April statistics and some commentary covering the Las Vegas 51s, Binghamton
Rumble Ponies, St. Lucie Mets, and Columbia Fireflies
The
Mets farm system had a relatively quiet April this year, with most prospects
performing unevenly throughout the opening month. Because of this, none of the
affiliates had standout months, although only St. Lucie finds itself under .500
for the season entering May.
Of course, there were some notable
exceptions, as both of the Mets top prospects, Amed Rosario (165 wRC+) and
Dominic Smith (139 wRC+), hit the ground running for Las Vegas and finished the
month as two of the top hitters in the PCL. Elsewhere, Luis Guillorme is off to
his best start to a season as a pro in his first taste of Double-A ball (141
wRC+), Patrick Mazeika is off to a red-hot start for St. Lucie (168 wRC+), and
a pair of young righty hurlers – Merandy Gonzalez (0 R allowed over 28.1 IP) and
Jordan Humphreys (41 K over 31.2 IP) – have been making headlines in the SAL
for Columbia, and doing so in front of a bunch of extra fans thanks to Tim
Tebow.
Below
I have collected the statistics for nearly all minor league players to play for
one of the Mets full season squads in April, 2017 – there were a few dropped due
to low playing time – with some comments added where I could.
April
MVP: Amed Rosario.
Cy: Merandy Gonzalez.
Fireman: Alberto Baldonado.
April
MVP: Amed Rosario.
Cy: Merandy Gonzalez.
Fireman: Alberto Baldonado.
The
Las Vegas 51s manager this season is Pedro Lopez, who spent the past few
seasons managing the B-Mets, which means he already had a good relationship
with most of the players on the roster. After a slow start, the 51s bats have
come alive lately and they are now middle of the pack by team OPS in the PCL,
and the 51s pitching has turned a corner, although they are still in the bottom
third of the league by team ERA.
Pitchers
Tyler Pill – 3 GS, 19 IP, 14 H, 5 R (0 ER), 3 2B, 1 3B, 19
TB, 3 BB, 8 K (5 K/Sw), 23 GB: 16 FB: 13 LD: 9 PU, 287 Pitches (195 Strikes),
22 Swinging, 48 Called, 7.7% SwStr, 15% Whiff/Swing, 15.1 Pitches/IP, 74 BF
w/Double-A – 2 GS, 10.1 IP, 11 H, 2 R (0 ER), 1 2B, 12 TB, 1
BB, 3 K (2 K/Sw), 19 GB: 6 FB: 6 LD: 5 PU, 129 Pitches (87 Strikes), 8
Swinging, 24 Called, 6.2% SwStr, 12.7% Whiff/Swing, 12.5 Pitches/IP, 40 BF
Pill is off to a very
effective start, but he isn’t missing bats too often, which may become a
problem in the high BABIP environment of the PCL. He’s about as ready as he’ll
be for the majors, so if the Mets need to dip into the 51s rotation beyond
Montero, it would likely be Pill before Knapp, I just wouldn’t hold high
expectations for him.
Rafael Montero – 2 GS, 10.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 2B, 1 HR,
8 TB, 3 BB, 16 K (10 K/Sw), 9 GB: 5 FB: 4 LD: 1 PU, 161 Pitches (104 Strikes),
19 Swinging, 32 Called, 11.8% SwStr, 26.4% Whiff/Swing, 15.6 Pitches/IP, 39 BF
Montero has been
lights out in his two starts since returning to Triple-A, pitching much better
for Las Vegas than he did most of last season
Wilfredo Boscan – 4 GS, 18 IP, 24 H, 7 R (5 ER), 24 TB, 5
BB, 13 K (10 K/Sw), 34 GB: 10 FB: 9 LD: 4 PU, 301 Pitches (192 Strikes), 31
Swinging, 50 Called, 10.3% SwStr, 21.8% Whiff/Swing, 16.7 Pitches/IP, 79 BF
Boscan had one wild
start in Fresno (6 R over 3 IP), but has been otherwise lights out for Las
Vegas, so I wouldn't rule him out if the Mets health problems get worse.
Donovan Hand – 3 GS, 16.1 IP, 22 H, 14 R (13 ER), 4 2B, 2
3B, 3 HR, 39 TB, 6 BB, 10 K (7 K/Sw), 22 GB: 17 FB: 14 LD: 4 PU, 249 Pitches
(157 Strikes), 20 Swinging, 41 Called, 8% SwStr, 17.2% Whiff/Swing, 15.2
Pitches/IP, 73 BF
w/Double-A – 1 GS, 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R (3 ER), 2 2B, 9 TB, 5 K
(3 K/Sw), 5 GB: 5 FB: 9 LD: 1 PU, 83 Pitches (54 Strikes), 8 Swinging, 17
Called, 9.6% SwStr, 21.6% Whiff/Swing, 13.1 Pitches/IP, 26 BF
After struggling in
his first two starts with Las Vegas, Hand went 6 innings for a win in Fresno,
but was still sent down to the Rumble Ponies at the end of the month
Adam Wilk – 5 GS, 27.1 IP, 30 H, 17 R (16 ER), 9 2B, 2 3B, 4
HR, 55 TB, 4 BB, 22 K (17 K/Sw), 38 GB: 20 FB: 21 LD: 7 PU, 420 Pitches (273
Strikes), 34 Swinging, 71 Called, 8.1% SwStr, 16.8% Whiff/Swing, 15.4
Pitches/IP, 116 BF
Wilk has been
serviceable for Las Vegas, but the South Paw has struggled against lefties
(.911 OPS over 50 PA), and allowed too much loud contact to both sides (.231
ISO)
Ricky Knapp – 5 GS, 26.1 IP, 36 H, 17 R (15 ER), 8 2B, 1 3B,
2 HR, 52 TB, 6 BB, 16 K (10 K/Sw), 51 GB: 24 FB: 18 LD: 3 PU, 415 Pitches (272
Strikes), 37 Swinging, 72 Called, 8.9% SwStr, 18.5% Whiff/Swing, 15.8
Pitches/IP, 121 BF
Recap: 4/22
Knapp has struggled
against lefties (.994 OPS allowed over 74 PA, .432 BABIP), but overall appears
to be adjusting to the PCL better this season. He’s given the 51s good length 3
of 5 times, including a pair of 7-inning stints back-to-back, but was knocked
out after just 2 innings against Fresno. I don't think he's ready to help at the major
league level yet, but he may prove useful as a bullpen option for the Mets
before this year is over
Sean Gilmartin - 3.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R (3 ER), 2 HR, 10 TB, 1 BB,
5 K (5 K/Sw), 1 GB: 6 FB: 1 LD: 1 PU, 63 Pitches (39 Strikes), 11 Swinging, 11
