AM I THE ONLY ONE EXCITED? WEEKLY MINOR LEAGUE RECAP - Tom Brennan



AM I THE ONLY ONE EXCITED? WEEKLY MINORS RECAP: Tom Brennan

What did Mets' minors teams thrill us with last week?  What low lights?

I was a week that was more crappy than good, unfortunately. Not too exciting.  

AAA Las Vegas and AA Binghamton both (ouch) posted 1-6 weeks; St Lucie split 6 games to sit at 10-7; and Columbia was a ray of sunshine with a 5-2 week to climb to 10-8.

Besides the teams’ W's and L's, how'd the guys do in this third week of the season (Mon. through Sun., Apr. 18-24)?  Let's take a gander, folks.

Of note, after watching the NY Mets hit long balls like no other Mets team had ever done over a stretch of 8 games, the dead ball era continues to live on in Mets Minors Land, with the 4 squads tallying just 13 homers in 39 contests so far. I love the long ball, and so I don't love that.

STARS OF THE WEEK – DOWN IN COLUMBIA: 

Vinny Siena: Dude amazingly has walked 16 times and had 21 hits in just 18 games.  Not a power hitter (still no pro homers in almost 400 PAs), but has racked up 7 doubles in 2016. 10 hits and 7 walks last week. Just 1 steal.

Dash Winningham: went 11 for 23.

AAA LAS VEGAS 51'S:  

The 2016 Vegas squad is hitting like a bunch of vegans, hitting just .250 with 6 homers and 67 runs in  16 contests. Way off the early 51s' prodigious offensive pace of 2014 and 2015. 

The Sean and Gabe Show continues as a bright spot for the starters.  Both Sean Gilmartin and Gabe Ynoa have ERAs in the mid 1’s after 3 starts each. 

Chase Bradford sports a spiffy 0.87 ERA after 7 relief outings.  Let’s not forget Rafael Montero, not dazzling in his outing after returning from the Mets, but has a 3.00 ERA in 9 innings with 9 hits and 9 K’s. I'd give him a 9.

As one might expect in a 1-6 week, no other standout pitching performances. 

Seth Lugo, for example, was simply awful in his last start (10 runs in 2.2 IP).   Notable for uniqueness were the combined season-to-date efforts of Dario Alvarez and Josh Smoker – they’ve tossed 13.1 IP, and surrendered an ugly 15 runs (10 earned), but struck out 27.  How’s that for whacky?

51's hitters with T's in their names carried the offensive load this week.

 

OF Ty Kelly has a .537 OBP in 40 PAs (yep, THAT Ty Kelly).  IF TJ Rivera is hitting .325 (always hits .325, right)? OF Travis Taijeron sitting at .280/.393/.520; IF Matt Reynolds at .290/.371/.468 after a good week.  

 

Disappointing are Danny Muno (.067) playing about as much as Wilmer Flores and doing equally"well", and C Johnny Monell is sub-Mendoza. 

THE.196 BOYS: Not a new horror movie – but it is about 2 fellas who have been simply awful so far, who are amongst the "highly rateds": Gavin Cecchini and Brandon Nimmo. Both sit at ZERO HRs and, yes, .196.  Nimmo brags that he has 2 doubles, twice the number Cecchini has. Well, it's not a hitter’s league, folks, so whaddya expect?  Oh, wait, it IS a hitter’s league...pretty awful season start for both, frankly. 

AA BINGHAMTON METS:

Bring back the snow! An awful 1-6 week for the B Mets, the result of truly anemic hitting (after 15 games, they did climb to 7 homers, so there are signs of life).  Team batting just .234, with 62 runs... nothing special.

With Jeff McNeil out after 3 games, journeymen Niuman Romero and Derrick Gibson each have played in 14 games and been on base a combined 50 times, so the younger prospect type fellas are really not pulling their weight. Ernest Dove will be pleased to note that 1B Dominic Smith (.238) is awakening, with 7 for 17 in his last 4 games. 

