After missing the rest of the 2013 season due to being handed a 50 game suspension in early August for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal, he is in winter ball working towards regaining the swing that helped him put up some tremendous numbers in the first half with the B- Mets where he batted .326/.403/.547 with 16 home runs and 73 RBIs.

It was a great year cut short, and now he has hopes that he can use the Dominican Winter League to refuel that fire in his swing and prove that the numbers weren’t chemically enhanced.

So far through 10 games in the Dominican Winter League with the Toros, he is hitting .265/.265/.382 with one home run.

It’s far too soon to read anything into his early performance as he shakes off months of rust, and it may take a while to regain the timing that helped become the productive player he was before the suspension.

Puello will need plenty of playing time until he has enough plate appearances and starts to form a reliable evaluation, but I feel that once he becomes more comfortable, he’ll start to be as productive as he was before.

The key for Puello is to put the suspension behind him and focus on making a case for what’s to come in 2014. It would be good to see him start to hit in the DR before heading to spring training in February, not only as a step in the right direction for his own development, but also to enhance and reestablish his status as a top prospect.

Not that playing with the Toros should be any added pressure, but all eyes are on him to see if the pre-suspension numbers are what fans could continue to look forward to.

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

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I wanted to post some amazing photographs taken by Kelly Madden and Gordon Donovan who were at last night’s game at NYSEG Stadium where a dominant performance by Noah Syndergaard propelled Binghamton to a 5-4 win over the New Britain Rock Cats. That first shot you see there, was taken by Kelly last night. What a great shot…

In this stunning photo taken by Gordon Donovan, Syndergaard is ready to fire away and deliver a strike. It was one of many as the young righthander struck out ten batters in his five scoreless innings of work.

Underrated third baseman Josh Rodriguez has a .387 on-base and 27 doubles to go along with his 71 runs scored this season for the first place Binghamton Mets. Photo by Kelly Madden.

Binghamton closer Jeff Walters notched his league leading 35th save of the season last night and has already broken the franchise record for the most saves in a season. We may see Walters in Citi Field come September after the minor league postseason. Photo by Gordon Donovan.

I’ve always been a great admirer of art and photography. And while my own talents lie mostly in graphic design, I have a profound appreciation for great baseball photography. These are just four photographs taken last night by two amazing Met fans whose photos we are privileged to share from time to time in many of our minor league posts.

I just wanted to give them both a shout-out and thank them for allowing us to showcase their wonderful work both on MMO and MetsMinors.net.

You can follow Gordon Donovan at Twitter at @gordonovan and also visit his site here.

You can follow Kelly Madden on Twitter at kmadden27_and also visit her site here.

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Noah Syndergaard continues to show he can handle the competition up in Double-A. While at the MLB Futures Game earlier this month, the tall right-hander said he had two personal goals this season: to make it to the Futures Game and get promoted to Double-A by the end of the season. He’s already done both, and his stock is rising with each start for the B-Mets.

In two starts this week, Thor went 2-0 in 11 innings pitched, allowing just three runs on five hits, one walk, and 15 strikeouts. He allowed a solo home run yesterday in a six-inning, one-hit performance which you can read more about from Joe D. below.

That’s a pretty good week, especially after having a more “human” outing immediately before that on July 17th (5 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 5 K).

MMN’s top prospect is now 4-0 since being promoted from High-A St. Lucie, and boasts a 2.26 ERA with 46 strikeouts and only eight walks in 36 innings pitched.

He’s on the cusp of reaching a new career-high for innings; he’s currently at 99.2 frames between St. Lucie and Binghamton, which is just shy of the 103.2 innings he threw last season with Dunedin.

Original Post 7/28

The Binghamton Mets beat the Trenton Thunder by the score of 6-1 tonight at NYSEG Stadium.

Noah Syndergaard started and was nearly perfect in his six innings of work. His only blemish was one solitary hit, but it was a home run by Trenton center fielder Slade Heathcott. He walked none in the game and struck out eight batters while tossing 47 of his 59 pitches for strikes. Pretty freaking awesome…

Syndergaard improved to 4-0 in seven starts since his promotion last month to Double-A and has a sparkling 2.25 ERA for the B-Mets with 46 strikeouts and just eight walks in 36 innings pitched.

