AM I THE ONLY ONE EXCITED? MINORS RECAP END OF MAY EDITION: Tom Brennan

AM I THE ONLY ONE EXCITED? MINORS RECAP END OF MAY EDITION: Tom Brennan

The Mets minor league excitement has largely been confined to Las Vegas of late.  

The 51's, as always, love to score, with 44 HRs and 279 runs (nearly 6 per game) after a slow start to the season. Tons and tons of recent scoring, as the offense has been in ultra-high gear of late.   The pitching, alas, has allowed almost as many runs (268) due mostly to a few disastrous gents: Jeff Walters, Stolmy Pimentel, and the departed Dario Alvarez. End result? 27-22 on the rapidly progressing season.

Top Vegas performers - there are several:

Dilson Herrera had an up and down week, but finished it with a bang, and sat at .282/..326/.503 after Sunday's contest. 22 extra base hits already on the season, and still hasn't gone on a tear.

Travis Taijeron had a 10 hit, 3 walk week, including a bunch of doubles, 2 homers, and 8 RBIs.  For the season the extra base hit machine has 27 XBH in 47 games, and is at .299/.389/.557, including .343/.442/.620 vs. righties (amazing) and 39 RBIs.  Lefties, who he usually feasts on, he is hitting  just .135 against in limited ABs, so that should improve at any time.

TJ Rivera sits at .369/.402/.547, with 45 RBIs in 45 games. Tremendous. Somehow, Soup stays in NY and he stays in Vegas.  Consider me puzzled. (Spoiler alert: he was on 3 more times Monday and climbed to .374).

Gavin Cecchini misses 17 days with an injury, comes back, and has 9 hits and 2 walks in 6 games.  I have a feeling this Hot Gavin will be sticking around.  After a very cold start to the season, when he hitt just .182 in his first 12 games started, he is up to .304 after 30 games started.  Only 7 doubles and a single homer so far, though.  Pick up the pace on that, GC.

His first round twin, Brandon Nimmo, was hitting .182 on the same early season date as Cecchini, but has also awoken very nicely. Having now played 40 games, Nimmo has climbed to .300/.385/.444.  May he stay hot and start mashing some homers - just 1 to date does not cut it.  May I suggest push ups?

Gabe Ynoa continues his winning ways, sitting at 6-1, 2.40.  Just one mediocre start out of 10, spanning 64 IP.  Just 33 Ks, always puzzling as to his low K rate, considering how effective he is.

Sean Gilmartin had one gosh-awwwful start, but the other 8 have been mostly great, leaving him with a 5-2, 3.92 ERA record. A strikeout per inning is a plus.  A major leaguer stuck in the minors.

Johnny Monell started slowly, but went .333 with 10 ribbies in his last 10 games, and is up to .265. Go, Johnny, go.

Josh Edgin - no idea as to his recent velocity level. Results, though?  Great to date, mate.  In 18 games, spanning 13 innings, just 5 hits, one run, 18 Ks.  Stuck in Vegas purgatory until the Mets pen has a need or until/if he is swapped out for someone like Logan Verrett, who has rediscovered his homer-prone ways in Queens.

Rafael Montero has allowed just 5 earned runs over his last 4 relatively short starts. He has had an uncharacteristically high walk rate. Overall, 2-1, 3.98, 20 walks and 39 Ks in 40 IP.  1.55 WHIP so far is high, and needs to come down.

Danny Muno - he was just 1-23 and 3 walks through May 1. Danny never gives up, though, and during the rest of May he has gone 13-35 with 13 walks, a nice rebound that has his OBP up from nowhere  to .408.  Strong turnaround.

Below AAA, though, much less exciting action.

AA Binghamton is a well-deserved 19-29. With just 179 runs in 48 games, a mere 20 Dingers, and a .246 team average, the pitchers better be sharp.  They haven't been, though, tossing to a 4.21 ERA and allowing 210 runs.  In a moribund offense, Dom Smith has slid to .269.  Duda's back feels a little better seeing that…no imminent threat from Dom.

St. Lucie has split their 50 games.  Wuilmer Becerra has dipped to fall from a peak of .424 to .340 in 39 contests, with no homers and 10 doubles. Homers team-wise have been mighty scarce, occurring at a rate of 3 every 10 games for the Lucites.  Pitching has been solid overall, with a 3.34 team ERA, but with the team scoring just 3.7 runs per game, winning is tough.  Amed Rosario's early season extra base hit spree has halted as he has also slid but still is hitting .297.

Columbia is also at 25-25, despite a 40 run positive differential.  David Thompson sadly has been on the DL for 10 days and still leads the league with 40 RBIs.  Hopefully nothing long term there. Vinny Siena has a league leading .452 OBP, and PJ Conlon slipped to a marvelous 7-1, 1.42 when he allowed one bad pitch - a 3 run shot - in his last start.  It was only his 2nd pro homer allowed in 74 IP.

A special mention, before I sign off,  for Andrew Church, 2nd rounder in 2013, who pitched poorly through 2015 and then missed the first several weeks of 2016.  Low expectations from me at that point. 

He has now, however, made 2 starts, with stellar results: 12 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 15 K. May this constitute the beginning of a rapid progression for one Andrew Cody Church.

That's it for minor league excitement this week.  Kinda limited.  May next week be more exciting.