Who’s Hot

• Cesar Puello, OF (BIN): If you haven’t heard by now, Puello enjoyed perhaps the best week of his MiLB career last week when he crushed six home runs in just 25 at-bats. He posted a .600 average, going 15-for-25, with three doubles, six home runs, and 15 RBIs. He also stole three bases. Puello’s recent hot hitting has catapulted him to the front of our outfield prospect corps — with some fans even calling for his MLB call-up before the year is over. I wouldn’t be so quick to rush him to the majors, but he’s definitely got 20/20 potential.
• Travis Taijeron, OF (BIN): Not to be outdone, Taijeron’s .450/.522/1.250 slash line fell slightly behind Puello’s god-like week. Taijeron went 9-for-20 with a double, five home runs, and six RBIs. Perhaps what was most impressive is that he was promoted to Binghamton to replace Cory Vaughn in the middle of his hot streak and did not miss a single beat.
• Carlos Torres, RHP (LV): Torres spun a beauty in the best minor league pitching performance I have seen to date last week — 9.0 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 11 K. I was on his case often early in the season but he has really pulled a complete 180 and been the most consistent performer for the 51s staff recently. Yes, even more consistent than Zack Wheeler…

Honorable Mention: Gabriel Ynoa and Rafael Montero, who both pitched superbly in the past week. Ynoa tossed a complete game and allowed just five hits and one earned run, while Montero tossed seven scoreless in his most recent start. 

Who’s Not

• Mark Cohoon, LHP (BIN): Cohoon was rocked in his most recent start, on the hook for eight runs (six of them earned) over just five innings of work. He allowed ten hits and two walks in that game as he really struggled to find himself at all. Hopefully he can bounce back for his start later today.
• Matt Fox, RHP (LV): Fox was obliterated in his two starts last week, getting rocked for 11 hits and ten earned runs in 10.0 innings. Fox was recently added to the Las Vegas staff through waivers to fill space — and he might have gotten hurt by the general PCL atmosphere, but he just didn’t have it last week.
• Blake Forsythe, C (BIN): Forsythe failed to get a hit all week, going 0-for-17, and reaching base only once on a walk. That’s just a tough week no matter what way you slice it.

*NOTE: Stats are 6/2 to 6/8

(photo courtesy of Gordon Donovan)

Here is the rest of my interview with Lynn Worthy, who covers the Binghamton Mets as the regular beat writer for the Press & Sun Bulletin. Lynn provides some great insight on

Which player’s performance has impressed you the most thus far and do you believe it will eventually translate well in the majors?

The most impressive so far would have to be Rafael Montero because of the command he’s displayed. Cesar Puello’s recent play has made it a close call, but Montero has performed so well all season. While his stuff isn’t at the level of Matt Harvey or Zack Wheeler, he has consistently demonstrated remarkable control beyond what I saw from either Harvey or Wheeler at this level.

It’s a very interesting question to consider how well Montero’s actual stuff translates to a major-league level. I’m not sure. I would tend to think his margin for error will be even smaller against those hitters. There could be a real possibility of him getting hit hard at times. This certainly isn’t an exact comparison, but Collin McHugh had tremendous success and command of multiple pitches in Binghamton and also pitched well at Triple-A. His first start in the big leagues was also stellar, but he has also been hit hard at times.

Montero’s command will be a big plus, and I do think he’s shown a strong ability to work through a lineup a second or third time and keep hitters off-balance. On several occasions he has racked up the majority of his strikeouts after the first time through the lineup. It will be interesting how he gets used if/when he does reach the big league level.

Joe D. – Sandy Alderson spoke very highly of Montero on Monday during his WFAN interview, and we may see him skip a Triple-A assignment and jump straight to the big league team.

“Montero went up and pitched one game at Triple-A, and pitched very well. He’s got 23 or 24 straight scoreless innings at Binghamton. There has been some conversation. Look, he won’t need to go to Triple-A, but very soon we’ll either decide to leave him at Binghamton or promote him to Las Vegas. If we decided to leave him at Binghamton, you could probably infer from that that he could join us directly from Binghamton.”

Is there a player you’re most excited to see promoted to Binghamton from the lower levels?

I’m very interested to see righthander Noah Syndergaard pitch. It looks like, based solely on statistics, that he is another strike-thrower. His strikeout to walk ratio seems impressive. He’s been a highly-touted prospect in both the Mets system and the Blue Jays system prior to the trade.

I’m also curious to see the power Aderlin Rodriguez has in person. I’m not sure how soon he’d be promoted. When it does happen, it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to Eastern League pitching. Specifically, can he make adjustments when pitchers get an idea of what his strengths and weaknesses are. The pitchers certainly make adjustments in the Eastern League.

Joe D. – Syndergaard has been making quite a name for himself since joining the Mets and more than one scout has told me he will ultimately be the prize from the Dickey trade and not Travis d’Arnaud. Syndergaard was the only pitcher from a very talented St. Lucie rotation to be named to the FSL All Star game.

With players like Puello, Leathersich, Montero, and Verrett getting a lot of attention, which B-Mets player is flying under the radar and impressing you with their play?

Darrell Ceciliani has really hit well as of late. He batted just .228 in April, but he was just under .300 in May and is hot lately. He is an exciting player at the plate because he has good speed and can blast balls into the gaps for doubles or triples. He has made some mistakes on the bases (getting picked off), and he does strike out. He is also just an energetic guy who definitely has fun playing the game.

