The New York Mets drafted slugging first baseman Peter Alonso in the second round of the 2016 draft from the University of Florida.

During the 2016 season with Florida he mashed 32 extra base hits, knocked in 60 and had a 1.128 OPS in only 58 games as a junior. He also walked 31 times compared to 31 strikeouts and his overall offensive ability was a big reason why the Mets took him with the 64th overall pick.

The right-handed hitter didn’t disappoint in his pro debut slashing .321/.382/.587 with 12 doubles, five home runs and 21 RBI for the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2016.

It was more of the same in 2017 when Alonso he started the season in the Florida State League for the St. Lucie Mets and finished off in Double-A with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. He hit .289/.359/.524 combined between the two with 27 doubles and 18 home runs including a .918 OPS in 11 games for the Rumble Ponies.

The problem for Alonso in 2017 was his defense which was bad all-around. The Mets and Pete took notice with him going to the Instructional League to work on his defense at first base.

It worked, in my look at him (sub-40 degree weather in Portland) he was improved defensively and scouts I’ve talked to have echoed that as well. Part of the reason for his better defense is the fantastic shape he worked himself into this offseason. He showed off a little more range, looked more comfortable moving around the bag and you could sense a confidence boost as well.

There’s still work to do defensively (pop-ups are a struggle, footwork around the base) though the Mets front office and national prospect gurus have started taking notice of his improvements. Keith Law said he’s likely a Top 100 MLB prospect right now.

The calling card is obviously his offense which has been elite in almost every area this season. He’s dominating Double-A as he leads the Eastern League in almost every category this year for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. His numbers are outrageous and here are his rankings in all of the minor leagues thus far; .395 AVG (6th), .505 OBP (3rd), .756 SLG (3rd), .544 wOBA (2nd), 253 wRC+ (1st).

That’s right, he’s leading minor league baseball in weighted runs created plus. It’s also impressive to see that he as 16 walks (BB% up to 15 this year after 6.9% in 2017) and only 18 strikeouts (16.8%).

Alonso was recently named Eastern League Player of the Month for April. He’s certainly put himself into the conversation as the Mets top prospect alongside Andres Gimenez and David Peterson, and has moved into the Top 100 national prospect consideration.

Peter Alonso

MMO – What is it like playing in the current conditions of Binghamton, New Hampshire and Maine after playing college in Florida and last year for St. Lucie? What are some of the challenges of playing in sub 40 degree weather and snow?

Peter – It’s mostly mental right now I think, I had my agent send me some cold stuff and Binghamton does a really nice job of providing cold weather gear. In order to hit here it’s more of a mental task than physical. Growing up a huge baseball fan in general most of the teams in the playoffs are playing in the cold and how I’m attacking this right now is, if you can’t play in this than you can’t play in October.

MMO – Speaking of growing up, who were you favorite teams/players when you were a kid?

Peter – Mike Piazza, I used to catch way back in the day so Piazza had a huge influence on my career. Tampa Bay Rays were right there so I watched them. Also the Yankees had some great teams in the late 90s so I watched them some too. I was just such a huge baseball fan growing up, I love everything about the game. Later on when I turned into a power hitting first baseman, Paul Konerko was a guy I’ve tried to emulate.

MMO – What’s it like to have a former Florida teammate Eric Hanhold back here with you in Binghamton?

Peter – It’s awesome, it established chemistry because we played together for two years at Florida. We used to grind together, conditioning and in the weight room. We had some pretty good success together winning a 2014 regular season championship and going to Omaha the next season.

MMO – Sticking with the Florida theme, what’s it like playing along side Tim Tebow? What does he bring to the team?

Peter – It’s fun, I like having Tim on the team and he’s a great guy to have as a teammate. He comes out and works hard every day, he sets a good precedent. He also helps draw people to the ballpark, that’s no secret, it’s nice being able to play in front of a lot of people.

Last year in the Florida State League you could probably count how many people are in the stands on both hands then when he showed up it was like someone put an adrenaline shot in your leg. It was really nice because the fans started coming out to create a really fun environment.

MMO – To begin your pro career you were less successful against righties than lefties, can you talk about any adjustments you’ve made vs righties because you been better this year and at the end of last year.

Peter – It’s all plate discipline, because I’d rather look bad on a slider than look bad on a fastball. I feel like now it’s more of a vocal point because I have seen lefties better. I don’t want to just hit lefties, I want to hit righties as well and dominated all pitching that I see.

MMO – Keeping in line with improvements, tell me about going to the Instructional League last year to work on your defense.

Peter – It was basically going back to the drawing board and creating a more simpler set up for myself at first base. It turned out that a couple of things were necessarily the cleanest, and also it was a mindset. People talk about slumping at the plate, but you can slump it the field and it was a huge lack of confidence.

