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.

The regular season is over for all three upper minors teams. That means no more baseball for the Bisons and B-Mets, and a best-of-three divisional series for the St. Lucie team. Let’s take a look at who finished up the season strong, and who didn’t.

Who’s Hot!!!

• Wilfredo Tovar 2B, Binghamton- Tovar had a strong first half with St. Lucie, but had a tough time adjusting in Double-A Binghamton. However, he was able to finish the season very strong. He hit .417 over his last ten games, driving in six runs and hitting four extra-base hits.
• Dustin Martin OF, Binghamton- Martin is heating up once again with Binghamton. He is hitting .359 over his last ten games to go along with three home runs and six RBI. He has a total of seven extra-base hits over that span.
• Wilmer Flores INF, Binghamton- Flores finished up the season very strong, hitting .359 over his last ten games and hitting .377 over the month of August. He hit five home runs last month, driving in 13 runs.

Honorable Mention: Logan Verrett SP, St. Lucie- Verrett has put together a dominant string of starts since being called up to St. Lucie from Savannah. In six starts in the FSL, he has a 2.09 ERA in 38.2 innings pitches. He has also struck out 26 batters and walked only four over that span.

Who’s Not!!!

•  Brad Emaus 2B, Buffalo- Brad Emaus struggled in Buffalo this season, hitting just .212 in 73 games. However, he finished up the season with a really tough stretch. Over his final ten games, he hit just .156 with a .229 on-base percentage and .219 slugging.
• Adam Loewen OF, Buffalo- Loewen is another guy who has struggled in less than half a season with the Bisons. Loewen is hitting .227 on the season with Buffalo, including a .148 average in his last ten games. He drove in just one run over that span and also struck out in nine of his 27 at-bats.
• Daniel Muno SS, St. Lucie- Muno caught fire after returning from a PED suspension earlier this season, but has struggled recently. He ended the season with a ten-game in which he .167. The good news for Muno is he drew ten walks during that span, making his on-base percentage .395.

Welcome to Who’s Hot, Who’s Not! Every Tuesday, we take a look at the hottest and coldest players from St. Lucie, Binghamton, and Buffalo. Here we go…

Who’s Hot

• Collin McHugh P, Buffalo – McHugh had a rough first couple of starts for Buffalo, but has bounced back and been tremendous for the Bisons since. Over his last ten starts, he has a 2.59 ERA. On top of that, he was named International League Pitcher of the Week for his two performances against Pawtucket. In his first, he hallowed just one run on three hits over 5.2 innings. Then on Saturday night, he shut down the PawSox at Fenway, tossing seven shutout innings, allowing just five hits.
• Danny Muno SS, St. Lucie – After hitting just .229 in the month of July, Danny Muno has come roaring back for St. Lucie. Over his last ten games, he is hitting a stellar .417 with one home run and six RBI. Over that span, he has also stolen three bases.
• Richard Lucas 3B, St. Lucie – Lucas, after hitting under .200 in July, had a decent July, but is having an amazing August. He is hitting .379 this month, including .382 over his last ten games with six RBI. He has also stolen five bases this month, a higher total than any other month this season for Lucas.

Honorable Mention: Wilmer Flores INF, Binghamton- Flores is on another one of his big hotstreaks. He hit just .245 in July, but is hitting over .300 this month and .366 over his last ten games.

Who’s Not

• Josh Satin INF, Buffalo – Satin has had another great season for the Bisons, showing some power and a knack for getting on base. However, the last week or so has been really rough for him. Over his last ten games, Satin is batting .103 and has a .256 on-base percentage.
• Jefry Marte INF, Binghamton – Marte has been very streaky this season, and is in another slump right now. This month, he has a .183 average. His on-base percentage this month is just .243. Hopefully Marte will be able to turn it around and earn a spot on the Buffalo roster next April.
• Dylan Owen P, Buffalo – The Mets’ 20th round pick in 2007, Dylen Owen is having one of the roughest stretches of his career so far. Over his last ten outings, Owen has a 9.53 ERA, allowing 18 earned runs over just 17 innings.Over that span, Owen has struck out just eight and walked 14.