2017 Winter Leagues | Final Report on Puerto Rico Winter League

Pitchers

RHP Wilfredo Boscan: 4-5, 5.89 ERA, 4.9 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, .333 Average Against

• 2017 is a certainly a season to forget for Boscan. After struggling through the rigors of the Pacific Coast League where he posted a 4-13 record with a 5.44 ERA, Boscan returned to los Aguilas de Zulia to be the staff ace of a club he's had success with for the last 6 seasons. Unfortunately, His poor luck followed him to Venezuela as he posted Foreign League career worsts in Hits and Earned Runs allowed. At one point in the season, after a string of poor performances, the club actually pulled him from the rotation to try an sort himself out. Boscan returned to the rotation in December, but was still ineffective posting only 1 quality start in his final 6 games started. At only 28 years old, Boscan should probably still be able to find work as organizational filler in the MiLB system, but, to date he has not been signed off of Minor League Free Agency.

RHP Jonathan Albaladejo: 5-6, 4.91 ERA, 5.2 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, .325 Average Against

• Albaladejo was the king of tip-toeing into and out of danger this year in the LVBP. Considering he allowed 98! total hits in only 73 IP and still managed to stay below a 5.00 ERA is quite amazing when you think about it. On top of that, the 35 year old did show signs of aging as his fastball velocity was reportedly down and the K/9 rate he posted was the lowest he's ever produced in any Foreign League or organized stateside season. As was expected, he was granted MiLB free agency after the Mets signed him from the Independent League to fill out the Las Vegas rotation. To date he has not received a minor league contract offer and could very well head back to the Bridgeport Bluefish if he wishes to continue his career. 

LHP Kevin Canelon: 0-0, 1.94 ERA, 6.2 K/9, 0.0 BB/9, .242 Average Against

• Chalk this one up as a player the Mets just let get away. Coming off of a successful season in (A+) Port St. Lucie, Canelon chose to declare MiLB free agency and to play Winter baseball to showcase his skills to other clubs in hopes of signing with an organization that would allow him to progress faster than the Mets were willing to allow him. Not only did Canelon pitch well.....he dominated the LVBP. In 13 appearances for los Tiburones de la Guaira, Canelon only allowed 1 ER and limited teams to 0 baserunners in 7 of those 13 appearances. Sure enough, after he declared free agency, only 1 week progressed before Canelon had himself a new contract with the Cincinnati Reds. 

LHP Alberto Baldonado: 0-1, 5.14 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 5.8 BB/9, .240 Average Against

• Don't let the stat line above fool you....Baldonado was one of the best RP this season in the LVBP. Of his 17 appearances this season, Baldonado held his opponents to 0 ER in 14 of them. As a matter of fact, if you take away this 1 appearance from November 26th, Baldonado would have posted a 1.35 ERA this season. The Chicago Cubs recognized the strong performance that he was showing in Venezuela and offered him a new minor league contract WITH an invitation to MLB camp. This could potentially set-up Baldonado with the opportunity to make his MLB debut sometime in 2018. Not bad for an unheralded international signing from Panama, a country that hasnt produced an MLB pitcher since Manny Acosta.

RHP Darwin Ramos: 0-2, 7.53 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 3.8 BB/9, .383 Average Against

• Ramos returned to his native Venezuela to participate in his 2nd Winter League season with los Navegantes del Magallanes. For the 2nd year in a row though, Ramos did not have much success as he was knocked around pretty frequently. Of his 13 appearances, Ramos only held opponents to 0 hits in 2 of them. He also allowed at least 1 ER in 7 of those 13 appearances as well. Ramos found himself deactivated by the club mid-way through November after only half a season. 

RHP Jenrry Mejia: 0-1, 3.86 ERA, 4.8 K/9, 11.6 BB/9, .242 Average Against

• Being suspended is tough. Not only does it prevent you from playing in the MLB, but you also cannot play baseball in the MiLB, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, or most US based Independent Leagues. Suspended players are allowed to participate in the Caribbean Winter Leagues though which is exactly what Mejia did.......IF a team is willing to take them. The LIDOM based Tigres del Licey, who own Mejia's winter contractual rights, refused to let him play so instead Mejia had to travel to Venezuela to play for los Navegantes del Magallanes. In the 6 appearances he made, Mejia had major control issues, walking 12 batters in 9.1 IP, however, according to reports, his velocity looked pretty good (sitting between 90-93mph) and the movement on his pitches were just like the Mejia of old.

