Mets Minors MiLB.tv Series Preview: Savannah Sand Gnats @ Rome Braves

Dates: May 21-24, 2015

Current Record: 16-22, Last, 6.5 Games behind Greenville

Probables

All times are EST

More guesses than certainties at time of posting

Thursday at 7:00 PM

Casey Meisner (2-1, 2.31 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 21.5 K%: 6.3 BB%, 0.51 HR9/)

@ Alec Grosser (2-1, 5.35 ERA, 4.99 FIP, 11.3 K%: 12 BB%, 0.27 HR/9)

Friday at 5:00 PM

Game One

Josh Prevost (1-4, 4.74 ERA, 2.71 FIP, 18 K%: 4.4 BB%, 0 HR/9)

@ Chad Sobotka (1-1, 5.06 ERA, 3.54 FIP, 14.3 K%: 8.2 BB%, 0 HR/9)

Game Two

Martires Arias (2-2, 2.87 ERA, 3.31 FIP, 19.6 K%: 5.2 BB%, 0.24 HR/9)

@ Seth Webster (0-1, 10.80 ERA, 4.45 FIP, 30.4 K%: 8.7 BB%, 1.8 HR/9)

Saturday at 6:00 PM

Scarlyn Reyes (3-3, 3.56 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 16.3 K%: 7.4 BB%, 0 HR/9)

@ Caleb Beech (3-2, 2.57 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 15.1 K%: 7.6 BB%, 0.32 HR/9)

Sunday at 2:00 PM

Corey Oswalt (3-0, 4.46 ERA, 2.87 FIP, 21.6 K%: 4.2 BB%, 0.47 HR/9)

@ Max Povse (1-1, 2.19 ERA, 3.20 FIP, 21.1 KR: 7.4 BB%, 0.36 HR/9)

Last series for Savannah Sand Gnats

Swept Augusta at home: W 4-3, W 4-0, W 2-0

Top prospects for the Atlanta Braves with Rome

Organizational rankings are from the 2015 Baseball America Prospect Handbook

Ozhaino Albies, SH SS, 18

Ranked #5, BA Grade: 55, Extreme risk

Braxton Davidson, LH OF, 18

Ranked # 6, BA Grade: 50, High risk

Alec Grosser, RH SP, 20

Ranked #16, BA Grade: 50, Extreme risk

Tanner Murphy, RH C, 20

Ranked #17, BA Grade: 50, Extreme risk

Max Povse, RH SP, 21

Ranked #21, BA Grade: 45, High risk

Chad Sobotka, RH SP, 21

Ranked #24, BA Grade: 50, Extreme risk

Carlos Salazar, RH P, 20

Ranked #27, BA Grade: 45, High risk

Recent Injuries/Transactions

            Josh Smoker was moved up to St. Lucie, with Paul Paez rejoining the Sand Gnats.

Storylines

            Because of a rain delay during their last trip to Rome, the Sand Gnats will play 5 games in four days this weekend, so we’ll get a good look at the rotation, except for Brad Wieck. It is disappointing to miss Wieck, who has been racking up some high strikeout totals lately, with 43 K’s in his last 28 IP over 5 starts. Meisner is coming off of his shortest outing of the season, when he allowed 3 R over 4.2 IP against Lexington last Friday, snapping a streak of 4 straight starts with 6+ IP and 1 R allowed. Josh Prevost has been pitching better than his ERA suggests, but his pitch to contact strategy leaves a lot up to the defense. Scarlyn Reyes has been solid, but his K% has fallen significantly this year – from 23.9% with Brooklyn last year, to 16.3% this year. Corey Oswalt has been getting stronger in the SAL with every start, and is coming off 4 shutout innings during a rain-shortened affair Tuesday.

            Eudor Garcia is off to a hot start with Savannah, slashing .321/.356/.464, although his K: BB rates have gone backwards so far (22 K%: 5.1 BB%). Luis Guillorme only has the one extra base hit so far, but he has a 19 K: 15 BB ratio, and is among the league leaders in AVG/OBP (see below). Wuilmer Becerra has improved to an average-ish 20.1% K-rate so far, with a slightly improved .188 ISO, and some nice defense in RF. Becerra still can’t drink until October, but he’s looking like he’ll finish the year as a top-10 prospect in the system. John Mora (22 on May 31) has been a nice center fielder for Savannah, controlling the strike zone at the top of the order, and providing a nice .117 ISO. Tomas Nido is a free-swinger up there (24 K%: 3 BB%), but he’s looked very good defensively behind the plate, with a nice arm, and has doubled his ISO from Brooklyn with 2014.

League Leaders

Top-20 SAL, qualified only

R: John Mora, t-5^th (23)

2B: Stefan Sabol, t-10^th (9)

3B: Jean Rodriguez, t-7^th (3)

HR: Wuilmer Becerra, t-12^th (4)

RBI: Luis Guillorme, t-17^th (18)

AVG: Guillorme, 6^th (.320)

OBP: Guillorme, 9^th (.389); Mora, 16^th (.375)

ISO: Becerra, 13^th (.188)

BB%: Mora, t-7^th (14.5%); Sabol, 15^th (12.1%)

K%: Guillorme, 10^th (13%)

IP: Corey Oswalt, t-13^th (38.1); Josh Prevost, 16^th (38); Martires Arias, t-17^th (37.2)

K%: Brad Wieck, 3^rd (30.1%); Oswalt, t-15^th (21.6%); Casey Meisner (21.5%)

BB%: Oswalt, 9^th (4.2%); Prevost, t-10^th (4.4%); Arias, t-15^th (5.2%)

ERA: Meisner, 10^th (2.31); Arias, 17^th (2.87)
FIP: Prevost, 5^th (2.71); Oswalt, 10^th (2.87); Wieck, 11^th (2.93); Arias, 18^th (3.31)

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