SB Nation - Reese Havens

New York Mets Daily Farm System Report: August 29th, 2012

Stephen Schmidt — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:51:48 -0000

*All results from games played on Tuesday August 28th, 2012

Check out the 2012 Amazin' Avenue Pre-Season Top 50 Mets Prospects! And send all of your questions about the Mets farm system to AAProspectMailbag@gmail.com to see them answered here!

News & Notes________________

Yesterday we had a nice tweet regarding the Mets intriguing 2011 first-rounder; today it's a nice tweet regarding their intriguing 2012 first-rounder. From the official Brooklyn Cyclones twitter feed:

You'll remember that last season Phillip Evans capped his debut season with a short stay in Brooklyn as well (though in that case the org. pretty much just needed some who, you know, speaks English to accompany Domingo Tapia on his way from Kingsport).

Cecchini will spend the final eight games of the regular season with the Cyclones. In 53 games with Kingsport the 19-year old shortstop batted .246/.311/.330 with a homer and five stolen bases.

AAA - Buffalo Bisons (64-75)_______________________________________

ROCHESTER 10, BUFFALO 4 (Box)

Colin McHugh had a shortened outing, and he was lifted after a mere 69 pitches in the fourth. It was probably McHugh's last involvement with Buffalo, and it was also probably the last home game the Bisons will play as an affiliate of the New York Mets. I guess the nice thing about joining the PCL next year is that I'll be able to watch the Mets AAA affiliate regularly without having it conflict with the big league club (assuming of course that they are one of the teams with regular MILB.com coverage).

2B Jordany Valdespin: 0-4, BB, K
CF Matt Den Dekker: 0-4, 2 K
3B Zach Lutz: 1-4, BB
1B Josh Satin: 2-4, R
RHP Colin McHugh: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 2 BB, HR

AA - Binghamton Mets (65-71)_____________________________________

READING 12, BINGHAMTON 8 (Box)

Lot's of B-Mets had themselves nice nights at the plate, but the pitching in this one was pretty much awful. Wilmer Flores was certainly the man of the hour for Binghamton though, doubling and tripling in his 3 hit game. Juan Lagares and Jefry Marte were other notables with quality nights at the plate. The B-Mets have a full recap up that can be found here.

LF Juan Lagares: 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, R
3B Jefry Marte: 1-3, 3B, BB, 2 RBI, R
2B Reese Havens: 0-1
2B Wilmer Flores: 3-5, 2B, 3B, K, 2 R
SS Wilfredo Tovar: 0-3, BB, 2 K
RHP Cory Mazzoni: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 5 K, 3 BB, HR
RHP Armando Rodriguez: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 0 BB, 2 HR

Hi-A - St. Lucie Mets (30-32)________________________________________

JUPITER 5, ST. LUCIE 4 (Box)

JUPITER 4, ST. LUCIE 2 (Box)

It was double dipper day for the FSL affiliate, and I bet most of them wish they had another rainout. That's probably not actually true, as Cory Vaughn had himself quite a day at the plate. All in all though, it was a very forgettable day in Florida.

RF Cesar Puello: 1-3, HR, RBI, R / 0-3, K
CF Darrell Ceciliani: 0-2, BB, R
RF Cory Vaughn: 2-3, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, R / 1-3, BB, R
2B Danny Muno: 0-1, 2 BB, K / 2-3, BB, R
1B Richard Lucas: 1-3, K
C Blake Forsythe: 0-3, K
3B Aderlin Rodriguez: 2-3
CF Alonso Harris: 0-2, K / 2-4
LHP Angel Cuan: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, K, 2 BB
RHP Erik Goeddel: 5.1 IP, 5 H, ER, 5 K, BB
LHP Jack Leathersich: 1 IP, K

Lo-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (25-38)__________________________________

ASHEVILLE 6, SAVANNAH 5 (Box)

.All eyes are usually on Savannah when Domingo Tapia takes the hill, but last night was one of those "meh" kind of games. He had an excellent night as far as his walks and strikeouts were concerned, but the Tourists made the most of the 7 hits they managed off of Tapia, plating 5 of the 7 that eventually reached base. I'll take those peripherals though, and Tapia will be one to watch on the prospect rankings ahead of next season.

C Cam Maron: 2-4, BB, RBI
CF Gilbert Gomez: 2-4, BB, 2 K, 2 RBI
DH Brian Harrison: 1-5, K
3B Dustin Lawley: 2-4, HR, RBI, R
RHP Domingo Tapia: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 9 K, 0 BB, HR

Short Season A - Brooklyn Cyclones (41-27)__________________________________

BROOKLYN 6, ABERDEEN 3 (Box)

Brooklyn was the only afiliate in the organization that managed a win yesterday, and they needed it. Batavia swept their double header, so Brooklyn's win keep the Cyclones a full 2 games ahead of the Muckdogs in the NY-Penn League wild card race. With only 8 games still to play, maintaining that lead is critical for the Cyclones hopes of extending their season.

CF Brandon Nimmo: 1-5, 2B, BB, 2 K, RBI
SS Philip Evans: 1-5, BB
C Kevin Plawecki: 2-6, 2B, 2 K, RBI
1B Jayce Boyd: 2-5, HR, BB, RBI, R
RHP Luis Cessa: 6 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 0 BB

Appalachian League (R) - Kingsport Mets (23-43)__________________________________

PULASKI 5, KINGSPORT 2 (Box)

Another game, another tick in the loss column for Kingsport. All in all, this was the perfect way to cap a mostly losing night in the Mets farm system. Oh well, at least the Cyclones won.

SS Gavin Cecchini: 1-5, R
2B Branden Kaupe: 0-2, 3 BB, K
1B Jeyckol De Leon: 2-4, 2B, K
C Tomas Nido: 0-4
LHP Juan Urbina: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 K, 0 BB

★ Star of the Night ★

There were some pretty nice performances out there, but I have to give the nod to Wilmer Flores. He had a great night at the plate while playing second.

