WEEK IN REVIEW

The Las Vegas 51s (10-11, third in the Pacific Coast League Pacific Southern division) have dropped six of their last eight games, including their last two by giving up 11 runs in each game. Neither their offense or pitching has stood out thus far, with the 51s checking in at the middle of the pack for nearly every team statistic.

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies (9-8, fourth in the Eastern League Eastern division) went 4-2 over the last seven days, taking two series from the Erie SeaWolves and the Akron RubberDucks. Binghamton’s pitching was anchored by Corey Oswalt, who allowed one earned run in 13 innings over two starts this week.

The St. Lucie Mets (8-13, sixth in the Florida State League South division) have fallen into a funk, losing seven of their last eight ballgames. The lone victory came on Wednesday, when the Mets were helped by a home run from Patrick Mazeika and the first victory of the season for first-round pick Justin Dunn.

The Columbia Fireflies (12-9, second in the South Atlantic League Southern division) have benefited from a few top pitching performances in April, but their offense has begun to pick it up as well. Over the last week, Tim Tebow hit .435 with four extra-base hits and only four strikeouts in 23 at-bats.

METS MINORS NEWS & BUZZ

The Fireflies’ pitching staff has been all the rage this season, as they sport two pitchers, Jordan Humphreys and Merandy Gonzalez, who have spotless 4-0 records. The last two Mets minor leaguers to go 4-0 in April were Logan Verrett (Binghamton, 2013) and Jorge Sosa (New Orleans, 2008).

Columbia made a DL swap on Monday, placing RHP Harol Gonzalez on the list with soreness in his pitching arm, and activating 3B Blake Tiberi, who missed 14 games with right arm soreness.

2B Jeff McNeil made his 2017 debut on Tuesday by homering in his first at-bat for St. Lucie, after surgeries to repair a hernia and a separate operation on his hip. The long ball came in his first appearance in 378 days, because he missed all but three games of the 2016 season.

After being placed on Columbia’s disabled list with shoulder issues that popped up at the beginning of spring training, LHP Seth Davis has begun a normal throwing program in extended spring training. The 23-year-old has a 2.42 ERA in 47 appearances over two minor league seasons.

OF Brandon Nimmo became the third player to join St. Lucie on a major league rehab assignment this season, following Juan Lagares and Jeurys Familia. Nimmo has gone 1-5 with two RBI and three walks, as he works his way back from a hamstring strain.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS

AVG – Anthony Dimino .431 (STL, COL), Amed Rosario .397 (LVG), Josh Rodriguez .336 (LVG), Dominic Smith .357 (LVG), Jhoan Urena .338 (STL)

OPS – Josh Rodriguez 1.020 (LVG), Anthony Dimino .998 (STL, COL), Jhoan Urena .953 (STL), Dominic Smith .924 (LVG), Amed Rosario .904 (LVG)

HR – Xorge Carrillo 3 (LVG), Patrick Mazeika 3 (STL), Travis Taijeron 3 (LVG), eight tied with two.

RBI – Patrick Mazeika 15 (STL), Dominic Smith 14 (LVG), Dash Winningham 13 (COL), Wuilmer Becerra 12 (STL), Michael Paez 12 (COL)

SB – Champ Stuart 9 (BNG), Luis Carpio 7 (COL), Patrick Biondi 6 (BNG), Amed Rosario 5 (LVG), Michael Paez 5 (COL)

STARTER ERA – Merandy Gonzalez 0.00 (COL), Tyler Pill 0.00 (LVG), Jordan Humphreys 1.42 (COL), Mickey Jannis 1.59 (BNG), Wilfredo Boscan 2.50 (LVG)

RELIEVER ERA – Alberto Baldonado 0.00 (BNG), Tim Peterson 0.00 (BNG), Matt Blackham 0.90 (COL), Austin McGeorge 1.93 (COL), Justin Brantley 2.25 (STL)

SO – Jordan Humphreys 34 (COL), Merandy Gonzalez 23 (COL), Corey Oswalt 23 (BNG), Adam Wilk 22 (LVG), P.J. Conlon 20 (BNG)

SV – Chase Bradford 4 (LVG), Paul Sewald 3 (LVG), Alberto Baldonado 2 (BNG), Alex Palsha 2 (STL), Adonis Uceta 2 (COL), Joseph Zanghi 2 (COL)

WHIP – Colin Holderman .538 (COL), Merandy Gonzalez .641 (COL), Jordan Humphreys .717 (COL), Tyler Bashlor .833 (STL), Alberto Baldonado .870 (BNG)

(Ed Delany/MetsMerized)

PROSPECT PULSE

The Mets selected catcher Anthony Dimino in the 28th round of the 2015 draft, and he became one of only two players taken after the 23rd round to sign with the team. The 23-year-old from Belmont Abbey College has done nothing but hit since entering the organization, recording a .318 average in his first two seasons.

Dimino was assigned to Columbia to begin the 2017 season, but a broken hand for St. Lucie’s Peter Alonso forced a promotion of Dimino less than one week into the season. In the first month of 2017, he has played catcher, first base, third base, and even tossed a scoreless inning to record a save on April 17.

Anthony joined MMN for a Q&A, where he discussed versatility, his hitting philosophy, and more.

