I actually believe that Rafael Montero is the least likely to be traded among all pitching prospects in the organization right now, at least as long as this front office is in place.

There´s a pretty obvious pattern. The front office wants pitchers who throw a lot of strikes and control the strike-zone. They want hitters who only swing at strikes and control the strike-zone.

That (and an emphasis on coachability / work ethic – however you want to measure that) has been a common theme for them when targeting prospects.

Montero is the biggest strike thrower of them all – though it seems that Matthew Bowman and Matt Koch also have pretty good control, even if their stuff isn´t as crisp as Montero´s and their command not as good (yet) either.

Noah Syndergaard & Michael Fulmer actually fit that mold too. They have posted unusually low walk rates for very young pitching prospects.

More likely trade bait could be someone like Domingo Tapia or Cory Mazzoni or even – eventually – Zack Wheeler if he doesn´t improve his control in a similar fashion like Matt Harvey has from the minors to the majors.

That´s the mantra – for pitchers: “Throw Strikes and good things will happen” ; for hitters: “Don´t swing at Balls and good things will happen”.

And I´d assume that this will also be an assumption as part of trades – unless an organization is really willing to pay a high price. If the Rockies want Montero and are willing to give up Dexter Fowler, sure, he´s gone. But all things equal, the Mets would try to use Tapia or DeGrom or Mazzoni or even two of them instead of Montero, I´m quite sure.

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

Satin Is Ready To Hit In The Bigs

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas dismantled Reno, 11-1.
• Binghamton topped Altoona, 6-4.
• St. Lucie dropped to Jupiter in 10 innings, 4-3. 
• Savannah split a double header with Kannapolis, 8-2 and 5-4.

Prospect Pipeline

• First Base Watch: Josh Satin had another stellar night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a home run. Wilmer Flores is also heating up,  as he was 2-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI.
• Rainy Lara made his debut for St. Lucie last night and pitched eight solid innings, but picked up the loss. He scattered four hits and three runs while striking out four.
• Cory Mazzoni did it all in yesterday morning’s game against Altoona. Mazzoni pitched six solid innings, stiking out nine on his way to a no decision. Cory Mazzoni has now struck out 29 batters while only walking eight in 31 innings of work. Mazzoni was also 2-for-2 with a double at the plate.
• Luis Mateo pitched one inning of relief for St. Lucie last night. He gave up two hits but did not allow any runs.
• Brandon Nimmo broke out of his 0-for-27 slump, going 2-for-5 at the plate last night, raising his average to .304.
• Cesar Puello’s two RBI’s were his 30th and 31st tying him with Allan Dykstra for the team lead. Cory Vaughn follows closely behind with 29 and Josh Rodriguez has knocked home 27. (John B.)
• The B-Met outfielders continue to show great speed on the base paths. Two stolen bases push Cesar Puello’s total to a team leading 14.  Puello leads outfield comrades Alonzo Harris and Darrell Ceciliani who have both pilfered 13. Cory Vaughn, the remaining B-Met outfielder has 8. (John B.)
• A 3-for-5 day at the plate improves Josh Rodriguez’s batting average to a team leading .315. Two Cesar Puello hits elevated the outfielder’s average to .300. (John B.)
• After a slow start, Darrell Ceciliani continues to make progress at the plate. His three hits today, including a bunt single, increased his average 9 points to .258. (John B.)
• Jeff Walters has 13 saves in 14 chances, striking out over 1 batter per inning with an ERA of  2.74. (John B.)
• Juan Centeno returned to the Las Vegas lineup after spending some time on the DL. He was 2-for-3 with two RBI in Las Vegas’ blowout victory last night.

Stat Line of the Day

Stefan Sabol: 4-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Transactions

Las Vegas 51s activated C Kai Gronauer from the 7-day disabled list.

Quote of the Day

Wally Backman on Zack Wheeler from Long Island Newsday:

“Once that blister went away, we’ve really seen what Zack is really all about. He threw four starts in a row where it looked like a big-league guy throwing to high school kids at times. I can remember Matt last year coming into the office when he threw two or three great starts and saying, ‘When the [heck] am I going to the big leagues?’ I said, ‘Hey, just keep putting up zeros and they’ve gotta make a decision.’ It was an everyday thing with him. Zack’s a little more laid-back than Matt, but the competitiveness is definitely there.”

Mejia looked sharp last night, hitting 96 MPH.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas got blanked by Iowa, 4-0.
• Binghamton was shutout by New Britain, 1-0.
• Savannah slid by Augusta, 3-1.
• St. Lucie defeated Dunedin, 8-5.

Prospect Pipeline

• Jenrry Mejia made his second rehab start last night in St. Lucie and impressed with eight strikeouts over five innings. We were all curious as to how he would come back in terms of velocity, command, and the break on his pitches. Six of his eight strikeouts were swinging, he walked merely one batter, and he touched 96 MPH in the first inning when he struck out two batters. I think it’s safe to say he’s definitely on his way back. He’s expected to get a chance to start either in AA or AAA later this season.
• Speaking of getting a chance to start, Rainy Lara found himself promoted to St. Lucie yesterday. The right-hander posted a glistening 1.42 ERA over 50.2 innings (eight starts) with the Sand Gnats. He also continued to showcase sterling command, recording 51 strikeouts to just six walks, and now owns a 0.97 WHIP during his brief professional career. The Mets have yet to determine when he makes his first start with them. (Bill P.)
  
• A high-ranking team official told the NY Post on Thursday that barring a setback, Zack Wheeler is expected to make 2-3 more starts for Triple-A Las Vegas and then join the Mets. If Wheeler remains on normal rest, that would put his Mets debut somewhere in the June 6-11 range. (Joe D.)
• Domingo Tapia returns from the DL after his hand burning incident to make a start for St. Lucie today. Cory Mazzoni
• Mark Cohoon pitched brilliantly in defeat yesterday – going eight innings and allowing just one earned run. Robert Gsellman had a stellar performance in victory – where he allowed just one earned run over seven innings.
• Kevin Plawecki hit double # 20 last night for Savannah. #Promotethismannow
• Baseball America’s most recent mock has the Mets taking Ryne Stanek after they suggested D.J. Peterson in the first one. I’ll have a post up on MetsMinors.Net in a little while about that.

Stat Line of the Day

Mark Cohoon: 8.0 IP, 6 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 ER, 7 K

Transactions

RHP Rainy Lara was promoted to St. Lucie from Savannah.

RHP Hansel Robles was placed on the 7-Day DL.

