I thought it was funny that after I wrote how Nieuwenhuis’ second home run on Tuesday would have been gone in any MLB park, that Terry Collins asked Wally Backman about Kirk’s home runs and said the following to reporters before last night’s game.

“I talked to Wally today for quite a while,” Collins said. “He said they were legitimate. He didn’t care where he was playing, they were homers.”

Backman also told Collins that Nieuwenhuis is swinging the bat a lot better, has become more aggressive with two strikes, and that he’s really come along very well.

Collins also echoed my earlier sentiments that Nieuwenhuis has put himself back on the Mets radar for a potential return to the Mets outfield. When asked about it he responded, ”he sure is.”

Original Post 6/4

Kirk Nieuwenhuis has been scorching the desert with his red-hot bat in the last two weeks, and his assault on baseballs continued today with two more home runs in the Las Vegas 51s 6-5 win over the Fresno Grizzlies.

Nieuwenhuis, 25, didn’t take his demotion to Triple-A very well and struggled mightily at the plate. But since mid-May, he has been crushing the ball whenever he makes contact and is starting to build a case for a second chance to join the Mets this season.

In his last twelve games, Kirk has walloped seven home runs and raised his average from a season low of .188 to .241 in that span.

Captain Kirk batted leadoff today and immediately got his team on the board with a solo home run off former Met Boof Bonzer to give Vegas the early 1-0 lead.

The Grizzlies came back to take a 5-3 lead heading into the the top of the 8th, but a Brandon Hicks home run pulled the 51s within one run.

Then after Jamie Hoffmann walked, Nieuwenhuis launched a tremendous two-run blast over the right field fence to give his team the 6-5 lead and seal the victory. It was the 10th home run of the season for the center fielder and this one would of been gone in any park. Nieuwenhuis has now raised his on-base plus slugging to a much more respectable .802 for the season.

(Photo Credit: Las Vegas 51s)

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas took down Reno, 7-0.
• Binghamton was defeated by New Hampshire, 8-7.
• St. Lucie had their game rained out. 
• Savannah defeated Kannapolis, 6-2.

Prospect Pipeline

• Welcome to June, everybody! One man who really wanted it to stay May forever was Jack Leathersich, who had an absolutely amazing month statistically. I’m sure it did wonders for his confidence, and Joe D. keeps comparing him to Billy Wagner, which is looking more realistic by the day. Anyway, Leathersich made ten appearances in May that spanned 12.1 IP. He recorded two saves, allowed just five hits for a .116 BA against, and rocked a 3/27 BB/K ratio. Yeah…if my math is right, that turns out to be a 20.15 K/9 rate. Talk about making a name for yourself…
• Jamie Hoffmann had a grand slam in the fifth inning of last night’s 7-0 win for the Las Vegas 51′s. The 26-year old outfielder is batting .303 with a .369 on-base and four stolen bases.
• Beck Wheeler and Bret Mitchell are both having excellent seasons with ERAs under 1.20 for both of them (1.19 and 1.13, respectively.) Mitchell also had an impressive month of May, as he made ten appearances that spanned 11.2 innings with allowing a single earned run. He recorded seven saves, allowed just five hits for a .125 BA against, and struck out 17.
• Logan Verrett struggled yesterday for the first time in a long time – and allowed eight runs over 5+ innings, including a go-ahead grand slam. Should you be worried? No, not really. Everyone is allowed a bad start here and there and Verrett is still having a great year.
• Jenrry Mejia suffered another setback in his rehab, according to Mike Puma of the NYP. We last saw Mejia look to work his way back to AAA as a starter by rehabbing in St. Lucie.
• Jeurys Familia also had to deal with a setback in his rehab, while Scott Atchison may need season ending surgery. The door is open for a mix of relievers from our minor leagues that might range from David Aardsma to Leather Rocket.
• Kevin Plawecki stole a base last night
• Brandon Nimmo added another hit in a 1-for-4 performance and is looking to get back on track from his minor injuries.
• Wilmer Flores was named as a honorable mention to BA’s Hot Sheet with a .406/.406/.625 slash over the past week. He was also discussed in Mitch P.’s Prospect Spotlight here.
• Maikis De La Cruz had a nice game for Savannah yesterday, as he had three hits, including a home run. He also drove home three runs.
• Rylan Sandoval was promoted to Las Vegas (AAA) to replace Omar Quintanilla. This was surprising considering Josh Rodriguez, who doubled again last night to increase his ongoing hitting streak to 17. As Matt M. mentioned in his post yesterday, it could just be a matter of age.
• Domingo Tapia takes the mound for St. Lucie today after the rainout last night – and Rafael Montero takes the mound for Binghamton later as well.

