Mack's Mets: July 2013

7/31/13

Mets Minor League Report – July 31

MML Players of the Day – July 31: DSL Mets2 SP Kevin Canelon & Savannah RF Eudy Pina.

Nashville (41-71) edges Las Vegas (60-50) 3-2.

Relief pitcher Greg Burke, called on to pitch the 9th in a tied game, gets only 1 out before allowing the winning run to score on 2 H.

PH/LF Jamie Hoffmann: 2-2, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R.

Altoona (51-57) overtakes Binghamton (67-42) 3-2.

Darin Gorski has a super outing: 7.0 IP, R, 0 ER, 4 H, BB, 8 K. . . but
The usually reliable Adam Kolarek (BS, 2) (L, 2-2) blows the save and takes the loss, (1.0 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 0 BB, K) ballooning his ERA to 1.98.

Just not enough offense to win this one. Wilfredo Tovar: 2-4, R.

Tampa (46-58) tops St Lucie (57-46) 4-1 once again.

Matt Bowman (L, 6-3) was off his game just enough to get the loss: 5.0 IP, 4 R, 6 H, (HR) 2 BB, 3 K.
The fact that 3 Mets relievers, Randy Fontanez, (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K) Tim Byrdak, (H, 4 BB – ouch! – 2 K) and Hamilton Bennett (0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, K) held the Yankees scoreless the rest of the way, did not help tonight.

Nor did the fact that the Mets once again couldn’t generate much offense:
Dustin Lawley: 1-4, HR, RBI, R.
Kevin Plawecki: 2-3. Plawecki has been getting a lot of time at 1B lately.

Savannah (61-43) mashes Ashville (54-52) 5-1.

Starter Gabriel Ynoa (W, 12-4) went 6.0 innings: 1 R, 7 H, BB, 4 K.
Relievers Tyler Vanderheiden and Shawn Teufel each pitched a perfect inning with 1 K, while Beck Wheeler gave up 1 H and had 2 K in his inning. Li’l Tuf has his ERA at 1.23 and Beck’s is at 1.40.

Eudy Pina: 3-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R, is suddenly red hot. Hitting only .243 for the season, in his last 10 games (39 AB) his slash line is .385/.455/.744/1.198.
Cole Frenzel: 2-4, 2B, RBI.

Williamsport (22-20) bops Brooklyn (20-22) 8-6.

Starter Dario Alvarez (L, 1-3) lasted only 3.0 innings: 4 R, 5 H, (HR) 0 BB, 2 K.
Alvarez was followed by Darwin Frias, who went 4.0 innings, and despite allowing 4 R, 6 H, BB, he impressed in striking out 9.
Tim Peterson finished up with a perfect 8th inning. (2 K) After coming down from Savannah, Peterson has not allowed a run in his 9 games (17.2 IP) in Brooklyn. He has 20 K and 4 BB in those 9 games.

Thomas Nido: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, R.

Kingsport (24-15) bashes Elizabethton (19-19) 9-4.

Yoan Gonzalez: 4.0 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 4 BB, 4 K.
Luis Ringel: (W, 3-1) 3.0 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 0 BB, 3 K.
Robert Coles: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, 2 K.

Richie Rodriguez: 1-2, 2B, 3 RBI.
Jeyckol De Leon: 4-5, RBI, R.
Pedro Perez: 3-4, 2 RBI, R.

DSL Cardinals (28-21) maul DSL Mets1 (18-32) 11-3.

The Mets used 6 pitchers. Starter Miguel Gutierrez (L, 0-2) lasted 3.0 innings: 4 R, 3 ER, 5 H, BB, 3 K. and reliever Luis Carreno goes 1.2 innings, 6 R, 6 H, (HR) 0 BB, 3 K.
The Mets 5th pitcher, Richard Reina, pitched a perfect 9th inning. (K)

Gregory Valencia: 2-5, 2 RBI, SB.

DSL Mets2 (31-20) squeeze by DSL Rockies (26-25) 2-1.

Starter Kevin Canelon (W, 3-2) was spot on: 6.0 IP, 0 R, H, BB, 2 K.
Reliever Nabil Crismat (S, 5) went 3.0 innings without allowing a run or a hit, to notch his 5th save. He did, however, walk 3 and strike out 4.

Luis Ortega: 1-4, 2B, RBI, R.

Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #6 LHP Jack Leathersich

Now that the draft is over, Mack’s Mets will be reviewing the performances of our organizational Top 25 prospects and re-ranking them based on their individual performances, perceived place on the depth chart, and recent draft signings.

Look to the top of our page to find the current rankings that we have done already

Mack’s Mets #6 organizational prospect is……

#6 LHP Jack Leathersich (LR: #14)
Bats: R Throws: L
Height: 5' 11″ Weight: 205 lb
Acquired: 2011 Rule 5 Draft, 5th round, University of Massasschusetts- Lowell

2013: (AA/AAA) 4-0, 2.83 ERA, 6.0 BB/9, 15.9 K/9, 1.385 WHIP
2012: (A/A+) 2-6, 3.00 ERA, 4.0 BB/9, 14.1 K/9, 1.153 WHIP
2011: (SS-A) 0-0, 0.71 ERA, 2.1 BB/9, 18.5 K/9, 0.711 WHIP

The Leather Express just keeps on rolling. After starting the year in Binghamton and absolutely dominating the Eastern League to the tune of a 1.53 ERA, 16.9 K/9 rate, and a 5.8 H/9 rate, The "Leather Rocket" earned a promotion to the extremely tough AAA Pacific Coast League. His basic stats have not looked as good since his promotion with a 4.91 ERA but in this League you really need to read in depth on the peripherals in order to get the sense of a player's ACTUAL performance.

