May Stat Review: Binghamton Mets

Pedro Lopez’s crew finished the month of May with a 9-21 record

            The B-Mets struggled to score runs in May, and the dropped like a lead rock in the EL Eastern Division standings. They sit at 20-30 on the season, which puts them 13 games out of 1^st place, and just 2.5 games ahead of Portland for the cellar spot. The pitchers didn’t exactly standout throughout the month either, but the B-Mets left enough LOBsters on the basepaths to feed the big city of Binghamton. Below I’ve posted everyone’s May statline, with some comments added for each player.

May

MVP: Matt Oberste, and it’s really not even close. Oberste’s 130 wRC+ is tied for 10^th best among active players in the Eastern League, and he posted a 144 wRC+ in May.

Cy: Logan Taylor. Only 3 starters threw more innings than Taylor, and none stood out as much as Taylor. There's not an obvious 40-man spot for him right now, but wouldn't be surprised if he finishes the year in the majors.

Fireman: Since I gave Taylor the Cy, I’m giving the nod here to Akeel Morris, who posted a big bounceback month for the B-Mets.

April Stats

Offense

Matt Oberste - 109 PA, 0.313/0.367/0.495, 11 R, 9 2B, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 7 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SF, 19 K, 1 GIDP, 1 CS, 10% SwStr, 22.7% Whiff/Swing, 3.8 Pitches/PA, 0.359 BABIP

Oberste was finally shifted to third base in May and didn’t do anything to suggest he needs to be moved off the bag anytime soon. He’s going to be below average at the hot corner for now, but he’s made most of the plays you expect, and his bat has made up for the rest.

Phillip Evans - 51 PA, 0.333/0.333/0.451, 5 R, 6 2B, 6 RBI, 9 K, 9.4% SwStr, 16.9% Whiff/Swing, 3.1 Pitches/PA, 0.405 BABIP

Evans had a rough first week in Double-A and would miss a week in May with a minor injury, but he was one of the few bright spots for the B-Mets in the month. He made some sparkling plays at SS and 3B, and has been a very good line drive hitter. The one complaint about his May is that he walked 0 times.

Victor Cruzado - 102 PA, 0.286/0.353/0.396, 8 R, 4 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 9 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SF, 28 K, 1 GIDP, 2 SB, 8.7% SwStr, 21.4% Whiff/Swing, 3.8 Pitches/PA, 0.387 BABIP

His strikeout rate has ballooned out of nowhere this year, though his contact rate is not as bad as his K-rate suggests. Averagish tools, but he generally makes the pitcher work

Dominic Smith - 116 PA, 0.271/0.319/0.383, 10 R, 6 2B, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 7 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SF, 13 K, 5 GIDP, 7% SwStr, 14.6% Whiff/Swing, 3.5 Pitches/PA, 0.29 BABIP

Contact rate went way up in May, but he looks more comfortable at the plate some games than others. Easy to be critical of no power and yada, yada, yada, but Smith is more than holding his own as one of the youngest players in the league.

Derrik Gibson - 115 PA, 0.275/0.348/0.353, 14 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 7 RBI, 11 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SF, 21 K, 1 GIDP, 2 SB, 2 CS, 6.4% SwStr, 16.5% Whiff/Swing, 4.3 Pitches/PA, 0.341 BABIP

Gibson has been a consistent on base threat at the top of the B-Mets lineup, and he’s played solid defense on the left side of the infield, which would be great if this were his first year in Double-A, but Gibson first reached Double-A in 2012

Xorge Carrillo - 65 PA, 0.276/0.354/0.345, 5 R, 4 2B, 2 RBI, 7 BB, 5 K, 1 GIDP, 1 CS, 6.1% SwStr, 13.5% Whiff/Swing, 3.3 Pitches/PA, 0.302 BABIP

Xorge Carrillo isn’t posting huge offensive numbers, but his defense is great, and he’s hit enough with Binghamton the past two seasons to get a Triple-A look. He could be a Rene Rivera-like, defense-first backup at the highest level, with the bonus that the X-Man has consistently posted better contact numbers than Rivera ever has

Kyle Johnson - 72 PA, 0.238/0.333/0.349, 11 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 8 BB, 1 HBP, 15 K, 2 GIDP, 1 SB, 2 CS, 7.3% SwStr, 16.7% Whiff/Swing, 4 Pitches/PA, 0.298 BABIP

Johnson’s looked better at the plate with each passing week and was promoted to the 51s for the second half of the month

L.J. Mazzilli - 96 PA, 0.262/0.344/0.321, 9 R, 5 2B, 8 RBI, 11 BB, 1 SF, 10 K, 2 GIDP, 1 SB, 5.1% SwStr, 12.6% Whiff/Swing, 3.6 Pitches/PA, 0.293 BABIP

Mazzilli got red-hot over the final 10 games of May, posting a .976 OPS during the stretch, which is his best 10-game stretch since reaching Double-A (barely edges a .970 OPS stretch posted last July). He’s been playing good defense at the keystone position, and made his second start at the hot corner as a pro in May