On his goals entering the season…

“Some of my goals included learning how to handle playing several positions throughout a season to help the team with my versatility, improving my approach at the plate, as well as breaking camp with a full season team. I’ve already played a few different positions and look forward to switching around more throughout the season.”

On getting promoted less than a week into the season…

“Breaking camp was awesome, playing near home in Columbia, and playing in front of a bunch of fans was a blast. However, my goal is obviously to move up, so when I got that opportunity I was very excited to help a new team in any way possible.”

On his versatility…

“Being able to play different positions helps me have different ways to help whatever team I’m on, whether it’s injury, guys that need an off day, or any other situation. I enjoy being a utility type player.”

On the coaching he has received in the organization…

“All of the coaches and managers I’ve come in contact with in the organization are very professional as well as knowledgeable. My catching coordinator, Bob Natal had specifically helped me learn a new position and in my opinion one of the toughest on the field. I can accredit a lot of the learning process to him.”

On how he has grown as a hitter since being drafted…

“In college I relied solely on my hands, as well as my eyes. Just kind of a see and react hitter. Towards the end of my career at Belmont Abbey we started putting plans together and creating an approach to help go along with physical attributes. The mental side of hitting has definitely helped with my success in pro ball because the pitching talent is definitely elevated.”

On his approach at the plate…

“My approach is to keep it as simple as possible. Look at the situation before I go up, figure out what can I do to help the team in that situation, then look for the pitch that can help me succeed.”  

TRANSACTION REPORT

4/21

Sean Gilmartin and T.J. Rivera recalled to New York from Las Vegas.

4/24

Jeff McNeil activated from Binghamton’s disabled list….Dale Burdick transferred to Binghamton from St. Lucie….Mickey Jannis placed on Binghamton’s temporarily inactive list….Blake Tiberi activated from Columbia’s disabled list….Harol Gonzalez placed on Columbia’s disabled list, retroactive to April 21.

4/25

Jeff McNeil transferred to St. Lucie from Binghamton.

4/26

Sean Gilmartin optioned to Las Vegas from New York….Matt Reynolds recalled to New York from Las Vegas….Brandon Nimmo assigned to St. Lucie on rehab….Thomas McIlraith placed on St. Lucie’s disabled list….Tyler Bashlor activted from St. Lucie’s disabled list.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

It should come as a surprise to no one that this man has come ready to play. Amed Rosario, the top prospect in the Mets’ organization has not only been tearing up the Pacific Coast League over the last week, but really the whole season. The 21-year-old has hit .458 over the last seven days, while putting up a .397/.442/.462 slash line since the season commenced.

With the current struggles of Mets infielders at the major league level, it should be comforting to fans to hear that their number one prospect is living up to the hype in the minor leagues. When the organization needed Rosario to take a leap forward offensively in 2016, he obliged, and has clearly continued that in 2017. On the other side of the ball, Rosario was exposed to third base for the first time since 2014 last Friday, part of the organizational plan to increase versatility, while still keeping him sharp at shortstop.

While the batting average alone is impressive, it should be noted that nearly all of his work is coming off singles. Through Thursday, only four of Rosario’s 31 hits were for extra bases, which includes no home runs. This can partially be attributed to lower fly ball rates and a higher tendency to go to the opposite field, putting up numbers that he hasn’t since playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2014.

While a rash of injuries at the major league level may unwillingly change the Mets’ plans, Rosario is not close to being promoted, as many reports have suggested.

UPCOMING SCHEDULES

Las Vegas: Albuquerque (4/28-5/1), Tacoma (5/1-5)

Binghamton: New Hampshire (4/28-30), Akron (5/1-3), @ New Hampshire (5/4-7, doubleheader on 5/5)

St. Lucie: Clearwater (4/28-30), @ Bradenton (5/1-4), Fort Myers (5/5-7)

Columbia: Resumption of suspended game (4/28), @ Hickory (4/28-30), OFF 5/1, Delmarva (5/2-4), Lakewood (5/5-8)

As a reminder, all 51s, Rumble Ponies, and select Fireflies games can be seen on MiLB.tv.

The post Mets Minors Weekly: Rosario, Gonzalez Tearing Up The Minors appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Some considered Dykstra to be a better prospect than Ike Davis coming out of college, mainly because of his power and his ability to get on base. He was a sabermetrician’s dream player.

Maybe even Alderson believed this, which is why he went and traded for the first baseman that the Padres selected with their first round pick in 2008 while Alderson was the CEO of the team.

While some saw Dykstra’s potential, others considered him a guy whose game would not translate in the professional ranks.  He would have to undergo major swing overhauls if he was ever going to have success hitting with a wooden bat. Defensively, he would be limited to first base due to his size — 6 feet 5 inches tall and 240 lbs.

After a few lackluster years where Dykstra never batted over .270 in a season, he seems to be putting it together at 26 years old. In 2013, he had exceeded all of his offensive numbers from 2012 in fewer games played. Along with his 18 homeruns, he batted .274, and was getting on base over 40% of the time (.436 OBP). This was a breakout season for Dykstra.

His patience at the plate seems to be the difference in 2013, and one of his more impressive stats this year has to be that he walked as much as he has struck out. The combination of patience and power finally coming together has gotten Dykstra back on the radar.

