Reese Kaplan - Dwelling in Anonymity: Hidden Gems in Las Vegas

While everyone seemingly already knows about the exploits of Rafael Montero and Noah Syndergaard, there are a few other players flying somewhat below the radar who may or may not have a future in Queens, but they’re certainly part of the driving force behind Las Vegas’ PCL-best 16-5 record.  (That’s a .762 winning percentage, kids!)

Although the Mets recently resolved their dilemma by choosing Lucas Duda over Ike Davis, it may be that part of the decision making was the white hot start of last year’s reigning MVP, Allan Dykstra.  To give you an idea of how scorching the big lefty has been, he recently went 2-5 in a game and his batting average went down!  Despite having been up only half as often as other starters, he’s already accumulated 19 RBIs in just 48 ABs.  For fans of advanced metrics, he’s posted a .548 OBP, a .792 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.342.   Wow!  

The man leading the team in RBIs has played all over the diamond (including a cameo at shortstop) – Erik “Soup” Campbell.  We saw him make an impressive showing in spring training and he really hasn’t cooled off yet.  He’s currently hitting a robust .357 with 3 HRs and a team leading 20 RBIs.  As a right handed hitter, he might be pushing the currently anemic Josh Satin (.133 AVG) for the right handed half of the first base platoon.

Another contender for that role is the twice promoted Zach Lutz who when healthy has always been able to slug the ball.  Playing 3B most of the time (but also available to play 1B), Lutz is even stronger than usual with a slash line of .329/3/15 in 70 ABs.  Given the Mets new metrics in this regard, consider his .466 OBP, too.  He would be another one who should be motivating Josh Satin to kick it up a few notches. 

A man seemingly never in the forefront of the Mets’ collective minds is diminutive backstop Juan Centeño.  A man drafted and known for his skills as a catcher has morphed into a credible singles hitter.  This year he’s at .293 with 8 RBIs while splitting time with veteran Taylor Teagarden behind the plate.  Over the past few years he’s posted final batting averages of .318, .285 and .301.  Short guys often have to work doubly hard to get people to notice what they do.  Perhaps, too, the Mets look at Centeño and have Josh Thole flashbacks, but if there ever was a long term need for a strong defensive catcher who won’t embarrass himself with the bat, then the lefty hitting 24 year old Juan Centeño might be a better bet than a recycled veteran.

By now any die hard Mets fan is well aware of the exploits of Jacob de Grom, clearly the 51s’ ace thus far while posting a 2-0 record in 4 starts with a tiny 1.57 ERA and a WHIP of less than 1 baserunner per inning pitched.  Given the starters in their system (and recovering from injuries) it is possible that they may want to convert him to the bullpen.  Regardless of his role (or what he could net in a trade), the fact remains that the 25 year old righthander is putting himself into every conversation about the pitchers available in the Mets’ system.

I sometimes feel I’m on a one-man campaign for 27 year old righty, Miguel Socolovich, but the Mets did fairly well with career minor leaguer Scott Rice, so maybe it’s time they give this older player a closer look.  He started off his career as a 19 year old in non-descript fashion, having trouble with walks, striking out too few and letting the opposition get nearly 1 hit per inning pitched.  However, between the minors and Japan since 2010 he’s really turned a corner.  Over that 3+ year period he has pitched to the following numbers – a 2.82 ERA, better than 1K per IP, and a WHIP of 1.17.  Those numbers are pretty impressive with his best work done thus far in hitters’ paradise of Las Vegas where he’s got a 1.69 ERA.

Joel Carreño was a pickup out of the Blue Jays organization where he’s followed a similar career trajectory to Socolovich (minus the brief trip to Japan).  The 27 year old has pitched better than average with a 3.38 career minor league ERA, a WHIP of 1.23 and a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio (also better than 1 per IP).  In Las Vegas thus far this year the 27 year old has done his best work ever, sporting a 2.45 ERA, 8 Ks in 7 IP and allowing less than 1 baserunner per inning.

Other trends worth watching are the recent hot streaks of Wilmer Flores and Matt den Dekker, neither of whose season totals are eye popping, but their recent play indicates they are adjusting to desert dwelling with their potential coming to the surface.