Stat Line of the Day

Jamie Hoffmann: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 R

Transactions

INF Reese Havens was added to the 7-Day DL in Las Vegas.

IF Rylan Sandoval was promoted to the Las Vegas 51s from the St. Lucie Mets.

RHP Ryan Fraser will be on the Binghamton roster while Luis Mateo rehabs in St. Lucie.

Quote of the Day

Today’s quote is from a new reader on MetsMinors.net who left this comment:

Thanks, Walt!

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

Albuquerque 5, Las Vegas 2

I wonder if I lit a fire under Carlos Torres when I questioned his employment status with the 51s when I covered his last start in disappointment. Torres was actually quite impressive on Monday evening, lasting six innings and allowing just four baserunners over that span. He allowed a run to cross the plate in the first on a ground-out, but was otherwise in control for his time in the game. The bullpen, however, did not experience similar success.

Dylan Owen was in trouble after he loaded the bases with one out and was removed from the ballgame. Justin Hampson took over, but allowed all of them to score. Hampson also allowed an earned run on his own accord, as he allowed two hits and walked a batter of his own without recording an out. Gonzalez Germen and Armando Rodriguez combined to finish the game with 2.2 IP scoreless combined.

Vegas scored their first run off a Zach Lutz home run, and their second on a fielding error on a grounder from Wilmer Flores.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis left the game after being hit by a pitch on his right leg. More on that as it surfaces. And in other 51s’ news, they were sold to a group that plans to move them to a new stadium in Summerlin.

Key Stats

Jamie Hoffmann: 2-for-4, 1 2B

Collin Cowgill: 3-for-4, 1 2B, 1 R

Zach Lutz: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Omar Quintanilla: 3-for-4, 1 2B

Carlos Torres: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 3 K

Dylan Owen: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 2 K

Justin Hampson: 0.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 3-3 Inherited runners scored

Gonzalez Germen: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0-2 inherited runners scored

Armando Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB

Las Vegas 4, Albuquerque 3

Despite a near-bullpen meltdown, the Las Vegas 51s were able to avert any further damage and best Albuquerque by a final score of 4-3.

Collin McHugh got the nod for the 51s and had himself his second-straight spectacular outing. McHugh went seven frames allowing just one run on six hits while walking two and striking out five. The 25-year old righty was putting up goose eggs up until the sixth inning when Nick Buss homered to center to make it a 4-1 ballgame, representing the only run to cross against McHugh. He would be relieved by Sean Henn and eventually pick up his third win on the year to improve to 3-2 while lowering his ERA to a solid 2.74. With the way the Mets rotation is going, if McHugh keeps this up, he could find himself back in Flushing sooner rather than later.

The Las Vegas offense scored early and proved to be just enough to be able to edge the Isotopes. Omar Quintanilla started a two-out rally in the second with a double to right and would come around to score on a Juan Centeno RBI single to draw blood first. Wilmer Flores led off the fourth with a two-bagger of his own to the left fielder Tony Gwynn, his twelve of the year. A hit by pitch and a walk to Quintanilla would load the bases with one out for Jamie Hoffmann who promptly grounded one through the hole near third to score Flores. After him, Centeno reached on a fielding error by Osvaldo Martinez, allowing Campbell and Quintanilla to score and giving the 51s a four-run advantage.

