Binghamton Mets (0-0) at Akron Aeros (0-0) (Double-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Indians)
RHP Rafael Montero (0-0, ---) vs. RHP Danny Salazar (0-0, ---)
2012 IN REVIEW: In their 21st season, the 2012 B-Mets went 68-74 and finished 5th in the Eastern League Eastern Division, trailing first-place Trenton by 11.0 games. Four players who played in Binghamton last year made their Major League debuts with the New York Mets later in the season: LHP Josh Edgin, RHP Collin McHugh, RHP Elvin Ramirez, and LHP Robert Carson.
BINGHAMTON STARTING PITCHER: RHP Rafael Montero gets the ball on opening day for the B-Mets. Last season he split time between the Savannah Sand Gnats (Low-A) and the St. Lucie Mets (High-A). In Savannah, he allowed three earned runs or fewer in 11 of his 12 starts before being promoted in mid-June. He picked up 5 more wins in St. Lucie and finished the year with a combined 11-5 record and a 2.36 ERA. Montero also showed excellent control, finishing with 110 strikeouts and only 19 walks. Montero is ranked the #5 prospect in the Met’s system by Baseball America prior to the season. Rafael signed with the Mets as a non-drafted free agent in January 2011.
OPPOSING STARTING PITCHER: RHP Danny Salazar starts his first full season in Double-A. He was promoted to Akron in early August last year after 16 starts with the Carolina Mudcats (High-A). In just one month in Akron, Salazar went 4-0 with a 1.85 ERA in six starts. After giving up four earned runs in his first start against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, he allowed only three earned runs in his last 29.1 innings pitched. Salazar was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2006.
MEET THE METS: This year’s B-Met squad brings back 9 players that saw time in Binghamton last season. 15 players will be making their AA debut this season, all of whom ended 2012 in St. Lucie. Rhyne Hughes, who was signed as a free agent in February, played with Bowie last season. Hughes and Josh Rodriguez are the only two players on the Opening Day roster with MLB experience.
LOPEZ LEADS PUERTO RICO: B-Met manager Pedro Lopez led Criollos de Caguas to a 24-16 record and a Puerto Rico Winter League Championship during this past offseason. The championship allowed Lopez to manage Puerto Rico in the 2013 Caribbean Series in early February. The team finished 2-4 in the series.
OPENING DAY HISTORY: 2013 is the fourth consecutive season that the B-Mets face off against the Aeros on Opening Day. Akron has a 2-1 edge during that stretch, with Binghamton winning 1-0 in 2011. Last year, the B-Mets were defeated in a 4-0 shutout at NYSEG Stadium. In their 21-year history, Binghamton is 13-8 on Opening Day.
SOUTHPAW BULLPEN: The B-Mets bullpen holds four left-handed pitchers. Mark Cohoon and Chase Huchingson have both converted from starting roles in 2012. Cohoon is starting his fourth year as a B-Met, going 8-11 with a 3.62 ERA last season. Huchingson tallied eight wins last year with the St. Lucie Mets in their rotation. Adam Kolarek made a brief appearanace in Binghamton last year, but was primarily used in the back end of St. Lucie’s bullpen, converting on 18 save opportunities. Jack Leathersich combined for 38 games out of the pen for Savannah and St. Lucie last year.
LAST YEAR v. AKRON: The B-Mets went 5-9 against the Akron Aeros in 2012. All-time the B-Mets have gone 119-151 against Akron. In 1992 the B-Mets defeated the Canton-Akron Aeros in the Eastern League Championship to earn their first title. This season the B-Mets take on the Aeros 14 times over four series; in Akron from 4/4 to 4/7 and 8/22 to 8/25, and at NYSEG Stadium from 4/26 to 4/29 and 5/13 to 5/15.
NEXT GAME PREVIEW: The B-Mets continue this four-game series against the Akron Aeros tomorrow night at 6:35 PM. RHP Cory Mazzoni (0-0, —-) will start for the B-Mets against LHP T.J. House (0-0, —-).
"You always get a special kick on Opening Day, no matter how many you go through. You look forward to it like a birthday party when you're a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen." -Joe DiMaggio
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