Jarred Kelenic/Photo by Dan Napper, Chicago Scouts Association

2018 New York Mets first round draft pick Jarred Kelenic made his professional debut this morning for the Gulf Coast League Mets, going 3-for-4 with a triple, RBI and two runs scored.

Kelenic, 18, batted third and was the designated hitter.

The Wisconsin native signed with New York on June 15 for $4.5 million, significantly under the $5,525,200 slot value for the No. 6 pick.

The left-handed hitter was widely regarded as the best prep bat heading into the draft and was ranked as the No. 6 draft prospect by Keith Law and No. 8 by FanGraphs.

To stay up to date with what players selected by the Mets in this year’s draft are doing and if they’ve signed yet, you can find our draft tracker here.

The post Kelenic Collects Three Hits, Scores Twice In Pro Debut appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas 7, Albuquerque 5
• Binghamton 3, Harrisburg 0
• Bradenton 2, St. Lucie 1
• Savannah 6, Augusta 4
• Brooklyn 5, Batavia 2
• Kingsport 7, Johnson City 4

Prospect Pipeline

• Logan Verrett wins his 10th game on the season by tossing seven innings and allowing two runs on four hits, while walking three and striking out two.
• Matt Reynolds was 3 for 5, with two runs scored and a double. He has hit safely in eight of his last ten games batting .425 (17 for 40) and six multi-hit games in that span. 
• Taylor Teagarden launched his 11th home run on the season and finished the game 2 for 3, driving in three runs.
• Steven Matz back in the win column, by tossing seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits, two walks and striking out five.
• Brandon Nimmo, who slowly has been hitting better with the B-Mets, finished Sunday 2 for 3, with a triple and a RBI.  In his last ten games he is batting .324 (11 for 34), with a double, three triples, five RBI’s and eight walks.
• Dilson Herrera singled in four at bats and currently has a five game hitting streak and has hit safely in nine of his last ten games.
• Brian Burgamy was 0 for 4 to end his hitting streak at 13 games. In his last ten games he is batting .400 (14 for 35), with nine runs scored, three home runs, none RBI’s and eight walks.
• T.J. Rivera singled in four at bats and extended his hitting streak to five games. He is batting .342 (13 for 38), with four doubles and six RBI’s in his last ten games.
• Yeixon Ruiz was 4 for 4, with two runs scored and one RBI in Savannah’s victory. 
• Dominic Smith was 2 for 3 and has three multi-hit games in his last four games.
• Cyclones closer Shane Bay earned his 7th straight save on the season, 12th overall, tossing one scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out two. He hasn’t allowed a run during the streak.
• Amed Rosario finished 2 for 5, with a run scored, a double and drove in three runs. He has hit safely in eight of his last ten games.
• Jhoan Urena was 2 for 5 and currently has a six game hitting streak.
• Zach Mathieu was 2 for 3, with two RBI’s in Kingsport’s victory. He has hit safely in eight of his last nine games batting .355 (11 for 31).

Rising Trend On The Farm 

A rising internet trend has taken the farm system by storm and a few prospects have decided to get involved.  Its called the ice bucket challenge to strike out ALS. Each will have a bucket of ice poured over their head and then call out a few of their friends nominating them to either take on the challenge or donate $100 to ALS. Here is pitcher John Mincone with his challenge.

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Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas 3, Sacramento 0
• Binghamton 9, Richmond 6
• Charleston 6, Savannah 2 – Game 1
• Savannah 1, Charleston 0 – Game 2
• Pulaski 6, Kingsport 5

Prospect Pipeline

• Rafael Montero (6-3, 3.28) threw eight shutout innings, allowing only one hit, two walks and struck out 11 batters. In his last two starts he has not allowed a run in 14.2 innings, allowing just four hits and recording 17 strikeouts.
• Chase Bradford closed the door on Montero’s one hit gem, by quickly striking out the side in the ninth to record his third save for Vegas. Bradford struck out the side with only 10 pitches.
• Matt den Dekker singled in his first at bat and scored the 51s first run on a Sac Fl by Allan Dykstra and finished 2 for 4, with a run scored and a walk and now has hit safely in nine of last ten games batting .436 (17 for 39) in that span.
• Matt Reynolds singled in three at bats and has hit safely in nine of his last ten games with seven multi-hit games in the span.
• Anthony Seratelli went 2 for 3, with a walk and two RBI’s and has hit safely in eight of his last ten games batting .419 (13 for 31).
• Dilson Herrera doubled and scored the first run of the game and finished 2 for 4, with three runs scored, a stolen base (8) and two RBI’s. He is batting .343 for Bingo this season.
• Brian Burgamy hit his 20th home run on the season, and drove in four runs in the B-Mets victory.
• Wilfredo Tovar went 3 for 3, with two runs scored and two doubles.
• Darrell Ceciliani finished 2 for 5, extending his hit streak to seven games and also recorded his fourth straight two-hit game.  He is batting .410 (16 for 39) in his last ten games.
• Jayce Boyd had two singles in three at bats and has hit safely in nine of his last ten games batting .400 (14 for 35).
• Tyler Pill tossed seven shutout innings, allowing five hits, two walks and struck out eight to earn his seventh win for Binghamton.
• Matt Oberste hit his eighth homer on the season in Game 1 of Savannah’s doubleheader.
• In Game 2, Miller Diaz (6-1, 2.14) threw a complete game shutout, to earn his six victory on the season. He allowed three hits, walked two and struck out five. His last win was on May 22, but he actually made a relief appearance on July 23rd tossing three innings for the save.
• Outfielder Vicente Lupo hit his second home run on the season, a grand slam, in the top of the ninth to draw Kingsport within a run short of tying the game.