Allan Dykstra has tremendous power as a left-handed hitter. He works counts well and draw a lot of walks. Though he’ll strike out a lot too. If he would go the other way once in a while, I think he’d be a nightmare.

Wilfredo Tovar’s defense has been eye-opening since he got here. His offense shows flashes at times, but those are flashes that come and go.

Satish - Wilfredo Tovar is quite the young player. He is the most talented defensive player in our system but has trouble mustering even below-average offensive skills. If he can find his way with the bat, he would immediately jump into real prospect status in my eyes. Otherwise, I can’t say that I’m that crazy about him right now. I’m also on the fence about Allan Dykstra, but in a bit more of a positive fashion because he has shown consistent flashes of talent. His ’11 season saw him slug 19 home runs and 22 doubles in 475 plate appearances, resulting in a .474 slugging percentage. His numbers this year have improved on that, with eight home runs and 17 doubles already through only 209 plate appearances. Although you usually hope for more power from a first baseman, prospects like Dykstra or Jayce Boyd could turn out to be solid stop-gaps until we get a player of that caliber.

Who was your favorite player that you’ve covered and do you maintain friendships with many of the players that you get to cover?

The players who have been here for multiple years or who have been here for an entire season usually get to be fairly friendly. In some cases, I may drop a line to via social media to the guys who have gone on. I’m not sure if I have a favorite guy, but there are several I’ve enjoyed just talking to about things that weren’t directly related to their own play.

I’d list Rob Carson, Greg Peavey, Erik Turgeon (now retired) and Reese Havens among those. Mark Cohoon is back here this season, and he’s a great guy to cover. McHugh was always good to talk baseball and pitching with. I’m sure I’m forgetting some.

Looks like Travis Taijeron is off to a nice start, but wow… Cesar Puello is on fire. What can you tell us about him?

Cesar Puello has been in one of those stretches where he hasn’t missed his pitch many times, if any. He had a three-game series here against Trenton where he went 7-for-12 with two doubles, four home runs, eight RBI, four runs scored, and only ONE strikeout.

He’s had several reporters like myself ask him about the reports that he could possibly face suspension because of Biogenesis, but he hasn’t let any of it distract him. He regularly talks about being faithful and reading the Bible. I believe one time I saw him carrying a Bible in the clubhouse.

He talked to me a few times about working on getting on top of the ball more instead of upper cutting, and allowing the strength in his legs and lower body to generate power.

He really seems locked in to the point where he is looking for a particular pitch or location, and he’s not giving in and chasing other pitches early in the count as he may have done earlier in the season.

Satish - Puello enjoyed perhaps the best week of his MiLB career last week when he crushed six home runs in just 25 at-bats. He posted a .600 average, going 15-for-25, with three doubles, six home runs, and 15 RBIs. He also stole three bases. Puello’s recent hot hitting has catapulted him to the front of our outfield prospect corps. By the way, Puello is day to day with a bruised finger after being removed from last night’s game in case you were wondering why he was pulled.

* * * * * * * * * *

I want to thank Lynn for taking some time to answer a few questions for us. Follow him on Twitter at @PSBLynn and make sure to read his daily coverage of the B-Mets at the Press & Sun Bulletin or PressConnects.com.

Mark Hale of the New York Post spoke with Zack Wheeler who told him that he;s ready for the challenge that awaits him.

“Overall, I feel like I’m ready,” Wheeler said. “My past two starts, I haven’t been happy with my command, especially my last start. In the fifth inning I started to leave a lot of balls up. It happens. You just need to find the command and feel more comfortable with your mechanics.”

Ready or not, Wheeler is on his way and will finally make his debut on June 18th.

I reached out to Lynn Worthy of the Press & Sun Bulletin, who was kind enough to answer several questions for me about the Double-A Binghamton Mets who he does a great job covering. I’ll be posting his insights throughout the day along with some of my thoughts.

Oddly enough (not really), my first question to him was regarding a pair of former B-Mets… I think some you may have heard of them…

You were fortunate enough to see both Matt Harvey in 2011 and Zack Wheeler in 2012 pitch for the B-Mets. What are some of their similarities and differences? And based on your own observations how do they compare?

The obvious similarities were how hard they threw (hitting 96 miles per hour regularly), the fact that they were highly-touted prospects before they got here, and how after a few starts opposing hitters just started jumping on the first fastball they saw from each of them. For that matter, that all applies to Jeurys Familia when he was here too.

Harvey wasn’t as consistently dominant in Binghamton as Wheeler was. Remember Harvey came here during his first pro season, and he came after starting the season at St. Lucie. He made 12 starts in Binghamton, and in several starts he didn’t make it late into games because of his pitch count. He’d have rough innings where he would walk batters early in games because – as he even admitted – he would try to establish all his pitches right away.

Harvey actually only threw more than five complete innings twice with the B-Mets. He hit 10 strikeouts once. He didn’t record a win until his seventh start. He would have starts where he’d struggle a little early and then be overpowering an inning later.

He was very intense. I still recall talking to him after his final start – he went just three innings, gave up four runs and walked four – and he wanted no part of talking about the season as a whole. All he could do was boil over his last start.

Wheeler began the season here, and he was dominating almost right away. He made 19 starts here and went five innings or more in 16 of them. At times he struggled to command certain pitches, but he still seemed to find a way to get guys out. He rarely got hit hard. He only gave up two home runs, and one came in his last start in Binghamton.

