Aderlin Rodriguez, Jon Niese, Armondo Rodriguez, Beck Wheeler, Brandon Nimmo

It looks like 3B Aderlin Rodriguez is finally getting out of his hitting funk. A-Rod went 1-3 last night, raising his batting average to a season high .223. More importantly, he’s hitting .342 for the past ten games. He also has nine home runs through a miserable first half of the season. We have to remember he’s still only 19 years old, so expect the new Mets regime to let him play the entire year, and maybe next year, in Savannah.




You know, in the all the bitching and moaning I’ve done about not drafting the final piece of my “dream team” rotation, I’ve never considered that Jon Niese just may be that piece of the puzzle. He’s pitching his second season as part of the Mets rotation and he’s still only 24-years old. Lifetime major stats: 17-17, 4.12, but this year alone stands at: 6-5, 3.46. More important, since May 18th, he’s 4-1 with the majors 2nd best ERA, 1.58.



Armondo Rodriguez got off to a slow start this season coming out of extended camp. A-Rod went 8-9, 3.08, 27-starts, 152-K, 146.0-IP last season for Savannah, and only had his fourth start last night for St. Lucie. He did well: 5.0-IP, 10-K, 1-BB. He’s sitting on a 2.65 ERA and we can expect him to stick around in the Lucy rotation this season.




Two UC Santa Barbara baseball pitchers signed free agent deals in the last week following the Major League Draft. Greg Davis, a 6-foot-4 right-hander, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. Beck Wheeler, a 6-foot-3 right-hander, signed with the New York Mets. Wheeler signed with the Mets as a pitcher, a role that he accepted this season after not having pitched in quite some time. However the righty appeared in four games, posted a 2.25 ERA and showed flashes of brilliance to go along with a fastball in the low 90s. Wheeler had also played third base and shortstop for the Gauchos and as a junior was one of the team's best hitters. "I had an opportunity to work out in front of one of their scouts and things went well," Wheeler said. "Pitching is still relatively new to me, but I think the Mets' organization felt that was a good thing because I can learn to pitch the way they would like me to. This is very exciting and I can't wait to get on the mound." - http://www.ksby.com/news/two-gauchos-sign-contracts-with-mlb-teams




6-14-11: - http://www.minorleagueball.com/2011/6/14/2222649/2011-mlb-draft-new-york-mets-review#storyjump  - 1) Brandon Nimmo, OF, Wyoming HS: He'll want a lot of money to skip college ball at Arkansas, but I think it is worth it. He's got above average tools across the board, good plate discipline, and more polish than we have any right to expect given his background.