Wheeler’s starting to look like the real deal. (Photo: Michael Baron)

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas defeated Albuquerque, 4-3.
• Binghamton was rained out.
• St. Lucie was also rained out.
• Savannah took down Rome, 3-2.

Prospect Pipeline

• Well…he did it again. I’ve been hesistant with Zack Wheeler since the beginning of the 2013 season, but I can hold nothing else against the young man. He is pitching like an ace – with veteran like poise on the mound and in a hitter’s league, no less. I had high expectations for him and he is beginning to get there. I still don’t think we’ll see him promoted until past the Super Two date, but hey, a little more practice never hurt anyone. Except maybe Allen Iverson.
• I make this statement, of course, because Wheeler is coming off yet another good start for the 51s last night. His line was solid, as he allowed two runs over seven-and-a-third innings pitched, while striking out seven batters. Perhaps the most important thing to take away is that for the third straight start – he walked only one batter. Something to note, via my buddy Mitch Petanick… “In his final strikeout in the eighth inning, he was still hitting 96 mph on the radar gun…wow.”
• It was his third straight quality start in a row. Is it conceivable that the mechanical change and removal of his blister actually were the final things needed to flip the switch for Zack Wheeler? Honest to god, I have no idea, but I will take the performances he is providing as of late. The Harvey and Wheeler show might be coming to a wreck of a team near you within a month…
• Speaking of AAA pitching, our current rotation after Wheeler includes Carlos Torres, Chris Schwinden, and D.J. Mitchell – with Collin McHugh being the last man. I know Meija will eventually be back in that mix too, but wow, it is not inconceivable to understand why Buffalo decided not to renew with the Mets. By the way, wouldn’t Collin McHugh be better out there than Shawn Marcum at this point? Honestly. McHugh could get called up if Familia hits the DL, but Greg Burke is also a likely candidate.
• Rainy Lara really needs to be promoted soon. His domination of the league continued Friday with seven strong innings, where he allowed just one earned run and set down eight men via strikeout. His ERA at this point STILL stands at under 1.50 and he really needs a challenge. He does not have dominant stuff and he needs to learn how to work against hitters who won’t be overmatched against his pitches. I see a path for Lara to the MLB in terms of success however, as he could end up being a versatile Jeremy Hefner type guy down the line with better control at the worst. You could make the case for the promotion of Rafael Montero, Rainy Lara, Noah Syndergaard, and Zack Wheeler… what a problem to have, right?
• And on the topic of promotions, I need to start counting the days until they jump Kevin Plawecki to AA. As a player with some college polish, AA should at least serve as a challenge for him – as he is clearly too advaced for A ball. His skillset is shining through, however, and he continued to demonstrate his gap power with a double in last night’s game, his second straight game with a two-bagger. It was his 19th on the year, and he has now reached base in 22 straight games.
• Wilmer Flores is looking like he might be beginning to break out this season, as he slammed his second home run in three games last night in support of Wheeler. Flores has hit all three of his home runs at home so far this season. He is in the midst of a so-so campaign, but is still very ripe at just 21 years of age.
• Seeing Captain Kirk settle down nicely in the PCL with the 51s and bang out a three-hit game on Friday, I can’t help but worry that he is going to end up as one of those AAAA outfielder types. I always saw potential for more from him.
• Danny Muno may have hit a home run on Friday evening – but someone needs to tell him that his twitter was hacked and it sends out spam DMs.
• The Mets played like an MiLB team yesterday, so I should probably give them a mention. There’s a part of me that hopes Matt Harvey drills someone today to show a little support for JV1 out there.

Stat Line of the Day

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

Tweet of the Day

Thank you to all my fans for the support. I love my fans….. #teamJV1 # papivaldy

— Jordany Valdespin (@jordany023) May 12, 2013

Transactions

Chad Zurcher, Savannah’s shortstop, was placed on the 7-day DL yesterday. Robert Gsellman was added to their roster and was effective.

Domingo Tapia was placed on the 7-Day DL on Friday for the St. Lucie Mets with a burnt hand, and Carlos Vazquez of the Brooklyn Cyclones was called upon to take his place in a corresponding move. Jennry Meija was later added in place of him, to start his rehab assignment. Angel Cuan made the start in Tapia’s place on Friday. For the record, Tapia burned his non-pitching hand.

Mark Cohoon will be starting the first game of a double-header for Binghamton tomorrow as they return a six-man rotation with Cory Mazzoni returning from injury. However, Tyler Pill has been shutdown after being diagnosed with a right shoulder capsule injury. You can thank Lynn Worthy for that little tidbit.

