7/6 Minor League Report. Duda, Nieuwenhuis, Ratliff, Wilmer!

I tried out doing screen shots of the box score to see how it looks, copy pasting them will not work anymore. Some people liked being able to come here and view all the box scores in one place, so it is convenient but I also understand it doesn't provide anything outside of it, so I'll write a few paragraphs.
Let me know which you prefer. Or I can just do what Tej does, just let me know in the chat box or comments.

Buffalo lost a close game @ Syracuse 5-4. Lucas Duda continues to rake, collecting 3 more hits, 1 being a double (6) and adding 2 RBI. He is now hitting .319 on the season in Buffalo. Lujan came in with a 1 run lead in the 6th and promptly blew it, giving up 3 hits, and 2 earned runs in 1 inning of work. He also struck out 2. Manuel Alvarez, who has been pitching lights out this season, made his AAA debut and threw 2 shutout innings, giving up 1 hit, walking 1, and striking out 1.

Binghamton's offense continues to be a force, winning @ Altoona 11-6. Leading the 17 hit attack for Binghamton was a RED HOT Kirk Nieuwenhuis, going a perfect 4 for 4, with 1 double (24), 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored. His batting average on the season is up to .296, and he looks to be on one of those patented hot streaks we saw from him last season. Right behind him were Sean Ratliff and Nick Evans. Ratliff went 3 for 6, hitting 1 HR (7) and 4 RBI, raising his average to .315 in Binghamton on the season. Evans went 1 for 3, with the 1 hit being a solo HR (14). 2nd baseman Josh Satin added 3 hits of his own, and is now hitting .317 since being promoted. Mark Cohoon making his 3rd start in AA pitched 4 innings of 3 hit ball, giving up 2 ER, walking 2 and striking out 2. His era through 3 starts is 4.91.

St. Lucie took an early lead and held on to win at home 8-5 over Charlotte. The top story of the night in St. Lucie could be the performances of 2 major league players on rehab in Beltran and Perez, but the Wilmer Flores show headlines once again. Flores continues to rake High A pitching (maybe he actually was getting bored in Savannah?), going 4 for 5 with a double (1), scoring 2 runs and adding 2 more RBI. He is now hitting .431 in St. Lucie. Carlos Beltran played all 9 innings in the outfield and went 2 for 4, hitting a double of his own and walking once. Beltran should be close to being ready, and he should be a nice boost to the big league team for the 2nd half if he can stay healthy. Stefan Welch hit his 22nd double of the year, walked once but also struck out 3 times.
Oliver Perez made his 2nd rehab outing in St. Lucie, and was very effective. He pitched 5.2 innings, striking out 7, walking 3, and giving up 2 ER on just 2 hits. Much better outing than the first one, but I'm not exactly holding my breath that he will do much to help the big league team the rest of the way, anything positive he gives us is gravy at this point. Rhiner Cruz got his 3rd save.

Savannah gave up 5 runs in the 8th, blowing a 4 run lead and lost to Rome 7-6 at home. Caesar Puello went 1 for 4, and stole his 25th base of the season. Jefry Marte went 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI, raising his average to .232 on the season. Nick Santomauro continues to struggle in Savannah, going 0 for 5 and striking out twice, lowering his average to a paltry .164 leading me to believe something may be wrong with him, physically or mentally. Colin McHugh had a very solid outing, going 6 innings he gave up 5 hits, 2 ER, walked 1 and struck out 9. His ERA is now 3.45 on the season.

Brooklyn's late rally came up short as they fell to Jamestown 7-5. Darrell Cecilliani hit his 7th double of the season, and is hitting .373. Might be time to swap him with Santomauro at some point. Cory Vaughn went 1 for 4, striking out twice and stealing his 4th base on the season.

Edit: D forgot Kport, lol (not really sure how he did that, since I post links on the blog for JUST that reason...lol)

The Mets had a 4 run 7th to ice the game, and Bret Mitchell was good again, for his 2nd win of the season. Justin Schafer, Aderlin Rodriguez, Albert Cordero and Nelfi Zapata had multi hit games, while ZeErika McQueen, Javier Rodriguez and Ray Van Gurp took 0-fers.

cf Chase Greene 1 for 5, 2 runs, 2b (2), 2 RBI (2), .286
ss Justin Schafer 3 for 5, 2 RBI, .366
lf ZeErika McQueen 0 for 5, RBI (4), K, .369
1b Lucas Stewart 1 for 4, K, .317
3b Aderlin Rodriguez 2 for 4, run, 2b (3), .263
rf Javier Rodriguez 0 for 4, RBI (11), .392
c Albert Cordero 2 for 4, run, .250
dh Nelfi Zapata 2 for 3, run, K, .238
2b Ray Van Gurp 0 for 3, run, BB, .257
Bret Mitchell 6.2 IP, 4 H, ER, 1/6 BB/K, 1.65 era, W (2-1), 8:6:6
TJ Chism 0.1 IP, 2.45 era, 1:
John Holdzkom IP, H, ER, 2/2 BB/K, 33.75 era, 1:0:2
Peter Birdwell IP, K, 0.00 era, 0:1:1

7/4 Minor League Report! Fernando, NIEUWENHUIS, RATLIFF, CECILIANI, VAUGHN!

AAA International League: Buffalo 10/12/0, Syracuse 2/7/1

2b Justin Turner 2 for 5, 2 runs, 2b, 2 RBI, K, .272
ss Luis Hernandez 3 for 4, run, 3b, 2 RBI, .400
cf Jorge Padilla 1 for 4, run, RBI, K, .333
1b Mike Jacobs 1 for 3, 2 runs, HR, RBI, 2 BBs, K, .258
lf Lucas Duda 0 for 4, RBI, K, .292
rf Fernando Martinez 2 for 4, 2 runs, HR (6), 3 RBI (22), BB, K, .256
3b Russ Adams 2 for 4, .243
c Jean Luc Blaquiere 1 for 4, run, 2b, 3 Ks, .500 (6 for 12)
Dillon Gee 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 Ks, 4.82 era, W (8-5), 4.82 era, 81:59:22, 6:8:6 (last 4 GS, 23 ip, 22 h, 12/11 r/er, 1/23 bb/k, 2-1, 4.30 era)
Bobby Livingston 2 IP, 2 H, 2 Ks, 4.85 era, 29:21:8, 3:1:2

AA Eastern League: Binghamton 10/14/2, Portland 8/13/2

Kirk Nieuwenhuis may just be getting into one of his patented idiotic hot streaks, after 4 XBH yesterday, he had 3 more hits today, including 2 more doubles, leading the Mets to a 14 hit, 10 run attack and a 10-8 victory. The Mets also had 2 walks, while striking out 4 times, and were 7 for 17 (.412) with RISP and left 8 on base. Nieuwenhuis, Sean Ratliff and Mike Nickeas had 3 hit games, while Raul Reyes had another multi hit game, his 6th in 12 games with Binghamton. Nick Evans and Jon Malo (0 for 4, run, RBI, .222) took 0-fers.

Roy Merritt got the win with 1.2 scoreless innings in relief, after Eric Niesen and Eddie Kunz got torched for 8 runs between them, 4 each. Niesen in 1.2 innings, and Kunz in 3.2 innings. Come Rule V time, the Mets should consider DFAing Eddie Kunz, he's a BUST of a prospect, so much for the quick moving reliever idea in 2007 (haha).

cf Kirk Nieuwenhuis 3 for 5, 2 runs, 2 2b (22), 2 RBI (46), .286 (7 for 10 last 2 games, 5 2b, HR)
lf Sean Ratliff 3 for 5, 2b (6), RBI (15), .317
1b Nick Evans 0 for 4, BB, K, .285
dh DJ Wabick 1 for 5, 2 runs, K, .278
2b Josh Satin 1 for 4, 2 runs, RBI, BB, 2 Ks, .284
rf Raul Reyes 2 for 5, 2 runs, .378
c Mike Nickeas 3 for 4, run, 2b, RBI, .321
3b Jose Coronado 1 for 4, 2 RBI, .230
Eric Niesen 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 4/2 BB/K, 3.61 era, 0:3:2
Eddie Kunz 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2/2 BB/K, 5.78 era, 4:4:2
Roy Merritt 1.2 IP, H, 4.62 era, W (2-3), 3:2
Emary Frederick 0.2 IP, H, 2 Ks, 5.02 era
Derrick Ellison 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3.90 era, 1:1
Edgar Ramirez 0.2 IP, 4.19 era, SV (1), 2:

A+ Florida State League: St. Lucie

The game was suspended in the top of the 8th with Charlotte ahead 6-0. Robert Carson was awesome again, giving up 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits in 7 innings, but unless the Met rally, he'll get tagged with his 5th loss of the season. He threw 89 pitches, 64 for strikes. 4Carson's kicked it into another gear over his last 7 starts, he's gone at least 7 innings in 4 of the 7, and had gone 3-2 (counting his outing tonight as a loss) with a 3.67 era in 41.2 innings, and a 11/35 BB/K ratio. Over his last 5 outings, he's given up 10 earned in 32.1 innings, for a 2.78 era, and a 7/28 BB/K ratio.