RHP Marcos Camarena was demoted to Savannah from St. Lucie.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas dropped Albuquerque, 4-3. 
• Binghamton split a double header with Harrisburg, 3-1 and 9-3. 
• St. Lucie had an off day.
  
• Savannah lost to Rome, 4-1. 

Prospect Pipeline

• Wheeler Watch: Joe D. thinks the timing is right, everyone likes what they see (including Wally Backman — see below), and the Mets could us a jolt…one more solid start and Zack Wheeler may be packing his bags for Queens.
• What’s that? You have nothing to do this evening? Why not follow Rafael Montero‘s start against the Akron Aeros? The game starts at 6:05 PM. I will be live tweeting and have a summary of his performance up here on MMO immediately following the game — you can follow me on Twitter @FirstPitchMitch.
• Wheeler isn’t the only pitcher that seems to have gotten his act together in Las Vegas. Collin McHugh is back on track, after pitching seven innings in last night’s game, only allowing one run (on a home run). McHugh has had a roller coaster of a season so far, but it has had more peaks than valleys. He started off the season pitching lights out, allowing just one earned run over 18 innings pitched. His next three starts, not so good. He allowed 13 earned runs over a span of 17.1 innings pitched. It looks like we are on another incline, as McHugh has held the opposition to one earned run over his last two starts (14 IP). McHugh now ranks tenth in the Pacific Coast League in ERA, with a 2.74, and leads the league in innings pitched, at 49.1 — not too shabby.
• The Mets, looking for bullpen help, have recalled right-handed reliever Greg Burke from Las Vegas.
• Cory Mazzoni is shaking off the rust, and had a much stronger start in his second go after being activated from the disabled list last week. He is still on a strict pitch count, but pitched very well, and was popping off at 96 mph until his very last pitch.
• Hansel Robles takes the hill for St. Lucie today. The Mets haven’t played in a game since Friday night. Robles has a 2.36 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .200 batting average this season.

Stat Line of the Day

Collin McHugh: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 HR, 2 BB, 1 ER, 5 K

Transactions

New York Mets recalled Greg Burke from Las Vegas 51s.

Quote of the Day

Wally Backman regarding Wheeler’s past three performances:

“I think the kid is on a mission. His last three starts have all been quality starts,” 51s manager Wally Backman said. “To me, just looking at the kid, knowing him, having him for part of last year and this year, he smells it. He knows what’s in front of him and he’s going at it as a professional, in the right way. As long as he puts up zeros the organization will have to make some decision on that shortly.”

“He has made some huge improvements over his last three starts. He’s worked with [pitching coach] Randy St. Claire, who’s done a wonderful job of showing him video, some of the mechanical issues he might have had. And he responded to it,” the former Major League infielder said. “He did what he had to do to overcome the problem. He was very receptive to what Randy has told him and he’s gotten a lot better in his last three starts.

” He showed the consistency with all of his pitches and he’s throwing everything for strikes. He’s showing what you have to do at the Major League level to be a successful Major Leaguer. There’s no question, his stuff doesn’t play to be an average Major League pitcher — his stuff plays to be a very, very quality Major League pitcher. I think to all of us in the organization it’s just a matter of being consistent, and he’s shown it his last three starts.”

“I’d love to keep the kid. The more we can season him at the Minor League level, the better he’s going to be when he gets to the Major League level. But can he pitch in the big leagues tomorrow? Absolutely,” Backman said.

“Does he need more seasoning? Maybe. But I said that about Matt Harvey last year, too, and the rest is kind of history.”

Photo of the Day

I love to start my week off with the Mets Minors Report.

 

Binghamton 9, Harrisburg 3

An ominous gray sky and a persistent drizzle dampened my spirits as I started an excursion to Binghamton’s NYSEG Stadium for the second consecutive day.  Saturday’s sojourn was for naught, nearly four hours driving in the car and no baseball.  The prospects of a double washout loomed.

Halfway to Binghamton, the clouds almost evaporated in the sky giving way to sunshine, blue skies and baseball.  I couldn’t help but think that this sudden weather transformation might signal an omen, an abrupt change of fortunes for the better for our New York Mets as their young minor league pitching arms begin to find their way to the big squad.

This spring, Cory Mazzoni raised some eyebrows in Florida when he threw 8 innings in spring training raking up a 3.38 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.  After a bout with elbow inflammation temporarily put Mazzoni on the sidelines, the power throwing righthander is back in the rotation at Binghamton. On Sunday afternoon, Mazzoni turned some heads logging an impressive outing as the B-Mets topped Harrisburg, 9-3, to earn a split in a doubleheader. On a strict pitch count, Mazzoni worked 5 2/3 innings and appeared headed for a shutout before Binghamton manager Pedro Lopez signaled that 80 total pitches was enough. Josh Edgin replaced Mazzoni with a runner on first and two outs but surrendered a two-run homerun to Josh Johnson on his second pitch.

Here are Mazzoni’s pitching numbers: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K

• Batter’s Faced:  19
• First Pitch Strikes: 11 of 19  58%
• Ahead After Three Pitches:  7 of 14  50%
• Total Pitches:   80       Strikes:  52 – 65%     Balls:  28 – 35%
• Strike Breakdown:   Called:  14-27%   Fouled:  16-31%    Miss:  8-15%   In Play  14-27%
• Full Windup:  Total Pitches – 66     Strikes: 42 – 64%    Balls: 14 – 36%
• FW Fastballs  Total Pitches -   52     Strikes: 34 -  65%   Balls:  18 – 35%
• FW Curveballs Total Pitches -    4       Strikes:   3 – 75%    Balls:   1 – 25%
• FW Sliders  Total Pitches -    5      Strikes:   2 – 40%    Balls:    3 – 60%
• FW Change-ups  Total Pitches –   5      Strikes:   3 – 60%    Balls:   2 – 40% 
• Stretch:  Total Pitches -  14       Strikes:   10 – 71%  Balls:  4 – 29%
• St. Fastballs: Total Pitches -  10       Strikes:   6 – 60%    Balls:  4 – 40%
• St. Curveballs: Total Pitches -    1       Strikes:  1 – 100%. 
• St. Sliders:  Total Pitches -    3       Strikes:  3 – 100%
• Fastball Range:  88-96 mph

Of Mazzoni’s 44 fastballs, all but 5 were 90+ mph and Mazzoni’s next to last pitch reached 96 mph. Mazzoni is a big guy with the good sized hips and the backside of many power pitchers.  His delivery is smooth and appears flawless. He works quickly and efficiently and had everything working well today. A huge early lead might have been comfort food for the B-Met starter. The B-Mets scored all 9 runs in the first two innings, plating 6 runners in the opening frame.

