Below Par 5th Proves Too Much For 51s To Overcome

Las Vegas 51s @ Sacramento River Cats

May 6, 2016

Duane Below @ Chris Stratton

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Las Vegas	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2		3	6	2
Sacramento	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	X		5	10	1

W: Stratton (4-2, 6.55 ERA); L: Below (1-2, 6.04 ERA); Save: McCormick (2)

MiLB.com Boxscore

The Highlights:

Pitchers

Duane Below (L, 1-2, 6.04 ERA) – 5 IP, 9 H, 5 R (5 ER), 2 3B, 1 HR, 16 TB, 1 BB, 7 K (5 K/Sw), 5 GB: 5 FB: 3 LD: 3 PU, 98 Pitches (68 Strikes), 11 Swinging, 17 Called, 11.2% SwStr, 21.6% Whiff/Swing, 19.6 Pitches/IP, 24 BF

Dario Alvarez (7.15 ERA) – 2 IP, 1 BB, 4 K (4 K/Sw), 2 GB, 26 Pitches (19 Strikes), 4 Swinging, 10 Called, 15.4% SwStr, 44.4% Whiff/Swing, 13 Pitches/IP, 8 BF

Stolmy Pimentel (8.20 ERA) – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 TB, 3 GB: 1 FB, 18 Pitches (15 Strikes), 1 Swinging, 1 Called, 5.6% SwStr, 7.1% Whiff/Swing, 18 Pitches/IP, 5 BF

Batters

2B - Dilson Herrera - 1-4, 1 K, 11.1% SwStr, 25% Whiff/Swing, 2.25 Pitches/PA

3B - T.J. Rivera - 1-3, 1 BB, 2.5 Pitches/PA

C - Johnny Monell - 1-4, 1 R, 1 K, 1 GIDP, 6.2% SwStr, 14.3% Whiff/Swing, 4 Pitches/PA

LF - Roger Bernadina - 1-4, 2 K, 6.7% SwStr, 10% Whiff/Swing, 3.75 Pitches/PA

SS - Gavin Cecchini - 1-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, 16.7% SwStr, 33.3% Whiff/Swing, 4.5 Pitches/PA

1B - Marc Krauss - 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K, 7.7% SwStr, 20% Whiff/Swing, 3.25 Pitches/PA

Recapish

            The Las Vegas 51s slipped back under .500 with a loss in their opener with Sacramento Friday night. Duane Below kept the River Cats off the board over the first 4 innings, but Sacramento then put up a 5-spot in the 5^th  – done entirely with two outs – thanks mostly to a two run triple and two run homerun.

51s Late Comeback Attempt Comes Up Short In Fresno Finale

Las Vegas 51s @ Fresno Grizzlies

April 18, 2016

Stolmy Pimentel @ Mike Huaschild

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Las Vegas	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0		3	7	0
Fresno	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	X		4	7	0

W: Hauschild (1-1, 2.08 ERA); L: Pimentel (0-2, 7.00 ERA); S: Jankowski (1, 1.42 ERA)

MiLB.com Boxscore

The Highlights:

Pitchers

Stolmy Pimentel (L, 0-2, 7.00 ERA) – 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, BB, 4 K, HR, 69 Pitches (44 Strikes), 8 GO: 3 FO

Chase Huchingson (3.60 ERA) – 1 IP, R, BB, 2 K, HBP, 1 IR – 0 S

Erik Goeddel (3.00 ERA) – 0.2 IP, BB, HBP, 1 GO: 1 FO, 2 IR – 1 S

Dario Alvarez (11.57 ERA) – 0.2 IP, 2 K

Jeff Walters (3.18 ERA) – 0.1 IP, H, K

Mike Hauschild – 7 IP, 5 H, R, BB, 7 K, HBP, 83 Pitches (60 Strikes), 8 GO: 3 FO

Batters

2B – Dilson Herrera – 2-5, RBI (2), GIDP

CF – Brandon Nimmo – 1-3, R, 2 BB

LF – Roger Bernadina – 1-4, 2 RBI (5), SB (4)