A South Atlantic League: Savannah 1/3/1, Rome 0/4/1

John Church had his best professional outing to date, with a 4 hit shutout over 7 innings for his 4th win of the season, and Michael Powers notched his 10th save with a perfect 9th. The Gnats had just 3 hits and a 3/6 BB/K, but it was enough tonight. They went 2 for 8 with RISP and left 6 on base.

cf Pedro Zapata 0 for 4, K, .284
lf RJ Harris 0 for 3, BB, K, .154
rf Cesar Puello 0 for 4, .256
dh Jefry Marte 0 for 4, .228
1b Travis Ozga 1 for 3, run, 2b, K, .435
c Dock Doyle 0 for 3, .178
3b Jet Butler 1 for 2, 2b, RBI, BB, K, .400
2b Alonzo Harris 1 for 3, K, .230, 2 SB (10)
ss Wilfredo Tovar 0 for 2, BB, K, .394
John Church 7 IP, 4 H, 1/2 BB/K, 1.14 era, W (4-0), 13:3:2
Brandon Sage IP, 4.13 era, 1:2
Michael Powers IP, 1.77 era, SV (10), 2:1

A- New York Penn League: Brooklyn 12/17/1, Jamestown 13/13/3

The Cyclones built a 12-2 lead after 6 1/2 innings, then watched in horror as Jamestown put up 3 in the bottom of the 6th and 7 in the 8th to tie, then 1 in the 9th to win it, 13 to 12. Darrell Ceciliani and Cory Vaughn had multi hit games, and Chris Hilliard gave up 5 runs in 5.1 innings.

ss Rylan Sandoval 2 for 5, run, 2 RBI, .308
>>ss Luis Nieves 0 for 1, .333
cf Darrell Ceciliani 3 for 6, 3 runs, 2b (6), 3b (5), 2 Ks, .403
rf Cory Vaughn 3 for 4, 3 runs, 2 2b (2), 2 RBI (16), .281
>>rf Kurt Steinhauer 1 for 1, .188
1b Jeff Flagg 3 for 3, 2b, 3b, 3 RBI, BB, .364
>>3b James Schroeder 0 for 1, .238
3b, 1b Joe Bonfe 0 for 4, BB, 3 Ks, .319
2b JB Brown 1 for 5, RBI, .167
dh, lf Will Cherry 2 for 5, RBI, K, .222
c Juan Centeno 2 for 3, run, 2 BBs, K, .292
lf, cf Cody Holliday 0 for 5, run, .209
Chris Hilliard 5.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2/3 BB/K, 3.52 era, 5:3:3
Daniel Carela 1.2 IP, 1/2 BB/K, 0.00 era, 2:1:2
Hunter Carnevale 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BBs, 18 era (AWFUL)
Jonathan Kountis 0.1 IP, ER, K, 4.91 era, HBP
Hamilton Bennett 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2.89 era, BS (1), L (0-1), 2:2
Johan Figuereo H, 5.06 era

R Appalachian League: Kingsport 4/5/0, Greeneville 0/4/1

Michael Hebert and 2 relievers combined to shutout Greeneville tonight, with Hebert picking up his first win of the season. The Mets offense had 5 hits and a 2/7 BB/K, while going 1 for 1 with RISP and leaving 3 on base.

2b Ray Van Gurp 0 for 3, RBI (8), K, .286
cf Chase Greene 1 for 3, run, BB, .333
1b Lucas Stewart 1 for 4, run, 2b, RBI, 2 Ks, .286
3b Aderlin Rodriguez 1 for 4, run, HR (4), 2 RBI (6), .208
rf Javier Rodriguez 1 for 4, 2 Ks, .426
dh Albert Cordero 1 for 4, .244
c Nelfi Zapata 0 for 4, .222
lf Charlie Hinojosa 0 for 2, run, BB, K, .000
ss Brandon Brown 0 for 3, K, .185
Michael Hebert 5 IP, 4 H, 2/4 BB/K, 3.86 era, W (1-1), 5:6:4
Adam Kolarek 3 IP, 8 Ks, 4.32 era, 0:1:8
Michael Weldon IP, 1.80 era, 2:1

7/1 Minor League Report! RATLIFF, CECILIANI!

AAA International League: Buffalo 2/7/0, Rochester 0/6/0

2b Justin Turner 0 for 4, 2 Ks, .266
ss Luis Hernandez 3 for 4, run, 3 2b, .300
cf Jorge Padilla 2 for 3, BB, K, .353
dh Mike Jacobs 0 for 3, RBI, BB, K, .253
1b Val Pascucci 0 for 3, BB, K, .225
rf Fernando Martinez 0 for 4, 2 Ks, .252
3b Mike Cervanek 0 for 4, 2 Ks, .231
lf Lucas Duda 1 for 3, run, HR (5), RBI (13), .309
c JR House 1 for 3, 2b, .299
Raul Valdes 5 IP, 3 H, 6 Ks, 0.93 era, W (1-0), 73:51:22, 2:5:6
Bobby Livingston 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 Ks, 4.97 era, 33:23:10, 4:2:2
Manny Acosta 1.1 IP, 3 Ks, 3.14 era, 15:12:3, 1:0:3

AA Eastern League: Binghamton 3/10/1, Portland 5/6/2

Mark Cohoon's second AA outing was decidedly better then his first, he gave up 3 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits in 5 innings for a ND. Eddie Kunz took the loss, giving up 2 runs on a hit and walk in 1.1 innings. The Mets had 10 hits and a 5/7 BB/K, while going just 1 for 9 (.111) with RISP and leaving 10 on base. Sean Ratliff, NicK Evans, and Raul Reyes had multi hit games, while Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Josh Satin (0 for 2, 2 BBs, K, .295), and Jose Coronado (0 for 3, BB, K, .219) took 0-fers.

cf Kirk Nieuwenhuis 0 for 3, run, 2 BBs, K, .272
lf Sean Ratliff 3 for 5, run, HR (6), RBI (14), K, .299
3b Nick Evans 2 for 5, RBI (42), 2 Ks, .291
1b Marshall Hubbard 1 for 4, .246
dh DJ Wabick 1 for 4, .282
rf Raul Reyes 2 for 3, run, HR (4), RBI (10), K, .414
c Saloman Manriquez 1 for 3, .364
Mark Cohoon 5 IP, 5 H, 3/1 R/ER, 4 Ks, 5.06 era, 5:5:4
Eddie Kunz 1.1 IP, H, 2 ER, 1/2 BB/K, 5.56 era, L (5-5), 0:2:2 (1-2, 6.14 era as a reliever, 22 ip, 23 h, 16/15 r/er, hr, 19/7 bb/k (yes, 19 to 7)
Derrick Ellison 2.2 IP, 1/2 BB/K, 4.11 era, 2:3:2

A South Atlantic League: Savannah 7/13/0, Greenville 3/10/2

The Gnats hammered out 13 hits and scored late and often, with all their runs occuring past the 4th inning (every inning from 4 to 9 except 7) in beating Greenville 7 to 3. Pedro Zapata, Cesar Puello, Travis Ozga and Wilfredo Tovar had multi hit games, while Nick Santomauro and Alonzo Harris had hitless games. Collin McHugh picked up the win with 6.2 innings of 2 run ball, Michael Powers got his 9th save.

dh Pedro Zapata 2 for 5, K, .285
cf RJ Harris 1 for 4, 2 runs, HR, RBI, BB, .179
3b Jefry Marte 1 for 5, run, HR (4), 2 RBI (30), .234
lf Nick Santomauro 0 for 5, 2 Ks, .176
rf Cesar Puello 2 for 4, 2 runs, 2b (15), K, .259
c Juan Torres 1 for 3, 2b (1), RBI (1), BB, .143
1b Travis Ozga 4 for 4, run, 2b, RBI, .471
2b Alonzo Harris 0 for 4, 2 Ks, .230
ss Wilfredo Tovar 2 for 3, run, 2b (1), RBI (1), .375
Collin McHugh 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2/7 BB/K, 3.48 era, W (3-6), 7:5:7
Guillaume LeDuc IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 9 era, 3:
Michael Powers 1.1 IP, H, 2 Ks, 1.82 era, SV (9), 0:1:2

A- New York Penn League: Brooklyn 5/9/2, Staten Island 8/11/1

Cory Vaughn took an 0-fer, but Darrell Ceciliani had another HUGE game, getting on base 4 times.

lf cody Holliday 2 for 4, run, 2b, BB, .250
cf Darrell Ceciliani 2 for 3, run, 2b (5), 2 RBI (11), 2 BBs, .418
rf Cory Vaughn 0 for 5, RBI (14), K, .269
1b Jeff Flagg 0 for 5, 3 Ks, .309
dh JB Brown 2 for 4, RBI, .154
3b Joe Bonfe 1 for 4, .359
c Taylor Freeman 0 for 4, 2 Ks, .125
2b Rylan Sandoval 0 for 3, run, BB, K, .325
ss Luis Nieves 2 for 4, 2 runs, 3b, RBI, .400
Wes Wrenn 5 IP, 7 H, 5/4 R/ER, 4 Ks, 2 HR, 3.71 era, L (1-1), 4:6:4
Ryan Fraser IP, H, R, 1/2 BB/K, 2.25 era, 0:1:2
Jon Kountis 1.1 IP, H, ER, 3 Ks, 2.70 era, 1:0:3
Nelson Pereira 1.2 IP, 2 H, ER, 3/2 BB/K, 3.18 era, 3:0:2

R Appalachian League: Kingsport 3/8/3, Pulaski 13/13/1

Jeff Walters got blitzed for 3 runs on 4 hits in 4 innings for his first loss, and the Mets bullpen was horrible, leading to a 13-3 rout. The Mets offense had 8 hits and a 4/5 BB/K, while going 2 for 10 with RISP and leaving 11 on base. Ray Van Gurp, Javier Rodriguez and ZeErika McQueen had multi hit games, while Nelfi Zapata, Brandon Brown ( 0 for 3, K, .200), Albert Cordero (0 for 4, K, .185) and John Semel (0 for 2, 2 BBs, .125) all took 0-fers.

2b Ray Van Gurp 2 for 4, 2b (1), 2 RBI (7), .320
rf Javier Rodriguez 2 for 5, run, HR (1), RBI (2), .364
cf ZeErika McQueen 2 for 4, K, .333
3b Aderlin Rodriguez 1 for 5, .225
1b Lucas Stewart 1 for 4, run, BB, K, .304
dh Nelfi Zapata 0 for 1, run, BB, .222
>>ph, dh Amauris Valdes 0 for 1, K, .667
Jeff Walters 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2/4 BB/K, 9 era, L (0-1), 6:1:4
Michael Weldon 2 IP, 3 H, 5/1 R/ER, 2/4 BB/K, HR, 2.25 era, 2:0:4
John Holdzkom 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 3 BBs, 108 era, 1: (wild thing LIVES! :P)
Jhonathan Torres 2.2 IP, 4 H, ER, 1/4 BB/K, 5.14 era, 2:2:4

R Gulf Coast League: GCL Mets 1/6/0, Marlins 5/5/1

ss Randoll Santana 1 for 4, .273
dh Robbie Shields 1 for 3, BB, .267
3b Brian Harrison 1 for 4, run, 2b (2), K, .300
cf Dylan Brown 0 for 3, BB, 2 Ks, .200
lf Julio Concepcion 1 for 4, 3b (1), RBI (7), K, .229
1b Nestor Moreno 0 for 4, K
c Jeff Glenn 2 for 3, .412
rf Miguel Tejada 0 for 3, .211
2b Yucarybert De La Cruz 0 for 3, .189
Zach Dotson 4 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3/4 BB/K, 6.14 era, L (0-1), 6:1:4
Ernesto Yanez IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BBs, 6.75 era, 1:2
David Frias 2 IP, H, 1/2 BB/K, 0.00 era, 2:2:2
Nick Carr IP, 1/2 BB/K, 6 era, 0:0:2

6/22 Minor League Report! RATLIFF, ADERLIN!