Goat of the Night

So who gets the goat of the night when basically everyone has a deserving candidate? Well for last night I'm going to go with Cory Mazzoni.

New York Mets Daily Farm System Report: August 28th, 2012

Stephen Schmidt — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 12:34:05 -0000

*All results from games played on August 27th, 2012

Check out the 2012 Amazin' Avenue Pre-Season Top 50 Mets Prospects! And send all of your questions about the Mets farm system to AAProspectMailbag@gmail.com to see them answered here!

News & Notes____________________

Jason Parks (@ProfessorParks) of Baseball Prospectus seems rather taken with Cyclones star outfielder Brandon Nimmo in a recent tweet:

Love to hear that.

AAA - Buffalo Bisons (64-74)_______________________________________

ROCHESTER 6, BUFFALO 1 (Box)

Jenrry Mejia struggled a bit with his command, and Rochester was finding holes when they made contact with runners on. Those two things combined with very little in the way of offense will usually lead to a loss.

CF Matt Den Dekker: 0-4
3B Zach Lutz: 3-4, 2 2B, R
1B/2B Josh Satin: 1-4
2B Brad Emaus: 0-3, BB, K
RHP Jenrry Mejia: 6 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 3 K, 4 BB

AA - Binghamton Mets (65-70)_____________________________________

READING 4, BINGHAMTON 1 (Box)

Mark Cohoon was very hitable. Trevor May was not. Binghamton were probably a bit lucky that the scoreline was as flattering as it was.

LF Juan Lagares: 0-4, 2 K
3B Jefry Marte: 0-3
2B Reese Havens: 0-4, 3 K
1B Wilmer Flores: 2-3, HR, RBI, R
LF Eric Campbell: 0-3, K
LHP Mark Cohoon: 5 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 2 K, BB, HR

Hi-A - St. Lucie Mets (30-30)________________________________________

St. Lucie got an unexpected day off when the weather didn't cooperate.

Lo-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (25-37)__________________________________

Savannah had the scheduled day off.

Short Season A - Brooklyn Cyclones (40-27)__________________________________

BROOKLYN 2, ABERDEEN 1 (Box)

Brooklyn just kept on pushing towards the playoffs, as another win put them another step closer to the wild card. Rainy Lara had another fantastic start, and Jayce Boyd chipped in with a homerun in this one.

CF Brandon Nimmo: 0-5, K
SS Philip Evans: 0-4, 2 K
C Kevin Plawecki: 0-4
1B Jayce Boyd: 1-3, HR, BB, K, RBI, R
RHP Rainy Lara: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 K, BB

Appalachian League (R) - Kingsport Mets (23-42)__________________________________

PULASKI 5, KINGSPORT 4 (Box)

Kingsport had a comfortable 4 run lead heading into the 8th inning, but they've apparently got a little bit of the Mets in them as the bullpen allowed 5 runs over the next 2 innings for the loss.

SS Gavin Cecchini: 0-5, R
2B Branden Kaupe: 0-4, 2 BB
RF Jeffrey Diehl: 2-4, HR, K, 2 RBI, R
RF Maikis De La Cruz: 0-3, RBI
C Jeyckol De Leon: 1-4, K
RHP Robert Gsellman: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 5 K, BB

★ Star of the Night ★

Rainy Lara was fantastic in leading the Brooklyn playoff push. Gold star for him.

Goat of the Night

Mark Cohoon looks an awful long way removed from the guy who looked like a fringe Major Leaguer a few years ago. Ugh.

New York Mets Daily Farm System Report: 8/21/12

Stephen Schmidt — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 12:53:04 -0000

*All results from games played on Monday August 20th, 2012

Check out the 2012 Amazin' Avenue Pre-Season Top 50 Mets Prospects! And send all of your questions about the Mets farm system to AAProspectMailbag@gmail.com to see them answered here!

AAA - Buffalo Bisons (62-68)_______________________________________

SCRANTON WB 7, BUFFALO 5 (Box)

Buffalo did their best to make up a 4 run defecit in the top of the 9th, but the rally came up short as the herd fell yet again. Longballs undid the Bisons in this one, as a pair of homers undid what was otherwise a very good start from Chris Schwinden.

CF Matt Den Dekker: 2-3, BB, R
3B Zach Lutz: 0-4
2B Josh Satin: 2-3, RBI, R
LF Lucas Duda: 0-4, K
RHP Chris Schwinden: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 8 K, 2 BB, 2 HR

AA - Binghamton Mets (61-67)_____________________________________

NEW HAMPSHIRE 3, BINGHAMTON 2 (Box)

Darin Gorski kept the B-Mets in this one, but poor defense and not enough hitting did them in. We'll score lots of runs someday, right?

LF Juan Lagares: 2-4
1B Jefry Marte: 0-3, BB, 2 K
2B Reese Havens: 0-3, BB, K
DH Allan Dykstra: 1-3, 2B, BB, 2 K, RBI
3B Wilmer Flores: 1-3, 2B, BB, K, 2 R
LF Eric Campbell: 0-3, K, RBI
LHP Darin Gorski: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 9 K, 4 BB

Hi-A - St. Lucie Mets (28-27)________________________________________

The FSL affiliate had the evening off.

Lo-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (24-32)__________________________________

ASHEVILLE 5, SAVANNAH 2 (Box)

.The Gnats managed just 5 hits and a walk in this one, and predictably they lost.

DH Brian Harrison: 0-4, K
CF Dustin Lawley: 0-4, 2 K
LF Gregory Pron: 0-3, K
C Albert Cordero: 0-3, BB, K
LHP Alex Panteliodis: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 6 K, BB, HR

Short Season A - Brooklyn Cyclones (37-23)__________________________________

BROOKLYN 6, VERMONT 2 (Box)

It turned out to be a great weekend to have the 'clones come to town. It was Nimmo-slam night on Friday, Luis Mateo was on the hill Saturday (in a loss), Kevin Plawecki stole the show Sunday, and then the team put in a great effort yesterday to take 3 out of 4 up here in Vermont. Oh yeah, there were fireworks, 25 cent hotdogs, and Gary Carter bobblehead night tossed in for good measure. I love baseball season. Brandon Nimmo swiped his fist bag of the season as the 'clones took yesterday's game, and Phillip Evans impressed at the plate as well.