ALL HAIL!!!

By the way, Cesar Puello went 3-for-4 in the game with two runs scored, a double and an RBI. Puello is now batting .334 for the season with a .969 OPS in 316 at-bats. MMO has learned that he will NOT be promoted to Triple-A and will remain in Binghamton for the remainder of the season.

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

The post Noah Syndergaard Named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week appeared first on Metsmerized.

Allan Dykstra, Logan Verrett and Jeff Walters have the B-Mets on top of the EL standings.

Keep an eye on Dario Alvarez, the former Phillies prospect who missed time with injuries, was released, and then picked up by the Mets in January after a nice stint for Venezuela in Winter Ball.

Last night, Alvarez showed why he’s been seducing scouts when he has everything working for him. Now with the Brooklyn Cyclones, the southpaw tossed six shutout innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out 12.

With a dire need for lefthanded pitching in the system, keep an eye on this 24-year old as he works his way back to relevance and maybe even more than that.

Another pitcher who is flying under the radar is Jeff Walters, who matched a Binghamton Mets record when he recorded his 28th save of the season last night.

Walters has allowed runs in just five of his 40 appearances this year and is having an excellent season closing games for the B-Mets who continue to rollover the competition in the Eastern League.

He now has a  2.08 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in 40 appearances for Binghamton, and in 43.1 innings pitched he’s struck out 47 batters while walking 12 for a 3.92 K/BB, 9.8 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.

Walters was a 7th round pick in the 2010 Draft for the Mets out of the University of Georgia and it shouldn’t be long before he’s knocking on Wally Backman‘s door and perhaps gets a look-see in September for the Mets.

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

The post Two Mets Minor Leaguers To Keep An Eye On appeared first on Metsmerized.

I’m one of the people that believes that the All-Star can throw you off a little if you’re a pitcher…and I’d like to believe that’s what happened to Noah Syndergaard when he pitched for Binghamton today. He didn’t look like himself and was plagued with command issues, but he still got through five innings while allowing just three earned runs — and he did strike out five as well.

His final line was 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 HR, 3 BB, 3 ER, 5 K, with a 55:43 strike-to-ball ratio.

Syndergaard always seems to strike out a handful even on days when he isn’t completely on his game, which is testament to how good his stuff is naturally. Both of the home runs he gave up were solo shots, which weren’t that bad in the grand scheme, although the second one was an absolute bomb to center field.

He was dancing in and out of trouble today, and there are positives to be taken from that too — considering he kept his composure throughout those situations. He gave up a home run to Ryan Lollis to lead-off the ballgame and allowed a two-out RBI single in the second for his second earned run on the day.

Of course, the incredible moment of the day was the triple play — yes, a triple play. In the third inning, Richmond had first and second with none out, and Mark Minicozzi lined into a triple play, which may have saved him a world of trouble.

With Thor now going back to regular five-day rotation, he should be fine in his next start, just wait and see…

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

The post Syndergaard Gets Tagged For Two Homers, Strikes Out Five appeared first on Metsmerized.

Logan Verrett was knocked out of last night’s ballgame against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in the third inning, but the B-Mets scored seven runs between the fifth and sixth innings to secure their 52nd win of the season. If you missed the recap here on MMN, you can see it here. How did the B-Mets get all those runs in such a short period of time? The answer to that question is off the bat of Danny Muno.

The second baseman came up during perfect opportunities in back-to-back innings; he slugged a grand slam in the fifth, followed by a three-run homer in the next frame. The seven RBIs are a new personal best for Muno. With that career night, I wanted to get to know Muno a little better, and figured you’d want to, as well.