His BB/9 rate has jumped from career norms of around 4.5 to an astounding 7.9 per 9 innings. But as Zack Wheeler eluded to in his interview with John Harper of the New York Daily News, the lack of humidity makes it extremely tough to grip baseballs which in turn leads to wild control bouts which will adversely effect all other pitching statistics. A lengthy adjustment period is usually needed in order to combat this issue and 18.1 innings is surely not enough time. For now we'll just have to assume that Leathersich will be able to bring that rate back to career norm levels.

A very encouraging sign however is the fact that his K/9 rate is still sitting at an unbelievable 14.2 K/9 innings in Vegas. Some of you here know that when it comes to relief pitchers, I want to see K's, and Leather fits the bill to a tee. His combination of a motion that causes the baseball to be difficult to pick up out of his hands and good fastball/slider movement gives him a ceiling of a shutdown 8th inning reliever who will put up sub 2.00 ERA's each season. Frankly, I'm still not convinced that he wouldn't make a successful closer despite only average velocity for a LHP. What I do know is that, like DeGrom, it's only a matter of weeks before Leathersich is pitching in Queens with the only difference being I think Leathersich has a long Mets career in front of him.

7/30/13

Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #7 RHP Jacob DeGrom

#7 RHP Jacob DeGrom (LR: #13)
Bats: L Throws: R
Height: 6′ 4″ Weight: 185 lb
Acquired: 2010 Rule 5 Draft, 9th round, Stetson University

2013: (A+/AA/AAA) 6-6, 4.44 ERA, 2.9 BB/9, 7.5 K/9, 1.461 WHIP
2012: (A/A+) 9-3, 2.43 ERA, 1.6 BB/9, 7.8 K/9, 0.997 WHIP
2011: Tommy John Surgery
2010: (R) 1-1, 5.19 ERA, 2.1 BB/9, 7.6 K/9, 1.577 WHIP

Here we all though we were heavily drinking the Kool-Aid when we ranked DeGrom 13th in our last prospect listing. Turns out not only were we right, but we obviously weren't drinking enough! DeGrom has sped through the middle levels of the organization making spots in St. Lucie and Binghamton before finally settling into Las Vegas. During his 10 starts for Binghamton, DeGrom wasn't great as he saw his K/9 rate drop by almost 3 and his BB rate double. However he did show flashes of potential like in his 5/27 start against the Portland Sea Dogs when he lasted 6 innings and struck out 9 while giving up only 2 earned.

Roster shortages in Las Vegas forced the Mets hand into offering DeGrom a promotion he seemingly wasn't ready for, but he took the opportunity to go on a 3 start good performance streak giving the Mets confidence that perhaps he could become a contributor in the near future. Lets begin to curbed our enthusiasm though as he still only has a ceiling of at best a #4 starter, but, at least his floor has been upgraded from AAA cannon fodder to serviceable middle reliever. That, combined with his near MLB readiness, earns him this spot on the prospect list. DeGrom is Rule 5 eligible this winter so look for the Mets to add him to the 40 man roster and call him up September 1st when roster expand.

7/29/13

Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #8 RHP Michael Fulmer

#8 RHP Michael Fulmer (LR: #5)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6′ 3″ Weight: 200 lb
Acquired: 2011 Rule 5 Draft, 1st round supplemental, Deer Creek High School (Oklahoma)

2013: (A+) 0-2, 4.34 ERA, 3.9 BB/9, 6.8 K/9, 1.339 WHIP
2012: (A) 7-6, 2.74 ERA, 3.2 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 1.200 WHIP
2011: (R) 0-1, 10.12 ERA, 6.8 BB/9, 16.9 K/9, 2.438 WHIP

I was really excited to see Fulmer pitch this season and was someone that I thought could breeze through the Florida State League and be in Binghamton by now. Unfortunately I was dissappointed when it was announced that Fulmer needed surgery to repair a torn meniscus but he is finally back now and has gotten back on the horse. His stats in the FSL are not ideal but he's probably still shaking the rust off so we'll give him some time before we jump our expectations back up. I do expect that he will repeat the FSL next season no matter what he does this year because of the lost development time, plus the fact that he is still only 20 years old.

Just as a refresher for those of you who have forgotten who Michael Fulmer is, he possesses a mid 90's fastball that has touched 97 at times and a very hard, sharp mid 80's slider that has the potential to be a plus plus major league offering. He also has a change-up but the pitch is currently far behind the development of his other two pitches and is only projected to be a back-pocket show me pitch at this time. Still the fastball-slider combo was good enough to dominate the South Atlantic League against batters 2-3 years his senior. He may have hit a bump in the road but his future is still very bright.

7/26/13

Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #9 C Kevin Plawecki

Now that the draft is over, Mack's Mets will be reviewing the performances of our organizational Top 25 prospects and re-ranking them based on their individual performances, perceived place on the depth chart, and recent draft signings.

Look at the top of our page and click on the "Top 25 Prospects" link to find the rest of the current rankings that we have done already.

Mack's Mets #9 organizational prospect is......