Called, 17.5% SwStr, 39.3% Whiff/Swing, 18.9 Pitches/IP, 15 BF
Logan Taylor – 5 G, 1 GS, 10.2 IP, 15 H, 6 R (6 ER), 2 2B, 1
3B, 1 HR, 22 TB, 2 BB, 7 K (4 K/Sw), 18 GB: 7 FB: 9 LD: 1 PU, 171 Pitches (105
Strikes), 13 Swinging, 32 Called, 7.6% SwStr, 17.8% Whiff/Swing, 16 Pitches/IP,
44 BF
Taylor allowed runs in
6 of 7 appearances in April (his last two appearances coming with Binghamton),
although he did go 2+ innings in each of his first 4 appearances with Las
Vegas. Haven’t been able to watch him from a CF camera angle, so not sure if
the stuff has been flat early this year or it’s just been a location problem
Paul Sewald - 8.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 2B, 1 HR, 11 TB, 2
BB, 12 K (6 K/Sw), 5 GB: 6 FB: 6 LD: 4 PU, 131 Pitches (96 Strikes), 22
Swinging, 31 Called, 16.8% SwStr, 33.8% Whiff/Swing, 15.1 Pitches/IP, 36 BF
After a pair of
appearances with the big club, Sewald has been back to making minor league
batters look bad while he waits for his next call-up
Kevin McGowan - 14 IP, 11 H, 6 R (5 ER), 2 2B, 1 3B, 15 TB,
2 BB, 14 K (11 K/Sw), 16 GB: 10 FB: 10 LD: 2 PU, 217 Pitches (140 Strikes), 24
Swinging, 34 Called, 11.1% SwStr, 22.6% Whiff/Swing, 15.5 Pitches/IP, 55 BF
McGowan sits 93-94 MPH
with his fastball, but occasionally adds a little more (per 51s radio). He
struck out 6 of 7 batters in Fresno, but otherwise hasn’t been as dominating
from a swing-and-miss standpoint as he was with Binghamton in 2016, so far
Chasen Bradford - 10.1 IP, 13 H, 6 R (5 ER), 4 2B, 1 3B, 19
TB, 4 BB, 11 K (8 K/Sw), 19 GB: 6 FB: 6 LD: 2 PU, 195 Pitches (119 Strikes), 22
Swinging, 30 Called, 11.3% SwStr, 24.7% Whiff/Swing, 18.9 Pitches/IP, 49 BF
Bradford walked a
batter in 3 straight appearances at the end of April, but he’s otherwise been
the same groundball heavy, lowish-walk relief pitcher that gets BABIP’d in the
PCL (.400 BABIP allowed)
Beck Wheeler - 12.1 IP, 14 H, 7 R (7 ER), 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR,
21 TB, 7 BB, 13 K (9 K/Sw), 14 GB: 5 FB: 12 LD: 3 PU, 210 Pitches (124
Strikes), 29 Swinging, 31 Called, 13.8% SwStr, 31.2% Whiff/Swing, 17
Pitches/IP, 56 BF
Erik Goeddel - 5.1 IP, 9 H, 10 R (9 ER), 2 2B, 2 HR, 17 TB,
4 BB, 5 K (5 K/Sw), 9 GB: 5 FB: 4 LD: 1 PU, 127 Pitches (70 Strikes), 13
Swinging, 15 Called, 10.2% SwStr, 23.6% Whiff/Swing, 23.8 Pitches/IP, 29 BF
David Roseboom - 7.2 IP, 9 H, 11 R (9 ER), 1 2B, 1 HR, 13
TB, 6 BB, 4 K (2 K/Sw), 11 GB: 10 FB: 6 LD: 1 PU, 146 Pitches (84 Strikes), 10
Swinging, 32 Called, 6.8% SwStr, 19.2% Whiff/Swing, 19 Pitches/IP, 39 BF
Ben Rowen - 11 IP, 22 H, 12 R (11 ER), 4 2B, 2 HR, 32 TB, 1
BB, 8 K (5 K/Sw), 21 GB: 8 FB: 14 LD: 3 PU, 200 Pitches (144 Strikes), 14
Swinging, 35 Called, 7% SwStr, 12.8% Whiff/Swing, 18.2 Pitches/IP, 56 BF
Cory Burns - 8.1 IP, 11 H, 5 R (5 ER), 1 2B, 2 3B, 16 TB, 7
BB, 9 K (6 K/Sw), 14 GB: 8 FB: 4 LD, 152 Pitches (90 Strikes), 15 Swinging, 21
Called, 9.9% SwStr, 21.7% Whiff/Swing, 18.2 Pitches/IP, 42 BF
Batters
Josh Rodriguez - 52 PA, 0.370/0.442/0.630, 9 R, 1 2B, 1 3B,
3 HR, 9 RBI, 5 BB, 1 HBP, 10 K, 1 GIDP, 2 SB, 1 CS, 9.9% SwStr, 24.7% Whiff/Swing,
3.9 Pitches/PA, 0.424 BABIP
Amed Rosario - 98 PA, 0.404/0.439/0.506, 14 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1
HR, 12 RBI, 6 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SF, 13 K, 3 GIDP, 7 SB, 2 CS, 8.4% SwStr, 17.8%
Whiff/Swing, 3.4 Pitches/PA, 0.455 BABIP
Rosario hasn’t hit for
much power yet in the PCL, but he was one of baseball’s hottest hitters in
April, finishing with 13 multi-hit games out of 23 starts, was held hitless
just 3 times, and failed to reach base in only 1 game. 80% of his PA’s have
come against right-handed pitchers (.897 OPS). His strikeout rate is back down from
his Double-A spike so far (13.3% in the PCL thanks to a high contact rate), and
after not taking a walk over the first week, he has 6 since. Also, by my count,
he’s stolen two singles by legging out routine grounders. #Soon
Travis Taijeron - 98 PA, 0.301/0.388/0.506, 12 R, 8 2B, 3
HR, 13 RBI, 10 BB, 3 HBP, 2 SF, 24 K, 5 GIDP, 1 SB, 0 CS, 9.8% SwStr, 23.7%
Whiff/Swing, 4.2 Pitches/PA, 0.379 BABIP
If Taijeron can keep
his strikeout rate down, he may finally get his chance this year. If he doesn’t
get his chance, he should try the Eric Thames route: mash in another league and
come back to a major league contract offer. He’s hit .277/.383/.522 with 127
XBH (47 HR) and a 30.1 K%: 12.7 BB%
in 1,116 PA at the Triple-A level. As for the strikeouts, his contact
rate is just below league average, so his improvement in K% so far is real, and
likely to stick. As for his high BABIP, well he finished last year with a .381
BABIP and had a .367 BABIP in 2015. #GiveTaijeronAShot
Dominic Smith - 102 PA, 0.337/0.382/0.484, 15 R, 6 2B, 1 3B,
2 HR, 15 RBI, 7 BB, 16 K, 3 GIDP, 2 CS, 10.8% SwStr, 22.6% Whiff/Swing, 3.6
Pitches/PA, 0.390 BABIP
Only thing Dominic
Smith didn’t do in April is start hitting extra base hits at an absurd rate,
but like Amed Rosario, he’s really hit the ground running. Between Rosario and
Smith, the 51s fans have been treated to something fun offensively and
defensively nearly every night. The 51s have barely faced any lefties this
year, but he’s shown no platoon splits.