Wilfredo Tovar and Josh Rodriguez walked to open the Binghamton first. Tovar scored the games first run when Richard Lucas lined a single to left field that Senator outfielder Jose Lozado rushed and bobbled allowing the B-Met shortstop to score. After Alan Dykstra’s infield ground out advanced the B-Met runners to second and third, before the Senator’s shortstop misplayed Cory Vaughn‘s infield ground ball with Rodriguez scoring.

After Vaughn stole second, Blake Forsythe drew a base-on-balls to load the bases. Cesar Puello‘s ground single up the middle drove in Lucas and Vaughn putting the B-Mets in front 4-0.

Joe Bonfe‘s single to right held in the air just enough to slow down the B-Met baserunners loading the bases for Mazzoni. Mazzoni slammed an 0-1 fastball for what appeared to be a grand slam homerun. With Mazzoni in a homerun trot, the ball hit the top of the fence ending in a long, two-run single. Lopez argued that the ball had cleared the orange line striking an advertisement above the fence, the umpires huddled, but the long ball single stood.

Binghamton added three more runs in their second at bat, the big hits a pair of doubles by Forsythe and Bonfe with Bonfe’s blast knocking home two runs.

Bonfe, Forsythe and Mazzoni all had two hit games. Puello went 1-2, drew a walk, was hit by a pitch and scored 2 runs.

Josh Edgin struggled in relief pitching 1 1/3 innings and surrendering two earned runs on three hits and two base-on-balls.  Edgin closed the game leaving the bases loaded.

Key Stats

Cory Mazzoni: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K (2-for-3, 2 RBI)

Josh Edgin: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 HR, 2 BB, 2 ER, 1 K

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

Cesar Puello: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Blake Forsythe: 2-for-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Cory Vaughn: 1-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R

Trenton 5, Binghamton 0

The Binghamton Mets were held to two hits and Cory Mazzoni was tagged for five runs in a 5-0 loss to the Trenton Thunder Monday night at Arm & Hammer Park. The B-Mets suffered their third shutout loss of the year and matched a season-low in hits.

Mazzoni made his first start in more than a month after missing 24 games due to right elbow neuritis. Trenton wasted little time to welcome him back. In the first inning they sent eight men to the plate, collected three hits and took advantage of an error to hang a crooked number.

After the Thunder started the frame with two hits, Tyler Austin supplied a sac fly. With a runner on third, J.R. Murphy sent a chopper back to the mound. Mazzoni fielded cleanly and threw to third, but Josh Rodriguez muffed the throw, allowing Jose Pirela to dive back safely. The misplay led to three unearned runs on Mazzoni’s tab when Slade Heathcott chipped in with an RBI groundout and Reegie Corona laced a two-run single to centerfield.

Trenton added to their lead in the third. Murphy led off with a double, one of three extra-base hits allowed by Mazzoni in the game, and scored on a single up the middle by Heathcott.

Binghamton could not solve Trenton starter Matt Tracy (3-2). The southpaw baffled the B-Mets and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Darrell Ceciliani finally broke up the no-hit bid with a one-out single. The hit snapped a stretch of 12 straight B-Mets retired by Tracy.

He exited with one out in the seventh after collecting a season-high nine strikeouts. Aaron Dott retired the final two batters in the seventh and Branden Pinder struck out four over two scoreless innings to close out the game.

Mazzoni (0-1) exited after allowing a leadoff single in the fourth. He allowed five runs (two earned) on seven hits in the losing effort. Shawn Teufel kept the Thunder off the board and chewed up three innings, while Adam Kolarek closed Binghamton’s pitching tab with two scoreless frames.

The B-Mets (16-15) continue their series against the Thunder Tuesday night at 7:05 PM. RHP Rafael Montero gets the ball for Binghamton against RHP Jose Ramirez.

Key Stats

Darrell Ceciliani: 1-for-4

Daniel Muno: 0-for-2, 2 BB

Cesar Puello: 1-for-2, 1 SB

Cory Mazzoni: 3.0 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 K

Shawn Teufel: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 3 K

Adam Kolarek: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2 K

(Team Report)

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)

 

Rafael Montero by MMO Contributor and Photographer Gordon Donovan.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas demolished Reno, 14-8.
• Binghamton got thrashed by Erie, 11-4.
• St. Lucie was beaten by Tampa, 7-3. 
• Savannah defeated Kannapolis, 6-3. 

Minors News

RHP Rainy Lara of the Savannah Sand Gnats was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week for the week ending April 28. Lara pitched a brilliant game tossing 7.1 shutout innings and allowing just five hits and walking none while striking out nine against the West Virginia Power.

For the season, Lara is now 3-1 with a 1.88 ERA in four starts spanning 24 innings. He has struck out 24 and walked three and has held the Sally League to a .231 batting average this season.

Prospect Pipeline

• Yeesh… Rafael Montero had a pretty rough go-around last night against Erie where he was lit up for ten runs, seven of them earned, over the course of six-and-two-thirds innings pitched. He still walked only one and allowed one home run, but that’s about the best of it. All prospects are allowed bad starts or bad games here and there – so we’ll just chalk this up to a bad hair day.
• Matthew Bowman went eight strong innings last night and allowed three earned runs as he continues to find himself in the midst of a strong campaign.
• After last night, Kevin Plawecki now has 15 doubles and four home runs in just 24 games, which is ridiculous. His slash line stands at .402/.462/.1.158 through 92 at-bats in 2013 as he does not seem to have hit a single wall yet. My first thought when he was drafted was to compare him to Paul Lo Duca – but irregardless of that, Plawecki seems to be developing very nicely.
• Juan Centeno had a superb day at the plate last night for Las Vegas, where he banged out four hits. Centeno was a young man known more for his defensive prowess over anything else – which leads me into the point that he should be starting more than Landon Powell at the moment. At the very least, I want him to catch Wheeler’s next start. Centeno has a solid baseball IQ and can definitely help assist Wheeler in staying on track.
• Our Minor League Analyst Teddy Klein (via Toby Hyde) told us that Brandon Nimmo has been nursing a minor hand injury and that perhaps it could explain his recent slump. He got the game off last night and it’s considered nothing serious.
• Andrew Brown went 3-for-5 last night with a HR, a 2B, and 3 RBI as he continued his “seriously, call me up to the MLB team” tour.
• Zack Wheeler‘s 36 strikeouts in April tied for third place among the Top 100 MLB prospects.
• 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 last year. He’s more of an organizational type of guy, but Pants may have some value down the line. 
  