#9 C Kevin Plawecki (LR:#25)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 2" Weight: 215 lb
Acquired: 2012 Rule 5 Draft, 1st Round Supplemental, Purdue University

2013: (A/A+) .317/.394/.473, 7 HR, 63 RBI, 1 SB (100%), 31 BB, 43 K
2012: (SS-A) .250/.345/.384, 7 HR, 27 RBI, 0 SB (0%), 25 BB, 24 K

This is an all blue-collar jump in the ranking. An organization that was so thin at the catching throughout the entire system suddenly has the number #2 catching prospect in baseball (d'Arnaud) and now a guy who is making a case to break into the Top 5. Plawecki, aka "the Pummeling Pole" on Amazin Avenue, has been outstanding this season. Sporting above .300 averages in both Savannah and St. Lucie, near or above .400 OBP%, and creating an ISO of .180 in the cavern that is Grayson Stadium. Forget the offensive stats for moment; an interview between Paul DePodesta and MILB.com shows that the Mets brass has been extremely pleased with both his offensive AND defensive developments in Savannah.

Enough that he earned himself a promotion to Port St. Lucie thus putting himself in line for a possible AA-Binghamton assignment in 2014. In fact scouts so far have only 2 knacks on Plawecki. A) "the SAL has been able to run on him," and B) "...his game-calling...The specific criticism is that pitchers and Plawecki have been falling into patterns that are too predictable." This shows me that he needs to continue working on his footwork and arm strength and the rest is just game planning and mental learning. These are very easy things to do. d'Arnaud is still our prime C prospect and possesses a long future for us but, in the off case that he flops, having Plawecki in the system gives us some wonderful re-assurance about the position in the future.

7/25/13

Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #10 OF Brandon Nimmo

#10 OF Brandon Nimmo (LR:#7)
Bats: L Throws: R
Height: 6' 3" Weight: 185 lb
Acquired: 2011 Rule 5 Draft, 1st Round, East High School (Wyoming)

2013: (A) .263/.369/.351, 1 HR, 24 RBI, 4 SB (57%), 37 BB, 92 K
2012: (SS-A) .248/.372/.406, 6 HR, 40 RBI, 1 SB (17%), 46 BB, 78 K
2011: (R) .211/.318/.368, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB (0%), 6 BB, 14 K

Nimmo this season has been battling a strained wrist which, coupled with hitting in Grayson Stadium, has sapped his gap to gap power that he showed in Brooklyn. In a recent interview with Toby Hyde of metsminorleagueblog.com, Nimmo sounded as if he was still uncomfortable with the risk and rusty having never dealt with this kind of injury. His rise in K's, of which a flurry of them came during the first 2 weeks he had returned, can possibly be attributed to the wrist as well so for now we'll only penalize him a small bit. If you look at his 1st half numbers before the injury, Nimmo was showing excellent progress hitting over .320 and even legging out 3 triples in the process.

His wrist injury probably cost him an early trip to Port St. Lucie this season but he'll be there next season and still be below the league average age. Patience is the name of the game here with Nimmo. If he can put together a strong month of August going towards the end of the season then our small worries about him will vanish. Besides he is not Rule 5 eligible until the end of 2015 which is when he is on pace to finish in Binghamton. So until then there is no reason to rush him through the system.

7/24/13

Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #11 RHP Gabriel Ynoa

#11 RHP Gabriel Ynoa (LR: #17)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6′ 2″ Weight: 158 lb
Acquired: 2009 International Signing, Dominican Republic

2013: (A) 10-4, 2.82 ERA, 1.2 BB/9, 7.8 K/9, 1.030 WHIP
2012: (SS-A) 5-2, 2.23 ERA, 1.2 BB/9, 7.5 K/9, 0.926 WHIP
2011: (R) 2-3, 3.21 ERA, 0.6 BB/9, 4.3 K/9, 1.089 WHIP

I'll admit that I may be over-ranking Ynoa here but the facts don't lie. This kid has been mightly impressive over the past 18 months both dominating the NY-Penn League and the South Atlantic League with ease. He probably should be pitching in Port St. Lucie but there are so many good young pitchers in the organization that it's hard to find someone a spot to move up. His BB rate is good, the K rate is suitable, and WHIP is nice and low. The only thing I can honestly quibble about right now is that he's giving up way too many HR's, especially since he plays his home games in Grayson Stadium which is historically one of, if not, the most difficult place to hit for power in the entire United States. I'll say this though....He WILL NOT crack my Top 10 until I either see a crank up in his K rate or he dominates the Eastern League (AA). The former is still possible as he could probably add 3-4 ticks to fastball if he truly is a measly 158 lbs.

7/19/13

Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #12 LHP Stephen Matz

Now that the draft is over, Mack's Mets will be reviewing the performances of our organizational Top 25 prospects and re-ranking them based on their individual performances, perceived place on the depth chart, and recent draft signings.

Look to the right of our page to find the current rankings that we have done already

Mack's Mets #12 organizational prospect is......

#12 LHP Steven Matz (LR: #NR)
Bats: R Throws: L
Height: 6' 2" Weight: 192 lb
Acquired: 2009 Rule 5 draft, 2nd Round, Ward Melville HS (New York)

2013: (A) 3-4, 2.25 ERA, 3.0 BB/9, 9.8 K/9, 1.092 WHIP
2012: (R) 2-1, 1.55 ERA, 5.3 BB/9, 10.6 K/9, 1.138 WHIP
2011: DNP (Tommy John Surgery Set-back)
2010: DNP (Tommy John Surgery Recovery)
2009: DNP (Tommy John Surgery)

Boy oh Boy has this guy teased us during his career. The former 2nd round pick was suppose to be a can't miss left handed pitching prospect who would anchor the staff for years. A 94-97 mph fastball from the left side, a hard slurve that breaks so perfectly that coaches prefer he keep it rather than change it to a curve or a slide, and a change-up that was top notch for a player coming out of HS. But Matz needed Tommy John Surgery immediately after he signed which delayed his debut. After 15 months of healing Matz tried to crank it back up but suffered a set-back which cost him the 2011 season. He finally got on the mound in 2012 and showed why he has so much potential with 6 great starts in Kingsport, but after 27 months of no pitching Matz got sore and had to be shut down early. He finally seems healthy this season finishing his 15th start of the season last night and the results in Savannah are excellent. The only knock on him so far is that the BB rate is a touch too high but with him giving up less that 7 hits/9 innings and combining that with his K/9 rate the organization is very happy.

