In this series leading up to the MLB Draft on July 17, we’ll look back at the background of some notable Mets picks prior to their big league arrival. We’ve covered three of the greatest players in franchise history along with a former No. 1 overall pick. For our final entry, we look at a player very much at the center of the current Mets and one who may be part of its long-term future.

To say he came from the middle of nowhere isn’t an exaggeration. Brandon Nimmo‘s initial claim to fame was being the only major leaguer to hail from Wyoming. Today, he’s All-Star caliber and a legitimate center fielder.

Ron Nimmo had a barn built with a batting cage on their six-acre property north of Cheyenne and threw pitches to his son. When he wasn’t in the cage, Brandon even did some bull riding.

It didn’t take long to discover that hitting and catching is a lot less difficult than rodeo—or at least a lot less dangerous.

After a few crashes, Nimmo ditched the bull to focus on baseball—even if he hasn’t necessarily been immune to injuries on the diamond.

He hurt his wrist in Single-A Savannah, was hampered by a knee injury while at Double-A Binghamton, and fouled a ball off his nose in batting practice in Triple-A Las Vegas—not to mention the ailments that have prevented him from full seasons in the big leagues.

But even playing baseball as a teenager had its challenges. Since Wyoming didn’t have high school baseball, Nimmo sharpened his skills on an American Legion team. The closest games were 45 minutes away from home. The farthest was 10 hours.

It was well worth the travel time. In 2010, playing just 70 games, Nimmo batted .448 with 15 homers and 34 steals. His value (not to mention his visibility) was furthered when he participated in the Under Armor All-America game at Wrigley Field, where he went 2-for-4 with a triple, a pair of RBIs, and two runs scored en route to being named co-MVP.

The Mets had seen enough and made him the thirteenth overall pick in the first round of the 2011 draft, making him the highest-selected Wyoming native in history.

“His makeup is more important than where he is actually from,” said Paul DePodesta, the Mets’ vice president for player personnel and amateur scouting at the time. “If you had any chance to interact with him, you can tell he’s not just some small-town kid.”

After a brief stint in the low minors, he spent the 2012 season with the Brooklyn Cyclones. He had a four-hit effort on July 30 and followed that with a six-RBI night on August 18 which included a grand slam. Nimmo produced the fourth-most doubles in the New York-Penn League that year and was fifth in runs batted in.

He advanced to the Savannah Sand Gnats and was the fourth-ranked prospect in the Mets system. A strong first half earned him a trip both to the South Atlantic League All-Star Game and the Futures Game held appropriately at Citi Field. The aforementioned wrist injury and a home ballpark that has a reputation for being a disadvantage for lefty hitters did a number on his statistics (he finished ’13 with 40 RBIs), but not on his progress. 

Nimmo was on the roster of the St. Lucie Mets at the beginning of the 2014 season and was one of their top performers. Now an All-Star of the Florida State League, he slashed .322/.448/.458 and ensured he wouldn’t be there for long. He was in Binghamton on June 19. Between the two teams, he had 10 homers and 51 RBIs for the year.

A little over a year later, he was a step away from the big leagues as the starting center fielder on the Las Vegas 51s. But he had not been the breakout player most wished for. In 2015, he did nothing to alleviate concerns. He was .269/.362/.372 in 434 plate appearances with only five home runs and 16 doubles. His .734 OPS was his lowest mark in any minor league season, despite a hot August and September. Over five minor league seasons, Nimmo’s slugging percentage was .391.

Some felt he was a platoon player, but his manager saw his potential up close.

“I’ve seen this kid make some adjustments. So far, he’s responded real well to different suggestions,” said then-Las Vegas manager Wally Backman. “He struggled at first but we’ve seen some real improvement in the last few days. Brandon’s got a bright future ahead of him.”

Nimmo officially arrived to the Mets on June 26, 2016. The doubters persisted, but he’s been running from them ever since.

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#18 RHP Gabriel Ynoa

Ht: 6’2″  Wt: 205  Level: Triple-A Las Vegas 51s and New York Mets

B/T: R/R  Age: 05/26/1993 (23)  Age Dif: -3.7 (w/ Triple-A Las Vegas)

Acquired: Signed by the New York Mets as a international free agent on Nov. 19, 2009.

Last Year: #14

2016 Statistics: 25 G, 154.1 IP, 12-5 W-L, 3.97 ERA, 1.361 WHIP, .285 BAA, 78/40 K/BB, 15 HR (Triple A)

10 G, 3 GS, 18.1 IP, 1-0 W/L, 6.38 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, .333 BAA, 17/7 K/BB, 0 HR (MLB)

If it feels like you’ve heard the name Gabriel Ynoa for years now, you’re not mistaken. Ynoa was signed by the New York Mets as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic in November 2009. He burst onto the scene in his first professional season in 2010 with the Dominican Summer League Mets 2, leading the team in wins (5), innings pitched (72.1), and posting a sparkling 1.99 ERA, all while doing so at close to two years younger than the competition (-1.9).

While not a strikeout pitcher, averaging only 4.4 K/9 in his first professional season, what Ynoa set a precedent with was his pinpoint control, as he allowed only 1.0 BB/9 in the 14 games he pitched in ’10. In fact, Ynoa has kept up with that trend; for his minor league career, which accounts for 136 games (128 of them starts), Ynoa owns a 1.5 BB/9.

Ynoa sits in the low 90s with his fastball, but can ramp it up to 96 mph. Ynoa’s arsenal consists of a four-seam fastball, hard sinker, curve, slider, and changeup. Despite Ynoa’s low strikeout total, he limits the damage done against opponents by his low HR/9 and BB/9 numbers in the minor leagues.