According to Adam Rubin, Terry Collins told him that Frank Francisco was supposed to throw a side session yesterday, and did not.

St. Lucie 1, Daytona 0

If you like good pitching as much as I do, then you can understand why I have little reason to dislike Domingo Tapia. The young hurler was dominant again on Sunday, where he tossed six shutout frames while allowing just two hits. He walked three and struck out four in what can only be looked at as yet another step in the right direction for the young man. Of course, I would love to see a few less free passes from Tapia as he improves.

He bounced back from a tough first inning where his catcher Albert Cordero bailed him out a little – with a great throw to catch Tim Saunders trying to steal second and an even better one to pick off Javier Baez to end the inning.

Tapia induced six groundouts in contrast to his four flyouts and four strikeouts, which is common for him in a good start. I’d like to say he is making strides in defining his breaking pitch this year, which is excellent news. He was removed after reaching his pitch count, right around 90 pitches, but he could definitely have gone another inning with the momentum that he picked up. Frank Francisco, Jim Fuller, and Chasen Bradford combined with Tapia for a team shutout. Francisco looked pretty good and his velocity looked to be in the low nineties out there, so he might be ready to blow a save in New York soon.

Unfortunately for Tapia’s win total, the St. Lucie offense was stifled by opposing starter Yeiper Castillo and the Mets did not manage to score a run while he was on the mound. They did pull out the win, however, on a walk-off RBI single by Matt Reynolds.

Key Stats

Aderlin Rodriguez: 0-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB

Travis Taijeron: 2-for-2, 2 2B

Matt Reynolds: 1-for-1, RBI

Domingo Tapia: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 4 K

Frank Francisco: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2 K

Jim Fuller: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K

Chasen Bradford: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Tampa 7, St. Lucie 3

Continuing a suspended game from last night, the St. Lucie Mets started the game down a run and never came back, losing to the Tampa Yankees by a final score of 7-3.

Domingo Tapia had the start yesterday, however after pitching one inning, the game was called due to rain and lightning. His day officially ended with the Mets prospect surrendering one run on no hits while walking one. He would take a tough loss in this one, but he technically had a no-hitter going? Yeah…no.

Marcos Camarena came on in relief, or rather to start the suspended game, and had a meltdown in an inning. After allowing five of his six batters to reach base, he was lifted for Estarlin Morel who, after walking in a run, retired the side. In the fourth, Morel was less effective as he served up a two-run bomb to Mason Williams to make it a 6-1 game. Gary Sanchez came up to bat in the seventh against Wanel Vasquez and doubled home the Yankees’ seventh and final run of the ballgame. Not a great day for St. Lucie pitching all around.

The offense wasn’t much too write home about either with the exception of a few moments. Native New Yorker Cam Maron drove home the first St. Lucie run on a two out knock in the fourth. In the top of the sixth, Rylan Sandoval scored from third on a Dustin Lawley RBI groundout. Finally, in the ninth, in a futile attempt at a late inning rally, T.J. Rivera reached on a fielding error with two outs to score Maron and make it 7-3, but that would be all she wrote.

The other game of Wednesday’s double-header and series finale with the Tampa Yankees was postponed.

Key Stats

Rylan Sandoval: 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 BB

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-4, 1 RBI

Cam Maron: 1-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R

Travis Taijeron: 2-for-4, 1 2B

Domingo Tapia: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 1 K

Marcos Camarena: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 ER, 1 K

Estarlin Morel: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 HR, 2 BB, 2 ER, 3 K

Wanel Vasquez: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 2 K

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.

Rafael Montero, rhp, Mets: The rules of the game allow for New York to put off a 40-man decision on the 22-year-old Montero until after the 2014 season. Necessity may dictate a callup this season, given the way that Montero has pitched at Double-A Binghamton. After dealing six shutout innings at New Hampshire on Saturday, Montero has allowed four runs in four starts, going 3-0, 1.59 with an incredible 27-1 K-BB ratio in 22 2/3 innings.

Domingo Tapia, rhp, Mets: The strong-armed Tapia started striking batters out last season in the South Atlantic League, and he apparently remembered to pack those whiffs for his assignment to high Class A St. Lucie this season. The 21-year-old ranks third in the Florida State League with 23 punchouts after recording 11 in 12 2/3 innings this week and allowing two earned runs in two starts.

Mike Newman of ROTOscouting posted an article on FanGraphs regarding some of the Mets’ exciting Dominican arms who he says ranks among the top-15 prospects in the organization.