CF Brandon Nimmo: 1-3, 2 BB, R, SB
SS Philip Evans: 3-4, BB, K, RBI
1B Kevin Plawecki: 0-2
2B Juan Carlos Gamboa: 0-4, BB, 2 K, R
LF Stefan Sabol: 1-5, HR, K, RBI, R
C Nelfi Zapata: 1-5, 4 K, R
RHP Julian Hilario: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 4 K, 3 BB

Appalachian League (R) - Kingsport Mets (19-37)__________________________________

BURLINGTON 5, KINGSPORT 4 (Box)

Kingsport grabbed an early 3-0 lead in this one, but that would be all the scoring they'd do before Burlington forced extra innings. They'd score again in the 11th, but giving up runs in both the 11th and 12th innings would see the Appy League affiliate lose yet again.

SS Gavin Cecchini: 0-4, BB, K
2B Branden Kaupe: 0-2, 2 K
RF Maikis De La Cruz: 1-5, 2B, K, R
C Jeyckol De Leon: 0-5, 4 K
RHP John Gant: 5.1 IP, 4 H, ER, 5 K, 2 BB, HR

★ Star of the Night ★

There wasn't a whole lot to get excited about last night, but I'll give the star to Brandon Nimmo.

Goat of the Night

There were some stinkers tonight, but Jeyckol De Leon stunk up the joint for Kingsport better than most. The standards at the plate for that affiliate aren't the highest, but an 0-5 night with 4 strikeouts is just poor.

Mets Morning News: "A" Is For Acostalypse And That's Good Enough For Opponents (But Not For Our Sanity)

Steve Schreiber — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:01:02 -0000

Meet the Mets

The Mets fell to the Reds 3-0 last night in a game that despite being incredibly sloppy on both sides, was scoreless headed into the bottom of the ninth inning. Both teams combined to strand a small country's worth of runners on the bases, finding creative ways to go about doing it. It looked like neither team really was all that interested in winning this one, up until Manny Acosta entered the game and served it up to the Reds on a silver platter by putting the first two runners on base. Josh Edgin entered soon thereafter and on a 1-2 pitch, he served up a fastball down the middle that Jay Bruce launched to left-center field for a walkoff three-run home run.

Choose Your Recap: MLB.com, ESPN NY, Daily News, New York Times, Associated Press, Star-Ledger, Bergen Record

In one of the better named pitching matchups this year, R.A. Dickey faces off against Mike Leake in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:10 PM.

TRAID Alert! The Mets claimed catcher Kelly Shoppach off of waivers from the Red Sox and ended up acquiring him for a player to be named later. Shoppach will serve as the lefty mashing platoon mate of Josh Thole and he's a gigantic upgrade over the likes of Rob Johnson and Mike Nickeas, even if he's only a Met for the final month and a half of 2012.

Remember Mike Pelfrey, former first rounder and currently injured league average innings eater? Well, Big Pelf is recovering well from his Tommy John surgery and while it's far in the future, Pelf may be ready for Opening Day 2013. What team he plays for on that day, however, is likely up in the air, as it seems a given the team will non-tender him this offseason. Meanwhile, Dillon Gee has another doctor's appointment in 10 days and may be able to throw after that.

David Wright has had an outstanding season, serving as basically the entirety of the Mets' offense all year but of late, the superstar third baseman has slumped. With his contract up after 2013, signing Wright to an extension will be a big story this offseason and he said that winning is more important than money to him. Unfortunately, the Mets' payroll picture is still very blurry when it comes to extensions and outside acquisitions.

Terry Collins is considering going to a six man rotation at some point, allowing them to help rest some of their starters.

The Mets are hosting a blood drive at Citi Field on Saturday and if you donate, you get two free tickets.

Toby Hyde takes a look at the future of soon to be 26 year old second baseman Reese Havens. I think his take here is pretty accurate -- while Havens has stayed healthy all year, his bat has left much to be desired for a guy his age repeating double A. It wouldn't be a surprise to me if he's off the 40-man or out of the organization very soon.

Under the topic of "Who Knew?", the late Gary Carter apparently coined the word "F-Bomb".

Around the NL East

The Nationals fell to the Giants 7-1, as lefty Madison Bumgarner threw a complete game. Meanwhile, the Braves shut out the Diamondbacks 6-0 behind Tim Hudson and home runs from Dan Uggla and Martin Prado. Finally, the Phillies are just a game behind the Mets, as they shut out the Marlins 1-0. Yeesh.

Around the Majors

Things have not gone smoothly in Boston during Bobby Valentine's first season and the tide keeps getting more rough by the week. Boston's crew of underachieving stars sent text messages to ownership complaining about the manager and a meeting was held in late July to learn of players' concerns.

The first three months of the 2012 season looked to be the coming out party of Pirates' ace pitcher James McDonald but a shaky July followed by a pair of awful starts in August has led the Pirates to consider moving him to the bullpen.

Former fourth overall pick Brian Matusz is moving to the bullpen, as the Orioles are going to try the lefty as a LOOGY. Perhaps he's a good guy for some team to pick up on the cheap as a rehab project.

Matt Garza may not pitch again this season, according to manager Dale Sveum.

The Blue Jays agreed to a two-year extension with catcher Jeff Mathis because...umm...well...not really sure why, actually. Anybody want to guess?

The Royals released infielder Yuniesky Betancourt. It's really shocking that no team would want a baseball player with a .256 on base percentage. Oh wait, no.

New York Mets Daily Farm System Report: 8/8/12

Stephen Schmidt — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:32:46 -0000

*All results from games played on Tuesday August 7th, 2012

Check out the 2012 Amazin' Avenue Pre-Season Top 50 Mets Prospects! And send all of your questions about the Mets farm system to AAProspectMailbag@gmail.com to see them answered here!