Splitting time with the Kingsport Mets and GCL Mets in ’11 to auspicious results (3.21 ERA with 0.6 BB/9 over 56 IP), Ynoa took it to another level in ’12 with the Brooklyn Cyclones, where he posted a 5-2 record with a 2.23 ERA and 0.926 WHIP (12th in the NYPL). Ynoa also posted his best K/9 of his minor league career with the Cyclones at 7.5, while only allowing 10 walks in 76.2 innings pitched. The ’12 season also saw Ynoa get ranked as the No. 20 prospect in the Mets organization by Baseball America. Ynoa would be featured in the top 16 by Baseball America from 2013-15, and for 2017’s Top 10 Mets prospects, would place 9th on the list.

Ynoa would get the chance to pitch a full-season in ’13 with the former Savannah Sand Gnats (now Columbia Fireflies), where he was the clear ace of the staff, posting a 15-4 record (best among the Sand Gnats and the South Atlantic League), 2.72 ERA, 1.025 WHIP, and 1.1 BB/9 (3rd best in the league). His best two months were in June and August, where Ynoa combined to go 6-0 with a 1.71 ERA in eight starts.

After his successful campaign in Savannah, which saw him take home the Sterling Pitcher of the Year award, Ynoa spent the ’14 season splitting time between the Advanced A St. Lucie Mets, and the Double A Binghamton Mets. He struggled in April while with St. Lucie, posting a 6.93 ERA in five starts with an uncharacteristic nine walks in 24.2 innings pitched. He improved in May to a 1.45 ERA in 31 innings of work. Ynoa was promoted to Binghamton in early July, but pitched to rather pedestrian results: 3-2 record with a 4.23 ERA and a 1.303 WHIP. Combined, Ynoa allowed 10.3 H/9 between St. Lucie and Binghamton, a career worst. His 1.311 WHIP was also a career worst for the right-hander.

The Mets had Ynoa repeat his season in Binghamton in ’15, before he was assigned to Triple A Las Vegas for the ’16 season. He survived the dry air of Vegas in 25 starts for the most part, posting a 12-5 record with a 3.97 ERA, however, his BB/9 increased to 2.3, a career worst. Ynoa continued to struggle against left-handed hitters though, where they teed off to an OPS of .873, compared to his .686 OPS against righties. The last time Ynoa held left handed hitters to an OPS under .600 was in ’13, and has only registered an OPS under .600 against LHH twice in his career.

The big club was in need of a fresh arm in August, after the Logan Verrett fifth starter experiment failed after he went seven starts between July 9 and August 12, allowing 29 earned runs and 18 walks. Ynoa made his major league debut on August 13 (the same day as his promotion) and was the winning pitcher of record as he pitched a clean 11th inning of a 3-2 extra-innings Mets win against the San Diego Padres. Ynoa would go on to make three spot starts for the Mets in September and October, posting a 3.18  ERA in 11.1 innings pitched, striking out 11 while walking four.

Mike M adds…

Ynoa averaged 94.3 MPH with his fastball in the big leagues and also threw his slider 28% of the time. With some more time with Dan Warthen to refine his slider and additional bullpen experience I believe he can be a viable option for the Mets as a reliever in 2017. The fastball played up in his relief appearances, and while they weren’t pretty (11.57 ERA), he had little to no experience as a reliever when the Mets (Terry Collins) thrust him into that role. Hopefully the Mets will use him in the pen this spring so he can become better adjusted to that role if that’s what he’s needed for.

The changeup is a pitch that has always been a positive for Ynoa, but he got away from using that during his big league stint and I believe that was part of his troubles during his first major league taste.

2017 Outlook:

Ynoa will likely be insurance for the Mets to begin the ’17 season. With the return of Harvey, deGrom, Wheeler, and Matz, not to mention Syndergaard, Lugo, and Gsellman, the Mets have a plethora of starting rotation options, which means it’s likely we see Wheeler and/or Lugo end up in the bullpen to begin the year. With that said, Ynoa should be pitching every fifth day for Las Vegas, where he’ll get consistent starts. Having a surplus of back end starting pitching is always a good thing, and there’s some that view Ynoa more favorably out of the pen, especially with the uptick in K/9 while with the Mets at the end of the year (8.3 K/9, a career high).

2017 MMO TOP 30 PROSPECTS

1. Amed Rosario, SS 

2. Dominic Smith, 1B 

3. Robert Gsellman, RHP 

4. Thomas Szapucki, LHP

5. Desmond Lindsay, OF

6. Justin Dunn, RHP 

7. Gavin Cecchini, INF 

8. Brandon Nimmo, OF

9. Andres Gimenez, SS 

10. Tomas Nido, C 

11. Wuilmer Becerra, OF 

12. Peter Alonso, 1B

13. Marcos Molina, RHP

14. Ali Sanchez, C

15. T.J. Rivera, INF

16. Luis Carpio, INF

17. Merandy Gonzalez, RHP

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With 2015 now behind us we will look at how each of the Mets affiliates fared last year. We start with the team that won the most games.

One of the biggest bright spots was the Savannah Sand Gnats who went 84-53 in the South Atlantic League. They had an 18-game winning streak, which was the longest in the last ten years of minor league baseball. The streak wasn’t ended by a loss but an extremely rare tie in baseball that was brought on heavy rain to an already suspended game.