I mentioned one of them in our Minor League report today, Gabriel Ynoa, about whom he writes:

Against Savannah, Ynoa sat 91-92 with his fastball, touching 93 mph. With sink and a sling shot delivery, Ynoa is deceptive and his length gives the impression of the ball exploding on an opposing hitter. Plus, he’s not a max effort pitcher which speaks to durability and future health.

In Brooklyn, J.D. Sussman had Ynoa up to 95 mph, so expect even more from the young right-hander as the weather warms. Plus, his body lacks muscular development. As Ynoa fills out, the potential is there for him to add even more velocity… Ynoa is the gem of the Savannah pitching staff. Look for the 19-year old to vault up Mets mid-season prospect lists and into the top eight overall by season’s end.

Earlier today, and before Mike linked me this article, I wrote that while last season many of the scouts were already labeling Ynoa as a future reliever, I thought there was a lot more to him than that and called him a future ace in the making. Check out our always insightful Minor League Report from today for more on Ynoa.

While Jeurys Familia, Rafael Montero, Luis Mateo and Domingo Tapia get much of the ink, and deservedly so in their own rights, Gabe Ynoa and also Rainy Lara are two more names not to be ignored.

Newman says that by mid-season, Ynoa could crack the Mets Top 10.

Mike has a tremendous eye for scouting and check out his new site that I linked to above. He’s been kind enough to let us share many of his scouting videos on MMO.

Bradenton 9, St. Lucie 1

Did the scoreboard make you worry a little? Well, fear not, Domingo Tapia was the starting pitcher on the mound on Thursday night but he was not part of the six-run top of the sixth inning that led to St. Lucie’s 9-1 demise.

Tapia pitched an alright game, pitching into the sixth and getting two outs before being lifted with a man on base. When Wanel Vasquez came in to relieve him, he allowed the inherited runner to score and closed the book on Domingo Tapia at 5.2 innings pitched with two earned runs allowed. He gave up four hits and two walks, while striking out five. I’d like to see a little more from Tapia going forward, considering he has the ability to absolutely dominate.

Bradenton struck first in the top of the fourth, when Gregory Polanco doubled against Tapia to score a run – and his second run scored as an inherited runner, as mentioned before. Matt Reynolds would knock an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at the time, but that would be almost all the St. Lucie offense could muster for the evening.

The huge damage came in that mess of a seventh inning, where Wanel Mesa and Chasen Bradford were rocked for six runs without giving up a single home run. Darwin Frias also pitched in this game, making his St. Lucie debut, and he was only able to record one out before allowing an earned run and being pulled from the ball game for Hamilton Bennett, who wrapped up the Mets’ pitching.

Key Stats

Matt Reynolds: 2-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-4, 1 SB, Outfield Assist

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

Domingo Tapia: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

Wanel Vasquez (Mesa) : 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 ER

Chasen Bradford: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 ER, 1 K

Darwin Frias: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER

Hamilton Bennett: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2 K

St. Lucie 6, Fort Myers 5

Domingo Tapia allowed zero earned runs over seven innings and put St. Lucie on the path to victory on Saturday evening.

Tapia was on his game for St. Lucie, as he allowed just four hits and a walk across seven innings while striking out six. He was on the hook for two unearned runs, the first of which scored on a ground out after the baserunner Miguel Sano advanced on a passed ball by Albert Cordero. The seventh inning saw Sano score again, this time directly on an error by Dustin Lawley. Overall, Tapia was in complete control for most of the game and it was his longest outing of the year to date.

Frank Francisco pitched another rehab inning in relief of Tapia on Saturday, and he got through it with no issues at all, allowing no baserunners and striking out one. Randy Fontanez was brought on to finish the game, but struggled mightily and was unable to pick up a single out while allowing a hit and three walks. After Fontanez walked home a run, Hamilton Bennett took over with the bases loaded and none out. He allowed two runs to score, but danced out of danger and St. Lucie narrowly escaped.

Offensively, it was the four-run seventh inning that sealed the deal for St. Lucie, where T.J. Rivera ripped a three-run double that unloaded the bases with one out, and Rivera was driven home by Matt Reynolds later in the inning. Rivera scored earlier in the game on a wild pitch in the third inning. Travis Taijeron drilled an RBI double in the bottom of the eighth to cap off the scoring for the Mets.

Key Stats

T.J. Rivera: 2-for-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Matt Reynolds: 3-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 SB

Rylan Sandoval: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 R

Travis Taijeron: 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R

Domingo Tapia: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 R, 0 ER, 6 K

Frank Francisco: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Randy Fontanez: 0.0 IP, 1 H, 3 BB, 3 ER

Hamilton Bennett: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 K

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.

