabriel Ynoa – who did not pitch all that bad.

Ynoa toed the rubber for Savannah on Thursday evening and pitched a solid game, allowing three earned runs over six innings off five hits and two walks. He struck out two and looked a little more comfortable than he did in past starts. A sacrifice fly and a two-out RBI single in the first charged Ynoa with his first two runs, and he was victimized by a wild pitch that led to another sacrifice fly in the fourth inning for his third run allowed. Julian Hilario took over after the sixth, and it was smooth sailing for him, as he provided two perfect innings with four strikeouts.

The only sign of life for the Savannah offense was a Eudy Pina two-run home run with two outs in the fifth, which scored Phillip Evans. The Sand Gnats scattered their hits, including doubles by Yucary De La Cruz and Stefan Sabol, but they could never really muster anything out there. The sizzling hot Brandon Nimmo finally showed his human side with an 0-for-4. You have those nights sometimes.  Here’s looking forward to tomorrow…

Key Stats

Yucary De La Cruz: 1-for-4, 1 2B

Stefan Sabol: 1-for-3, 1 2B

Eudy Pina: 1-for-2, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Brandon Nimmo: 0-for-4

Gabriel Ynoa: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 3 K

Julian Hilario: 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K

Wheeler & D’Arnaud: Is the Mets future tandem nearing their debuts?

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Savannah (7-6) rocked the Greensboro Grasshoppers, 8-1
• St. Lucie (9-4) dropped to the Charlotte Stone Crabs, 5-2
• Binghamton (7-6) lost a close one to the Portland Sea Dogs, 1-0
• Las Vegas (7-6) topped the Sacramento River Cats, 3-2

Prospect Pipeline

• Brandon Nimmo had another two hits in yesterday’s game. He now has had a multi-hit game ten times this season.
• Travis d’Arnaud was pulled from last night’s game after being struck with a ball on the ankle while he was behind the plate. The ankle is probably one of the most painful spots to get hit with a ball, as the ankle bone is pretty much completely exposed. This sounded precautionary as there were no reports of d’Arnaud being sent for X-rays.
• Newly promoted Jacob deGrom got the nod for Binghamton last night. Like I said yesterday, many had him penciled into the Binghamton rotation at the start of 2013, so it was really only a matter of time before he got the call. He could not have pitched a better game. So good, in fact, that Binghamton head coach, Pedro Lopez, announced after the game that deGrom would be joining the B-Mets staff, and they would likely move to a six-man rotation once Cory Mazzoni is back from his injury.
• Sandy Alderson commented on what would determine when top prospect Zack Wheeler is called up to Flushing. He stated while the Super Two status is taken into consideration, Wheeler’s performance will ultimately determine when it’s his time. With the Mets backend of the rotation struggling the way it is, it won’t take many more solid starts before they go with Wheeler. I wouldn’t be surprised if Collin McHugh and Wheeler are both called up within the next month if the Mets rotation continues to falter. I would expect Rafael Montero to get called up to Las Vegas if, and when, Wheeler, McHugh, or both guys join the Mets during the next few weeks.
• Andy Martino, of the Daily News, commented on the Wheeler situation in his post this morning:

  Wheeler is 0-1 for Triple-A Las Vegas this season, with a 3.86 ERA. In 14 innings, he has allowed 17 hits and six walks while striking out 17.  You can throw out his first two starts, mediocre because of a since-popped blister on his pitching hand — but while Wheeler’s third game was much better, he still allowed three earned runs in 5.1 innings.

  The stuff was excellent, say people who were there, but his line didn’t scream “promote me now!” Plus, that was Wheeler’s first healthy game of the season. Little soon to be buzzing about the big leagues, don’t ya think?

  I agree that his first two starts may have been less than stellar due to the blister. However, I totally disagree with the fact that his stat line has to scream “promote me now!” If this was the determining factor, where would Matt Harvey be right now? Don’t get me wrong, stats do play a part when determining if a player is ready, but it goes way deeper than that. It’s not too soon to be buzzing about the big leagues. Two or three more solid starts, and Wheeler will join the Mets. There isn’t much more developing that is necessary. I would estimate that if Wheeler were called up right now he would be better than 80% of major league pitchers based on his stuff alone. With some added fine tuning at the major league level, he will be in the top 10% of pitchers in the league.

