Tom Brennan - METS MINORS STUDS AND DUDS

Tom Brennan - METS MINORS STUDS AND DUDS

In Queens, the Mets' supposed studs have been playing like duds, and the season may have just crashed with a thud.


But this article, thankfully, is about the Mets minors, folks.


Now that the minor league season is about 1/7th complete, clearer patterns emerge as to who is a Mets Minors Stud (someone whose performance makes you say "WOW") and who is a Met Minors Dud (performing below expectations or just plain lousy, making one simply say "UGH")!

Who are the STUDS?  I count 17, give or take:

MERANDY GONZALEZ - 4 starts, 4-0, 0.00 ERA, 15 H, 3 BB, 23 K.  Gonzalez started his career in the DSL IN 2013. This year, the 21 year old, 6'1". 195 eighty is just way too good for his league.

JORDAN HUMPHREYS - 4 starts, 4-0, 1.42, 34 K, 15 H, 3 BB in 25.1 IP. the 6'2", 225 eighty has a problem with hitters making contact, clearly. I am a big fan of guys who fan guys

Both deserve a promotion to St Lucie shortly. 

 

They are the 2 TOP STUDS so far.  Gold Standard.

TIM TEBOW - he has had a STUD stretch over his last 6 games, in which he went 9 for 20 with 2 doubles, a triple, and just 3 Ks.  More of that progress, and it will be time to move him up to St Lucie. 2 early season dingers remind us this isn't your typical punch-and-Judy Mets hitting prospect. 

Tebow is like Rocky Balboa - the critics have pummeled him mercilessly on the ropes...now it's Tim's turn to pummel back.

MATT BLACKHAM - at the end of the day, you want pen guys who can fan hitters.  Back from Tommy John, the diminutive eighty has fanned 16 in 10 IP, allowing just a run on 5 hits. The Fireflies Flinger had fanned 67 in 50 career innings pre-TJS.  FLAME ON!

PAT MAZELKA - lefty hitting St Lucie catcher/1B is hitting .293/.382/.500 with 14 RBIs in 16 games and 3 HRs. Career .325/.427/.472, and he makes consistent contact.

WUILMER BECERRA - in St Lucie, in 19 G, .320/.388/.453, but his 24 Ks in those 19 games is somewhat troubling.

JHOAN URENA - rebounding from 2 bad years, he is hitting an excellent .343.  But 5 errors in 15 games is an indicator that he is still far from a Gold Glover. 98 career errors in 335 games in the field.  His favorite kitchen utensil is a sieve.

ANTHONY DIMINO - hitting .439 in 11 games, and .334 career, and the Mets don't have his picture yet on his MILB stat sheet???  Shame on you, boys.  Get this stud's mug shot where it belongs.

LUIS GUILLORME - dude can play D and is hitting .313 in his Rumble Ponies debut. Fellow IF KEVIN TAYLOR has hit a very nice .333/.407 OBP so far.

TIM PETERSON, AL BALDONADO, KYLE REGNAULT - terrific trio in the Rumble PoNies bullpen so far. May the unabashed excellence continue.

AMED ROSARIO AND DOM SMITH - we all know these 2 STUDS are really hitting, so I will spare you their gaudy stats.

TRAVIS TAIJERON - .304/.388/.522. Good, but he needs to somehow do a few notches better still if he is to earn a big league promotion someday.

TYLER PILL - Pill on the Hill has an ERA of 0.00.  Pill in the batters box is hitting .667.  Stud until he proves otherwise.  AAA/AAAA until he proves otherwise, too.

PAUL SEWALD - no Stud list is ever complete without Paul.  After a shaky major league debut, he is dominating in AAA: 1-0, 2.35, 3 of 4 saves, 1.04 WHIP, 11 Ks in 7.2 IP. STUD.

DUDS?  
 

There are a bunch of hitters still under .200, most unnamed here, but here are guys who are disappointing DUDS so far:

JUSTIN DUNN - last year's first rounder has really struggled in St Lucie: in 4 starts, JD allowed 26 hits and 9 walks in 20 innings, a 6.30 ERA, and rung up a paltry 9 Ks. Far below the standards set by STUDS Gonzalez and Humphreys so far.

VINNY SIENA - hitting .118 with 25 Ks in 51 AB.  Siena is President of the Jose Reyes Fan Club. Kidding aside, his 3 for 7 with just 1 K in the past 2 games shows there is hope.

TOMAS NIDO - last year's FSL bat champ is a bat chump so far in 2017, hitting .167 in 11 games.

CHAMP STUART - how can a guy who is 9 for 9 in steals in 15 games be a DUD? Hits just .196, that's why.  Career .225 hitter who fans too much.  Career .199 hitter in AA, in close to 250 at bats.  

Speed's a terrible thing to waste; figure it out, Champ. Put the ball in play more - go "small ball" for a potentially big career.  Maybe he is starting to adjust - just 7 Ks in his last 32 plate appearances over 10 games.

GAVIN CECCHINI - hit .325 in Vegas last year, just .231 so far this year.  That said, he started slow last year, too.

DAVE ROSEBOOM - last year's AA relief stud encounters Vegas Hell: 12.27 ERA in 8 relief outings.  So far, the only relief he has provided is to opposing hitters.  He ROSE quickly through the ranks, then BOOM!

Here's hoping this STUD writer didn't just pen a DUD article.

 

So I covered Studs and Duds...but...
The Sleeper in the picture above? 
That's me, and that's what I do best. 

 

HAVE A GREAT DAY, ALL YOU STUDS OUT THERE.