I played really good defense in college, I played really good defense in Brooklyn, then it was a bad year last season. I hold myself to a high standard and I tried to figure it out, but I struggled and I struggled bad. It was about going back to the drawing board, building confidence and working on minor adjustments.

I’m really happy that Tim Teufel, our infield coordinator, spent loads of time with me and without him I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now. I think I’ve come a really long way defensively, I’m going to continue to get better and keep my confidence up. Hopefully at the end of the 142 game season I will show that I can pick, I know that I can and now I’m going to show it.

MMO – Awesome, thanks for your time and good luck this year.

Peter – Thank you, I appreciate your time.

The post MMO Exclusive: Mets First Base Prospect Peter Alonso appeared first on Metsmerized.

New Hampshire 8, Binghamton 1

Tyler Pill went five innings and gave up four runs, striking out four. Beck Wheeler, David Roseboom, and Luis Mateo combined to give up four more runs in the next three innings. Mateo makes his return back to Binghamton after Tommy John Surgery in 2013.

DH Matt Oberste went 2 for 4 with a double and the only B-Mets RBI of the game. Dominic Smith finally recorded his first Double-A hit and subsequently a run on Oberste’s double. L.J. Mazzilli made his first ever pro start at third base.

St. Lucie 4, Jupiter 3

Josh Edgin started the game on Rehab Assignment, and went .2 innings, giving up a run, and striking out one before being replaced by Ricky Knapp. Knapp subsequently tossed 5.1 innings, giving up four hits, and striking out four. Alberto Baldonaldo gained redemption from his first game on April 8th by holding down the Hammerheads with a scoreless inning and two strikeouts. Robert Coles however made the game interesting giving up a 2-run shot to the cleanup hitter Taylor Ard.

On the offensive side, Lednier Ricardo, 2 for 4, and Kevin Taylor, 3 for 4, led the team on offense. As well, top prospect Amed Rosario went 2 for 5 with his second stolen base. He is now hitting .300 on the year. Luis Guillorme had a bad day at the plate with an 0 for 5, and is hitting .167 out of the two-hole.

Charleston 6, Columbia 5

Left-hander Kevin Canelon cruised through the first three innings before running into some trouble in the fourth. He gave up two runs on five hits, while striking out six and walking two. Seth Davis followed with two innings of his own as well as two runs given up and four strikeouts. The Fireflies were leading the RiverDogs up until the bottom of the 9th, but Witt Haggard walked the bases loaded and gave up a two-run single to Thairo Estrada.

Vinny Siena went 3 for 5 with a double. The former 2015 14th rounder from UConn is currently hitting .462 after 4 games. Left Fielder Joe Tuschak went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles and scored twice. David Thompson drove in one with a triple, and scored on an error. The 2015 4th rounder from University of Miami is hitting .357.

The was the Fireflies third loss of the season with each one coming on a walk-off, their only win of the season came on Saturday when they threw a combined no-hitter.

Note: Both of Las Vegas’s games were rained out Sunday and will be played in August.

For the more in-depth recap head over to MetsMinors.net.

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Las Vegas (40-31) 4, Fresno 2

Going into the top of the 9th the 51’s were being shutout while going 0-7 with runners in scoring position before Brooks Conrad changed all that with a pinch-hit two-out grand slam to win the game. Kirk Nieuwenhuis started the rally with a double, followed by a walk by Anthony Recker and Travis Taijeron was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Kirk was 2-4 on the night and is now 9-21 with eight RBI in 5 games since being demoted. Johnny Monell was 1-4 extending his hit streak to 16 games which ties Dominic Smith‘s for the longest in the Minors for the Mets this year. Alex Castellanos, Daniel Muno, Taijeron, Wilfredo Tovar, and Brandon Allen all had one hit on the night.

Chase Bradford came into the 8th inning with two runners on getting the next three hitters out on a row to keep Las Vegas within two runs. Bradford also pitched a scoreless 9th inning to pick up his 2nd win of the year, he gave up just one hit while striking out three. He cleaned up Scott Rices‘ 8th inning mess who walked and gave up a hit to the two batters he faced. Recently promoted Chase Huchingson pitched 1.2 scoreless with two strikeouts pushing his streak to 12.1 innings with 5.2 of them coming for the 51’s. Rainy Lara made his 2nd AAA start struggling once again going 5 innings giving up two runs on four hits and five walks while striking out two. Box Score

Las Vegas has today off before heading to Salt Lake on Saturday with Steven Matz on the mound.

Binghamton had their game postponed and will be made up as part of doubleheader in August. The B’Mets play tonight at 7:05 in New Hampshire with Gabriel Ynoa (3-4, 5.23) coming off a 7-inning one run start.

St. Lucie had the day off as the last day of the All-Star break. They return to action tonight at 6:35 against Jupiter without a starter listed.

