Record: 46-32
Top Performers / Top Prospects
- Noah Syndergaard, RHP: Syndergaard has not seen his typical success in Las Vegas by any means. The 21 year-old has struggled, posting a 4.98 ERA in 65 innings this season. He has fallen victim to the tough pitching conditions of Las Vegas, and currently has a 5.36 ERA at home, where conditions are the worst.He has seen his walk and strikeout rates worsen this season. It’s also important to consider that Syndergaard is six years younger than league average, but he has nonetheless still struggled. This was not the season Mets fans were looking for from Syndergaard.
- Rafael Montero: RHP: Montero has fared much better than Syndergaard, but his numbers have been clearly hurt by the PCL as well. He has a 3.75 ERA on the season in 50.1 innings. Those are just his Triple-A numbers of course. He also made a brief stop in New York, allowing 12 earned runs in 20 innings before being sent down. This is by no means the end of Montero, however. He will definitely be back again by season’s end.
- Cesar Puello, OF: Puello has probably had the most confusing season of any player in the Met system. 23 years old, Puello is hitting .229/.332/.324 in 63 games with just 12 total extra base-hits. However, he has received only on-and-off playing time this season. This is strange considering Puello’s incredible season with Binghamton last year. Sure, he was suspended for taking performance-enhancing drugs, but he is also one of the most intriguing outfield prospects in the entire system, not the kind of player you bench
- Allan Dykstra, 1B: Las Vegas is a strange mix of typical prospects and mid-to-late-20s on base machines. Dykstra certainly falls in the latter category. A former first-round pick of the Padres in 2008, Dykstra has taken a few years to come into his own and the Mets haven’t exactly rushed him up through the ranks. He is hitting .295/.436/.536 with ten homers, 18 doubles, and a triple in 67 games thus far. Part of his huge offensive numbers may be due to his age compared to the league and the hitter-friendly league and stadium, but Dykstra is nonetheless making a case for himself as a possible big league backup.
- Logan Verrett, RHP: The 24 year-old Verrett has had a solid year considering the pitching conditions, and is one of the few real pitching prospects currently on the Las Vegas roster. The former third-round selection has a 4.38 ERA in a team-high 90.1 innings pitched. Although his strikeout numbers are way down, his walk rate has dropped from 1.9 last season to 1.4 this year.
Notes
- Las Vegas leads the Pacific Coast League in runs, home runs, OPS, and walks. That’s not surprising considering the conditions the team plays in, however.
- The Las Vegas pitching staff has actually fared decently in the conditions, allowing the fourth-fewest home runs per nine innings in the league and striking out the third-most batters.
Outlook / Promotions
- Kevin Plawecki will soon be joining Las Vegas, which has already received Matt Reynolds from Binghamton. Within the next few months, including Syndergaard and Montero.