It’s time to take Dykstra seriously—and why not, he played in his first professional All-Star game when he took the field with fellow Binghamton Mets players Cesar Puello, Josh Rodriguez, Logan Verrett and Jeff Walters during the Eastern League All-Star Game in New Britain, Connecticut on July 10.

Adam Rubin recently asked Dykstra if he thought he was back on the radar after his monster first-half of 2013. Dykstra replied, “I can’t personally say that. I hope that’s true. I’m having a great year. Personally, my confidence is back. I feel like I did when I got drafted, where I know what I’m doing with my swing. It’s not really up to me to decide if I’m back on the radar or not.”

Dykstra has definitely established himself as a prospect to keep an eye on moving forward. With first base wide open for the Mets, Dykstra’s performance in 2013 should not, and can not be overlooked. His winter league stint was cut short by a fractured fibula, but up until his injury, he hadn’t skipped a beat. Expect Dykstra to start the season in Triple-A Las Vegas, and put some pressure on the Mets regarding who their first baseman is for the next few seasons.

Check out Allan Dykstra’s exclusive interview with MMO’s Joe D. which you can read here.

The post Allan Dykstra: A Sabermetrician’s Dream appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Why twelve percent?

Over the course of 502 plate appearances (the minimum number required to qualify for a MLB batting title), walking 12% of the time would yield 60 walks. Over 550 plate appearances, 66 walks. Over 600 appearances, 72 walks.

There were 25 players that walked at least 72 times in MLB in 2013. If a player can develop plate discipline at the minor league level to lay off bad pitches, does that translate to plate discipline in the majors to turn him into a productive Major Leaguer?

There were 18 players in the Mets farm system last year that achieved this 12% walk rate (I am not including 6 players who did this in the minors who spent time in the majors – Andrew Brown, Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Josh Satin and Travis d’Arnaud – although I will note that Travis had a walk rate of 22.2% in 108 plate appearances between AA and AAA).

1. Allan Dykstra – 20.9% walk rate. This is very interesting. Allan is an older prospect (26) that hasn’t played above AA. He also just broke his leg and his having surgery, but the numbers jump out. Allan walked 102 times at Binghamton to go with 21 HR, 22 Doubles, a .274 batting average and a .436 OBP. In his 6 seasons in the minors, his walk rate has been 18.3%. This combination of plate discipline and power suggest a major league future for this former first rounder, but will this first baseman get a chance?
2. Champ Stuart – 18.1%. This 6th round pick in the 2013 draft just turned 21 and played in the outfield for the Kingsport Mets (Rookie) this past season. He only hit .240, but with his high walk rate, his OBP was .388. His 11 stolen bases in 43 games shows a running threat. He also struck out a lot – 58 times (30.9% of the time).
3. Branden Kaupe – 17.9%. Second Baseman who will be turning 20 in April and a 2012 4th round pick that will be entering his 3rd season. With the Gulf Coast League Mets in 2013 (Rookie), he demonstrated an ability to walk to get on base. He ability to hit to get on base has been a bit more problematic. In two minor league seasons, he has hit just .194 – but has an OBP of .356 (the result of 20.0% walk rate over two years).
4. Adrian Abreu – 17.8%. 22 year old Catcher who played for Kingsport in 2013 after three seasons in the Dominican Summer League. While he had a high walk rate, he only hit .182 in 31 games for Kingsport. When factoring in his time with the DSL Mets, his walk rate has been 15.4%.
5. Chad Zurcher – 17.0%. 25 year old middle infielder who played 2013 with the Savannah Sand Gnats (A). The former 31st round pick in 2011 did not play in 2012, hasn’t hit a minor league home run, and only 13 of his 88 minor league hits have been for extra bases. His 15.1% walk rate over two minor league seasons translates to a career .401 OBP, but he’s a real long shot.
6. Daniel Muno – 16.4%. This switch hitting middle infielder will be turning 25 before the start of the 2014 season. With AA Binghamton, he hit only .249 – but walked 92 times for a .384 OBP. In his 3 minor league seasons, he’s shown the ability to get on base with a .404 OBP and a career walk rate of 15.7%.
7. Brandon Brosher – 16.2%. This 2013 36th round pick will be turning 19 in February and only appeared in 22 games in the Gulf Coast League, but he did walk 12 times in 74 appearances. He only hit .180 and 3 of his 11 base hits were home runs. Very small sample size to work with.
8. Eric Campbell – 15.5%. Eric will be turning 27 at the beginning of the 2014 season and this 1B/3B/LF has consistently reached base over 6 minor league seasons (.376 career OBP). His plate discipline has improved and the 15.5% walk rate with AAA Las Vegas in 2013 is higher than his career 11.9% rate. His lack of power (only 40 minor league home runs) while playing a traditional power position has definitely hindered him.
9. Zach Mathieu – 14.9%. 16th round pick in the 2013 draft. This 22 year old first baseman played for Kingsport in 2013 and walked more than he hit. He only hit .138 and had more walks (14) than base hits (11).
10. Brandon Nimmo – 14.8%. The Mets 1st round pick in 2011 played for Savannah in 2013 and walked 71 times, batting .273 with a .397 OBP. In three minor league seasons, his walk rate is 14.6%.
11. Josh Rodriguez – 13.4%. Josh really isn’t a prospect. He’ll be 29 before the 2014 season and he spent the entire 2013 season at AA Binghamton.
12. Jared King – 13.3%. 5th round pick in the 2013 draft who spent 2013 with the Brooklyn Cyclones. The outfielder hit .266 with a .347 OBP.
13. Jeff Glenn – 12.8%. This catcher was a 9th round pick in the 2009 draft and spent 2013 with Savannah. He hit .196 in 2013 and has hit .223 over 4 minor league seasons. Career walk rate of 11.1%.
14. Victor Cruzado – 12.8%. Outfielder out of the Dominican Republic spent 2013 in Kingsport after the prior two years in the Dominican Summer League. He’ll still be 21 on opening day and hit .328 with a .421 OBP in 2013.
15. Dominic Smith – 12.6%. The Mets first round pick in 2013 played for the Gulf Coast League Mets and Kingsport in 2013, batting a combined .301 with a .398 OBP. He hit. He got on base. He won’t be turning 19 until the middle of the 2014 season. We’ll see how he progresses.
16. Patrick Biondi – 12.4%. Mets 9th round pick in 2013. He spent the 2013 season with the Cyclones and the outfielder hit .249 with a .348 OBP and stole 17 bases in 50 games.
17. Greg Pron – 12.1% 42nd round pick in 2011 and an outfielder that hit .198 with just 1 HR for Savannah. Career .249 batter with 10 HR in three seasons.
18. Ivan Wilson – 12.0%. 3rd round pick in 2013. This outfielder will turn 19 in May 2014 and played for the Gulf Coast League Mets in 2013. He hit .213 with a .321 OBP. He stole 13 bases in 47 games. We’ll have to see how he progresses.