Heading into the ninth, Sean Henn was out for his second inning of work and made it a nail-biter. After recording the first out, he walked Martinez and surrendered a double to Alfredo Amezaga to set the table for Tony Gwynn who drove them in with a two-run single to cut the lead to 4-3. Gaining a second wing, Henn struck out the next two batters to face him to slam the door and hand Las Vegas a hard fought victory as they now climb over .500 at 18-17 on the year.

Key Stats

Wilmer Flores: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 R

Omar Quintanilla: 1-for-3, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 BB

Jamie Hoffmann: 1-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB

Juan Centeno: 1-for-3, 2 RBI

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

Sean Henn: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 2 K

Sacramento 3, Las Vegas 0

Sometimes…you just have those games where nothing goes right for you on offense – even in the PCL. This was one of those games for Las Vegas, who mustered only three hits as a team, and they were all singles. Jamie Hoffmann, Juan Centeno, and Zach Lutz were the men who provided the singles, yet Sacramento induced double plays after two of those singles to erase most of the 51s’ chances. Las Vegas had only one at-bat with a runner in scoring position all night.

In terms of pitching, somebody give a gold star to Juan Centeno, who somehow pulled a decent start out of Chris Schwinden. Schwinden has been in the middle of a really tough year in AAA, giving a handful of runs in almost all of his starts, but he went the first five innings today and allowed just two earned runs. He was lifted in the sixth after giving up a solo home run to Michael Choice and a single right after. Justin Hampson handled the next four outs with ease, but Sacramento would tack on another run at the expense of Gonzalez Germen. Germen allowed three hits, and was removed with two runners on base in favor of Sean Henn, who allowed one to cross the plate.

Although I sing the praises of Juan Centeno’s defense a lot, he did get saddled with his first error of the year last night – along with his second passed ball. On the other side of the spectrum, Captain Kirk made a ridiculous catch that I will try to get up in the MiLB report as a video.

Key Stats

Jamie Hoffmann: 1-for-3

Zach Lutz: 1-for-3

Juan Centeno: 1-for-3

Chris Schwinden: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

Justin Hampson: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB

Gonzalez Germen: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER

Sean Henn: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1-for-1 inherited runners scored

Tacoma 5, Las Vegas 3

As has been the case all season for the major league level of the Mets franchise, the Las Vegas 51s bullpen was unable to maintain a slim lead as they went on to fall to the Tacoma Rainiers 5-3.

The well traveled Chris Schwinden got the nod for the 51s who were attempting to avoid a four-game sweep from the Rainiers. Schwinden had gotten off to a horrible beginning to the year, however managed to settle down in his previous outing last Saturday against Colorado. Building off of last week’s success, Schwinden lasted five innings allowing two runs on three hits while walking five and punching out four. In just the second at-bat of the game, Nick Franklin put a drive into one to right field that cleared the fence, handing Tacoma an early one-run lead. Then in the third, Eric Thames came up to bat and plated Franklin in on a two-out RBI double, making it 2-0 Rainiers. Schwinden would be lifted after the fifth for Gonzalez Germen, and would end the day with a no-decision, however managed to lower his ERA to 6.08 on the year.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Las Vegas lineup started to come to life as the backstop Kai Gronauer slapped a one-out double to Thames, followed up quickly by a grounder that found it’s way to Tacoma’s right fielder once again. With runners on second and third, Josh Satin kept the theme of making Eric Thames run going as he drove a hot shot to the 26-year old, scoring two to tie up the game at two a piece.