AAA - Buffalo Bisons (57-60)_______________________________________

SYRACUSE 4, BUFFALO 3 (Box)

Some familiar faces to Mets fans were in the lineup, but Colin McHugh was a bit unlucky in the 5th when Matt Den Dekker deflected a probable single into a triple. It's nice to see the Duda hitting the ball again, as now that there is a platoon option in left it would be an ideal fit.

LF Lucas Duda: 2-4, RBI
CF Matt Den Dekker: 1-4, K, R
3B Zach Lutz: 0-2, BB, K
2B Josh Satin: 1-4, 2B, K
C Mike Nickeas: 2-3, 2B, BB, R
RHP Collin McHugh: 6 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 8 K, 2 BB, HR

AA - Binghamton Mets (55-61)_____________________________________

BINGHAMTON 9, NEW BRITAIN 8 (Box)

NEW BRITAIN 8, BINGHAMTON 1 (Box)

Double dipper yesterday in Binghamton. The B-Mets won the opener behind solid displays at the plate from Juan Lagares and Reese Havens. They'd get trounced in the nightcap though, as the offense wasn't there to make up for another poor pitching performance.

CF Juan Lagares: 3-4, RBI, 2 R / 0-3, K
3B Jefry Marte: 0-2, K
2B Reese Havens: 1-1, HR, 3 BB, 2 RBI, R
1B Eric Campbell: 0-4, 2 K / 1-3
SS Wilfredo Tovar: 0-2 / 0-2
3B/2B Wilmer Flores: 1-4, K, RBI / 0-3
RHP Gonzalez German: 6 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 8 K, 3 BB, HR
RHP Cory Mazzoni: 6 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 3 K, 2 BB, HR
LHP Adam Kolarek: IP, 4 H, 2 ER, K, BB, HR

Hi-A - St. Lucie Mets (22-23)________________________________________

ST. LUCIE 9, PALM BEACH 1 (Box)

Alonzo Harris and Cesar Puello had great games, Aderlin Rodriguez homered again, but none of that will take the headline in St. Lucie. Rafael Montero no-hit Palm Beach through 7 2/3 last night, continuing his very impressive season. I wish I had been watching this one instead of the big league club.

CF Cesar Puello: 3-4, 2 2B, K, RBI, 2 R
3B Aderlin Rodriguez: 2-5, HR, K, RBI, 2 R
RF Cory Vaughn: 1-4, K
SS Danny Muno: 1-4, 2B, BB, RBI
CF/LF Alonzo Harris: 4-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R
C Blake Forsythe: 1-4, BB, 2B
RHP Rafael Montero: 7.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 3 BB

Lo-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (18-27)__________________________________

Savannah had the evening off.

Short Season A - Brooklyn Cyclones (31-18)__________________________________

BROOKLYN 1, LOWELL 0 (Box)

Offense wasn't exactly the name of the game in this one, but Gabriel Ynoa was outstanding. Jayce Boyd's solo shot was all the support he'd need, as the 'clones just kept on rolling.

SS Philip Evans: 0-4, 2 K
C Kevin Plawecki: 0-4
1B Jayce Boyd: 2-4, HR, RBI, R
LF Stefan Sabol: 2-4
2B Juan Carlos Gamboa: 1-4, K
RF Julio Concepcion: 2-4, 2B, K - Very SSS, but nice line thus far
RHP Gabriel Ynoa: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 0 BB

Appalachian League (R) - Kingsport Mets (15-29)__________________________________

KINGSPORT 8, BRISTOL 3 (Box)

Kingsport lost again in typical disappointing fashion. Wait...they won? Alrighty then. I guess that Liverpool fan that decided to bet 44,000 pounds on a league title picked a good day to do it. Well, maybe I shouldn't go that far.

2B Branden Kaupe:1-3, BB, 2 K, RBI
RF Jorge Rivero: 4-5, 2B, 2 R
C Tomas Nido: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, K, RBI, 2 R
RHP Persio Reyes: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 K, 3 BB, HR

★ Star of the Night ★

Lots of good choices from last night. Reese Havens had a great game at the plate. Alonso Harris probably topped him. Gabriel Ynoa was outstanding for the 'clones. Rafael Montero though...well, that type of outing earns the star of the night basically anytime.

Goat of the Night

There really weren't too many awful performances to choose from, so Wilfredo Tovar's 0 for the double header will get the nod.

New York Mets Top 20 2012 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review

John Sickels — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:00:08 -0000

New York Mets Top 20 2012 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review

Continuing with our reviews of the Top 20 pre-season prospect lists, we stay with the National League and examine the New York Mets. Remember, this is a pre-season list. It is not a new list.

This list was originally published December 27, 2011.

The next team on the list is the Seattle Mariners, followed by the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Miami Marlins to finish up.

1) Matt Harvey, RHP, Grade B+: 3.68 ERA with 112/48 K/BB in 110 innings for Triple-A Buffalo, 97 hits. Has fanned 18 in his first 11 major league innings. Looks good to me, still see him as a number two starter.

2) Zack Wheeler, RHP, Grade B+: 10-6, 3.26 with a 117/43 K/BB in 116 innings for Double-A Binghamton, 92 hits, only two homers allowed. Developing quite nicely, will be ready for the majors sometime next year, number two starter potential.

3) Jeurys Familia, RHP, Grade B: 5.18 ERA with 93/64 K/BB in 106 innings for Buffalo, 113 hits, 1.61 GO/AO. I still like his stuff and physical potential, but command continues to hold him back. Still plenty of time to improve at age 22.

4) Brandon Nimmo, OF, Grade B: Borderline B-. .271/.390/.429 with 29 walks, 50 strikeouts in 170 at-bats for short-season Brooklyn in the New York-Penn League. Started slowly but has been hot lately, .395/.447/.628 in last 10 games. Strikeout rate is high but the tools are obvious.