It seems to me that Wheeler fluctuated more in sharpness and command of his off-speed pitches. He threw some curveballs and sliders that were absolutely nasty at times, and other starts they were just okay. However, he seemed to be able to adjust within the game and get through five, six, seven innings. Even on bad days, he jammed hitters and broke bats.

When you looked at Wheeler, he didn’t give off the intensity that Harvey did. However, Wheeler always seemed confident in his stuff even when he didn’t have his best.

I want to thank Lynn for taking some time to answer a few questions for us. Follow him on Twitter at @PSBLynn and make sure to read his daily coverage of the B-Mets at the Press & Sun Bulletin or PressConnects.com.

Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan

Rafael Montero was absolutely amazing today as he continued his stretch of dominance over the entire Eastern League. Montero breezed through his start against the Altoona Curve with seven more shutout innings, allowing just two hits and a walk over that span. He struck out six and dazzled anyone watching as he spun a gem.

Over his last three starts in AA, Montero has pitched a combined 20.o innings, allowed just eleven hits and four walks, and struck out eighteen. The most impressive thing, however, is that he has not allowed a single run over those twenty innings. Yes, Montero has not allowed a run since his May 21st start with the 51s and is basically knocking on the door for a promotion.

By the way, Cesar Puello continued his ridiculously hot play today — 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBIs, two runs — and is honestly starting to impress every person on the planet at this point.

Whether the Mets want him to skip Vegas or not is up to them, but Montero is just scary good at this point. He improved to 7-3 with the win today and lowered his AA ERA to 2.43. Montero is likely a candidate to replace Wheeler in the AAA rotation when he gets called up next week, so keep an eye on that one, folks…

By the way, if you enjoy shooting pool checkout these great deals on Billiard Supplies at Ball Sports.

More from Binghamton

OF Cory Vaughn was placed on the DL today with what Lynn Worthy has called a “right elbow strain.” Not much has been made about it, so I can only hope that the injury isn’t too serious and we will see him back in AA soon. In 192 ABs this season, Vaughn posted a .288/.370/.447 slash line with six home runs, seven doubles, one triple, and 31 RBI. He had also stolen eight bases.

To take his place on the roster, OF Travis Taijeron was called up from Single-A. Taijeron was rocking a .303/.396/.564 line in St. Lucie with 20 2Bs, nine homers, and a triple in 188 ABs. Taijeron enjoyed a very successful debut in AA today, going 3-for-5 with a double, home run, two RBI and three runs scored.

Righthander Noah Syndergaard, second baseman T.J. Rivera and outfielder Dustin Lawley have been selected to represent the St. Lucie Mets for the Florida State League All-Star Game to be played on June 15 game at Dunedin.

TC Palm writes:

Syndergaard, 20, is 2-3 in 11 starts with a 2.81 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings. He was acquired by the Mets in the offseason in a trade involving Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey.

Rivera, 24, is batting .297 with 13 doubles and 25 RBIs in 51 games. He hit a combined .320 with nine home runs and 66 RBIs in stints with St. Lucie and the South Atlantic League’s Savannah Sand Gnats last season.

Lawley, 24, is batting .242 with 11 home runs, 16 doubles and 40 RBIs in 54 games. Lawley ranks third in the FSL in home runs, fourth in RBIs, second in extra-base hits and fifth in total bases.

Rivera is fast becoming one of my favorite hitting prospects in the system. His gritty play and intensity is trumped only by his all-around talent and skill set.

Syndergaard is also making quite a name for himself since joining the Mets and I’ve even heard from more than few people who think that ultimately he will be the prize from the Dickey trade and not Travis d’Arnaud. Of course there’s a better than 50/50 chance that the Mets will trade some arms for an outfielder at the trade deadline and if that’s the case, Syndergaard could be the one to go. I hope not.

Can I just say that I’m baffled that Dustin Lawley got selected over Travis Taijeron? I don’t want to take anything away from Lawley, but Taijeron is batting .303/.399/.573 in 185 at-bats with 20 doubles and nine home runs. He leads the team with a .972 OPS which is over 150 points higher than Lawley. I guess the MLB All Star selection process isn’t the only one that’s flawed.

I also wanted to point out the excellent season by RHP Matthew Bowman. Matt kind of fell through the cracks because he’s only made five starts for St. Lucie since being promoted from Savannah. In those starts Bowman is 3-0 with a 2.81 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. Overall the 22-year old righty is 7-0 with a 2.73 ERA. His strikeout to walk ratio is off the charts and in 62.2 innings he’s racked up 61 strikeouts while walking only 9 batters.

Okay, I’m done complaining.

Congratulations to Syndergaard, Rivera and Lawley!

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas shut down Fresno, 8-0.
• Binghamton had the day off.
• St. Lucie dropped to Lakeland, 2-1. 
• Savannah had the day off.

Prospect Pipeline

• Travis d’Arnaud was seen yesterday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York for follow up on his fractured toe. Travis was cleared to begin weight bearing rehabilitation, but will remain in a boot for the next week.
  