Their season ended on September 12th after losing the rubber game in a best-of-3 series against the Asheville Tourists (Colorado Rockies) in the first round of the playoffs. They had the tying run at third base and the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the 9th inning when a groundout by Patrick Biondi ended the season. During the regular season the Gnats were led by South Atlantic League Most Valuable Player Luis Guillorme who hit .318/.391/.354 with 55 RBI and 18 stolen bases.

The Sand Gnats had a 3.12 team ERA which was the lowest in the league and the best among Mets full season teams. They also led the league with nine complete games and 14 shutouts. The pitching staff allowed the fewest amount of walks (342) while striking out the third most (1097) producing a 3.21 SO/W that led all of the Mets affiliates.

The Gnats offense held its own scoring 4.54 runs per game compared to the league average of 4.39 runs per game. They were third in the with a .335 on-base percentage but had the second fewest extra base hits with 328 as they played in the pitcher friendly Grayson Stadium.

Infielder Jonathan Johnson, starting pitcher Casey Meisner (traded to A’s), and reliever David Roseboom were midseason All-Stars. The SAL post-season All-Star team included Gnats outfielder Wuilmer Becerra, manager Jose Leger, and Guillorme.

Offensive Leaders:

• Homeruns – Eudor Garcia 9, Becerra 9, Vicente Lupo 8, Michael Katz 6, Tomas Nido 6
• Triples – John Mora 12, Patrick Biondi 5, Jean Rodriguez 5, Garcia 4, Johnson 4
• Doubles – Becerra 27, Garcia 23, Mora 22, Johnson 19, Lupo 18, Guillorme 16
• AVG – Guillorme .318, Garcia .296, Becerra .290, Mora .278
• OBP – Johnson .396, Guillorme .391, Mora .368, Becerra .342
• SLG – Garcia .442, Mora .428, Becerra .423, Katz .395, Lupo .381
• Stolen Bases – Biondi 38, Johnson 23, Guillorme 18, Rodriguez 17, Becerra 16
• RBI – Becerra 63, Mora 60, Garcia 59, Guillorme 55, Rodriguez 44
• Runs – Johnson 73, Becerra 67, Guillorme 67, Mora 65, Garcia 57

Pitching Leaders:

• Wins – Corey Oswalt 11, Scarlyn Reyes 10, Casey Delgado 8, Ricky Knapp 8
• Starters ERA – Meisner 2.13, Martires Arias 2.43, Ricky Knapp 2.60, Delgado 3.17
• Starters WHIP – Meisner 1.026, Delgado 1.095, Arias 1.099, Knapp 1.239
• Saves – Jimmy Duff 12, Alberto Baldonado 9, David Roseboom 8
• Strikeouts – Arias 110, Oswalt 99, Knapp 91, Delgado 81, Reyes 78
• Reliever ERA – Roseboom 1.15, Paul Paez 1.36, Cameron Griffin 1.67
• Reliever WHIP – Roseboom 0.798, Luis Mateo 0.943, Paez 1.008
• SO/W – Paez 5.67, Duff 5.50, Chris Flexen 4.71, Oswalt 4.71, Knapp 4.55

The year was bittersweet though for the Gnats as it was also their last season as a Mets affiliate. The Mets new Class A team will be the Columbia Fireflies who will play at Spirit Communications Park in downtown Columbia, South Carolina. The Gnats have been a Mets affiliate since 2007 and won a league title in 2013.

For the Winter Ball Recap: T.J. Rivera Stays Hot, Asdrubal Cabrera Plays Short Again and more minor league information head over to MetsMinors.net.

The post Mets Minors: 2015 Savannah Sand Gnats Season Review appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Binghamton Mets bats have chosen the wrong time of the season to go cold. They are missing the big bats of Gavin Cecchini, Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo in their now veteran filled lineup. Those vets need to step up now to help them fight off elimination and win three straight games.

Last night the B’Mets mustered only three hits as they were shutout by Phillies prospects Jake Thompson who came over in the Cole Hamels deal from the Texas Rangers. They did manage to get the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the 9th thanks to a L.J. Mazzilli double and Josh Rodriguez walk but Brock Peterson struck out on a 3-2 pitch to end the game. T.J. Rivera (1-4, 2B) and Amed Rosario (1-3) had the rest of the Binghamton hits on the night.

Center fielder Joe Benson went 0-3 but did throw a runner out at home trying to score and made one of the best diving catches I have seen all year. You can watch it here. Binghamton starter Robert Gsellmna struggled allowing two runs on nine hits while striking out five over 4.1 innings. Jeff Walters pitched 1.2 innings allowing a solo homerun to Nick Williams who also came over in Hamels deal.

Adam Kolarek, Jon Velasquez, and Akeel Morris each pitched a scoreless inning of relief to keep the Mets within striking distance. Velasquez was filthy striking out two and throwing 11 of his 12 pitches for strikes. Morris is on a roll, he ended the regular season allowing two runs with 30 strikeouts in his last 25 innings. Box Score

Binghamton trails Reading 0-2 in the five game series with Gabriel Ynoa (9-9, 3.90) starting in the must win game. Game starts at 7:05 in Reading who are throwing Ben Lively (8-7, 4.13).

Savannah did not wait around last night scoring seven runs and knocking Asheville starter out in the first inning. Both Jonathan Johnson (3-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB) and Jean Rodriguez (2-4, 3 RBI, R) had a bases-clearing double in the first inning. The Sand Gnats would hold on to win 9-2 and force a game three.

Wuilmer Becerra went 2-4 with a double, walk, RBI, and run scored while playing right field and batting 3rd. Eudor Garcia was 2-4 with a walk, two runs scored, and a double out of the cleanup spot. SAL MVP Luis Guillorme was 1-4 with a sac bunt. Left fielder John Mora went 1-3 with a walk, RBI, and scored a run.