Obviously, many of these players will not make it. But there are a few interesting players on here to keep an eye on. I’m curious to see what the next couple of seasons bring for Dykstra, Stuart, Muno, Nimmo, King, Cruzado, Smith, Biondi, and Wilson.

The post The Twelve Percent Solution? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Original Post

Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports that 17 Mets minor leaguers are now free agents and can sign with any other organization. They are as follows:

Triple-A (11 Free Agents)

RHP Carlos Alvarado

RHP Greg Burke

RHP Matt Fox

RHP D.J. Mitchell

RHP Daryl Thompson

RHP Cory Wade

LHP Justin Hampson

C Francisco Pena

SS Brian Bixler

SS Brandon Hicks

OF Jamie Hoffmann.

Double-A (6 Free Agents)

RHP Dylan Owen

RHP Armando Rodriguez

C Jeyckol De Leon

SS Josh Rodriguez

1B Rhyne Hughes

3B Richard Lucas.

Almost all of these players were brought in from other organizations in the last two seasons when Sandy Alderson went on a minor league free agent spree to add some depth to the system.

The only players here that I could see coming back are 33-year old Justin Hampson, who has developed a good relationship with the team and is well liked. Hampson has been here twice before and was re-signed by the Mets both times.

It was already reported that the Mets may have some interest in bringing back reliever Greg Burke, but he has drawn interest from at least two other teams who may entice him with a major league deal rather than a minor league deal from the Mets.

Francisco Pena, who just turned 24 last month, could re-sign and return to the Mets. Given the scarcity of catching at the higher levels, the defensive-minded backstop is a good guy to have around as many of the Mets top pitching prospects make their way to Triple-A next season.

(Photo credit: Gordon Donovan)

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Three umpire decisions, all going against Binghamton, weighed heavily on the outcome of Friday’s game and stirred passions to an almost riotous pitch. The pivotal Eastern League contest rolled along through four innings as a classic pitching duel.

Binghamton’s Logan Verrett and Trenton’s Shane Greene matched zeroes without a baserunner from either team reaching third base during that span. As the zeroes mounted the importance of scoring the game’s first run for each team multiplied.

The controversy began during Trenton’s at bat in the fifth, and as they have all series, it was the bottom of the Thunder batting order kicking up the dust. The inning started innocently with Verrett fanning Mason Williams and getting Reggie Corona on a fly out to right field. It was Ali Castillo, the Thunder shortstop and number nine batter of the line-up card who would stir up a hornet’s nest. Corona laced a double off the left-field wall setting the stage for some baseball madness that would help cut the B-Met season short.

Ramon Flores, Trenton’s designated hitter, followed with a four pitch base-on-balls bringing left-fielder, Zolio Almonte, to the plate. Almonte, a left-handed batter slapped line drive just a whisker over a leaping B-Met shortstop Wilfredo Tovar’s glove into left field. Travis Taijeron charged, played the ball cleanly, and against what seemed like impossible odds, uncorked a remarkable throw toward home plate. It was a breath-stopping race between man and ball with the Trenton runner getting a huge head start. As Taijeron fielded the ball, the Binghamton outfielder may have been the only person in the park thinking he had a chance to throw out Castillo at the plate. But Taijeron rocketed the ball home, almost skimming the Trenton runner’s helmet and arriving in B-Met catcher Xorge Carrillo’s mitt a nanosecond before Castillo arrived.

Castillo, without sliding, bowled over Carrilo, crashing his upper body high into the Binghamton backstop. The pair tumbled in a heap on the plate with Carrilo somehow holding tight to the ball and the Binghamton crowd erupting in glee believing Flores was out at home plate. Not so. The home plate umpire called Castillo safe.