• After only two rehab appearances, Mets prospect Luis Mateo has found himself back on the DL this evening. Mateo, since returning from the DL on May 30th, has made two appearances. He allowed two hits in a scoreless inning on the 30th, but he ran into some trouble in his last outing on June 2nd. He allowed four runs off four hits, including a home run, and a walk.
• The unmistakable traits of Noah Syndergaard‘s blistering fastball were on display once again Monday — only the fourth time at Tradition Field — and his latest showcase for the St. Lucie Mets offered more promise for the future. Reaching a top speed of 96 mph, the prized prospect mixed his fastball with a devastating changeup for five strikeouts over five innings but his winless streak extended to four games during a 2-1 loss to visiting Lakeland. Syndergaard, hailed as the No. 3 prospect in the rapidly improving farm system by MMN, allowed six hits — five of them singles — and two runs as his record dropped to 2-3 on the year. For more on Syndergaard’s performance, check out Bill Passonno’s great recap on MMN.
• Travis Taijeron is smoking hot. Last week’s Florida State League Player of The Week was 3-for-4 with another homerun last night. We did a Prospect Spotlight on Taijeron on MMN yesterday — you can check it out here.
• Carlos Torres twirled a gem last night, going the distance and racking up 11 strikeouts as he thoroughly dominated the Fresno hitters. Torres needed just 107 pitches for the complete game, 72 of which were strikes. The righty gave up just three hits on the night, and allowed zero walks on his way to his fifth win of the season. His 11 strikeouts are a season high, and marks the third time this season he has had double digit strikeouts in a game.
• Francisco Pena had another multi-hit game yesterday. He’s been raking since his call-up to Vegas.
• Congratulations to Luis Cessa for being named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week. Gabriel Ynoa picked up MMN’s Pitcher of the Week honors while Josh Satin got the nod as MMN’s Player of the Week.

Stat Lines of the Day

Carlos Torres: 9.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 11 K

Eric Campbell: 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, BB

Travis Taijeron: 3-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Transactions

RHP Luis Mateo is headed back to the DL.

3B Dimas Ponce assigned to St. Lucie Mets from Brooklyn Cyclones.

LHP Carlos Vazquez assigned to St. Lucie Mets from Brooklyn Cyclones.

Quote of the Day

“I’ve got to wear the boot still,” Travis d’Arnaud told The Post, adding that he’s unsure of a time frame for its removal.

“A couple of weeks ago when I found out it was still broken it was real tough to take,” d’Arnaud said. “But there was nothing I could do except go home and relax and make sure my foot healed, and that’s what I did.”

MMN Comment of the Day

Today’s comment comes from MMN reader “Dave In Spain,” who points out what the Mets should focus on in this year’s draft.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas snuck by Fresno, 3-2.
• Binghamton shutout New Hampshire, 7-2.
• St. Lucie split their doubleheader against Charlotte, 7-3, 5-3. 
• Savannah shut down Kannapolis, 7-1.

Prospect Pipeline

• A day after Mets prospect Zack Wheeler rebounded with a solid performance for Las Vegas, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that the Mets are considering a variety of factors in setting a date for Zack Wheeler’s major league debut and he could arrive on the next homestand.
• Gabriel Ynoa tossed the South Atlantic League’s first 9-inning complete game this season, retiring 19 of the first 20 batters he faced and holding the Intimidators off the scoreboard until the eighth inning. Ynoa (7-2) earned his league-leading seventh win, allowing a run on five hits while striking out four and walking none. It’s the second-straight game the Sand Gnats did not walk a batter.
• Travis Taijeron blasted three home runs in yesterday’s double header for St. Lucie. He has now lifted his season average over the .300-mark, going 15/33 with four home runs and 11 RBI over the last 10 games. His OPS over those ten games — an eye-popping 1.413. Head over to MMN to check out a Prospect Spotlight on Taijeron.
• Cesar Puello keeps on keeping on. He smacked three more hits yesterday, two of which were for extra bases (home runs and double). This kid really looks like a viable outfield option for the Mets, and fans should start to get excited when they hear Puello’s name. Puello was the subject of a new feature over at MetsMinors.net called Boom or Bust? Boom or Bust is a feature on MMN where we ask our writers to sound off on whether or not they think a particular Mets prospect will be a boom…or a bust. “Where the MMN writers stop being polite…and start getting real…MMN’s Boom or Bust?” — check it out today!
• Jack Leathersich pitched one inning yesterday and surprise, surprise, he struck out another hitter.
• Brandon Nimmo had another multi-hit game yesterday. He now has a four game hitting streak.
• Jayce Boyd = future first baseman of the New York Mets. The Mets have to speed this kid through the system. Coming out of a big-time college program, Florida State, where he raked, he should have started 2013 with St. Lucie at the least. He is an advanced college hitter, and I would push him straight to Binghamton. The guy is hitting .350 this year and through 56 games, has more walks than strike outs…wow.
• Kirk Nieuwenhuis has shown some signs of life, hitting five homers in his last ten games — but in 32 games with Las Vegas he is hitting a paltry .232 with 34 strikeouts.

Stat Lines of the Day

Gabriel Ynoa: 9.0 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 1 ER, 4 K

Travis Taijeron: 3-for-5, 2 BB, 3 HR, 3 RBI

Cesar Puello: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB

Transactions

No transactions to report.

Quote of the Day

Zack Wheeler, the Mets’ top pitching prospect, is “getting close,” to making his major league debut, assistant general manager John Ricco said Sunday.