Xorge Carrillo - 49 PA, 0.244/0.306/0.489, 6 R, 2 2B, 3 HR,
6 RBI, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 11 K, 2 GIDP, 9.9% SwStr, 22.8% Whiff/Swing, 4.3
Pitches/PA, 0.258 BABIP
Xorge had one great
week for Las Vegas during which he hit all 5 of his XBH, but has been otherwise
quiet at the plate and sturdy behind it. He’s making pitchers work though
T.J. Rivera - 22 PA, 0.286/0.318/0.476, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4
RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, 9.3% SwStr, 19.4% Whiff/Swing, 3.4 Pitches/PA, 0.294 BABIP
Matt Reynolds - 55 PA, 0.300/0.364/0.360, 10 R, 3 2B, 4 RBI,
5 BB, 16 K, 4 GIDP, 1 SB, 1 CS, 9.5% SwStr, 24.7% Whiff/Swing, 4.4 Pitches/PA,
0.441 BABIP
Kevin Plawecki - 44 PA, 0.256/0.295/0.410, 4 R, 3 2B, 1 HR,
7 RBI, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SF, 4 K, 7.1% SwStr, 16.7% Whiff/Swing, 3.5 Pitches/PA,
0.250 BABIP
Jayce Boyd - 38 PA, 0.257/0.316/0.400, 4 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3
RBI, 3 BB, 9 K, 1 SB, 0 CS, 12.8% SwStr, 25.7% Whiff/Swing, 3.6 Pitches/PA,
0.308 BABIP
After a forgettable
2015-16, Boyd is fighting to work his way back into the Triple-A OF rotation
Desmond Jennings - 91 PA, 0.228/0.319/0.342, 10 R, 2 2B, 2
3B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 11 BB, 1 SF, 13 K, 1 GIDP, 1 SB, 3 CS, 7.8% SwStr, 17.9%
Whiff/Swing, 4.1 Pitches/PA, 0.258 BABIP
Jennings defense and
speed have been useful for Las Vegas, but mostly it’s been his ability to play
CF that’s getting him in the lineup daily
Gavin Cecchini - 102 PA, 0.220/0.297/0.341, 12 R, 5 2B, 2
HR, 8 RBI, 10 BB, 1 SAC, 12 K, 4 GIDP, 3 SB, 7.6% SwStr, 17.3% Whiff/Swing, 3.5
Pitches/PA, 0.234 BABIP
It’s easy to say
Cecchini’s problems are only BABIP related, but he’s actually pulling the ball
significantly more this year (58% of the time compared to 44% with Las Vegas in
2016 and 39% with Binghamton in 2015) at the expense of going to RF (down to
just 18% compared to 33% the past two seasons), so maybe the BABIP drop is related to that. He appears to have adjusted just fine to 2B and the hard PCL infields (though now Phil Evans and Amed Rosario understand what he was going through last year), and he was having better PA's at the end of April.
Phillip Evans - 86 PA, 0.256/0.326/0.308, 7 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 9
RBI, 7 BB, 1 HBP, 12 K, 6 GIDP, 1 SB, 1 CS, 8.5% SwStr, 16.9% Whiff/Swing, 3.3
Pitches/PA, 0.292 BABIP
Evans was hit with the
PCL error bug in April, including a 3 error game in Sacramento. That
said, he makes a lot of the tough 50/50 plays on the infield, and his good
glove work plays at 3B, 2B, and he even played a good SS for Bingo during the first
half of 2016. He often reminds me of a shorter, stockier Gavin Cecchini.
L.J. Mazzilli - 24 PA, 0.087/0.125/0.087, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB,
6 K, 1 GIDP, 1 SB, 7.8% SwStr, 19.4% Whiff/Swing, 3.8 Pitches/PA, 0.118 BABIP
w/Double-A - 46 PA, 0.333/0.457/0.389, 7 R, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 8
BB, 1 HBP, 1 SF, 5 K, 1 GIDP, 1 SB, 1 CS, 4.9% SwStr, 13.4% Whiff/Swing, 4 Pitches/PA,
0.375 BABIP
Mazzilli’s finally
getting some OF experience this year, but has been slow to get his bat going in
Las Vegas. Haven’t seen his range tested much, but he made a perfect throw from
RF to gun down a runner at 3B for the 51s.
Binghamton 11-9
Taking
over for Pedro Lopez in Binghamton was former St. Lucie manager Luis Rojas.
Although the team is now called the Rumble Ponies, the Binghamton offense
hasn’t exactly had their opponents shaking just yet, as they rank at or near
the bottom in many offensive categories. Fortunately, they have speed, and they
are second in the league with 26 stolen bases and have only been caught 3
times, which is best in the league. The Rumble Ponies pitchers benefit from
some sharp infield defense and speedy outfielder’s behind them, so it’s no
surprise their 3.45 ERA is top third in the league, but they’re still nearly a run
worse than league leading Trenton (2.61 ERA).
Pitchers
Mickey Jannis – 4 GS, 23.1 IP, 15 H, 6 R (5 ER), 2 2B, 1 HR,
20 TB, 11 BB, 11 K (9 K/Sw), 44 GB: 15 FB: 8 LD: 1 PU, 353 Pitches (216
Strikes), 32 Swinging, 72 Called, 9.1% SwStr, 22.2% Whiff/Swing, 15.1
Pitches/IP, 92 BF
Jannis walks a fine
line with base runners sometimes, but his knuckleball is too tricky to square
up, which is why he’s held Eastern League batters to a .188 batting average, .062 ISO and a 65% groundball rate – you don’t need as many strikeouts if
that’s what guys are doing when they put the ball in play against you. Whatever
he worked on in the offseason appears to have paid off.
Corey Oswalt – 4 GS, 23 IP, 19 H, 11 R (8 ER), 3 2B, 1 3B, 2
HR, 30 TB, 6 BB, 23 K (18 K/Sw), 26 GB: 18 FB: 14 LD: 5 PU, 356 Pitches (244
Strikes), 51 Swinging, 61 Called, 14.3% SwStr, 27.9% Whiff/Swing, 15.5
Pitches/IP, 94 BF
Recap: 4/21
Oswalt faced a couple
of rough innings during his first two starts, but he was looking pretty
comfortable in Double-A by the end of April. The 2012 HS draft pick (7th
round) has slowly worked his way up the Mets system, and his early Double-A
success suggests he may prove useful at the back of a rotation down the line. He’s owned RHB’s so far (.460 OPS), but
lefties have 5 walks, 2 doubles, and 2 homers against him in 50 PA (.782 OPS). Oswalt made one AFL start in a stadium with PITCHf/x, and the data has Oswalt averaging 92+ MPH on his fourseam fastball, although it's not a large sample (28 pitches).
P.J. Conlon – 5 GS, 25.2 IP, 30 H, 12 R (12 ER), 7 2B, 1 3B,
3 HR, 48 TB, 5 BB, 26 K (20 K/Sw), 27 GB: 21 FB: 19 LD: 8 PU, 403 Pitches (269
Strikes), 42 Swinging, 82 Called, 10.4% SwStr, 22.5% Whiff/Swing, 15.7
Pitches/IP, 106 BF
Recap: 4/30
Conlon has struggled
against LHB’s so far (.913 OPS, 2 HR over 28 PA), but the .380 BABIP allowed is
what’s really hurting. All of that came during his final two starts of April,
when Akron and New Hampshire combined for 8 R off 17 H over 8.2 IP. Those two
teams were hitting him hard, so it wasn’t just bad luck, but Conlon was a much
better pitcher over his first 3 starts (.268 BABIP allowed, 13% Swinging Strike
rate)
Casey Delgado – 4 GS, 19.2 IP, 26 H, 20 R (19 ER), 8 2B, 1
3B, 2 HR, 42 TB, 13 BB, 15 K (13 K/Sw), 33 GB: 13 FB: 14 LD: 5 PU, 323 Pitches
(189 Strikes), 35 Swinging, 51 Called, 10.8% SwStr, 25.4% Whiff/Swing, 16.4
Pitches/IP, 95 BF
Recap: 4/28
Delgado has had
trouble avoiding the big inning, allowing 5+ runs in all 4 of his starts.
Alberto Baldonado - 11.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R (0 ER), 5 TB, 4 BB, 15
K (13 K/Sw), 12 GB: 6 FB: 4 LD: 1 PU, 162 Pitches (110 Strikes), 27 Swinging,
32 Called, 16.7% SwStr, 34.6% Whiff/Swing, 13.9 Pitches/IP, 42 BF
Baldonado issued 3
walks in Akron last week (stranded them all and got the save), but has
otherwise just dominated the Eastern League so far (.355 OPS). The big lefty throws his heater around 94 MPH, throws a change about 10 MPH slower than that,
and has a nice low/mid 70’s curve.