Savannah (39-31) 8, Augusta 5 

Savannah already clinched the first half South Division and a playoff spot for the 5th time in 6 years with the Greenville Drive losing earlier in the day but won just for good measure. The Sand Gnats was winning 3-2 before putting up a 5 spot in the top of the 9th to extend their lead and provide insurance they needed because Augusta scored 3 runs in the bottom of the inning.

Casey Meisner got the start going 5 innings giving up one run on three hits and a walk while striking out six to help him pick up his 7th win of the year. Casey lowered his ERA to 2.13 and has giving up just 59 hits in 76 innings while striking out 66 in that span. Cameron Griffin and Dawrin Arias each threw a scoreless inning for Savannah. Lefties Ben Griset and Paul Paez combined to give up four runs on six hits and a walk.

Wuilmer Becerra was 2-5 with his 17th double knocking in two runs to give him 35 RBI. The doubles are good for 6th in the SAL, RBI ranks him 10th, and his slugging percentage (.480) ranks him 6th as well. All-Star Jonathan Johnson went 1-2 with three walks, two runs scored, and his 12th stolen base of the year. Luis Guillorme was 1-3 with two walks, two runs scored, 31st RBI, and his 8th the stolen base of the year. Eudor Garcia was 0-4 but did manage to score a run while driving in two runs to give him 25 RBI on the year. Box Score

Savannah heads to the All-Star break with the next three days off. David Roseboom will be joining his Savannah teammates Johnson and Meisner at the All-Star game tomorrow evening.

Brooklyn (2-1) 6, Staten Island 4

Michael Gibbons pitched for the 2nd time in the Mets farm system after getting the win in his pro debut for St. Lucie last week in 7 great innings. He picked up the win again last night going 5.2 innings giving up two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out six batters. The Mets 27th round pick from last year Alex Palsha pick up his first save of the year with 1.2 innings scoreless after collecting 11 saves last year for GCL and Kingsport.

Vincent Siena the Mets 14th round pick this year went 1-3 with a walk and two runs scored, he has a 3-game hitting streak to start his pro career. The Cyclones DH Jeffrey Diehl was 2-4 with his first homerun of the year. Box Score

Here is my look at the Cyclone initial roster.

The Cyclones are back at it tonight with the Mets 29th round pick from last year Matt Blackham getting the start vs. Tri-City at 7 PM.

GCL Mets start their season today at 12:00 PM ET against the GCL Marlins. The GCL updated roster was just listed and the notable names include a rehabbing Jeff Walters, Cuban catcher Lednier Ricardo, bonus baby catcher Ali Sanchez, both Jose Medina‘s (pitcher and outfielder), power hitting Brandon Brosher who is coming back from a broken ankle, Mets 23rd round pick Kennith Bautista, and $725K bonus outfielder Ricardo Cespedes. Also of note is that Desmond Lindsay and Max Wotell have been both removed from the GCL roster after being there initially.

The post Mets Minor League Recap: Savannah Clinches Playoff Spot, Meisner Wins appeared first on Metsmerized.

Tacoma 4, Las Vegas (25-13) 0

The 51’s bats had a very rare off night collecting only 6 hits without a walk as no hitter reached base more than once against former big Leaguer Justin Germano and the Tacoma bullpen. Alex Castellanos was 1-4 with his 10th double of the year while hitting 4th and playing 1st base. Castellanos has now played 6 games at 1st, 9 at 3rd, 6 in left field, 2 in right field and did play a few in game at CF and 2B last season in AAA El Paso. Darrell Ceciliani was 1-4 with his 3rd outfield assist of the year, he is now batting .405 over his last 10 games that has boosted his overall to .339/.385/.578. Newly promoted T.J. Rivera was 1-4 in his 2nd game for Las Vegas after going 2-5 in his first game on Saturday. Matt Reynolds was also 1-4 on the day while getting the day of from playing the field instead DHing. Reynolds is just 9-42 (.214) over his last 10 games with nine strikeouts. Travis Taijeron was 1-4 but struck our 3 times and has now struck out 38 times in just 97 at bats this year.

Matt Bowman started for Las Vegas pitching good enough to win going 6 innings giving up two runs on eight hits and two walks without a strikeout. Bowman induced 11 ground balls outs compared to only two fly ball outs. Logan Verrett relieved him struggling to get only one out while allowing two runs (one earned) because of one hit and three walks. Jon Velasquez was promoted back up to Vegas this weekend came in and stranded two of Verrett’s getting a strikeout and flyout to end the 7th. Cody Satterwhite pitched a perfect 8th inning with a strikeout, he has lowered his ERA from 12.00 to 7.13 over his last 10 appearances. Box Score. Las Vegas plays in Tacoma again tonight at 9:05 ET with Darin Gorski (3-2, 5.63).