St. Lucie 6, Charlotte 3

A six-run sixth inning powered the St. Lucie Mets (8-3) to a 6-3 win over the Charlotte Stone Crabs on Monday night.

Charlotte (4-7) took an early lead after scoring a run in the first, second and third innings, but the St. Lucie bats came alive in the sixth.

Travis Taijeron and Gilbert Gomez led the inning off with back-to-back singles. After T.J. Rivera struck out swinging, Cam Maron knocked an RBI single through to cut the lead to 2-1. Matt Reynolds drew a walk to load the bases which set up Brian Harrison, who stepped in and delivered a two-run single, scoring Maron and Gomez.

With the game tied at 3-3, Aderlin Rodriguez brought home Reynolds on a sacrifice fly. Dustin Lawley capped off the huge inning with a two-run home run, his first of the season, on a fly ball to left field.

Domingo Tapia got the start, and despite allowing one run in the first inning, he eventually settled down to pick up his first win of the season. Tapia finished the night with six innings, five hits, three runs (two earned) to go with one walk and eight strikeouts. Tapia’s ERA stands at 3.55. The St. Lucie pitching staff stymied Charlotte over the final six innings.

Pedro Feliciano, who is working on a rehab assignment, threw a scoreless inning. He allowed one hit to go with one walk and one strikeout.

Key Stats 

Domingo Tapia: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 Ks

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

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

Gilbert Gomez: 2-for-3, R

St. Lucie Mets 4, Palm Beach Cardinals 7

Pitching has been the story for St. Lucie in 2013 thus far. Everyone has praised the pitching staff as being one of the best in the minor leagues, and we’ve told tales of their dominating performances to start the season. That all came to a screeching halt last night.

Domingo Tapia, a consensus top fifteen Mets prospect, took the hill in yesterday’s game against Palm Beach. He didn’t make it out of the first inning. Tapia gave up a lead off triple, then walked four batters and threw two wild pitches. He managed to strike out one batter, but was removed from the game before he could retire the third out in the first inning.

Offensively, the Mets were led by T.J. Rivera, who had three hits and three runs batted in. Rivera raised his average to .360 on the year, and he now leads the team in hits, average, RBI, and on base percentage. I recently did a Prospect Pulse on Rivera, where I pointed out that he is an “under the radar” prospect, but he’s definitely making the case to get his name included in top prospect conversations.

Gilbert Gomez also had two hits in the loss.

Key Stats:

T.J. Rivera – 3-for-5, 3 RBI
Gilbert Gomez – 2-for-4, BB, 2B, 1 RBI
Domingo Tapia – .2 IP, 1 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 K, 4 BB, 2 WP, L

Noah Syndergaard will headline one of the best rotations in the minor leagues.

The roster of this year’s St. Lucie Mets team is packed with some fantastic talent. This year, St. Lucie will showcase some of the finest pitching pitching prospects in the Met system, and even some of the finest in the minor leagues. This year’s team will likely be the most potential-packed of any in the system. Let’s see who will make this season one to watch.