Tim Peterson - 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R (0 ER), 1 2B, 6 TB, 2 BB, 9 K
(5 K/Sw), 7 GB: 6 FB: 8 LD: 1 PU, 136 Pitches (95 Strikes), 13 Swinging, 31
Called, 9.6% SwStr, 20.3% Whiff/Swing, 15.1 Pitches/IP, 33 BF
The 26-year old
Peterson had a few rough outing scattered throughout the 2016 summer with
Binghamton, but was generally very reliable, and has improved to dominant this
year (like Baldonado). He’s gone 6 straight appearances without issuing a walk
since issuing two in his first outing.
Kyle Regnault - 6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R (0 ER), 2 2B, 5 TB, 2 BB, 7
K (7 K/Sw), 7 GB: 5 FB: 3 LD, 93 Pitches (58 Strikes), 11 Swinging, 16 Called,
11.8% SwStr, 26.2% Whiff/Swing, 13.9 Pitches/IP, 24 BF
w/Triple-A - 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R (0 ER), 3 TB, 1 BB, 1 K (0
K/Sw), 4 GB: 3 FB: 1 LD: 1 PU, 42 Pitches (27 Strikes), 9 Swinging, 7 Called,
21.4% SwStr, 45% Whiff/Swing, 21 Pitches/IP, 10 BF
The lefty got off a
plane in Vegas, threw 2 scoreless innings for the 51s, and then got on another
plane to meet back up with the Rumble Ponies. Such is the life of a reliever in the minors, but Regnault hasn’t missed a beat.
Scarlyn Reyes - 7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 2B, 5 TB, 2 BB, 7
K (6 K/Sw), 12 GB: 5 FB: 3 LD, 122 Pitches (76 Strikes), 16 Swinging, 17
Called, 13.1% SwStr, 27.1% Whiff/Swing, 15.9 Pitches/IP, 30 BF
Reyes has been
adjusting nicely to the pen so far, and given previous reports of him hitting
the mid-90’s with his heater, it’s always possible he begins to thrive in this
role, so stay tuned.
Kelly Secrest - 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 3B, 7 TB, 2 BB,
10 K (7 K/Sw), 3 GB: 5 FB: 3 LD, 107 Pitches (68 Strikes), 13 Swinging, 15
Called, 12.1% SwStr, 24.5% Whiff/Swing, 20.1 Pitches/IP, 23 BF
Ben Griset - 9 IP, 7 H, 5 R (5 ER), 2 2B, 1 HR, 12 TB, 6 BB,
4 K (2 K/Sw), 8 GB: 13 FB: 7 LD: 2 PU, 136 Pitches (79 Strikes), 9 Swinging, 16
Called, 6.6% SwStr, 14.3% Whiff/Swing, 15.1 Pitches/IP, 39 BF
Griset was moved to
the DL at the end of April
Corey Taylor - 9 IP, 14 H, 5 R (5 ER), 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 17
TB, 1 BB, 9 K (7 K/Sw), 13 GB: 7 FB: 10 LD: 1 PU, 158 Pitches (100 Strikes), 16
Swinging, 28 Called, 10.1% SwStr, 22.2% Whiff/Swing, 17.6 Pitches/IP, 41 BF
The Rumble Ponies had
hoped they could use Corey Taylor as their closer this year, but he’s lost that
role for now after struggling to finish out a few games.
Luis Mateo - 6.1 IP, 9 H, 8 R (5 ER), 3 2B, 1 HR, 15 TB, 6
BB, 3 K (3 K/Sw), 12 GB: 5 FB: 6 LD: 1 PU, 121 Pitches (69 Strikes), 9
Swinging, 25 Called, 7.4% SwStr, 20.5% Whiff/Swing, 19.1 Pitches/IP, 34 BF
Batters
Luis Guillorme - 87 PA, 0.342/0.419/0.408, 9 R, 5 2B, 6 RBI,
9 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SAC, 13 K, 1 GIDP, 2 SB, 1 CS, 5.9% SwStr, 13.2% Whiff/Swing,
4.1 Pitches/PA, 0.413 BABIP
Luis has reached base
in 19/20 games and he reached base 5 times in one game twice in April. He’s
split time between 2B and SS for the experience, and he’s been turning heads
from both positions.
Cody Decker - 39 PA, 0.219/0.333/0.469, 5 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7
RBI, 6 BB, 1 SF, 10 K, 1 GIDP, 17.7% SwStr, 34.7% Whiff/Swing, 3.8 Pitches/PA,
0.238 BABIP
Kevin Taylor - 59 PA, 0.327/0.407/0.365, 7 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 7
BB, 9 K, 1 SB, 8.7% SwStr, 20.2% Whiff/Swing, 3.9 Pitches/PA, 0.395 BABIP
Taylor has reached
base in 13 of his 14 starts, with most of those starts coming at the DH
position.
Champ Stuart - 71 PA, 0.250/0.333/0.417, 9 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2
HR, 7 RBI, 8 BB, 1 SF, 2 SAC, 21 K, 11 SB, 17.3% SwStr, 36.6% Whiff/Swing, 3.7
Pitches/PA, 0.342 BABIP
When he’s been on
base, he’s been a terror for the opposition, and after scuffling over the first
few weeks, Champ Stuart finished the month on a red-hot 6-game hit streak. His
contact rate during the hit streak is at 78%, which would be a huge improvement for the speedster.
Matt Oberste - 88 PA, 0.260/0.364/0.384, 12 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1
HR, 11 RBI, 11 BB, 2 HBP, 2 SF, 22 K, 2 GIDP, 13.2% SwStr, 27.6% Whiff/Swing, 4
Pitches/PA, 0.346 BABIP
Oberste has been
striking out a lot more so far in 2017 (25% up from 17.2% in 2016), and so far
he hasn’t seen the power boost that would be worth that tradeoff
Colton Plaia - 30 PA, 0.259/0.333/0.296, 3 R, 1 2B, 6 RBI, 3
BB, 7 K, 9.2% SwStr, 22.7% Whiff/Swing, 3.6 Pitches/PA, 0.350 BABIP
Kevin Kaczmarski - 77 PA, 0.212/0.316/0.303, 7 R, 1 2B, 1
3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 7 BB, 3 HBP, 1 SAC, 17 K, 2 SB, 12% SwStr, 26.6% Whiff/Swing,
3.7 Pitches/PA, 0.271 BABIP
Kacz got off to a slow
start last April too, but then turned it on over the 3 next months, and it’s
normal for players to go through a transition period. Still, Double-A is much
tougher than the SAL, and he finished April ice cold at the plate.
Jio Mier - 44 PA, 0.214/0.250/0.333, 2 R, 5 2B, 5 RBI, 2 BB,
12 K, 2 GIDP, 12.7% SwStr, 28.8% Whiff/Swing, 3.8 Pitches/PA, 0.300 BABIP
Tomas Nido - 58 PA, 0.196/0.224/0.321, 4 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1
HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, 5 GIDP, 13.6% SwStr, 21.9% Whiff/Swing, 3.2 Pitches/PA,
0.200 BABIP
Nido has also been
experience an adjustment period, but unlike Kacz, he finished the month with
some of his best games at the plate. Need to keep an eye on how he does against
RHP’s moving forward, because they were not kind to him in April (.476 OPS).
Patrick Biondi - 69 PA, 0.180/0.254/0.230, 8 R, 1 HR, 6 RBI,
6 BB, 2 SAC, 21 K, 7 SB, 11.4% SwStr, 24.2% Whiff/Swing, 3.8 Pitches/PA, 0.256
BABIP
Biondi is fast and
really good in CF, but he’s never shown any power or posted a minor league batting
average above .277.