Muno was taken in the eighth round by the Mets in the 2011 draft. Fresh off his college season with Cal State Fresno, he reported to Brooklyn, and tore up the competition with a .355/.466/.514 line with two home runs, 24 RBIs, and 23 doubles. That immediately put him on the map heading into 2012, but a 50-game PED suspension prevented him from making any real progress through the pipeline. After posting a .280/.387/.412 line in St. Lucie, he earned the promotion to Binghamton, where he struggled to start the season, but has turned it on of late.

He squeaked into MMN’s pre-season Top 25 Prospect list at no. 25. Here’s what we had to say about Muno before the season started:

Muno has no plus-tools, but is a solid player across the board. Muno has great control of the strike zone, drawing walks while limiting the strikeouts. While playing both SS and 2B, he would slot at 2B in the majors, but with the potential to be a utility guy and play all over the diamond. Muno has some gap power and some speed, and if he continues to succeed at the MiLB level seeing him in 2014 playing for the Mets in some role has some legs to it.

Muno’s 2013 season got off to a rough start, hitting .224 in April, followed by a .179 mark in May, which included only one home run. He bounced back nicely in June with a .293 average, and has already gotten the month of July off to a great start with his career night. He’s currently hitting .240/.383/.388 with six home runs, 49 RBIs, and 19 doubles on the season, but has enjoyed a .344/.523/.688 line over his last 10 games.

His slow start may prevent us from seeing him in the big leagues at the start of 2014, but if he continues to make strides like this at the plate for the rest of the year with Binghamton, he’ll likely only be one step away from the big leagues come next season.

Thoughts from Joe D.

I love Muno’s makeup as a player, he’s always been one of those guys who ends the game with the dirtiest uniform on the team, sort of like Wally Backman. I’m beginning to see a pattern develop with Muno. It looks like he really ramps up his performance as soon as the calendar turns to July. Look for a huge second half from in Binghamton.

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

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Noah Syndergaard is making his first start at Double-A Binghamton this afternoon after being promoted from Single-A St. Lucie on Saturday. To make room for Syndergaard on the roster, the B-Mets place Alfonzo Harris on the DL.

The game is underway, and Syndergaard’s first pitch in the game was a 96 mph strike. The B-Mets are on top 1-0 after the first inning of play, thanks to Cesar Puello’s 14th home run of the season.

Syndergaard, 20, was 3-3 with a 3.11 ERA in 12 starts for Class A St. Lucie and has allowed 61 hits and 16 walks while striking out 64 in 63 2/3 innings.

MMO’s John Bernhardt is at Binghamton and will be charting Syndergaard’s pitches from behind home plate, and photographer Gordon Donovan is also there.

We’ll also have an exclusive interview with L.J. Mazzilli later today from Jim Mancari who is covering the Cyclones all season long for MMO.

Yesterday, our newest minor league contributor Kirk Cahill spotlighted him today on MetsMinors.net.

The Mets acquired Noah Syndergaard from the Toronto Blue Jays in the seven player deal that sent R.A Dickey north of the border in December. Syndergaard ranked 3rd overall on the MMN Top 25 Prospects list back in May.

Syndergaard, 20, was originally drafted in the 1st round of the 2010 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays out of Legacy H.S in Mansfield, Texas. He grew up playing soccer mostly, and didn’t start pitching until he was 10 years old. Noah went 7-3 in his senior year of H.S, striking out 83 hitters in 59 innings while walking just 18. Despite achieving such success in the highly competitive state of Texas, it was considered a reach when the Blue Jays took him 38th overall.

Noah has been given the nickname “Thor” by his teammates due to his imposing size (6’5″, 250 pounds) and Nordic features (his father’s family is Dutch). It’s that size that has helped him develop his best pitch- a heavy, sinking fastball that he throws in the 92-97 range. He uses his giant frame to create an excellent downward plane, helping the pitch become a groundball machine. Syndergaard also throws an above-average changeup and a curveball that flashes plus. He’s also recently added a slider, which he claims has helped his curve develop into a tighter pitch. Minor League Ball’s John Sickels ranked Noah the 12th best pitching prospect in all of baseball coming into 2013. Baseball Prospectus’ Jason Parks, who ranked him 28th overall, had this to say about Syndergaard:

“He could be a monster; has potential for a near-elite fastball, two above-average secondary pitches and some pitchability.”