Sand Gnats starter Ricky Knapp was impressive going 7 innings allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three. Luis Mateo and Alberto Baldonado each threw a scoreless inning of relief with one strikeout. Box Score

The Savannah Sand Gnats play the final game of the three-game series tonight at 6:05 with Casey Delgado (8-4, 3.17) on the mound for what could be their last game at Grayson Stadium.

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As the big league club was putting the finishing touches on the sweep of the Nationals neither of the Mets two affiliates left playing were having the same success as they both dropped game one of their playoff series.

Reading 9, Binghamton 4 Game One (Best of 5)

The B’Mets found themselves in a big whole to start after Tyler Pill allowed four runs in the top of the first inning to the Fightin Phils. Vince Belnome (1-4) hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the second inning to put Binghamton down 4-1 and the closest they would be all night. Pill was a perfect 6-0 in the regular season but got crushed last night giving up seven runs on thirteen hits in 5 innings.

Eastern League Player of the Year Brock Stassi opened the game up in the 5th inning with a three-run blast making it 7-1. Phillies top prospect J.P. Crawford reached base five times going 3-4 with two walks with three runs scored. Nick Williams (#3 prospect who came over in Cole Hamels deal) was 2-6 out of leadoff spot.

Center fielder Joe Benson was the only B’Met to record multiple hits going 2-4 with a RBI and a run scored. Amed Rosario went 1-4 with a RBI single while playing shortstop and batting 8th. L.J. Mazzilli was 0-3 with two walks and a run scored out of the leadoff spot.

T.J. Rivera was 1-4 with a run scored as he played third base. Josh Rodriguez was 1-4 with a RBI and played left field as Pedro Lopez went with his best offensive lineup. Jeff McNeil didn’t get the start though he singled as a pinch hitter in the 6th inning. Recently promoted Victor Cruzado came off the bench as well striking out in his pinch hitting appearance.

Beck Wheeler struggled in his inning of relief allowing two hits and two walks that resulted in two runs for Reading. Adam Kolarek pitched a scoreless 7th inning with one strikeout. Josh Smoker struggled to end the regular season but pitched a scoreless inning in his first playoff appearance allowing just a walk. Akeel Morris loaded the bases in the 9th inning before getting a fly out to escape unscathed. Box Score

Binghamton will play again tonight at 6:35 PM at home with Robert Gsellman (7-7, 3.51) making the start. He will be opposed by the Phillies #2 prospect (also part of Hamels deal) righty Jake Thompson who was 5-1 with 1.80 ERA in seven starts for Reading.

Asheville 5, Savannah 1 Game One (Best of 3)

The Sand Gnats offense was stifled by Rockies prospect Jesus Tinoco who came to the organization in the Troy Tulowitzki trade in July. He allowed one run and struck out six in his 7.2 innings of work. Savannah starter Martires Arias did not fare as well going 5.1 innings giving up five runs on six hits (2 HR’s) while walking one and striking out five.

Savannah trailed 3-0 going into the top of the 6th inning when Eudor Garcia (2-4) got them on the board with a RBI double that scored South Atlantic League MVP Luis Guillorme who was also 2-4 on the night. Wuilmer Becerra was 1-4 with three strikeouts. Outfielders John Mora (1-4) and Patrick Biondi (1-3) picked up the other Sand Gnats hits. ‘

Relievers Ben Griset (0.2 innings), Tim Peterson (1.1 IP, 2 K’s) and Paul Paez (0.2 IP, K) combined to throw 2.2 scoreless to ssilence the Tourists bats. Box Score

Savannah will resume their series tomorrow in what could be the final game ever at Grayson Stadium at 7:05 PM with Ricky Knapp (8-3, 2.60) on the hill.

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The Binghamton Mets will look to win the Eastern League title for the second straight season with their run starting tonight at NYSEG Stadium against the Reading Fightin Phils. Last year the B’Mets ended their 20-year championship drought when they swept the Richmond Flying Squirrels that ended on a walk-off pinch-hit RBI double by Jayce Boyd. Steven Matz took a no-hitter into the 8th inning and struck out 11 over 7.1 innings.

Binghamton finished the regular season going 77-64 in second place behind Reading who was 80-71 with the Phils going 4-3 against the Mets this year. Reading’s roster is loaded with talent including the EL MVP Brock Stassi (.863 OPS, 90 RBI), Manager of the Year Dusty Wathan, and three of the Phils top prospects SS J.P. Crawford, OF Nick Williams and pitcher Jake Thompson. The Phils led the league with 101 homeruns, RBI, doubles, hits, runs and OPS at .744 for the year.

• Game 1 today in Binghamton at 6:35 PM
• Game 2 in Binghamton on September 10 at 6:35 PM
• Game 3 at Reading on September 11 at 7:05 PM
• Game 4 at Reading on September 12 at 6:35 PM (if necessary)
• Game 5 at Reading on September 13 at 6:05 PM (if necessary)

The game one pitching matchup in the best-of-five series has Tyler Pill (6-0, 2.08 w/Binghamton) facing Reading starter Zach Eflin (8-6, 3.69 w/Phils). The B’Mets will be without Eastern League Rookie of the Year Gavin Cecchini who is out for the rest of the season with his hip impingement injury. Mets shortstop prospect Amed Rosario was called up on Sunday to take his roster spot.