I wish I had an opportunity to hear the umpires explanation of his call. Logic dictates that when a ball and baserunner arrive at home plate simultaneously, but the ball arrives a slit second ahead of the runner, and the runner does not slide but runs over the catcher, the runner should be out. The only explanation I can conjure is the umpire ruled the B-Met catcher had not stepped forward on the third base side of home plate leaving a corner of the plate unprotected before the contact was made.

B-Met manager Pedro Lopez argued vociferously to no avail. Lost in all the drama at home plate was the fact that Flores moved to third and Almonte to second in the implosion at home plate. That setup the next umpiring decision that would help the Thunder take the series.

The score stood at 1-0 with runners on third and second and runs at a premium, making it crucial the B-Mets limit the damage to only Almonte’s run. Trenton second baseman Jose Pirela stepped in the box and grounded a slow roller toward the hole between third and second. Somehow, Binghamton shortstop Wilfredo Tovar got behind the ball then rifled a bullet to first with the ball whizzing slightly to the right field side of the bag. B-Met first baseman, Rhyne Hughes stretched in a full leg split snagging the throw ahead of the runner and once again the Binghamton faithful erupted in joy with the apparent end of the inning. Not so. The first base umpire ruled that Hughes’s foot had come off the bag as he stretched forward to field the throw.

This call was difficult to fathom, especially for an already irritated B-Met manager Pedro Lopez. Lopez argued long and loud, finally convincing the ‘blue crew’ to huddle to see if one of the four might have caught a clearer look at the stretch than the first base ump. The call stood and Trenton led, 2-0.

Trenton added their final run in the top of the seventh. Reggie Corona led off the inning slicing a double into the right-field corner. Verrett lost his concentration when Castillo chopped a soft tap on the infield grass off first base fielded by Hughes, but the B-Met pitcher failed to cover. Verrett, who pitched admirably, was replaced by Jim Fuller who got Flores on a 4U-3 double play with Corona scoring the final tally of the game. Call three came in Binghamton’s at bat in the seventh and precipitated a tumultuous baseball fracas. B-Met catcher Xorge Carrillo led off the inning with a broke bat infield single. Danny Muno sent a ground ball up the middle with Trenton second baseman Pirela diving and getting enough leather on the ball to keep it from going through for an infield single leaving men on second and first.

When Wilfredo Tovar followed tapping a soft ground ball toward second, the rumpus began. Muno had already passed Pirela when the Trenton second baseman fielded the ball, but Pirela spun and fired to second attempting to start a 4-6-3 double play. Muno went into second sliding hard, too hard in the eyes of the second base umpire who called Muno out for baserunner interference and Tovar out at first base because, in his judgment, Muno prevented the Trenton shortstop from making a throw to first to attempt the doubleplay.

Muno erupted. Lopez exploded. In fact, the third pivotal verdict against his team was simply too much to take for Lopez. The B-Met manager was tossed. I’m not sure what happened next, whether a Trenton infielder baited Lopez after he was ejected, but conditions turned unruly, both benches cleared and a gigantic skirmish ensued. It took some twenty minutes, with the usually even-tempered Binghamton crowd standing, booing and chanting the entire time, to restore order and sift out who would leave and who would remain in the game. For Binghamton Muno and Tovar joined Lopez in the clubhouse.

“That’s uncalled for,” Lopez said. “It was a really good series. It was a really good ballgame until that point. I felt like the benches were cleared because of the call at second base. That was a clean slide. Even (Trenton’s) first-base coach said that he blew that call. It’s just sad that this series had to end the way it did.”

After calm had finally been restored, things ignited again, when play resumed and Carrillo, who was on second base and had advanced to third on the double play attempt was ordered back to second when play resumed. Apparently, the interference call resulted in a dead ball with any lead runners required to return to their original bases, a nuance beyond comprehension to an already slighted Binghamton crowd. That decision proved decisive when Josh Rodriquez grounded a single into center field, with Carrillo holding up at third then stranded when Allan Dykstra watched a called strike three.

Flawed umpire decisions or not, give Trenton their due. The Thunder got the big hit, were daring on the base paths, made big pitches in pressure spots and made pivotal defensive plays all night long. And, the B-Mets had their chances. Binghamton left ten men on base without scoring a run from the sixth inning forward. Binghamton left the bases loaded in the sixth with Darrell Cecilani going down swinging for the third out, left first and third in the seventh with Dykstra caught looking, left the bases loaded in the eighth with Alonso Harris looking at a third strike and ended their season with runners on first and second on a Travis Taijeron called strike three. Binghamton outhit Trenton 11-10, but 12 B-Met batters fanned in the game.

The season ending loss marked the first time Binghamton has been swept in a series all season. But congratulations to the B-Mets regardless, for a truly dominating and historic season for the franchise.

Daniel Muno, 2 for 4
Josh Rodriguez, 2 for 5
Rhyne Hughes, 3 for 5
Xorge Carrillo, 2 for 3
Logan Verrett, 6 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 8 H, BB, 5 K’s
Jim Fuller, 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K’s
Chasen Bradford, 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K’s
Frank Francisco, 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K’s

(Photo credit: Gordon Donovan)

The post B-Mets Eliminated In A Game Marred By Critical Blown Calls From Umpires appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Trenton 6, Binghamton 5

Oh, this sucks…Last night, the Kingsport Mets lost when they had a lead with one out to go…and the Binghamton Mets unfortunately suffered the same fate.