5) Cesar Puello, OF, Grade B-: I was really uncertain about this guy. Hitting .245/.308/.374 with 10 steals, five walks, 42 strikeouts in 155 at-bats for High-A St. Lucie in an injury-plagued campaign. Still has plenty-o-tools and using his speed better but plate discipline is awful.

6) Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF, Grade B-: .252/.315/.376 with seven homers, 25 walks, 98 strikeouts in 282 major league at-bats. I think he can do better than this, but strikeouts/contact/batting average may always be an issue.

7) Jenrry Mejia, RHP, Grade B-: Tommy John recovery in progress, 3.64 ERA with 36/21 K/BB in 59 innings at three levels, most of it in Triple-A, 2.21 GO/AO. Expect him in the bullpen mix next year.

8) Reese Havens, 2B, Grade B-: Borderline C+. .223/.353/.359 with 52 walks, 93 strikeoutsu in 273 at-bats for Binghamton. Still has patience and power, but the constant trips to the doctor seem to have robbed his game of some life. Turns 26 this fall.

9) Wilmer Flores, 3B, Grade B-: Borderline C+. .284/.330/.450 with 14 homers, 29 walks, 47 strikeouts in 391 at-bats split between High-A and Double-A, no slippage in performance at higher level. Playing all the infield positions except shortstop. Turns 21 today. His power is gradually improving and he maintains a low strikeout rate. Still an intriguing prospect for me.

10) Cory Mazzoni, RHP, Grade C+: Borderline B-: 3.20 ERA with 79/26 K/BB in 113 innings between High-A and Double-A, 112 hits. Efficient, throws strikes, but strikeout rate is lower than ideal and he doesn't get enough grounders for that not to be a caution flag. Still, a good season.

11) Michael Fulmer, RHP, Grade C+: 2.58 ERA with 82/33 K/BB in 91 innings for Low-A Savannah, 69 hits. Some command issues, but has very good stuff and is performing well in full-season ball at age 19. I like him.

12) Jordany Valdespin, 2B-SS, Grade C+: .289/.329/.430 in Triple-A, .260/.289/.496 with seven homers, five steals, three walks, 24 strikeouts in 123 major league at-bats. Physical talents are obvious and promising, but so is his rawness.

13) Phillip Evans, 2B-SS, Grade C+: .247/.333/.360 with 21 walks, 27 strikeouts in 178 at-bats for short-season Brooklyn. Good feel for the strike zone, transition to full-season ball next year will prove interesting. Has played very well on defense.

14) Cory Vaughn, OF, Grade C+: .241/.355/.451 with 18 homers, 57 walks, 100 strikeouts, 16 steals in 377 at-bats for High-A St. Lucie. Showing more power this year, nice combo with the speed, draws walks but elevated strikeout rate could mean a problematic transition to Double-A next year.

15) Darin Gorski, LHP, Grade C+: 4.09 ERA with 90/41 K/BB in 110 innings in Double-A, 102 hits, 17 homers. Not terrible but didn't duplicate his A-ball dominance, and at age 24 he needs progress to stay in the picture.

16) Collin McHugh, RHP, Grade C+: 2.41 ERA with 65/17 K/BB in 75 innings in Double-A, 3.75 ERA with 49/21 K/BB in 50 innings in Triple-A. Now 25, still has sleeper potential if he can lower the walks more.

17) Domingo Tapia, RHP, Grade C+: 3.47 ERA with 73/25 K/BB in 86 innings in Low-A, 68 hits, 2.83 GO/AO, zero homers allowed. I like this guy, live arm, tons of ground balls, tough to hit. Breakthrough potential.

18) Akeel Morris, RHP, Grade C+: I felt he was a breakthrough guy, not a breakdown guy, 11.72 ERA with 29/15 K/BB, 32 hits allowed in 25 innings for Kingsport in the Appalachian League.

19) Danny Muno, SS, Grade C+: .274/.372/.409 with 33 walks, 37 strikeouts, 13 steals in 215 at-bats for St. Lucie. Looks like a utility guy to me.

20) Juan Lagares, OF, Grade C+: .280/.333/.388 with three homers, 34 walks, 74 strikeouts, 19 steals in 418 at-bats for Binghamton. Looks like 2011 was more of a BABIP-fluke than a real breakout, but he could still find a place on a bench.

21) Logan Verrett, RHP, Grade C+: 3.04 ERA with 73/10 K/BB in 77 innings split between Low-A and High-A. Throwing strikes. I don't believe he'll be seriously challenged until he reaches Double-A.

Like every system there are some disappointments and some injuries, but the Mets have fewer than many teams and most guys on the list have performed in line with expectations. Harvey and Wheeler is a heckofa punch at the top, and I still think Familia will be useful in some role. Josh Satin and walking medical bill Zach Lutz are older prospects but can be useful role players. Bronx native shortstop T.J. Rivera has had a good year in A-ball. Aderlin Rodriguez has slammed 20 homers in A-ball at age 20, but is still raw and has hit just .229 since moving up to High-A. Still, he's made progress.

Josh Edgin has looked good in the bullpen. Minor league lefty reliever Jack Leathersich has fanned 123 in 75 innings in A-ball.

The 2012 draft brought in promising high school infielder Gavin Cecchini for a below-slot bonus, the second year in a row that the Mets have dipped into the prep ranks for their first pick. They were unable to sign second round pick Teddy Stankiewicz, but I think Purdue catcher Kevin Plawecki is better than he's shown in the NY-P so far. Tomas Nido, Logan Taylor, and Stefan Sabol are some sleeper names from the draft class to watch next year.

New York Mets Daily Farm System Report: 7/24/12

Stephen Schmidt — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 12:58:04 -0000

*All results from games played on Monday July 23rd, 2012

Check out the 2012 Amazin' Avenue Pre-Season Top 50 Mets Prospects! And send all of your questions about the Mets farm system to AAProspectMailbag@gmail.com to see them answered here!