The Big Names

• Noah Syndergaard (RHP) – The hard-throwing right-hander was only the second biggest name in the R.A. Dickey trade this winter, but by no means should he be overlooked. While he may have been overshadowed by Travis d’Arnaud, Syndergaard also has scouts drooling over his potential. In the Midwest League last season (the equivalent of Savannah), Syndergaard tossed 103.2 innings, putting up a 2.60 ERA and a 10.6 K/9 rate. That went along with an above-average 2.7 BB/9 rate, which is also his career minor league average. Syndergaard was ranked the 29th best prospect in baseball by MLB.com this spring and 54th by Baseball America. After d’Arnaud and Zack Wheeler graduate to the big leagues, all eyes will turn to Syndergaard, who thus far has everyone excited about his future.
• Michael Fulmer (RHP, torn meniscus) – Fulmer is one of the many young and promising arms the Mets have in the lower minors. 20 years old, Fulmer had a terrific season last year with Savannah, posting a 2.74 ERA in 21 starts (108.1 innings) while striking out 101 and walking 38. Fulmer was drafted in 2011 from Deer Creek High School in Oklahoma  He was well-regarded before last season, but he put his name towards to top of every prospect guru’s list with a very impressive season. He will miss most of, if not all of the first half of the season with a torn meniscus, but will return some time this summer.
• Luis Mateo (RHP) – Luis Mateo will do something this year that not many pitching prospects in the Mets system do: skip Savannah. Mateo, 23, had a fantastic season for the Cyclones last year, and along with Hansel Robles, will skip A-Ball and go straight to Advanced A-Ball St. Lucie. Mateo put up a 2.45 ERA last season in 12 starts, striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings while walking only 1.1 He has incredible stuff and is someone you will hear a lot from in the near future.
• Domingo Tapia (RHP) – Domingo Tapia’s two-seam fastball may be one of the best pitches in all of the minors. It has heavy sinking action and sits in the mid to upper 90s. He doesn’t have a breaking pitch, and may end up in the bullpen by the time he reaches the majors, but he is nonetheless a very intriguing pitcher. Tapia threw 108.2 innings last season and posted a 3.98 ERA. He slaso struck out 8.4 batters per nine innings (an increase from 5.8 K/9 in 2011) with 2.7 walks.
• Aderlin Rodriguez (3B) – Rodriguez may already have, at age 21, the most power in the entire Mets farm system. Rodriguez hit a meager .221/.265/.372 in 131 games as a 19 year-old in Savannah in 2011, with the only positive being his 17 home runs. Last year, however, repeating the league, Rodriguez started hitting like he never had before. He hit .274/.336/.497 with 16 dingers in only 83 games before earning a promotion to St. Lucie. Looking deeper into his splits from Savannah, you see that although he hit just .233/.309/.473 in 40 games at home at Grayson Stadium, he hit eight home runs. That;s notable considering that Savannah is not only the toughest park in the South Atlantic League to get a hit in, but it is also the most difficult park in the entire minor leagues to hit home runs. If Rodriguez can hit for power there, he can do it anywhere.

The Sleepers

• Jacob deGrom (RHP) – Coming off six so-so outings in Kingsport in 2010 and Tommy John surgery, Jacob deGrom broke out in a big way last year in Savannah. Overall, he made 15 starts there and put up very impressive statistics: 2.51 ERA, 7.8 K/9, and 1.4 BB/9. He then made four starts in St. Lucie, allowing five earned runs in 21.2 innings. A lanky 6’4″, 185 pounds, deGrom has the physical profile that scouts look for in a young pitcher. Watch out for him this year.
• Hansel Robles (RHP) – In a bit of a surprise, the Mets sent Hansel Robles to St. Lucie for the start of the season instead of Savannah, where he was projected to go. Robles, 22, was the ace of the excellent Brooklyn Cyclone pitching staff last season, posting a 1.11 ERA in 72.2 innings to go along with excellent 8.2 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9 rates. 
• T.J. Rivera (2B) – Rivera doesn’t have any tools that stand out in particular, but he has put up very good numbers ar every level he’s played. Although he hasn’t hit for much power, he has hit at least .290 in every league he’s played in. Last season in 128 games between Savannah and St. Lucie, he hit .320/.372/.444.
• Alex Panteliodis (LHP) – A ninth-round draft pick in 2011 out of the University of Florida, Panteliodis put up a 3.64 ERA in 22 starts in Savannah last year in 108.2 innings.

Other Names to Watch

• Chasen Bradford (RHP) – A reliever out of UCF, Bradford posted an excellent 2.47 ERA in Savannah last year in 51 innings, all out of the bullpen. 
• Camden Maron (C) – Maron may be the second-best catcher in the Mets’ system after hitting .300/.403/.408 in Savannah last year. He didn’t hit for much power (five home runs), but his 13% walk rate was very impressive.

Things they said:

• The top two starters from the 2012 short-season Brooklyn club will skip a level and proceed directly to high Class A St. Lucie.
• RHP Luis Mateo’s wicked fastball-slider combo enabled him to lead the New York-Penn League with 85 strikeouts a year ago, but he’s already 23, having missed three years while sorting through various injury and identity issues.
• RHP Hansel Robles signed at age 18 and spent four years in short-season ball, but his Brooklyn breakout included an ERA title (1.11) and streak of 45 straight innings sans an earned run, two signs that the 22-year-old is ready to be challenged.
• Mateo and Robles highlight a St. Lucie rotation that also includes power righties Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and Domingo Tapia.
• Shortstop Gavin Cecchini, last year’s first-rounder, begins the year in extended spring training, much like center fielder Brandon Nimmo (first round) and shortstop Phillip Evans (15th), a pair of 2011 draft picks who kicked off their careers with Brooklyn in 2012.
• RHP Michael Fulmer had surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee during spring training and will join the St. Lucie rotation later this spring.
• They also predict that the Mets’ top two prospects, starter Zack Wheeler and catcher Travis d’Arnaud, will probably not spend more than half a season in the Pacific Coast League.