Utility guy Josh Rodriguez has been sent back down to Binghamton today to help with the playoff run, he was second in EL with 19 homeruns and 76 RBI. The B’Mets are anchored by a great bullpen led by closer Paul Sewald who has dominated this year with a 1.75 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 24 saves. Also have Jon Velasquez (18 saves, 0.76 WHIP), Josh Smoker (3.00 ERA, 26 K’s in 21 innings) and Akeel Morris (1.09 WHIP, 35 K’s in 29.1 IP).

The Savannah Sand Gnats won the South Atlantic League Southern division titles in the first and second half finishing 84-53 for the year. Savannah has been the Mets A-ball affiliate since 2007 and played their last season at Grayson Stadium before they move to Columbia, South Carolina next year. They will face the defending champion Asheville Tourists who swept Savannah out of the playoffs last year in the first round. However, Savannah took the season series this year 13-7 over the Tourists.

• Game 1 today at Asheville at 7:05 PM
• Game 2 home on September 11 at 7:05 PM
• Game 3 home on September 12 at 6:05 PM

The 2013 SAL champion Savannah Sand Gnats finished the season going 27-5-1 in their last 33 games including a 18-game winning streak in August. They have been carried by their pitching staff that had a league best 3.12 ERA, 9 complete games, 14 shutouts, and gave up a league low 342 walks.

Shortstop and Most Valuable Player Luis Guillorme drove the Sand Gnats offense finishing second in the league with his .318 average. 142 hits and fourth with his .391 OBP. Postseason All-Star Wuilmer Becerra finished the season hitting .290/.342/.423 with 27 doubles, three triples, nine homeruns, 63 RBI, 67 runs and 16 stolen bases.

Corey Oswalt led the team in wins going 11-5 with a 3.36 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP in 23 starts for Savannah. Ricky Knapp (8-3, 2.60), Casey Delgado (8-4, 3.17), Josh Prevost (6-4, 3.75), Chris Flexen (4-0, 1.87) and Martires Arias (7-5, 2.43) round out the rest of the Sand Gnats rotation. Arias will get the game one start against Rockies prospect Jesus Tinoco (7-6, 2.97) tonight.

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Omaha 5, Las Vegas (68-58) 4

Vic Black had a night he would like to forget as he blew a 3-1 lead in the 9th inning as the 51’s lost and fell out of first place for the first time since April 28th. He allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two. He threw 25 pitches with only 13 of them as strikes.

John Church saved Black from having an even worse night by striking out a batter with three of Vics’ runners on. Dillon Gee settled down after giving up a run in each of the first two innings to go 7 innings allowing two runs on seven hits. He walked nobody and struck out two on 97 pitches with 64 of them for strikes.

Las Vegas lineup produced only five hits with the big hit coming from Kirk Nieuwenhuis who doubled home two to take the lead with two outs in the bottom of the 7th inning. Travis Taijeron started off the inning with his 20th homerun of the year which you can see here. Brandon Nimmo went 0-4 but did have two outfield assists while playing right field.

Dilson Herrera, Kevin Plawecki, and Matt Reynolds combined to go 0-11 while the first two each had a walk. Box Score

St. Lucie (62-61) 5, Palm Beach 2

Steven Matz made his second rehab start going 2.2 innings allowing one run on four hits and a walk with one strikeout. He threw 41 pitches with 25 for strikes, with 7 of his last 9 being balls as he started to tire some. He was hitting 92/93 with his fastball on a gun that is generally a little slow. Probably more like 93/94 which is fine for this time in his rehab.

He also threw a couple of very sharp curveballs including one that got his only strikeout of the night. Got a swing and miss on the one changeup he threw. His next rehab start will be on Tuesday with Binghamton with a pitch count at/around 60 in his 3rd outing on his way back.

David Wright had a planned night off for St. Lucie. Jeff McNeil went 3-4 with a double, RBI, and run scored lifting his average to .315. Dominic Smith was 1-4 with his now league leading 73 RBI. Amed Rosario was 0-2 with a run scored and two walks including an impressive one that came after falling behind 0-2 to load the bases.

Jake Kuebler got the win throwing 4.1 scoreless innings of relief allowing two hits and striking out four. He is now 4-0 with a 1.23 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 22 innings for the Mets. Box Score

Savannah (73-48) 6, Kannapolis 2

Sand Gnats scored four in the third and two in the fourth inning helping propel them to their 16th straight win which is currently the longest streak in the Minor Leagues. Casey Delgado pitched well going 7 innings giving up two runs on seven hits and seven strikeouts. He improved his record to 7-3 while lowering his ERA to 3.26 and WHIP to 1.11 in 14 games.

Paul Paez pitched a perfect 8th inning to bring his ERA down to 1.60 for Savannah. Luis Mateo continues to pitch well throwing a perfect 9th with a strikeout. Has allowed just nine hits and three runs in 18.1 innings this year coming back from injury.

Luis Guillorme was 3-4 with three RBI, run scored, and his 13th double. He is batting .415/.473/.508 with six doubles in August and leads the South Atlantic League with 130 hits. Wuilmer Becerra was 3-4 with two RBI, 14th stolen base, and two run scored. He has hit safely in 9 of 10 and has 16 hits during that span to go along with nine RBI.  Eudor Garcia was 1-4 with his 53rd RBI extending his hitting streak to 11 games. Box Score

Brooklyn (27-30) 4, Lowell 3 F/11

With nobody out and the bases loaded reserve outfielder Pedro Perez came up with a chance to win it for the Cyclones and he did getting plunked to bring Hengelbert Rojas home as the winning run in the walk-off victory. Brooklyn scored two runs to put the game into extra inning in the 9th inning on a rally started by a David Thompson leadoff double.