News & Notes

Kevin Goldstein of BP makes mention of the surging Juan Lagares in his weekly Monday Morning Ten Pack:

"Lagares made some noise last year when he hit .349 between two levels, but as an outfielder without much in the way of power or patience, he had to keep hitting to maintain his prospect status. … He’s far from perfect, but he’s improved both his physical conditioning and his defense this year, to the point where he still fits better in a corner but can at least hold his own in center. It’s hard to see him becoming an everyday guy with his skill set, but he does look like the kind of player who could have a career."

RC: I've said it before, I see Lagares' ceiling as a Major League starting center fielder in the mold of Cardinals' outfielder Jon Jay. Not a stud by any means but he'd do enough of everything to be a solid player. Hell, with his BB% up by over 100% from last season he's even learning to walk a bit - crazy as that sounds. However, if he doesn't fit in center and is forced to a corner, Lagares immediately becomes a sometimes starting fourth outfielder.

AAA - Buffalo Bisons (51-52)_______________________________________

CHARLOTTE 9, BUFFALO 6 (Box)

CF Matt Den Dekker: 1-3. K. 2 RBI, R
3B Zach Lutz: 2-5, HR, 2B, RBI, 2 R
2B Josh Satin: 1-4, BB, R
C Rob Johnson: 1-4, K, 2 RBI, SB
DH Mike Baxter: 2-5, 2 K, RBI
RHP Jeurys Familia: 4 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 4 K, 3 BB

AA - Binghamton Mets (47-54)_____________________________________

BINGHAMTON 8, NEW BRITAIN 1 (Box)

RF Juan Lagares: 0-4, K, RBI, R
2B Reese Havens: 1-3, BB, 2 K, RBI
3B Wilmer Flores: 1-4, BB, K
CF Pedro Zapata: 1-4
LF Eric Campbell: 1-5, HR, K, 2 RBI, R
RHP Gregory Peavey: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 3 BB

Hi-A - St. Lucie Mets (12-19)________________________________________

BRADENTON 10, ST. LUCIE 2 (Box)

RF Cesar Puello: 0-4, 2 K
3B Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-4, 2B, RBI
DH Travis Taijeron: 2-3, BB, K
LF Cory Vaughn: 0-2, BB, R
CF Alonzo Harris: 0-4, K, BB
C Blake Forsythe: 1-4, K, RBI
RHP Yohan Almonte: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 9 ER, 2 K, 3 BB

Lo-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (13-18)__________________________________

KANNAPOLIS 6, SAVANNAH 3 (Box)

.C Cam Maron: 0-3, BB
CF Gilbert Gomez: 2-3, 2B, BB, K, R
3B Brian Harrison: 0-3, BB
LF Dustin Lawley: 2-3, HR, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R
1B Cole Frenzel: 0-4, 2 K
RHP Logan Verrett: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 0 BB - That's now 67 K's TO 9 BB's in 64 2/3 IP

Short Season A - Brooklyn Cyclones (21-14)__________________________________

ABERDEEN 2, BROOKLYN 0 (Box)

CF Brandon Nimmo: 1-4
SS Philip Evans: 1-4, K
2B Juan Carlos Gamboa: 0-2, 2 BB
3B Alexander Sanchez: 1-3, BB, K
C Jeffrey Glenn: 1-3, 2B, BB, K
RHP Julian Hilario: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, K, 4 BB

Appalachian League (R) - Kingsport Mets (9-21)__________________________________

ELIZABETHTON 3, KINGSPORT 0 (Box)

SS Gavin Cecchini: 1-4, 2 K
DH Jeffrey Diehl: 0-4, 3 K
RF Maikis De La Cruz: 1-3, 2B, BB, K
C Jeyckol De Leon: 0-4, K
RHP Chris Flexen: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 4 BB

★ Star of the Night ★

There really wasn't a whole lot to be excited about last night, but Logan Verrett was again very good. He's been impressive so far this season.

Goat of the Night

I don't see how we can choose anyone other than Yohan Almonte. Yikes!

New York Mets Daily Farm System Report: 7/18/12

Stephen Schmidt — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:11:03 -0000

*All results from games played on Tuesday July 17th, 2012

News & Notes

Before we get into the games, a couple of notes on the system from around the internet (well really just BP).

First off, Jason Parks of BP has been sharing his fallout from the Futures Game and in his notes from the World side he touched on Wilmer Flores:

"Gets better each time I see him; the bat is real; lots of raw power; good barrel-to-ball ability; not a great athlete, but physical; average at best defensive tools at 3B; not an ideal profile, but the bat is better than I realized and should play at position; role 5 type; not special, but solid stick and potential for more."

Additionally, in his most recent Monday Morning Ten Pack, Kevin Goldstein -- also of BP fame -- riffs on Brandon Nimmo's recent success:

"Nimmo was hitting just .188 heading into the weekend, with only three multi-hit games in 23 contests, but he reeled off three in a row, going 7-for-11 to raise his season line to .242/.391/.385. Scouts don't know what to make of him, other than really liking him. For such a raw player, he consistently puts together quality at-bats, but for every scout that thinks he's going to turn into a power hitter, you can find one who think he's going to be more of a high-average gap-to-gap type. The good news is nobody seems to think he's going to be bad, and we have plenty of time to figure out what kind of good player he has the potential to be."

Check out the 2012 Amazin' Avenue Pre-Season Top 50 Mets Prospects! And send all of your questions about the Mets farm system to AAProspectMailbag@gmail.com to see them answered here!

AAA - Buffalo Bisons (50-47)_______________________________________

BUFFALO 17, TOLEDO 1 (Box)

Is it just me, or does everyone else feel that Jeremy Hefner would be a vastly superior option to start Saturday's game than Batista is? Hefner had another great night for the Herd, and the bats absolutely exploded.

CF Matt Den Dekker: 3-5, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R
DH Zach Lutz: 3-4, 2B, BB, 2 R
2B Josh Satin: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, 4 R
C Rob Johnson: 1-3, BB, K, RBI
RHP Jeremy Hefner: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 4 K, BB

AA - Binghamton Mets (45-50)_____________________________________

TRENTON 5, BINGHAMTON 4 (Box)

Robert Carson balked in the winning run in this one. The Mets are looking for bullpen help. I think he's ready.

