Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Liga de Beisbol Profesional de la Republica Dominicana (LIDOM)

Leones del Escogido 3, Gigantes del Cibao 1

In his fourth season as a member of the Leones, Mets right handed pitcher Franklyn Kilome finally secured his first victory in the league. Kilome had previously made six starts in the LIDOM during the 2017-2018 season, losing four of them with two no-decisions. He was slated to be a full-time member of the team’s rotation the following year but ended up missing both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons after sustaining a UCL injury during pre-season camp that October.

Kilome entered the game in the top of the fifth inning and retired five of the seven batters he faced during inning and two-thirds of work despite rainy conditions. He generated three fly-outs, two ground-outs, while allowing a single up the middle to Carlos Paulino and a full-count walk to Texas Rangers first baseman Ronald Guzman. Velocity readings were not available but Kilome did end up throwing a total of twenty-six pitches of which fourteen were for strikes.

Estrellas Orientales 2, Aguilas Cibaenas 1

After an excellent opening day appearance, second baseman Robel Garcia had his second rough night in a row at the plate for the Aguilas with a 0-for-4 day at the plate with three strikeouts. Former Met, Nabil Crismatt dominated during his five innings of work allowing no runs on four hits while striking out four earning the win for the Estrellas. Another former Met, Matt Pobereyko, also tossed a scoreless inning of work with two strikeouts getting his first hold of the season in support of Crismatt.

Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico (LMP)

Charros de Jalisco 12, Venados de Mazatlan 10

Making his first appearance since being deactivated on October 27th, right-handed starter Francisco Rios struggled with his command allowing five runs to score on four hits, two walks, and a wild pitch in only an inning and two-thirds of work.

Algodoneros de Guasave 5, Caneros de Los Mochis 3

Before the game, the Caneros announced that Cardinals catcher and opening day starter, Carlos Soto, was being deactivated by the team retroactive to November 6th which was the date the LMP temporarily shut down due to COVID-19 spread. This opens up more playing time for Mets minor league catcher Juan Uriarte who had been getting consistent playing time earlier in the LMP season when Soto sustained an injury that kept him out of action for almost two weeks.

Against the Algodoneros last night, Uriarte went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Defensively, he allowed one stolen base and threw out another. In his fifth year with the club so far, Uriarte is producing a career best .280 AVG/.753 OPS with one home run and four runs batted in.

The post Franklyn Kilome Picks Up Win in Dominican Winter League appeared first on Metsmerized.

Harol Gonzalez/Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

By Christopher Soto

Arizona Fall League (AFL)

Scottsdale Scorpions (10-11) 2, Salt River Rafters (12-9) 1 Box Score

• C Patrick Mazeika: 1-for-3 | .207 AVG/.448 OPS
• 1B Ali Sanchez: 0-for-4, K | .185 AVG/.525 OPS
• LHP Blake Taylor: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 BB, Save(2) | 0-1, 2.25 ERA, 0.63 WHIP

Blake Taylor continued his string of excellent performances in the Arizona Fall League with another two innings of scoreless work including strikeouts of MLB top prospects Royce Lewis and Josh Lowe. Over his last four appearances, Taylor has faced sixteen batters and has retired all but one of them, including eight via strikeout (50%).

The most encouraging thing about Taylor’s recent string of performances has been his efficiency and ability to pound the strike zone. Over his last four appearances, Taylor is averaging just over ten pitches per inning and is running a 78.8% strike rate.

Liga Mexicana Pacifico (LMP)

Naranjeros de Hermosillo 6, Caneros de los Mochis 1 Box Score

• C Juan Uriarte: 1-for-4 | .250 AVG/.500 OPS

Uriarte got his first start of the season for the Caneros and collected one of only four base hits on the day for the team.

Liga de Beisbol Dominicano (LIDOM)

Gigantes del Cibao 5, Tigres del Licey 1 Box Score

• RHP Harol Gonzalez: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 K, 1 BB | 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.20 WHIP

Gonzalez made his first start of the season for the Gigantes and was fantastic over his three-plus innings of work before reaching his 50 pitch limit. Facing a lineup full of MiLB (AAA) talent, Gonzalez threw 37 of his 52 pitches for strikes (71.2%) and generated ten swings and misses (19.2% SwStr) leading to five strikeouts.