Perez finished the night 2-3 with an RBI and Thompson was 1-5 with his 8th double. Brandon Brosher was 2-5 with a double, two runs scored, and struck out three times. Vinny Siena went 0-5 with two strikeouts lowering his average to .282 on the year.

Kevin Canelon pitch 8 good innings allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out four. Alex Palsha pitched a scoreless 10th with two strikeouts lowering his ERA to 0.42 with the league batting .143 against him. Box Score

Kingsport (30-25) 8, Bluefield 0

The Mets victory and a loss by Elizabethton puts them back into a tie for first place in the Western Division in the Appalachian League. Two 2015 draftees, Thomas McIlraith (20th RD) and Seth Davis (29th RD) combined to throw a four hit shutout with ten strikeouts. McIlraith went 7 shutout innings allowing a HBP and four hits while striking out five to move to 4-1 with a 2.05 ERA in 10 games (7 starts). Davis faced six batters and struck out five of them with all of them coming swinging.

Patrick Mazeika was 2-5 with two runs scored, his league leading 25th double, and boosted his leading average up to .368 for the year. Yet another 2015 draft pick Kevin Kaczmarski had a good night going 2-4 with two runs scored, two RBI, walk, 17th steal, and his fourth triple. Now second in league in hitting at .354 and second in runs scored as well with 40. Luis Carpio was 2-4 with two RBI, he is hitting .305/.371/.374 in 33 games.

Milton Ramos was 1-5 with two runs scored and two RBI, hitting .333 with ten RBI in his last 9 games. Dash Winningham was 1-4 with a walk, now hitting .269/.314/.505 for the season. Arnaldo Berrios was 3-5 with a run scored and two doubles. Box Score

GCL Nationals 4, GCL Mets (25-27) 3

The took a 3-1 lead headed to the top of the 9th inning as they looked to snap a 7-game losing streak but closer Alejandro Castro gave up three runs including a two-out two-run single for the game winner. Ali Sanchez (2-4, BB) led off the the bottom of the inning with a single before Dionis Paulino came into pinch run for him and was caught trying to steal second.

Joel Huertas pitched 5.2 innings giving up one run on fives hits while striking out seven and was in line for the victory. Mets 3rd round pick Max Wotell pitched a career high 2.1 innings, he did not allow a run on a walk, HBP, and two strikeouts. Over 9.1 innings to start his career he has allowed just two run on two hits and struck out thirteen.

Fellow 2015 draftee Desmond Lindsay had a good day as well going 2-4 with a run scored and his 2nd triple. Now hitting a cool .321/.406/.500 in 17 pro games. Franklin Correa and Luis Crisostomo each had two hits. Box Score

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Marcos Molina (Photo: Bryan Green)

Las Vegas (68-56) 6, Iowa 5 Walk-Off

For the second straight night the 51’s beat the Cubs in walk-off fashion after Danny Muno hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the 12th inning on Monday night. Dan Rohlfing was hit by the pitch as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th to end the game last night. The win holds the 51’s lead in the Pacific Southern division at 1.5 games over El Paso.

Jacob Lugo (Seth) was solid in his second AAA start of the year going 6 innings allowing three runs on eight hits walking none and striking out four. Alex Torres retired the two batters he face striking out one, he as walked none and allowed one run in 3 AAA innings so far. John Church picked up his 2nd win in as many nights pitching a scoreless top of the 9th inning.

Dilson Herrera was 3-4 with a walk, RBI, 23rd double, and two runs scored. Dilson is hitting .421 over his last ten games. Matt Reynolds was 2-5 with a run scored and his 58th RBI of the season. Kirk Nieuwenhuis went 2-4 with a walk in his second game back with Las Vegas (1-4 on Monday). Kevin Plawecki went 1-4 with a double while catching and batting 7th.

Jayce Boyd made a rare start in left field going 2-4 before being lifted for a pinch runner. Brandon Nimmo sat against a lefty start, riding the pine for the 2nd time in three nights. He struck out as a pinch hitter in the 6th inning. Box Score

Binghamton had their game rained out and will play a doubleheader starting at 5:35 ET tomorrow. They are currently in second place in the division but are 4 games up on the Trenton Thunder for a playoff spot.

Bradenton 5, St. Lucie (60-61) 2

The big news on the field was that David Wright played all 9 innings in the field and went 0-1 with three walks at the dish. He didn’t get many pitches to hit all night and seemed a little anxious in his last at bat when he struck out swinging. He made a throwing error in the 4th inning that led to four unearned runs.

However, the announcer clearly said that Dominic Smith got the errant throw and came back to the bag before the runner got there meaning the ump missed the call. Wright also made a nice play towards the line on the backhand and threw the runner out at first. After the game the Captain said this: “Didn’t expect to be where I am five games into my rehab.”

The big news off the field was not positive as the St. Lucie Mets placed starting pitcher Marcos Molina back on the disabled list after two appearances with the same elbow soreness that put him on the shelf originally. Molina had a rough outing on Monday giving up five runs in 4 innings in what unfortunately could be his last start in awhile. Hope for the best, but there were whispers of TJS the first time and it sounds like he was unable to pitch through whatever the Mets saw in the initial prognosis.

Amed Rosario went 1-3 with a walk, RBI, and his 12th stolen base of the year. Smith had his 11-game hitting streak snapped going 0-3 with a walk while lowering his average to .310 for the year. Kyle Johnson continued to struggle in his rehab assignment going 1-5 with two strikeouts. Box Score

Savannah (72-48) 1, Augusta 0 F/6

The Sand Gnats won their 15th straight game behind fantastic pitching by Ricky Knapp who pitched a complete game shutout with eight strikeouts and allowed just three singles. He moved his record to 7-2 and lowered his ERA to 2.43 for the year. Michael Katz was 1-3 while knocking in the only run of the game in the first inning.

