Binghamton Mets 2013 Game Notes

Binghamton Mets (50-29) vs. Altoona Curve (36-46) (Double-A Affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates)

RHP Erik Goeddel (7-2, 3.72) vs. RHP Nick Kingham (1-1, 3.50)

Monday, July 1, 2013 • Game #82 • Home Game #42

NYSEG Stadium • Binghamton, NY • 6:35 PM

LAST GAME: The B-Mets defeated the Trenton Thunder, 5-4 in the series finale Sunday afternoon at NYSEG Stadium. Trenton’s Ramon Floresled the game off with a home run against Noah Syndergaard, but the B-Met offense responded immediately. They took a 4-1 lead in the third highlighted by home runs by Cesar Puello and Richard Lucas. Syndergaard left the game after five innings. The righty struck out nine in a no-decision. In the sixth, Francisco Arcia tied the game with a three-run home run, but Puello gave the B-Mets the lead with an RBI single in the sixth. Jim Fullergave up the home run to tie it, but picked up the win on the mound. Jeff Walters earned his 20th save of the season.

BINGHAMTON STARTER: RHP Erik Goeddel makes his 15th start of the season for the B-Mets, and his second against Altoona. On May 28th, he got a no-decision after tossing six innings of three-run baseball. In June, Goeddel went 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA in four starts. He has won each of his last six decisions, and Binghamton is 11-3 in his starts this season. In his last start, he threw seven shutout innings in a 3-0 victory over the Portland Sea Dogs.

ALTOONA STARTER: RHP Nick Kingham makes his third start of the season for the Curve. He began the season with Bradenton (High-A), and went 6-3 with a 3.09 ERA in 13 starts. He was promoted in mid-June to Altoona. In his debut vs. Trenton on June 15, he threw 5.2 shutout innings in a win. His last outing was a relief appearance on June 25 vs New Britain. He threw 6.0 innings and gave up two runs and two hits. Kingham was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 draft by the Pirates out of Sierra Vista HS (NV).

HISTORICAL JUNE: Binghamton finished up the month of June with a 19-5 record. Five losses matches the fewest for one month in franchise history (twice before). On June 1, the B-Mets were tied with the Portland Sea Dogs and Trenton Thunder for first place in the Eastern Division. The B-Mets now have a 9.0 game lead in the division, which matches the biggest lead they have had in 2013. Cesar Puello led the league in batting average (.441), home runs (8), and RBI (24).

21 OVER .500: Binghamton currently has the best record in the Eastern League. They are 50-29, and are 21 games over .500 since August 13, 2004 (70-49). If Binghamton wins on Monday, they will be 22 games over .500 for the first time since 8/11/04.

50 WINS: Sunday’s win was the 50th win for the B-Mets this season. This is the fewest games it has ever taken Binghamton to reach 50 wins in franchise history (79 games). 2013 is also the first season in franchise history where the B-Mets have won 50 games before July 1.

ANOTHER SERIES WIN: Sunday’s victory sealed the 10th straight series win for the B-Mets. The stretch began May 24-27 vs. Portland when Binghamton won three out of four games. Binghamton has either won or split each of the past 14 series. The B-Mets have not lost a series since May 6-8.

ONE-RUN GAMES: Sunday was the second consecutive win by one run. In one-run games this season, Binghamton is 15-7. That is the best winning percentage of any team in the league.

20TH SAVE FOR WALTERS: B-Met closer Jeff Walters recorded his 20th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning on Sunday. Walters is 20-for-22 in save chances this season, and leads the league in that category. His last save tied him for fifth in B-Met history for saves in a season. He is the first B-Met to record at least 20 saves in a season since Eddie Kunz earned 27 saves in 2008. The franchise record for saves in a season is 28 byJerad Riggan in 2000.

NEXT GAME PREVIEW: The B-Mets continue their three-game series against the Altoona Curve on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM as LHP Darin Gorski takes the bump for Binghamton against RHP Jameson Taillion.

Fort Myers 4 - St. Lucie 1

Mets Fall to Fort Myers 4-1

FORT MYERS, FLA. — Byron Buxton had three hits and scored three runs and Kennys Vargas had two hits and two RBIs as the Fort Myers Miracle defeated the St. Lucie Mets 4-1 in a rain shortened six-inning game at Hammond Stadium on Sunday.