AAA International League: Buffalo 6/10/1, Gwinett 3/10/0

2b Justin Turner 1 for 5, run, K, .282
ss Andy Green 0 for 1, .262
>>ph, ss Russ Adams 1 for 3, run, BB, K, .229
cf Juan Padilla 3 for 5, 2 runs, HR, 3 RBI, .313
1b Val Pascucci 2 for 4, 2 runs, 2b, HR, 2 RBI, 2 Ks, .233
rf Fernando Martinez 1 for 3, BB, K, .254
3b Mike Cervanek 2 for 4, 2b, RBI, .236
c Josh Thole 0 for 3, BB, K, .273 (0 for his last 7, 3/1 BB/K)
lf Jon Malo 0 for 4, .231
Pat Misch 8 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 1/3 BB/K, HR, 3.49 era, W (6-3), 113:72:41, 15:5:3
Manny Acosta IP, 3 Ks, 3.75 era, SV (2), 16:11:5

AA Eastern League: Binghamton 13/14/3, New Britain 3/7/1

The Mets used 3 in the 7th and 7 in the 8th to turn a 3-3 tie into a 10 run rout late, brutalizing the Rock Cat bullpen in the process. Luis Hernandez, Sean Ratliff and Josh Satin had multi hit games, while Omir Santos (0 for 4, RBI, .138) took the only 0-fer. The Mets were 6 for 9 with RISP, while leaving 7 on base, they amassed 14 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 5 times. Josh Stinson worked the first 5 innings, giving up 4 hits and 3 runs (1 earned, Jose Coronado and his errors), with 6 strikeouts. Eddie Kunz picked up the win with 2 scoreless in relief.

ss Luis Hernandez 3 for 4, 2 runs, 2b, 3b, 3 RBI, .307
cf Sean Ratliff 3 for 5, 3 runs, 2 HR (3), 5 RBI (8), 2 Ks, .323
1b Nick Evans 1 for 3, run, 2 BBs, .286
lf Eric Campbell 1 for 4, run, RBI (23), K, .315
2b Josh Satin 3 for 5, run, 2 2b, 2 RBI, K, .367
dh Mike Nickeas 1 for 4, run, .285
rf Brahiam Maldonado 1 for 4, 3 runs, 2b, .258
3b Jose Coronado 1 for 2, run, RBI, BB, K, .222
Josh Stinson 5 IP, 4 H, 3/1 R/ER, 3/6 BB/K, 2.59 era, 6:2:6
Eddie Kunz 2 IP, 2 H, BB, 5.37 era, 3:3
Manuel Alvarez IP, 2 KS, 3.63 era, 0:1:2
Emary Frederick IP, H, K, 1.74 era, 1:1:1

A+ Florida State League: St. Lucie 2/6/1, Bradenton 5/8/1, Game 1

Brad Holt's first FSL outing this season went as awfully as his previous EL outings did, meaning pretty awful. Not only did he give up 5 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits, he also put Tony Sanchez (Pirates 4th overall pick in 2009) in the hospital after hitting him in the face with a pitch, one of 3 batters Holt hit today.

The Mets offense had 6 hits and 2 walks in the game, but were just 1 for 6 with RISP, left 8 on, and struck out just 3 times. Wilfredo Tovar, Stefan Welch, and Richard Lucas took 0-fers.

ss Wilfredo Tovar 0 for 4, run, .266
dh Mike Moras 1 for 4, RBI, K, .095
2b Jordany Valdespin 1 for 4, .304
1b Stefan Welch 0 for 3, K, .298
lf Joey August 1 for 3, .307
3b Richard Lucas 0 for 2, BB, .210 (6/8 BB/K last 9 games)
cf Raul Reyes 1 for 2, run, HR, RBI, BB, .206
c Jean Luc Blaquiere 1 for 3, K, .188
rf John Semel 1 for 3, .286
Brad Holt 4 IP, 8 H, 5/4 R/ER, 1/2 BB/K, 9 era, L (0-1), 2:4:2, WP, 3 HBP
Marcos Tabata 2 IP, 1/2 BB/K, 3.48 era, 2:1:2

A+ Florida State League: St. Lucie 3/5/1, Bradenton 2/5/0, Game 2

Robert Carson had a difficult outing today, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in 4.2 innings, but he took a ND after the Mets rallied for 2 in the 7th to win it. Elvin Ramirez picked up the win with 1.1 hitless innings of relief, Jose Bierd notched his 6th save.

The Mets had 5 hits and 3 walks of their own, and struck out just 3 times, while going hitless in 6 ABs with RISP, and leaving 4 on base. Stefan Welch and Raul Reyes had multi hit games, while Wilfredo Tovar, Ryan Mollica (0 for 3, K, .200), Jordany Valdespin, Joey August (0 for 1, run, 2 BBs, .303), Hector Pellot (0 for 2, .171) and Mike Moras (0 for 2, RBI, BB, .087) all took 0-fers.

ss Wilfredo Tovar 0 for 4, 2 Ks, .257
dh Jordany Valdespin 0 for 3, .297
1b Stefan Welch 2 for 3, .302
3b Richard Lucas 1 for 3, run, HR (8), 2 RBI (30), .212
cf Raul Reyes 2 for 3, run, 2b, .215
Robert Carson 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3/3 BB/K, 4.52 era, 9:1:3
ElvIn Ramirez 1.1 IP, BB, 4.35 era, W (2-2), 1:2
Jose Bierd IP, BB, 3.96 era, 0:2:0

A- New York Penn League: Brooklyn 9/9/0, Aberdeen 3/5/2

Mitch Houck made his first start of the season, and was good, giving up 2 hits and a walk over 5 innings for his first win, and the Cyclones rolled with a 7 run 5th to seal it. Darrell Ceciliani, JB Brown and RJ Harris had multi hit games, while Cory Vaughn, Joe Bonfe (0 for 4, K, .167) and Taylor Freeman (0 for 3, run, RBI, .000) took 0-fers.

dh Jet Butler 1 for 4, run, K, .333
>>ph, dh Kurt Steinhauer RBI, .000
cf Darrell Ceciliani 2 for 5, 2 runs, 2 RBI (5), 2 Ks, .304
rf Cory Vaughn 0 for 2, run, 2 BBs, .167
1b Jeff Flagg 1 for 4, run, 2 RBI, .200
2b JB Brown 2 for 3, 2 RBI, .188
lf RJ Harris 2 for 4, run, 2b, .429
ss Rylan Sandoval 1 for 3, 2 runs, 2b, BB, .273
Mitch Houck 5 IP, 2 H, 1/3 BB/K, 0.00 era, W (1-0), 9:2:3
Brian Needham IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BBs, HR, 20.25 era, 2:1
Hamilton Bennett 2 IP, K, 0.00 era, 3:2:1
Guillaume LeDuc IP, BB, 0.00 era, 3:

R Appalachian League: Kingsport 8/11/3, Johnson City 5/6/3

lf ZeErika McQueen 2 for 5, 2b, RBI, K
cf Chase Greene 0 for 4
3b Aderlin Rodriguez 3 for 4, 2 runs, 2 HR, 2 RBI
dh Charlie Hinojosa 0 for 4, run
rf Javier Rodriguez 1 for 4, run, 2 Ks
c Nelfi Zapata 1 for 3, run, BB, K
1b Travis Ozga 2 for 4, 2 runs, 2b, HR, 2 RBI
2b Ray Van Gurp 1 for 3, RBI, K
ss Ismael Tijerina 1 for 4, run, 2b
Gonzalez Germen 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2/1 R/ER, 3/4 BB/K, HR, 1.69 era, W (1-0), 7:3:4
Orlando Tovar 1.1 IP, H, 2 R, 2/1 BB/K, 0.00 era, 1:2:1
Tim Chism 1.1 IP, 2 H, ER, K, 6.75 era, 2:0:1
Michael Weldon IP, 1/2 BB/K, 0.00 era, SV (1), 1:0:2

R Gulf Coast League: GCL Mets 6/8/3, Nationals 2/5/4

ss Randoll Santana 1 for 4, 2 Ks, .429, SB (2)
2b Yucarybert De La Cruz 1 for 4, run, K, .125
cf Gilbert Gomez 2 for 4, 2b (1), 3 RBI (4), .375
1b Alexander Sanchez 1 for 4, run, K, .167
3b Josh Dunn 0 for 3, .286
>>3b Marinus Vernooij 0 for 1, run, .000
dh Robbie Shields 0 for 3, run, BB, K, .000
lf Julio concepcion 1 for 4, 2b (1), 2 RBI (3), K, .143
c Jeyckol De Leon 1 for 4, run, K, .250
rf Miguel Tejada 1 for 4, run, 3 Ks, .286
Juan Urbina 5 IP, 2 H, 1/3 BB/K, 0.00 era, W (1-0), 5:4:3
Carlos Muniz IP, H, 2 ER, BB, K, 18 era, 2:0:1
Estarlin Morel IP, H, 0.00 era, 1:2
Tony Feliz IP, 0.00 era, 3:
Nick Carr IP, H, BB, K, 1:0:1

5/27 Minor League Report! Welch, Ratliff, CARSON, Marte!

AAA International League: Buffalo 8/11/1, Toledo 7/12/2 in 10 innings

rf Jesus Feliciano 2 for 5, run, 2b, 2 RBI, .366 (please release/cut/DFA/exile/GMJ)
2b RUss Adams 1 for 5, run, HR, 2 RBI, .287 (can we also get rid of Cora?)
1b Daniel Murphy 0 for 5, K, .111
3b Mike Hessman 3 for 5, 3 runs, 2b, 2 HR, 2 RBI, .310 (how bout Tatis?)
dh Mike Jacobs 1 for 4, run, 2b, RBI, K, .258
lf Mike Cervanek 1 for 4, 2b, RBI, .240
c Josh Thole 0 for 3, BB, .243
ss Ruben Tejada 0 for 4, .299 (and Castillo?)
cf Emmanuel Garcia 3 for 4, 2 runs, 2 2b, .286
Bobby Livingston 6.1 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 BBs, 4.44 era, 89:60:29, 7:8:0
John Lujan 1.2 IP, H, ER, 2 Ks, HR, 4.80 era, 24:14:10, 2:0:2
Manny Acosta 2 IP, H, BB, 1.46 era, 28:14:14, 3:3

AA Eastern League: Binghamton 4/12/1, Richmond 11/19/0

Chris Schwinden's 2nd AA start was a bad one, he got torched for 5 runs on 10 hits in 4 innings for the loss, and his relievers weren't much better, giving up 6 (3 earned) over 5 innings. Eric Campbell's error led to 3 UER off Emary Fredrick, to totally put the game out of reach.