Wuilmer Becerra went 1-3 and scored the only run of the game, he is now hitting an even .300 in 101 games this year. Luis Guillorme was 1-2 with a walk and his .308 average is 5th in the South Atlantic League. Eudor Garcia had his 10-game hitting streak snapped going 0-2 with a walk. Oswald Caraballo was 1-2, he is 3-9 with a walk since being promoted from Brooklyn. Box Score

Princeton 10, Kingsport (29-25) 5

Dash Winningham continues to crush the ball going 3-5 with his league leading 12th homerun and adding to RBI to that league leading total of 45. Patrick Mazeika went 2-4 with a walk and his 43rd RBI (2nd in league) raising his league leading average to .367.

Kevin Kaczmarski was 2-4 with his 3rd triple, walk, and two runs scored. He is now 2nd in the league in runs scored at 68 and 2nd in average at .351. Ivan Wilson was 3-4 with a walk, 7th stolen base, and his 6th double. He is 11-30 in his last eight games while not striking out in his last two. Milton Ramos was 1-4 with a RBI, he has hit .341 with 9 RBI over his last ten games. Box Score

GCL Marlins 10, GCL Mets (25-25) 4 

Mets 2015 2nd round pick Desmond Lindsay went 1-3 with a walk and his first professional homerun, a solo shot to left field in the 9th inning. He is now hitting .313/.411/.479 ins 15 games but has also struck out 16 times. Anthony Dimino went 3-4 with a run scored and his 2nd stolen base of the year, his hitting .310/.405/.366 for the year. Box Score

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Injury Update

Mets pitching prospect Marcos Molina is making his return to the mound today at 12 PM for the GCL Mets as the starting pitcher. He has been out with “elbow soreness” since May 13th with most believing he would end up needing TJS.  He was MMO’s #9 rated prospect prior to this season and with Michael Fulmer gone is clearly the best Mets pitching prospect if healthy.

In his first rehab appearance for the GCL Mets today Molina pitched 3 perfect innings with three strikeouts.

Las Vegas (62-49) 5, Tacoma 2

The 51’s offense struck early getting three runs in the first inning against former Yankee Chien-Ming Wang who then held them scoreless for the next 6 innings. Brandon Allen hit a two-run homerun in the bottom of the 8th inning to give Las Vegas some insurance runs. Allen was 2-4 with his 12th HR, 2nd triple, two runs scored, and three RBI. Here is video of the homer.

Dilson Herrera was 2-4 with his 19th double and has now had multiple hits in four straight games. Darrell Ceciliani went 2-4 extending his hitting streak to ten games, he is hitting .436 over that span but has also struck out seven times. Brandon Nimmo was 2-4 with his third stolen base in just seven games while playing the while game in right field.

Darin Gorski struck out seven but lasted only 4.2 innings giving up two runs on seven hits and three walks, he left the game with the bases loaded. Chase Bradford got out of the bases loaded jam without any damage and stayed in to pitch 2.1 scoreless to pick up his 5th win of the season.

Zack Thornton got two outs in the 8th inning, over his last 10.1 innings he has a 1.74 ERA with 12 strikeouts. For the year he has a 3.54 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, while holding opponents to a .218 average, and is someone I think we will see in September. Dario Alvarez came into face a lefty and struck him out, he now has seven K’s in 3.1 AAA innings.

Vic Black got his first save of the season in his typical fashion allowing a double and walk but getting his 2nd strikeout to end the game. He has given up only one run in his last 8 innings pitched. Box Score

Binghamton (60-48) 8, Bowie 2

Josh Rodriguez was 2-4 with two runs scored and a grand slam for his league leading 17th homerun of the season. Here is video of J-Rod’s 2nd slam of the year. Jonathan Galvez was 2-4 with two runs scored and his first homerun for the B’Mets, he is 11-29 with seven RBI over his last 8 games. Jared King was 2-3 with a walk, two runs scored, and his 4th homerun (the first of his career right-handed).

Gavin Cecchini went 1-5 and is now 19-44 over his last ten games. Brock Peterson was 1-3 with a walk, 12th double, and his 38th RBI in just 52 games with Binghamton.

Tyler Pill got the win in his return to return to AA going 5.1 innings allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out three. Jeff Walters came in with two runners on getting two outs stranding the runners. Walters gave up a run in his 2nd inning of work in part because of a triple that should have been caught. It was the first run Jeff has allowed in his last 10.2 innings. Box Score

St. Lucie (55-52) 7, Fort Myers 2

St. Lucie offense was led by Dominic Smith who was 3-4 with a run scored and his 64th RBI of the season. Matt Oberste also had three hits to go with a run scored and two RBI, he is hitting .424 over his last ten games. Yeixon Ruiz was 3-5 with two runs scored and a RBI, he is batting .405 with 11 runs scored in his last ten games.

Jhoan Urena went 2-4 with a run scored and is 4-12 in his last three games after going hit-less in the prior seven. Jeff McNeil went 1-4 with a run scored, RBI, and his 6th double of the year as he continues to play shortstop with Amed Rosario on the disabled list.

