With 2015 now behind us we will look at how each of the Mets affiliates fared last year. We start with the team that won the most games.
One of the biggest bright spots was the Savannah Sand Gnats who went 84-53 in the South Atlantic League. They had an 18-game winning streak, which was the longest in the last ten years of minor league baseball. The streak wasn’t ended by a loss but an extremely rare tie in baseball that was brought on heavy rain to an already suspended game.
Their season ended on September 12th after losing the rubber game in a best-of-3 series against the Asheville Tourists (Colorado Rockies) in the first round of the playoffs. They had the tying run at third base and the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the 9th inning when a groundout by Patrick Biondi ended the season. During the regular season the Gnats were led by South Atlantic League Most Valuable Player Luis Guillorme who hit .318/.391/.354 with 55 RBI and 18 stolen bases.
The Sand Gnats had a 3.12 team ERA which was the lowest in the league and the best among Mets full season teams. They also led the league with nine complete games and 14 shutouts. The pitching staff allowed the fewest amount of walks (342) while striking out the third most (1097) producing a 3.21 SO/W that led all of the Mets affiliates.
The Gnats offense held its own scoring 4.54 runs per game compared to the league average of 4.39 runs per game. They were third in the with a .335 on-base percentage but had the second fewest extra base hits with 328 as they played in the pitcher friendly Grayson Stadium.
Infielder Jonathan Johnson, starting pitcher Casey Meisner (traded to A’s), and reliever David Roseboom were midseason All-Stars. The SAL post-season All-Star team included Gnats outfielder Wuilmer Becerra, manager Jose Leger, and Guillorme.
Offensive Leaders:
- Homeruns – Eudor Garcia 9, Becerra 9, Vicente Lupo 8, Michael Katz 6, Tomas Nido 6
- Triples – John Mora 12, Patrick Biondi 5, Jean Rodriguez 5, Garcia 4, Johnson 4
- Doubles – Becerra 27, Garcia 23, Mora 22, Johnson 19, Lupo 18, Guillorme 16
- AVG – Guillorme .318, Garcia .296, Becerra .290, Mora .278
- OBP – Johnson .396, Guillorme .391, Mora .368, Becerra .342
- SLG – Garcia .442, Mora .428, Becerra .423, Katz .395, Lupo .381
- Stolen Bases – Biondi 38, Johnson 23, Guillorme 18, Rodriguez 17, Becerra 16
- RBI – Becerra 63, Mora 60, Garcia 59, Guillorme 55, Rodriguez 44
- Runs – Johnson 73, Becerra 67, Guillorme 67, Mora 65, Garcia 57
Pitching Leaders:
- Wins – Corey Oswalt 11, Scarlyn Reyes 10, Casey Delgado 8, Ricky Knapp 8
- Starters ERA – Meisner 2.13, Martires Arias 2.43, Ricky Knapp 2.60, Delgado 3.17
- Starters WHIP – Meisner 1.026, Delgado 1.095, Arias 1.099, Knapp 1.239
- Saves – Jimmy Duff 12, Alberto Baldonado 9, David Roseboom 8
- Strikeouts – Arias 110, Oswalt 99, Knapp 91, Delgado 81, Reyes 78
- Reliever ERA – Roseboom 1.15, Paul Paez 1.36, Cameron Griffin 1.67
- Reliever WHIP – Roseboom 0.798, Luis Mateo 0.943, Paez 1.008
- SO/W – Paez 5.67, Duff 5.50, Chris Flexen 4.71, Oswalt 4.71, Knapp 4.55
The year was bittersweet though for the Gnats as it was also their last season as a Mets affiliate. The Mets new Class A team will be the Columbia Fireflies who will play at Spirit Communications Park in downtown Columbia, South Carolina. The Gnats have been a Mets affiliate since 2007 and won a league title in 2013.
For the Winter Ball Recap: T.J. Rivera Stays Hot, Asdrubal Cabrera Plays Short Again and more minor league information head over to MetsMinors.net.