The Mets offense had 12 hits, and struck out just 5 times, and were 2 for 5 with RISP, while leaving 6 on base. Jon Malo, DJ Wabick, Eric Campbell and Jose Coronado had multi hit games, while Luis Hernandez (0 for 4, .307) took the only 0-fer.

cf Jon Malo 3 for 5, 2b, .253
1b Nick Evans 1 for 4, run, HR, RBI, .273
lf DJ Wabick 2 for 4, run, .254
3b Eric Campbell 2 for 4, run, HR, 2 RBI, .375, E (2)
rf Carlos Guzman 1 for 4, run, 2b, 2 Ks, .260
c Mike Nickeas 1 for 4, K, .310
2b Jose Coronado 2 for 3, 2b, RBI, .246
>>ph (for P) Kirk Nieuwenhuis 0 for 1, .301
>>ph (for P) Omir Santos 0 for 1, .000

Chris Schwinden 4 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 1/2 BB/K, 5.40 era, L (1-1), 7:3:2
Roy Merritt 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1/2 BB/K, 4.50 era, 0:3:2
Emary Frederick IP, 4 H, 4/1 R/ER, BB, K, 1.93 era, 1:1:1
Manuel Alvarez 2 IP, H, 3 Ks, 0.00 era, 3:0:3

A+ Florida State League: St. Lucie 11/13/0, Clearwater 2/7/0

The Mets used a 9 run 2nd inning to propel themselves to victory tonight, 11-2. Richard Lucas, Stefan welch and Josh Satin had 2 run doubles, Satin had another RBI double later on in the inning. Robert Carson cruised in the game, giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits in 7 innings for his 4th win of the season. Overall, the Mets had 13 hits and 4 walks in the game, and though they did strike out 10 times, they were a terrible 8 for 13 (.615) with RISP, and left just 5 on base.

ss Wilfredo Tovar 1 for 3, run, K, .275 (left game in 5th inning with head injury)
>> ss Rylan Sandoval 1 for 2, run, K, .211
lf Joey August 1 for 5, run, HR, RBI, 2 Ks, .323
1b Stefan Welch 2 for 4, run, 2b (13), 2 RBI (36), BB, 2 Ks, .311
rf Brahiam Maldonado 2 for 5, 2 runs, RBI (7), 2 Ks, .261
cf Sean Ratliff 2 for 3, 2 runs, 3b (3), 2 RBI (24), BB, K, .281
2b Josh Satin 2 for 4, 2 2b, 3 RBI, .317
dh Raul Reyes 0 for 3, run, BB, .198
3b Richard Lucas 2 for 3, run, 2b (4), 2 RBI (23), BB, .229
c Juan Centeno 0 for 4, K, .214
Robert Carson 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 7 Ks, 4.73 era, W (4-3), 5:7:7 (outside of 2 starts (4/15 and 5/1): 4-2, 2.95 era, 8 GS, 42.2 IP, 47 H, 14 ER, 15/35 BB/K, 1.095 GOFO, .243 BAA, 1.453 WHIP)
Marcos Tabata 2 IP, 2 H, 5 Ks, 4.82 era, 1:0:5

A South Atlantic League: Savannah 2/6/2, Kannapolis 3/10/0

The Gnats defense let them down in the 7th, with an Alonzo Harris keying the door open for a 3 run Kannapolis rally against Mark Cohoon and Erik Turgeon, enough to doom the Gnats tonight, as they were held to just 6 hits and 2 walks (both by Jefry Marte, who has an insanely AWESOME 17/27 BB/K ratio this year), while the team went 2 for 10 with RISP, left 6 on base, and struck out 6 times.

dh Pedro Zapata 0 for 4, K, .261
lf Rafael Fernandez 0 for 4, 3 Ks, .236
ss Wilmer Flores 1 for 4, .311
cf Juan Lagares 0 for 4, K, .284
3b Jefry Marte 1 for 2, run, 2 BBs, .213 (103 IsoD)
rf Cesar Puello 1 for 2, .228
c Dock Doyle 0 for 4, .159
1b Luis Rivera 2 for 3, run, RBI, K, .186
2b Alonzo Harris 1 for 2, RBI (15), BB, .250, CS (3)
Mark Cohoon 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1/6 BB/K, 1.85 era, 5:4:6
Erik Turgeon 0.2 IP, H, ER, BB, K, 1.40 era, 0:0:1
John Church 2 IP, 3 H, 1/3 BB/K, 0.95 era, 1:2:3

5/15 Minor League Report! HAVENS, BEAULAC, RATLIFF!

AAA International League: Buffalo 4/5/0, Norfolk 0/4/1

cf Jason Pridie 0 for 4, RBI, .273
rf Jesus Feliciano 1 for 3, run, BB, .356
1b Mike Jacobs 0 for 3, BB, .247
3b Mike Hessman 2 for 3, run, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K, .313
dh Val Pascucci 0 for 4, K, .125
2b Russ Adams 0 for 3, BB, K, .271
lf Andy Green 1 for 3, 2 runs, HR, RBI, BB, K, .302
c JR House 0 for 3, BB, .143
ss Ruben Tejada 1 for 4, .295
Pat Misch 9 IP, 4 H, 6 Ks, 3.30 era, W (3-0), 91:66:25, 16:5:6

AA Eastern League: Binghamton 2/8/0, Trenton 6/10/0

Brad Holt had a disasterous outing today, giving up 6 runs on 7 hits in 4 innings for his 3rd loss, but Josh Stinson, after allowing all 3 of Holt's IHR to score, fired 4 shutout innings in long relief, but the Mets had just 2 hits against the Thunder bullpen.

The Mets had 8 hits and drew 5 walks, but were just 2 for 8 with RISP, and left 10 on base, while striking out 10 times. Reese Havens (in his AA debut) had the only multi hit game, while Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Marshall Hubbard (0 for 2, 2 BBs, K, .282), and Jon Malo (0 for 3, RBI, BB, K, .227) took 0-fers.

cf Kirk Nieuwenhuis 0 for 5, 2 Ks, .293
2b Reese Havens 3 for 5, run, 2b (1), K
1b Nick Evans 1 for 5, 2b (11), RBI (22), 2 Ks, .281
3b Zach Lutz 1 for 4, run, .270
rf Carlos Guzman 1 for 4, K, .274
c Mike Nickeas 1 for 2, 2 BBs, .317
lf Brahiam Maldonado 1 for 3, 2 Ks, .277
Brad Holt 4+ IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2/2 BB/K, 10.95 era, L (0-3), 4:5:2
Josh Stinson 4 IP, 3 H, BB, K, 3.24 era, 8:3:1

A+ Florida State League: St. Lucie 5/9/1, Jupiter 4/8/2

Ryota Igarashi started his rehab today, and got torched for 4 hits and 2 runs in 0.2 innings. After Rhiner Cruz got the final out of the first, Eric Beaulac took the hill and was absolutely MASTERFUL, with easily hit best outing of the season, and one of the best of his career. He went 7.2 innings, allowing just 4 hits and 2 runs (1 earned) for his 2nd win. Emary Frederick got the final out of the game for his first save.

The Mets had 9 hits and a walk, while going 4 for 11 (.364), leaving 5 on base and striking out just twice. Emmanuel Garcia (0 for 4, .241), Stefan Welch, Richard Lucas and Juan Centeno took 0-fers, while Raul Reyes and Sean Ratliff had multi double games, Josh Satin had a multi hit game.

rf Raul Reyes 2 for 4, run, 2 2b, RBI, .224
1b Eric Campbell 1 for 3, run, RBI (16), BB, .347
lf Sean Ratliff 3 for 4, 2 runs, 3 2b (11), RBI (21), .300
2b Josh Satin 2 for 4, RBI, .342
dh Stefan Welch 0 for 4, RBI, .319
3b Richard Lucas 0 for 4, K, .183
c Juan Centeno 0 for 3, K, .222
ss Wilfredo Tovar 1 for 3, run, .394
Ryota Igarashi 0.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, K, 27 era, 0:1:1 (question, is it IGRASHI or IGARASHI?)
Rhiner Cruz 0.1 IP, 4.95 era, 1:
Eric Beaulac 7.2 IP, 4 H, 2/1 R/ER, 2/2 BB/K, 4.13 era, W (2-1), 14:7:2
Emary Frederick 0.1 IP, 1:

A South Atlantic League: Savannah 3/7/0, Rome 0/3/2

The Gnats had just 2 walks and 7 hits, and and only 2 with RISP (2 for 11, .182), but they made them count, plating 3 runs, and the pitching of Taylor Whitenton and Darin Gorski (both non prospects) did the rest. Jefry Marte had the lone multi hit game, while Rafael Fernandez, Cesar Puello and Dock Doyle (0 for 3, .163) took 0-fers.

cf Pedro Zapata 1 for 4, run, 3b (3), RBI (13), K, .261
dh Juan Lagares 1 for 4, RBI (28), .304
ss Wilmer Flores 1 for 3, BB, K, .359
3b Jefry Marte 2 for 4, run, HR (2), RBI (12), .230
lf Rafael Fernandez 0 for 4, 3 Ks, .290
rf Cesar Puello 0 for 3, .230
1b Alex Gregory 1 for 2, run, BB, K, .305
2b Alonzo Harris 1 for 3, .262
Taylor Whitenton 6 IP, 2 H, 3/3 BB/K, 2.76 era, W (1-1), 8:4:4
Darin Gorski 3 IP, H, 1/2 BB/K, 3.34 era, SV (2), 3:4:2

MPH System Audit IV, Part I: Introduction and Outfielders

MPH System Audit IV

Welcome to the 2010 MetsProspectHub System Audit. This year, I consulted 3 other people to get their opinions and feelings. Of course, David, my cowriter (well, you know) and co-founder of MPH, and then a couple of very good friends, Joey DeMayo of NYbaseballdigest.com, and Daniel Wexler (http://www.nleastchatter.com/realdirtymets/)

2009 was a total mess...on the major league side. Mess really doesn't even begin to cover what happened to the New York Mets in 2009, but that's in the rearview mirror. On the minor league side, however, 2009 was one of the best seasons in a long time, and 2010 promises to be significantly more exciting. For the first time in what seems like forever, the Mets did not strip off any prospects during 2009, leaving a nice stable of VERY exciting prospects. Talking to Joe, Dan and David, none of them can remember the last time the Mets had this many prospects across the top 3 levels. Below are writeups on most of them.