David Thompson - 92 PA, 0.184/0.217/0.241, 6 R, 2 2B, 1 HR,
10 RBI, 4 BB, 1 SF, 18 K, 2 SB, 1 CS, 12.9% SwStr, 24.8% Whiff/Swing, 3.4
Pitches/PA, 0.217 BABIP
I’m surprised by
Thompson’s struggles at Double-A so far. Not everyone hits the ground running,
and the .217 BABIP hurts, but Thompson has a 25 wRC+ after 20 games. He showed
off his power when he went deep to CF last week in Akron, but then went 0-10
over the next two games. So it’s hard to say if he’s about to break out, or if
he needs a reset in St. Lucie until the All-Star break. Defensively, his arm strength
is a little fringy for 3B, but he fields the position well (makes a good number of stand out plays) and makes accurate
throws, so he should stick.
St. Lucie 10-14
In
his first season with the Mets, Chad Kreuter is in charge of the team Major
League rehabbers are most often assigned to, and he benefitted from some
rehabbing Mets at the end of April: Brandon Nimmo, Wilmer Flores, Juan Lagares,
and Lucas Duda all took PA with St. Lucie in April, and contributed to wins.
Without their contributions, St. Lucie would be bottom third of the FSL in OPS.
The team is bottom of the league in team ERA at 4.90, which is double the
Clearwater team ERA of 2.45. Injuries have really hurt their rotation, as Marcos
Molina is still on the DL, Chase Ingram went to the DL after one start, Thomas
McIlraith went to the DL after 4 starts, and 3 other starting pitchers (Chris Flexen,
Mike Gibbons, Josh Prevost) are officially on the St. Lucie roster and on the
DL.
Pitchers
Chase Ingram – 1 GS, 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 1 2B, 2 3B, 9
TB, 3 BB, 5 K (3 K/Sw), 5 GB: 2 FB: 2 LD, 82 Pitches (47 Strikes), 8 Swinging,
15 Called, 9.8% SwStr, 25% Whiff/Swing, 20.5 Pitches/IP, 18 BF
Thomas McIlraith – 4 GS, 12 IP, 18 H, 10 R (10 ER), 4 2B, 2
3B, 1 HR, 29 TB, 3 BB, 7 K (6 K/Sw), 24 GB: 8 FB: 12 LD: 3 PU, 186 Pitches (112
Strikes), 10 Swinging, 25 Called, 5.4% SwStr, 11.5% Whiff/Swing, 15.5
Pitches/IP, 57 BF
Left after one batter
during his last start
Andrew Church – 5 GS, 27 IP, 35 H, 13 R (11 ER), 5 2B, 3 3B,
2 HR, 52 TB, 4 BB, 14 K (10 K/Sw), 40 GB: 33 FB: 20 LD: 4 PU, 436 Pitches (304
Strikes), 42 Swinging, 79 Called, 9.6% SwStr, 18.7% Whiff/Swing, 16.1
Pitches/IP, 117 BF
Church might have the
unusual problem of being in the zone a little too often right now (70% strikes) since he’s
not missing bats enough.
Justin Dunn – 4 GS, 20 IP, 26 H, 16 R (14 ER), 2 2B, 3 3B, 2
HR, 40 TB, 9 BB, 9 K (6 K/Sw), 32 GB: 23 FB: 13 LD: 4 PU, 324 Pitches (202
Strikes), 25 Swinging, 59 Called, 7.7% SwStr, 17.5% Whiff/Swing, 16.2
Pitches/IP, 91 BF
Recap: 5/1
It’s easy to look at
the top draft pick’s numbers so far and think #Bust or disappointment, but
consider the jump. In just over a year, he’s gone from relieving in College to
arguably the top pitching prospect in the Mets system and starting in
Advanced-A. Give him some time, and give the Mets some time to work with him.
He’s been prone to the big inning, but he’s also had good stretches in each
start, and went 6 innings for the first time as a pro in his final start of the
month.
Joe Shaw – 4 GS, 19 IP, 25 H, 16 R (14 ER), 4 2B, 2 3B, 2
HR, 39 TB, 11 BB, 16 K (14 K/Sw), 32 GB: 13 FB: 12 LD: 5 PU, 341 Pitches (198
Strikes), 38 Swinging, 57 Called, 11.1% SwStr, 27% Whiff/Swing, 17.9
Pitches/IP, 91 BF
Shaw has been more
serviceable for St. Lucie than the 6.63 ERA and 0-3 record suggests, but I
thought he looked more like a future reliever when I saw him pitching for
Columbia last year.
Nabil Crismatt – 4 GS, 21 IP, 28 H, 17 R (15 ER), 6 2B, 4
HR, 46 TB, 6 BB, 17 K (14 K/Sw), 23 GB: 25 FB: 16 LD: 5 PU, 324 Pitches (217
Strikes), 46 Swinging, 56 Called, 14.2% SwStr, 28.6% Whiff/Swing, 15.4
Pitches/IP, 96 BF
After pitching for
Brooklyn, Columbia, and then one start for Binghamton last year, Crismatt had put
his name on the Mets prospect map. His promising rise through the system
continued when he pitched well during his first two starts this year, but then
he allowed 12 R on 20 H over his final 2 starts of the month. Bumps in the road
are expected, so let’s see how he pitches in May
Adam Atkins - 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 HR, 8 TB, 3 K (2
K/Sw), 2 GB: 5 FB: 5 LD, 55 Pitches (37 Strikes), 4 Swinging, 7 Called, 7.3%
SwStr, 13.3% Whiff/Swing, 16.5 Pitches/IP, 15 BF
Justin Brantley - 13.2 IP, 11 H, 3 R (3 ER), 3 2B, 14 TB, 7
BB, 12 K (9 K/Sw), 15 GB: 10 FB: 5 LD: 5 PU, 211 Pitches (128 Strikes), 24
Swinging, 36 Called, 11.4% SwStr, 26.1% Whiff/Swing, 15.4 Pitches/IP, 57 BF
Alex Palsha - 10.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R (3 ER), 2 2B, 1 HR, 14 TB, 7
BB, 9 K (7 K/Sw), 14 GB: 8 FB: 5 LD: 3 PU, 171 Pitches (106 Strikes), 16
Swinging, 29 Called, 9.4% SwStr, 20.8% Whiff/Swing, 16.6 Pitches/IP, 47 BF
Tyler Bashlor - 8.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R (5 ER), 1 2B, 1 HR, 9 TB, 5
BB, 12 K (9 K/Sw), 8 GB: 5 FB: 3 LD: 2 PU, 144 Pitches (86 Strikes), 24
Swinging, 22 Called, 16.7% SwStr, 37.5% Whiff/Swing, 16.6 Pitches/IP, 35 BF
Cameron Griffin - 5.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R (5 ER), 4 2B, 1 HR, 16
TB, 3 BB, 6 K (4 K/Sw), 6 GB: 5 FB: 6 LD: 3 PU, 106 Pitches (63 Strikes), 11
Swinging, 11 Called, 10.4% SwStr, 21.2% Whiff/Swing, 18.7 Pitches/IP, 29 BF
Johnny Magliozzi - 16 IP, 15 H, 7 R (6 ER), 2 2B, 2 HR, 23
TB, 1 BB, 16 K (15 K/Sw), 28 GB: 7 FB: 5 LD: 4 PU, 208 Pitches (148 Strikes),
30 Swinging, 40 Called, 14.4% SwStr, 27.8% Whiff/Swing, 13 Pitches/IP, 63 BF
Craig Missigman - 15.1 IP, 12 H, 8 R (8 ER), 4 2B, 2 HR, 22
TB, 12 BB, 19 K (11 K/Sw), 14 GB: 11 FB: 9 LD: 4 PU, 292 Pitches (171 Strikes),
27 Swinging, 46 Called, 9.2% SwStr, 21.6% Whiff/Swing, 19 Pitches/IP, 73 BF
Kevin Canelon - 13.1 IP, 15 H, 8 R (7 ER), 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR,
24 TB, 2 BB, 18 K (16 K/Sw), 16 GB: 13 FB: 7 LD: 0 PU, 243 Pitches (162
Strikes), 41 Swinging, 26 Called, 16.9% SwStr, 30.1% Whiff/Swing, 18.2
Pitches/IP, 56 BF
Joshua Torres - 12.2 IP, 12 H, 8 R (3 ER), 2 2B, 1 HR, 17
TB, 7 BB, 13 K (10 K/Sw), 8 GB: 15 FB: 10 LD: 5 PU, 235 Pitches (152 Strikes),
29 Swinging, 35 Called, 12.3% SwStr, 24.8% Whiff/Swing, 18.5 Pitches/IP, 62 BF
Darwin Ramos - 8.2 IP, 9 H, 9 R (6 ER), 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 19
TB, 5 BB, 11 K (10 K/Sw), 10 GB: 9 FB: 5 LD, 145 Pitches (92 Strikes), 24
Swinging, 25 Called, 16.6% SwStr, 35.8% Whiff/Swing, 16.7 Pitches/IP, 42 BF
Batters
Jeff McNeil - 14 PA, 0.500/0.500/1.00, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 5
RBI, 3 K, 13.2% SwStr, 17.2% Whiff/Swing, 2.7 Pitches/PA, 0.556 BABIP
Came back from
multiple surgeries over the past year, crushed the ball, but then limped around
the bases after his second homerun.