Hitters

OF Wuilmer Becerra: .194 AVG, .488 OPS, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 32.4% K Rate, 2.7% BB rate

• After an extremely disappointing 2017 in Port St. Lucie (A+), we were all excited to see if Becerra could bounceback after 2 months of rest and recovery. We got even more excited after Becerra went deep in his debut for los Tigres de Aragua on November 5th and followed up with 2 more hits the next start he got. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there as Becerra posted a .143 Avg with a .310 OPS the rest of the way and called it quits after Thanksgiving. Becerra's career is at a cross-roads right now; he is 23 yrs old now, he has lost his spot on the 40 man roster, no one claimed him in the Rule 5 draft, he is approaching MiLB free agency, and he is now likely to be forced up to (AA) because of the college OF talent behind him. 2018 is likely his last chance to show that he can be any sort of future MLB contributor. 

2B Walter Rasquin: .083 AVG, .167 OPS, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 41.6% K Rate, 0.0% BB rate

• Rasquin was an interesting addition to the foreign ranks after playing 5 seasons in the lower levels of the Mets organization. With a very new IF roster for los Leones del Caracas, there was some thought that Rasquin could garner some part-time work. Instead, Rasquin mostly saw appearances as a pinch runner or as a throw in sub for blow out games. On the rare occasions that he did get ABs, he was clearly over-matched by the level of pitching that was present in the league this year. Granted, it's tough to get any sort of rythem going when you only appear in 9 games, with a month long break (did not play from 10/19 - 12/11) in between game appearances.

3B Kenny Hernandez: -- AVG, -- OPS, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0.0% K Rate, 0.0% BB rate

• Dear los Tigres de Aragua, Thanks for the tease.....lol. The #14 overall International Free Agent prospect from the 2014 class has been handled with kid's gloves so far in his career; having never appeared in a game above the Rookie ball level. So, to see his name pop up on a Venezuelan league roster in early October was an incredible surprise considering the league carries the talent equivalent of approximately a  (AA) team. Alas, the surprise was short lived as Hernandez only appeared in 1 game, scoring a run as a pinch runner on October 11th. 

C Natanael Ramos: Did Not Play

• Despite being an opening day addition on the Tigres de Aragua roster, Ramos never came off the reserve squad. He also declared MiLB free agency in November and is probably done with the Mets organization as a whole.

C Jose Garcia: Did Not Play

• Same as his teammate up. Opening Day inclusion on the Tigres roster. Never made an appearance. However, Garcia is still property of the Mets organization for at least 1 more year as he is not eligible for MiLB free agency until AFTER the 2018 season.

TRADE - RP Josh Smoker

The Mets have traded LHRP Josh Smoker to the Pittsburgh Pirates for LHP Daniel Zamora.

Zamora (will be 25-years old in April) came out of Stoney Brook U. and pitched last year primarily at the A+ level. His stat line was impressive:  37-appearances, 1.86, 9-saves, 53.1-IP, 61-K. WHIP a little high 17-BB, 1.22.

Pitched in two games at the AA level so I assume he will be assigned to Binghamton.  

Tom Brennan: THOUGHTS - KEITH LAW METS PROSPECT RANKINGS

Tom Brennan:

THOUGHTS - KEITH LAW METS PROSPECT RANKINGS

Minor league guru Keith Law just came out with his list of the top 23 minor leaguers in the Mets system.

I got antsy and did my list back in October and November. 

On many of his rankings, he and I were quite close. 

Here’s his Mets list, with my thoughts alongside:

KEITH LAW RANKING	TB #	COMMENTS
1.     LHP David Peterson	# 3	Hard for me to make him # 1 with just 3 innings of pro pitching, but his ceiling is very high.
2.     SS Andres Gimenez	# 2	Great minds think alike!
3.     RHP Justin Dunn	# 14	I hope he deserves Keith's # 3; I was disappointed that after a bad season start, Dunn got better, but then struggled again.  I hope for a big 2018 here, though.
4.     1B Peter Alonso	# 1	His high-powered bat has me overweighting him as my # 1.  He is Amazon, and folks will see it in 2018.
5.     SS Mark Vientos	# 7	I think he could be a top 5 prospect this time next year.  Showed real promise in 2017.
6.     LHP Anthony Kay	# 19	No pro innings pitched yet, and TJS, so I started him lower ranked.  Hopefully a top 5 this time next year.
7.     LHP Thomas Szapucki	# 4	Great arm if he fully heals from TJS and returns like an ace in 2019.
8.     OF Desmond Lindsay	# 11	I am still highly confident in him IF AND ONLY IF he finally can stay healthy.  A starting Mets OF by 2020 if he does.
9.     SS Ronny Mauricio	NR	Just me, but until a guy gets in a pro game, I prefer to only rank guys above age 16 who have played.  Next year, Ronny!
10.  RHP Jordan Humphreys	# 20	Great 2017 season in A ball, but TJS which will cost him all of 2018 pushed him, for me, out of the top 10.
11.  RHP Chris Flexen	MLB	Technically still rookie-eligible, but he was on the Mets more than a third of last season, and only came under in innings due to getting shelled.  I consider him a major leaguer, though, who may still need some time in the minors, so I promoted him.
12.  SS Gavin Cecchini	# 15	May he hit like 2016 and field like 2017 in 2018.
13.  SS Luis Guillorme	# 10	Great field, but his bat as MLB caliber is still a question mark.  My rank is close to Mr. Law’s.
14.  RHP Marcos Molina	# 8	Last year was his post-TJS readjustment year, and we see the real, better Molina in 2018, so I had him ranked higher.
15.  RHP Tyler Bashlor	# 6	I don’t discount relievers as much as most prospect rankers do, since guys like Jantsen, Familia, Miller, etc. are MLB relievers with huge team impacts, and I think Tyler is going to be REAL good in the pen.
16.  C Tomas Nido	# 17	We’d both have him higher if this catcher hit better.
17.  3B Jhoan Urena	# 13	Keith is probably right here.  I gave Urena the benefit of the doubt at # 13, perhaps too much.
18.  C Patrick Mazeika	# 16	We’d both have this catcher higher if he was better defensively.  Some wonder if he will show power, too.
19.  OF Quinn Brodey	NR	Disappointed me last year on a hitting-starved Cyclones team, but hope he’s in my top 10 this fall.  63 Ks in 63 games without power made me not want to shoehorn him into my top 25 last fall.
20.  3B David Thompson	# 22	Being ranked that (relatively) low by both of us certainly acknowledges he has talent, but I am unclear (speaking for myself) if there is enough total talent to be an impact major league starting 3B.
21.  RHP Corey Oswalt	# 5	I understand Keith’s lower ranking; my gut says that Oswalt surprises us again in 2018 so I had him higher.
22.  RHP Gerson Bautista	# 21	We were close on ranking this high velocity arm.  Let's see if he can harness that 100 MPH stuff better in 2018 and, if so, rush to the big leagues.
23.  SS Gregory Guerrero	NR	Talent is most likely there, and he had injuries that messed up his 2017, but I want to see him actually hit like cousin Vlad Jr. before I put him in my top 25.

NR – was not ranked in my Top 25

MLB – I consider him a major leaguer already, even if technically still ROY-eligible.

01/30/2018 Winter League Results | Aguilas and Tigres Split Doubleheader, Game 7 Needed to Determine LIDOM Champion

Arizona Fall League (AFL)

- Completed on November 18th

(Recap can be found here.) 

Mexican Pacific League Championship (LMP)

- Completed on January 28th

(Recap can be found here.)

Venezuelan Winter League Championship (LVBP)

- Completed on January 27th

(Recap can be found here.)

Dominican Winter League Championship (LIDOM)

- Tigres del Licey 2 - 5 Aguilas Cibaenas [Cibaenas Lead Series 3-2]

- Tigres del Licey 4 - 3 Aguilas Cibaenas [Series Tied at 3-3]

Roberto Clemente Puerto Rican League Championship (LBPRC)

- Completed on January 27th

Reese Kaplan -- Giving Sandy Benefit of Doubt

Yesterday I gave Sandy Alderson a deserved hard time regarding his holistically poor approach to building a competitive ballclub.  Today I’d like to take the glass half-full position and look at what may be behind the strategy he’s taken to assembling the 2018 team that hopes to dethrone the Washington Nationals from atop the NL East.  If the familiar path is chosen once again, he will either add or subtract players in July.