The Miracle had a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning when the game was called due to rain.

Rainy Lara(2-3) suffered his third loss and allowed three runs and six hits over five innings.

T.J. Rivera had two hits and a run scored while Matt den Dekker had an RBI double.

The Mets will visit Fort Myers on Monday at 7:05 p.m. Domingo Tapia will make the start for the Mets. press release 

Savannah 2 - West Virginia 1

In a series dominated by pitching, the Gnats picked up enough big hits to take three of four from the Rome Braves. Sunday, in the bottom of the 10^th, 1B Cole Frenzel bounced a single through left side to drive home SS Philip Evans with the winning run to give the Gnats a 2-1 victory.

It was the second time this year that Frenzel delivered a game-winning single in the Gnats' final turn at bat at home on a Sunday. He lined a single to left field to give the Gnats a 4-3 win over the West Virginia Power on April 28.

Evans, who has hit safely in six of his last seven games, began the winning rally with a clean single into centerfield. After 2B Yucary De La Cruz popped up a bunt attempt, CF Brandon Nimmo blooped a single into shallow left and LF Kyle Johnson was hit by a pitch, to load the bases with one out. After LF Stefan Sabol struck out, Frenzel poked his game winner past Braves' SS Jose Peraza.

The Braves (3-8/39-41) scored the game's first run in the top of the seventh inning when C Chase Anselment blasted his first homerun of the year over the right field wall against Gnats' starter Luis Cessa. Cessa went 6.2 innings, allowing just one run on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

The Gnats (5-5/48-31) evened the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth. Nimmo lined a single into right field, stole second and scored on Johnson's single up the middle.

Rome starter Wes Parsons struck out a personal season-high nine batters while allowing just three hits in his six shutout innings.

Savannah reliever Beck Wheeler earned his first win of the year for a 1-2-3 top of the 10^th inning. press release 

Ernest Dove - Zack Wheeler is no Matt Harvey, yet?

   

What are we to make of Zack Wheeler's Citi Field debut? He could still strike people out. He still has the same 'stuff' everyone has been talking about since they got em. But something has been happening over the past 2 starts.

Maybe its the mets coaching staff 'doing it again'. As usual, the Mets crack staff seem to always be having their star pitching prospects 'tweak' things a bit as they start their careers. It caused Matt Harvey to have a bad second start last year. And then, here we go again??? 

Or was it something else? Among all the hype about Mr. Wheeler, there also were the slight rumblings of a kid with a control problem.

Maybe he will never be as good as Harvey.....Heck, maybe Matt Harvey will never be as good as Matt Harvey (of the first 25 starts). But, it is what it is ladies and gentlemen. Zack Wheeler is young. Zack Wheeler came out of high school. Zack Wheeler spent months in the desert fighting through the Vegas heat, and the PCL, a hitters dream league to make your stats look AMAZIN. 

Maybe we have just been spoiled. How often does a kid come out of AAA throwing nonstop quality starts every 5 days? The future still looks bright. Now, maybe its time we find out just what Wheeler is made of. He's the kid who's supposedly "got better stuff then Harvey". He's still also the kid who debuted in his hometown and didn't give up a run. He can still throw in the high 90s, with plus breaking stuff. 

Maybe this is a good thing for the all mighty New York Hype machine of a sports market. Montero is coming. Syndergaard is coming. We could be spending another 2 full seasons hearing all about each one, as we eagerly wait, and anticipate, their arrival.

We can't expect each of them to come out and put up 10 strikeouts, 6 innings, and 0-1 runs every five days. What we can expect are growing pains. Justin Verlander wasn't.....well.....Justin Verlander, when he started. 

The important thing is that Wheeler is here. We don't have to keep talking about him, speculating what he might do, and wondering if he will every get out of that Vegas heat (yeah, I talk about it a lot. Mainly because i've been there in the summer, when its 99 degrees at midnight).

So who's next? What about the hitters? Will Mets fans be expecting Travis D to come up hitting doubles, batting .300, and calling great games behind the plate? Will we be expecting Jack Leathersich to strike out at least 2 batters an inning in stellar relief?
How about this. How about we put at least a little faith in the Mets organization to do it right. Scouts are paid to scout. Coaches are paid to coach. We can all argue about Mets ownership until we are blue (and orange...go Mets), in the face. The fact is that owners don't develop anyone. They don't make anyone on the field better.