• Matt Garrioch, minor league analyst, posted his GAPPER report yesterday for April which ranks the top five pitchers and position players in many leagues and per team itself. Wilmer Flores and Zack Wheeler were fourth in his PCL rankings, Montero ranked third in the AA, and Syndergaard and Tapia both made his list for A+ ball.

Stat Line of the Day

Kevin Plawecki: 3-for-5, 3 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R

Transactions/Injuries

• 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.
• Cory Vaughn just has some inflammation in his arm, and was advised to take it easy for about a week.
• Cory Mazzoni threw a side session pitching and is approaching his return date.
• Right-hander Michael Fulmer, returning from surgery to repair a meniscus tear, tossed two innings Monday in extended spring training.
• Wilfredo Tovar was removed from last night’s game purely as a precautionary measure because he was sick. There is no injury.

Quote of the Day

Rob Brender: You’ve gotten shots at the big league level in 2011 and 2012 and you’re doing so well offensively this season. Does it make you anxious to get back to the Mets?

Josh Satin: Absolutely, but there’s a fine line. You can’t feel sorry for yourself because there are lots of other people in professional baseball who feel the same way. Then again, sometimes I look around and I’m like ’damn, this guys in the big leagues with whatever team. I know I’m better then him.’ So it’s hard sometimes but, then again, it’s just the way it is. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. You just have to keep performing.

Photo of the Day

Hey Plawecki, how about wrangling me up a shot of bourbon, oh and make sure it’s a double.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas dropped to Tacoma, 5-3.
• Binghamton dropped to Akron, 7-5.
• St. Lucie blew topped Tampa, 9-2.
• Savannah edged out West Virginia, 3-2.

Prospect Pipeline

• Noah Syndergaard got his first win of the 2013 season against the Tampa Bay Yankees after a dominating performance. Since his implosion on April 18, he has pitched in 13 innings allowing eight hits, three walks, and had 13 strikeouts. He allowed two runs in those 13 innings, but neither of them were earned. On Sunday he easily delivered his best start of the year.
• Hamilton Bennett is quietly having a solid season coming out of the bullpen for St. Lucie. In 12 innings pitched, he has allowed three runs, and has 15 strikeouts on the year. He also has two saves.
• Alonzo Harris was 0-for-4 last night, snapping a ten game hit streak.
• Cory Vaughn has been on absolute fire the past ten games. Over that span, Vaughn has clobbered three home runs and is hitting  healthy .342, with eight RBI. He smacked his fourth home run of the year yesterday, tying him for second best in the organization (Dustin Lawley has five). Vaughn is now hitting .299 on the year.
• Brandon Nimmo has cooled off. He has been hitless in four straight games, dropping his average on the year to .337. Over the past ten games, he is hitting .205.

Stat Line of the Night

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

Transactions/Injuries

• Big news for center fielder Matt den Dekker who tells us that his cast is being removed by team doctors today. He could be back by mid-May.
• Cesar Puello, who out with a sore left wrist was back in the lineup on Sunday and went 2-for-4 with a stolen base. He now has six swipes in 13 games and is sporting a .286/.375/.429 slash.
• Cory Mazzoni is still on the DL, but he could be throwing a bullpen session one day this week.
• Right-handed pitcher Luis Mateo, who made one 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. (Hat tip to Lynn Worthy). Mateo should resume throwing again in the next week or so, based on his elbow strength.
• Michael Fulmer tossed twelve pitches over the course of an inning in an extended spring training game. No reported issues.

Quote Of The Day

St. Lucie pitching coach had this to say about after Syndergaard’s dominating performance yesterday:

“Today, he really located his fastball really well over both sides of the plate. Kept the ball down and was pretty much in command of all his pitches,” St. Lucie pitching coach Phil Regan said. “He also had two strikeouts on curveballs and two on changeups, and these are the things we have been working on.

“And he went seven innings. It was an interesting thing, someone mentioned to him it was the first time he went seven innings this year. And he says, “Yeah, it’s the first time in three years, since high school.’”

Photo of the Day

You’ve got five seconds to hand over that MMO Minor League Report.

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…

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…

Rafael Montero takes the hill for Binghamton today.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas Tops Sacramento 10-5
• New Hampshire Tops Binghamton 5-2
• Fort Myers Routed St. Lucie 14-2
• Savannah Tops Lakewood 7-2

Prospect Pipeline

• This is now fourth straight starts in which Zack Wheeler failed to deliver six innings. It was another start where his pitch count was remarkably bad. 108 pitches and only 61 strikes in 4.1 innings is not going to get anyone promoted to the majors no matter how high you rank on Baseball America’s Top Prospect. You still have to execute. So far this season, Wheeler has pitched a total of 18.1 innings, averaging only 4.5 innings per start. That’s not going to cut it. He’s walked 12 and allowed 17 hits and his ERA now stands at an unsightly 4.91 his WHIP is now north of 2.00. The thing of it is that you can’t blame all those walks on the PCL or park factors. This has been a chronic problem for Wheeler throughout his career. (Joe D.)
• Baseball America had Wilmer Flores “In the Team Photo” in this week’s Hot Sheet. They writes: “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.” Actually it’s now four strikeouts in 68 plate appearances while drawing seven walks. (Joe D.)
• Andrew Brown continued his hot streak to open the season with a two-run double, giving him 14 RBI in 16 games. He’s now batting .344/.425/.565 and more than half his hits are for extra bases. He may ne in Flushing sooner rather than later. (Joe D.)
• Here’s someone that often gets overlooked. Triple-A outfielder Juan Lagares went 2-for-4 last night and was on base three times. Lagares, 24, has now hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games and is batting .368/.403/.544 this season. (Joe D.)
• One night after Noah Syndergaard was torched for seven earned runs for St. Lucie, Angel Cuan outdid him and was charged with nine runs in 3 1/3 innings. He surrendered four homers. I thought the St. Lucie rotations was supposed to be the Dream Team? (Joe D.) 

Stat Line of the Night

* * * Kevin Plawecki went 3-for-4, homered, doubled, walked and had four RBIs. * * *

Tweet of the Day

Transactions/Injuries

• Travis d’Arnaud will not require surgery and the Mets expect him to be out for eight weeks, but say he could be back sooner. The Mets catcher fractured his big toe or as Jerry Seinfeld would say, the captain of the toes.
• RHP Luis Mateo will miss about three weeks with a strained elbow, but the MRI revealed no structural damage. Mateo will take anti-inflammatory medication after being examined by team doctors in New York.
• Sandy Alderson had relatively good news on pitching prospect Cory Mazzoni who will rest three days after being diagnosed with elbow irritation by team doctors.
• Josh Satin came out of last night’s game with what appeared to be an ankle injury.