First Base

Dom Smith certainly looked a bit overmatched in his extended first trial in the majors, finishing with a .198 batting average.  Ironically, that same struggle didn’t seem to mean anything when it was Jose Reyes and Curtis Granderson who had horrific long stretches to begin a season, but he felt it might be prudent to give Smith more time to hone his craft in the minors.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing for a 22 year old.  This time around he has backup solutions in Jay Bruce and Wilmer Flores should scrap heap pick Adrian Gonzalez suffer from ill health or diminished abilities.  It may also well be that after a few months in AAA Smith proves he’s ready to handle the rigors of day-to-day duty.

Second Base

Right now this position is a great unknown.  Allegedly both Jose Reyes and Wilmer Flores are slated to be utility players and not starters, so there may be another move up Sandy’s sleeve.  Also waiting in the wings is T.J. Rivera who has demonstrated a solid bat and room will have to be made for him to be a part of the 25 man roster once his arm is sufficiently healed to handle the rigors of major league play. 

Shortstop

While Amed Rosario did not make anyone forget Corey Seager or Carlos Correa, his performance in the minors and his raw athleticism make people more lenient and hopeful about him than they were about his AAA teammate who was promoted last year.  The club does have some depth here with Jose Reyes, Asdrubal Cabrera and even Wilmer Flores available to fill in should injury or sophomore slump demand a change at the position. 

Third Base

Very few people argued about Asdrubal Cabrera’s offensive potential, and the ongoing uncertainty about David Wright made picking up his option a relatively sure thing.  Cabrera’s defense is not what it once was, and he’s missed quite a few games with assorted minor injuries since coming to the Mets.   While he’s not likely to provide David Wright level of production with his bat, he’s above league average.  Lately Cabrera has voiced the opinion he’d now actually prefer playing second base which could be a good thing if it means one of the free agent third baseman is preferable to the free agent second basemen still on the market, or it could be a distraction if the club truly wants to improve its defense up the middle. 

Catcher

I’m one of the very few who is taking a “leave well enough alone” stance regarding the catching position.  The aggregate numbers from the four-headed catching last year were in the top five in the game.  Yes, Travis d’Arnaud could be a better defensive catcher with a better throwing arm and Kevin Plawecki could ideally generate more power.  However, the tandem should be fine. 

Outfield

If Yoenis Cespedes is healthy, everyone knows what he is capable of doing.  The return of Jay Bruce ensures another solid middle-of-the-order bat to help score some runs.  Centerfield is a bit of a challenge until Michael Conforto returns to play out of position.  Now he didn’t embarrass himself in Todd Hundley fashion playing the outfield, but he’s no Juan Lagares out there either.  Unfortunately Juan Lagares has not yet established a consistent offensive side to his game to accompany his awesome arm and golden glove.  Brandon Nimmo is the interesting wildcard in this equation.  A lot has been written about his patience at the plate and apparently other clubs have noticed his potential.  It should shape up to be an interesting battle in spring training to see which of the two healthy options gets the lion’s share of play in centerfield until Conforto can swing the bat again. 

Starting Pitching

It’s no accident that the man hired to replace Terry Collins was known as a pitching whisperer.  Alderson knows that the Mets need to score enough runs to win games if their staff can perform to their potential and hold the opponents to 4 or fewer runs per game.   Even more than the injuries to Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto, it was the failures of the pitching staff due to injuries that led to the dismal record in 2017.  Here, however, it’s a little more difficult to cut Alderson some slack because his plan is to rub a lucky rabbit’s foot that Jacob deGrom will remain healthy, and Steve Matz, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler will somehow manage to stay healthy all year.  Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman both had some injury issues as well, and Rafael Montero was simply ineffective.  Most fans would be much happier if Sandy can land a bonafide and healthy starting pitcher to join the Fab Five who have yet to make a full turn through the rotation.  Yes, it would be a great things for all of the planned starters to be both healthy and effective, but having the foresight to anticipate injuries and perhaps render one of the five starters available in high leverage relief situations would help win ballgames.