• Wilmer Flores is quietly having a solid year with Las Vegas. He is batting .288 with five doubles and only struck out three times in fourteen games. He has also played the majority of games at second base this season and has done a solid job defensively.
• After a quick chat with B-Mets beat writer Lynn Worthy, I learned that the reason DeGrom did not start season in Double-A as I initially projected, was because he showed up to spring training with a fractured finger that took time to fully heal. As Lynn told me, “Jake broke it while working for a friend’s cattle company. Apparently he had a bad day when he got kicked in the hand by a calf. True story. (Joe D.)
  
• I am looking forward to seeing Jeurys Familia work out of the Mets bullpen, after a small taste of the majors last year, I think he now knows what he’s up against and I expect great results. The fact he now knows that his ticket to the big time will depend on embracing his role as a reliever, and his solid work out of the bullpen for Las Vegas will prove instrumental toward achieving success. (Joe D.)
• While players like Josh Satin, Kevin Plawecki and Brandon Nimmo are getting most of the ink these days, the one player who leads the Mets Minors in RBI is T..J. Rivera who has driven in 13 for St. Lucie. Jack Leathersich had this to say about Rivera in an interview I did with him. “He’s the real deal. I’ve never been around a kid who prepares as well as he does. He just really loves the game and it seems like everytime I see him he’s out on the field working on something. Rivera plays hard and is completely balls to the wall – he’ll do anything to make sure we win.” (Joe D.)

Stat Line of the Night

Jacob deGrom: 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 8 K

The statistics are even more impressive when you break them down. Take a look at this from MMO contributor John B. who charted the game from behind homeplate:

• Total Pitches: 102, Strikes: 71 – 69% Balls 31
• Full Windup: Pitches: 90, Strikes: 62 – 70% Balls: 28
• Fastballs: Pitches: 66 Strikes: 46 – 70% Balls 20
• Off-Speed Pitches: 24 Strikes: 16 – 67% Balls 8
• Stretch: Pitches: 12 Strikes: 9 – 75% Balls 3
• Fastballs: Pitches: 7 Strikes: 4 -57% Balls 4
• Off-Speed Pitches 5 Strikes 5 – 100%

Tweet of the Day

Transactions

• Jeurys Familia was called up to the Mets and Greg Burke was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
• RHP Cory Mazzoni who missed his scheduled start Monday with inflammation in his right elbow and landed on the disabled list, will be heading to New York today to be examined by Mets doctors. Also joining him will be RHP Luis Mateo, who left Monday’s game because of discomfort in his right forearm/elbow area. Both prospects will get an MRI today, so keep your fingers crossed.
• Wednesday night at Tradition Field, Pedro Feliciano and Frank Francisco each threw a scoreless inning of relief for Single-A St. Lucie. Feliciano allowed no hits and recorded two strikeouts, while Francisco pitched a perfect inning. Both pitchers have shown increased velocity from the beginning of spring training and could be very close to being ready.

Prospect Audio/Video

Mike Newman of ROTOscouting.com headed to Historic Grayson Stadium, home of the Savannah Sand Gnats, and provides some fresh scouting on hot-hitting Brandon Nimmo including this video footage:

He says that as Nimmo continues to learn how to identify pitches to drive, his power should uptick as well. Early in the season, his strikeout and walk percentages have both decreased. While one might dismiss this as small sample size, Nimmo’s controlled aggression is a sign of growth from a scouting standpoint.

If this holds true, then Nimmo is bound to put baseballs in play at a higher rate than last season, resulting in the accumulation of extra base hits…By the end of the 2013 season, don’t be surprised if Nimmo has overtaken Wilmer Flores as the best position prospect in the organization, assuming Travis D’Arnaud loses eligibility later in the season.

Holly Madison tosses out the first pitch for Vegas 51s. Wally Backman said she had great form. I agree. (Joe D.)