Noah Syndergaard had a chance to redeem himself after a bad start by starting Game One of the playoffs for the Binghamton Mets. Thor delivered, firing six innings and allowing three runs, while striking out eight batters. Tyler Austin ripped a two-run double off Thor and was responsible for two out his seven hits permitted. Syndergaard was allowed to throw 97 pitches — 65 of them for strikes — in this solid outing. He put the B-Mets in a great position to win

See, over the course of Syndergaard’s six innings, the B-Mets had given him three runs of support. The first one crossed on a double play, in the first inning, off the bat of Rhyne Hughes. Wilfredo Tovar knocked in a run in the top of the fourth and was quickly chased home by a Daniel Muno RBI double. After Syndergaard gave up a run in the bottom of the fourth, the score stood deadlocked at 3-3. Chasen Bradford and Frank Francisco — yeah, that Francisco — provided a combined three shutout innings to keep the score the same.

The game would remain at a standpoint until the top of the tenth inning, when Wilfredo Tovar came through again. This time, it was a sacrifice fly that was followed up by a Josh Rodriguez RBI single. The B-Mets went into the bottom of the tenth up two runs, and Jeff Walters came in for the save.

Walters got the first two outs without any problems…and then the Trenton Thunder put together five consecutive hits against him to score three runs. And just like that, the game was over…

If I remember correctly, Darin Gorski will get the start in Game Two for the B-Mets as they look to even the series.

Key Stats

Daniel Muno: 3-for-4, 2 2B, 2 BB, 1 R

Josh Rodriguez: 2-for-6, 1 RBI

Wilfredo Tovar: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 R

Noah Syndergaard: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 3 ER, 8 K

Frank Francisco: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

Chasen Bradford: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 3 K

Jeff Walters: 0.2 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 3 ER, 1 K

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I got to the stadium at 5:30 with a half hour to go. I passed the time by 1) buying tickets 2) waiting in line and 3) walking around the exterior. My first impression of the stadium was eh. I know it’s a minor league stadium, but I wouldn’t expect a Double-A stadium to look as old as it did. But, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover and I didn’t, which payed off. I saw groundskeepers pass time buy playing an intense game of basketball just beyond the right field fence, and two young boys in Yankees attire tossing a ball around outside Gate 1.

When the gates finally opened at 5:59 PM, I was greeted by a friendly woman who scanned my ticket and handed me my Baseball Bingo sheet which I furiously filled out throughout the night. I dashed through the concourse, but didn’t fail to notice the stats/standings board which included Major League and Eastern League info, the NYSEG Stadium Hall of Fame, or the beams decorated with pictures of Mets stars such as Matt Harvey, David Wright, and Ike Davis who used to call this place home.

I ran up the steps to section three and stopped to take in the surroundings. My very first reaction to the inside was, “Wow, this looks A LOT like Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie”. And that’s a good thing, because Tradition Field is probably my favorite Minor League ballpark of the ones I’ve been to.

I noticed some Rock Cats pitchers walking from the left field bullpen to the third base dugout, so I headed down there to see if I could snag some signatures. I heard a man call out “D.J.!”, and knew that it was 2012 Twins draft pick D.J. Baxendale. I saw the back of his jersey and the number confirmed it was him. I had him sign the roster sheet that came in the Mets program.

D.J. Baxendale was kind enough to sign my roster sheet.

After that there was tons of time where there was no player in sight. During this time I flipped through the program and read some very intriguing stories including one about a fan who has sat in the same seat in section 12 since 1992, the team’s inaugural year, and has had wild encounters with a lot of the players to stop at the Double A level.

I decided to wander down near the Rock Cats dugout and see what players happened to be sitting inside it. I couldn’t recognize any of the players but when outfielder Daniel Ortiz walked out of the dugout, he pointed me out and handed me a broken bat of his that was taped up so it was was still intact. Awesome! That was the first bat I had ever gotten at a professional baseball game and I didn’t even have to ask.

After that, a few Mets players began to exit the dugout, including the night’s battery, Mark Cohoon and Blake Forsythe, along with Alonzo Harris who wasn’t even penciled into the lineup. I would have been on that side, but the Rock Cats players were beginning to warm up and I, just like a handful of other fans, wanted to snag Twins top prospect Miguel Sano‘s autograph.

After some light stretching and an intense stretching out of Sano (it makes sense. A Miguel Sano injury = a training staff likely to be fired), he came over and signed my roster sheet right next to Baxendale’s John Hancock. Score! It was now time to get some Mets to sign which is what I really wanted. Unfortunately, by this time only three players remained. Josh Rodriguez and Allan Dykstra were the last pair to throw, as they ended with some pretty nasty knuckleballs, and Ryne Hughes was stretching and taking a few dry cuts before running off into the dugout. When Rodriguez and Dykstra were finished, they both took the time to sign the Mets side of my roster sheet.

Now it was time for the Mets relievers to make the walk to the right field bullpen. I recognized a few of them, such as Chase Huchingson and Jeff Walters but not all. One of them, who sported Rec-Specs and a funky mustache, was wearing the pink backpack so a number on his jersey was not visible. He was taking to an older man with facial hair not unlike the player he spoke to for a solid 30 seconds before they embraced and the player walked off with his teammates.