Bullpen

According to reports Mickey Callaway is considering a different approach to the back end of ballgames by not designating a traditional closer and instead using the most effective arm in any given situation.  Towards that end the top four relievers – Jeurys Familia, AJ Ramos, Jerry Blevins and Anthony Swarzak – are a very good start.  The remaining 4 slots (assuming an 8-man bullpen) will be decided in spring training. 

Important Dates

When the season starts, the club as it’s currently constituted will only have four traditional outfielders.  Michael Conforto will likely be on the disabled list which means a versatile player like Jose Reyes will be the emergency fifth outfielder.  When Michael Conforto returns, an important roster decision will have to be made.  Do they go with the traditional five-outfielder roster configuration?  If so, who gets dropped?  Will it be the 8^th reliever?  Will it be someone on a short leash like Adrian Gonzalez who gets a month or so to show what he’s still capable of doing?

The next major decision will come when T.J. Rivera is again ready to join the team.  Who would go in that case?  Assuming there is one more infielder to come, it’s not likely going to be Reyes, Flores, Cabrera or that hypothetical ballplayer.

The third player to watch is Dom Smith.  If, through the first month or so of the AAA season, he’s tearing the cover off the ball, what do they do?  The investment in Adrian Gonzalez is minimal and he represents a bridge to the future which may occur sooner than anticipated.  (What that would mean for Pete Alonso is another matter entirely). 

For all of the frustration (and outright hostility) fans feel about how little Alderson has done to improve the club, he still has the chance to change people’s minds between now and opening day by addressing the need for another infielder, perhaps another veteran bullpen arm like Tony Watson, and perhaps a solid starter.  All we can do is wait and see.  

2017 Winter Leagues | Final Report on Venezuela Winter League

Pitchers

RHP Wilfredo Boscan: 4-5, 5.89 ERA, 4.9 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, .333 Average Against

• 2017 is a certainly a season to forget for Boscan. After struggling through the rigors of the Pacific Coast League where he posted a 4-13 record with a 5.44 ERA, Boscan returned to los Aguilas de Zulia to be the staff ace of a club he's had success with for the last 6 seasons. Unfortunately, His poor luck followed him to Venezuela as he posted Foreign League career worsts in Hits and Earned Runs allowed. At one point in the season, after a string of poor performances, the club actually pulled him from the rotation to try an sort himself out. Boscan returned to the rotation in December, but was still ineffective posting only 1 quality start in his final 6 games started. At only 28 years old, Boscan should probably still be able to find work as organizational filler in the MiLB system, but, to date he has not been signed off of Minor League Free Agency.

RHP Jonathan Albaladejo: 5-6, 4.91 ERA, 5.2 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, .325 Average Against

• Albaladejo was the king of tip-toeing into and out of danger this year in the LVBP. Considering he allowed 98! total hits in only 73 IP and still managed to stay below a 5.00 ERA is quite amazing when you think about it. On top of that, the 35 year old did show signs of aging as his fastball velocity was reportedly down and the K/9 rate he posted was the lowest he's ever produced in any Foreign League or organized stateside season. As was expected, he was granted MiLB free agency after the Mets signed him from the Independent League to fill out the Las Vegas rotation. To date he has not received a minor league contract offer and could very well head back to the Bridgeport Bluefish if he wishes to continue his career. 

LHP Kevin Canelon: 0-0, 1.94 ERA, 6.2 K/9, 0.0 BB/9, .242 Average Against

• Chalk this one up as a player the Mets just let get away. Coming off of a successful season in (A+) Port St. Lucie, Canelon chose to declare MiLB free agency and to play Winter baseball to showcase his skills to other clubs in hopes of signing with an organization that would allow him to progress faster than the Mets were willing to allow him. Not only did Canelon pitch well.....he dominated the LVBP. In 13 appearances for los Tiburones de la Guaira, Canelon only allowed 1 ER and limited teams to 0 baserunners in 7 of those 13 appearances. Sure enough, after he declared free agency, only 1 week progressed before Canelon had himself a new contract with the Cincinnati Reds. 