SS – Gavin Cecchini – 1-4, R

C – Rene Rivera – 1-3

PH – Ty Kelly – 1-1

Recapish

            After falling behind early due to Astros top prospect A.J. Reed, the Las Vegas 51s would spend all afternoon Monday trying to battle back, but the Grizzlies would add just enough to stay ahead and take the finale. Las Vegas starter Stolmy Pimentel allowed a titanic shot from Reed with Danny Worth on 1B in the 1^st, but was otherwise strong against Fresno. The 51s had Grizzlies starter Mike Hauschild on the ropes in both the 1^st and 2^nd innings, but they’d manage only 1 run while stranding 5 runners on base early. Hauschild then settled in to give the Grizzlies 7 great innings, and his bullpen did just enough to hang on for a Fresno win.

2015 GIF’s and Stats: Upper Level Left-Handed Relievers

MLB front office exec's 'Love A Lefty' too!

This trio of 27-year old lefties and Josh Edgin (29) start the season atop the Mets lefty bullpen depth

       1)   Josh Smoker, 27

       2015 with Savannah: 6 G, 6.2 IP, 8.10 ERA/1.98 FIP, 11 H, 6 R, 8 K: 2 BB, .478 BABIP, 53.9 LOB%, 0 HR

       2015 with St. Lucie: 14 G, 21.1 IP, 1.69 ERA/2.18 FIP, 12 H, 5 R (4 ER), 26 K: 6 BB (31 K%: 7.1 BB%), .154 AVG, .216 BABIP, 78.3 LOB%, 0.42 HR/9

       2015 with Binghamton: 21 G, 21 IP, 3.00 ERA/2.36 FIP, 16 H, 8 R (7 ER), 26 K: 11 BB (29.2 K%: 12.4 BB%), .205 AVG, .308 BABIP, 70.4 LOB%, 0 HR

Josh Smoker’s return to affiliated ball in 2015 went great, and he’s poised to help the Mets should they desire a lefty when injury hits. Hitting upper 90’s (topped around 97 MPH last year) with his fastball from the left side is his specialty, but Smoker also throws a nice splitter, and an occasional slider. There’s no deception in his delivery, so he doesn’t have a huge platoon advantage, but his stuff plays against both sides. He’s ready for Las Vegas, but the Mets bullpen crunch could push him back to Binghamton. That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing though, as he just needs innings, and they may be harder to come by with the 51s early in the year. Even if it’s just a September callup, I think Smoker will finish the year in the Mets pen.

       Astromets Mind Coverage

2015 with Savannah
5/7 – 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 K, 3 GO: 1 FO
Swinging strike
Called strike
Swinging strike
Swinging strike

2015 with Binghamton
7/5 – 1 IP, 2 K, 1 FO
Mechanics

7/22 – 1 IP, K, 1 GO: 1 FO
Mechanics
Swinging strike – slo-mo

7/24 – 1.1 IP, H, BB, K, 2 GO, 1 IR – 0 S
Swinging strike

7/27 – 2 IP, H, R (0 ER), BB, 4 K, 2 GO
Ball
Swinging strike
Called strike

8/15 – 1.1 IP, H, 2 K, GO, 1 IR – 0 S
Swinging strike
Swinging strike
Swinging strike
Swinging strike
Swinging strike

9/2 – 1 IP, BB, GO
Called strike

       2)   Dario Alvarez, 27

       2015 with Binghamton: 32 G, 31 IP, 3.19 ERA/3.17 FIP, 21 H, 14 R (11 ER), 43 K: 16 BB (32.1 K%: 11.9 BB%), .183 AVG, .271 BABIP, 69.9 LOB%, 0.58 HR/9

       2015 with Las Vegas: 16 G, 11 IP, 2.45 ERA/2.33 FIP, 6 H, 3 R, 19 K: 5 BB (43.2 K%: 11.4 BB%), .167 AVG, .353 BABIP, 78.6 LOB%, 0 HR