MPH's Position by Position Prospect Analysis and Ranking
-featuring contributions from David, Dan and Joe, written by Tejesh
-thanks to NYFS (www.nyfuturestars.com) for having up to date player profile capsules with relevant information handy!
-B/T is next to age and is in that order
-prospect eligibility for MPH is hitherto defined as 200 ABs or 100 IP in the majors, without regard to days spent on the roster

Affiliate Guide (2009):

Buffalo: AAA International League (new)
Binghamton: AA Eastern League
St. Lucie: A+ Florida State League
Savannah: A South Atlantic League (Sally)
Brooklyn: A- New York Penn League (Penn)
Kingsport: R Appalachian League (Appy)
GCL Mets: R Gulf Coast League
DSL Mets: R Dominican Summer League
VSL Mets: R Venezuelan Summer league

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OUTFIELDERS
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1. AAA/MLB OF Fernando Martinez L/R 10/10/88 (AAA Buffalo .290/.337/.540/.877, 51 for 176, 24 runs, 16 2b, 2 3b, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 11/33 BB/K, 2/3 SBs, MLB New York .176/.242/.275/.517, 16 for 91, 11 runs, 6 2b, HR, 8 RBI, 5/14 BB/K, 2 SBs)

Total 2009 Stats: .251/.304/.449/.754, 67 for 267, 35 runs, 22 2b, 2 3b, 9 HR, 36 RBI, 4/5 SBs, 16/47 BB/K

The Mets signed Fernando out of the Dominican in the IFA signing period of 2005 for 1.3 million, and since then, he's made a slow trek through the system (due to injuries), but last season cracked through to the major leagues. He started off in Hagerstown in 2006, spent two seasons (2007, 2008) in Binghamton, and last season played in Buffalo, and had a 91 AB stint with the Mets.

Fernando got hurt again in 2009, but managed to make his major league debut after having a torrid month of May in Buffalo (.337/.378/.663/1.041, 31 for 92, 17 runs, 7 2b, 3b, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 6/12 BB/K). He injured himself trying to make a diving catch in Milwaukee, playing CF, and did not appear in a game again.

Fernando still has a very high ceiling, despite being around forever, he will play all of 2010 at the age of 22, which is right on target for AAA, which is where he should play the entire season. Fernando still has considerable power projection left to all fields, as he displays during BP. As we saw in 2009, Fernando is faster then we we led to believe, and he can definitely play center field, something we were told he couldn't do (ok, ok, one epic fall/slide aside), he was solid filling in for Beltran. He should also steal between 15 and 25 bases in a season, definitely not a slouch. He still projects as an above average offensive player, no matter what OF spot he ultimately ends up playing.

THE FUTURE: Fernando made his MB debut in 2009, but should open 2010 in Buffalo, and hopefully will spnd all of the upcoming season there, before being permanently inserted into the lineup in 2011.

2. A+/AA OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis L/R 8/7/87 (A+ St. Lucie .274/.357/.467/.824, 132 for 482, 91 runs, 35 2b, 5 3b, 16 HR, 71 RBI, 53/118 BB/K, 16/20 SBs, AA Binghamton .406/.472/.656/1.128, 13 for 32, 8 runs, 3 2b, 3b, HR, 2 RBI, 4/9 BB/K, 1/2 SBs)

Total 2009 Stats: .282/.364/.479/.843, 145 for 514, 99 runs, 38 2b, 6 3b, 17 HR, 73 RBI, 57/127 BB/K, 17/22 SBs, .247 K rate, .4488 BB/K ratio

The Mets drafted Nieuwenhuis out of Azusa Pacific University in the 3rd round of the 2008 draft, and he spent his rookie season with Brooklyn, before being bumped up to St. Lucie for 2009, where he got off to an uneven beginning.

Nieuwenhuis had one of the hottest stretches in all of minor league ball during the second half of 2009. Between July 8th and September 2nd, Kirk hit a blistering .340/.411/.602/1.013 (70 for 206, 47 runs, 20 2b, 5 3b, 8 HR, 40 RBI, 24/48 BB/K). He ended his season in Binghamton where he didn't slow down, hitting .406/.472/.656/1.128 in 32 ABs.

Nieuwenhuis, as we saw in 2009, hits tons of XBH. Of his 145 hits, 61 of them (42.06%) were for extra bases (38 2b, 6 3b, 17 HR). He hits the ball well to all fields, and is a gap to gap hitter , but he struggles against LHP (just .233/.297/.346/.642 in 2009 in St. Lucie), and he also Ks a ton (127 Ks in 514 ABs), but provides good production from the outfield to make up for it, and is a possible 20-20 or 25-25-25 player. Nieuwenhuis has a good arm and probably profiles best as a right fielder, but for at least 2010, he will play center.

THE FUTURE: Kirk had a 32 AB cameo in Binghamton at the tail end of 2009, and this is where he will play most (if not all) of 2010. He should end his season in Arizona, and that sets him up to be a callup sometime in 2011.

3. R OF Cesar Puello R/R 4/1/91 (R Kingsport .296/.373/.423/.796, 58 for 196, 37 runs, 10 2b, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 10/51 BB/K, 15/20 SBs)

The Mets signed three IFAs in 2007, Wilmer Flores, Jefry Marte, and this guy, Cesar Puello. The other two were rushed further then Puello, who's been handled carefully, with good results. Puello played the 08 and 09 seasons in short season rookie ball, 08 in the GCL, and 09 in Kingsport.

Puello spent the 2009 season in short season rookie ball, playing for the Kingsport Mets of the Appalachian League, where he hit .296/.373/.423/.796 in 196 ABs. As he did in 2008, Puello got off to a slow start in 2009, hitting just .265/.324/.294/.618 in 34 June ABs, before coming on strong. From July 1st to the end of the season, Puello hit extremely well, .302/.383/.451/.833, though he was hit by 12 pitches in that span, inflating his OBP by 44 points.

Much of Puello's offensive game is still projection, as he's a) just 18, and b) has yet to cross the 200 AB barrier. He does have some pop in his bat, as evidenced by the .423 SLG and 127 IsoP, but he needs to refine his strike zone discipline in order to maximize his tools (again, he's just 18, so he has time to do that). Unlike most hitters, Puello can recognize offspeed/breaking pitches, which should help him transition to fullseason this season. Puello has good speed, as evidenced by his 15/20 success rate in steals in 2009. Puello also has a strong arm, so much so that the Mets used him exclusively in RF in 2009, and will do so again in 2010. He has very good range, owing to his speed.

THE FUTURE: Puello should open 2010 in Savannah, and he most likely will spend the whole season there (at age 19), but it wouldn't be a shock to see him end in St. Lucie. Conservative promotions from there should have him spend his age 20 season there, age 21 in Binghamton, age 22 in Buffalo, and then age 23 breaking into the majors (2014).

4. A+ OF Brahiam Maldonado R/R 9/18/85 (A+ St. Lucie .273/.348/.466/.813, 112 for 410, 62 runs, 19 2b, 3 3b, 18 HR, 73 RBI, 43/126 BB/K, 13/17 SBs)

The Mets drafted Brahiam Maldonado in the 10th round of the 2004 draft out of St. Francis High in Puerto Rico. After being drafted, Maldonado spent two seasons in the GCL, then Kingsport (2006), Savannah (2007), then the last two seasons in St. Lucie (08 and 09).

Maldonado enjoyed a second half rebirth of his prospect status, after for all the world looking like a total flameout. After hitting a pathetic .226/.277/.377/.653 over the first two months of the season, Maldonado EXPLODED, blistering the FSL to the tune of a .299/.384/.515/.900

Maldonado still strikes out at an extreme clip, over .300 again this season, and it will be this flaw which permanently puts the kabosh on his resurrected prospect status in 2010. He's got good speed and a good enough arm to play the corner outfield spots, but neither is anythign special.

THE FUTURE: Maldonado will definitely open 2010 with the BMets, and as I said, his fatal K rate will serve to permanently destroy his resurrected prospect status, unless, of course, he can bring it under control somehow. If he does, he should be poised to make his major league debut sometime in late 2011 or 2012.

5. A+/AA OF Carlos Guzman L/R 5/24/86 (A+ St. Lucie .290/.347/.453/.800, 137 for 472, 59 runs, 28 2b, 2 3b, 15 HR, 64 RBI, 39/95 BB/K, 6/11 SBs, AA Binghamton .130/.200/.261/.461, 3 for 23, 2 runs, HR, 3 RBI, 1/7 BB/K)

Total 2009 Stats: .283/.340/.444/.785, 140 for 495, 61 runs, 28 2b, 2 3b, 16 HR, 67 RBI, 40/102 BB/K, 6/11 SBs

Guzman was signed as a UDFA out of Brookdale Community College in 2006, and since has been mostly unheralded, first in the GCL in 2007, then Savannah (08), before exploding onto the scene in 2009 with a terrific first two months in St. Lucie.

Guzman launched himself onto prospect lists with a vengence in 2009, setting career highs in every offensive category, all while playing a good corner outfield. Guzman started off hot in St. Lucie, hitting .300/.354/.498 through the first two months of the season before falling into a deep slump (.220/.282/.370) over his next two months, before having the best month of his season in August, a blistering .396/.446/.523 which earned him a 23 AB cameo in Binghamton, where he should play all of 2010.

Guzman is a fastball hitter who has trouble with advanced breaking pitches, which should hamper him in 2010, unless he improves. He began switch hitting this year, and that is a definite work in progress, as he hit just .202/.305/.219/.525 from the right side of the plate. Guzman is a decent runner and athlete, and also has decent range, but he has a good arm, his best asset on the defensive side of the ball.