Patrick Mazeika - 79 PA, 0.338/0.405/0.559, 13 R, 6 2B, 3
HR, 17 RBI, 7 BB, 2 HBP, 2 SF, 11 K, 1 SB, 7.6% SwStr, 18% Whiff/Swing, 4.2
Pitches/PA, 0.357 BABIP
Mazeika reached base
in 17/19 games during April while splitting time between catcher and first
base. The 23-year old lefty was really heating up at the end of April and will likely join the Rumble Ponies at some point in
2017.
Jhoan Urena - 97 PA, 0.350/0.464/0.488, 15 R, 5 2B, 2 HR, 9
RBI, 17 BB, 16 K, 3 GIDP, 5 SB, 2 CS, 9.9% SwStr, 22.7% Whiff/Swing, 3.8
Pitches/PA, 0.419 BABIP
Still just 22, Urena
is finding that the third time is the charm when it comes to the FSL. While his
extensive previous experience at the level puts a cloud over his current
production, he’s crushing the ball and controlling the zone at a level that
suggests he’ll be able to handle the next promotion (If David Thompson’s
struggles in Double-A continue, he may have that chance sooner rather than
later). His arm has always had a good reputation, but his glove/foot work at 3B
has been called into question by some scouts, so a move to 1B may be needed
down the line. He’s been better from the left side (1.058 OPS).
Brandon Nimmo - 23 PA, 0.222/0.391/0.500, 4 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4
RBI, 5 BB, 4 K, 6.5% SwStr, 18.8% Whiff/Swing, 4 Pitches/PA, 0.231 BABIP
Anthony Dimino - 48 PA, 0.390/0.447/0.415, 4 R, 1 2B, 6 RBI,
5 BB, 1 SF, 1 SAC, 6 K, 1 GIDP, 5 SB, 6.5% SwStr, 16.2% Whiff/Swing, 3.5
Pitches/PA, 0.444 BABIP
Jeff Diehl - 65 PA, 0.255/0.369/0.400, 6 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 10
RBI, 9 BB, 1 HBP, 24 K, 1 GIDP, 2 SB, 1 CS, 13.4% SwStr, 34.7% Whiff/Swing, 3.9
Pitches/PA, 0.414 BABIP
Diehl hit mid-90’s
with his fastball in an emergency relief appearance, and he had a red-hot
7-game hit strike during the middle of the month, but very quiet outside of that
Wuilmer Becerra - 97 PA, 0.287/0.351/0.402, 11 R, 5 2B, 1
3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 6 BB, 3 HBP, 1 SF, 28 K, 3 GIDP, 1 SB, 1 CS, 19.3% SwStr,
33.9% Whiff/Swing, 4.1 Pitches/PA, 0.407 BABIP
Mixed month for
Becerra, who is yet to play in the field as he recovers from his torn labrum.
My guess is that when he’s healthy enough to play in the field, he’ll likely be
headed for Binghamton, which is where I think his power will start to show
itself.
Nick Sergakis - 55 PA, 0.205/0.314/0.364, 8 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 6
RBI, 5 BB, 2 HBP, 4 SAC, 14 K, 3 GIDP, 4 SB, 1 CS, 13.2% SwStr, 30.2%
Whiff/Swing, 4 Pitches/PA, 0.276 BABIP
Like a lot of Mets
prospects in April, Sergakis had one really good week that provided most of his
offense for the month.
J.C. Rodriguez - 81 PA, 0.273/0.300/0.325, 11 R, 4 2B, 7
RBI, 3 BB, 1 SAC, 22 K, 1 GIDP, 5 SB, 1 CS, 12.4% SwStr, 25.6% Whiff/Swing, 3.2
Pitches/PA, 0.382 BABIP
J.C. Rodriguez was the
everyday SS in St. Lucie during April, but the Fireflies added 18-year old SS
Andres Gimenez to their roster at the end of the month, so they’ll likely have
to promote one of their other 3 shortstops (Michael Paez, Milton Ramos, and
Luis Carpio), unless that was just a little reward for the kid.
Peter Alonso - 22 PA, 0.190/0.227/0.333, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1
HBP, 5 K, 1 GIDP, 12.5% SwStr, 23.5% Whiff/Swing, 2.9 Pitches/PA, 0.200 BABIP
That HBP got him in
the wrist and knocked him out of action.
Dale Burdick - 46 PA, 0.146/0.239/0.317, 7 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 5
RBI, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 17 K, 1 CS, 14.7% SwStr, 34.1% Whiff/Swing, 4.1 Pitches/PA,
0.182 BABIP
John Mora - 104 PA, 0.189/0.260/0.232, 10 R, 4 2B, 8 RBI, 7
BB, 2 HBP, 21 K, 1 GIDP, 1 SB, 6 CS, 11.4% SwStr, 24.6% Whiff/Swing, 3.9
Pitches/PA, 0.243 BABIP
Dan Rizzie - 29 PA, 0.136/0.345/0.136, 7 BB, K, 1 GIDP, 1
CS, 4.5% SwStr, 13.2% Whiff/Swing, 3.9 Pitches/PA, 0.176 BABIP
Vinny Siena - 67 PA, 0.140/0.242/0.228, 6 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 4
RBI, 7 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SF, 1 SAC, 29 K, 1 GIDP, 1 CS, 16.7% SwStr, 37.2%
Whiff/Swing, 4.6 Pitches/PA, 0.276 BABIP
Enmanuel Zabala - 83 PA, 0.173/0.235/0.2, 6 R, 2 2B, 5 RBI,
4 BB, 2 HBP, 2 SAC, 17 K, 3 SB, 2 CS, 12.8% SwStr, 26.2% Whiff/Swing, 3.6
Pitches/PA, 0.224 BABIP
Columbia 13-12
The
Columbia Fireflies have been a travelling Tim Tebow show so far this year, but
returning manager Jose Leger doesn’t let that stuff distract the team. They got
off to a quick start but struggled during a recent home stand. The offense
finished April near the bottom of the SAL by team OPS, but their record is
still good thanks to a 2.95 team ERA (third best in the SAL).
