Minors Stuff

New Met:

Mets Draft Pick - LHP - Steven Matz

Coastal Carolina baseball signee Steven Matz, a senior at Ward Melville High in Stony Brook, N.Y., was named a preseason All-American by Rawlings Sporting Goods on Tuesday. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound lefty is the prize catch in the Class of 2009 for the Chants. The problem is that Matz may never suit up for the Chanticleers. If he goes high enough in this summer's draft -- and there are indications that he may be in position to earn "life-changing" money -- he may forego college altogether. The All-American awards aren't going to help Coastal keep him off the radar. Coastal's coaches are really high on Matz. He's the type of player they probably couldn't have lured to Conway five years ago. Matz "shows the potential to be a big time power lefty," according to perfectgame.org, which clocked his fastball at 91 miles per hour at a national showcase last year. The site also says his delivery makes it hard for hitters to see the ball out of his hand, and he will probably develop more velocity on his fastball as he continues to develop

.http://thesunnews.typepad.com/coastal_carolina/2009/03/already-an-allamerican.html?cid=6a00d83451ec3769e201116902b4c5970cSteven Matz:

The LHP out of Ward Melville High School (East Setauket, NY) has produced "average" velocity consistently ranging from 88-92, but has touched 94 and scouts believe he can get stronger and thus throw faster. His curveball is projected to be above-average due to good spin and arm speed and he's also thrown a change-up on occassion, but with little consistency. Matz will be heading to Coastal Carolina

.http://www.baseballrumormill.com/tags/steven-matz

At least a dozen scouts were all there to see a show from Ward Melville's Steven Matz. Matz is a hard-throwing lefty who stands 6-4. His fastball is beaming and he has a great slider. He didn't disappoint as he hit 95 on the gun at Golden Lion Stadium six times. Although Matz didn't get the win, striking out six in four innings of a 4-2 loss to Connetquot on Saturday, he wowed most of the dozen or so scouts in attendance

http://blogs.trb.com/sports/highschool/baseball/2009/03/matz_and_lomangino_put_on_grea.html



Mets Draft Pick - SS - Robert Shields Robert Shields – Bats/Throws: R/R Position: IF Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 200 Hometown: Dade City, FL Previous School: Pasco HS Eligibility: Jr. Major: FinanceAS A SOPHOMORE (2008): HONORS - SSC Commissioner's Honor Roll ... second-team All-SSC ... started all 50 games at shortstop ... led team in hits (69) ... third on team in batting average (.348) ... tied for third in home runs (9) ... fourth in RBI (36) ... second in doubles (15) ... led team in multi-hit games (22) ... third in multi-RBI games (10) ... had team's second-longest hitting streak of the season (14 games, 2/8 through 3/5) ... in three-game sweep of West Florida on 2/8-9, went 5-13 with 5 RBI, 4 runs, 2 doubles and a home run ... went 7-16 with 5 RBI, 3 runs, 2 doubles, a triple and a home run vs. Nova Southeastern on 2/22-24 ... went 7-12 with 5 RBI, 3 runs, 3 doubles and a home run vs. Rollins on 3/28-30 ... in three-game sweep of Eckerd on 4/11-12, went 10-16 with 5 RBI, 8 runs, 2 home runs and a double ... went 6-13 with 3 RBI, 4 runs and 2 doubles vs. Lynn on 4/25-26 ... had multi-hit games in 12 of the last 18 ... hit .442 (23-52) over last 12 games of season.SS - Florida Southern… 6-0, 200, R/R… junior… 2008: led team in hits, .348, 9 HR, 36 RBIs… injured wrist in Cape Cod League this past summer… ability to hit high for average… great bat speed… limited defensively.Shields could ascend up draft boards next spring much like Gordon Beckham did during the spring of 2008 with a strong junior campaign. He, like Beckham the year before, enjoyed a fine summer on the Cape this past year, although his time was cut short when he injured his wrist sliding into a base. With very good bat speed and solid offensive tools across the board, Shields has the talent to be a game-changing infielder, with the ability to hit for a high average and power while also having good enough wheels to be a threat on the basepaths. His bat speed comes from very strong hands, wrists and forearms, and he knows how to loft balls to give him double-digit home run potential. Defensively he doesn't have ideal range at the shortstop position, as many feel he may have to move to either 2B or 3B down the road, but he has plenty of arm strength to play any infield position. He does run well and shows good overall baseball instincts. Shields has posted solid numbers since stepping onto campus, including his two summer stints (he was named one of the top prospects in the Clark-Griffith League after his freshman year), and has started at Florida Southern from day one. He is poised for a big junior year, as more and more people will become familiar with his name between now and next June