New Hampshire 5, Binghamton (21-16) 0

Seth Lugo (6th in ERA in EL) matched Fisher Cats starter Matt Boyd (1st in ERA in EL) zero for zero through 7 innings before the B’Mets bullpen coughed up the lead in the 8th inning. Over Lugo’s 7 shutout innings he gave up only four hits, walk, six strikeouts while throwing only 91 pitches with 61 of them for strikes. Chase Huchingson did not fare well in the 8th inning giving up five runs on two hits, four walks while getting only two outs. Julian Hilario was promoted this weekend from St. Lucie making his AA debut last night pitching a scoreless inning but letting two of Huchingson’s inherited runners score. Dario Alvarez came into a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the 8th getting a ground out to end the rally.

Gavin Cecchini led off going 0-3 with a walk while getting caught stealing for the 4th time of the season and has seen his average drop from .325 to .287 in the last 7 games. Jayce Boyd went 2-4 with his 13th double of the year tying him for the lead in the Eastern League. Boyd has hit safely 8 of his last 10 games pumping his slash line up to .298/.356/.403. Coming off his best game of the year (HR, 5 RBI’s on Friday) Xorge Carrillo went 1-3 and is now hitting .306/.365/.424 on the year. Box Score. Binghamton has the day off.

St. Lucie (16-21) 4, Charlotte 0

Starter Kevin McGowan threw 6 scoreless innings to pick up his first win since April 10th lowering his season ERA to 5.34 and his WHIP to 1.66. With his best outing since his first start of the year McGowan allowed only two hits, three walks, and struck out two. Mike Hepple pitched a scoreless 7th to pick up his 2nd hold, he has now allowed only three runs and 15 base runners over 18.2 innings. Akeel Morris came into start the 8th with the Mets winning 1-0 to pick up a 6-out save, his 4th of the year. Morris pitched two perfect innings collecting two more strike outs to give him 27 on the season over 18 innings. Morris has also allowed only 4 hits all season to go along with nine walks giving him a 0.72 WHIP.

Michael Conforto was 2-3 with two doubles giving him 9 on the year putting him tied for 3rd in the league, he also walked and scored a run. Amed Rosario was 2-4 for his third straight multi-hit game and extending his hit streak to six games. Rosario has hit .310 over his last 10 games raising his season line to .268/.308/.377 on the year. Maikis De La Cruz was 1-3, walk, run scored, and knocked in his 18th run of the year. Dominic Smith was 0-4 dropping his average back down to .194 on the season. Box Score. The Mets play today at Robert Gsellman (4-0, 1.46) on the mound at 10:35 am against Palm Beach.

Lexington 3, Savannah (13-22) 1

Martires Arias pitched a gem going 7 innings only giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out six batters and lowering his ERA to 2.87 on the year. Arias threw 99 pitches (67 pitches) while evening out his season record to 2-2. Left hander Ben Griset made just his 3rd appearance in the Mets organization throwing a scoreless 8th inning. Griset was a 13th round pick in 2013 of the Tampa Bay Rays that pitched in High A and Low A last year.

The Sand Gnats mustered only 5 base runners including four hits with Eudor Garcia having the best day going 2-3 with his first homerun of the season. Luis Guillorme went 1-4 extending his hit streak to 7 games but saw his OBP drop to its lowest point of the year at .390. Box Score. Scarlyn Reyes is on the hill tonight at 7:05 against Augusta.

Over the weekend Dillon Gee, Bobby Parnell, and Vic Black all threw on Saturday for St. Lucie with mixed results. Gee pitched 4 solid innings allowing one run on six hits while striking out seven. Black followed allowing a run in his inning on two hits, walk and no strikeouts but was hitting in the low 90’s in his first outing since April 18th. Parnell struggled with his control walking two giving up one hit and one run while hitting 93-94 MPH on the radar gun after hitting only 92 in his last outing. Conforto helped the Mets pitchers out by throwing two runners out at home and making a nice running catch with Parnell on the hill. Also on Saturday Tyler Pill pitched a good game going 8 innings for Las Vegas allowing only 3 runs while the 51’s scored one in the 9th and three in 10th to pick up the win. On Friday night Steven Matz was magnificent again going 7.2 innings giving up two runs on only three hits, two walks while striking out 9 hitters but picked up his 2nd loss of the year in a 2-1 game.

In injury news Brandon Nimmo was placed on the disable list yesterday with a left knee injury and is suppose to be heading to New York to be checked out further today. On Saturday he was wearing a brace and needed a crutch to get around but was able to ditch the crutch yesterday in the dugout.

The post Mets Minor League Recap: Lugo Pitches Another Gem, Eudor Garcia Homers, Nimmo To DL appeared first on Metsmerized.