Leones del Escogido 5, Estrellas Orientes 3 Box Score

• RHP Adonis Uceta: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 BB, Win | 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP

Making his first appearance of the season in a 3-3 tie game in the bottom of the sixth inning, Uceta tossed a perfect inning of work including strikeouts of Dodgers prospect Cristian Santana and former big leaguer Domingo Leyba. The Leones would take the lead in the top of the seventh inning netting Uceta a win as well.

The post Harol Gonzalez Starts Off Winter League Strong appeared first on Metsmerized.

By Christopher Soto

Arizona Fall League (AFL)

AFL East Fall-Stars 4, AFL West Fall-Stars 2 Box Score

• SS/3B Andres Gimenez: 0-for-3, K
• RHP Jordan Humphreys: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB

Humphreys was the lone bright spot for the Mets in this year’s Arizona Fall League All-Star as LHP David Peterson did not pitch in the game and Gimenez posted an 0-fer performance. Humphreys needed only eleven pitches to set the side down in order including a three pitch strikeout of Pirates outfield prospect Jared Oliva.

Liga Mexicana Pacifico (LMP)

Caneros de los Mochis 5, Algodoneros de Guasave 0 Box Score

• C Juan Uriarte: Defensive Replacement | — AVG/— OPS

Uriarte made his first appearance of the season as a defensive replacement for starter Lorenzo Quintana. For the third season in a row, it seems that Uriarte will have to be content as the back-up for the Caneros de los Mochis.

Liga de Beisbol Dominicano (LIDOM)

Leones del Escogido 7, Tigres del Licey 3 Box Score

• 2B Arismendy Alcantara: 1-for-3, 2B, BB | .333 AVG/1.167 OPS
• LF Rymer Liriano: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 Caught Stealing | .000 AVG/.500 OPS

Alcantara and Liriano combined for three walks against Leones starting pitching and Oakland A’s young right hander Frankie Montas. The only hit of the game between the two came in the bottom of the eighth inning on a line drive base hit to left field that Alcantara aggressively stretched into a double. His aggressive came back to bite him though as he tried to advance to third on a fly-ball to center field and was thrown out at third.

The post Humphreys Tosses Scoreless Inning in AFL All-Star Game appeared first on Metsmerized.

John Flanigan/MMO

By Christopher Soto

Arizona Fall League (AFL)

Scottsdale Scorpions (6-4) 17, Caneros de los Mochis 0 Box Score

• SS Andres Gimenez: 2-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI(11) | .346 AVG/.893 OPS

This game was well out of hand by the time Gimenez got in on the scoring action. With the Scorpions already up 10-0 in the seventh inning, Gimenez added another run with a sharp ground-ball base hit through the right side of the infield to make it 11-0. The next inning, the Scorpions rallied for six more runs as Gimenez added two more RBI’s to his tally with a line drive single to center field.

Mexican Pacific League (LMP)

Scottsdale Scorpions (6-4) 17, Caneros de los Mochis 0 Box Score

• C Juan Uriarte: 0-for-2, BB | .000 AVG/.250 OPS

Making his first start of the pre-season for the Caneros, Uriarte failed to make a good impression as he fights for a starting job. Offensively, he failed to get the ball out of the infield, as he grounded into a double play in the second inning and grounded out to the pitcher to lead off the fifth. Defensively, he allowed two stolen bases and a passed ball.

The post Andres Gimenez Continues Great Arizona Fall League appeared first on Metsmerized.

By Christopher Soto

Arizona Fall League (AFL)

Scottsdale Scorpions (4-3) 8, Aguilas Mexicali 1 Box Score

• 1B Ali Sanchez: 1-for-2, 2 R, 2 RBI(2), 2 BB | .333 AVG/.833 OPS
• SS Andres Gimenez: 2-for-3, R, HR(1), 4 RBI(8), BB, K | .353 AVG/1.009 OPS
• LHP Blake Taylor: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 K, 1 BB | 0-1, 6.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP

Playing in their first of four inter-winter-league games this season, Mets prospects Andres Gimenez and Ali Sanchez provided more than enough offensive firepower for the Scorpions. In the bottom of the fourth inning with runners on second and third base, Sanchez hit a ground-ball through the right side of the infield to drive in both runners to give the Scorpions a 2-0 lead. The Scorpions would add another run on a wild pitch in the seventh inning, but, the big blast came courtesy of Gimenez in the eighth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Gimenez turned on a full count, inside fastball and launched it over the right field wall for a grand slam home run.