LHP Alberto Baldonado: 0-1, 5.14 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 5.8 BB/9, .240 Average Against

• Don't let the stat line above fool you....Baldonado was one of the best RP this season in the LVBP. Of his 17 appearances this season, Baldonado held his opponents to 0 ER in 14 of them. As a matter of fact, if you take away this 1 appearance from November 26th, Baldonado would have posted a 1.35 ERA this season. The Chicago Cubs recognized the strong performance that he was showing in Venezuela and offered him a new minor league contract WITH an invitation to MLB camp. This could potentially set-up Baldonado with the opportunity to make his MLB debut sometime in 2018. Not bad for an unheralded international signing from Panama, a country that hasnt produced an MLB pitcher since Manny Acosta.

RHP Darwin Ramos: 0-2, 7.53 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 3.8 BB/9, .383 Average Against

• Ramos returned to his native Venezuela to participate in his 2nd Winter League season with los Navegantes del Magallanes. For the 2nd year in a row though, Ramos did not have much success as he was knocked around pretty frequently. Of his 13 appearances, Ramos only held opponents to 0 hits in 2 of them. He also allowed at least 1 ER in 7 of those 13 appearances as well. Ramos found himself deactivated by the club mid-way through November after only half a season. 

RHP Jenrry Mejia: 0-1, 3.86 ERA, 4.8 K/9, 11.6 BB/9, .242 Average Against

• Being suspended is tough. Not only does it prevent you from playing in the MLB, but you also cannot play baseball in the MiLB, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, or most US based Independent Leagues. Suspended players are allowed to participate in the Caribbean Winter Leagues though which is exactly what Mejia did.......IF a team is willing to take them. The LIDOM based Tigres del Licey, who own Mejia's winter contractual rights, refused to let him play so instead Mejia had to travel to Venezuela to play for los Navegantes del Magallanes. In the 6 appearances he made, Mejia had major control issues, walking 12 batters in 9.1 IP, however, according to reports, his velocity looked pretty good (sitting between 90-93mph) and the movement on his pitches were just like the Mejia of old.

Hitters

OF Wuilmer Becerra: .194 AVG, .488 OPS, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 32.4% K Rate, 2.7% BB rate

• After an extremely disappointing 2017 in Port St. Lucie (A+), we were all excited to see if Becerra could bounceback after 2 months of rest and recovery. We got even more excited after Becerra went deep in his debut for los Tigres de Aragua on November 5th and followed up with 2 more hits the next start he got. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there as Becerra posted a .143 Avg with a .310 OPS the rest of the way and called it quits after Thanksgiving. Becerra's career is at a cross-roads right now; he is 23 yrs old now, he has lost his spot on the 40 man roster, no one claimed him in the Rule 5 draft, he is approaching MiLB free agency, and he is now likely to be forced up to (AA) because of the college OF talent behind him. 2018 is likely his last chance to show that he can be any sort of future MLB contributor. 

2B Walter Rasquin: .083 AVG, .167 OPS, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 41.6% K Rate, 0.0% BB rate

• Rasquin was an interesting addition to the foreign ranks after playing 5 seasons in the lower levels of the Mets organization. With a very new IF roster for los Leones del Caracas, there was some thought that Rasquin could garner some part-time work. Instead, Rasquin mostly saw appearances as a pinch runner or as a throw in sub for blow out games. On the rare occasions that he did get ABs, he was clearly over-matched by the level of pitching that was present in the league this year. Granted, it's tough to get any sort of rythem going when you only appear in 9 games, with a month long break (did not play from 10/19 - 12/11) in between game appearances.

3B Kenny Hernandez: -- AVG, -- OPS, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0.0% K Rate, 0.0% BB rate

• Dear los Tigres de Aragua, Thanks for the tease.....lol. The #14 overall International Free Agent prospect from the 2014 class has been handled with kid's gloves so far in his career; having never appeared in a game above the Rookie ball level. So, to see his name pop up on a Venezuelan league roster in early October was an incredible surprise considering the league carries the talent equivalent of approximately a  (AA) team. Alas, the surprise was short lived as Hernandez only appeared in 1 game, scoring a run as a pinch runner on October 11th. 

C Natanael Ramos: Did Not Play

• Despite being an opening day addition on the Tigres de Aragua roster, Ramos never came off the reserve squad. He also declared MiLB free agency in November and is probably done with the Mets organization as a whole.

C Jose Garcia: Did Not Play

• Same as his teammate up. Opening Day inclusion on the Tigres roster. Never made an appearance. However, Garcia is still property of the Mets organization for at least 1 more year as he is not eligible for MiLB free agency until AFTER the 2018 season.