Stefan Sabol - 57 PA, 0.208/0.263/0.377, 5 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 21 K, 1 GIDP, 1 CS, 12.9% SwStr, 32.1% Whiff/Swing, 3.7 Pitches/PA, 0.300 BABIP

The “Swinging Samoan” missed some time on the DL in May but also hit his first two Double-A bombs

Colton Plaia - 51 PA, 0.261/0.300/0.304, 3 R, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SF, 1 SAC, 8 K, 2 GIDP, 9.1% SwStr, 19.5% Whiff/Swing, 3.4 Pitches/PA, 0.308 BABIP

Plaia hasn’t done much at the plate in limited action, but he’s been nice defensively when given the chance

Niuman Romero - 57 PA, 0.226/0.281/0.302, 7 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 11 K, 4 GIDP, 18.2% Whiff/Swing, 3.8 Pitches/PA, 0.268 BABIP

Romero’s bat cooled down and he was sent to Vegas to serve as an additional infielder

Maikis De La Cruz - 94 PA, 0.239/0.255/0.326, 10 R, 5 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 23 K, 3 GIDP, 2 SB, 4 CS, 9.9% SwStr, 21.7% Whiff/Swing, 3.9 Pitches/PA, 0.309 BABIP

Maikis’ extra base hits are loud, but his K: BB numbers went the wrong way in May, and his production plummeted

Jared King - 57 PA, 0.180/0.281/0.280, 5 R, 5 2B, 2 RBI, 7 BB, 13 K, 1 GIDP, 1 CS, 9.5% SwStr, 22.5% Whiff/Swing, 3.3 Pitches/PA, 0.243 BABIP

There are outfield PA’s to be had if King can get his bat going

Pitching

Starters

Andrew Barbosa - 18.1 IP, 11 H, 7 R (5 ER), 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 19 TB, 13 BB, 16 K (11 K/Sw), 22 GB: 14 FB: 8 LD: 4 PU, 334 Pitches (199 Strikes), 42 Swinging, 56 Called, 12.6% SwStr, 29.4% Whiff/Swing, 18.2 Pitches/IP, 80 BF

Barbosa was having a nice season when a lat injury suffered during a swing put him on the sidelines

Casey Delgado - 20.2 IP, 24 H, 12 R (11 ER), 7 2B, 31 TB, 9 BB, 17 K (15 K/Sw), 28 GB: 19 FB: 11 LD: 6 PU, 308 Pitches (195 Strikes), 31 Swinging, 42 Called, 10.1% SwStr, 20.3% Whiff/Swing, 14.9 Pitches/IP, 94 BF

Delgado doesn’t throw hard (sits upper 80’s with his heat) but his stuff flashes some nice movement and he has a little deception in his delivery

Robert Gsellman - 33.2 IP, 37 H, 15 R (12 ER), 10 2B, 1 HR, 50 TB, 6 BB, 24 K (16 K/Sw), 52 GB: 19 FB: 28 LD: 8 PU, 545 Pitches (347 Strikes), 44 Swinging, 91 Called, 8.1% SwStr, 17.2% Whiff/Swing, 16.2 Pitches/IP, 143 BF

Gellman was the B-Mets top starter in May, but he didn’t exactly stand out. The sinker and curve still look great, but his slider and changeup have been inconsistent

Tyler Pill - 37.1 IP, 39 H, 17 R (17 ER), 9 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 62 TB, 11 BB, 30 K (26 K/Sw), 53 GB: 32 FB: 23 LD: 5 PU, 552 Pitches (368 Strikes), 56 Swinging, 116 Called, 10.1% SwStr, 22.2% Whiff/Swing, 14.8 Pitches/IP, 157 BF

Pill still hasn’t regained the form he showed with the B-Mets down the stretch in 2014, but he’s giving the B-Mets a chance to win nearly every time out

Mickey Jannis - 25.1 IP, 25 H, 19 R (19 ER), 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 37 TB, 14 BB, 22 K (17 K/Sw), 40 GB: 20 FB: 14 LD: 4 PU, 411 Pitches (249 Strikes), 40 Swinging, 74 Called, 9.7% SwStr, 22.9% Whiff/Swing, 16.2 Pitches/IP, 119 BF

Jannis had 12 walks in his first 13.1 innings of May, but only 2 over his final 12. It’s more than just avoiding walks though, Jannis has to throw strikes at a high enough rate to stay away from his fastball

Rainy Lara - 22.1 IP, 34 H, 21 R (19 ER), 6 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 60 TB, 5 BB, 10 K (8 K/Sw), 27 GB: 28 FB: 19 LD: 15 PU, 386 Pitches (251 Strikes), 23 Swinging, 57 Called, 6% SwStr, 11.9% Whiff/Swing, 17.3 Pitches/IP, 108 BF

Lara should probably be moved to the pen at this point, but he might keep getting starts because there aren’t many other clear choices for his roster spot – perhaps Ricky Knapp or a healthy Kyle Regnault (no indication he’s close to coming back though)

Relievers

Akeel Morris - 11 IP, 8 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 15 TB, 4 BB, 14 K (12 K/Sw), 7 GB: 8 FB: 6 LD: 5 PU, 146 Pitches (92 Strikes), 26 Swinging, 23 Called, 17.8% SwStr, 37.7% Whiff/Swing, 13.3 Pitches/IP, 44 BF

Morris blew a few saves in April but turned his season around with a big May and has been lights out over his past dozen appearances.