.http://www.brewerfan.net/ViewAmateurPlayerProfile.do?playerId=884&draftId=7

Robbie Shields, shortstop: Florida Southern - His draft stock has suffered a similar problem to that of D.J. LeMahieu, although far less severe. Scouts don't think Shields will stick at shortstop, and his bat has not lived up to expectations this spring, very similar to LeMahieu. This past summer, Shields grabbed teams' attention with a strong, albeit short, stint in the Cape Cod League, hitting .429 before injuring his wrist. This spring he has not hit for much power, but his solid approach at the plate, combined with a quick line drive swing still appeals to a number of teams. His future position could be second base as he possesses the hands and footwork, but he does stand the chance of growing out of it, forcing a move to third. It's possible that Shields' wrist injury hurt him at the plate this year, but the general opinion is that he won't be a big power guy anyway. He could go as early as the third.

http://www.orkut.com/skip to main skip to sidebar

Shields emerged as a candidate for the first or supplemental first round of the draft with a strong showing at the Cape Cod League last summer, where he flashed good speed and power before injuring his wrist on a slide. He hasn’t showed any ill-affects from that summer injury. In 49 games thus far this season for Florida Southern, Shields is batting .351 with five homers, 34 RBIs and a .459 OBP. Shields has a similar build to A’s 2008 draft pick Dusty Coleman and a similar skill-set. Shields has above-average power for a shortstop, good plate coverage and decent speed. He may have to move off of shortstop to second or third base in the pros, but he has the bat to play at either of those positions. Shields may be hurt by the fact that he doesn’t play in a big Division I conference, but he did show he could hang with the big boys in the Cape this summer, which may alleviate some of those concerns. - Comparison- Aaron Hil

http://braves.scout.com/a.z?s=248&p=2&c=862955&ssf=1&




The Herd:


Tuesday just wasn't the Bisons night.
The Herd were held hit-less through the first 6.1 innings and gave up five home runs as they fell to Indianapolis, 10-2, at Coca-Cola Field.
Garrett Jones and Steve Pearce each had two home runs apiece and Larry Broadway added another as the Indians built a 9-0 lead after six innings.
Jones and Pearce hit back-to-back home runs to lead-off the fourth inning off Herd starter Brandon Knight.
An inning later, Jones did it again with a two-run shot to deep right field. Two batters later Broadway got into the act with a long ball of his own over the right-center field fence.
As good as the Indians offense was on Tuesday, Tribe starter Daniel McCutchen may have been better. The Texan showed why he is one of the top pitchers in the Pirates organization, keeping the Herd hitters off-balance all night.
McCutchen retired the first 12 Bisons' hitters in order. The 26-year-old erased a lead-off walk to Michel Abreu in the fifth by getting Robinson Cancel to ground into a 4-6-3 double play. After a 1-2-3 sixth inning, the right-hander had faced the minimum. Without allowing so much as a hard hit ball, a no-hitter seemed like a real possibility.



B-Mets:


Ryan Coultas allowed two runs in the first inning, which proved to be enough in Harrisburg’s 3-0 shutout victory over the B-Mets Tuesday night at NYSEG Stadium. Three B-Mets’ players collected two hits in the game but Binghamton was shutout for the first time this season.

Coultas allowed two runs on four hits in the first. The Senators reeled off three straight hits out of the gates, culminating with Edgardo Baez’s RBI single to plate their first run. Then, with two outs Joel Guzman singled to right plating Ricardo Nanita to supply the 2-0 advantage.