Pitchers
Merandy Gonzalez – 4 GS, 28.1 IP, 0 R, 15 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 20
TB, 3 BB, 23 K (15 K/Sw), 32 GB: 19 FB: 11 LD: 12 PU, 102 BF (Pitch info
incomplete because there were no official pitch stats for one of his starts)
Merandy (21) was the
definition of lights-out during April, allowing 0 runs, a .415 OPS, and far
less than a base runner per inning over his 4 starts. It’s the SAL, and a lot
of pitcher’s dominate here that amount to nothing, but Merandy has the quality
stuff to go along with the quality numbers. The broadcast recently relayed that
a Padres scout told them Merandy had #3 starter upside right now, which
suggests that scout thinks Merandy has 3 future major league quality pitches.
His fastball sits around 93 MPH and he can reportedly get it up to 95/96 at
times. He has good control of the pitch and pairs it most frequently with a
solid curve. He also throws a change up; he just doesn’t need to go to it that
often in the SAL.
Jordan Humphreys – 5 GS, 31.2 IP, 20 H, 6 R (6 ER), 7 2B, 2
3B, 1 HR, 34 TB, 5 BB, 40 K (29 K/Sw), 30 GB: 25 FB: 14 LD: 10 PU, 461 Pitches
(328 Strikes), 81 Swinging, 72 Called, 17.6% SwStr, 31.6% Whiff/Swing, 14.6
Pitches/IP, 126 BF
Humphreys (20) has
similar stuff to Merandy, but they attack SAL batters with different
approaches. Merandy will double up on pitches, but he often moves his stuff around
the four quadrants of the strike zone, or leaves it when ahead with two strikes.. Humphreys often attacks the top of the
zone with his heat like a power pitcher (reminds me of the good version of John
Maine), and then drops in his secondaries to keep guys off balance. At times,
it looks like he’s saying, “Here’s my best fastball, I know you can’t do
anything with it.” Let’s see how these two look when they reach Double-A,
hopefully sometime during the 2018 season.
Gabriel Llanes – 4 GS, 22.2 IP, 21 H, 9 R (8 ER), 4 2B, 25
TB, 6 BB, 8 K (6 K/Sw), 47 GB: 16 FB: 12 LD: 2 PU, 259 Pitches (173 Strikes),
28 Swinging, 30 Called, 10.8% SwStr, 19.6% Whiff/Swing, 11.4 Pitches/IP, 97 BF
Recap: 4/20
Not much
swing-and-miss but Llanes has found success in the SAL at the cost of dozens of
worms and their homes. 63% groundball rate is great, 8% K-rate is not.
Colin Holderman – 4 GS, 15.2 IP, 10 H, 11 R (8 ER), 3 2B, 2
HR, 19 TB, 3 BB, 17 K (14 K/Sw), 16 GB: 13 FB: 7 LD: 4 PU, 250 Pitches (150
Strikes), 32 Swinging, 37 Called, 12.8% SwStr, 28.3% Whiff/Swing, 16
Pitches/IP, 65 BF
Recaps:
During his first
start, Holderman (21) showed that, when right, his stuff is too good for the
SAL. During his next start, Holderman felt something while pitching and left
after 2+ IP. He wouldn’t need to miss a start, but he wasn’t as effective over
5 IP in his next start, allowing a pair of two-run blasts to some red-hot
Lexington batters. Things went even worse for Holderman in Hickory, when he was
again knocked out in the 3rd, and this time was moved to the DL
after his start.
Harol Gonzalez – 4 GS, 20 IP, 21 H, 15 R (15 ER), 5 2B, 3
HR, 35 TB, 9 BB, 15 K (10 K/Sw), 26 GB: 19 FB: 14 LD: 5 PU, 91 BF
Harol (22) was skipped
over for one start while he was on the DL in April, and then was hit around in
Hickory when he came off of it (all 3 HR allowed in Hickory). Control has been
an issue for Harol, as he’s walked multiple batters in 3 of 4 starts.
Blake Taylor – 4 GS, 20 IP, 20 H, 18 R (12 ER), 4 2B, 1 3B,
3 HR, 35 TB, 13 BB, 22 K (16 K/Sw), 22 GB: 14 FB: 13 LD: 6 PU, 93 BF
Taylor was having a
wild, but otherwise solid first month of full season ball, until… he went into
Hickory (that series did not go well for Columbia starters). Command has a long
way to go
Adonis Uceta - 10 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 2B, 6 TB, 6 BB, 11
K (8 K/Sw), 6 GB: 8 FB: 5 LD: 4 PU, 141 Pitches (95 Strikes), 20 Swinging, 16
Called, 14.2% SwStr, 25.3% Whiff/Swing, 14.1 Pitches/IP, 41 BF
Uceta finished with
multiple strikeouts in 4 of 6 appearances during April, but at least one walk
in 4 of 6 appearances too.
Matt Blackham - 12 IP, 8 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 2B, 9 TB, 7 BB, 21
K (18 K/Sw), 10 GB: 7 FB: 5 LD, 219 Pitches (145 Strikes), 41 Swinging, 38
Called, 18.7% SwStr, 38.3% Whiff/Swing, 18.2 Pitches/IP, 50 BF
Older (24), shorter
(5’10), max effort guy was destined for the pen and doing well out of it, but
another case of will he stop walking guys.
Joel Huertas - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R (3 ER), 4 2B, 11 TB, 2 BB, 3 K
(1 K/Sw), 12 GB: 3 FB: 4 LD: 4 PU, 82 Pitches (49 Strikes), 6 Swinging, 9
Called, 7.3% SwStr, 15% Whiff/Swing, 11.7 Pitches/IP, 28 BF
Huertas (21) went 3
innings during a relief outing for St. Lucie to start the year (3 H, 2 R, 4 K:
1 BB), and then went 5 innings in relief of Llanes in his most recent outing.
That game going into the 11th proved convenient, because now the
lefty is more stretched out and ready to slide into Holderman’s spot in the
rotation.
Taylor Henry - 13 IP, 12 H, 4 R (4 ER), 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 21
TB, 2 BB, 8 K (5 K/Sw), 22 GB: 10 FB: 7 LD: 4 PU, 147 Pitches (103 Strikes), 22
Swinging, 19 Called, 15% SwStr, 26.2% Whiff/Swing, 11.3 Pitches/IP, 54 BF
Austin McGeorge - 12.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R (3 ER), 2 2B, 1 3B, 13
TB, 4 BB, 16 K (15 K/Sw), 17 GB: 9 FB: 3 LD: 2 PU, 174 Pitches (120 Strikes),
46 Swinging, 20 Called, 26.4% SwStr, 46% Whiff/Swing, 13.7 Pitches/IP, 53 BF
McGeorge missed bats
at a great rate with Columbia in April and was rewarded with a promotion to St.
Lucie when a spot opened up to start May.