Prospect Audio/Video

Here’s a look at shortstop Phil Evans, shot last week by Mike Newman of ROTOscouting.com.

That’s What She Said

You have three seconds… Where’s my MMO Mets Minors Report?

The plan is for him to remain in a boot and miss about eight weeks, but could be back sooner than that, Collins added.

As we previously first reported, D’Arnaud was hit on the foot by a foul ball during the sixth inning of the Las Vegas 51s 3-2 win over Sacramento on Wednesday night. He was lying on the ground face down and in obvious pain, but remained in the game only to be removed by manager Wally Backman in the next half inning.

He was flown to New York where he visited with team doctors at the Hospital for Special Surgery who determined that the fracture could heal without surgery.

In other injury related news, Sandy Alderson told Adam Rubin that right-handed pitching prospect Luis Mateo, who was pulled from his Double-A debut three pitches into the fourth inning, will be sidelined for two weeks but has no serious elbow damage.

Mateo will take anti-inflammatory medication after being examined by team doctors in New York.

MMO beat writer John Delcos spoke with Terry Collins a short while ago about right-hander  Cory Mazzoni, who also was examined and had an MRI yesterday. But Collins said there was nothing new to report to his knowledge.

Update: Sandy Alderson had relatively good news on prospect Cory Mazzoni. Elbow irritation. Rest 3 days. This according to Adam Rubin.

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.)

Update 10:40 PM by Satish Ram

Lopez said Mateo’s issue was in his right forearm/elbow. Mateo got checked out by the team doctor, but he may also get an MRI to be safe.

— Lynn Worthy (@PSBLynn) April 16, 2013

Team doctors have examined Mateo and it looks like he’s definitely heading for an MRI in the morning.

Well, let’s all hope for the best…

Original Post 7:58 PM

One of the top Mets pitching prospects, Luis Mateo, has left his Double-A debut in the fourth inning of tonight’s game for the B-Mets. The trainer and head coach Pedro Lopez visited Mateo the mound and escorted him off the field. According to a tweet by Lynn Worthy, they appeared to be inspecting his hand.

Mateo was called up from St. Lucie to replace Cory Mazzoni, who was placed on the disabled list with “Tennis Elbow,” earlier today.

Before leaving the game, Mateo had given up four runs on six hits, one of which was a two run home run.

Once we get word on Mateo we will pass it along. Check back for updates.

Phil Evans is heating up after making some adjustments to his approach.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Savannah (5-5) lost a close one to Rome, 2-1
• St. Lucie (7-3) toppled Bradenton, 8-2
• Binghamton (6-4) dropped New Hampshire, 6-3
• Las Vegas (6-5) beat Fresno in eleven innings, 5-4

Prospect Pipeline

• Zack Wheeler, who had walked six batters in his first 8.1 innings this season, did not walk any Fresno batters in Sunday’s matchup. He now has seventeen strikeouts and six walks this year, which is a solid ratio. At this point, Wheeler is just bored pitching in the minor leagues. We will see a different side of Wheeler once he is finally called up to the show.
• Rafael Montero continues to pump out quality starts. Through three starts in 2013, he has thoroughly dominated Double-A hitters, pitching in 16.2 innings, striking out 21 batters and only walking one. That is a ridiculous ratio. Montero has established himself as an early promotion candidate, and don’t be surprised to see him get the call up to Triple-A when Wheeler gets promoted. Montero is the youngest pitcher in the top two levels of the organization (AA/AAA).
• Montero also impressed Akron pitching coach, Greg Hibbard: “Once he got into a rhythm and found his arm slot, he just dominated us. Good command, good fastball — 94 mph high, 92 average. … From a developmental standpoint, the changeup — that’s probably the third-best pitch — needs a little work. For righties, that’s often the last thing to come along.”
• Brandon Nimmo looks to be on a mission to prove the doubters that he was worthy of a first round selection. He now ranks second in batting in the South Atlantic League, with a .405 batting average. He trails teammate Kevin Plawecki, who has a .410 average.
• Scouting expert Mike Newman is glowing about Travis d’Arnaud. “If not for D’Arnaud’s recent string of injuries, I’d prefer him over Mike Zunino. Back in 2009, I saw a .285 hitter with 18-25 home run potential and his surge in minor league production has made this a real possibility. I’d loved to see him get the nod on opening day, but John Buck is serviceable, so why push D’Arnaud’s arbitration clock? Sometimes being a pragmatic prospect guy really ruins the fun doesn’t it?” (Joe D.)
• Another scout on Wheeler yesterday: “Very good. 94-98 w// good life on all pitches. Pitched better than line indicates. No sign of finger bothering him” (Joe D.)
• Luis Mateo is getting called up from St. Lucie to make one spot start. Cory Mazzoni is going to miss one start with Binghamton because of arm soreness that for now is not considered serious. Mateo has nine strikeouts and two walks in 6.2 scoreless innings this season. Mateo will return to PSL after his start. (Joe D.)
• Cory Vaughn hit a three-run home run on Sunday. It was the first B-Met home run with runners on base. Vaughn finished the series with a robust seven RBI. (Joe D.)
• Mets left-hander Steven Matz delivered a solid performance this weekend which was great to see. Frank Viola has asked the young southpaw to scrap his curveball and go with his slider which seems to be making a positive and significant difference. In 5.0 innings, he allowed one unearned run on four hits while walking one and striking out seven. This is what a great pitching coach is supposed to do. (Joe D.)
• Shortstop Phillip Evans is heating up. On Sunday he went 3-for-4 with three singles and it’s great to seem him making adjustments on the fly as he has stopped pulling everything and is now going the other way while being more selective at the plate. Evans is a strong kid and will hit for power, but he needed to understand that contact is the name of the game and it seems like he gest that now. (Joe D.)

Stat Line of the Night

Brian Harrison: 3-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R

Tweet Of The Day

Don’t measure success by how far you’ve gone. Measure success by how far you have come. #itsthelittlethings

— Michael Fulmer (@MFulmer12) April 15, 2013

Probable Starters

Las Vegas sends Chris Schwinden (1-1, 7.45 ERA) to the mound against Colorado Springs at 10:05 PM.

Luis Mateo (read above) is being borrowed from St. Lucie to make that start for Binghamton against the Portland Sea Dogs tonight at 6:35 PM.

St. Lucie sends (TBD) the mound this evening against the Charlotte Stone Crabs at 6:30 PM. .