CF Juan Lagares: 0-4, 2 K
3B Wilmer Flores: 0-4
2B Reese Havens: 2-3, 2B, BB, RBI
C Juan Centeno: 1-3, 2B, RBI, R
LF Eric Campbell: 1-4
LHP Robert Carson: 1.1 IP, 2 H, ER
RHP Gregory Peavey: 6.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 K, BB, HR
RHP Armando Rodriguez: 1.2 IP, H, ER, BB, HR

Hi-A - St. Lucie Mets (11-15)________________________________________

BREVARD COUNTY 6, ST. LUCIE 5 (Box)

BREVARD COUNTY 1, ST. LUCIE 0 (Box)

Stupid Manatees. Get back to writing Family Guy. We had a rehabbing Mike Baxter that played in both games of the double dipper, going a combined 2-6 with 2 doubles, a walk, a strikeout, and a pair of RBI.

3B Aderlin Rodriguez: 0-3, BB, K, R / 1-2, 2B, BB
RF Cory Vaughn: 1-3, BB, K / 0-2, BB, K
2B Danny Muno: 1-2, BB, 2 RBI, R / 1-2, BB
CF Alonzo Harris: 1-3, RBI, R / 0-3, 2 K
1B Richard Lucas: 2-3, 2B, K, R / 0-3, K
RHP Yohan Almonte: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 K, HR
RHP Rafael Montero: 6 IP, 6 H, ER, 10 K, 0 BB

Lo-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (11-15)__________________________________

SAVANNAH 10, LAKEWOOD 2 (Box)

.Jacob DeGrom was fantastic in this one, an the Gnats had more than their usual offensive output. Look at that game from Gilbert Gomez...

DH Brian Harrison: 1-4, 2B, BB, R
3B Dustin Lawley: 2-4, 2B, BB, K, R
CF Gilbert Gomez: 2-3, HR, 3 BB, RBI, 2 R
RHP Jacob DeGrom: 7.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 8 K, BB

Short Season A - Brooklyn Cyclones (18-11)__________________________________

HUDSON VALLEY 4, BROOKLYN 1 (Box)

Brooklyn came into this one with a 2 game lead on Hudson Valley, but unfortunately saw their lead cut in half with the loss. Brandon Nimmo's double was absolutely crushed and would have been a homer in any park on the planet without the wind blowing in from center.

CF Brandon Nimmo: 1-4, 2B, RBI
SS Philip Evans: 1-4, K
1B Jayce Boyd: 0-4
LF Stefan Sabol: 1-3, BB
2B Juan Carlos Gamboa: 0-4, K
RHP Julian Hilario: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 K, 2 BB, HR
RHP Matt Koch: 2 IP, H, 2 K, BB

Appalachian League (R) - Kingsport Mets (6-18)__________________________________

KINGSPORT 4, BRISTOL 3 (Box)

Kingsport managed an elusive win last night. After taking an early lead, they matched every run that Bristol would put on the board in their next turn at bat.

SS Gavin Cecchini: 0-4, 2 K
2B Branden Kaupe: 1-2, BB
RF Maikis De La Cruz: 0-2, BB
C Jeyckol De Leon: 2-4, RBI
CF Eris Peguero: 0-3, BB
RHP Robert Gsellman: 4.1 IP, 6 H, ER, 4 K, BB
LHP Juan Urbina: 1 IP, 2 BB

★ Star of the Night ★

Tough call today between Montero, Den Dekker, and DeGrom. I'll leave it up to a poll.

Poll

Star of the night?

Montero

70 votes

DeGrom

23 votes

Den Dekker

74 votes

167 votes | Poll has closed

New York Mets Daily Farm System Report: 7/17/12

Stephen Schmidt — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:15:54 -0000

*All results from games played on Monday July 16th, 2012

Check out the 2012 Amazin' Avenue Pre-Season Top 50 Mets Prospects! And send all of your questions about the Mets farm system to AAProspectMailbag@gmail.com to see them answered here!

AAA - Buffalo Bisons (49-47)_______________________________________

TOLEDO 4, BUFFALO 2 (Box)

All eyes were on Matt Harvey last night as he made what could have been his last start at AAA. He showed some rust, but had a solid enough night on the whole in the Bison loss.

CF Matt Den Dekker: 0-3, BB, K
3B Zach Lutz: 0-3, K, RBI
2B Josh Satin: 1-3, BB
C Lucas May: 0-3, BB, K
RHP Matt Harvey: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 K, 4 BB
RHP Jenrry Mejia: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 K, BB

Rehab Alert: Jason Bay went 0-2 with a pair of walks and a strikeout

AA - Binghamton Mets (45-49)_____________________________________

TRENTON 6, BINGHAMTON 5 (Box)

Darin Gorski struggled with the long ball last night, and Ryan Fraser couldn't hold the lead in the 8th inning. All that added up to the B-Mets win streak being snapped at 4.

CF Juan Lagares: 2-4, 2B, K, RBI
DH Jefry Marte: 0-3
2B Reese Havens: 1-4, HR, K, 2 RBI, R
3B Wilmer Flores: 2-4, 2B, RBI
1B Eric Campbell: 1-4, 2B, 3 K
LHP Darin Gorski: 6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 5 K, 0 BB, 3 HR
RHP Brad Holt : 1 IP, H, K

Hi-A - St. Lucie Mets (-)________________________________________

Postponed

Lo-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (10-15)__________________________________

SAVANNAH 9, LAKEWOOD 8 (Box)

.Savannah relinquished the lead in the 8th, but an unearned run in the 9th was enough to seal the win anyway. Dustin Lawley got on base with an error, advanced from 1st to 2nd on a wild pitch, and then managed to score when what should have been an easy out at first was thrown into the dugout. You've got to love the low minors sometimes.