 

Other Ifs not hitting are LJ Mazzilli, sputtering at .218, and Phil Evans just .156.  Not surprising to me, the team’s outfielders are hitting under .200 (at .181 in 160 at bats, with 2 ringing homers).  Bring back retired Cory Vaughn!!

Pitching-wise, Rob "the Giz" Gsellman sits at 1-0, 1.45 after 3 very fine starts.  Mike Hepple has a 2-1 record and 0.93 ERA despite 11 walks in 9.1 IP.  Pretty wild, man.  Akeel Morris has a 1.83 WHIP and 9.39 ERA after 7 appearances….where have you gone? 

A - ST LUCIE METS:  

The SLM's went 4-3 on the week and sit at a tidy 10-7 in 2016, just like the hometown NY Mets.  Hitting has not gotten them where they are, as they have managed a mere 5 HRs in 18 games.

Top prospect SS Amed Rosario continues a fine campaign with 8 extra base hits and a .301 average.  15 k’s in 18 games a tad high, but overall, doing real well.  OF Wuilmer Becerra is up to .300 after 12 games, but just 2 walks and 2 doubles so far, folks. Other than Becerra, the outfielders (as in Bingo and Vegas) are not hitting (Mora, Stuart and Biondi a combined .228).  3B Jhoan Urena had a nice 9 for 26 week, and climbed to .234, hopefully the start of a hitting run for him. 

Pitchers Casey Delgado and Ricky Knapp are each 3-0 with ERAs around 1.70. Corey Oswalt shook off a bad first start and did not allow a run in his last 2 starts, spanning 11.2 IP, in which he fanned 15.  Chris Flexen is 0-3, 4.82, as he shakes off the rust from TJS. I feel confident we are about to see the real Chris Flexen. Still on the ugly side: Scarlyn Reyes is 0-3, 11.91.

Really impressive out of the St Lucie pen are Tim Peterson, Kevin McGowan, Al Baldonado, and Ben Griset (combined 36 IP, 1.00 ERA, just 16 hits, 8 BBs, and a stellar 49 Ks).  No wonder they are 10-7.

A - COLUMBIA FIREFLIES: 

Another Mets Minors squad that is allergic to the long ball, so far, with 6 dingers in 18 contests, but hitting .252 with a healthy 92 runs, so they are doing OK.  The two hitting stars so far have been IF Vinny Siena, who's been on base almost 50% of the time (not shabby, eh?) and 3B David Thompson, hitting a solid .297 with 8 extra base hits and a very nice 18 RBIs in 18 games. 

Forget not 1B Dash Winningham; Dash has not unleashed the big guns yet (4 doubles, no homers), but I am pleased to report he is hitting .300 (for the week, a robust 11 for 23), and for a big, very young, power guy, a mere 6 Ks in 65 PA’s.  Compare that to 102 Ks in roughly his first 475 plate appearances as a pro in 2014 and 2015.  Eye-catching improvement.  One to definitely watch.

OF Ivan Wilson had a solid, low strikeout week (struck out just 10 times in his past 10 games, a huge improvement over prior seasons). He’s crept up to .232.  Keep it up, Ivan.

Guys seeking to get the bats untracked are SS Milton Ramos (.208), OF Kevin Kaczmarski (.180) and 3B J.C. Rodriguez (.151).  Ramos encouragingly has had a hit in 6 of his last 7 games.

The Fire Flies' hurlers doing well this week and for the season include Tyler Bashlor, after his 2 year injury hiatus (for the season, 5 G, 8 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 10 K, 1.13) and PJ Conlon (2-0, 1.08, 1 walk in 16.2 IP). Lefty PJ is sitting at an amazing 0.53 after 20 career outings and 33.2 IP.  Joe Shaw and Chase Ingram are both 1-1, 2.81, and combined have 41 Ks and just 3 BB’s in 32 IP.  

Lots of great stories. Some disappointing ones.

 

To be clear, I plan to do next week’s update next week. How exciting.