“We’ve talked about a lot of different dates, this window over the next couple of weeks,” said Ricco, who made the trip to Miami with the Mets. “I couldn’t rule out anything at this point. We’re kind of getting close, I would imagine.” “I haven’t talked to (Mets GM) Sandy (Alderson) yet, not sure, but it was a good outing,” Ricco said. “I don’t know what that means yet.” “I haven’t talked to (Mets GM) Sandy (Alderson) yet, not sure, but it was a good outing,” Ricco said. “I don’t know what that means yet.”

Tweet of the Day

Rafael Montero Looks Intimidating (Photo by MMO Contributor Gordon Donovan)

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas dropped to Albuquerque, 5-2. 
• Binghamton topped Akron, 5-3. 
• St. Lucie dropped to Brevard County, 6-5.
• Savannah lost to Charleston, 5-3. 

Injury News

The Wheeler Watch has taken a turn…hopefully not for the worst. Adam Rubin has reported that Zack Wheeler will miss his next start due to discomfort in his clavicle, and is flying to NY to meet with doctors.

I’m not an injury expert, but I do know that Zack Wheeler pitches using the “Inverted W,” which could put added stress on the anterior labrum ligament in the shoulder — it slowly loosens the ligament and can actually lead to tears. Hopefully this is not why Wheeler is suffering from shoulder discomfort. 

Prospect Pipeline

• Wheeler Watch: Based on Sandy Alderson’s comments yesterday, it sounds like we will probably see him before the All-Star Break. It has to be good for both Wheeler and the team, meaning they won’t call up Wheeler until he is ready to face major league hitters (getting close, if not there already), and the team has holes to fill in the rotation (um, yes). It sounds to me as if Wheeler is on the cusp of making his major league debut. I’m not so much concerned with Wheeler getting called up as I am about how the fans will react when he does. Will they expect Matt Harvey-like success — because he was the exception, not the rule. He will now have the pressure of being the top prospect being called up, have to pitch in New York, and has to live up to Harvey’s success…tough.
• The guy likely to get called up when Wheeler is promoted pitched last night in Binghamton. Rafael Montero pitched another six solid innings last night, striking out six and walking none. Montero is the type of pitcher that is going to give up some hits if his secondary pitches aren’t on point. His fastball isn’t overpowering, and when you are around the strike zone as much as Montero, the hitters are going to put the bat on the ball. Consider his control a gift and a curse at the same time, if his off-speed pitches aren’t working well for him. Montero isn’t going to give any teams free runs, but because of the type of pitcher he is, he isn’t going to hold many teams scoreless. Not for the time being anyway. If he can live on the corners, he may be the type of guy that eventually develops into a shutout threat every time he takes the hill.
• Travis Taijeron is having a solid year for St. Lucie. Over the last ten games, Taijeron is hitting .371 with three home runs and a ridiculous .511 on base percentage.
• It has been two games without a double from Dr. Doubles, Kevin Plawecki. He has 19 two-baggers so far this season.
• Hansel Robles gave up four walks in four innings of work last night. He was pretty pedestrian, although he did manage to strike out five opposing hitters.
• I have to admit that Wilmer Flores is not having the type of season I thought he would be having in a “hitter’s league.” I was hoping he would step up offensivley after Travis d’Arnaud went down with an injury, but I’m just not seeing it. I think most would agree that they expected to see more than a .264 batting average and three home runs from the second highest rated offensive prospect in the organization. The good news is, it’s only May, so Flores can still get on track.

Stat Lines of the Day

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

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-5, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

Transactions

Brandon Hicks assigned to St. Lucie Mets from Las Vegas 51s.

New York Mets optioned Andrew Brown to Las Vegas 51s.

Quote of the Day

Today’s quote of the day is from the interview that Sandy Alderson gave on WFAN yesterday afternoon, regarding Zack Wheeler:

“Bringing Zack Wheeler up here, does it create a second day out of five that fans would have a greater interest in watching us play?” Alderson told WFAN radio Monday. “Yeah, I think initially. But if he doesn’t have success, that won’t last very long.”

It sure sounds like Alderson is tip-toeing around this Wheeler call-up. It almost sounds like he is afraid that things are going to go bad, and then everyone is going to turn and point a finger at him demanding his job.

 

Brevard County 6, St. Lucie 5

Hansel Robles did not look like himself out there at all for the St. Lucie Mets on Monday, but he was able to keep his posture and bend, not break over the course of five innings. He walked four batters, allowed four hits, and made an errant throw on a pick-off and he still allowed only two runs.

The Mets put a few runs on the board for Robles while he was on the mound, via an RBI triple by Dustin Lawley in the first and an Aderlin Rodriguez RBI single in the third.

Dustin Lawley and Travis Taijeron both went deep in the bottom of the fifth to give St. Lucie a temporary 4-2 lead. It all got shot to hell in the top of the seventh, however, where Chasen Bradford allowed four runs off five hits in the frame, with four of them going for extra bases.

St. Lucie did bang out twelve hits overall, though, including a last-ditch few in the ninth that led to a run.

Key Stats

Robbie Shields: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 R

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-5, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 2-for-5, 1 RBI

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

Rylan Sandoval: 3-for-5

Hansel Robles: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

Jim Fuller: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Chasen Bradford: 1.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 K

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

Carlos Vazquez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

St. Lucie 17, Palm Beach 1

Do not be alarmed…you are not dreaming. This actually did happen. Noah Syndergaard was responsible for stifling the Palm Beach bats with some superb pitching while the St. Lucie offense combined for sixteen hits and a crooked seventeen runs.