C Cam Maron: 2-4, BB, 2 R
CF Gilbert Gomez: 2-4, 3B, BB, 2 R
3B Brian Harrison: 2-5, 2B, K, 3 RBI, 2 R
RHP Logan Verrett: 7 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 9 K, 0 BB, 2 HR

Short Season A - Brooklyn Cyclones (18-10)__________________________________

BROOKLYN 7, STATE COLLEGE 4 (Box)

State College would take advantage of some poor Cyclones defense to jump ahead in the 4th, but the clones would bounce right back at the plate in the 5th to put this one to bed. It's nice to see Brandon Nimmo hitting a little, and his OBP is now .397 as a result.

CF Brandon Nimmo: 2-5, 2B, BB, K, R
SS Philip Evans: 1-6, R
C Kevin Plawecki: 0-3, 2 BB, K
1B Jayce Boyd: 2-4, BB, 2 R
LF Stefan Sabol: 2-5, K, RBI, 2 R
LHP John Mincone: 1 IP, 2 K
RHP Hansel Robles: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R(1 ER), 3 BB, K

Appalachian League (R) - Kingsport Mets (5-18)__________________________________

KINGSPORT 1, JOHNSON CITY 0 (Box)

JOHNSON CITY 4, KINGSPORT 1 (Box)

Any day where the Kingsport Mets get a win seems to be a good day for that affiliate. They only managed 2 runs in 2 games, but it was enough to put 1 in the win column today.

SS Gavin Cecchini: 1-2, BB, K / 2-3, 2B, K
2B Branden Kaupe: 0-3, K
RF Maikis De La Cruz: 1-2, BB / 0-3
1B Jeyckol De Leon: 2-3, RBI
CF Eris Peguero: 0-3 / 0-1. K
RHP Cristian Chivilli: 3 IP, 6 H, 4 R(3 ER), 5 K, 0 BB, HR
RHP John Gant: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 2 BB

New York Mets Daily Farm System Report: 7/10/12

Stephen Schmidt — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:34:59 -0000

*All results from games played on Monday July 9th, 2012

Check out the 2012 Amazin' Avenue Pre-Season Top 50 Mets Prospects! And send all of your questions about the Mets farm system to AAProspectMailbag@gmail.com to see them answered here!

AAA - Buffalo Bisons (46-45)_______________________________________

The Bisons had the night off

AA - Binghamton Mets (41-47)_____________________________________

ALTOONA 3, BINGHAMTON 2 (Box)

The Mets got on the board early, and looked to have snuck out just enough for the win when they scored in the top of the 8th. A pair of walks got Adam Rosario in trouble to start the 9th before former Met farmhand Stefan Welch and Brock Holt singled home the tying and winning runs respectively.

LF Juan Lagares: 1-5
3B Jefry Marte: 1-3, 2B, BB
2B Reese Havens: 0-1
1B Allan Dykstra: 0-1, 2 BB, RBI
LF Eric Campbell:2-5, K, R
SS Wilfredo Tovar: 0-4, K
LHP Darin Gorski: 6 IP, 5 H, ER, 2 K, 3 BB, HR
RHP Adrian Rosario: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 K, 2 BB
RHP Brad Holt : 2 IP, K, BB

Hi-A - St. Lucie Mets (9-10)________________________________________

ST. LUCIE 4, BRADENTON 1 (Box)

The Mets used a boost from the rehabbing Zach Lutz to pull away from the Marauders in this one. They'd never trail on the night, and their second straight win over Bradenton puts them within a win of reaching .500 for the second half.

CF Cesar Puello: 0-3, 2 K
RF Cory Vaughn:2-3, 2 2B
LF Alonzo Harris: 1-4, BB, K, 2 R, SB
1B Richard Lucas: 1-4, K
CF Travis Taijeron: 1-3, 2B, BB, R
RHP Yohan Almonte: 6 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 K, BB
RHP Taylor Whitenton: 1.2 IP, H, 0 ER, K, 0 BB
LHP Adam Kolarek: 1.1 IP, H, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB

Rehab Alert: 3B Zach Lutz was 1-5 with a 2B and 2 RBI

Lo-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (6-12)__________________________________

Like the Bisons, the Gnats had Monday off

Short Season A - Brooklyn Cyclones (14-8)__________________________________

JAMESTOWN 5, BROOKLYN 2 (Box)

Hansel Robles was great for Brooklyn, but the bullpen couldn't follow suit. The big bats in the middle of the lineup were quiet last night as well.

CF Brandon Nimmo: 1-2, 2 BB, R - .379 OBP following his 18th and 19th BB's of the season
SS Philip Evans: 1-4, 2 RBI
DH Jayce Boyd: 0-4
1B Cole Frenzel: 0-4, 2 K
2B Juan Carlos Gamboa: 1-2, 2 BB, K, R
LF Stefan Sabol: 0-4, K
RHP Hansel Robles: 5.1 IP, 3 H, ER, 7 K, BB

Appalachian League (R) - Kingsport Mets (4-16)__________________________________

PULASKI 7, KINGSPORT 6 (Box)

Steven Matz pitched very well for Kingsport as they built up a 6-0 lead last night. Unfortunately for the Mets, Corey Oswalt managed to give them 7 back in his outing, and the Mets would eventually drop this on 7-6.

SS Gavin Cecchini: 0-3, 2 BB
RF Maikis De La Cruz: 4-4, HR, 2 RBI, R
C Jeyckol De Leon: 2-5, HR, K, RBI, R
CF Eris Peguero: 2-5, HR, K, RBI, R
LHP Steven Matz: 6 IP, H, 0 ER, 6 K, 2 BB
RHP Corey Oswalt: 0.1 IP, 5 H, 7 ER, 0 K, BB

★ Star of the Night ★

We had some excellent nights to choose from, but Maikis De La Cruz really was deserving last night. Honorable mentions go out to Steven Matz and Hansel Robles for great starts in their respective outings.

Goat of the Night

Cory Oswalt takes this one in spectacular fashion. He allowed 5 hits, 1 walk, and hit a batter while recording just a single out. All 7 of those baserunners would eventually score, making up the entire Pulaski output for the evening.