Last week, the Binghamton Mets announced their award winners for the 2009 season. In a short post-game ceremony, former B-Met Josh Thole, Pitcher, Roy Merritt and Shortstop, Ruben Tejada were recognized for personal accomplishments both on and off the field. Here are the the capsules from the team’s website.
Most Inspirational Player: SS Ruben Tejada
In just his third season as a member of the Mets farm system, this player has wowed his coaches, teammates and the fans of Binghamton. At the age of 19, he played for his native Panama in the 2009 World Baseball Classic alongside Major League faces such as Carlos Lee and Carlos Ruiz. This season he has set new career highs in doubles with 22, homers with 4 and RBIs with 43. After batting .229 last season for St. Lucie, he has improved his hitting clip to .288 against more challenging pitchers at the AA level. The 2009 Most Inspirational B-Mets Player is shortstop Ruben Tejada.
Most Valuable Pitcher: LHP Roy Merritt
With just six career saves entering 2009 and six relief appearances above short-season A Brooklyn, this Houston, TX native nailed down saves in each of his first eight appearances for the B-Mets in April. The Mets 29th-round pick in 2007 out of Southern University quickly cemented his status as one of the league’s elite at finishing games. He was one of three Binghamton players named to the Eastern League All-Star Game and enters play tonight tied for the league lead in appearances with 55. This season, he has set new career highs in innings pitched (61.1), wins (4) and, of course, saves (13). Left-handed hitters are batting a dismal .211 against this southpaw. The 2009 Most Valuable Pitcher is Roy Merritt.
Most Valuable Player: C Josh Thole
He quickly became a force at the plate for Binghamton, hitting in the middle of the lineup during his time in a B-Mets uniform. He was named to the Eastern League All-Star team in July, but had to forgo the game due to a dislocated left thumb. He made his Big League debut September 3 at Colorado and singled in his first at-bat off Rockies starter Jason Marquis, after which he promptly stole his first Major League base. At the time of his promotion, he was hitting .328, second-best in the league, with 29 doubles and 46 RBIs. He is now the 10th B-Mets Most Valuable Player to play in the Major Leagues. The 2009 recipient of the William J. McGowan Award as the team’s Most Valuable Player is catcher Josh Thole.
Congratulations to all three players. We’ve heard a lot about Tejada and Thole this past season, but not much on Merritt. I took a closer look at his stats and saw he had a 3.45 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. It looks like the B-Mets pitchers has a tough season, but one bright spot was Tobi Stoner who had a 2.68 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP in seven starts. In 47 innings pitched, he allowed just 28 hits and walked 13. He has been selected to play in the Arizona Fall League which I will post more on later today or tomorrow. I suspect we’ll be hearing more and more about Stoner this off season.