Highlight From The Farm

This is probably the most exciting sight from Tuesday, aside from a Mets win, that the fans can be happy about.

Matt Harvey throwing off a mound again in Port St. Lucie.

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With the drop the Mets roster moves to 39 players, making room until Chris Young passes physicals and is added sometime next week.

Robles pitched two games for the Gulf Coast Mets before begin promoted to St. Lucie in 2013. He went on to go 5-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 16 appearances in High-A ball on the year, giving up 35 earned runs, eight homers and striking out 66 in 84 2/3 innings.

In addition, Robles went 0-2 with a 4.00 ERA in six appearances in the Arizona Fall League this season.

The post Hansel Robles Clears Waivers, Paves Way For Chris Young To 40 Man Roster appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

When I was a child, my mother and father always asked me what did I want to be when I grew up; I think they knew the answer before I even said it because I didn’t go anywhere without my baseball glove.  I wanted to be a Major League baseball player; I wanted to be a NY Met. It was all I could dream about.  I wanted to dress up in the uniform and run around the bases at Shea Stadium.  I imagined coming up to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning with the winning run on base and the crowd screaming my name and I gave them what they wanted, a game winning home run.  Imagine all of the many baseball players today that probably had those same talks with their parents and the same dreams.

When you follow the journey’s of the players that make up the minor league teams, you find out some very unique stories along the way and what drives them to where they want to be.  The path to the majors is not an easy one by far, it takes hard work, dedication, a love for the game, and that dream from when they were younger. I believe that is the part that motivates the most. When chatting with pitching prospect Erik Goeddel, there was one thing that he shared that reminded me that dreams can come true, “It has been my dream my entire life to be a major league baseball player”, says Goeddel.

The Mets signed him in the 2010 June Amateur draft out of the University of California, Los Angeles. He was sent to the Gulf Coast Mets where he appeared in one game. He shared the reason for the limited playing time, “I had a stress reaction in my humerus, and it was giving me some discomfort so they just shut me down for the summer,” says Goeddel.

In 2011, he was promoted to Savannah and pitched in 9 games, compiling a 2-2 record in 43.2 innings of work before going on the disabled list with a shoulder strain. The right-hander was then sent back to the Gulf Coast Mets in the middle of July and after a few games he returned to Savannah in August and finished out the season.  Overall between the two clubs, he was 3-5, with a 3.24 ERA, started 16 of the 18 games he pitched in while striking out 69 batters in 77.2 innings of work.

In 2012, he was promoted to St Lucie and started 20 of the 22 games and was 5-6 with a 3.41 ERA, and recorded 98 strike outs in 102.1 innings of work. I asked him how he felt his arm held up after having had some elbow issues. “I think the little injuries I had my first couple years in pro ball were just due to the rest of my body being a little stronger than my arm.  Now I feel like my arm is back to its old strength and flexibility, and I think I’ll be able to stay healthy,” says Goeddel.

In 2013, he made his way up to the B-Mets and started all 25 games that he appeared in.  He by far had the most consistent pitching performance of his brief minor league career.  He was 9-7, with a 4.37 ERA and 125 strike outs in 134 innings of work.  The only down spot of his 2013 season, was that he gave up more runs per game, but it’s all part of the development process especially after having had to overcome elbow issues which halted his progress; bottom line, his season was a huge step in the right direction.

He also was a big catalyst in the B-Mets history-making season and playoff run. He truly enjoyed the run the team put on display this past season, “Its always great playing on a good team.  The B-Mets hadn’t made the playoffs for a while so when we started playing well and got in first place, and the city really got behind us.  It was exciting, and was a good feeling giving the B-Mets fans something to cheer about,’ says the promising right-hander.

Truly a great talent in an organization that is stockpiling a fine collection of pitching prospects. Goeddel is on track to make a name for himself within the organization and as long as he continues along his path, and the life long dream of becoming a major league pitcher, will finally be his reality.