“Overall Future Potential: 7; high-end no. 2 starter.”

“I’m able to tune things out pretty well,” said Syndergaard himself to MiLB.com, “When I was in school, my mom would ask me if I could hear yelling and I said, “I’ve never heard you once from the stands.” The other day, when I was throwing my live BP, I didn’t notice anything but the catcher.” He was quoted in the same interview to say that he had a fondness for Josh Beckett, and may have modeled himself after him as well.

With Zack Wheeler‘s recent promotion, and Travis d’Arnaud‘s continuing inability to stay on the field, it isn’t a stretch to say that Syndergaard is the Mets new number 1 prospect. He’s currently pitching very well with St. Lucie ( 2.60 FIP, 9.05 k/9, 2.26 bb/9), and could soon earn himself a promotion to Binghamton. For a player who won’t turn 21 until August, Noah appears to be on the fast track to the majors.

You can follow Noah on Twitter @Noahsyndergaard as he continues his path to Queens. 

The post Noah Syndergaard Making His Double-A Debut appeared first on Metsmerized.

Dykstra had a nice fling with the longball last week, slamming three homers to lead all Mets organizational players.

His overall line on the week was .588/.696/1.118, as he supplemented his hot hitting with six walks at the plate.

He drove in eight runs as well. Dykstra, and to this point in June, owns a .412/.553/.824 line and is striking fear into the hearts of any opposing pitching.

Here’s what Matt M. had to say about Dykstra yesterday…

It’s fun to watch him starting to mesh his physical ability with the wisdom he’s gained since being drafted in 2008. Those two things coming together are bringing some major results on the field for a career year. Here’s how he stacks up against some of his fellow Eastern League counterparts:

• .318 batting average (5th)
• .585 slug% (2nd)
• .470 on-base% (.470)
• 42 RBIs (7th)
• 48 walks (1st)
• 1.055 OPS (1st)

While this is a year Dykstra has never put together before as a professional, his ability to get on base shouldn’t be a surprise. He owns a career OBP of .402, and the lowest it’s ever been at the end of a season is .372. His career walk-rate through six seasons of minor league baseball is nearly 18%. That’s insane!

Dykstra might not have been the sexy name coming into this season — but he’s surely one to remember. He’s been a big part of what has been a successful B-Mets season to date. Drafted in ’08, we might see him in Vegas towards the end of this year and going into next. That puts him on track to be called up for depth or in September of 2014.

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

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Puello’s name has been in the news a lot over the past few days because of news surfacing about the Miami Biogensis clinic, but he hasn’t let those distractions get in the way of his play on the field.

In 24 at-bats over the past week, the B-Mets outfielder is hitting .500 with five home runs, 13 RBIs, and two doubles. He had also recorded at least two hits in a game six straight times before getting the collar in yesterday’s series finale against Altoona. This streak included a two-homer game, as well as four different multi-RBI games.

What he’s been doing over the last two weeks is just insane. Here’s how his season statistics at the plate measure up against the rest of the league:

• .326 batting average (T-3rd)
• .401 OBP (7th)
• .606 Slug% (1st)
• 13 home runs (T-2nd)
• 46 RBIs (T-2nd)
• 17 stolen bases (3rd)

Talk about the complete package. Here’s a look at the grown man home run he hit on June 8th in the ninth inning against Altoona:

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Sandy Alderson spoke highly of Puello during an interview with Mike Francesa of WFAN on Monday.

“He’s very young…he’s always been a five-tool guy, a five-tool projection, but not necessarily five-tool performance. This year he’s put it all together and has been phenomenal over the last couple of weeks. Now he’s on the roster. We put him on the roster last year because we wanted to protect those five tools.”

Congratulations on this honor, Cesar! I have a feeling he may be winning some MMN player of the week honors tomorrow…just maybe.

(Photo courtesy of Gordon Donovan)

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