Andres Gimenez’s first @MLBAZFallLeague homer? A grand slam!

The #Mets No. 3 prospect doubled his RBI total in five AFL games with this 💥 for Scottsdale. pic.twitter.com/98iRRmjLMM

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 26, 2019

Blake Taylor pitched the ninth inning for the Scorpions but he did not have his best stuff. He was ambushed immediately as Misael German jumped on a first pitch fastball down the middle for a lead-off triple. The next batter would drive him in with an RBI ground-out. Taylor was able to limit the damage to just that one mistake but across his 22 pitches through, he did not miss a single bat.

Mexican Pacific League (LMP)

Mesa Solar Sox (4-3) 15, Caneros de Los Mochis 2 Box Score

• PH/DH Juan Uriarte: 0-for-1 | .000 AVG/.000 OPS

In the first pre-season game of the season for the Caneros, Juan Uriarte made a pinch hit appearance in the top of the seventh inning and flied out to right field.

The post Andres Gimenez Comes Up Grand in Arizona Fall League appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Ernest Dove, MMN

Rochester (21-33) 9, Syracuse (29-28) 3 Box

• Chris Mazza (1-2, 3.00 ERA): 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 K, 2 BB
• Louis Coleman (0-0, 108.00 ERA): 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB
• Eric Hanhold (2-3, 5.54 ERA): 1.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, K, BB
• Stephen Villines (0-0, 1.03 ERA): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER

Mazza held his own, scattering six hits and three runs (two earned) across six innings. He cruised the first couple of innings before allowing old friend Jordany Valdespin to cross the plate in the third inning. In the sixth frame, Mazza’s throwing error permitted the go-ahead run to score. Rather surprisingly, he’s emerged as Syracuse’s best rotation option this year.

No shocker here, but Stephen Villines was lights-out yet again. He’s only allowed seven runs in 26.1 innings between Binghamton and Syracuse this season. This was Hanhold’s fourth consecutive outing where he allowed multiple runs.

Louis Coleman didn’t make the greatest first impression in his initial appearance for the Syracuse Mets. The journeyman came into the game with the score at 3-2 and left it, one out later, with the Mets in a 9-2 deficit. Coleman struggled with his command, throwing only nine out of his 21 pitches for strikes.  He was signed to a minor-league deal earlier this week.

Relievers Corey Taylor and Daniel Zamora were placed on the IL.

• LF Matt Kemp: 1-4, RBI |  .273/.333/.273
• 2B Luis Guillorme: 3-3, R,  | .290/.406/.383
• RF Arismendy Alcantara  2-3, RBI, R, BB | .292/.394/.460

The Mets threatened for the majority of the afternoon, but no one could deliver the clutch hit as they combined to go 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Guillorme tacked on more three singles; his on-base percentage ranks third among Mets minor-leaguers, but, yet again, his power hasn’t shown up (0.96 ISO). Alcantara has a 1.142 OPS since being promoted to Syracuse a few weeks ago.

Harrisburg (36-21) 9, Binghamton (30-22) 8 Box

• LHP David Peterson (2-2, 4.70 ERA): 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 K, 3 BB
• RHP Thomas McIlraith (0-1, 3.60 ERA): 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• RHP Austin McGeorge (0-1, 2.75 ERA): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, K, BB
• RHP Joe Zanghi (2-0, 1.93 ERA): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, K, BB

Binghamton rallied to pull within one in the final innings, but a seven-run fifth doomed the Rumble Ponies. Peterson got through first four innings unscathed, but couldn’t get past the fifth. The Senators poured it on, with four consecutive batters having run-scoring knocks. Despite Peterson’s recent hot streak, his struggles in Double-AA are especially concerning given that he was considered a fast riser when drafted.