Las Vegas (16-8) 5, Reno 2

Las Vegas was tied 2-2 heading into the bottom of the 6th before Wilfredo Tovar hit a two-run double to score Brandon Allen and Travis Taijeron to give the 51’s lead for good and win their 10th straight game. Matt Reynolds went 1-4 with his 12th double and two RBI’s to give him 23 on the year. Danny Muno hit lead off and played 3rd going 2-4 with a RBI. Darrell Ceciliani, Johnny Monell, Allen, and Taijeron all had one hit on the night with Monell the only one not to score a run as well. Darin Gorski started the game throwing 5.2 innings giving up 3 runs (0 earned) on three hits and a walk striking out three and added two hits of his own including a double. Zack Thornton came into the game in the top of the 6th with two guys on with two outs and got the only batter he faced Jamie Romak to fly out to left field to pick up his 2nd win of the season. Chasen Bradford pitched 1.1 clean innings with a strike out stretching his scoreless streak to 11.1 to start the season. Jon Velasquez pitched a scoreless 9th inning and got his 2nd save in as many days after being promoted from Binghamton. Box Score. The 51’s will go for their 11th straight tonight at 8:35 ET tonight with Tyler Pill on the hill looking for his 1st win.

New Hampshire 12, Binghamton (14-9) 11 F/11

The B’Mets had a 7-3 lead going into the top of the 8th before Jake Kuebler and Chase Huchingson combined to give up 4 runs in the last two innings to tie it at 7-7 and push the game into extra innings. Both teams failed to score in the 10th inning then the Fisher Cats scored 5 runs off Beck Wheeler in the top of the 1tth inning including a three-run HR to Jack Murphy. Binghamton came back with a grand slam from Josh Rodriguez in the bottom half of the inning but the comeback fell short when Aderlin Rodriguez flew out to left field to end the game. JRod his monster game going 4-5 with 2 homeruns and 7 RBI’s, 3 three runs scored and his 2nd stolen base on the season. Brandon Nimmo collected three singles while scoring and knocking in a run, he is now hitting .287/.364/.425 on the season. Dustin Lawley went 2-5 three runs including his 8th double of  the season and is hitting .314 over his last 10 games. Jared King led off going reaching base three times and knocking in two continuing his hot streak that has him hitting .304 with 10 RBI’s over the last ten. Michael Fulmer made his 2015 AA debut after one start in St. Lucie going 5 innings allowing three runs on six hits, two walks and struck out four hitters. Adam Kolarek pitched scoreless 6th and 7th innings before the rest of the B’Mets bullpen imploded. Box Score. Binghamton will be at NYSEG Stadium tonight at 6:35 with John Gant starting. Here is video of the JRod grand slam.

Bradenton 11, St. Lucie (12-12) 4

Kevin McGowan got the start for the Mets and pitched 5 innings giving up three runs on seven hit, two walks but did manage to strike out six batters. Then came another bullpen implosion with Kelly Secrest (two runs) and Ricky Knapp (six earned) combining to pitch 3.1 innings giving up 8 runs on 14 base runners. Dominic Smith played his 2nd game back from injury and played in the field for the first time going 0-3 with a walk. Yeixon Ruiz hit a solo HR for his first of the season. Amed Rosario went 2-4 with two doubles to extend his hit streak to 7 games, 3rd straight with multiple hits and bump his line up to .272/.295/.380. Jhoan Urena’s bat is starting to pick up as he is 4-8 with three RBI’s over his last two games getting his average up to .216. Michael Conforto was 0-4 on the night and has hit only .250 over the last ten games. Box Score. Robert Gsellman looks to go 4-0 tonight at Tradition Field with a 6:30 start.

Lakewood 6, Savannah (7-16) 4

The Sand Gnats were the 3rd Mets affiliate to blow a lead in the 6th inning or later after they coughed up a 2-1 lead in the 6th and a 3-3 tie in the 7th. Savannah’s starter Martires Arias suffered his first loss of the season going 6.1 innings giving up five runs on seven hits, BB, HBP, and collected four strike outs. Wuilmer Becerra was the offensive star hitting two doubles to go along with a RBI and a run scored. Becerra has been heating up hitting .294 over the last 10 boosting up his slash line to .256/.301/.474 on the season. Patrick Biondi led off playing center field and is now hitting .317/.420/.341 after going 2-3 with a walk and a RBI. The rest of the Savannah lineup all reached base at least once but they hit into two double plays and left 9 runners on base. Box Score. The Sand Gnats play Lakewood tonight at 7:05 without a starter listed yet.

The post Mets Minor League Recap: Vegas Wins 10th Straight, Nimmo Has Three Hits, Reynolds Knocks In Two appeared first on Metsmerized.

“My first love actually used to be hockey,” Mathieu said. “I eventually just decided to go with baseball because I couldn’t get rides to the hockey rink.”

How could you blame him? He was simply a product of his environment.

“Everyone wanted to be a hockey player or something else because of what the weather allowed the players to do.”

Oh, did I mention he was also named Mr. New Hampshire Basketball in 2010.