Enjoy our conversation:

David – Is there something that you would like to share with the Mets fans that they do not already know about you? Your interests, hobbies outside of baseball?

Erik – I am kind of a golf fanatic.  I play almost every off day during the season and try to play as often as i can in the off-season.

David – While playing college baseball at the UCLA, who can you say was a major influence in your baseball career?

Erik – Here are a couple things about playing at UCLA that influenced my career.  Firstly, head coach John Savage… I can’t say enough good things about him.  He taught me a ton about the mental approach to pitching, everything from getting a consistent routine to knowing what to do in order to stay calm when things aren’t going well.  The second thing that influenced my baseball career was just the teammates I had at UCLA.  So many of those guys are extremely hard working, and just being around that all the time motivated me to work harder. Also, the constant competition for playing time on a team with that much talent was great practice for the kind of pressure and competitiveness that every player encounters in professional baseball.

David – What can you share about your experience playing in the 2010 College World Series?

Erik – It was absolutely incredible.  Best baseball experience of my life.  I imagine only playing in the Big Leagues could beat it.

David – Did you have a favorite player growing up and if so, did you model your game after him?

Erik – Ken Griffey Jr was my favorite growing up.  I definitely modeled my game after him but unfortunately I only got about 10 at-bats this year. (laughs).

David – On the day that you were signed by the Mets in 2010, what was your reaction and who was the first person you shared the news with?

Erik – When I signed my dad was there with me, so I guess he was first.  But after that I think I called my college roommates and coach Savage.  It was definitely an exciting day, but on the flip side it was tough to leave UCLA, I had a great time there and was leaving a bunch of guys who had been my teammates for the previous three years.

David – In 2010, you played in your first pro baseball game with the Gulf Coast Mets, what was the experience like and how can you compare it to playing in college?

Erik – It was completely different than college.  First off most of the team didn’t speak English, so that took some time to adjust to.  But everyone seemed to have so much talent, but being in rookie ball, a lot of the guys weren’t very refined yet due to their age.  A little different than college where there are a fair number of guys that maybe don’t have that much talent, but use every bit of their potential and are good baseball players.

David – In 2011, you recorded your first win with Savannah, what was the feeling like to get that milestone under your belt?

Erik – That was a huge step for me.  I was a reliever in college and hadn’t started a game before Savannah in over four years, so it was great for my confidence to get a win and get going in the right direction.

David – On August 17, the Dave Clark and Disability Dream and Do visited the B-Mets and held the first-ever baseball camp with the team, what was your experience with the campers and did it impact your life in anyway?

Erik – That was a great day for everyone involved.  Dave Clark’s story is incredible, the man knew what he wanted to do and wouldn’t let anything stop him.  The camp was equally incredible.  Every single participant in the camp seemed like they were having a great time the entire day.  They were really excited to be out on the field playing catch with us and hitting with all of us cheering them on.  It was a very uplifting day, and I’m sure everyone there, both participants and B-Mets players, left the camp with a smile on their face.

David – Who has impressed you the most this season, and who should Mets fans be most excited about seeing in the future?

Erik – Another thing about being on a good team, is that a lot of teammates impress you.  For me though, I would say I was most impressed by Wilfredo Tovar.  He is absolutely unbelievable with his glove.  He makes plays that most guys wouldn’t even get to, and makes them look easy.  And on top of that, he seemed to become a better hitter every month.

David – Is there a Met manager or coach who has made an impact in your approach to the game and helped elevate your performance?

Erik – I’ve had two seasons with Glen Abbott as my pitching coach, and one with Phil Regan.  Both of them are incredible coaches, and I feel extremely lucky to have been able to work with them both.  Anybody who watched me pitch in college, and then watched me pitch today would see a huge difference, and most of the improvements I’ve made in that time have been thanks to those two coaches.

David – With the success you have had in your time in the minors; do you feel like you are on track with the goals you set for yourself? If so, what are you expecting for 2014?

Erik – I am happy with how I have done so far in my career.  I feel like I’ve made improvements in my game every year, and that’s what its all about.  One of the hardest things baseball players have to deal with is the fact that you can’t directly control promotions within an organization.  All you can do is go out and work hard every day, and do everything in your power to continue to improve, and to do as well as you can.  I used to have goals about being at certain levels in the minors by a certain time, but as I’ve grown as a player, my goals have changed.  Now all I try to do is continue to improve as much as I can, and I feel like if I can do that then eventually I’ll get a chance to play in the big leagues.

David – What do you specifically need to work on as a player, and improve upon, in order to be ready to compete on the big stage?

