Clay Ramsey - Kingsport Mets Season Recap

Some would call this season another failure, but I wouldn't. There were some good things that came from a season with a losing record. The Kingsport Mets finished at 29-37, 8 games under .500. However, this team was one of the best hitting teams I've seen since I started covering Kingsport Mets baseball (2009). There were 4 Kingsport Mets over the course of the season who hit over .300. Edgardo Fermin (.352), Rigoberto Terrazas (.348), Wagner Lagrange (.335), and Juan Uriarte (.305). The power for the Kingsport Mets came from Anthony Dirocie, who hit 11 Home Runs, followed by Jeremy Vasquez with 7, and Juan Uriarte with 5. Rigoberto Terrazas and Wagner Lagrange earned Post-Season Appalachian League All-Star Honors.

The Kingsport Mets, however, had poor overall pitching. The bullpen had some strength, but the starting rotation faced many problems having a combined average ERA of 4.85. The bullpen, although not much better statistically looked much better than the starting rotation (combined average ERA of 4.68). 4 of Kingsport's 11 Relievers had ERA's above 4.00.

Kingsport finished 4th in the Appalachian League West at 29-37, which was 11.0 games behind the 1st Place Elizabethton Twins. The KMets were 13-19 on the road, and 16-18 at home. As an onlooker, the team looked much more comfortable at home.

As for the 2017 Draft Class, over the course of the year Kingsport saw 11 of the 32 signed draftees; 7 pitchers and 4 position players.

Pitcher Grade: B+

Stephen Villines, RHP Kansas (10th Round)

This man was filthy in the Appalachian League with his deceptive delivery (Submarine-like). He posted a 2-1 record, 1.08 ERA in 8 Games Pitched in 8.1 IP. He had a ridiculous K/BB ratio (11/0). This stellar performance earned him a call-up to the Brooklyn Cyclones on July 29.

Aaron Ford, LHP- Tennessee Wesleyan (21st Round)

Ford also had a stellar Appalachian League season posting a record of 1-2 in 10 games. In those 10 games he posted a 1.17 ERA, in 15.1 IP, to go along with 2 saves and a K/BB ratio of 24/4. The Houston, Texas native earned a promotion to the Columbia Fireflies on August 22nd.

Joshua Payne, RHP- West Texas A&M (22nd Round)

An imposing figure on the mound (6'6" 260 LBS), Payne also had a really good Appalachian League Campaign. Payne was 0-1 in 9 games with a 3.31 ERA throwing 16.1 Innings. He also racked up 25 strikeouts to only 4 walks.

Joe Cavallaro, RHP- South Florida (24th Round)

Cavallaro was the only drafted pitcher to start in Kingsport; he started 5 games of the 11 he pitched in. His combined ERA was 2.34 in 34.2 IP. His K/BB ratio was 35/10.

Billy Oxford, RHP- Azusa Pacific (27th Round)

Oxford looked a little shaky to begin the year, but settled in as the year went on. He compiled 29 strikeouts in 14 games pitching in 24.0 innings with a 3.75 ERA. He also picked up a save.

Ryan Selmer, RHP- Maryland (31st Round)

Selmer, a more imposing figure than Payne (6'8" 220 LBS) had an amazing Appalachian League season with 2 saves, and a 2.14 ERA in 14 games with 8 strikeouts and 11 walks in 21.0 IP. For a 31st Rounder, he looked pretty good.

Mac Lozer, RHP- Michigan (33rd Round)

Lozer led the team in saves with 3, as there wasn't a bona fide closer. Loser had the worst season of the drafted relievers statistically as he compiled a 2-1 Record in 16 games with a 4.30 ERA, pitching 23.0 innings giving up 9 walks, but striking out 20.

Hitter Grade: B+

Mark Vientos, SS- American Heritage High School (FL) (2nd Round)

A late season call up from the Gulf Coast League Mets, Vientos got to play in the last 4 games of the season as the shortstop for the KMets. In those 4 games he hit .294 with 0 Home runs and 2 RBIs and provided good defense in these games. I expect him to start in Brooklyn next year.

Raphael Gladu, OF- Louisiana Tech (16th Round)

The Canadian-born outfielder had a quietly good season for the KMets. He had a slash line of .269/.342/.369 in 36 games. Gladu hit 2 HRs, 5 2Bs, and 1 3B to go along with 14 RBIs and 2 Stolen Bases in 2 Attempts. He also showed above-average defense playing corner outfield.

Gavin Garay, 1B- St. Petersburg College (26th Round)

Garay struggled for most of the year hitting under .200; problems with keeping an eye on the ball. He hit a hot streak late in the season and finished at .246 and compiled his 3 home runs in that streak. He also picked up 13 RBIs, but struck out 47 times.

Jeremy Vasquez, 1B- Nova Southeastern (28th Round)

Vasquez was arguably the best position player from the draft this year for the Mets. He provided a big offensive spark for the Kingsport Mets as he hit .296 in 36 games before getting the call-up to Brooklyn on August 5th. For Kingsport he hit 7 bombs, and drove in 30. If he improves his slightly below average defense, he could find himself in the Mets Top 30 Prospects in the future.

Overall Pitching Grade: C-
Overall Hitting Grade: A-

Hopefully the pitching improves and the bats stay hot for next year's team and maybe, just maybe, we can have a playoff run in 2018!