Lets sit back, and enjoy the fact that Harvey is Harvey, 'moneyball' has worked with Aardsma, Byrd and Young, Jr, and Zack Wheeler is where all Mets fans have wanted him to be since we first heard of him............................PS, what's up with Josh Satin? Guy's a beast. All he does is get on base. 

Renegades 1 - Cyclones 0

Cyclones starter Robert Gsellman and Renegades starter Ben Griset were locked both locked in on Sunday afternoon, as neither of them would allow a run to score. The Renegades would score the winning run on a fielders choice in the bottom of the 11th inning, 1-0.

The Cyclones had there best chance whenJorge Rivero led the top of the eighth inning off with a double down the left field line, his fifth multi-hit game in nine starts on the season. James Roche then hit a deep fly ball to right field that Jorge would tag-up on and advance to third with one out. Colton Plaia then hit a grounder to third baseman, Tyler Young, who caught Rivero trying to score for the second out of the inning.

In his third inning of relief after Robert's brilliant outing, John Mincone would give up a leadoff double to Julian Ridings in the bottom of the 11th inning. Ariel Soriano then came up and laid down a sac bunt, moving Ridings to third with one out. Tyler Young then hit a grounder to second baseman L.J. Mazzilli who threw home, but Ridings was able to beat the throw to score the winning run, the lone run of the game.

Robert Gsellman continues his stellar start to the season in Brooklyn going 8.0 IP, giving up four hits, no runs, no walks and striking out four batters on the afternoon. In three starts this season, Robert has yet to give up an earned in 17.0 IP.  press release

A Primer - Bobby Parnell Trade for an Outfielder

(a repeat from this weekend...)

There is a lot of blog chatter on whether or not Bobby Parnell should be traded for an outfielder.

Let’s look at this without emotion.

Here are the teams fighting it out for a playoff spot, the player that has ‘closed’ more than anyone else, and his closing stats:

Boston                  Andrew Bailey   12/SVO, 8/SV, 4.37, 1.37   

Baltimore            Jim Johnson       32/SVO, 27/SV, 4.03, 1.21

Yankees               Mariano Rivera 27/SVO, 26/SV, 1.55, 1.24

Tampa Bay          Fernando Rodney   21/SVO, 16/SV, 4.83, 1.45

Toronto                Casey Janssen   18/SVO, 17/SV, 2.10, 0.70

Detroit                  Jose Valverde    12/SVO, 9/SV, 5.59, 1.24

Cleveland            Vinnie Pestano 7/SVO, 5/SV, 4.13, 1.38

Texas                    Joe Nathan         27/SVO, 26/SV, 1.62, 0.87

Oakland               Grant Balfour     18/SVO, 18/SV, 2.03, 1.13

Atlanta                 Craig Kimbrel    25/SVO, 22/SV, 1.53, 1.02

Philadelphia       Jonathan Papalbon   19/SVO, 15/SV, 2.05, 0.88

Washington        Rafael Soriano   24/SVO, 21/SV, 2.38, 0.92

Pittsburgh           Jason Grilli           27/SVO, 26/SV, 1.82, 0.87

St. Louis               Edward Mujica  21/SVO, 21/SV, 2.20, 0.73

Cincinnati            Aroldis Chapman   22/SVO, 19/SV, 2.73, 1.15

Arizona                 Heath Bell           17/SVO, 14/SV, 4.85, 1.62

San Diego            Huston Street    16/SVO, 15/SV, 4.61, 1.32

Colorado              Rafael Betancourt    12/SVO, 11/SV, 3.20, 1.22

Now, here are the teams that seem to be in need of a closer, and the outfielders in their system, starting from the majors through their AA farm team:

Boston:

                Mike Carp - .313/MLB – pre-ARB

                Shane Victorino - .297/MLB - $13mil thru 2015

                Jacoby Ellsbury - .292/MLB -$9mil/2012 – free agent in 2014

                Daniel Nava - .281/MLB – pre-ARB

                Jonny Gomes - .211/MLB - $5mil/2014

                Jackie Bradley Jr. - .154/MLB – pre-ARB - .313/AAA

                Bryce Brentz – pre-ARB - .254-AAA, 15-HR

Baltimore:

                Adam Jones – .296/MLB - $17.333mil thru 2018

                Nick Markakis – .284/MLB - $15.35mil thru 2014

                Nate McLouth – .284/MLB - $2mil/2013, free agent in 2014

                Chris Dickerson – .264/MLB – pre-ARB

                Nolan Reimold - .188/MLB - $1mil/ARB-1

                L.J. Hoes - #6 prospect - .289/AAA

                Xavier Avery - #7 prospect - .300/AAA 

Tampa Bay:

                Wil Myers - .268/MLB – pre-ARB

                Desmond Jennings - .256/MLB – pre-ARB

                Matt Joyce – .253/MLB - $2.45mil/ARB-1

                Kelly Johnson – .240/MLB - $2.45/2013 – free agent in 2014

                Sean Rodriguez – .235/MLB - $1mil/ARB-1

                Sid Fudd - .179/MLB – ARB-1

                Mikie Mahtook – #11 prospect - .239/AA

Detroit:

                Matt Tuisosopo - .338/MLB – pre-ARB

                Torii Hunter - .301/MLB – $14mil thru 2014

                Austin Jackson - .301/MLB – $3.5mil/ARB-1

                Andy Dirks - .250/MLB – pre-ARB

                Avisail Garcia – .250/MLB – pre-ARB

                Don Kelly - .228/MLB - $900K/ARB-2

                Nick Castellanos - #1 prospect - .296/AAA

                Tyler Collins - #5 prospect - .207/AA, 10-HR, 39-RBI

                Daniel Fields - #6 prospect - .271/AA

Cleveland:

                Michael Bourne - .296/MLB – $14mil thru 2016

                Michael Brantley - .271/MLB – pre-ARB

                Ryan Raburn - .256/MLB –  $1mil/2013 – free agent in 2014

                Drew Stubbs - .242/MLB –  $2.825mil/ARB-1    

Arizona:

                Geraldo Parra - .306/MLB – $2.35mil/ARB-2

                Jason Kubel - .266/MLB – $7.5mil/2013 – free agent in 2014

                Cody Ross - .255/MLB – $9.5mil thru 2015

                A.J. Pollock - .251/MLB –  pre-ARB

                Alfredo Marte - .186/MLB –  pre-ARB

                Adam Eaton - #4 prospect – Rehab

Okay, ‘General Managers’… you take it from here.

Binghamton 5 - Trenton 4

Binghamton Tops Trenton for 50^th Win

BINGHAMTON, NY – The Binghamton Mets picked up their 50^th win of the season as they defeated the Trenton Thunder, 5-4 in the series finale Sunday afternoon at NYSEG Stadium.

This is the first time in franchise’s 22-year history they have picked up their 50^th victory before July 1^st.

RHP Noah Syndergaard started the game for the B-Mets, but got off on the wrong foot. The second pitch of game was lifted over the right field wall by Ramon Flores, and the Thunder took an early 1-0 lead.

The deficit did not last long however, as the offense came through immediately against Major League rehab pitcher Michael Pineda. Two batters after Danny Muno led off with a walk, Cesar Puello blasted a deep home run into the railyard in left field to give Binghamton a 2-1 lead.

In the second, Pineda had a hard time finding the strike zone. After allowing a leadoff single to Richard Lucas, he walked Blake Forsythe and hit Joe Bonfe to load the bases. Two batters later, Pineda walked Muno again to bring home a run.

After the walk, Pineda found a groove and struck out the next four batters he faced. That stretch abruptly ended with two outs in the third when Richard Lucas hit a towering fly ball that drifted over the left field wall for a solo home run.

He was taken out of the game after three innings on the mound, as he allowed four runs, four hits, and walked four in his rehab start. Rigoberto Arrebato was the first reliever brought on for the Thunder, and he held Binghamton scoreless in the fourth and fifth inning.

Syndergaard had his way with Trenton after giving up the home run in the first inning. He held the Thunder scoreless through the next four innings, and left the game with a season-high nine strikeouts.

Jim Fuller came in the game in the top of the sixth, and immediately ran into trouble. He allowed a single and double before surrendering a three-run home run to Francisco Arcia which tied the game, 4-4.