Now there is still a bit of concern though non-health wise. Matz IS eligible for the Rule 5 this offseason. One would not think that a team would claim a guy with only 105 total inning pitched in his career. However I don't trust the Marlins or the Astros, two teams who are in heavy re-building stages and feel that, if left unprotected, one of those two might claim him and bring him up right away. It's highly unlikely but the Marlins have done crazier (aka rookie RHP Jose Fernandez)

7/17/13

Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #13 RHP Domingo Tapia

Now that the draft is over, Mack's Mets will be reviewing the performances of our organizational Top 25 prospects and re-ranking them based on their individual performances, perceived place on the depth chart, and recent draft signings.

Look to the right of our page to find the current rankings that we have done already

Mack's Mets #13 organizational prospect is......

#13 RHP Domingo Tapia (LR: #12)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 4" Weight: 186 lb
Acquired: 2009 international signing, Dominican Republic

2013: (A+) 2-5, 3.82 ERA, 4.8 BB/9, 8.1 K/9, 1.397 WHIP
2012: (A) 6-5, 3.98 ERA, 2.7 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 1.141 WHIP
2011: (R) 5-5, 3.78 ERA, 2.9 BB/9, 5.4 K/9, 1.320 WHIP
2010: (R) 4-3, 3.45 ERA, 1.9 BB/9, 5.6 K/9, 1.255 WHIP

I'm going to admit this right away and upfront. I personally am not a huge fan of Tapia. A prospect who possesses a 98-100 mph fastball and a slider that clocks in at 95-97 mph should be striking out way more guys in the lower levels in my opinion. Plus I'm still worried that the lack of speed differential between his fastball and his slider could hurt him going forward. Despite all this he's still performing pretty well in the tough Florida State League. In 16 starts he's only given up 3 HR's and has a stellar 7.8 H/9 rate. There is a big concern with the control though as his BB/9 rate has ballooned to 4.8 and he's already thrown more wild pitches this season (6) than he did all of last year (5). The stats are quite skewed though by an awful month of May and June where he compiled an ERA of 5.40 and a BB rate of 5.7/9. He'll need to get more consistent between each start before the Mets send him to Binghamton.

7/16/13

Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #14 SS Gavin Cecchini

#14 SS Gavin Cecchini (LR:#10)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 2" Weight: 180 lb
Acquired: 2012 Rule 5 Draft, 1st Round, Alfred M. Barbe High School (Louisiana)

2013: (SS-A) .259/.305/.315, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 2 SB (50%), 4 BB, 9 K
2012: (R/SS-A) .240/.307/.321, 1 HR, 22 RBI, 5 SB (56 %), 18 BB, 44 K

Sandy Alderson's 2012 1st round draft pick is with the Brooklyn Cyclones and quite frankly it hasn't gone much better than his time with Kingsport. In 15 games so far his batting average is still sub .260 with little power. To be fair though that's a very small sample size. A 5 game hit streak can quickly skew the numbers the other way. The kid is still very young so we won't exactly know if he was worth the 1st round pick or not for at least another 2-3 years but at least there are some encouraging signs. His K rate in Brooklyn is now below 15% and he is showing that he has the quickness and range to stick at SS long term. He'll finish the season with Brooklyn and continue progressing slowly through the system.

7/15/13

Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #15 OF Cory Vaughn

Look at the top of our page and click on the "Top 25 Prospects" link to find the rest of the current rankings that we have done already.

Mack's Mets #15 organizational prospect is......

#15 OF Cory Vaughn (LR:#20)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 3" Weight: 225 lb
Acquired: 2010 Rule 5 Draft, 4th Round, San Diego State University

2013: (AA) .288/.370/.447, 6 HR, 31 RBI, 8 SB (89%), 19 BB, 48 K
2012: (A+) .243/.351/.463, 23 HR, 69 RBI, 21 SB (84%), 65 BB, 114 K
2011: (A/A+) .255/.362/.402, 13 HR, 59 RBI, 10 SB (56%), 59 BB, 117 K
2010: (SS-A) .307/.396/.557, 14 HR, 56 RBI, 12 SB (71%), 34 BB, 63 K

Much like Cesar Puello, Cory Vaughn has had a resurgence this season playing for the Binghamton Mets. After back to back seasons of sub .260 batting averages, Vaughn has consistently hit well at the much tougher AA level. On the flip side however, the power is down. After posting a .220 ISO power rate last season, Vaughn is down to a still decent .159 ISO rate. Even worse is that his BB rate has dropped from 12% last season to 9.9% this season and his K rate is up from 21.3% last year to 25% this year. All of this results in a slightly unsustainable .370 BABIP that tells us that maybe his batting average is due for some regression back to his career norms.

Vaughn is currently on a rehab assignment with the GCL Mets but once he's done he will have to prove to the brass that he can maintain that average and improve on his K/BB rates if he wants to be a piece of the solution at the major league level.