David Roseboom - 9.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 2B, 1 HR, 9 TB, 5 BB, 9 K (8 K/Sw), 12 GB: 5 FB: 4 LD: 3 PU, 142 Pitches (86 Strikes), 18 Swinging, 25 Called, 12.7% SwStr, 29.5% Whiff/Swing, 14.7 Pitches/IP, 37 BF

Roseboom held EL opponents scoreless in 9 of his 10 May outings and has settled in nicely at the back of the B-Mets pen. The southpaw is great against lefties, but has also held RHB’s to a .636 OPS so far

Alberto Baldonado - 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 2B, 6 TB, 2 BB, 5 K (2 K/Sw), 4 GB: 4 FB: 3 LD, 82 Pitches (51 Strikes), 5 Swinging, 17 Called, 6.1% SwStr, 14.7% Whiff/Swing, 22.3 Pitches/IP, 18 BF

I mentioned Baldonado was a candidate for an early promo, and he earned the look after dominating the FSL. The lanky lefty has mid-90’s heat and then drops down to the mid-70’s for his curve, and he’ll mix in a change occasionally too

Tim Peterson - 3.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R (6 ER), 2 2B, 10 TB, 1 BB, 6 K (3 K/Sw), 6 GB: 2 FB: 5 LD, 67 Pitches (46 Strikes), 9 Swinging, 13 Called, 13.4% SwStr, 27.3% Whiff/Swing, 18.3 Pitches/IP, 20 BF

Two of the more forgettable appearances of Tim Peterson’s career came on consecutive outings for Binghamton, there was just a 19-month gap between the opportunities. Peterson reached Binghamton on the last day of the 2014 season (the first of those poor appearances), but had to reset after a suspension cost him the first half of last year, and he was left in Savannah for second half of the season. He dominated with St. Lucie early this year to quickly earn the promotion back to Double-A, but was then again knocked around in his first Double-A outing of the year.

Logan Taylor - 22.1 IP, 19 H, 7 R (7 ER), 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 29 TB, 9 BB, 33 K (24 K/Sw), 24 GB: 10 FB: 15 LD: 1 PU, 327 Pitches (209 Strikes), 51 Swinging, 63 Called, 15.6% SwStr, 34.9% Whiff/Swing, 14.6 Pitches/IP, 93 BF

Taylor has probably been my favorite upper level (AA/AAA) pitcher to watch so far in 2016. He has had great command of his heater, which has been called as high as 96 MPH this year (sitting around 92-94), and mixes in a nasty, hard curve. He throws from an extreme over the top delivery, which gives him a different look than most pitchers. He’s posted multiple K’s in 9 of his last 10 outings, and he looks like someone who could be plugged into a major league pen right now. Potential setup guy in the majors.

Luis Mateo - 14 IP, 13 H, 7 R (4 ER), 3 2B, 2 HR, 22 TB, 3 BB, 12 K (8 K/Sw), 19 GB: 8 FB: 10 LD: 4 PU, 203 Pitches (135 Strikes), 24 Swinging, 44 Called, 11.8% SwStr, 26.4% Whiff/Swing, 14.5 Pitches/IP, 58 BF

Mateo’s putting up solid numbers thanks to his secondaries, but he just hasn’t really stood out yet. He’s barely pitched in actual games the past few seasons, so it’s possible he still had some rust to knock off earlier in the year

Kelly Secrest - 7.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R (6 ER), 2 2B, 9 TB, 3 BB, 9 K (7 K/Sw), 9 GB: 8 FB: 3 LD, 128 Pitches (74 Strikes), 16 Swinging, 24 Called, 12.5% SwStr, 32% Whiff/Swing, 16.7 Pitches/IP, 34 BF

Didn’t seem like Secrest was pitching as his ERA would indicate, but he was swapped down to St. Lucie in exchange for Baldonado

Beck Wheeler - 10.1 IP, 13 H, 11 R (11 ER), 3 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 23 TB, 9 BB, 16 K (13 K/Sw), 11 GB: 7 FB: 7 LD: 2 PU, 191 Pitches (114 Strikes), 29 Swinging, 34 Called, 15.2% SwStr, 36.2% Whiff/Swing, 18.5 Pitches/IP, 53 BF

Beck Wheeler’s season was going great until the last week of May, when he allowed 7 R on 6 H and 6 BB in just 3 innings. Hopefully he’s not hurt

Mike Hepple - 10.1 IP, 14 H, 12 R (12 ER), 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 27 TB, 9 BB, 7 K (6 K/Sw), 17 GB: 7 FB: 5 LD: 4 PU, 186 Pitches (105 Strikes), 13 Swinging, 22 Called, 7% SwStr, 15.7% Whiff/Swing, 18 Pitches/IP, 51 BF

Hepple got off to a nice start in Double-A, but the walks started getting to him, and he was sent to St. Lucie in exchange for Peterson

  

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