Savannah sends  (TBD) to the mound this evening against Greensboro at 7:00 PM.

* We’ll fill in the rest of the probables once they are announced.

Something’s always happening down on the Mets farm.

RHP RAFAEL MONTERO, BINGHAMTON

MMO MINOR LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Montero has been the picture of poise, command and sheer dominance on the mound for Double-A Binghamton to begin the season. The most notable stat that jumps out at you? No walks and 16 strikeouts. He deserved a second win but his team got shutout in a 1-0 loss on Tuesday.

This kid is the real deal, and he’s skyrocketing up the system faster than a speeding bullet. He’s coming soon to a Rotunda near you.

Honorable Mentions

Rainy Lara, Matthew Bowman and Luis Cessa all came up big for Savannah. Jacob deGrom, Luis Mateo and Noah Syndergaard have yet to give up a run for St. Lucie… Cory Mazzoni hasn’t allowed a run yet either this season.

CF BRANDON NIMMO, SAVANNAH

MMO MINOR LEAGUE HITTER OF THE WEEK

For all of you worry warts who were already to write this kid off, RELAX…  Brandon Nimmo is still one of the youngest players in his league and is now showing all the tools that compelled the mets to take him with their top pick in the 2011 Draft.

Nimmo burst out of the gate with 11 hits in his first 29 at-bats translating into a .379/.471/483 slash with 8 runs scored and 4 RBI. Throw in a double, triple and a stolen base for good measure. This is the Brandon Nimmo we’ve all been waiting for.

Check out the following video taken this week from notable scout Mike Newman who launched a great new site; ROTOscouting.com…

Honorable Mentions

Nimmo’s teammate Kevin Plawecki (.500) and Jayce Boyd (.440) are also off to torrid starts at the plate. This was a big week for Josh Satin (.480) who has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Las Vegas 51s with three homers already in the bank. Shortstop Matt Reynolds is lighting up the scoreboard for St. Lucie and catcher Camden Maron is right behind him. Josh Rodriguez and Alonzo Harris are tearing it up in Bingo.

See you next Thursday…

I can’t get enough of these Mets farm hands.

Rafael Montero headlines the B-Mets 2013 roster.

While, for most of the season, it will be the St. Lucie Mets grabbing the headlines, the Binghamton Mets have an intriguing roster as well. Bingo will feature a solid pitching staff, headlined by Rafael Montero, as well as some prospects that have largely flown under the radar in their careers, but have talent, such as Wilfredo Tovar and Alonzo Harris. The B-Mets will also feature two interesting names who haven’t been able to put it all together yet: Cory Vaughn and Cesar Puello, both of whom have very high ceilings. Now, let’s get to the players.

The Big Names

• Rafael Montero (RHP)- Montero has risen through the minors unusually quickly, playing for seven of the Mets’ minor league affiliates after signing with them before the 2011 season. Although he had a fine 2011 season between the Dominican Summer, Gulf Coast, Appalachian, and New York-Penn leagues, he didn’t really put himself on the map until last season. Last season between Savannah and St. Lucie, he posted a 2.36 ERA in 122 innings, striking out 8.1 per nine while walking just 1.4. Scouts credit his strong secondary pitches for his successes so far in his career. His changeup and slider are both well-developed, which is why he has dominated and moved up so quickly. 
• Wilfredo Tovar (SS)- Until last season, Tovar looked like a weak-hitting shortstop with a good glove, but also a bat that would keep him from the majors. In 2011, Tovar hit .251/.318/.318 in a full season with Savannah. He was moved up a level to St. Lucie last season, in which he started to look like more than a weak-hitting shortstop. In half a season with St. Lucie, he upped his batting line to .284/.377/.385 with 12 stolen bases in 65 games, earning himself an FSL All-Star Game selection. What was especially promising was his strikeout and walk rates, which were better than ever. He walked in 11.3% of his plate appearances, compared to his career-best of 8.0%, and struck out at a 6.6% clip, also the best mark of his career. He struggled in Binghamton last year, which is why he is repeating the league, but if he can harness the patience that we saw out of him over the first half of 2012, he could become a Ruben Tejada-type player.
• Cory Vaughn (RF)- The Mets don’t have many pure power hitters in their system, but Cory Vaughn is one of them, and among the best. He is the definition of a power hitter: getting on base, and hitting a ton of extra-base hits. Last year, he hit 51 extra-base hits in 126 games with St. Lucie, 23 of them home runs. Vaughn, however, has speed that most power hitters don’t have. He swiped a career-best 21 bases last season. Vaughn’s biggest weakness right now is his hit tool. Everything else is there. If he starts hitting for a higher batting average, everything will come together.
• Cesar Puello (RF)- Once dubbed the next Carlos Beltran, Puello may have the best tools in the entire Met system. He has speed, power, and is a solid defender in the outfield. It’s the health that will dictate his future. Last season, Puello hit .260/.328/.423 with 26 extra-base hits in 66 games.

The Sleepers

• Danny Muno (2B/SS)- Muno was suspended for PED use last year, after hitting .355 in Brooklyn in 2011. The 2011 eighth-round pick still put up solid numbers, even after the suspension. He hit for a little bit of power, knocking 16 doubles, two triples, and six homers in 81 games with St. Lucie. He put up a .280/.387/.412 batting line. Muno walked an excellent 14.2% of the time while striking out only 15.1%. Oh, and he stole 19 bases.
• Tyler Pill (RHP)- Pill is seeing his stock rising fast, and although he isn’t put in the same group as Wheeler, Fulmer, or Syndergaard, he has made a name for himself as a top-30 prospect. He only throws in the high-80s, but uses his excellent command to get hitters out. Last season, he put up an impressive 4.77 K/BB rate with a 2.31 ERA in 113 innings between St. Lucie and Savannah.
• Jack Leathersich (LHP)- Leathersich has put up amazing strikeout numbers out of the bullpen since being drafted in 2011 in the fifth round out of UMass-Lowell. Leathersich is on the fast track to the major league bullpen, and will continue to move quickly if his strikeout numbers remain this high. Last season he struck out 14.1 batters per nine. Some call his delivery deceiving, which may explain why his ERA in the Florida State League this year was 4.12. Maybe more advanced hitters are catching on. Perhaps his high walk numbers are hurting him. Or maybe the high ERA was just a result of a small sample size, as so often happens with minor league relief pitchers.
• Alonzo Harris (OF)- Harris, once deemed ruined after an aggressive promotion by Omar Minaya went horribly wrong, has re-gained his prospect status with a much-improved approach at the dish over the last few seasons. Promoted too quickly because of his athleticism and raw tools, Harris hit .224/.270/..342 as a 20 year-old, second-year player in Savannah. He was overly-aggressive and struck out over in over 20% of his plate appearances. Since then, he has seen his walk rates rise and strikeout rates fall steadily and now he has a solid approach at the dish. His success in 2011 in Savannah were attributed to him getting used to the league, but the even better walk and strikeout numbers in 2012 with St. Lucie have some people believing that he’s not done yet.