7/13/13

Mack's Mets Have Moved

The Mack's Mets Site have moved servers and is now a Word Press site.

Please reset your links to:

www.macksmetsreport.com

July 12th -- Pirates 3, Mets 2 -- 11 innings

Friday night in Pittsburgh, Jordy Mercer singled off Gonzalez Germen scoring Andrew McCutchen as Pirates beat the Mets 3-2. Jeremy Hefner started for the Mets and continues to pitch amazing baseball. His only mistake came in the bottom of the first inning when Pedro Alvarez touched him up for a 2 run homer (#24) to make it 2-0 Bucs. After that Hefner, only allowed one more hit for the rest of his outing allowing the Mets to tie it. David Wright came through with an rbi single in the top of the 6^th to cut the lead to 2-1. In the top of the 7^th, Kirk Nieuwenhius hit a solo homer (#3) off Charlie Morton to tie the game at 2. In the bottom of the 9^th the Pirates had 1^st and 3^rd and no outs but the combination of David Aardsma, Scott Rice, Greg Burke and Josh Edgin got out of the inning to force extra frames. Edgin took the Mets through 10, then in the 11^th rookie Gonzalez Germen came in and with runners on 1^st and 2^nd yielded an rbi single to Mercer to give the Pirates the win. Germen is now 0-1. Hefner went 7 he allowed just 3 hits the 2 runs he walked none and struck out 3. Hefner’s era drops to a quite tidy 3.33! The Mets now stand at 40 -49 on the year and 23-22 on the road as their 4 game win streak ends. Saturday night is game two of the three game weekend series. Carlos Torres (0-1 0.51) comes out of the pen to start tomorrow as the Mets skip Matt Harvey’s turn. AJ Burnett (4-6 3.05) just off the disabled list goes for Pittsburgh. https://www.facebook.com/MetsForum

7/12/13

Draft 14 – Touki Toussaint, Dylan Cease, Nigel Nootbaar, LSU

6-13-13 - Touki Toussaint, Coral Springs Christian (Fla.), Right-Handed Pitcher - One of the fastest rising players in the class of 2014, Toussaint impressed last year on the mound as a sophomore and didn't do anything to diminish that assessment with a 5-2 record and 65 strikeouts with a 0.95 ERA. Fastball is reportedly up to 97 mph. LINK

6-30-13 - Jheremy Brown ‏@JBrownPG - 2014 RHP Dylan Cease (Milton, GA) warming up at 92/93 on field 2 at East Cobb

6-27-13 - Player: Nigel Nootbaar Position: RHP School: Southern California Date of Birth: 3/24/1993 Height/Weight: 6’1/185 Bats/Throws: S/R Scouting Report: from Don Olsen on 6/18/2013 - Nigel has a compact lean athletic build. A little effort to the delivery, slightly unorthodox with a little whip arm action. There was some deception in the delivery and hides it well, gives hop on the arsenal. Fastball is 92-94 mph with some late movement, has some tail on it. The slider shows more vertical tilt with late bite 82-84 mph, overall above average movement that flashed plus. Saw a different type break of 12/6 variety that had more depth in 78-80 range, path had a bit different action, weakening slider or curveball. LINK

6-27-13 - LSU: The Tigers will be a very intriguing team entering the 2014 campaign. Starting pitchers Aaron Nola and Cody Glenn give Paul Mainieri are a very solid one-two punch on the weekend, but the Tigers must replace relievers Nick Rumbelow and Chris Cotton, among others, so the bullpen is a definite question mark going into the offseason. Meanwhile, offensively, LSU has some serious holes to fill without Mason Katz, Raph Rhymes, JaCoby Jones and even catcher Ty Ross, who meant a lot to the Tigers in '13. The good news? LSU welcomes a great recruiting class in the fall. LINK

FLASH - MLB Suspends New York Mets Pitcher

Two minor league righthanders, the Mets’ Estarlin Morel and the Giants’ Paul Davis, have been suspended for violating the minor league drug program. Both suspensions are effective immediately.
In his fifth pro season after signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2009, Morel will sit out 25 games for a “violation of the program,” according to a Major League Baseball press release. The 23-year-old posted a 3.76 ERA and 2-to-1 strikeout-t0-walk ratio in 24 relief appearances this season, having spent 21 0f those games at high Class A St. Lucie prior to receiving a recent demotion to low Class A Savannah.

An Early Look at RHPs - Dylan Cease

10. Dylan Cease

6-11-13 - 10. Dylan Cease, RHP, Milton HS, Ga.: This year's Draft was partly about the outfielders in Georgia. Cease will make 2014 about pitching, as the right-hander has a loose, electric arm that touched 97 mph this past spring to go along with a good breaking ball and a feel for a changeup. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130611&content_id=50293726&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_50293726

6-30-13 - Jheremy Brown ‏@JBrownPG - 2014 RHP Dylan Cease (Milton, GA) warming up at 92/93 on field 2 at East Cobb

7-5-13 - Dylan Cease, RHP, Milton HS (GA) - A 6’-2”, 190-pound right-hander with an extremely live arm, Cease hit 97 mph at the Perfect Game Nationals and showed the makings of a plus curveball. He adds a solid change-up and he has a clean, easy delivery. Like many others on this list, he is a very good athlete and two-way player. He had a 1.05 ERA and 98 K/35 BB over 68.1 innings as a junior. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/prep-arms-chicago-cubs/34856#Vp7zJ4JvRevfV1fR.99

FLASH - Binghamton Roster Moves

Please note the following transactions involving the Binghamton Mets.