THE FUTURE: Guzman, as we said, will open 2010 in Binghamton, where his fringy prospect status will be put to the test by advanced offspeed pitches. If he passes the test, he will face another in 2011 at the AAA level, and if he passes that, he will make his MLB debut in 2012, likely as a power bat off the bench.

6. A/A+ OF Sean Ratliff L/L 2/24/87 (A Savannah .265/.312/.451/.763, 124 for 468, 64 runs, 28 2b, 7 3b, 15 HR, 68 RBI, 31/131 BB/K, 11/17 SBs, A+ St. Lucie .286/.286/.357/.643, 8 for 28, 3 runs, 2 2b, 6 RBI, 10 Ks)

Total 2009 Stats: .266/.311/.446/.756, 132 for 496, 67 runs, 30 2b, 7 3b, 15 HR, 74 RBI, 11/17 SBs, 31/141 BB/K, .284 K rate, .2199 BB/K ratio

Ratliff was drafted in the 4th round of the 2008 draft out of Stanford, and spent his rookie season in Brooklyn, before opening 2009 in fullseason ball, with Savannah.

Ratliff spent the vast majority of the season in Savannah where he had bursts of great production (.346 thru his first 26 games, .552 in the final week of April, .321 in May), but he was also ICE cold for long stretches of time, ending up with pedestrian numbers at age 22 in the Sally League.

Ratliff needs to cut down on his strikeouts, and also find a more consistent approach, as his wild fluxuations in production last season show. Ratliff profiles best as a left fielder, since he doesn't have the range for center (even though he spent most of 2009 playing center for Savannah), or the arm for right. He's got average speed at best, and the 11 steals he had last season should be close to his max output.

THE FUTURE: Ratliff should open 2010 in St. Lucie, and a level per season after means he should be in position to make the majors sometime in 2012. However, his high K totals may serve to derail him, much as Brahiam Maldonado.

7. 7. A- Nick Santomauro L/R 6/13/88 (A- Brooklyn .241/.368/.441/.809, 35 for 145, 18 runs, 5 2b, 3 3b, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 28/38 BB/K, 1/5 SBs)

Santomauro was drafted in the 10th round of the 2009 draft out of Dartmouth, and spent his rookie season in Brooklyn, where he didn't hit for much of an average, but showed very good periphials (127 IsoP, 200 IsoD).

Santomauro has good natural power (as his 200 IsoP indicates), but he does need to work on hiting for average. His eye is good (127 IsoD), and that should help him when he makes the jump to high A in 2010. He has good speed, but isn't a basestealer, he's more of a 1st to 3rd on a single type runner. His speed helps him cover ground in the outfield, but he sometimes takes bad routes to the ball. Santomauro, like Ratliff, is best profiled as a left fielder.

THE FUTURE: Santomauro should open 2010 in St. Lucie, and I expect him to have a breakout much like Kirk Nieuwenhuis did (although Kirk is definitely much more toolsy then Nick). A level per season after that puts him in the majors sometime in 2012/2013.

8. 8. A- Luis Rivera R/R 10/12/86 (A- Brooklyn .297/.402/.441/.844, 66 for 222, 38 runs, 14 2b, 3 3b, 4 HR, 34 RBI, 37/53 BB/K, 13/16 SBs)

9. R Darrell Ceciliani 6/22/90 (R Kingsport .234/.313/.310/.623, 37 for 158, 29 runs, 6 2b, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 13/31 BB/K, 14/16 SBs)

Ceciliani was taken in the 4th round of the 2009 draft out of Columbia Basin College in Washington State, and after signing, was sent to Kingsport where he showed flashes of the type of player he could be in the future, hitting .303/.361/.447/.809 in 76 July ABs, with 5 2b, 2 HR and 8 steals. However, outside of that one month, he was abysmal.

Ceciliani is a slap hitter who uses his speed to his advantage, he won't hit for much power, but he will be a threat on the bases. Ceciliani also uses his speed to be a plus defender in center field, and he's got the arm for the position, too. Ceciliani's best comp would be Juan Pierre.

THE FUTURE: Ceciliani should open 2010 with Savannah, and ascending a level per season after that puts him on track for a debut sometime in 2013.

10. R Chase Greene R/R 4/22/90 (R GCL .286/.361/.397/.758, 18 for 63, 7 2b, 5 RBI, 7/10 BB/K, 2 SBs)

The Mets took Greene in the 16th round out of West Boca Raton High in Florida, and assigned him to the GCL, where he performed very well. Greene projects much as Ceciliani does, a speedy slap hitter who profiles best as a leadoff hitter and centerfielder with plus range.

THE FUTURE: Greene should open 2010 with either Savannah, or Kingsport, and depending on which it is, that will determine when he's in a position to make his MLB debut. It will either be in 2013 or 2014.

8/26 Minor League Report! Antonini, Ratliff!

INT AAA: Buffalo 2/7/1, Pawtucker 3/7/0

ss Argenis Reyes 2 for 5, 2b, .284
rf Jesus Feliciano 1 for 3, BB, .306
cf Chip Ambres 0 for 2, 2 BBs, .252
1b Mike Lamb 0 for 4, .251
c Robinson Cancel 2 for 4, 2 runs, 2b, 3b, .246
lf Jason Dubois 0 for 3, BB, .148
3b Andy Green 0 for 4, 2 Ks, .262
dh Josh Petersen 2 for 4, 2b, RBI, .269
2b Luis Rivera 0 for 4, K, .295
Tobi Stoner 6 IP, 3 H, ER, 3/5 BB/K, 4.25 era, 95:63:32, 4:9:5
Tim McNab 2 IP, 3 H, R, 4.17 era, BS (2), 29:21:8, 3:3
Eddie Kunz 0.2 IP, H, ER, 4.92 era, L (4-4), 11:7:4, 1:1

EL AA: Binghamton 3/5/0, Portland 2/9/1

Michael Antonini had his best outing in a long long time (if not the whole season), allowing just 2 runs on 7 hits in 7 innings for his 7th win. Jose De La Torre picked up his first save of the season, after Ike Davis, returning from a few games off with sore ribs, homered in the 7th to give the Mets a 3-2 lead.

The Mets had just 5 hits and a walk on the game, and were 0 for 2 with RISP, but won anyway. Emmanuel Garcia (0 for 3, BB, 2 Ks, .248), Caleb Stewart (0 for 4, 3 Ks, .228), Salvador Paniagua (0 for 3, K, .202), Jose Coronado (0 for 2, RBI, .268), and Jon Malo (0 for 3, 2 Ks, .240) all took 0-fers. No Met had a multi hit game.

c Josh Thole 1 for 4, 2b, .324
3b Shawn Bowman 1 for 3, run, .297
lf DJ Wabick 1 for 1, run, .284
>>1b Ike Davis 1 for 2, run, HR (11), 2 RBI (37), .308
1b, lf, 2b Mark Kiger 1 for 3, 2 Ks, .246
Michael Antonini 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3/3 BB/K, 4.84 era, W (7-3), 3:12:3
Roy Merritt 1.1 IP, 2 H, K, 3.55 era, 1:2:1
Jose De La Torre 0.2 IP, 2/1 BB/K, 2.66 era, SV (1), 1:0:1

FSL A+: St. Lucie 1/3/1, Fort Myers 3/7/0, Game 1

Kirk Nieuwenhuis took an 0-fer. On with the recap?

The Mets were cooled off by the rain out, and then iced on by the Miracle in the opener of a twinight doubleheader, managing just 3 singles, and 1 run, after scoring 104 runs in their previous 14 games. Angel Calero allowed 3 runs (2 earned) over 5 innings, a decent enough outing, but fell to 3-10 on the year. The Mets were 0 for 5 with RISP and left 6 on base.

cf Kirk Nieuwenhuis 0 for 3, BB, 2 Ks, .268
ss Reese Havens 0 for 3, 2 Ks, .240
3b Zach Lutz 1 for 3, .282
1b Stefan Welch 0 for 3, K, .287
c Francisco Pena 0 for 3, K, .218
rf Carlos Guzman 1 for 2, BB, .284
lf Brahiam Maldonado 1 for 2, run, BB, .263
2b Hector Pellot 0 for 2, RBI, BB, .269
Angel Calero 5 IP, 6 H, 3/2 R/ER, 2/7 BB/K, HR, 4.73 era, L (3-10), 3:4:7
Jose Sanchez IP, H, 3.68 era, 1:2 (assigned to Buffalo after the game)

FSL A+: St. Lucie 5/9/2, Fort Myers 4/9/2, Game 2

Chris Schwinden's high A debut was not a good one, he surrendered 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in just 4.1 innings, but his offense was doing their job tonight, so he got off with a ND. Edgar Ramirez picked up his 3rd win, allowing a run on 3 hits in 2.2 innings.

The Mets offense, as I mentioned, did their job, with 9 hits and 4 walks in the nightcap, despite going just 2 for 12 (.167) with RISP, and leaving 9 on base. Stefan Welch and Brahiam Maldonado had homers tonight, going back to back as part of a 4 run 3rd inning. Kirk Nieuwenhuis (2) had the only multi hit game, while Hector Pellot (0 for 3, BB, 2 Ks, .267) took the only 0-fer.

cf Kirk Nieuwenhuis 2 for 4, K, .270
ss Reese Havens 1 for 2, run, BB, K, .242
3b Zach Lutz 1 for 3, run, RBI (60), BB, .282
rf Carlos Guzman 1 for 4, run, 2 Ks, .284
1b Stefan Welch 1 for 4, run, HR (4), 3 RBI (32), .287
dh Brahiam Maldonado 1 for 3, run, HR (17*), RBI (65), BB, 2 Ks, .263
lf Seth Williams 1 for 4, 2 Ks, .264
c Tony MacCani 1 for 3, .222
Chris Schwinden 4.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2/1 BB/K, 6.23 era, 4:7:1
Edgar Ramirez 2.2 IP, 3 H, ER, 2/4 BB/K, 2.32 era, W (3-1), 2:2:4

SAL A: Savannah 4/13/1, Augusta 3/6/1 in 11 innings

Wilmer Flores' walkoff RBI single in the 11th inning salvaged what was otherwise a forgetful day for the recently turned 18 year old shortstop, it was his first hit in 6 ABs. Jefry Marte left the game after making an awkward slide into home, no word on why (the way 2009 has gone...:whistles: (which I cannot actually do)). Jose Jimenez replaced him and went 0 for 4, BB, 2 Ks, .155. Eric Campbell (0 for 3, run, 2 BBs, K, .245) took the other 0-fer, while Sean Ratliff (4), Raul Reyes (2), and Mike Moras (A debut; 2) had multi hit games. The Gnats had 13 hits and drew 5 walks while going 6 for 16 (.375) with RISP, but left 13 on base.