• 1B David Thompson: 3-5, 2B, 2 R | .207/.268/.350
• RF Barrett Barnes: 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R | .309/.441/.553

The trio of Jason Krizan, Michael Paez, and Barnes all had multi-RBI nights, driving in six of the nine Rumble Ponies runs. Will Toffey‘s sacrifice fly and Paez’s ribbie single gave Bingo a two-run cushion. A frame later, Barnes extended the lead with his fifth homer of the year.  After Barnes’ ninth-inning two-bagger drove in Luis Carpio and put Barnes on the bases representing the tying run, the Ponies couldn’t come up with the game-tying base knock.

Quinn Brodey went 0-for-4 with an RBI and a strikeout in his Double-A debut.  David Peterson‘s one silver lining from his start is that he recorded his first-ever MiLB hit. Shohei Otani who?

Tampa (24-33) 6, St.Lucie (28-29) 4 Box

• LHP Kevin Smith (3-4, 3.48 ERA): 3.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 K, 2 BB
• RHP Conner O’Neil (2-1, 6.56 ERA): 2 IP, 2 H, R, 2 K, 2 BB
• LHP Andrew Mitchell (2-0, 1.30 ERA): 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, K
• RHP Joe Cavallaro (1-1, 5.71 ERA): 2.0 IP, H, 0 R, 2 K

Smith had the worst outing of his professional career, as he failed to make it out of the fourth inning. While short stints are nothing new for the lefty, the eight hits and five runs represent a career-high. Smith struggled from the onset, allowing two runs in the first and three more in third. Mitchell’s only allowed two earned runs since his promotion to St.Lucie two weeks ago.

• 3B Blake Tiberi: 3-4, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB | .272/.347/.356

After Dermis Garcia‘s two-run single in the first inning, Carlos Cortes halved in the lead by doubling in Blake Tiberi in the latter half of the inning. The Mets tried to rally in the ninth, but come up just short. With two runs already in and Alfredo Escalera dancing off the basepaths, Jeremy Vasquez and Dan Rizzie both came up as the game-tying run, but they were both retired by Andrew Bellatti.

Columbia (23-35) 3, Rome (26-32) 2 Box

• RHP Willy Tavares (4-5, 3.90 ERA): 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 8 K
• RHP Billy Oxford (0-2, 4.12 ERA): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, K
• RHP Tylor Megill (1-0, 0.82 ERA): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K

After allowing two runs to score in the first inning, Tavares proceeded to shut down the Braves for six innings, scattering only six hits and striking out eight. Tylor Megill‘s pristine 0.82 ERA and 12.27 K/9 looks promising, but his command issues (6.54 BB/9) are troubling.

• SS Ronny Mauricio: 2-4 | .284/.327/.355
• DH Shervyen Newton: 2-4, R | .205/.281/.311

A three-run second was all the offense Tavares and the rest of the Mets’ bullpen needed. Ronny Mauricio and Shervyen Newton led the charge with back-to-back knocks to open the frame. After Juan Uriarte drove in Vientos, Walter Rasquin beat out an infield single to even up with the game. Hansel Moreno‘s sacrifice fly,a batter later, proved to be the difference-maker. Ronny Mauricio‘s third-inning single extended his hitting streak to eight games.

DSL Mets I (3-0) 2, DSL Twins I (1-2) 1 Box

• SS Bradly Encarnacion: 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, | .400/.500/.600
• 2B Federico Polanco: 2-4, | . 385/.429/.462

Polanco and Bradly Encarnacion both tallied multi-hit efforts, but the rest of the Mets’ offense was non-existent. Encarnacion drove in Carlos Dominguez to put the Mets up one in the bottom of the second and doubled Dominguez two frames later

• RHP Joshua Cornielly (1-0, 1.80 ERA): 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K

In his first start of the year, Joshua Cornielly twirled five solid innings, punching out four Twins. Jose Valdez, who relieved Cornielly, struck out five Twins over two innings.

DSL Mets 2 (3-0) 11, DSL Diamondbacks (1-2) 5 Box

• CF Dyron Campos: 2-3, 3 R, HBP, 2 RBIs, 2 BB, SB | .417/.563/.750

Campos led the offensive onslaught as he got on-base five times. The Mets scored in six out of their nine innings.