I asked the man who he spoke to and I found out that not only was the player Hamilton Bennett, but I was speaking to Hamilton Bennett’s father. We talked for about as long as he talked with his son, during which I told him I saw his son pitch during a spring training game against the Cardinals. Jeremy Hefner was hit in the arm by a line drive off the bat of Carlos Beltran, forcing him to leave early and the Mets to borrow some pitchers from minor league camp. I told him how impressed I was by his son. Our conversation ended with me saying “Best of luck.” To which he responded, “it’s on him not me”, before walking away. Cool guy. I crossed paths with him again throughout the night.

After my encounter with Mr. Bennett, I headed over to the home plate end of the Mets dugout, which was right by our seats, to see if any bench players were willing to sign. The National Anthem provided a minute long interruption, but once the song was through, backup catcher Xorge Carrillo was more than glad to sign my roster sheet.

The game was now underway and boy was it an interesting one. Only needing one game to clinch their first playoff birth since 2004, the B-Mets couldn’t muster a single hit through five innings. Mark Cohoon was knocked around early, including an absolute bomb on the first pitch of the second inning, courtesy of Miguel Sano. And let me tell you, Miguel Sano is 6-3, 195, but he looks 6-6, 240. The guy looks like a big leaguer and all evidence points to him being a real good one. The Rock Cats ended up with three runs after that inning and made it four in the fifth.

Miguel Sano: This kid is going to be a star one day.

Speaking of the fifth inning, The Mets secured a number in the hit column that inning with a RBI single courtesy of Josh Rodriguez after two men had reached via the walk. After loading the bases off of reliever Ryan O’Rourke, Allan Dykstra punched one into left to make it a 4-2 ballgame. Cory Vaughn added to the excitement, driving in another run off of the third pitcher of the inning, Cole Johnson, and paving way for Travis Taijeron to pull the Mets ahead with an RBI double just past the third baseman, Sano. A very peculiar inning which saw the B-Mets go from being no hit, to putting up a five spot.

In the midst of the fifth, I called out to Mets hitting coach Luis Natera who happened to be the closest person in uniform to where I was sitting. When he turned around I said, “Nice game you guys got!” In response he smiled and gave me the thumbs up. If only I could have that conversation with Dave Hudgens at Citi Field…

I love minor league ballparks. Because they are so small, they give fans the opportunity to interact with the players and get close to the action, a nice alternative to either shelling out the cash at a big league stadium, or having connections. I enjoyed being able to get fist bumps from Wilfredo Tovar, and Ryne Hughes. I enjoyed being able to hear manager Pedro Lopez and pitching coach Glenn Abbott communicate with catcher Blake Forsythe. I enjoyed watching Alonzo Harris and Richard Lucas make their teammates (and the fans) laugh. But most of all, I enjoyed being able to watch the beautiful sunset fall over the wilderness just beyond left field. To me, that’s what baseball is all about.

Chase Huchingson came in to relieve Cohoon in the seventh and pitched two innings. Huchingson struck out four batters and got his fastball up to 89 mph, which was enough to baffle the hitters. He also mixed in a slider that came around 78. It was on to the ninth with the score still 5-4 Mets in front. And now it was time for – you guessed it – Jeff Walters. But no! Walters was nowhere to be seen – except for coaching first base, sharing the duties with Richard Lucas. Apparently he was unavailable which was disappointing for me, and most of the other fans who would have liked to see Walters add to his more than impressive save total. And wouldn’t it have been symbolic for him to get the save to send the team to the playoffs?

Anyway, no worries as Chasen Bradford came in to save the day and the game. Bradford was brought in and pitched a perfect ninth to lower his ERA to 0.48 and to earn his first save of the season.

Let the celebration begin, and it did!

The team rushed out onto the field and celebrated with one another. It was truly a great moment and I am glad I was there to witness it. Pedro Lopez was interviewed after the game, and despite the fact that his mic didn’t work, the stadium gave him a nice standing ovation.

All in all, a great night at the ballpark, and I sure will “bee” back in the future.

LGM

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

The post Watching The B-Mets Clinch Their First Postseason In Nine Years appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

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.

The post A Word of Thanks To Gordon Donovan and Kelly Madden appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Binghamton Mets scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and held on the rest of the way to defeat the Reading Fightin Phils, 6-3 on Tuesday night at NYSEG Stadium. Noah Syndergaard earned his third win of the season, and Binghamton is now back up to their high-water mark of 25 games over .500.

Top-rated Phillies prospect Jesse Biddle started the game for the Reading, but couldn’t find his groove on the hill. The lefty faced just eight batters and threw 42 pitches before being removed from the game with two outs in the first inning. Binghamton got the scoring started against the lefty with a two-run double from Josh Rodriguez. Blake Forsythe singled up the middle to make it a 3-0 game, and Biddle was replaced by Brody Colvin with the bases loaded and two outs in the first.

Colvin’s first batter was Syndergaard, and he walked him on five pitches to bring home the fourth run of the inning. Once Colvin got out of the first, he settled in nicely and shut down the B-Met offense. Meanwhile Reading began to chip away at the four-run Binghamton lead. In the top of the third Syndergaard uncorked a wild pitch with runners at the corners for the first run, and Maikel Franco knocked an RBI single into right field to cut the B-Met lead to 4-2.