Good stuff…

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

The Port St. Lucie residents will be in for a treat this season, as the St. Lucie Mets arguably have the best rotation in the minor leagues. If they aren’t the best right now, they certainly are in the discussion.

The way the roster has shaken out, it looks as if the rotation will consist of Noah Syndergaard, Domingo Tapia, Luis Mateo, Hansel Robles, Alex Panteliodis and Jacob deGrom to start the season. The roster also consists of Michael Fulmer, who is currently recovering from a knee injury, and will definitely be in the mix once he is healed.

You will be hard pressed to find a pitching staff as deep, and as potentially dominant as the St. Lucie Mets. The majority of the Mets top pitching prospects will all begin their season in St. Lucie, and in a recent edition of Baseball America, they gave their 2013 rankings for pitching prospects where three St. Lucie pitchers were ranked. They separated their rankings into three categories: Right-Handed Pitchers, Left-Handed Pitchers and Relief Pitchers. The Mets had five pitchers ranked in the top 75 right-handed pitchers in the minors. They are Zack Wheeler (5), Noah Syndergaard (19), Luis Mateo (65), Rafael Montero(66) and Michael Fulmer (75) — Syndergaard, Mateo and Fulmer will be playing for St. Lucie this year.

All eyes will be on St. Lucie this year, as some of the top pitching prospects in the Mets’ organization will be on display. Any Mets fans that live in the Port St. Lucie area may want to look into a season ticket package at Tradition Field, because this may be the last time this many top pitching prospects are pitching in the same rotation for a long time. Don’t you feel bad for St. Lucie’s opponents? Yikes!

Noah Syndergaard knows he has all eyes on him. By June 16, Syndergaard could find himself as the crown jewel and No. 1 prospect for the Mets if Travis d’Arnaud and Zack Wheeler are called up to the show. The Mets boast a young crop of power pitching right-handers that include the likes of Rafael Montero, Luis Mateo and Domingo Tapia. Once Wheeler is promoted, at the top of that list of names will read Noah Syndergaard.

Syndergaard is a tall and imposing figure on the mound, standing in at 6’5″ and looking the part of a true presence. I had the chance to watch a bullpen session on Syndergaard and love what I see. His mechanics are effortless and the ball explodes out of his hand (High 90s fastball). His changeup is excellent, and while there have been some knocks on his curveball in the past, it looks like it is developing nicely. This kid is the goods.

Milb.com recently sat down with the former first round pick, and here are some highlights from the discussion they had with Syndergaard where they talk about how he felt when he heard he was traded, and of course, his curveball:

MiLB.com: So your first Spring Training with the Mets is just about over — how different was it as compared to your previous two with the Blue Jays?

Noah Syndergaard: It’s not that much different, some minor things here and there — the instructors and goals — but it’s still the same.

MiLB.com: How shocked were you when you heard you’d been traded — in a deal for the reigning Cy Young Award winner, no less?

Syndergaard: I was pretty shocked. I went to bed the previous night before the rumors started and I thought it would just be Anthony Gose and [Travis] d’Arnaud. And the next afternoon I saw my name was in the mix. I called my agent, he said it’s probably just a rumor. About 30 minutes later, he texted me and said, “It might go down.” A couple days after that, I got the call that they’d traded me. It was pretty exciting to be traded for a Cy Young winner.

MiLB.com: You told us a year ago that you modeled yourself after Nolan Ryan growing up. A little before your time, but was he your favorite player? Have you ever met him?

Syndergaard: Never met him. I don’t know who my favorite player is. I always followed the Rangers, and Josh Beckett would be one of them. But Ryan, I never saw him pitch.

MiLB.com: Where are your off-speed pitches at coming into Opening Day? Are you confident with your curveball and slider after working on things this Spring?

Syndergaard: Yeah, definitely, my curveball was really good today. It’s felt good in my bullpens — it’s a lot better than it was last year in the beginning of the season — so it’s a plus pitch for me right now, a strikeout pitch.

MiLB.com: What’s your mind-set on the mound? Can you hear the fans and the dugout and the hot dog vendors, or is that level of focus something you think all pitchers have to work on?

Syndergaard: I’m able to tune things out pretty well. When I was in school, my mom would ask me if I could hear yelling and I said, “I’ve never heard you once from the stands.” The other day, when I was throwing my live BP, I didn’t notice anything but the catcher.

MiLB.com: Do you feel like you’ve had any pressure being a first-round pick? Or now after being traded for R.A. Dickey?

Syndergaard: Kinda, not much as a first-round pick, but definitely being traded for a Cy Young winner. Hopefully, I can live up to the potential.