Dario Alvarez emerged in the Mets system during the 2014 season, rising as high as the majors in September, but was sent back for more seasoning in AA and AAA last year. His fastball sits in the low-90’s, but his bread-and-butter is a sweeping slider that lefties find hard to hit, and even harder to resist swinging at. He’s a LOOGY with a nearly sidearm motion that aids in his deception of lefties. He’s below Smoker and a healthy Josh Edgin on the Mets lefty depth chart, but don’t sleep on Alvarez, because his LOOGY ways make him a potential replacement for Jerry Blevins or Antonio Bastardo, should bad performance or injury rear their ugly heads. When at his best, Alvarez lives at the bottom of the zone and works to set up his slider. The biggest hurdle for Alvarez is his control, as he’s never had a BB% in the single digits, and was even at 9.4% vs. LHB’s last year. If he wants a major league team to feel comfortable relying on him, Alvarez is going to have to show he can improve his walk rates.

       Astromets Mind Coverage

2014 coverage
2015 with Binghamton
5/15 – 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 K, HBP
Called strike
Swinging strike

5/20 – 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K, HR
Swinging strike
Swinging strike
Swinging strike

7/21 – 1 IP, 3 K
Called strike – slo-mo
Swinging strike – slo-mo
Called strike – slo-mo

2015 with Las Vegas
8/6 – 1 IP, K, GO
Swinging strike

       3)   Chase Huchingson, 27 on 4/14

       2015 with Binghamton: 22 G, 26.2 IP, 5.06 ERA/4.06 FIP, 24 H, 16 R (15 ER), 29 K: 18 BB (23.6 K%: 14.6 BB%), .238 AVG, .324 BABIP, 67.3 LOB%, 0.34 HR/9

       2015 with Las Vegas: 29 G, 29.2 IP, 3.34 ERA/4.88 FIP, 28 H, 16 R (11 ER), 22 K: 22 BB (16.2 K%: 16.2 BB%), .248 AVG, .300 BABIP, 70.6 LOB%, 0.30 HR/9

Chase looked like a promising lefty reliever in the Mets system while posting a 1.69 ERA over 45 appearances from the Binghamton bullpen in 2013, but he hasn’t been the same pitcher since returning from a 2014 suspension for a ‘drug of abuse.’ Huchingson was basically Dario Alvarez-lite last year: similar side-arming motion, low-90’s heat, and big wipeout slider, just wilder and less effective. He has the tools to be an effective LOOGY, he just has to control the repertoire. There are a number of lefties in the system ahead of Chase, so I don’t expect him to make this team this year unless injuries get that bad.

       Astromets Mind Coverage

2014 GIFs
2015 with Las Vegas
6/21 – 1.2 IP, H, 2 K, HBP, 1 GO: 1 FO
Called strike
Called strike

7/17 – 0.2 IP, BB, K, GO
Swinging strike

Oddball planet observed by @NASAspitzer raises questions about exoplanet origins https://t.co/wKuALsmEh7 pic.twitter.com/cdOLQ1aNqc

— MIT (@MIT) March 28, 2016

Mets Minors Transactions, March 4-10

26 days until minor league opening day!

Keeping track of recent minor transactions within the Mets system

Last week

Cuts: Rafael Montero, Dario Alvarez, Akeel Morris, Chasen Bradford, and Paul Sewald

The first wave of Spring Training cuts came before this went out, with few surprises in the group. I expect all in AAA to start the year, where they will be competing for the role of “first pen arm called up when injury strikes.”

Montero may seem surprising, but if he was sitting 88-90 MPH the other day, he’s not ready to help the Mets, and may have further problems. Personally, I’ve been waiting for Montero to show up again since 2013. He wasn’t as sharp in 2014, and then he barely pitched last year, so I had low expectations coming into Spring Training. I think it’s smart to get him out of the spotlight of the bullpen competition early (there’s not much other competition for reporters to discuss right now), so he can just focus on getting innings on a regular basis and finding his way to success again.

The Mets Internal Bullpen Options, Las Vegas 51s Lefties

Reviewing the bullpen options for the Mets from the AA and AAA level – a look at the Las Vegas 51s pen today, and I’ll try to have the B-Mets post up by tomorrow.