July 12:

RHP Cory Mazzoni placed on disabled list (right hamstring strain)
RHP Alonzo Harris reinstated from disabled list

Binghamton Mets 2013 Game Notes

Binghamton Mets (55-33) at Portland Sea Dogs (45-44) (Double-A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox)

LHP Mark Cohoon (4-3, 4.86) vs. RHP Keith Couch (6-2, 3.57)

Friday, July 12, 2013 • Game #90 • Home Game #45

NYSEG Stadium • Binghamton, NY • 7:05 PM

LAST GAME: The B-Mets defeated the Portland Sea Dogs twice on Thursday night. The first win was the resumption of a suspended game from June 25 in Portland. Binghamton won, 6-5 and the offense was highlighted by an Allan Dykstra two-run homer in the fourth. Jeff Walters sealed the win with a scoreless ninth inning. In the nightcap, four pitchers combined for a four-hit shutout as the B-Mets won, 4-0. Ryan Fraser earned his first win of the season on the mound; the righty provided three innings of scoreless relief. Offensively Binghamton was led by Cesar Puello, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI.

BINGHAMTON PITCHER: LHP Mark Cohoon makes his 12th start of the season for the B-Mets, and his second against the Sea Dogs. On May 18, he allowed four runs in five innings at Hadlock Field. He received a no-decision, but the B-Mets lost 10-7. Cohoon enters play ranked second in B-Met history in innings pitched (332.2) and games started (56). In 11 games as a starter this season, Cohoon is 2-3 with a 3.61 ERA. He began the season in the bullpen, and went 2-0 with a 7.11 ERA in four games. At home in 2013, he is 2-2 with a 5.21 ERA. Opponents are batting .320 against the lefty this season.

PORTLAND PITCHER: RHP Keith Couch is pitching in his 21st game of the season with the Sea Dogs, and his seventh as a starting pitcher. He joined the rotation on June 9, and is 3-0 with a 2.18 ERA in his previous six starts. In four games against the B-Mets this season, Couch is 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA in 9.2 innings. He made one start against Binghamton, but it was suspended after two full innings. Opponents are hitting .266 against the righty this season. Couch has thrown at least seven innings in each of his last two starts. On July 7 vs. New Britain, he got a no-decision after throwing 7.2 innings and allowing three runs and five hits.

ONLY ONE MORE SUSPENSION: Now that Binghamton’s June 25th game against Portland is now finished, the B-Mets only have one more suspended game that needs to be completed. Their game on April 10th at Erie was suspended in the fourth inning, and will be resumed on August 9.
DIVISION LEAD: After Binghamton picked up two wins on Thursday, they pushed their division lead to a season-high 10.5 games.

SINGLES ON SINGLES: In Binghamton’s 4-0 win on Thursday, the team collected 13 hits. All of those hits were singles, which is the most singles hit in one game by the B-Mets since they had 14 singles against Portland on August 26, 2012. Last night’s game was the most hits Binghamton has collected without getting an extra base hit since at least 2008.

MUNO IN JULY: In eight games in the month of July, B-Met infielder Danny Muno has tallied a league-best 14 RBI. His month was highlighted by a seven-RBI performance on July 4th at New Hampshire. Muno is 12-for-30 (.400) with four extra base hits, three home runs, and seven runs scored. He was named EL Player of the Week for July 1-7.

AGAINST PORTLAND: This is the final series of the regular season against the Sea Dogs. Through the first 16 games against each other, Binghamton is 10-6. They have a 5-3 record at both NYSEG Stadium and at Hadlock Field.

SHUTOUT: Thursday’s 4-0 win was the sixth shutout for the B-Mets this season. Ryan Fraser picked up the victory on the mound, and it was his first win since July 13, 2012 when he beat the Erie Sea Wolves.

NEXT GAME PREVIEW: The B-Mets and Sea Dogs continue their series with a doubleheader on Saturday at NYSEG Stadium. The first game is set for 5:05 PM with another seven-inning game to follow after its completion. In the first game, LHP Darin Gorski will face RHP Terry Doyle on the mound. The starting pitchers for the second game of the day are still to be determined.

Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #16 RHP Rainy Lara

Now that the draft is over, Mack's Mets will be reviewing the performances of our organizational Top 25 prospects and re-ranking them based on their individual performances, perceived place on the depth chart, and recent draft signings.

Look to the right of our page to find the current rankings that we have done already

Mack's Mets #16 organizational prospect is......

#16 RHP Rainy Lara (LR: #19)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 4" Weight: 180 lb
Acquired: 2009 international signing, Dominican Republic

2013: (A/A+) 6-5, 1.99 ERA, 1.8 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 1.059 WHIP
2012: (SS-A) 8-3, 2.91 ERA, 1.6 BB/9, 10.2 K/9, 0.956 WHIP
2011: (R) 1-2, 2.22 ERA, 2.6 BB/9, 6.7 K/9, 1.233 WHIP

Rainy Lara has been excellent this year and is making good progress through the organization's minor leagues levels. While his numbers are made better by his excellent starts in Savannah, his performances in the much tougher Florida State League are nothing to sneeze at either. A 2.70 ERA along with an almost 3:1 K:BB ratio are darn good stats. As we've said in previous posts about him, there is still room for projectability as he grows older and fills out his nice pitcher's frame. I don't anticipate him going anywhere else though as he seems destined for a stint in Binghamton next year if he continues to rack up the innings in St. Lucie.