MiLB.com: When do you see yourself getting to New York? I know guys like to deflect the timetables back to the player development folks, but do you feel like you’re a year or so away?

Syndergaard: I would say I’m probably two years away, I’m guessing. But it’s whatever the organization decides. I’ve never been to New York.

You can read the interview in it’s entirety here.

You have to love that the kid recognizes that he has the spotlight on him and that he can deal with the weight of those very high expectations. Former first round pick, traded for the N.L. Cy Young Award winner, plays for an organization where the city (and media) never sleeps, and is the heir apparent to being the No 1. prospect of that same organization… Piece of cake…

This past weekend, I visited Viera and Port St. Lucie to catch two Mets spring training games: Thursday vs. the Nationals, Friday vs. the Cardinals.

There wasn’t much to be excited about in Thursday’s game. Shaun Marcum was supposed to start, and, as we all know, he was scratched. His status is still up in the air for the start of the season.

Single-A prospect Domingo Tapia got the start, and you could tell he’s pretty raw. The Nationals played most of their starting lineup, and Tapia had a difficult time finding the strike zone. It didn’t help that Anthony Recker couldn’t block a ball for his life.

The Mets only salvaged two hits, and it was more about being out in the nice weather instead of being in the office.

Friday’s game against the Cardinals was much better, especially since my boss is a lifelong Cards fan.

The Mets played what ended up being a good chunk of what will be the Opening Day lineup. Matt Harvey was on the mound, and the Mets won.

But I wanted to touch on a few thoughts as the Mets get ready for the Padres …

No. 1: I believe the Mets will surprise people this year. Why? Lucas Duda couldn’t hit his way out of a wet paper bag when spring started. That turned out pretty quickly. Let’s just hope he didn’t hit all of his homers during March. Also, I’m a believer that Collin Cowgill will hit more than 15 home runs this season. He is aggressive and provides something a little different that what is on the Mets’ roster.

Duda, Cowgill and Marlon Byrd have more power than the Mets outfield has had the last few seasons. So, while it’s still not a bunch of household names, I think the outfield has the potential to be better than a Triple-A outfield.

No. 2: Coming into March, many believed starting pitching would be the backbone of this year’s team. Santana and Marcum would provide depth. Well, Santana is out indefinitely, and no one knows what Marcum’s deal is — not even Marcum himself, I don’t think. Dillon Gee and Jeremy Hefner, despite struggling over the final few days of the spring, should get back on track. But until the Mets give in and call up Zack Wheeler, it will be up to Matt Harvey and Jon Niese will to be a good — err, great — one-two punch.

No. 3: Wheeler and Travis d’Arnaud will be called up quickly. Not because of injuries necessarily, but because they will be ready. And once they are ready, why wait?

Spring is over. Games count starting tomorrow. LGM.

The pitching was strong again today for the Binghamton Mets (Group 2 Players), as Tyler Pill went 5 1/3 scoreless innings to secure the victory. Pill, a former fourth round pick in 2011, went 9-5 with a 2.31 ERA splitting time between Savannah and St. Lucie. He was also ranked No. 28 in the most recent MMO top prospect list.

The pitching has looked very strong so far this spring with Jacob deGrom and Domingo Tapia also combining for a shutout a few days ago.

Tapia started that game for the B-Mets and allowed one single over four scoreless innings of work before DeGrom followed with three shutout innings of relief.

On the offensive side of today’s contest, the team exploded with three home runs on its way to a to a 6-1 victory over the Jacksonville Suns (Marlins). The offense was powered by Aderlin Rodriguez, and Eudy Pina who both homered for the B-Mets. The team has been off to a hot start this spring, and through four games the have one win, one loss, and two draws.

The Binghamton Mets have seven more tune-ups before heading north to start their season on April 4 in Akron.

The Binghamton Mets and Springfield Cardinals played to a scoreless tie today in minor league action. While there may not have been much offense in the game, the pitching was very impressive, as Domingo Tapia and Jacob deGrom combined efforts in the shutout.

Tapia got the start, going four innings and allowed just one hit. MMO had both Tapia and deGrom pegged to start the season at High-A ball with the St. Lucie Mets. However, they were both named to the “Group 2″ starters, who traditionally start the season with the Binghamton Mets (AA).

DeGrom (17) and Tapia (8) were both listed in the most recent top 25 prospect list by MMO, and are two reasons why the Mets are boasting that they have the one of the strongest crop of young right-handed pitchers in baseball. Neither Tapia nor deGrom were listed on the recent list of top right-handed pitching prospects by Baseball America, but if they keep pitching the way they did today, it won’t be long before the men or women that make these lists start taking notice.