Erik – I think at this point in my career I just need to get more consistent with my command, and get better at reading hitters so I can select what pitches I throw a bit better.  For the most part I feel like the command of my pitches is as good as a big leaguer’s, but what I need to improve upon in about once a game I will have a four or five pitch walk.  I will hit my spots for ten hitters in a row, then just lose it for a hitter, and then have good command again.  I’m not saying this kind of thing never happens in the big leagues, but most of the guys up there have more experience, or have found a way to make the adjustment and get on track after maybe going 2-0 on the hitter, instead of 4-0 and walking the guy and then fixing the problem.  I had been struggling to get a consistent change up for a while, but this last season I feel like I finally started to get a good change up. Now I just need to get better at knowing the right times to throw it, and learning how to use it to make my other pitches better.

David – When the off-season arrives, what do you look forward to doing the most? Spending Quality Family time, with friends, or just resting?

Erik – Definitely seeing my family and friends.  Being from California, its tough to see them during the season when I’m on the East Coast, so when I get home its always a great feeling seeing them again.

David – How will you prepare over the winter; can you describe your workout regimen?

Erik – I don’t do much for the first 3-4 weeks.  Just kind of rest and let my body recover, because after 142 games I always have a few aches that a little rest does wonders for.  After that I start lifting weights pretty intensely.  I’m naturally a skinny guy, so I have to lift in order to keep weight on my body.  I lift hard all year with the exception of those couple weeks of rest.  Usually I’ll start throwing again in late November.  First just light catch, then working up to long toss, then starting bullpen session in early January so I’m ready to go when spring training starts.

David – Anything you would like to tell the Mets fans?

Erik – Just that the team seems to be headed in the right direction, and the next few years should hopefully be good ones for Mets fans.

* * * * * * * * * *

Thank you Erik for allowing me to share your story with the Mets fans and our readers.  Doing these interviews never gets old.  Each story is unique; each step taken towards reaching their dreams is amazing and even though my dream of playing major league baseball did not come true, having the opportunity to share the many stories of these amazing athletes with the Mets fans,  is better than I could ever imagine.   The Mets future continues to look bright and Erik Goeddel is another bright spot in the plans.

(Photo Credit – Kevin Pataky/MiLB.com)

The post Pitching Prospect Erik Goeddel Talks with MMO About His Season and the Future appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

So here I am happy to revive an old feature I used to do at another blog called …….

METS PLAYERS SEPARATED AT BIRTH…

First off is current Mets outfielder, Marlon Byrd

And R & B legend, Jermaine Jackson

Up next is Met manager, Terry Collins

And actor turned accused murderer Robert Blake (Uncanny !)

Next up is Ace Pitcher, Matt Harvey

And “Everyone Loves Raymond” co-star, Brad Garrett.

Then there is the case of  utility infielder, Justin Turner

And a Leprechaun

There is also the curious case of Josh Satin

And Bert from “Sesame Street

And lastly I present to you Mets pitching coach, Dan Warthern

And Hank Hill.

So what do you think ? Do you agree/disagree ? Is there any other Mets player that bears a striking resemblance to a celebrity that is currently living or dead ?

Please feel free to post in the comments section below.

And with that said….. HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!!!

Mets alumni celebrating a birthday today includes:

Mets third base coach from ’97-’99, Bruce Benedict is 58. Benedict also piloted for the Norfolk Tides in 1996.

Reserve outfielder from the ’85 season, Terry Blocker is 54. Blocker was the Mets first round pick from the ’81 amateur draft. His career never did pan out, and he was out of the majors by 1990 after a short stint with the Atlanta Braves.

Spot starter/middle reliever from ’09-’11, Pat Misch  is 32. He is currently pitching for the Detroit Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens.

The New York Mets purchased the contract of middle reliever, Dave Eilers from the Milwaukee Braves on August 18, 1965. Eilers would spend two seasons with the Mets, compiling a record of 2-2 with an ERA of 4.44 in 34 appearances.

The New York Mets traded centerfielder Brett Butler  to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league outfield prospects, Scott Hunter and Dwight Maness on August 18, 1995. Butler was one of the very few reasons to watch the Mets in ’95. He would later manager the Gulf Coast Mets during their ’04 season

Mo Vaughn bears a striking resemblance to the Wrestler Mo from Men On A Mission !!!!

SEE!!!!!

The post This Day In Mets Infamy With Rusty: The Separated At Birth Edition appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In other pitching related news, Jeurys Familia has started throwing in St. Lucie. He had a surgery to clean up some bone spurs and loose bodies on May 12th, and the recovery period was defined to about six to eight weeks. Familia had allowed four earned runs in 10.1 innings pitched with the Mets this season.

Familia could work his way back to be a force in the back-end of the MLB bullpen by mid-August, while Niese should eventually work his way back into the rotation. The prevailing thought is that Jenrry Mejia will get the last spot in the rotation until Niese returns, while Carlos Torres will get slotted into the ‘pen as a long reliever/spot-starter.

The post Niese To Start Rehab Next Week, Familia Throwing In St. Lucie appeared first on Metsmerized Online.