Jayce Boyd finally got that long waited promotion to Advanced-A, right after the SAL All Star Game as I had speculated. But don’t think for a moment that the better class of pitching has slowed him down any… It hasn’t.
The right-handed first-bagger has a four game hitting streak and has nine hits in his first 17 FSL at-bats with a home run on Sunday and five RBIs in his first week.
Before his promotion to Advanced-A St. Lucie, Boyd was among the top ten in many offensive categories the South Atlantic League:
- .361 Batting Average (1st)
- .441 On-Base Percentage (1st)
- 46 RBIs (9th)
- 123 Total Bases (9th)
- 35 Walks (8th)
Matt Musico, the executive editor for Mets.Minors.net, wrote the following about Boyd last week shortly before his promotion:
Jayce Boyd was a sixth-round draft pick by the New York Mets in last year’s MLB Draft, and has certainly made people within the organization take notice with his performance with the Savannah Sand Gnats through 62 games this season.
After signing with New York, the Florida State University product joined the Cyclones in Brooklyn for 54 games and 201 at-bats. He put together decent numbers in his first professional season (.239/.320/.368), but certainly nothing eye-popping. In 2013, he’s turned into a force at the plate, with last night’s 4-for-4 performance (including a triple, home run, and three RBIs) against Greenville as the team’s cleanup hitter as another reminder.
His patience at the plate has been the most notable part of his approach since joining the Mets organization. In Brooklyn, he walked 25 times compared to 30 strikeouts. The same trend is appearing this year with Savannah, as he’s drawn 35 free passes, compared to only 32 strikeouts.
While Boyd is hitting well in just about every scenario thrown his way this season, he’s especially killing southpaws when they take the mound. Only 36 of his 240 at-bats have come against left-handers, but he’s put together a ridiculous .472/.568/.611 line, good for a 1.179 OPS.
I’ve said this before and I will continue saying it until he proves me wrong, but Boyd could end up being the first baseman of the future for the Mets.
I still believe that if they can rebuild Ike Davis‘ value, he will be shopped and likely traded this offseason.
As most of the readers here know, I said the same thing last year and yet they brought him back and gave him a huge raise while avoiding arbitration. I suspect they strongly regret that now and I’d bet that won’t happen again this Winter.