The B-Mets rose to occasion however in the bottom of the inning. With runners at first and second base, Puello hit a hard ground ball that skipped off the glove of third baseman Reegie Corona. It bounced into foul territory and allowed Wilfredo Tovar to score from second base to give Binghamton a 5-4 lead.

That was all of the cushion Binghamton needed, as Ryan Fraser and Pedro Feliciano each threw a scoreless inning before handing the ball to closer Jeff Walters. Walters allowed two base-runners in the ninth, but struck out Andrew Clark to seal the series win for Binghamton.

Fuller (1-0) was awarded the victory on the mound, and Arrebato (0-1) was tagged with the loss. Walters recorded his league-leading 20^th save of the season, and is the first B-Met to earn 20 saves in a season since Eddie Kunz did so in 2008 (27).

The victory also gives Binghamton the series victory, 3 games to 1. The B-Mets have now won 10 consecutive series, and finished the month of June with a 19-5 record.

The B-Mets (50-29) remain at home and welcome in the Altoona Curve for a three-game series at NYSEG Stadium. First pitch on Monday night is at 6:35 PM as RHP Erik Goeddel takes the mound for the B-Mets against RHP Jeff Kingham for Altoona. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show starts at 6:20 PM on Newsradio 1290 WNBF.

POSTGAME NOTES: Five losses matches the fewest losses in one month in franchise history (done twice before)…against Trenton Cesar Puello is batting .429 with 8 HR and 16 RBI (11 G)…Binghamton has not lost a series since May 6-8 (@ TRN)

Mack Ade – AM Report – 7-1-13 – Kevin Goldstein, Carlos Gomez, Kevin Canelon, Steven Matz, Noah Syndergaard

Kevin Goldstein -

At least once a week, I get a blind email from someone who's followed my career and wants to know how to get into the game. I always feel bad because I have no good answer. There is no roadmap, there is no secret, and there are no shortcuts, and some conference or class probably isn't going to help. I got my first gig at 43 years old after well over a decade of banging around and busting it to prove my worth in a niche of the game that I loved. I worked very hard, I got extremely lucky and I was more than fortunate enough to have a partner in Margaret Nissen who supported my desire to follow a dream despite all the necessary compromises, which is HUGE. You need all of those things, and the right kind of passion to even have a shot, and I'm always thankful that I have it. I wish I had a better answer for you, but I don't.

                                                              B-Mets Jeff Walters lead the league with 19 saves

Saturday’s starters -

Logan Verrett (B-Mets):  6.2ip, 6h, 4r, 4er, 0bb, 5k. 91 pitches, 64 strikes (4.06)

Mark Cohoon (B-Mets): 5.0ip, 5-h, 3-r, 2-er, 1-bb, 5-k (4.81)

Dano Alvarez (Brooklyn):  4.2ip, 5h, 5r, 5er, 4-bb, 5k (6.00)

Adonis Ucela (DSL Mets-1): 4.2ip, 9h, 5r, 5er, 2bb, 3k (3.72)

Kevin Canelon (DSL Mets-2): 6.0ip, 5h, 0r, 0er, 0bb, 1k (4.91)

Carlos Gomez (K-Port): 6.2ip, 3h, 0r, 0er, 1bb, 2k (0.00 for the year)

Alex Panteliodes (Lucy): 3.2ip, 8h, 8r, 8er, 2bb, 1k (4.56)

Steven Katz (Gnats): 8.0ip, 4h, 3r, 2er, 1bb, 5k (2.53)

Jenrry Mejia (GCL): 1.2ip, 3h, 2r, 0er, 1bb, 1k (0.00)

Jacob deGrom (Vegas): 7.0ip, 3h, 1r, 1er, 1bb, 4k, 0.96

There was some good news here, especially Carlos Gomez. I started tracking Gomez when he went 7-2, 1.47 for the 2010 DSL Mets s a starter. The GCL team turned him into a reliever last year (1.59), but he’s back again in the rotation. He now has 11.2 scoreless innings

Kevin Canelon is an interesting read. The 19-year old, 6-1 lefty is pitching his third year for the DSL Mets and, frankly, I thought he earned a visa after last year’s numbers (14-starts, 1-1, 2.95, 55.0-IP, 40-K, 20-BB). He was probably held back to work on his control which seemed just fine Saturday night.

There really isn’t anything more that Steven Matz can do at the A level. I expect him to go to St. Lucie sometime in the next two weeks.