Come the bottom of the sixth, Andrew Brown got on base to start off the inning after getting plunked by pitcher Tyler Burgoon. Burgoon then surrendered a knock to Wilmer Flores to set the table for Jamie Hoffmann. Hoffmann rolled over one to and grounded to short, forcing Flores out at second but more importantly scoring Brown to hand Vegas a 3-2 advantage.

The lead however, was short lived. After hurling a scoreless sixth, Gonzalez came out for his second inning of work, with disastrous results. It began with a miscue from Kirk Nieuwenhuis on a Alex Liddi fly ball, putting him in scoring position with no outs. Gonzalez then threw one to the backstop, allowing Liddi to move just 90 feet away from tying the game on the wild pitch. Stefen Romero would serve up a blooper to center to score Liddi and even things up at three. Later in the inning, Carlos Triunfel doubled down the left field line to score Romero, handing the Rainiers the lead for good.

Tacoma would plate an insurance run on a sac fly in the top of the ninth and go on to complete the four game sweep, besting the 51s by a score of 5-3. Las Vegas has now fallen to 10-12 on the year and last place in the PCL Pacific Southern Division.

Key Stats

Josh Satin: 1-for-4, 2 RBI

Andrew Brown: 1-for-2, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 BB

Jamie Hoffmann: 1-for-4, 1 RBI, 2 SB

Kai Gronauer: 1-for-2, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 BB

Chris Schwinden: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 HR, 5 BB, 2 ER, 4 K

Gonzalez Germen: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 K

Greg Burke: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 1 K

Las Vegas 10, Colorado Springs 6

Chris Schwinden held Colorado Springs over the first three innings and the Las Vegas dropped a 10-spot overall on the scoreboard to claim first blood in a four-game series against Colorado Springs.

Zach Lutz got the scoring started early with an RBI single that drove home Reese Havens, and Jamie Hoffman followed that with a ringing double to drive home Lutz and Andrew Brown. The 51s would strike again in the sixth, with Juan Centeno and Juan Lagares providing the fuel with a pair of two RBI hits. Lutz came through once more in the top of the ninth and put the nail in the coffin with a two-run single.

The aforementioned Chris Schwinden was able to pitch into the sixth, which was a stark improvement from his last start, and he was only on the hook for three runs – two of them earned. One of them scored as an inherited runner via Gonzalez Germen, who picked up three outs before being lifted for Sean Henn, the ex-Yankee. Oddly enough, the bright spot for the pitching staff was the newly demoted Greg Burke, who pitched two scoreless innings to close out the game and pick up a save.

Key Stats

Juan Lagares: 1-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Zach Lutz: 2-for-5, 3 RBI, 1 R

Jamie Hoffmann: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

Juan Centeno: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 1 R

Chris Schwinden: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 K

Gonzalez Germen: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 2 K

Sean Henn: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 1 ER, 1 K

Greg Burke: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Harvey’s command was that good.

“I was very impressed (by his pitch count),’’ Collins said. “If he’s going to pitch 215 innings, he’ll be getting deep into games and pitching to contact.’’A lot of things will have to click for that to happen, notably his change-up. In today’s 4-1 victory over Miami, most everything did with his change-up being superb.

“Awesome,’’ was how catcher Anthony Recker described it. “He had solid command of everything. He was getting ahead of them. Everything was working well. He was definitely locked in.’’

Harvey threw 48 pitches, 35 for strikes. He struck out five and didn’t allow a hit. The Marlins’ only runner came on an error.

“If I’m going to pitch seven, eight innings, I need to have a decent walks-to-strikeouts ratio,’’ said Harvey, who spent a lot of time before this start studying video of his change-up.

“That was something I was looking at from the video,’’ Harvey said. “I was concentrating on staying back. I threw a lot of good ones.’’

Prior to the start of each inning, Harvey draws a line in the dirt with his foot pointed toward the catcher. He uses it as a guide to prevent from opening up his shoulder too soon and throwing across his body, something he said he did in his last start.