So let’s give Syndergaard his time in the sun here. This young man seems to be pitching with a chip on his shoulder every time he takes the mound… I almost feel like he is angry at Toronto for trading him and he is setting out to be an ace-caliber pitcher – which is fine by me. He followed up a string of great starts with yet another dominating performance. He allowed just one run off four hits and a walk across seven innings, where he struck out seven and is quickly becoming one of my favorite prospects in our entire organization.

Syndergaard retired 15 consecutive batters after allowing a leadoff double in the first. He allowed just two runners on base through the first six innings. If you were to take away the seventh inning from this start, he would have allowed one hit and zero runs over six innings with six strikeouts to boot. If you’re not impressed by the Synder man’s recent stretch of pitching, you might need to try a new sport. This is his fourth consecutive start lasting at least six innings and allowing one run or less.

A pitcher always has an easier day with run support, though, so a lead that widened to 16-0 at one point must have helped his cause. Every starter except Aderlin Rodriguez (0-for-6, yeesh) had a hit, and all but two had an RBI. Matt Reynolds was a god of baseball war at the plate, where he had three hits and five RBIs. Cam Maron also had a nice day at the ballpark, calling a great game and driving home two runs. St. Lucie was 8-for-24 as a team with RISP.

Final tip of my hat here goes to T.J. Chism, who pitched the last two innings of the game for St. Lucie without allowing a run.

Key Stats

Robbie Shields: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB

Matt Reynolds: 3-for-5, 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 2 R

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 1 BB

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

Cam Maron: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Gilbert Gomez: 3-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Noah Syndergaard: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 7 K

T.J. Chism: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K

St. Lucie 13, Daytona 3

Matthew Bowman pitched six innings and struck out seven to earn his first win in his Florida State League debut as the Mets defeated the Daytona Cubs 13-3 on Tuesday.

The Mets(20-11) won their fourth straight game and have won the first three games of the series between the two teams.

Bowman allowed three runs and six hits and issued just one walk.

The Mets jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth. Dustin Lawley hit a solo home run to left to make it 1-0. Travis Taijeron lined a home run to right to extend the lead to 2-0. Charley Thurber ripped an RBI triple to right to extend the lead.

Aderlin Rodriguez drilled his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot to left in the fifth.

The Mets pulled away with an eight-run seventh inning, highlighted by Thurber’s bases clearing three-run double.

The Mets will host the Cubs(16-15) on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in the series finale. Alex Panteliodis will make his second start with the Mets.

Key Stats

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB

Aderlin Rodriguez: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R

Travis Taijeron: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R

Charley Thurber: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI, 1 R

Matthew Bowman: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 ER, 7 K

Estarlin Morel: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Chasen Bradford: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

(Team Report)

Kevin Plawecki is leading the South Atlantic League in hitting.

Welcome to the second edition of Who’s Hot, Who’s Not. This week was a very intriguing one for followers of the Mets minor league system. We saw the rise of two top pitching prospects, and the fall of one who had been absolutely dominant. We also saw Kevin Plawecki continue to show why the Mets made him a first-round pick last year. He leads off our Hot List…

Who’s Hot

•   Kevin Plawecki, C (SAV): Plawecki continues to rake and prove that he is too advanced for the South Atlantic League. In a stadium  in which hits are hard to come by, Plawecki has hit the cover off the ball, and put up very good power numbers. This week, he hit .438 with a .500 On-Base Percentage and slugged .750. He is currently leading the league in average, On-Base Percentage, Slugging, doubles, and total bases.
• Noah Syndergaard, RHP (STL): After giving up seven runs against Fort Myers on April 18, Syndergaard has been lights out, tossing three straight terrific outings. In his two starts this week, he allowed just two runs (one earned) on 13 hits in 13 innings. Even more impressive, he struck out 12 and walked just three.
• Zack Wheeler, RHP (LAV): Wheeler, after some awful early-season struggles, has bounced back well. This week, he allowed one run on eight hits over 12.2 innings, while walking just two batters. He has also been throwing more strikes, which is the key to him reaching the majors. Wheeler has started using his breaking ball again, which may be the reason he has been able to put it back together on the mound.

Honorable Mention: Travis Taijeron, OF (STL): Taijeron was on fire this week, hitting six doubles an batting .500 and getting on base in well over 50% of his plate appearances. Taijeron struggled in the second half, so it’s great to see him be able to put it back together again.

Who’s Not

• Rafael Montero, RHP (BIN): Montero was on fire last week, making last week’s Hot List. This week, however, was a completely different story for Montero. In one start, he tossed 6.2 innings but allowed ten runs (seven of them earned) on ten hits against Erie. That came after five straight starts of alloweing two runs or less to start the season.
• Jacob deGrom, RHP (BIN): DeGrom had one so-so start and one bad start this week for Binghamton. In his first against Akron, he allowed five runs on seven hits (including two home runs) against Akron. In the second, he gave up three in six innings. However, for the entire week, he was only able to strike out three batters in 11.1 innings. It’s only two starts, but deGrom averaged almost eight strikeouts per nine innings last season.
• Brian Bixler, SS (LAV): Bixler, who signed as a minor league free agent this offseason, had a very tough week at the plate, batting .150/.190/.150 with no extra-base hits and five strikeouts in 20 at-bats.