And yet, thankfully for the Mets, Mathieu focused his athleticism on baseball, using his size and his strength to make him into a valuable asset.

“I went into Franklin Pierce a very raw player with a lot of tools and potential.”

He spent his college years honing his skills in the competitive, Division II Northeast-10 Conference.

“[The NE-10] is a very competitive division. It actually has a lot of draft picks, a majority of them being pitchers.”

He was drafted by the New York Mets in the 16 round of the 2013 draft and sent to Kingsport.

“I was certainly glad to be drafted by the Mets and become part of the Mets organization.”

In his first professional year at Kingsport, Mathieu formed a close bond with his teammates as they took the team to a 40-27; good enough for first in their division.

“I remember when we played Greeneville, in that game we actually got knocked out in extra innings, and everyone was in the dugout pacing back and forth, just so into the game, hanging on to every pitch,” he said. “We just wanted to win so bad. It didn’t matter how we won or who was the hero.”

And even though the K-Mets fell short, Mathieu cherishes the experience.

“I loved every bit of it down there,” he said. “It just becomes like a tight-knit family.”

This past season, in 30 games, Mathieu hit .138/.266/.188 with 11 hits, four doubles, two RBI’s and one stolen base, in 80 at bats.

“I just felt fortunate enough to be able to play with that caliber of players and be able to improve my game and learn.”

And while he admittedly struggled at the plate, mostly due to issues in the mechanics of his swing, he is working feverishly to improve on his abilities.

“Before I was kind of just a big lumberjack who swung a bat and I actually had to learn how to hit,” he said. “Towards the end of the season I actually started to make some big adjustments in my offensive game.”

He recently returned from working at the Dominican Instructional League, working on hitting, fielding and arm precision.

Adding to a workload that has been nothing short of exhaustive.

“Working on my hands, using my backside more, keeping my front shoulder closed and just having a smoother swing,” he said. “That way I can recognize pitches.”

“I found that I’ve made some pretty big strides in my swing and I feel a lot more confident at the plate.”

An incredible athlete with an insatiable work ethic, he brings the mentality of an experienced veteran with him onto the field.

“You find yourself making adjustments on the fly and just becoming an overall better baseball player yourself, because the people around you make you better and force you to make adaptations so you can become a better player,” he continues, “Because that’s what baseball is, a game of adjustments.”

But in Mathieu’s eyes, his most important traits are ones that are not easily measured.

“My biggest tools are the intangibles like my heart and that I’m a grinder.”

His strength, drive and instinctive athleticism are what makes Mathieu such an intriguing prospect. The young power hitter still has a long road ahead of him if he wants to develop into an effective major league player, but, with traits modeled after the favorite player of his youth, Mathieu is well on his way.

“I used to be a huge Jason Varitek fan, “The Captain”, and I admired how he was a grinder and just showed up every day ready to play,” he said. “He personified the correct methods to the fans and was just someone that the kids could look up to.”

“I hope one day I can be like that.”

(Photo Credits: CollegeBaseballLineup.com, MiLB)

The post MMO Exclusive: Talking With Mets 1B Prospect Zach Mathieu appeared first on Metsmerized.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas snuck by Fresno, 3-2.
• Binghamton shutout New Hampshire, 7-2.
• St. Lucie split their doubleheader against Charlotte, 7-3, 5-3. 
• Savannah shut down Kannapolis, 7-1.

Prospect Pipeline

• A day after Mets prospect Zack Wheeler rebounded with a solid performance for Las Vegas, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that the Mets are considering a variety of factors in setting a date for Zack Wheeler’s major league debut and he could arrive on the next homestand.
• Gabriel Ynoa tossed the South Atlantic League’s first 9-inning complete game this season, retiring 19 of the first 20 batters he faced and holding the Intimidators off the scoreboard until the eighth inning. Ynoa (7-2) earned his league-leading seventh win, allowing a run on five hits while striking out four and walking none. It’s the second-straight game the Sand Gnats did not walk a batter.
• Travis Taijeron blasted three home runs in yesterday’s double header for St. Lucie. He has now lifted his season average over the .300-mark, going 15/33 with four home runs and 11 RBI over the last 10 games. His OPS over those ten games — an eye-popping 1.413. Head over to MMN to check out a Prospect Spotlight on Taijeron.
• Cesar Puello keeps on keeping on. He smacked three more hits yesterday, two of which were for extra bases (home runs and double). This kid really looks like a viable outfield option for the Mets, and fans should start to get excited when they hear Puello’s name. Puello was the subject of a new feature over at MetsMinors.net called Boom or Bust? Boom or Bust is a feature on MMN where we ask our writers to sound off on whether or not they think a particular Mets prospect will be a boom…or a bust. “Where the MMN writers stop being polite…and start getting real…MMN’s Boom or Bust?” — check it out today!
• Jack Leathersich pitched one inning yesterday and surprise, surprise, he struck out another hitter.
• Brandon Nimmo had another multi-hit game yesterday. He now has a four game hitting streak.
• Jayce Boyd = future first baseman of the New York Mets. The Mets have to speed this kid through the system. Coming out of a big-time college program, Florida State, where he raked, he should have started 2013 with St. Lucie at the least. He is an advanced college hitter, and I would push him straight to Binghamton. The guy is hitting .350 this year and through 56 games, has more walks than strike outs…wow.
• Kirk Nieuwenhuis has shown some signs of life, hitting five homers in his last ten games — but in 32 games with Las Vegas he is hitting a paltry .232 with 34 strikeouts.