Soto - Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #16 RHP Rainy Lara

Now that the draft is over, Mack's Mets will be reviewing the performances of our organizational Top 25 prospects and re-ranking them based on their individual performances, perceived place on the depth chart, and recent draft signings.

Look to the right of our page to find the current rankings that we have done already

Mack's Mets #16 organizational prospect is......

Q and A with Mack and… The University of Washington State OF Yale Rosen

Mack - Okay... today, we're talking with the Washington State (23-32) Cougars outfielder, Yale Rosen, who's playing Cape Cod ball this summer. I still remember the exact spot there I met my wife in 1970. Isn't that a great town to play summer ball?

Yale- Cotuit has been a blessing to me ever since I have arrived on the Cape. I have been able to be around great coaches and players that love the game as much as I do, and also strive to get better at their game every day. To be in an environment and an opportunity such as this one, allows for me as an individual to push myself to limits that I have never seen before.

Mack - Take us back to the day someone put a baseball in your hand and it felt right. Then, take us through the steps that you have taken to get to where you are today.

Yale- Since I was a kid playing little league, baseball has always been my biggest passion in the sports world. There has never been a point in my life that I can remember where going to the field was a struggle for me. That has been the main difference between baseball and all of the other sports that I have played throughout my life. My journey to where I am now has been a battle. I come from a small town in Washington that nobody really knows about, and scouts/coaches don't make the trip to come see players that far up north. It wasn't until I got the opportunity to play summer baseball in Seattle after my senior year of high school, that allowed for me to put my name on the map and earn a scholarship to Washington State University. From there, I had a very tough freshman year, and struggled to catch up to college baseball. The summer after my freshman year is where everything seemed to click as I became more comfortable in a college baseball environment, and had the chance to play everyday. Now I find myself at the premier summer baseball league, and it goes to show that a lot of hard work can pay off.

Mack - Who and why are the people that have influenced your game the most over the years?

Yale- The people that have most influenced my game, were the coaches of Taylor Baseball, the team that I played for in Seattle after my Senior year. Scott Fairbanks and Brad Ditter pushed me and proved to me what type of baseball player I could become, especially coming from such an isolated area, to playing in Seattle's high school "premier" league. They allowed for me to reach my highest potential at that time, and never gave up on me when I became frustrated in my play. They taught me how to become a leader, and help others around me to succeed as well, not just myself.

Mack - What do you have scheduled this summer or are you taking the time off?

Yale- My only plans for the summer is play baseball in the Cape.

Mack - Are you working on anything new for the most important season of your baseball life?

Yale- I am not working on anything new this year. What I am doing, is polishing my skills in every part of my play, to reach my highest potential as a player.

Mack - Anything special you want to say to your fans and the readers out here on Big League Futures?

Yale- Thank you to all of those who have followed my journey throughout my career thus far in baseball, it means a lot to know that I have support from fans around the country. I would also like to say; Don't give up on your dreams, you never know who may be at your game or watching you. First impressions last forever, so work hard every day, and anything is possible.

FLASH - RP - Frank Francisco

Rehab outing today with the GCL Mets:

1.0-IP, 1-R, 0-ER, 1-H, 1-K, 0.00

FLASH - Roster Moves

Please note the following transaction involving the Binghamton Mets.

July 11:

RHP Scott Atchison began Major League rehab assignment with Binghamton (AA)

Seven-Run Second Dooms Gnats Thursday

Seven-Run Second Dooms Gnats Thursday

Savannah, GA – The Augusta GreenJackets used a seven run second inning to cruise to a 9-1 win over the Savannah Sand Gnats in front of 2,319 fans Thursday night at Historic Grayson Stadium.

Savannah starter Matt Koch did not finish the second inning in his shortest start of the year. He was charged with seven runs, three earned, on six hits. The first five GreenJackets (9-9/47-40) batters in the second inning all reached safely. The Gnats (9-11/52-37) committed two errors in the frame and Koch, who had not hit a batter in his first 70.2 innings in 2013 plunked two in the second.

The Gnats scored their only run in the bottom of the third when LF Maikis De La Cruz drove home C Jeff Glenn.

The GreenJackets completed the game’s scoring with two runs in the fourth against reliever Julian Hilario.

Augusta starter Joan Gregorio was strong over six innings, allowing just one run on four hits. He struck out nine and walked two. Reliever Steven Okert threw the final three inning for save.

The Gnats begin a four-game series against the Greenville Drive Friday at 7:05 when LHP Steven Matz (3-4, 2.28) takes the mound against RHP Luis Diaz (4-4, 3.06). Gates to Historic Grayson Stadium open at 6 pm. The radio pregame show on News/Talk 630 and online at sandgnats.com begins at 6:45 pm.

Press Release

Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #17 1B Dominic Smith

Look to the right of our page to find the current rankings that we have done already

Mack's Mets #17 organizational prospect is......

#17 1B Dominic Smith
Bats: L Throws: L
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 185 lb
Acquired: 2013 Rule 5 Draft, 1st Round, Serra High School (California)

2013: (R) .204/.298/.327, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB (0%), 7 BB, 10 K

This year's 1st round pick will slot in nicely at #17. Poor kid is still mesmerized by the fact that he's even in professional baseball. Eventually the first time jitters will pass and Smith will be begin to show us what he is really capable of. One very encouraging sign already, albeit a small sample size, is his K:BB ratio after the first two weeks with the GCL Mets. Also 4 of his 10 hits so far have been of the extra base variety. This kid has a long way to go and a lot to grow before we consider him for Top 10 consideration. Let him bask in the moment for the rest of the year before we really start to judge him a bit more when he gets assigned to Brooklyn next year.

