Ramblings from Henry and Fayette Streets

The Week That Was: June 11th – June 17th

The news from this past week that had the biggest impact on the Binghamton Mets occurred in the transaction column and not the stats column.  By weeks end, two of the B-Mets top players had finally found their way to Buffalo and the AAA Bisons. First, it was center fielder Matt den Dekker who led the B-Mets in almost every statistical category for batters.  Then, on Sunday, Collin McHugh became the first B-Mets starter to get the call to the Herd (but will more than likely not be the last to make that transition). 

It remains to be seen what impact McHugh’s departure will have on the starting rotation for Binghamton, although an argument can be made that Den Dekker no longer appearing in the leadoff spot for the B-Mets will alter the lineup – and specifically run production – for sure.  In the first two games without den Dekker in his usual spot, the B-Mets were only able to scratch out one run losing both games. 

Opponents this past week both hailed from Pennsylvania, Reading in for a three game set followed up by Altoona in for the weekend series.  The B-Mets dropped two of three against Reading, winning the rubber match on Thursday morning by a score of 8-5.  They then took the first game of their series against Altoona on Friday night, before losing the next two, including a 15-6 decision on Father’s Day.  The standings in the Eastern League’s Eastern Division remain the same as they were a week ago, although the B-Mets have fallen two games further in the race for first place, now seven games out.  Eric Campbell finds himself at the top of a few of the B-Mets statistical catagories, leading the team in batting average (.321), OBP (.426), and SLG (.491).  Jefry Marte is tops in RBI’s (34), and home runs (5).  On the pitching side, Zack Wheeler leads the team in ERA (1.92), WHIP (1.01), wins (6), and strikeouts (70).  Robert Carson leads all relievers in saves (4). 

Standings

Player Profile – Outfielder Dustin Martin

The newest addition to the Binghamton Mets roster this past week is Dustin Martin, who is actually on his second trip through the Mets minor league system.  Martin was orginally drafted by the New York Mets in the 2006 MLB Amateur Draft in the 26th round (784th overall).  Previous to that, he played four seasons at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.  While there, he hit .337 in 180 games played, with an on base percentage of .428.  In his senior year, he was ranked fourth statistically in the Southland Conference, and also named to the Southland Conference All-Star team.

After being drafted in 2006, the New York Mets assigned Martin to the Brooklyn Cyclones.  In 72 games with Brooklyn, he led the team in batting average at .315, and ended up fourth overall statistically in the NY-Penn League as well.  At the beginning of 2007, Martin found himself on the roster of the St. Lucie Mets.  In 93 games with the StL-Mets, his numbers were .287/.358/.421, good enough for ninth overall in the Florida State League.  Then, in July of the 2007 season, Martin along with Drew Butera were traded to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Luis Castillo.

For the remainder of the ’07 season, Martin played for the Fort Myers Miracle in the Florida State League.  He made his way through the Twins minor league system, spending one year in New Britain (2008), and then the next three as a member of the Rochester Red Wings.  In 392 games with the Red Wings, Martin had 114 extra base hits and 47 stolen bases.  Also, in 2010, he was named as a starter for the International League’s all star team, and was the only positional player that represented Rochester at the AAA All-Star Game in Allentown, PA.

Martin was released by the Minnesota Twins on March 27th of this year, and signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets on April 24th.  He began his return to the Mets organization in Buffalo, where as a member of the Herd his numbers read .257/.295/.392 in 28 games played there.  This past Tuesday the 12th, he was assigned to the B-Mets from Buffalo, and in six games so far he has gone 6/19 good for a batting average of .263, with two doubles and three RBI’s to his credit.

Weekly Stat Snapshot

Let’s take a look at how the B-Mets players stack up against the rest of the Eastern League

Batters

Pedro Zapata – T-3rd in triples with 5, 9th in stolen bases with 11

Jefry Marte – 8th in RBI’s with 34

Eric Campbell – 1st in OBP at .426, T-4th in batting average at .321

Pitchers

Zack Wheeler – 3rd in ERA at 1.92, T-3rd in strikeouts with 70, 2nd in WHIP at 1.01

Robert Carson – T-4th in holds with 4, T-7th in saves with 4

Did You Know?

As the Brooklyn Cyclones (New York-Penn League) and Kingsport Mets (Appalachian League) begin their seasons early this week, a look at the current Binghamton Mets roster reveals five players that spent time with both teams.  Pitchers Erik Turgeon (Kingsport 2008, Brooklyn 2008/2009), Edgar Ramirez (Kingsport 2006, Brooklyn 2007), Brandon Moore (Kingsport 2008, Brooklyn 2008/2009), and Mark Cohoon (Kingsport 2008, Brooklyn 2009), as well as outfielder Joe Bonfe (Kingsport 2009, Brooklyn 2009/2010) all saw time in the hills of Tennessee as well as along the Boardwalk on Coney Island. 

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The MMO staff, charged with keeping you up to date on all things Binghamton, would like to extend a hearty CONGRATS to both Matt den Dekker and Collin McHugh!  Well deserved callups for both, we wish them the best of luck playing in Buffalo and wherever else their baseball careers take them!

The Weekly Binghamton Buzz is going to be on a hiatus next week, but we’ll see you right back here at the beginning of July with more “Ramblings from Henry and Fayette Streets”