Stat Lines of the Day

Gabriel Ynoa: 9.0 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 1 ER, 4 K

Travis Taijeron: 3-for-5, 2 BB, 3 HR, 3 RBI

Cesar Puello: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB

Transactions

No transactions to report.

Quote of the Day

Zack Wheeler, the Mets’ top pitching prospect, is “getting close,” to making his major league debut, assistant general manager John Ricco said Sunday.

“We’ve talked about a lot of different dates, this window over the next couple of weeks,” said Ricco, who made the trip to Miami with the Mets. “I couldn’t rule out anything at this point. We’re kind of getting close, I would imagine.” “I haven’t talked to (Mets GM) Sandy (Alderson) yet, not sure, but it was a good outing,” Ricco said. “I don’t know what that means yet.” “I haven’t talked to (Mets GM) Sandy (Alderson) yet, not sure, but it was a good outing,” Ricco said. “I don’t know what that means yet.”

Tweet of the Day

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There aren’t many pitchers that pitch seven innings of scoreless baseball, and you can say that wasn’t the most dominating performance we’ve seen this year from that guy. Rafael Montero is one of those guys. Montero’s four strikeouts was his lowest total of the year thus far, but the guy completely shut down New Hampshire tonight, pitching seven scoreless innings.

Montero threw 102 pitches tonight (70 for strikes), and allowed six hitters to reach base safely (five hits, one walk).

What hasn’t been said about Montero already? He pounds the strike zone, works quickly, keeps the hitters off balance, can throw any pitch for a strike at any time, has pinpoint control, and has the poise of an ace. He is clearly ready for the next level, as it’s often the same story when Montero pitches at the Double-A level — complete and utter domination. Even when he’s not dominating up to his usual standards, he still dominates.

The most impressive Montero moment came in the bottom of the fifth inning tonight. New Hampshire hitters managed to get two runners on base after Montero gave up a couple of base hits. With runners on first and second, Montero balked, moving the runners into scoring position (second and third). Montero remained cool. Some pitchers may have started to come apart right there, but Montero dropped the hammer, and struck out the next hitter to end the inning, and thwart the scoring threat. It’s moments like that which make you realize Montero is special.

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

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Rafael Montero, rhp, Mets: The rules of the game allow for New York to put off a 40-man decision on the 22-year-old Montero until after the 2014 season. Necessity may dictate a callup this season, given the way that Montero has pitched at Double-A Binghamton. After dealing six shutout innings at New Hampshire on Saturday, Montero has allowed four runs in four starts, going 3-0, 1.59 with an incredible 27-1 K-BB ratio in 22 2/3 innings.

Domingo Tapia, rhp, Mets: The strong-armed Tapia started striking batters out last season in the South Atlantic League, and he apparently remembered to pack those whiffs for his assignment to high Class A St. Lucie this season. The 21-year-old ranks third in the Florida State League with 23 punchouts after recording 11 in 12 2/3 innings this week and allowing two earned runs in two starts.

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Colorado Springs 8, Las Vegas 7

It was an up and down night for the Las Vegas 51s that ended on a low note as they fell to Colorado Springs in walk off fashion, going down in a wild one 8-7.

Mets rotation hopeful Collin McHugh took the hill and had himself a day he’d like to soon forget. Going just 5 1/3 innings, McHugh surrendered  four runs on a whopping 13 hits while walking none and striking out three. McHugh failed to put together a single 1-2-3 inning, however was able to limit the damage through the first five frames to three runs despite the high hit total in part due to the fact that only 1 of the 13 knocks surrendered was an extra base hit. Three of the runs scored on McHugh’s watch came in the third where Charlie Backmon, Nolan Arenado and Ryan Wheeler all cashed in RBI knocks in a merry-go-round of five straight singles. Later in the inning, Matt McBride lined a two-out base hit, however thanks to a strong throw by Juan Lagares, Arenado was tagged out at home to end the threat. McHugh would leave in the sixth with a runner on third and just one out. Justin Hampson would come on and give up three straight knocks, after which he was pulled for Armando Rodriguez , who would allow one more run to score on a sac fly, but retired the side. McHugh would receive a no decision, however his ERA ballooned from just 0.50 coming into today to a “lofty” 1.93 ERA.