• RHP Carlos Castro (0-0, 3.86 ERA): 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 K, 5 BB

The Mets had a no-hitter going until the bottom of the sixth inning despite allowing one run. The no-no ended as Pablo Marinez allowed a ground-ball single to Luis Rubio. Marinez proceded to struggle throughout the game, allowing seven hits and four runs in 2.2 innings

The post Mets Minors Recap: David Peterson Struggles in Loss appeared first on Metsmerized.

Columbus (23-16) 14, Syracuse (23-17) 3 Box Score

• C Rene Rivera: 4-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR (3), 2 RBI(5), K | .282/.350/.451
• CF Gregor Blanco: 2-for-4, RBI (9), SB(7), K | .250/.331/.385
• 3B Dilson Herrera: 2-for-4, 2B, K | .268/.355/.536

It was a career best day for Rene Rivera offensively in this one as he tied his career high with four hits in a game. It was the first time he’s accomplished the feat since June 30, 2013 as a member of the Padres Triple-A team.

• RHP Zach Lee: 5.0 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 5 K, 1 BB, Loss | 2-1, 5.87 ERA, 1.75 WHIP
• RHP Corey Taylor: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 2 BB | 2-0, 2.16 ERA, 1.44 WHIP
• LHP P.J. Conlon: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 K, 2 BB | 1-0, 4.15 ERA, 1.50 WHIP
• RHP Stephen Villines: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB | 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP

The Columbus Clippers jumped all over Zach Lee right from the start of the game scoring five runs in the first inning on six singles and a sacrifice fly. After that, Lee was solid the next four innings allowing only two hits while striking out five, however, he would get into some trouble in the sixth inning after allowing a single and double to open the frame.

Taylor would enter the game at this point but he allowed both inherited runners to score and allowed an earned run of his own. With the game well out of hand, Conlon would attempt to save the bullpen and chew up some innings but he needed 56 pitches to get through two plus innings of work. He would need Villines to finish things off after back to back walks and an error by Dilson Herrera allowed a run to score and put runners on first and second.

Trenton (23-14) 6, Binghamton (21-15) 2 Box Score

• 1B Patrick Mazeika: 0-for-4, 3 K | .259/.333/.440
• CF Braxton Lee: 1-for-3, 3B, RBI (18), BB | .314/.390/.429
• C Ali Sanchez: 1-for-3, RBI (12), BB | .239/.295/.273

There was no offense in this game for the Rumble Ponies as they only managed two hits the entire night. This game also saw Patrick Mazeika’s 15 game hitting streak come to an end.

• RHP Chris Mazza:  5.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 K, 1 BB, Loss | 0-3, 3.89 ERA, 1.33 WHIP
• RHP Joe Zanghi:  1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 K, 3 BB | 2-0, 0.47 ERA, 1.14 WHIP
• RHP Joshua Torres:  1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 K, 1 BB | 1-0, 7.71 ERA, 1.80 WHIP

The Trenton Thunder jumped on Mazza immediately scoring two runs on four straight hits in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead. They would add two more runs in the bottom of the fourth on a bases loaded single but the rally would stop there as Patrick Mazeika caught the batter trying to advance to second base on the throw home. Zanghi would enter the game in the sixth inning and, while he struggled with his command, he was able to extend his scoreless innings streak to 10.2 IP.

St. Lucie (20-19) 2, Fort Myers (25-15) 1 Box Score

• 3B Luis Carpio: 2-for-4, R, 2 2B | .330/.396/.426
• 2B Carlos Cortes: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI (18) | .248/.309/.400
• C Nick Meyer: 1-for-4, K | .260/.313/.325

Both teams struggled offensively with the score being stuck at 1-1 from the top of the 2nd inning until extra innings. In the top of the tenth, with Matt Winaker as the extra innings runner at second base, Carlos Cortes would line a double into right field to give St. Lucie the lead and the win.

• LHP Kevan Smith:  6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 K, 0 BB | 3-2, 2.63 ERA, 1.22 WHIP
• RHP Marcel Renteria: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB | 0-1, 9.88 ERA, 2.12 WHIP
• RHP Joe Cavallaro: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 K, 1 BB, Win | 1-1, 8.00 ERA, 1.89 WHIP

Smith allowed a solo home run to Minnesota Twins top prospect Royce Lewis in the bottom of the first but was nails after that tossing six solid innings of work. Cavallaro was a hero out of the pen tossing three no-hit innings including the bottom of the tenth with the automatic runner on second base to earn his first win of the season.