Robert Carson had a good outing tonight, giving up just a run on 4 hits in 5 innings. John Church picked up the win with 2 scoreless innings, despite walking a pair in the 11th.

2b Josh Satin 1 for 5, run, RBI, BB, K, .287
3b Jefry Marte 1 for 1, .233
ss Wilmer Flores 1 for 6, RBI, K, .261
cf Sean Ratliff 4 for 5, run, K, .269
rf Raul Reyes 2 for 5, run, K, .248
dh Nick Giarraputo 1 for 5, 2 Ks, .394
lf Joey August 1 for 4, 2 RBI, BB, .214
c Mike Moras 2 for 5, K
Robert Carson 5 IP, 4 H, ER, 2/4 BB/K, 2.89 era, 5:5:4
Mike Lynn 4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, K, 2.25 eras, 9:2:1
John Church 2 IP, 2/1 BB/K, 5.48 era, W (1-2), 2:4

NYPL A-: Brooklyn 6/9/1, Vermont 7/16/2 in 10 innings

Wes Wrenn had a very poor outing tonight, getting oblierated for 7 hits and 5 runs in 2.1 innings, but the Conies battled back and got him off the hook. Brandon Sage took the loss, allowing a run in the top of the 10th.

The Conies had 9 hits and drew 4 walks tonight, while going 4 for 12 (.333) with RISP and leaving 6 on base. Jordany Valdespin (2), Richard Lucas (2) and Dock Doyle (3) had multi hit games, while Luis Rivera (0 for 5, K, .295), Sam Honeck (0 for 2, run, BB, K, .254), Nick Santomauro (0 for 4, 2 Ks, .234) and John Servidio (0 for 3, BB, 2 Ks, .184) took 0-fers.

ss Robbie Shields 1 for 4, 2 runs, BB, 2 Ks, .176
2b Jordany Valdespin 2 for 3, run, 2b (2), .303
3b Richard Lucas 2 for 5, 2 2b (4), 3 RBI (6), K, .357
dh Alex Gregory 1 for 4, 2 runs, HR, RBI, BB, .283
c Dock Doyle 3 for 4, 2b, RBI, .259
Wes Wrenn 2.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1/2 BB/K, 3 HR, 3.77 era, 3:2:2
Lance Hoge 4.2 IP, 6 H, ER, 2/4 BB/K, 3.26 era, 7:3:4
Bobby Gagg 2 IP, H, 3 Ks, 4.05 era, 2:1:3
Brandon Sage IP, 2 H, ER, 1.67 era, 1:1:0

APPY R: Kingsport 3/12/0, Greeneville 5/7/1

The Mets came from 3-1 down to tie it in the 9th, only to see Travis Babin give up a pair in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving him his first loss, and the Mets their 32nd. Zach Von Tersch had a good start, giving up a run on 4 hits in 6 innings, but it was for naught.

The Mets offense had 12 hits and drew a pair of walks, while going 3 for 10 with RISP, and leaving 10 on base. Ryan Mollica (0 for 5, 2 Ks, .269) took the only 0-fer, while Joe Bonfe (2), and Kurt Steinhauer (4) had multi hit games.

2b Alonzo Harris 1 for 5, RBI, 2 Ks, .264
3b James Schroeder 1 for 4, 2 Ks, .133
1b Joe Bonfe 2 for 5, .326
cf RJ Harris 1 for 5, run, K, .302
rf Cesar Puello 1 for 3, run, BB, .278
lf Kurt Steinhauer 4 for 5, run, RBI, .350
c John Freeman 1 for 2, BB, K, .223
ss Luis Nieves 1 for 4, RBI, .264
Zach Von Tersch 6 IP, 4 H, ER, 2/8 BB/K, 4.22 era, 2:6:8
Tyler Howe IP, 0.00 era, 2:1
Brian Needham 0.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 BBs, 6 era, 2:
Tim Smith 1.1 IP, 2 H, 4.09 era, 2:2
Travis Babin 0.1 IP, H, 2 ER, HR, 3.80 era, L (1-1), 1:

8/1 Minor League Report! SHAW, Ratliff, LUCAS!

INT AAA: Buffalo 10/15/1, Toledo 11/17/3

2b Argenis Reyes 3 for 6, run, 3b, 2 RBI, K, .261
cf Jesus Feliciano 3 for 6, 2 runs, RBI, .315
lf Nick Evans 1 for 4, 2 runs, RBI, BB, .160
1b Mike Lamb 3 for 4, run, 2 2b, 3 RBI, .252
dh Javier Castillo 0 for 3, 2 BBs, K, .259
c Rene Rivera 1 for 5, 2b, RBI, 2 Ks, .245
rf Josh Petersen 2 for 5, run, .233
3b Andy Green 1 for 4, run, BB, .210
ss Wilson Valdez 1 for 5, 2 runs, .218
Kyle Snyder 3.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1/4 BB/K, 3 HR, 4.32 era, 77:54:23, 5:1:4
Adam Bostick 2 IP, 2 H, 4/3 BB/K, 1.13 era, 54:28:26, 0:3:3
Tim McNab 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, K, HR, 2.22 era, 26:19:7, 3:2:1
Jon Switzer 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2/1 BB/K, HR, 3.52 era, BS (4), L (0-3), 31:13:18, 0:1:1

EL AA: Binghamton 4/9/1, Akron 8/11/1

Dylan Owen got blasted for 6 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks in just 3 innings, easily his worst outing since returning to AA, taking his 7th loss as Binghamton lost 8-4. The Mets had 9 hits and 2 walks, while going 5 for 13 (.385) with RISP, leaving 7 on base. The top two in the order (Emmanuel Garcia and Ruben Tejada) both were 0 for 4 with a run scored and a walk, Garcia added a strikeout to his night, and is batting .256 on the season. Tejada is hitting .277. Mark Kiger (0 for 4, 2 Ks, .226) and Jon Malo (0 for 4, 2 Ks, .253) also took 0-fers, while each of the 3456 hitters (Josh Thole, Ike Davis, Caleb Stewart, Lucas Duda) had 2 hit games.

c Josh Thole 2 for 4, run, 2b, RBI, .349
1b Ike Davis 2 for 4, run, 2b, RBI, K, .310
rf Caleb Stewart 2 for 4, 2b, 2 RBI, 2 Ks, .209
dh Lucas Duda 2 for 4, .279
lf DJ Wabick 1 for 4, K, .296
Dylan Owen 3 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 4/2 BB/K, HR, 5.65 era, L (3-7), 1:6:2
Jose De La Torre 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2/1 BB/K, 2.13 era, 4:3:1
Jim Warden 1.1 IP, H, K, 1.42 era, 1:2:1
Edgar Alfonzo IP, 3.67 era, 2:1
Connor Robertson IP, K, 2.91 era, 0:2:1

FSL A+: St. Lucie 5/8/0, Lakeland 1/4/2

Scott Shaw had his finest pro outing, giving up just a run on 4 hits while going the distance, for his 5th win. The Mets did all their scoring against the Tigers starter, putting up 5 runs on 8 hits and a walk, and it's a good thing they did, as the two Tiger relievers were perfect over the final 3 innings of the game. St. Lucie went 3 for 7 (.429) with RISP, leaving 5 on base. Reese Havens (0 for 4, 2 Ks, .226), and Greg Veloz, dropped further into the 7 hole (0 for 3, BB, .231) both took 0-fers.

cf Kirk Nieuwenhuis 1 for 4, run, .251
1b Stefan Welch 2 for 4, 2 runs, 2b (6), RBI (19), .344
3b Zach Lutz 1 for 4, run, HR (8), 3 RBI (44), .283
rf Carlos Guzman 1 for 4, RBI, K, .258
c Francisco Pena 1 for 4, K, .219
lf Seth Williams 1 for 3, .292
2b Hector Pellot 1 for 2, run, .261
Scott Shaw 9 IP, 4 H, ER, 7 Ks, 3.72 era, W (5-7), 11:8:7

SAL A: Savannah 2/7/0, Bowling Green 3/5/0

Chris Schwinden had a very good outing tonight, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits in 7+ innings, and left with a 2-1 lead, but Jacob Goldberg allowed his IHR to score in the 8th, and then allowed another run of his to score, taking the loss. Schwinden, despite a) being semi-old for the league, and b) not having any sort of arsenal, has put up a very respectable season, with 8 wins and 3.38 era in 96 innings.

The Gnats offense managed just 7 hits, but did draw 5 walks, but were 0 for 8 with RISP, and left 10 on base. Raul Reyes (0 for 3, 2 BBs, K, .247), Jefry Marte, Josh Satin (0 for 5, K, .297), Wilmer Flores, and Eric Campbell (0 for 4, .255) all took 0-fers, while Sean Ratliff (2), Jordan Abruzzo (2) and Jean Luc Blaquiere (2) had multi hit games.

3b Jefry Marte 0 for 5, .236
cf Sean Ratliff 2 for 3, run, 2b (24), HR (14), RBI, BB, K, .284
ss Wilmer Flores 0 for 3, BB, K, .278
dh Jordan Abruzzo 2 for 4, 2b (4), .225
c Jean Luc Blaquiere 2 for 3, run, 2b (9), BB, .214
lf Joey August 1 for 3, 2b (1), RBI (7), K, .226
Chris Schwinden 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1/4 BB/K, 3.38 era, 3:14:4
Jacob Goldberg 2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2.97 era, BS (1), L (1-1), 1:4:0


NYPL A-: Brooklyn 0/4/2, Staten Island 5/8/1, Game 1

Jim Fuller went the distance (6 innings), giving up all 8 hits and 5 runs (4 earned) to take his 4th loss of the season. The outing pushed his ERA over 2, to 2.16.