Harrisburg (19-35) scored another run in the fourth as Bill Rhinehart doubled to lead off the frame. He then scored on a hard-hit grounder by Marvin Lowrance that caromed off the drawn-in second baseman Jose Coronado.

Binghamton (23-33) registered 10 hits but could not scratch a run across the plate. Coronado, Nick Evans, and Josh Thole all collected two-hit games.

Coultas went 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits to drop to 4-3 on the year. He did not strike out a batter for the first time this season.

Luis Atilano was activated from the disabled list (blister) prior to the game and threw four-shutout innings. Josh Wilkie picked up his first save of the year with a perfect ninth.



Wednesday, June 10 Harrisburg 7:05 pm RHP Eric Brown (3-4, 4.84) vs. LHP Justin Jones (2-7, 5.05)

Thursday, June 11 Harrisburg 10:35 am RHP Jenrry Mejia (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Erik Arnesen (2-2, 3.48)

Friday, June 12 at Trenton 7:05 pm LHP Mike Antonini (4-1, 5.47) vs. TBA

Saturday, June 13 at Trenton 1:05 pm RHP Tobi Stoner (1-2, 3.15) vs. TBA


Lucy:


St. Lucie 3, Dunedin 2 Scott Shaw had his second best outing of the season, allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits in 7 innings, but he took a ND after the Mets rallied for 2 in the 8th to get him off the hook. Manuel Alvarez pitched 2 scoreless innings to pick up his 2nd win. The Mets were stymied over the first 7 innings by 23 year old lefty Charles Higgins, but exploded against the Dunedin bullpen with 5 hits and 2 runs in 1 inning. Kirk Nieuwenhuis had the only multi hit game for the Mets, while Carlos Guzman (0 for 4, K, .283), Matt Bouchard (0 for 3, K, .205) and Brahiam Maldonado (0 for 2, run, BB, K, .220) took 0-fers. 2b Greg Veloz 1 for 4, run, K, .263 cf Kirk Nieuwenhuis 2 for 4, run, 2 RBI (22), .258 1b Zach Lutz 1 for 3, BB, .241 c Francisco Pena 1 for 4, RBI (14), 2 Ks, .211 dh Seth Williams 1 for 1, .298 3b Hector Pellot 1 for 3, K, .261 Scott Shaw 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2/8 BB/K, 3.43 era, 6:7:8 Manuel Alvarez 2 IP, 3 H, K, 2.53 era, W (2-1), 2:3:1

http://www.nyfuturestars.com/community/viewtopic.php?p=733017#733017


Gnats:

A suicide squeeze in the eighth inning catapulted the Rome Braves to a, 4-3, victory over the Savannah Sand Gnats Tuesday night at Historic Grayson Stadium.

Shayne Moody squared around and dropped the bunt while Braeden Schlehuber slid around the tag from Sand Gnats catcher Ralph Henriquez to give the Braves the lead. The catching prospect finished the game 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two doubles.

Rome started the scoring in the second with a leadoff home run off the bat of Gerry Rodriguez, his 10th of the season. Schlehuber and Calvin Culver hit a pair of doubles on the heels of Rodriguez’s home run to right to put Rome up, 2-0.

The Gnats got on the board in the bottom of the second to cut the lead in half with three straight singles to load the bases before Rafael Fernandez knocked home Stefan Welch to make it, 2-1.

The Braves extended their lead on a two-out, RBI double by Chais Fuller in the fourth but the Gnats got it right back on Welch’s first home run of the season for Savannah.

Trailing by one in the sixth, Ralph Henriquez scored on a past ball off the glove of Schlehuber with two away to tie the game. It would remain tied until Rome’s suicide squeeze in the eighth.

Eric Beaulac (3-4) takes the loss in relief for the Gnats with Angelo Paulino (3-1) notched the win for Rome. Beaulac didn’t pitch poorly for the Sand Gnats, allowing the one run in four innings of work. Starter Kyle Allen settled down after the second and went on to strike out five batters in his five innings of duty.