Rome (20-21) 11, Columbia (15-26) 3 Box Score

• C Juan Uriarte: 3-for-3, R, HR (2), 2 RBI(6) | .167/.193/.274
• CF Hansel Moreno: 0-for-3, R, BB, K | .190/.267/.388
• DH Wagner Lagrange: 1-for-4, K | .258/.317/.366

Juan Uriarte provided most of the offense for the Fireflies tonight with a two run home run in the top of the fifth inning to pull the team within one run at the time. Outside of Uriarte, only Brian Sharp and Lagrange registered hits on the night.

• RHP Simeon Woods-Richardson: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 K, 1 BB, Loss | 0-6, 7.24 ERA, 1.43 WHIP
• RHP Alec Kisena: 1.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 K, 1 BB | 0-1, 5.84 ERA, 1.70 WHIP
• RHP Jose Moreno: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB | 2-0, 2.40 ERA, 1.40 WHIP
• RHP Tylor Megill: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 K, 2 BB | 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP

Woods-Richarson’s recent struggles continued last night as he allowed five earned runs to score for the fourth straight start in a row. He struggled with the command of his fastball for most of the game though it did reach 94 mph. Tylor Megill was a bright spot for the Fireflies bullpen as the recently promoted right hander struck out five of the nine batters he faced giving him eight in four innings pitched so far since his call-up on May 13th.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Mazieka’s Hit Streak Snapped at 15 appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

“He’s a treat for us,” remarked Brodie Van Wagenen. “He can really bring it.”

When the Mets trotted out Simeon Woods Richardson for one inning during their major league Spring Training game on March 24, it was less about the results and more about the high regard that the organization holds him in.

Van Wagenen, who was in the SNY booth during that inning, and his baseball operations colleagues have become so enamored with the 18-year-old’s skill set that he was sent to Low A Columbia to open the 2019 season despite only having thrown 17.1 innings in rookie ball.

Lack of experience be damned, Woods Richardson has come out of the gate firing, owning a 2.35 ERA and 11 strikeouts against no walks through his first three games. While he is still being used and developed as a starting pitcher, he has been limited to 40 pitches per outing so far.

His five strikeouts on Monday night against Rome were good for an early season high.

It was a season-high five strikeouts for Simeon Woods Richardson in three scoreless innings of work last night. #Mets

Already has taken steps forward since his first outing of the year: fastball command, limiting hard contact, urgency on the mound. pic.twitter.com/UR1ovBuIA4

— Jacob Resnick (@Jacob_Resnick) April 16, 2019

The first thing that strikes you when Woods Richardson takes the mound is his bulldog mentality. From his brisk pace to the post-strikeout strut around the mound, no hitter should want to face him once he gets into a groove. His adrenaline caused him to overthrow his fastballs in his first outing, but he’s since been able to dial it back and fine-tune his command.

Early velocity reports have been consistent within the 93-95 mph range. The 97, 98, 99 is really only going to show up if he’s working in one-inning stints but that isn’t going to be the direction the organization will take in the foreseeable future.

Here is the summary sentence from a Baseball Prospectus eyewitness report ($):

The easy call here is back-end starter or low-end setup type because of mechanics and lack of a third pitch, but there’s still a lot to like with two solid pitches and a great frame.

One of the biggest factors in Woods Richardson’s development this season is sure to be his backstop, 21-year-old Juan Uriarte. The native Mexican has drawn rave reviews both internally and externally for his defense, game calling, and management of pitchers, so it will be interesting to monitor his rapport with Woods Richardson. So far, so good.

The righty from the Houston suburbs has already made a strong impression just three starts into his first taste of full-season ball. Once the training wheels are taken off, Woods Richardson’s stock should too.

The post Prospect Pulse: Simeon Woods-Richardson Easing Into Full-Season Ball appeared first on Metsmerized.

MLB vs Japan All-Star Series

Samurai Japan 4 – 1 MLB All-Stars

Amed Rosario got the day off today with Kike Hernandez filling in at shortstop. Rosario finished the series hitting .471 with 1.265 OPS.