St. Lucie 10, Fort Myers 5

Aderlin Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs as the Mets defeated the host Fort Myers Miracle 10-5 on Saturday at Hammond Stadium.

The Mets avoided the sweep and were able to salvage the final game of a three-game series.

The Mets trailed 3-0 entering the second inning as Miracle third baseman Miguel Sano hit a three-run homer to right off Mets starter Robert Gsellman in the first.

The Mets answered back as they loaded the bases in the second with no outs. Cam Maron ripped a bases clearing three-run double to center to tie the score.

Rodriguez hit a solo home run to right in the third to give the Mets a 4-3 lead.

Dustin Lawley had a sacrifice fly RBI and Rodriguez added an RBI single in the fifth to extend the Mets lead to 6-3.

Lawley added an RBI double in the seventh to make it 7-3. Travis Taijeron launched his second home run of the season to right in the eighth.

Rodriguez had a two-run double to center in the ninth to help the Mets pull away.

Gsellman made his second start for the Mets and earned his first victory in the Florida State League. Gsellman allowed all three hits in the first inning and tossed five effective innings. He walked three and struck out three. He retired the final seven batters that he faced.

Hamilton Bennett pitched two scoreless innings in relief. Randy Fontanez allowed an unearned run in the eighth while T. J. Chism gave up a run in the ninth. Chism induced a double play to end the game.

The Mets will host the Daytona Cubs on Sunday at Tradition Field at 4:00 p.m. Gates open at 3:00 p.m. Domingo Tapia is the scheduled starter for the Mets.

Key Stats

T.J. Rivera: 1-for-4, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 SB

Robbie Shields: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 2 R

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI

Aderlin Rodriguez: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R

Travis Taijeron: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Cam Maron: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI

Robert Gsellman: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 HR, 3 BB, 3 ER, 3 K

Hamilton Bennett: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2 K

Randy Fontanez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 K

T.J. Chism: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 K

(Team Report)

Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 0

St. Lucie’s starter Noah Syndergaard was locked in a pitchers’ duel with Fort Myers’ starter Matthew Summers for the majority of this game.  Syndergaard fired five scoreless innings to start the game before running into trouble in the sixth. Fort Myers’ third baseman Miguel Sano doubled off Syndergaard, but shortstop T.J. Rivera threw out Eddie Rosario at home plate. The next batter, Kennys Vargas, unfortunately came through for the Miracle with an RBI single for the first run of the game.

By looking at the stat line alone, Syndergaard allowed eight hits and two walks, which looks a little worrisome. However, he stranded nine of those ten and danced out of danger all evening. While six innings pitched was once a career high for Syndergaard, he has now strung together three straight outings of at least six innings and no more than one earned run allowed in each. He has also walked a maximum of two batters per start in the same span as well. He dropped his ERA down to 2.90 as he has looked to have settled down nicely in the FSL.

It all fell apart for St Lucie in the seventh inning, however, after Syndergaard’s departure. Pedro Feliciano yielded singles to the first two batters he faced and a fielding error on a sacrifice bunt loaded the bases. Feliciano then gave up consecutive sacrifice flies to make the score 3-0. Chasen Bradford came in relief of Feliciano and didn’t fare much better. Bradford gave up three hits and two runs in the inning, including one he inherited from Pedro Feliciano, which put St. Lucie behind 6-0. Third baseman Rylan Sandoval committed two errors in the inning.

St. Lucie’s offense was completely shut down by the Fort Myers pitching staff.  St. Lucie scored no runs and only had 6 hits. Their biggest opportunity of the night was in the fifth inning. Travis Taijeron led off the inning with a double, but St. Lucie failed to drive him in. The Mets will look to avoid the series sweep against Fort Myers on Sunday.  Tonight’s loss puts them seven games behind first place in the south division.

Key Stats

Noah Syndergaard: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 5 K

Pedro Feliciano: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER

Chasen Bradford: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 ER

Wanel Vasquez: 1.0 IP, 1 BB, 0 ER

Cam Maron: 1-for-4, 1 2B

Travis Taijeron: 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 BB

Albert Cordero: 1-for-3, 1 BB

St. Lucie 9, Tampa 2

Domination, thy name is Noah Syndergaard. When d’Arnaud went down with an injury, Syndergaard must have given himself a personal pep talk and told himself to step on – because he has been on his game through his last two starts. After tying his career high of six innings pitched in his previous start, the talented young hurler dominated the Tampa Yankees over seven innings and allowed a mere unearned run.

This is definitively his best start since joining the New York Mets organization and I really think we picked up a future stud in this kid. He scattered five hits and walked only one batter, while striking out seven batters. He looked most impressive in the second inning where he struck out the side. His only run crossed the plate after an error allowed a baserunner to advance to third base, and he allowed a sacrifice fly. The only other time he even looked like he was in a bit of trouble was in the seventh, where he walked and balked, but danced out of trouble.

He induced four fly outs and four ground balls – and of course, struck out seven batters. Hamilton Bennett finished up the game for him, allowing a run in the bottom of the ninth, but halting the rally at that.

St. Lucie had no problem backing him up offensively either, as Dustin Lawley continued his hot hitting in recent games by driving in three runs off two hits. Travis Taijeron added two RBI of his own. The Mets took a 3-1 lead after the top of the fourth and never once looked back, tacking on six more runs throughout the course of the game for the 9-2 final decision.