Max Kuhns - 12 IP, 9 H, 6 R (6 ER), 9 TB, 5 BB, 14 K (10 K/Sw),
14 GB: 7 FB: 5 LD: 2 PU, 194 Pitches (124 Strikes), 20 Swinging, 44 Called, 10.3%
SwStr, 25% Whiff/Swing, 16.2 Pitches/IP, 48 BF
Joseph Zanghi - 8.2 IP, 16 H, 7 R (2 ER), 2 2B, 18 TB, 3 BB,
13 K (10 K/Sw), 13 GB: 5 FB: 9 LD: 1 PU, 154 Pitches (113 Strikes), 23
Swinging, 29 Called, 14.9% SwStr, 27.4% Whiff/Swing, 17.8 Pitches/IP, 45 BF
Mid-90’s heat
Batters
Andres Gimenez - 10 PA, 0.429/0.600/0.857, 3 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI,
2 BB, 1 HBP, 2 K, 2.9% SwStr, 6.7% Whiff/Swing, 3.5 Pitches/PA, 0.500 BABIP
Not sure if the Mets
have announced whether this is permanent or a reward for Gimenez because
Columbia had a need, but the 18-year old reached base 6 times during his first
2 games, and smacked a homer in his first AB stateside. My guess is that the
2017 Fireflies just got a whole lot more interesting.
Jacob Zanon - 13 PA, 0.500/0.692/0.750, 3 R, 0 2B, 1 3B, 1
RBI, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SB, 2.1% SwStr, 6.7% Whiff/Swing, 3.6 Pitches/PA, 0.500
BABIP
Recovery is going fine after Zanon was hit in the face with a pitch in April.
Recovery is going fine after Zanon was hit in the face with a pitch in April.
Michael Paez - 89 PA, 0.250/0.326/0.500, 11 R, 5 2B, 1 3B, 4
HR, 18 RBI, 10 BB, 3 SF, 21 K, 5 SB, 3 CS, 11.6% SwStr, 23.4% Whiff/Swing, 3.8
Pitches/PA, 0.278 BABIP
If someone is going up
to make room for Gimenez, it’s likely Paez. Listed at just 5’8, the 22-year old
2B/SS prospect has shown more in-game pull power than… (thinking)… pretty much
every Mets prospect I’ve been watching on MiLB.tv the past few years. Just
check out his spray chart and you’ll see what I mean, everything is pulled (59%
pull rate per Fangraphs), and the little guy has posted a .250 ISO to date,
which is good for 6th in the SAL. He’ll have to prove his power plays
against more advanced pitching, but Paez is someone to keep an eye on.
 |
| Spray chart from MLBFarm |
Brandon Brosher - 34 PA, 0.240/0.412/0.360, 3 R, 1 HR, 3
RBI, 6 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SF, 16 K, 3 SB, 0.556 BABIP
He got more consistent
play at the end of the month and started connecting for a few hits. Still just
22, his power has been given high grades by Mets coaches for years
Desmond Lindsay - 88 PA, 0.194/0.364/0.343, 15 R, 4 2B, 2
HR, 11 RBI, 17 BB, 2 HBP, 2 SF, 26 K, 1 GIDP, 4 SB, 1 CS, 17.1% SwStr, 42.6%
Whiff/Swing, 3.6 Pitches/PA, 0.268 BABIP
As he’s done before,
Lindsay started the year ice cold but appears to have started to make some
adjustments. He finished the month on a 6-game hit streak, with a double, 2
homers, 3 stolen bases, and 6 walks against 6 strikeouts over 25 PA. SSS, but
an acceptable strikeout rate, especially compared to the 20 strikeouts over his
previous 15 games.
Tim Tebow - 84 PA, 0.237/0.310/0.382, 11 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2
HR, 9 RBI, 5 BB, 3 HBP, 20 K, 3 GIDP, 14% SwStr, 29.5% Whiff/Swing, 3.3
Pitches/PA, 0.296 BABIP
We know better than to
make much out of two-week samples, but Tebow did finish the month on a hot
streak, which then made national news. I live in Atlanta and my friend has been
mostly focused on the NBA Playoffs and work lately, yet even he knew Tebow went
9-20 one week in April.
Gene Cone - 101 PA, 0.241/0.347/0.310, 14 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 10
RBI, 14 BB, 19 K, 2 GIDP, 2 SB, 10.4% SwStr, 25.2% Whiff/Swing, 3.6 Pitches/PA,
0.309 BABIP
The lefty-swinging
Cone has been a consistent contributor for the Fireflies, often from the top of
the lineup, he’s just done almost nothing against LHP’s (1-20, 4 BB, 5 K).
Luis Carpio - 105 PA, 0.258/0.333/0.323, 14 R, 6 2B, 6 RBI,
10 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SF, 20 K, 3 GIDP, 8 SB, 8.5% SwStr, 20.4% Whiff/Swing, 3.4
Pitches/PA, 0.324 BABIP
The 19-year old middle
infielder got off to a red-hot start before going 2-25 with no walks during a
recent home stand. He followed that up with 3 doubles and a 5-19 weekend in
Hickory, so possibly just a weird blip. Much of the Fireflies lineup struggled
during that home stand, especially with one specific umpire behind the plate.
Not to take away from the opposing pitchers, but Manager Jose Leger got himself
tossed arguing balls and strikes with that ump at the end of one of those games,
so it wasn’t just the players who were upset.
Jose
Miguel Medina - 65 PA, 0.266/0.277/0.281, 10 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 21 K, 3
GIDP, 2 SB, 1 CS, 17.9% SwStr, 37.2% Whiff/Swing, 3.6 Pitches/PA, 0.395 BABIP
The 20-year old Medina
had a hit in 13 of 17 games, but only one walk (in one of those hitless games)
and one XBH.
Dash Winningham - 97 PA, 0.216/0.278/0.273, 6 R, 2 2B, 1 HR,
14 RBI, 6 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SF, 22 K, 3 GIDP, 1 SB, 3 CS, 15.7% SwStr, 34.2%
Whiff/Swing, 3.5 Pitches/PA, 0.273 BABIP
Before 4/17 47 PA,
.868 OPS; since 4/17: 50 PA, .266 OPS. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Reed Gamache - 39 PA, 0.176/0.256/0.294, 5 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 7
RBI, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SF, 14 K, 1 CS, 11.3% SwStr, 26.2% Whiff/Swing, 3.9
Pitches/PA, 0.250 BABIP
Blake Tiberi - 22 PA, 0.167/0.318/0.222, 3 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 4
BB, 5 K, 1 SB, 6.5% SwStr, 18.8% Whiff/Swing, 4.2 Pitches/PA, 0.231 BABIP
On and off the DL in
April, Tommy John Surgery to start May. See you next year Blake, hope your recovery and off-field training go well.
Jay Jabs - 42 PA, 0.176/0.333/0.206, 5 R, 1 2B, 5 RBI, 8 BB,
10 K, 9.2% SwStr, 26.7% Whiff/Swing, 4.1 Pitches/PA, 0.250 BABIP
Milton Ramos - 71 PA, 0.215/0.271/0.262, 5 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 5
RBI, 5 BB, 1 SAC, 12 K, 4 GIDP, 3 SB, 1 CS, 10.8% SwStr, 23.3% Whiff/Swing, 3.5
Pitches/PA, 0.264 BABIP
Not sure what’s going
on with the 21-year old’s offense, but his defense at 3B has been very good so
far. Ramos has spent some time at 2B and SS too, but the Fireflies are letting Paez
and Carpio (and now Gimenez) spend most of the time there.
Ali Sanchez - 61 PA, 0.145/0.186/0.145, 5 R, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 1
SF, 2 SAC, 5 K, 2 GIDP, 2 SB, 5.7% SwStr, 11.2% Whiff/Swing, 3.2 Pitches/PA,
0.157 BABIP
The 20-year old
catcher has not made much loud contact in his first taste of SAL pitching, but
he has made a lot of contact, and his defense looks as good as advertised - I don't think he's made a bad throw to 2B yet this year.
#StarWarsDay The force after a #YearInSpace. Gravity is. #Maythe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/6iSZ5E17ia— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) May 4, 2017
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