Photo by @KristinBasnett

Position Player – Patrick Mazeika, C

Affiliate: Binghamton Rumble Ponies
Season Stats: .261/.332/.442, 12 2B, 6 HR, 32 RBI
May Stats: .298/.350/.574, 8 2B, 6 HR, 25 RBI

With Mazeika, the questions started shifting from will he ever hit for power to will he ever hit enough. That’s what happens when you have one down year. In April, things did not seem to go very well, but Mazeika was putting the work in to improve his stance and balance at the plate. As we saw in May, his work paid off.

During the month, Mazeika had a 12-game and a five-game hitting streak. He put together six multi-hit games along with two three-hit games and also had a stretch with four homers over five games including a game-winning grand slam.

Overall, this is one of the best stretches of his career, which is not something to take lightly for a player who hit well over the first three years of his career. It will be interesting to see if the power leads to him getting more chances behind the plate. On that note, he has made continued strides as a receiver and in throwing out base runners.

Honorable Mention: Carlos Cortes hit .303/.355/.505 for Columbia in May with 12 extra base hits which is more than he had all last year with Brooklyn.

Starting Pitcher – Anthony Kay

Affiliate: Binghamton
Season Stats: 6-3, 1.62 ERA, 0.918 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 9.0 K/9
May Stats: 5-1, 1.47 ERA, 0.873 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 7.9 K/9

Kay put together one of the best three-start stretches not just of his career, but of any minor league starter this year. From May 7-20, he made three seven-inning starts allowing four or fewer hits with one earned run or fewer. He walked one batter per game and struck out 19 batters. The best start was his May 20 start, where he allowed no hits over seven innings.

The main reason for Kay’s success is his improved control. During the month, he was throwing 65 percent of his pitches for strikes. It hearkened back to his days at UConn where he was known more for his control. He’s getting back to having that reputation again while simultaneously having developed better spin rates on his fastball and curve. Seeing the way he is pitching, and the Mets need for pitchers, you really do have to question why he is still in Binghamton and not Syracuse.

Honorable Mention – The St. Lucie staff had a good month. Kevin Smith had a 2.25 ERA in five May starts, and Tony Dibrell had a 1.38 ERA over his five starts.

Reliever – Stephen Nogosek

Affiliate: Binghamton & Syracuse
Season Stats: 2-0, 0.64 ERA, 1.143 WHIP, 4.8 BB/9, 9.3 K/9
May Stats: 1-0, 0.50 ERA, 0.944 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9, 12.5 K/9

After Jamie Callahan suffered a shoulder injury leading to his release and Gerson Bautista was moved in the trade for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz, Nogosek became the last player left from the Addison Reed trade with the Red Sox. While he may not have been the most heralded of the group, he’s now what’s left, and he’s starting to prove himself.

As noted earlier with Kay, it all begins with control for Nogosek. While the 3.0 walks per nine is still high, it is nearly two walks fewer than not just his April numbers, but also his professional career numbers. In May, he was up to throwing 62 percent of his pitches for strikes which is a significant improvement over his 52 percent in April. Not only did that lead to fewer walks, but it also led to an increased strikeout rate.

With him throwing more strikes, he has now allowed just one earned run over his last 23.1 innings spread across 13 appearances. During that time, he has a 3.1 K/BB ratio and had a 10 appearance stretch with at least one strikeout. This improved control where he has kept opposing batters to a .211/.279/.234 batting line led to his promotion to Syracuse where he has not allowed a run over his five appearances.

Honorable Mention – Like Nogosek, Steve Villines earned a promotion to Syracuse. In 11 Triple-A appearances, he has a 1.98 ERA.