A 0.96 ERA in the PCL? Did I really just type this? Jacob deGrom is making a lot of teams send a lot of scouts to every game this guy is throwing lately. This is his third AAA start and we’ll have to see if this holds.

With nearly half the season in the books, the Washington Post's Barry Svrluga took a look at the offseason's biggest bargains. He starts his list with Marlon Byrd of the Mets, who signed a minor league deal but has contributed 12 home runs and a .258/.309/.493 line in 237 plate appearances. - LINK

Sunday starters –

                Luis Cessa – Gnats – 6.2ip, 7h, 1r, 1er, 1-bb, 3k (3.14)

                Noah Syndergaard – B-Mets - 5.0ip, 4h, 1r, 1er, 2bb, 9k, (2.45)

                Robert Gsellman –Clones – 8.0ip, 4h, 0r, 0er, 0bb, 4k, (0.00)

                Chris Flexen – K-Port – 4.0ip, 7-h, 5r, 5er, 2bb, 3k (5.63)

                Matt Fox – Vegas – 6.0ip, 3h, 0r, 0er, 1bb, 6k, (4.68)

                Rainy Lara – Lucy – 5.0ip, 6h, 3r, 2er, 1bb, 4k (2.31)

The key name here is Syndergaard who passed another AA test. This is such good news and, if he continues this through the end of August, he actually would have an invite to the Mets spring training team and compete next to Rafael Montero for a 2014 rotation spot. We’re getting close folks.

Gary Seagren –

                                Have to start off with a LOL.....your post about Torres and TC mentioning he wants to use him as an emergency starter and you said if you’re gonna pitch him in the 7th then pitch him in the 8th....well guess what! So Mack you have more pull than you thought my friend and you told me they don't listen to you!

                                                No one reads Mack’s Mets. You know that.

                              File this under "things that never change" as Strike Davis got ejected for arguing a 3rd strike...will this dude ever get it. And speaking of Strike did you hear anything about him going off in the dugout to the point of having to call Sandy to talk to him and calm him down when Lutz was recalled instead of him? I agree with the booth as far as the team looking much more involved and interesting what with EY leading off, (gee a leadoff switch hitter with speed....oh by the way didn't we have one of those guys not too long ago and wouldn't he look good at SS)  the addition of Wheeler and your friend Josh showing us all how refreshing it is to actually make contact with the ball.

Ike Davis was very unhappy when Zach Lutz was called up instead of him. My understanding is that Wally Backman said that ‘they’ weren’t done fixing him yet. This is Wally’s day in the sun and expect a little milking here.

Look I get the fascination with long ball but having to watch the adventures of both Davis and Duda on offense and defense game in and game out waiting for a meaningful HR, not a solo shot when were up or down big, I'd much rather our newer version even though  I know it's a small sample size. Just check out the team we're modeling ourselves after, the Giants, and they only had one strong offensive player (Posey with only 24 HR) when they won it all in 2012. Hey it certainly can be done just so we stay with the plan .......PLEASE.

I don’t think you’re experiencing any plan right now. This is just a ‘hodge-podge’ of secondary players that are have no pressure on them whatsoever to produce at any level that would elevate them to a playoff team.

 Also before I leave I would be remiss if I didn't ask you about your opinion on Dom Smith because after all he's played a WHOLE week already so you must have some projections Click Me! Anyway have a great week, Thanks, Gary Seagren

Your question about Smith reminds me of a telephone conversation I had today with an old Mack’s Mets reader (Marc Dannenberg from Spain) about the year’s before draft and I told him I haven’t even come up with an opinion of those guys yet.

I haven’t seen Smith play so I really have no opinion yet.  Let’s hope, right?

Stephen Guilbert -

Hey Mack, this time last year I remember heading to Brooklyn to watch the likes of Lara, Cessa, and Robles dominate the opposition. I realize that this year I know nothing of the starters at Brooklyn, Kingsport, or the GCL. While some bats (Lupo, Beccera, Rosario) have gotten press, I've heard very little about pitchers. Could you give me five names to keep my eye on this summer?