The 51s were first to draw blood in this one as Lagares led off the game with a solo shot on a fly ball to left field. They would be held off the board in the second and third. In the fourth and fifth however, Las Vegas cashed in a run in each on RBI singles by Zack Lutz and Andrew Brown respectively. Lutz would be driven in in the top of the sixth on a Jamie Hoffmann drive to center that went for a double, his sixth on the season, making it a 4-3 Vegas advantage. After losing the lead in the previous half inning, the 51s Wilmer Flores came up in a 1st and 3rd situation with just one out and got himself a RBI-steak of his own. They would later load up the bases for Hoffmann who came through again, this time with a two-run single, to make it a 7-6 lead for the Mets Triple-A affiliate.

Greg Peavey came on and put up goose eggs in the seventh and eighth, and went out for his third inning of work in the ninth. Clearly gassed, Peavey was completely ineffective as he allowed the first three batters to reach base, loading them up for Tyler Colvin, who promptly served up a game winning, fly ball to right field that brought home the tying and lead runs to win it for the Colorado Springs Skysox. The 51s have now fallen to just two games over .500 at 10-8.

(Clayton Collier)

Key Stats

Juan Lagares: 1-for-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Andrew Brown: 2-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 R

Wilmer Flores: 1-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Zach Lutz: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Jamie Hoffmann: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI

Collin McHugh: 5.1 IP, 13 H, 0 BB, 4 ER, 3 K

Justin Hampson: 0.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 ER

Greg Peavey: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 K

________________________________________________________________________________

Binghamton 15, New Hampshire 2

The Binghamton Mets pounded out 13 hits and took advantage of a season-high eleven walks to defeat the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 15-2, at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Allan Dykstra and Danny Muno each drove in three runs as the B-Mets matched a season-high with fifteen runs scored.

Alonzo Harris led the offensive day with four singles, becoming the first B-Met in 2013 to compile a four-hit day. Vaughn also chipped into the multiple-hit effort with three of his own. Josh Rodriguez scored three times as the B-Mets had eight different players touch home.

Facing Deck McGuire for the second time in less than two weeks, the B-Mets wasted little time grabbing the lead. Binghamton loaded the bases in the first on a single and two walks and plated two runs on run-scoring groundouts by Dykstra and Cory Vaughn.

Blake Forsythe led off the second inning by bouncing a double off the right field wall and came home with two outs when Alonzo Harris zipped a single back up the middle.

The Fisher Cats scratched back in the fourth with one big fly from Ricardo Nanita. The outfielder launched a 2-0 pitch from Verrett over the right field fence for his second homer of the series, cutting Binghamton’s lead down to two.

Binghamton put the game out of reach with a five-run fifth inning. The B-Mets chewed through three New Hampshire pitchers, sent 11 men to the plate, collected three hits and took advantage of five walks to take an 8-1 lead.

Richard Lucas chased McGuire (1-2) from the game with an RBI single in the fifth. The righty exited after allowing six hits and handing out a career-high six walks. Chorye Spoone inherited three runners and allowed all to score, by uncorking a wild pitch and walking three of the four batters he faced. Trystan Magnuson finally put out the flames in the disastrous inning by inducing a fly out.

Verrett (3-0) went just far enough to pick up his third straight win. The righty allowed five hits and surrendered one run over five innings in the victory. His only blemish was Nanita’s solo homer in the fourth.

Binghamton’s offensive attack continued into a four-run sixth inning. The B-Mets took advantage of a fielding error with the bases loaded, a hit batsman and three hits, highlighted by Danny Muno’s two-run single off the top of the right field wall. They tacked on three more runs on three hits and two errors in the ninth.

Adam Kolarek, in his first game since returning from the Las Vegas 51’s (AAA), tossed two scoreless innings of relief. Adrian Rosario closed the B-Mets pitching tab and allowed one run on two hits in two innings of relief.

The B-Mets (10-7) continue their week-long roadtrip by starting a three-game series against the Portland Sea Dogs Monday night in Maine at 6:00 PM. RHP Jacob DeGrom (0-1, 1.13) takes the hill for his second Double-A start. RHP Brandon Workman (3-0, 3.00) gets the ball for Portland.

Key Stats

Alonzo Harris: 4-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 SB

Allan Dykstra: 1-for-3, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 RBI, 3 BB

Josh Rodriguez: 1-for-2, 1 2B, 3 R, 4 BB

Cory Vaughn: 3-for-6, 2 RBI, 2 R

Daniel Muno: 1-for-3, 3 RBI, 1 BB

Logan Verrett: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 HR, 3 BB, 1 ER, 1 K

Adam Kolarek: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Adrian Rosario: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 1 ER, 2 K

(Team Report)

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