The MLB All-Stars lost the final game of the series this morning finishing the trip with a (1-5) record. Today it was the starting pitching that faltered as Boston right-hander Brian Johnson allowed all four runs to score in the first inning on five hits and one walk. Offensively, the MLB team was able to collect ten hits on the day including multi-hit days by Ronald Acuna (2-for-5), Eugenio Suarez (2-for-4), Kevin Pillar (2-for-4), and Chris Taylor (2-for-4). Despite all the hits, the team was unable to performance with runners in scoring position as they went a combined 1-for-14 in those situations leaving a total of eleven runners on base. The only run of the game for the MLB team was scored on a solo home run by Acuna in the bottom of the 8th inning.

Arizona Fall League (AFL)

Mesa Solar Sox 10 – 6 Surprise Saguaros
Salt River Rafters 4 – 3 Glendale Desert Dogs
Scottsdale Scorpions 10 – 3 Peoria Javelinas

• 1B Peter Alonso: 4-for-5, 3 R, 2 2B, HR(6), 6 RBI(27), K
• RHP Joe Zanghi: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K
• RHP Matt Blackham: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K

With the Salt River victory earlier in the day, the Scottsdale Scorpions were officially eliminated from championship contention, but, that didn’t stop Peter Alonso from putting up a monster night. After a solo home run by Javelinas second baseman Keston Hiura, Alonso responded in the bottom of the first inning with his own massive three run home run over the left field wall to give the Scorpions a 3-1 lead.

#Mets No. 2 prospect Peter Alonso broke out of a 5-for-42 slump with this massive three-run homer, his sixth of the @MLBazFallLeague season. Gameday: https://t.co/tTRyx6FBJa pic.twitter.com/59DEpn7FsU

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 15, 2018

In the bottom of the third inning, Alonso would add two more to his RBI total. With runners on first and second with two outs and the score now 4-2, Alonso lined one into the left center field gap for a two RBI double to extend the Scorpions lead to 6-2. He would score himself one batter later on an RBI single by Ronnie Dawson. Alonso tallied his second double of the night in the bottom of fifth, this time with a liner the other way into the right center field gap. He would score for the third time in the night two batters later on an Austin Listi RBI single extending the lead to 9-3 at this point. In the bottom of the seventh inning, after a lead-off triple by Taylor Trammell, Alonso would cap off his monster night with his sixth RBI of the night, an RBI single to left field to finish the scoring at 10-3 in favor of the Scorpions.

The Scorpions will play the Javelinas once again today in the final game of the AFL season. With the Solar Sox victory, this year’s championship game on Saturday will be between them and the Javelinas. The game will be televised on MLB Network at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Mexican Pacific League (LMP)

Yaquis de Obregon 4 – 2 Venados de Mazatlan
Naranjeros de Hermosillo 8 – 0 Charros de Jalisco
Aguilas de Mexicali 5 – 3 Mayos de Navojoa
Tomateros de Culiacan 6 – 4 Caneros de Los Mochis

The Caneros announced that they have agreed to a loan deal with the Yaquis de Obregon for the services of catcher Arturo Omar Rodríguez. In order to make room on the roster for him they have deactivated Mets catcher Juan Uriarte. With his deactivation, the Mets no longer have any active players in the LMP.

Venezuelan Winter League (LVBP)

Cardenales de Lara 6 – 0 Bravos de Margarita
Tiburones de La Guaira 5 – 3 Tigres de Aragua
Aguilas de Zulia 4 – 1 Leones del Caracas
Navegantes de Magallanes 7 – 1 Caribes de Anzoategui [Completed after 4th inning- Forfeit]

Dominican Winter League (LIDOM)

Tigres del Licey 3 – 1 Leones del Escogido
Estrellas Orientales 4 – 2 Gigantes del Cibao

• 1B Joey Terdoslavich: 2-for-4, K

Toros del Este 5 – 3 Aguilas Cibaenas

• RHP Tim Peterson: 1.0 IP, 1 K, Hold(1)

Despite a save situation being present, Peterson was brought into the game an inning earlier than usual in order to face a tougher part of the Aguilas line-up. He responded by tossing another perfect inning of work getting major leaguers Victor Robles and Ronny Rodriguez to ground out while striking out Braves AA player Luis Valenzuela.