                Hey Stephen. Sure, no problem:

                Miller Diaz – I was surprised that Diaz didn’t make the Savannah staff on opening day. The 6-1 RHP Venezuelan just turned 21 and I consider him the ace of the staff. This is the fifth year he’s been a Met and, at this pace, he should get to Queens around 40 years old. So far: 2-G, 0-1, 2.79, 9.2-IP, 11-K

Seth Lugo – Lugo was a 34^th round college pick so he needs to pitch well and move quickly. The classic Mets profile: 6-4, 190, RHP. So far: 2-G, 1-0, 5.00

John Gant – Gant is a guy that you are frankly lucky to see this year. The only reason he’s in Brooklyn is because he was blocked in Savannah, where he actually did wind up last season (10.38). He’s off to a good start: 2-G, 11.0-IP, 1-1, 2.45, 16-K, 2-BB

Robert Gsellman – Gsellman is an interesting story. He’s a 13^th round pick in 2011 that just sort of hung around in 2011 (GCL – 4.15) and 2012 (K-Port – 3.92). This year, due to injuries from other pitchers, he was sent to St. Lucie (3.00) and Savannah (3.72). The 19-year old has now settled in at the development level he should be at and he’s started twice so far, tossing 9.0 scoreless innings (0.00).

Akeel Morris – Morris is no longer considered a prospect starter; however, he is being reinvented as a relief specialist and is off to a good start this season (3-G, 6.2-IP, 13-K, 0.00).

Mets Minor League Report – June 30

Las Vegas (43-38) trips Tacoma (48-36) 4-1.

Another gem, this time by starter Matt Fox: 6.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, BB, 6 K.

Greg Burke (S, 3) closed it out with a perfect 1.1 innings of work.

Eric Campbell: 2-3, 2B, BB, 2 RBI.

Ike Davis was 1-3, 2B, BB, 2 R.

Binghamton (50-29) tops Trenton (41-40) 5-4.

Noah Syndergaard outpitches Michael Pineda:  5.0 IP, R, 4 H, (HR) 2 BB, 9 K. Coming along very well at AA.

Jim Fuller, (BS, 1) (W, 1-0) blew the save, allowing 3 R on 3 H, but gets the W when the B-Mets offense picks him up .

Pedro Feliciano pitched 1 inning: 0 R, H, BB. Since his promotion to AA Binghamton, Perpetual Pedro, in 6 G, 5.2 IP, has not allowed a run, (ERA = 0.00 for the mathematically challenged) with 4 K and a WHIP of 0.53. He may be on the doorstep of Citifield pretty soon.

Jeff Walters (S, 20) got his league leading 20^th save, 5 more than his nearest competitor.

Cesar Puello: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, R. What a career season Puello is having. He is leading the Eastern League with 16 HR and SLG with .623, 2^nd only to teammate Allan Dykstra in OPS and also 2^nd in batting average.

Richard Lucas: 2-4, HR, RBI, 2 R.

Fort Myers (50-27) socks St Lucie (41-37) 4-1 (completed after 6 innings – rain).

Rainy Lara: (L, 2-3) 5.0 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 H, BB, 4 K.

T.J. Rivera: 2-3, 2B, R.

Matt den Dekker: 1-3, 2B, RBI.

Savannah (48-31) edges Rome (39-41) 2-1 in 10 innings.

A bases loaded, 2 out single by Cole Frenzel in the bottom of the 10^th gives the Sand Gnats the win.

Luis Cessa: 6.2 IP, R, 7 H, (HR) BB, 3 K.

 Paul Sewald: 2.1 IP, 0 R, H, 0 BB, 3 K.

Beck Wheeler (W, 1-4) pitched a perfect top of the 10^th for the victory.

Brandon Nimmo: 3-5, R.  Nimmo is making a late push to make the Futures All-Star Team.

Brooklyn (5-8) loses a tough one to Hudson Valley (10-4) 1-0 in 11 innings.

Robert Gsellman was exceptional for 8.0 innings: 0 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 4 K.

John Mincone (L, 1-1) was even better for 2.0 innings, allowing only a BB. His undoing came when he was asked to pitch a 3^rd inning of relief, and gave up a leadoff 2B that later came around to score.

Jorge Rivero: 2-4, 2B.

Elizabethton (9-2) knocks off Kingsport (3-8) 5-1.

Chris Flexen (L, 0-1) faltered: 4 IP, 5 R, 7 H, (3 HR) 2 BB, 3 K.

The K-Mets need to start making some noise, offensively.