Key Stats

Robbie Shields: 4-for-5, 2 2B, 3 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

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

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

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

Hamilton Bennett: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 K

St. Lucie 5, Bradenton 2

St. Lucie starter Angel Cuan had a decent bounce back start tonight to pick up his third win of the season. Cuan pitched in and out of trouble most of the night, but he escaped without incurring too much damage.  In the third and fourth innings, the first two batters reached base against Cuan, but he managed to not allow any runs in either frame. However, in the fifth, Cuan yielded two runs off three hits.

Jim Fuller came in relief of Cuan in the sixth inning and St. Lucie received outstanding relief work from Fuller and T.J. Chism. Fuller pitched two scoreless innings and only allowed one hit.  Chism also pitched two scoreless innings and picked up a six out save. T.J. Chism has been superb this season, with a 1.35 ERA so far.

St. Lucie was found success against Bradenton starter Eliecer Navarro. Rylan Sandoval led off the second inning with a line drive single to right field. The next batter, Dustin Lawley, launched a 2 run home run that put St. Lucie ahead 2-0. St. Lucie tacked on another run in the inning off an RBI single by catcher Cam Maron. Cam Maron had an eventful night behind the plate. He threw out two runners that were attempting to steal, but he was also charged with catchers interference in the third inning.

Dustin Lawley crushed another home run in the 6^th that extended the Mets lead. Lawley looked like he busted out his slump with a terrific night at the plate. Lawley was hitting .164 on the season before tonight’s game.

Key Stats

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB

Cam Maron: 1-for-4, RBI

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

Albert Cordero: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 SB

Rylan Sandoval: 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 SB

Angel Cuan: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 4 K

Jim Fuller: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K

T.J. Chism: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 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

Fort Myers 14, St. Lucie 2

It was a rough night for St. Lucie on Friday, where they allowed 14 runs, and their offense was stifled by Fort Myers’ pitcher D.J. Baxendale.

Angel Cuan started tonight for St. Lucie and gave up a lead-off homerun to Adam Pettersen on the third pitch of the game. Cuan yielded an RBI single to Pettersen in the top of the third inning, but in the bottom half, Travis Taijeron responded by blasting a solo home run to left field to make the score 2-1.

It all unraveled for Cuan in the fourth inning, however, where he gave up seven earned runs and three home runs in the inning. Estarlin Morel pitched in relief of Cuan and allowed two runs while retiring only one batter. Morel was ejected for throwing a pitch high and inside that almost hit Fort Myers’ third baseman Kennys Vargas.  Manager Ryan Ellis was also ejected. Wanel Vasquez came in and induced a grounder to the second baseman to finally put an end to the inning. The Miracle scored a total of nine runs in the inning. It was over for St. Lucie at that point, with the score standing at 11-1.

St. Lucie will look to rebound tomorrow in the final game of the series against Fort Myers.  The pitching matchup will be Domingo Tapia vs. Tom Stuifbergen.

Key Stats

T.J. Rivera: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI

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

Angel Cuan: 3.1 IP, 11 H, 4 HR, 1 BB, 9 ER, 2 K

Estarlin Morel: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 ER

Wanel Vasquez: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER

T.J. Chism: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 ER, 1 K

Chasen Bradford: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 HR, 2 ER, 1 K

Charlotte 5, St. Lucie 2

Starting off ugly and not getting much better, the St. Lucie Mets got hit hard out of the gate by the Charlotte Stone Crabs and were unable to bounce back, falling by a score of 5-2.

Marcos Camarena took the hill for his start for the St. Lucie Mets and made it one he will soon like to forget. In just five innings of work, Camarena surrenedered four runs on six hits while walking three and failing to punch out a batter. Jake Hager led the game off with a double and was bunted over to third by Taylor Motter, putting him 90 feet away for Drew Vettleson who drove him home with a liner to Travis Taijeron in right that when for a RBI single. Jeff Malm hit a two-bagger of his own in the second to make a 2-0 ballgame and was quickly driven in by Jake DePew who had a Rib-eye steak of his own to make it a three-run lead. Then in the third, Richie Shaffer served up a solo shot that went to left for a home run. Camarena settled down for his final two innings of work but the damage was done as his he takes his first loss of the season while his ERA ballooned to 8.31.

Pedro Feliciano and Frank Francisco each pitched an inning of scoreless relief for their rehab appearances. Feliciano clocked in at 82-83mph as he did all spring. Hopefully he will be able to get his velocity back to his pre-Yankee days.

The St. Lucie Mets on the other hand were baffled by the Stone Crab’s Jesse Hahn. Hahn went only three innings, however surrendered just one hit while striking out six. Jake Floethe took over duties and continued to hold the Mets off the board until the seventh. Aderlin Rodriguez started off the rally with a homer to left to make it a three run ballgame. Travis Taijeron hit a single then got himself into scoring position on a wild pitch. Albert Cordero would drive him in to make it a two-run game however it wouldn’t be enough as the Mets would go onto lose by a score of 5-2, falling to 9-4 on the season overall.

Key Stats

Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Albert Cordero: 2-for-3, 1 RBI

Travis Taijeron: 1-for-3, 1 R

Pedro Feliciano: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K (Fastball at 82-83 MPH)

Frank Francisco: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K (Fastball at 90-92 MPH)

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