Roberto Clemente Puerto Rico League (LBPRC)

No Games Scheduled. The season will begin Nov. 15, 2018

The post 11/14 Winter League Results: Six RBI Day for Alonso appeared first on Metsmerized.

MLB vs Japan All-Star Series

Samurai Japan 12 – 6 MLB All-Stars

• SS Amed Rosario: 1-for-5, SB

Rosario led off today for the MLB All-Stars and provided some immediate offense in the first inning with a lead-off single and a stolen base. A sharp line drive single by Yadier Molina advanced him to third base but he would fail to score after a strikeout and an inning ended double play. That would be Rosario’s only contribution as he grounded out three time and struck out once in his other four plate appearances.

The pitching for the MLB All-Stars was a major let down today as starter Erasmo Ramirez and reliever Brian Johnson combined to allowed twelve runs (nine earned) on twelve hits and five walks in six innings of work putting the team into a hole that they could not climb out of. Offensively, Juan Soto and J.T. Realmuto were the stars in this one. Soto was 1-for-4 with two runs scored and a solo home run, his second of the series. Realmuto was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a three run home run in the eighth inning.

Arizona Fall League (AFL)

Peoria Javelinas 4 – 2 Surprise Saguaros
Mesa Solar Sox 5 – 4 Salt River Rafters
Glendale Desert Dogs 6 – 5 Scottsdale Scorpions

• 2B Andres Gimenez: 0-for-3
• PH Peter Alonso: 0-for-0, RBI(18), BB
• C Ali Sanchez:  Defensive Replacement
• RHP Joe Zanghi: 1.0 IP, 1 K

The Scorpions slide in the standings continued yesterday as they lost for the eighth time in their last ten games. Andres Gimenez was the only Mets player in the starting line-up today but his AFL struggles continued as his 0-fer dropped his season long stat line down to .125 AVG/.571 OPS. Right hander Joe Zanghi entered the game to pitch in the top of the seventh inning and tossed a clean inning of work generating two ground outs and a strikeout on 17 pitches (11 strikes).

Despite getting the day off, Peter Alonso would make a pinch hitting appearance in the top of the eighth inning with the bases loaded and only one out. He never got a pitch to hit though as he drew a four-pitch walk for his 18th RBI of the AFL season. Ali Sanchez would also make an appearance as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Mexican Pacific League (LMP)

Aguilas de Mexicali 6 – 2 Charros de Jalisco
Tomateros de Culiacan 3 – 0 Yaquis de Obregon
Naranjeros de Hermosillo 5 – 2 Mayos de Navojoa
Venados de Mazatlan 5 – 2 Caneros de los Mochis

• C: Juan Uriarte: 0-for-2, K

Venezuelan Winter League (LVBP)

Bravos de Margarita 4 – 3 Tiburones de La Guaira
Aguilas de Zulia 5 – 4 Tigres de Aragua
Navegantes del Magallanes 9 – 1 Cardenales de Lara

Dominican Winter League (LIDOM)

Estrellas Orientales 3 – 1 Leones del Escogido
Gigantes del Cibao 2 – 1 Aguilas Cibaenas
Toros del Este 14 – 8 Tigres del Licey

• RHP Nabil Crismatt: 1.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Facing the Toros for the third time in his five starts this season, Crismatt put together the worst start he’s had so far in the LIDOM. His struggles began in the bottom of the first inning after a single by Jordany Valdespin and a stolen base to put him on second base with two outs. He would then come around to score on a RBI single by Carlos Franco. A double and a single later, Crismatt found himself down 3-0 by the time he finally got out of the inning.

Things weren’t much better in the second inning for Crismatt as he allowed back to back singles followed by a walk to Valdespin to load the bases up with only one out. During the next AB, Crismatt uncorked a wild pitch that allowed a run to score and the remaining runners to advance to second and third. Needing a double play, Crismatt would intentionally walk Taylor Motter to load the bases back up before being pulled from the game for a reliever.

Roberto Clemente Puerto Rico League (LBPRC)

No Games Scheduled. The season will begin Nov. 15, 2018

The post 11/9 Winter League Results: Rosario Steals Base in Loss to Japan appeared first on Metsmerized.