Those were the only runs scored against Syndergaard in his sixth start as a B-Met this season. He threw 96 pitches, and struck out seven before handing the ball over to the bullpen. The B-mets ‘pen would go on to preserve the win for Syndergaard, with Jeff Walters picking up his league-leading 27th save of the year.

Overall, Syndergaard’s line was 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 7 K.

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

(Compiled from team report)

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I’m sitting two rows behind the home dugout on the first base side on Autograph Session and Home Run Derby day, the day before the Eastern League All-Star game in New Britain, Connecticut.  A near 90-degree sun is beating down on a glorious summer day.  A huge throng of fans snake from the hallway below the stands, up a stairwell in left field and then back down in front of the third base dugouts waiting to procure autographs from the Eastern League Stars seated behind tables along the skinned dirt track running from dugout to dugout.  The line proves far too long for these old legs to navigate.

Five B-Mets are among the All-Stars, two, Cesar Puello and Allan Dykstra, who will be participating in the Home Run Extravaganza. Here’s the Program description of each B-Met All-Star.

Cesar Puello:  OF has been having a breakout season in 2013.  Puello has all the tools you look for in a major prospect and has been displaying them all season.  The La Romana, Dominican Republic native is the #14 prospect in the Mets system according to mlb.com.

Allan Dykstra:  IB  The San Diego California native and former Wake Forest Demon Deacon was a 1^st round pick of the Padres in 2008.  Dykstra spent 3years in the minors with San Diego before being traded to the Mets in 2011.  He was previously drafted by the Boston Red Sox before choosing to attend WakeForest.

Josh Rodriguez:   INF  The Houston, Texas native and former Rice Owl was a 2^nd round pick of the Cleveland Indians in the 2006 MLB Draft.  Rodriguez signed with the Mets in December of 2012.  He has been previously selected to the California League All-Star team and is making his second appearance in the Eastern League All-Star classic.

Logan Verrett:  RHP  The Corpus Christi native and former Baylor Bear was drafted by the Mets in the 3^rd round of the 2011 MLB Draft.  Verrett has moved quickly through the Mets system reaching the Double-A level in only his second professional season.

Jeff Walters:   RHP  Walters is in his first season at the Double-A level.  The Orlando, Florida native and former Georgia Bulldog was drafted by the Mets in the 7^th round of the 2010 MLB Draft.

In many ways the Homerun Derby was more like a Contact Hitting Derby.  Sandwich boards with large 10’s, 20’s, and 30’s were stationed one behind the other beginning just beyond the infield grass in each outfield position.  A ball hit in the air landing beyond the 10 board but before the 20 earned 10 points and so on and so on.  Balls that cleared the outfield wall scored 50.

The scoring arrangement worked against the B-Met power guys Puello and Dykstra.  Both were more in tune for a HR Derby where only HR totals were tallied.  Puello was the first Eastern League slugger to put a buzz in the crowd blasting a shot that slammed the scoreboard in deep left-center that temporarily knocked out the posted point total readings.

Puello was the first legitimate Double-A star to hit earning 180 points, a rather pedestrian total.  Dykstra followed closely behind netting 200.

Caleb Joseph, a catcher on the Bowie Baysox was the eventual winner running up a very impressive score of 310.  Steven Sousa Jr. from the Harrisburg Senators, the final Eastern League slugger to hit, provided some competitive excitement.  With one swing to go, Sousa had 270 points needing a homerun to win the title.  His blast to straight-away-centerfield climbed three-quarters of the way up the 25 foot high wall earning 30 points and leaving him 10 shy of Joseph.

I especially enjoyed watching nearly 50 young baseball enthusiasts stretched across the outfield shagging the fly balls.  Some of the kids couldn’t have been more than third graders. Swarms of kids navigated beneath the moon balls that rocketed off the sluggers’ bats.   Line shots sometimes ripped the gloves off the kids’ hands and left me with a lump in my throat, but everyone seemed to escape without serious injury.

Tuesday’s grand weather was no so grand on All-Star Wednesday.  Intermittent rains splattered a capacity crowd (8,633) throughout much of the contest.  But, the game had all the pageantry of a summer classic, incredible singers, zany promotions and some dazzling defensive baseball.  It was tough times for the home-standing Eastern squad including our B-Met heroes.

Puello, Dykstra and Rodriguez all started in the 5-0 loss but went a combined 0-for-7 with only Puello reaching base when he was hit by a pitch.  Puello made a defensive gem in the visitor’s fourth uncorking a rocket launcher from right field throwing out Altoona’s Jake Cunningham at the plate.  Cunningham looked to be over half way between third and home when Puello released the ball.  In fact, Cunningham was so certain of scoring, he didn’t slide.  Puello’s cannon stunned Cunningham and equally amazed a roaring 8,000 plus.

The Western offensive damage was done with the first three batters of the game.  Hard throwing Eastern starting pitcher Anthony Ranaudo had command issues walking Brian Goodwin and Numan Romero, the first two hitters he faced.  Javier Herrera crushed the first pitch he saw driving a shot over the mammoth green wall in straight-away center field for three Western runs.

The West also got to our Logan Verrett touching the B-Met righty for their final two runs in the fourth. Verrett surrendered four hits in the inning, but profited from teammate Puello’s run saving throw to the plate. B-Met closer Jeff Walters pitched a scoreless ninth inning for East.

(Photo credit: Gordon Donovan)

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