Other Names to Watch

• Cory Mazzoni (RHP)- Mazzoni was the Mets’ second-round pick of the 2011 draft out of NC State. After a little over a year in the minors, it appears that that Mazzoni, with a limited arsenal, is headed to the bullpen. He will start for the forseeable future to get more in-game action, but his 6.5 K/9 last year leave much to be desired.
• Logan Verrett (RHP)- Verrett only made six starts in St. Lucie after coming back from a shoulder strain, but will move up this year anyway. His 7.15 K/BB ratio last year was stellar. The only concern is the lower strikeout rate in the six St. Lucie starts, which fell to 6.1 K/9 from 9.3 in Savannah.

Noah Syndergaard will lead a talented Advanced-A rotation in St. Lucie.

Two months ago I rolled out my first pass at pre-season projections for our Mets minor league rotations. We now have more mush clarity and some official assignments that have been announced. Many of the pitchers I reached out to at the lower levels have replied back to me with their assignments.

I’ve asked Teddy, one of our two MInor League Analysts, to look over my projections and share some of his commentary and analysis. He’s seen many of these pitchers up close and knows a good many of them personally. Now that he’s returned from Minor League camp, I thought it would be great to have him add his feedback to my post.

Here you go…

Las Vegas 51′s (Triple-A)

1. Zack Wheeler
2. Collin McHugh
3. Aaron Laffey
4. Chris Schwinden
5. Carlos Torres

I’m pretty sure that Dylan Owen and Mark Cohoon will be on hand when duty calls although I’m disappointed that Cory Mazzoni and Darin Gorski got squeezed out of AAA. Jenrry Mejia, as you all know, is shut down for 1-2 months with more arm woes. I don’t get the Torres fascination, I really don’t.

Teddy’s Take: Well, of course Wheeler and McHugh are givens, considering their ability to have thrived at the lower levels, and I didn’t even realize Chris Schwinden was still with the Mets. I believe that Laffey might be the first pitcher up when an injury goes down, and Cohoon would be the one to take over. I don’t believe however, that Dylan Owen will be considered another starting pitcher after two poor years statistically, and a fastball that barely scrapes 90. I do believe that Gorski deserves a spot over Carlos Torres, who pitched himself out of spring training early enough. Gorski is a more advanced arm, and that has been evident. The question is: who takes over for Wheeler, Laffey, and McHugh after they leave? I also believe Armando Rodriguez’s time as a starter is over, he will be a reliever this year. But, if it were me, I’d have Torres in the pen, and Cohoon starting. Gorski deserves the spot.

Binghamton Mets (Double-A)

1. Cory Mazzoni
2. Darin Gorski
3. Jacob deGrom
4. Rafael Montero
5. Tyler Pill  
6. Erik Goeddel

The Mets have a real numbers problem at starting pitching. Having Gorski and Mazzoni in Bingo means we had to hold back a couple of starting pitchers who were ready for the jump like Logan Verrett and Chase Huchingson. At this point I’m thinking they’ll go with a six-man rotation and somehow squeeze Goeddel into the mix. As for Gonzalez Germen and Greg Peavey, I’m stumped. Looks like bullpen duty and spots starts. Speaking of the bullpen, was glad to see Jack Leathersich get assigned to Bingo. I told him he would be, but he seemed skeptical.

Teddy’s Take: We have many interesting arms at Binghamton. Mazzoni is definitely going to headline opening day, no doubt about it, with the question going forward being, who will start Game 2? Will it be Gorski or Montero? All of these pitchers are definitely locks to stay in the rotation for Binghamton, including Goeddel, but he should definitely be relegated to reliever soon. He has a history of arm injury, and more success as a reliever rather than a starter. I believe that Peavey will have another chance in the B-Mets rotation, for now. With promotions though, who is going to get called up to Triple-A first? The first bet is Mazzoni, Gorski, then Rafael Montero, with Degrom right behind him. It’s a very interesting logjam the Mets will have next year, with plenty of options to choose from for the AAA squad rotation.

St. Lucie Mets (High-A)

1. Noah Syndergaard
2. Logan Verrett 
3. Luis Mateo
4. Alex Panteliodis
5. Domingo Tapia
6. Chase Huchingson

It totally sucks that Michael Fulmer will miss a huge chunk of the season on the DL. Mateo is 23 so he’s a lock, and I can’t see Tapia and Pants not being here. Verrett really has nothing left to prove in Advanced-A, but the Mets held on to all their pitching this offseason and now we have a huge logjam. Bringing in guys like Carlos Torres in the offseason certainly didn’t help matters either and it’s having a trickle down effect. Poor Hansel Robles ends up in Savannah now even though I initially had him skipping a level. Angel Cuan to the bullpen? Weird…

Teddy’s Take: Poor Fulmer, he would definitely be a Number 2 had he not injured his knee, but he will be back in a very, very impressive starting rotation. The thing to remember is the factor of starter piggybacking. It will help the logjam of talented starting pitchers that is “troubling” the Mets. That way, one starter will go around 4-5 innings, and another destined for starting will follow, so we will see more starters on this roster, this time around, as well as relievers, and interesting ones as that. Angel Cuan will end up as a reliever, which will give us more options at relief. He was destined to be there, being undersized, and barely cracking 90. It’s about time. Robles deserves a roster spot, but there’s no hurry for him with the amount of players we have.

Savannah Sand Gnats (Single-A)

1. Hansel Robles
2. Gabriel Ynoa 
3. Rainy Lara
4. Luis Cessa
5. Miller Diaz
6. Julian Hilario

I would have had Steven Matz and Matthew Bowman here too as both youngsters are very deserving. But maybe both will benefit with another year in a short-season league. It looks like looks like Matthew Koch and Marcos Camarena may get some spot starts out of the bullpen.

Teddy’s Take: I would disagree, but Joe’s right, with the logjam of pitchers in general. There’s just so many to choose from to start these staffs. I believe, yeah Joe, you’re right with the 1-5, but I saw Hilario at PSL pitching with the extendeds, so he’s staying there. It might be Camarena, or the Mets might make it really interesting and bring in Steven Matz, (which is my hope), but I’m sure it’s going to be Bowman. There is however, the outside chance that Robert Gsellman might be the 6th starter, and there’s also the possibility of more piggybacking such as the St. Lucie Crew.