With names like Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Luis Mateo, Rafael Montero and Michael Fulmer already giving the Mets a reason to be excited about some young and promising right-handed pitchers, deGrom and Tapia are just two more reasons why the Mets are smiling. You will never hear anyone complain about having too much pitching, and the Mets are definitely stocked in that category right now. The biggest problem will be trying to figure out what to do with all these great arms if they all pan out.

The Binghamton Mets have six more games scheduled in spring training before they kick off their regular season action on April 4th, against the Akron Aeros.

DOMINGO TAPIA: Looks like he’s on the Mets fast-track…

Mack emailed me last night and told me the “Group 2″ starters were announced and he posted them on his site tonight. Here they are:

1. Rafael Montero
2. Domingo Tapia
3. Jacob deGrom
4. Tyler Pill
5. Chase Huchingson
6. Alex Panteliodis
7. Logan Verrett

He correctly points out, that is normally the group of pitchers that usually begin the season at Double-A Binghamton.

As you know, I’ve posted my own projected minor league rotations and have updated them a few times already since January. But suffice it to say I’m a little shocked to see two particular names on this list – Tapia and Panteliodis.

I wrote Mack back and said:

Wow, didn’t expect to see a couple of those players listed there.

I didn’t think Tapia or Pants would be placed this high and so soon… They are both basically skipping right past High-A St. Lucie which is tough for any pitching prospect to do.

I could potentially see Pants skipping a level because he’ll be 23 and has shown lots of potential and savvy, but Tapia just turned 21 and I had him slated for a full season at Lucie in 2013…

I can only assume that the team is extremely high on both of them… EXTREMELY high…

DeGrom of course is no surprise, and  I’ve mentioned many times that he will move quickly through the system. He’ll be 25 in June and is far more advanced and we need to see what he can do against players his own age. I like him a lot..

Montero and Pill are no-brainers…

I’ll probably update my projected rosters on Monday. This changes a few things, plus it looks like Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia are both heading to Vegas to start the season.

By the way, Mack posted the B-Mets 2013 Schedule today.

Michael Fulmer will debut in St. Lucie this season after dominating in Savannah last year.

I was flipping through Baseball America’s most recent issue listing their 100 Top Prospects, and I came across something interesting in their organization reports about the New York Mets. In summary, they state that the Mets now believe they have “one of the most promising stables of right-handed power arms in the game.” This is some very optimistic, yet very bold thinking from the Mets. I like the message they are trying to put out to the fan base. It gives a reason for fans to be excited. But after digging a little deeper, it can also lead to some skepticism at the same time.

We already know about the more prominent young power arms in the Mets system: Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard. However the rest of the names included by Baseball America which the Mets are boasting about are Rafael Montero, Michael Fulmer, Luis Mateo, Domingo Tapia and Corey Mazzoni. This is where we can poke some holes in the Mets’ claims.

Don’t get me wrong. These guys have dynamite stuff, and supporting what the Mets are boasting, the recent MMO Top 25 Prospect list included all of the pitchers named above (aside from Harvey who is no longer a prospect). In fact, every pitcher listed above was in the top ten on the MMO list aside from Mazzoni, who checked in at No. 23. All of these guys touch the mid to upper 90s with their fastballs, with Tapia touching 100 MPH. After reading that last statement, it’s easy to see why these guys are considered power arms.

However, with the exception of a couple of the guys listed above, not many of them have pitched above A-Ball yet. That is obviously where the skepticism comes into play. At single-A, these guys can rely on throwing complete gas and dominate the less experienced hitters at the lower levels. It really won’t be until we see these guys at double-A where we can start making bold claims that the Mets truly have the best crop of right-handed power arms in their system. On paper, these guys look great. Heck, at single-A these guys look great. But let’s wait and see what happens against more polished hitters in the upper levels.

Even Syndegaard is labeled as a guy that has to start developing his secondary pitches, and there is a very good chance he will be considered the top prospect in the Mets organization once Wheeler and Travis d’Arnaud are promoted this season.

These pitchers’ have a ton of potential, but as Joe D alluded to in one of his recent posts, there is only so much we can look into guys that have yet to pitch beyond A-ball. The reality of the situation is the fact that probably half of those guys won’t ever pitch at the major league level. It’s just part of the game, and we have to accept it.

Only time will tell how this crop of young fire-ballers’ careers pan out. But I’m not upset that the Mets are boasting one of the best crops of young right-handers in the game. They have a right to make the claim; it will just be better supported once these guys start showing success above the Double-A level.