Post Draft: MM's Top 25- #17 1B Dominic Smith

Brooklyn, Auburn Split Pair

The Cyclones took one of two on Thursday from Auburn, with a much better offensive and pitching performance from Brooklyn coming in the second game. The break in action did not help the Cyclones in the first game against Auburn, losing 7-0. The Cyclones and Doubledays picked it up in the fourth inning after play was suspended on Wednesday due to rain, but the Cyclones put together just four hits, resulting in their fourth shutout loss of the season. The Cyclones were being no hit into the seventh inning until L.J. Mazzilli connected for a single up the middle to end the bid.

The Cyclones turned everything around in game two, combining for 13 hits in a 4-3 win. Brooklyn’s offense got off to a hot start when they loaded the bases in the second inning. James Roche hit a single into right field that advanced lead runners Matt Oberste and Julio Concepcion to second and third. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Eddie Rohan had a chance to drive in his first run of the season, and he did just that on a line drive single to left field that scored Oberste from third, making it 1-0 Cyclones.

The very next inning Brooklyn connected for two more runs. Ismael Tijerina led off the top of the third with a ground ball single to left field. Two batters later, Jared King doubled to left field putting runners at second and third for Oberste. Oberste connected with a single up the middle that scored Tijerina from third. Concepcion then drove in the second run of the inning on a double to center field, giving the Cyclones a 3-0 lead. Playing in the place of injured shortstop Gavin Cecchini, Tijerina finished with three hits raising his average to .308.

Tijerina helped to add another run in the top of the fourth when he hit a line drive single that scored Anthony Chavez, who had reached on a double. Seven players in the Cyclones lineup had at least one hit, and Tijerina, Oberste, Concepcion, and Roche all had multi-hit games.

With the Cyclones up 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth, the Doubledays began to climb their way back. Dario Alvarez allowed just one hit through three innings, but gave up two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to cut the Cyclones lead to 4-3. Alvarez pitched well enough to get his first win of the season, tossing five innings, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out one. Darwin Frias replaced Alvarez in the sixth inning, and put together his best outing of the season. Frias recorded his first save of the season pitching two innings and striking out five.

press release

Mack Ade – AM Report – 7-12-13 – 2004 All Over Again, Dustin Lawley, Chis Sale, Cory Mazzoni

I remember the 2004 trading deadline like it was yesterday. I was writing a morning report for NYFS and the word came down that the Mets had traded for both Kris Benson and Victor Zambrano. It came just at the end of the trading deadline signaling that the Mets were going to give it a run for the pennant. They had had the kind of first half season we are having right now and, if I remember, were around six or seven games out of the playoff race going into the all-star break. No one knew if the team would be a buyer or a seller and, once these two deals were announced, there were very few people upset with the loss of what it took to get these guys on our team. Sure, Scott Kazmir was a top prospect, but both Benson and Zambrano were MLB-tested (I particularly enjoyed the arrival of Benson who was in the same graduation class at Clemson as my daughter) and we were going to fit, right? Well, a gazillion losses later over the next two weeks and so much for that. Benson wound up finish the season 4-4, 4.50, Zambrano went 2-0, 3.86 in three games, and the team finished in 4^th place at 71-91.

The Milwaukee Brewers signed lefty Aaron Laffey

I need your help on this one. I’m trying to decide if St. Lucie LF Dustin Lawley is a baseball prospect. He hit his 19^th home run on Wednesday which is more than anyone else in that league. The 24-year old is also up to 67-RBI which tied him for first in that category also. He also seems to be getting better at this each season. In 2011 (K-Port and Sav), he went 10/44… last year (Savannah), it was 14/66. And this season with round 45 days to go it’s 19/67. He’s never going to win a batting title, but he’s a .267 lifetime hitter. Isn’t these the kind of numbers we want to see from our outfielders. Can you do more than lead your league in home runs and runs batted in? He needs to get moving. Send him to Binghamton for the rest of the season. Play him in winter ball in Arizona. He strikes out a little too much but the numbers are far better than from guys like Matt den Dekker. I want him in Las Vegas in 2014 as a 25-year old stud pounding balls out of the stadium. Maybe then somebody will write about this guy

Binghamton starter, Cory Mazzoni, had some discomfort in the 4th inning last night and had to come out early. No word yet on any long term injury.

The Mets have signed 16-yr. old Venezuelan SS Luis Carpio ($300K)

Steve Wilson - Hey Mack, hope you’re doing well. I just read Chris Sale could be put up for trade! Would you trade for him?

Trade for a 6-6 24-yr. old lefty who is 2.78 in the pros for a bad team? Why would I want someone like that J

Sale has been a favorite of mine since his days at FGC. It’s also an excellent contract ($3.5mil/2014, $6mil/2015, $9.15mil/2016, $12mil/2017.

This is a proven star lefty that, when added to Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler, could make the most potent threesome in baseball.

Obviously, Chicago would want team controlled pitching and I’d do a package that included both Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero. I still have Gee, Hefney, and Niese so I don’t need either of them.

Would you add Rios as well?

I assume you are referring to 32-year old Alex Rios. I would not be interested in anyone 32-years old. If I’m going old, I’d resign Marlon Byrd or try and talk Carlos Beltran to come back, but I want players younger than my captain.

Top 5 best-selling MLB jerseys to date in 2013: Buster Posey, Mariano Rivera, Yadier Molina, David Wright, Matt Harvey

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