Brooklyn Cyclones (Low-A SS)

1. Steven Matz
2. Robert Gsellman
3. John Gant
4. Matthew Bowman
5. Bret Mitchell (if healthy)
6. Logan Taylor

This group was the most difficult to assess and has the most likelihood of being totally wrong, but if Matz is healthy I’m certain he’ll get the bump from Kingsport. Gsellman and Gant are no-brainers to make the squad, but I’m afraid Chris Flexen and Corey Oswalt will most likely start at Kingsport. They’re both still young and really should have been in the GCL anyway in 2012 if only we had a GCL team.

Teddy’s Take: If the headlining starter is Matz, it will help for many Long Islanders to visit MCU park. The only questions are actually Flexen and Oswalt, they should be in Brooklyn, and Logan Taylor is destined for St. Lucie or Savannah as a fast-rising reliever. As I said above, it could be either Gsellman or Bowman up at Savannah, but my money is definitely on Bowman, as a college starter, and one from Princeton, no less. The issue is seeing whether the logjam becomes much clearer at the upper levels. Making a promotion movement sooner rather than later will aid in developing some of these pitchers stuck either in Savannah or Kingsport. The other issue is the influx of the 2013 draft. Will they hopefully go for a ton of high-upside hitters and make it easier for us next year to speculate rotations? Or will they take some starters for Brooklyn, Kingsport, and Gulf Coast? Another factor to consider is the Dominican IFA’s: I don’t know which ones really, but it’s just important to note.

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A Message From Joe D.

I hope you enjoyed this. At Metsmerized Online our goal is to provide you with the best Mets Minor League coverage that is second to none. We give you real insights and true comprehensive coverage like no other. We’ve bolstered our Minor League team with five new veteran additions and now boast a 15 person minor league staff. Five of our writers come packed with their own credentials and have covered the minors from 4-18 years and really know and have worked the Mets system. Whether you prefer a pure scouting point of view or an analytic one based on the latest advanced metrics, we give it to you all. In the last three months alone we’ve averaged over a dozen minor league posts per week. Nobody else can say that, and that was in the offseason.

Last year we provided our readers with over three dozen player interviews and this season you can expect that number to increase significantly. Our definition of interviews is in-person/post game interviews or phone interviews, not asking players 3-4 questions on Twitter. Our goal is to blow you away with minor league content that is intuitive, timely and insightful. You won’t get any watered down analysis that isn’t really analysis at all. This year one of our new features will be Coaches Corner where we will pick the brain of a different minor league manager, or pitching and hitting coach. We’re leading off with Wally Backman.

MMO has always been ahead of the curve. We were the first site to post complete minor league recaps in 2005 and the others didn’t join the party until 2009 or later. Now we have a beat writer covering each affiliate and recaps that include quotes, injuries, insights and more. We’ve come a long way.

Stick with us, and we promise to keep you glued to our coverage. The future of the Mets looks bright and we intend to spread that message day by day and hour by hour. I’ll leave you with this… One player told me last December, that MMO is required reading in the clubhouse. Who am I to argue with that?

Jenrry Mejia gets the ball this afternoon against Miami. As of now, Mejia will be used as a starter, but there are those in the organization who believe he’s better suited for the bullpen.

Mejia prefers to start and has performed better in that role. Maybe it is because he has time to prepare for his assignment, maybe because he has more time to warm up, maybe it is an ego thing. Whatever it is, his 2.75 ERA as a starter compared to 5.48 ERA in relief, can’t be disputed.Why can’t they make a decision with this guy?

The Mets screwed up with Mejia in 2010, when managing for his job, Jerry Manuel rushed an unproven Mejia to the Opening Day roster as a reliever because they didn’t have a quality bullpen. Manuel was clearly thinking in the short term rather than what was in the best interest of Mejia, and the Mets, in the long term.

Closer, set-up reliever, situational pitcher; the Mets bounced him around. Eventually they optioned him out and he started in the minors. Mejia was not prepared for the up-and-down work in the bullpen, and then stretching him out in midseason, he injured his arm and underwent surgery. He did not pitch with the Mets in 2011.

Once a highly touted prospect, and the subject of trade calls by other teams, Mejia’s value plummeted. The reasons were three-fold: 1) his performance; 2) the arm injury; and 3) if the Mets had no confidence in him, then why would another team?

Mejia was a prime example of rushing a pitcher, and looking at him should give the Mets pause if they even think about putting Zack Wheeler on the Opening Day roster. Reportedly, it will be Mejia or Jeremy Hefner, who will open the season in the major leagues if Johan Santana goes on the disabled list. Currently, the Mets are considering the foolish decision of trying to squeeze in a full spring training in a little over two weeks to prepare Santana for Opening Day.

That will be a decision that will boomerang on them in a bad way. Mejia is not the first pitcher the Mets rushed. They did the same with No. 1 pick Mike Pelfrey, who clearly wasn’t ready in terms of his demeanor, poise and control of his secondary pitches. They pushed Pelfrey because they were thin in the rotation. He struggled, was eventually injured and now is with Minnesota.

BYRD IS THE WORD: Marlon Byrd and Collin Cowgill are currently the frontrunners for the two right-handed hitting outfield spots, but don’t count out Zach Lutz and Jamie Hoffmann could change that with solid spring showings.

DOUBLE DEKKER: Adam Rubin with a nice quip from one American League scout who told him Matt den Dekker is a “Gold Glove-caliber” center fielder. But the same scout wondered if den Dekker would have enough plate discipline and make enough contact to be an everyday major leaguer.

METS NOTEBOOK: Scott Atchison, Jeurys Familia, Cory Mazzoni, Hansel Robles and Carlos Torres are also scheduled to pitch. … Ruben Tejada did not play last night because of a strain in his right quadriceps and will not play today against the Marlins. Tejada sustained the same injury last season and missed six weeks. … Lucas Duda will work in the batting cage today to solve his mechanical flaws that lead to six strikeouts in seven at-bats.

Here is your Mets Lineup for this afternoon against the Miami Marlins at 1:10 PM:

1. Jordany Valdespin, 2B
2. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, CF
3. Justin Turner, DH
4. Mike Baxter, RF
5. Zach Lutz, 1B
6. Brian Bixler, 3B
7. Landon Powell, C
8. Juan Lagares, LF
9. Omar Quintanilla, SS