“I’m looking at pitches,’’ pitching coach Dan Warthen said. “What I want to see from him is to get ahead with strike one and locate all his pitches.’’

No doubting that today.

VALDESPIN PATIENT: Jordany Valdespin was robbed of an extra-base hit on a fly ball down the right field line in the first inning. What was impressive about the at-bat was not the near hit, but how Valdespin worked the count full after being behind.

“The more pitches I see, the better,’’ said Valdespin, who started at second base and made a running catch down the right field line on a foul ball.

Collins said Valdespin is showing more discipline, and noted his third at-bat when he was unhappy with a strike call, but kept his focus and didn’t give away the at-bat.

“He’s getting better at being aggressive, but working the count,’’ Collins said. “He fought off some tough pitches and hit the ball hard.’’

METS NOTEBOOK: Reliever Pedro Feliciano relieved Harvey and finished the fifth. It was his first appearance since his physical was flagged and it was learned he had a heart ailment. … Matt den Dekker homered for the Mets. … Jamie Hoffmann made a homer-robbing catch against the left field wall in the seventh off the bat of Chris Valaika. … Kirk Nieuwenhuis is day-to-day with a bruised left knee. Today he ran in the pool. He’ll do the same tomorrow. … Daniel Murphy hit in the cage. “I felt really good,’’ he said. Tomorrow he’ll take soft toss batting practice. … It’s always run to look at the stats during spring training. For example, Miami pitcher Jacob Turner has a 162.00 ERA in 0.1 innings. … Johan Santana is still mad at the world, refusing to even acknowledge a simple good morning. … Dillon Gee starts tomorrow against Detroit at Lakeland.

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

This is Jamie Hoffmann. You don’t know who he is. That might change this year. (Photo courtesy of MLB.com)

On Sunday, in the top of the second inning of a Spring Training game against the Houston Astros, Jamie Hoffmann hit a solo home run to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Hoffmann, who was starting the game in left field, is one of the handful of “throw up against a wall and hope it sticks” outfielders that the Mets have brought in to compete for a spot in the team’s outfield this season.

Terry Collins mentioned him in his first press conference of the year as someone who he was interested to get a look at. But who exactly is Jamie Hoffmann? More importantly, is he one of the guys who might actually stick to the wall?

Hoffman is a former Dodgers prospect who has been toiling in the Minor Leagues since 2006. He had a brief cup of coffee with Los Angeles in 2009 and 2011, but spent last season in the Baltimore Orioles system, playing for the Norfolk Tides (AAA). While his Minor League stats won’t “wow” anybody, Hoffmann did manage to hit 11 home runs in 110 games last year. Though he hit only .254, his on-base percentage was a respectable .347. Also, Hoffmann posted a .341 wOBA (Weighted On Base Average) and 111 wRC+ (Weighted Runs Created per plate appearance), according to Fangraphs.

In 2011, while playing for AAA Albuquerque (Dodgers), Hoffmann slugged 22 home runs in 133 games, while batting .295 with an .850 OPS, .367 wOBA, and 107 wRC+ (also according to Fangraphs). These numbers were posted in the Pacific Coast League and are most likely inflated, but there are signs there that he can be a productive bottom of the order power bat.

Reliever Scott Rice, and outfielders Andrew Brown and Jamie Hoffmann look on as the Mets play the Nationals in Grapefruit League action. (US Presswire)

At 28, he’s too old to be considered a prospect anymore, but that’s not to say he can’t make it as a big leaguer. The Dodgers had another player in their farm system who just got his first last year: 31-year-old A.J. Ellis. All Ellis did was post a .373 OBP, .341 wOBA and 118 wRC+ in 130 games, good for a 4.1 WAR (Again, from Fangraphs).

While he may not be the answer everybody is expecting. He should have a good chance to open some eyes this spring. Not only do the Mets need outfielders, they need right-handed hitting power hitters, which is what Hoffmann is. One thing is for sure, he is going to get an opportunity.