            After many questions surrounding the pen coming into 2015, the Mets have had one of the top bullpens in the major leagues this year – Fangraphs has the Mets relievers at a 3.14 ERA after their series in Baltimore, which is 6^th in the majors – but they’ve been stumbling lately – they have a 4.34 ERA over the last 30 days, which is 20^th in the majors. Jenrry Mejia’s second suspension was an unexpected blow, and while Bobby Parnell’s struggles were a little more predictable – he struggled a lot in A+/AA before coming up, and he didn’t have his normal upper-90’s velocity – the Mets still ran him out there for 23 appearances (19.1 IP).

Fortunately, Logan Verrett has returned in place of Parnell, which is not something I would have imagined typing back in March (when Verrett wasn’t even on the Mets), but he was great during his first stint with the Mets this year, and he’s been strong in Las Vegas since. The Mets are getting further good news for the pitching staff down in AA, where Erik Goeddel has looked great during his 2 appearances (GIF’s from 8/16 here, details from 8/19 here), topping out at 94 MPH with his heater on Wednesday night. Also, down in Port St. Lucie Rafael Montero and Steven Matz are in various states of rehab, and at least Matz is expected to return this year.

            While Verrett and Goeddel should help boost the pen in the short term, the Mets will look to add reinforcements once the rosters expand in September, and may wish to look internally for a lefty option in the mean time if Eric O’Flaherty proves unreliable. I reviewed the seasons and stuff of the internal left-handed bullpen options from the Las Vegas 51s below (righties here), and I also give my opinion as to whether they would be a good fit for the Mets in September.

Dilson Goes Deep And Nimmo Scores The Winning Run In Salt Lake

Las Vegas 51 @ Salt Lake Bees

August 6, 2015

Tim Stauffer @ Tyler DeLoach

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Las Vegas	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1		3	7	1
Salt Lake	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0		2	7	0

W: Alvarez (2-0, 0.00 ERA); L: Wright (0-1, 3.38 ERA); Save: Black (2, 7.41 ERA)

MiLB.com Boxscore

The Highlights:

Pitchers

Tim Stauffer (3.65 ERA) – 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 SO, HR, 2 HBP, 91 Pitches (60 Strikes), 13 GO: 4 FO

Dario Alvarez – 1 IP, SO, 1 GO

Zach Thornton (H, 9, 3.51 ERA) – 0.1 IP, H, 1 GO

Chase Huchingson (H, 7, 2.05 ERA) – 0.1 IP, SO, 1 IR – 0 S

Vic Black – 0.1 IP, 1 GO, 1 IR – 0 S

Batters

Dilson Herrera – 1-4, R, HR (6), RBI (33), BB, SO, CS

Johnny Monell – 1-3, RBI (44), BB, SB (3), SO

Zach Lutz – 1-3, 2 SO

Brandon Nimmo – R, BB

Travis Taijeron – 1-4, 2 SO

Wilfredo Tovar – 3-4, RBI (39), CS

Recap

            The Las Vegas 51s won a tight affair with Salt Lake Thursday night, extending their division lead to 20 games over the last place Bees, and making it 4 straight for Las Vegas. 51s starter Tim Stauffer, who was making his second start with Las Vegas, was in control of the Bees lineup throughout, with the hardest hit balls coming off of him in the 6^th inning. Dilson Herrera gave the 51s a 2-1 lead in the top of that 6^th inning with a solo blast to LF, but the first pitch from Stauffer in the bottom of the frame was deposited over the wall, which brought these two teams back to square one. Brandon Nimmo was brought off the bench to pinch run in the 7^th inning, and while Las Vegas couldn’t bring him home in that frame, they would drive him in for the winning run in the top of the 9^th inning. After 7 strong from Stauffer, Dario Alvarez looked sharp in the 8^th inning, and he’d end up with his second PCL win after throwing a scoreless frame. With a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 9^th, Wally Backman decided he needed 3 relievers to face 4 batters, and while it worked out, I can’t help but wonder why it was necessary.

            These two teams matchup again Friday night at 9:05 PM, with Matthew Bowman (7-11, 5.24 ERA) scheduled to pitch for Las Vegas.

Scoring Highlights