On Monday, MLB announced New York Mets minor league infielder Cristopher Larez received a 56-game suspension after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Boldenone.
Larez signed with the Mets as an international free agent out of Venezuela on January 15th for $1.4 million. The 17-year-old hit .274/.351/.405 with a homer, 13 RBIs, eight doubles, and nine stolen bases in 84 at-bats for the DSL Mets Orange affiliate.
FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE METS: PLAYOFF PREVIEW
The FCL Mets will wrap up their regular season on the road Tuesday at 10 a.m. against the FCL Cardinals. The Mets clinched the FCL East division with a 31-18 record and will have home-field advantage in the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. The semifinals begin on Thursday, August 24.
The Mets’ opponent has yet to be determined, as the FCL Yankees (FCL North) is the only other team to clinch. The FCL playoff format pits the division winner with the best record against the wild card team (the team with the best winning percentage who were not division winners), and the other two division winners meet in a one-game semifinal. The winners then move on to a best-of-three final for the league championship.
Players to keep an eye on during the playoffs:
Ronald Hernandez has been one of the best hitters in the FCL this season. The 19-year-old backstop is second in the league with a 158 wRC+, third with a .948 OPS, and eleventh with a .296 batting average and a .467 slugging. Since joining the Mets organization, he has hit .290/.531/.516/1.047 with a homer, 11 RBIs, four doubles, 15 walks, and seven strikeouts in 49 plate appearances.
Infielder Marco Vargas has drawn 47 walks this year, tied for first in the FCL with fellow teammate Hernandez. His 14 doubles are second-best, and he is fourth in OBP with a .433. Vargas has struggled a bit since joining the Mets but has reached base in eight of his last 10 contests, good for a .351 OBP.
Willy Fanas leads the team with 25 RBIs and is tied for fourth in the FCL with three triples. The 19-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic is slashing .254/.322/.433 with 15 extra-base hits in 38 games.
In addition, first-rounder Colin Houck has posted a .375 OBP and four RBIs in eight games. Third-round pick Nolan McLean clubbed his first professional homer on August 11 and has a 1.026 OPS in 11 plate appearances, and 19-year-old infielder A.J. Ewing drafted in the fourth round, is hitting .286/.524/.357 with a .881 OPS in seven games.
On the pitching side, 19-year-old right-hander Wilson Esterlin has been one of the more dominant pitchers in the FCL. He leads the league with 57 punch outs and has held opponents to a .203 batting average in 11 games (eight starts). Southpaw Franklin Gomez made his stateside debut on August 15 and tossed four innings with seven strikeouts. Gomez posted a 4-3 record with a 2.44 ERA and 12.5 strikeouts per nine in 44 innings for the DSL Mets Blue. Another to watch is right-hander Kade Morris, a third-round pick this year, who allowed an unearned run in his first appearance on August 17.
DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE RECAP
DSL Mets Blue (26-28) 12, DSL Rockies (29-24) 2
- 3B Leyderman Ruiz 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI(19), BB, .657 OPS
- LF Justin Ramirez 3-for-5, R, HR(6), RBI(33), BB, .776 OPS
- C Daniel Silva 3-for-6, R, HR(1), 3 RBI(4), .912 OPS
- 2B Julian Hernandez 4-for-6, 2 R, HR(2), RBI(10), .755 OPS
The DSL Mets Blue squad clubbed three home runs on Monday. Outfielder Justin Ramirez slugged his sixth dinger in the third inning, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. Catcher Daniel Silva collected three hits. He struck a two-run single in the third and smacked his first round-tripper in the seventh. Infielder Julian Hernandez delivered a four-hit performance, with three singles, and swatted a solo shot in the seventh.
- RHP Lucas Gordillo (W, 2-2) 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K, 1.21 ERA
Lucas Gordillo tossed a gem Monday against the DSL Rockies after allowing six runs in his last start. The 21-year-old right-hander hurled 5 1/3 scoreless frames yielding two hits and a pair of walks. Gordillo fanned eight hitters, giving him 55 in 37 1/3 innings on the season. His ERA now stands at 1.21 in 13 games (9 starts).
DSL Rangers Blue (19-36) 10, DSL Mets Orange (24-30) 11
BOX SCORE FINAL/10
- DH Anthony Baptist 1-for-4, 2 R, 3B, RBI(16), 2 BB, SB(12), .902 OPS
- RF Jeffry Rosa 2-for-5, 2 R, HR(15), 3 RBI(39), 1.069 OPS
- 2B Marcos Terrero 2-for-4, 3 R, 2 2B, RBI(8), BB, .807 OPS
Jeffry Rosa continues to mash in the DSL. The 18-year-old outfielder drilled a two-run shot for his league-leading 15th home run. Rosa added an RBI base knock in the 10th. His OPS is now at 1.069.
Anthony Baptist, 17, smacked his sixth triple, scored two runs, drew a pair of walks, and swiped his 12th bag. Baptist is slashing .276/.426/.476 and a .902 OPS in 105 at-bats.
- RHP Irving Cota 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 3.66 ERA
- RHP Frelianderson Seijas (W, 3-2) 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, ER, BB, 3 K, 7.48 ERA
Right-hander Irving Cota allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in four innings. He struck out four and did not issue a walk. The 19-year-old is 4-1 with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in 39 1/3 innings.