Scarlyn Reyes struggled in his 2nd advanced-A start lasting only 4.1 innings giving up three runs (two runs) on five hits and three walks. Robert Coles moved to 4-2 in relief pitching 2.2 innings allowing a run on two hits with two strikeouts. Mike Hepple pitched two scoreless innings to secure his 2nd save of the year. Box Score

Savannah (59-48) 20, Rome 3

The Sand Gnats put the game away early scoring eight runs in the 2nd, four in the third, and three in the fourth to take a 15-0 lead. Savannah ended with 33 runners with 24 coming via hits, 5 walks, and 4 HBP. Patrick Biondi was the star going 5-7 with six RBI, three runs scored, and his 2nd homerun of the season. Here is video of the homerun.

Wuilmer Becerra went 3-7 with two doubles, three run scored, and four RBI giving him 45 for the season. He is slashing .299/.348/.452 for the season. Here is the video of one of the doubles. Luis Guillorme was 4-7 with three runs scored and his 44th RBI. Eudor Garcia was hit by a pitch on the knee in the 2nd inning and was immediately removed for a pinch runner. John Mora reached five times with two hits and three walks.

Corey Oswalt improved his record to 8-4 going 5 scoreless innings with five hits and a walk while striking out eight batters. Box Score

Lowell 5, Brooklyn (23-20) 1

The Cyclones outhit Lowell 8-4 but went 1-11 with runners in scoring position that stranded twelve runners. Michael Bernal went 2-4 with a walk and a run scored boosting his slash line to .273/.347/.484 for the year. David Thompson was 1-2 with a HBP and his 16th RBI on a sacrifice fly. Vinny Siena was 1-5 and saw his average dip below .300 for the first time since the second game of the year.

Tyler Badamo fell to 2-5 despite having a 3.10 ERA because he lasted only 2.2 innings giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out six. Ruben Reyes, Ty Williams, Nicco Blank, and Carlos Valdez combined to throw 5.1 innings of relief allowing only three unearned runs. Box Score

Bristol 10, Kingsport (19-21) 8 F/10

The Mets scored a run in the bottom of the 9th to force extras and had Dash Winningham up as the tying run in the 10th but he flew out to end the game. Patrick Mazeika was 4-5 with two doubles, run scored, three RBI, and now is tied for league lead in doubles (18) & RBI (31). Winningham finished 1-4 with run scored and his 31st RBI as well.

Kevin Kaczmarski went 1-3 with two walks, two runs scored, walk, and and two stolen bases out of the leadoff spot. Dale Burdick was 1-4 with two walks and his 2nd homerun of the year. Darryl Knight went 1-3 with a walk and his 4th homer.

Joe Shaw, 12th round, pitched 1.2 perfect innings in relief with two strikeouts. Chase Ingram, 6th round, suffered his second loss giving up two unearned runs while striking out two. Box Score

GCL Nationals 5, GCL Mets (20-17) 1

Jake Kuebler pitched a scoreless first inning in his first rehab appearance. Adonis Uceta went 5 innings allowing two runs on four hits and struck out six. Jake Simon, 11th round, gave up his first pro run on two walks in one inning of relief. Yeffry De Aza extended his hitting streak to 11 games going 2-4 with double and a run scored.

Cecilio Aybar was 1-3 with his first triple and his 3rd RBI of the year. Ali Sanchez was 0-4 dropping average down to .314 but did throw out 19 base stealer compared to 12 who have been successful. Desmond Lindsay got the day off. Box Score

News and Notes

Scott Rice was placed in the 7-day disabled list for Las Vegas. Joe Tuschak was placed on the DL for Savannah with Chris Flexen activated to take his place on the Sand Gnats roster.

The Mets announced that the Savannah Sand Gnats who are being relocated to South Carolina will be known as the Columbia Fireflies.

Michael Fulmer made his Tigers system debut last night pitching for the AA Erie SeaWolves going 6.2 scoreless allowing two hits and two walks while striking out six to pick up the win.

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Heading into the 2014 season, Dominic Smith was considered one of the best position players in the Mets minor league system. Baseball America rated him as the Mets’ 4th best prospect, and the 92nd prospect overall in MLB. Smith was selected by New York in the first round of the 2013 draft, and quickly got off to a hot start early in his career. He batted .303 with an impressive .398 on base percentage in 173 at-bats at the rookie level during his first professional season. After this encouraging performance, the Mets aggressively promoted Smith to Single-A Savannah where he played for the entire 2014 season.

The most discussed topic about Smith this year has been his extremely low power numbers. Over 461 at-bats for Savannah, Smith has hit just one home run along with 26 doubles. While these stats appear problematic, they are not much of a concern when they are put into context. Smith played his home games at Historic Grayson Park, which is considered to be one of the toughest places to hit for power in the minors. Over the past several years, Grayson Park has yielded the least amount of home runs throughout the entire minor leagues.

In addition to playing half of his games in an extreme pitcher’s park, Smith is one of the youngest players in the South Atlantic League at just 19 years old. The average player in the league is close to 22 years old, making Smith is about three years younger than the competition.  Since Smith is far less experienced than the pitchers he has faced, he should not be judged harshly based off his numbers this season. Power is often the last skill that develops for prospects, so it is likely that he will hit for more power as he get gets older and stronger.

Despite his underwhelming power stats, there are a few positives worth noting this season. Smith posted a respectable .271 average and a .344 OBP. He also showed a good eye at the plate and an ability to hit for contact with 51 walks and just 77 strikeouts. While these numbers are not excellent, they are promising signs that he could develop into a solid hitter in the future.

It would have been nice to see Smith produce more in his first full season, but the Mets need to remain patient with him. He is obviously some time away from the majors, but his upside is still tremendous. He has the potential to hit for average and power while also playing a solid defense at first base. Smith clearly has the tools to eventually advance to the majors, and it is only a matter of time before his power begins to manifest itself.

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