The Cyclones had just 4 hits on the day, and were 0 for 2 with RISP, leaving 3 on base. Each of the front 4 in the order had a hit, the back 5 all went hitless.

cf Justin Garber 1 for 3, 2 Ks, .245
2b Jake Eigsti 1 for 3
1b Sam Honeck 1 for 3, .315
rf Luis Rivera 1 for 3, 2b, K, .305
3b Tyler Vaughn 0 for 3, .309
lf Nick Santomauro 0 for 3, K, .232
dh Nick Giarraputo 0 for 2, .194
ss Robbie Shields 0 for 2, .161
c Juan Centeno 0 for 2, .167

Jim Fuller 6 IP, 8 H, 5/4 R/ER, 2/5 BB/K, HR, 2.16 era, L (3-4), 8:4:5

NYPL A-: Brooklyn 1/4/0, Staten Island 3/4/0, Game 2

A waste of a day for the Cyclones offense, over the two games, they gathered just a run on 9 hits, and one walk (in this game). Brandon Moore started for the Cyclones in the nightcap, and he gave up 3 runs on 4 hits over 5 innings to pick up his 2nd loss. Erik Turgeon pitched a perfect 6th, but the Cyclones mustered little to no offense, managing just 4 hits and a walk, while going 0 for 4 with RISP and leaving 4 on base. Luis Rivera (1 for 3, run, K, .306), Nick Giarraputo (2 for 3, K, .208) and Alex Gregory (1 for 3, K, .271) had the hits for the Cyclones in the nightcap.

2b Luis Nieves 0 for 3, 3 Ks, .142
ss Jacob Eigsti 0 for 3, K, .167
1b Sam Honeck 0 for 2, BB, .311
c Dock Doyle 0 for 3, .250
dh Ralph Henriquez 0 for 3, RBI, K, .206
cf John Servidio 0 for 2, K, .185
Brandon Moore 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1/9 BB/K, 2 HR, 2.50 era, L (4-2), 4:1:9
Erik Turgeon IP, 0.87 era, 3:

APPY R: Kingsport 17/21/0, Greeneville 7/9/0

Tip: If you're going to give up runs in bunches, score 15+, you'll win alot. Every member of the Mets lineup had at least one hit tonight, with 7 recording multi hit games, and 2 recording 4 hit games. 7 different players drove in at least a run tonight, and 7 scored at least 2. In short, it was a party.

Yohan Almonte had a good (if short) outing tonight, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits in 5 innings for his first Appy victory (in his best start).

lf John Semel 2 for 5, 2 runs, 2 BBs, K, .233
2b Alonzo Harris 2 for 6, 2 runs, HR (8), 3 RBI (27), K, .306
3b Richard Lucas 2 for 4, 2 runs, 3 RBI (12), 2 BBs, .425
1b Jeff Flagg 1 for 4, 2 RBI, 3 Ks, .328
>>ph, 1b Juan Torres 2 for 2, 2b (1), 3 RBI (5), .476
cf RJ Harris 1 for 4, 2 runs, 2 BBs, .273
rf Cesar Puello 2 for 5, 3 runs, K, .294
c John Freeman 4 for 5, 2 2b, 2 RBI, BB, K, .202
dh Pedro Zapata 1 for 6, 3 runs, RBI, K, .329
ss Gered Mochizuki 4 for 5, 3 runs, 2b, 2 RBI, BB, .240
Yohan Almonte 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1/2 BB/K, 6.60 era, W (1-1), 6:5:2
Chris Hilliard 3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2/2 BB/K, 2.90 era, 3:4:2
Brian Needham IP, H, 2 ER, BB, K, HR, 6.75 era, 2:0:1

7/28 Minor League Report! THOLE, RATLIFF!

Buffalo 2, Pawtucket 1

2b Argenis Reyes 1 for 3, run, K, .261
cf Jesus Feliciano 1 for 3, RBI, .313
rf Chip Ambres 0 for 3, K, .239
1b Mike Lamb 0 for 3, K, .234
lf Nick Evans 0 for 3, .156
dh Javier Castillo 0 for 2, BB, .260
c Robinson Cancel 0 for 3, K, .218
3b Andy Green 0 for 3, .204
ss Wilson Valdez 1 for 2, run, 2b, K, .222
Nelson Figueroa 8 IP, 4 H, R, 1/9 BB/K, 2.25 era, W (7-5), 119:79:40, 6:9:9
Jon Switzer IP, H, K, 2.65 era, SV (2), 12:9:3, 1:1:1

Binghamton 2, Altoona 5

Brad Holt had a second straight disappointing outing, giving up 5 runs (4 earned) on 10 hits in 6.1 innings for his 4th EL loss. Over his last two outings, he's given up 19 hits and 9 runs in 12.1 innings (6.57 era).

The Mets offense had just 6 hits and a walk, while going 1 for 7 (.143) with RISP, leaving 4 on base, Jose Coronado (2 for 4, run, K, .262) and Josh Thole (2 for 3, run, RBI, BB, .348) had multi hit games, with Ike Davis (1 for 4, 2 Ks, .307) and Jon Malo (1 for 3, .253) supplying the remainder of the offense.

ss Ruben Tejada 0 for 3, .279
lf Lucas Duda 0 for 4, K, .276
rf DJ Wabick 0 for 4, K, .296
3b Mark Kiger 0 for 3, .244
Brad Holt 6.1 IP, 10 H, 5/4 R/ER, K, 5.49 era, L (2-4), 7:10:1
Jim Warden 1.2 IP, H, 1/4 BB/K, 1.57 era, 1:0:4

St. Lucie 3, Clearwater 4

Scott Moviel had yet another terrible outing, this time giving up 4 runs on 6 hits in 2.1 innings for his 4th FSL loss. Of Moviel's 6 starts in the FSL, I would characterize just 1 as average or better, (6 ip, 4 h, 3 er). The rest were either awful (5 ip, 4 h, 3 er; 3.1 ip, 8 h, 5 er; tonights), or too short (5 ip, 4 h, 2 er and 5.1 ip, 4 h).

The Mets made a belated comeback attempt, scoring 3 in the 9th, but Carlos Guzman grounded out with the tying run on first, ending the game. The Mets had just 6 hits and drew a walk, while going 2 for 5 with RISP, leaving 4 on base. Greg Veloz (0 for 4, 2 Ks, .239), Reese Havens (0 for 4, 3 Ks, .233), Seth Williams (0 for 2, K, .292) and Hector Pellot (0 for 3, 2 Ks, .261), took 0-fers, while Stefan Welch had the only multi hit game (2)

cf Kirk Nieuwenhuis 1 for 4, run, 2b, .249
3b Zach Lutz 1 for 4, run, RBI, K, .285
1b Stefan Welch 2 for 4, run, 2b, .351
c Francisco Pena 1 for 4, 2 RBI, K, .221
rf Carlos Guzman 1 for 3, BB, .254
Scott Moviel 2.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, BB, K, 5.67 era, L (0-4), 3:3:1
Nick Waechter 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 Ks, 6.47 era, 6:4:4
Manuel Alvarez IP, BB, 3.54 era, 1:2

Savannah 11, Greensboro 7

Robert Carson had an extremely poor outing tonight, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits (2 homers) and 3 walks in 3+ innings, but the Gnats offense came to play and bailed him out, bursting out for 11 runs on 14 hits and 5 walks. Manuel Olivares picked up the win with 3 good innings of relief, allowing a run on 3 hits, Jacob Goldberg picked up the save, pitching the final 3 innings, allowing a run on 4 hits. Carson, after pushing his ERA all the way down to 2, has now allowed 11 earned runs in his last 2 outings, totalling 4.2 innings, a miserable 21.21 era, and his season's ERA now stands at 2.89.

The Gnats were, as I mentioned, swinging hot bats tonight, with 14 hits and 5 walks. They went a stellar 6 for 11 (.556) with RISP, leaving just 5 on base. Jefry Marte (2), Sean Ratliff (3) and Joey August (4) all had multi hit games, with Jean Luc Blaquiere (0 for 3, BB, K, .209) taking the only 0-fer.

rf Raul Reyes 1 for 5, run, 3b, K, .249
3b Jefry Marte 2 for 4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, .241
2b Josh Satin 1 for 3, run, RBI, 2 BBs, K, .307
cf Sean Ratliff 3 for 4, 2 runs, 2 HR (11,12), 6 RBI (60), K, .281
ss Wilmer Flores 1 for 5, .278
1b Eric Campbell 1 for 3, run, 2 BBs, K, .263
dh Jordan Abruzzo 1 for 5, run, RBI, .218
lf Joey August 4 for 4, 3 runs, .208
Robert Carson 3+ IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3/2 BB/K, 2 HR, 2.89 era, 3:4:2
Manuel Olivares 3 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 Ks, 3.60 era, W (2-3), 1:4:2
Jacob Goldberg 3 IP, 4 H, ER, 2/1 BB/K, 2.87 era, SV (1), 4:3:1

Brooklyn 1, Aberdeen 2

The Cyclones were a pathetic 0 for 7 with RISP, scoring just a single run, and being handed just their 12 loss of the season (26-12). The loss snapped their 5 game winning streak. They had just 8 hits and 2 walks, with Luis Rivera (0 for 4, K, .290), and Luis Nieves (0 for 3, .138) taking 0-fers. Tyler Vaughn (2) had the only multi hit game. Collin McHugh took the loss, despite pitching very well, giving up just 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits in 7 innings.

cf Justin Garber 1 for 4, .229
3b Tyler Vaughn 2 for 4, 2b, .372
1b Sam Honeck 1 for 4, .303
dh Ralph Henriquez 1 for 3, run, BB, K, .227
lf Evan LeBlanc 1 for 4, 2 Ks, .083
ss Robbie Shields 1 for 3, K, .170
c Juan Centeno 1 for 2, RBI, BB, .167
Collin McHugh 7 IP, 4 H, 2/1 R/ER, 3/5 BB/K, 3.64 era, L (5-2), 10:6:5
Brandon Sage 2 IP, H, 2 Ks, 0.64 era, 2:2:2

GCL
Mets 10, Astros 4

ss Wilfredo Tovar 1 for 5, 2 RBI, .276
2b Ray Van Gurp 0 for 3, 3 runs, 2 BBs, .253
rf Scott Grimes 3 for 4, 2 runs, 2b, 3 RBI, BB, .320
cf Javier Rodriguez 2 for 5, run, 2b, RBI, .243
3b Josh Dunn 1 for 4, run, RBI, BB, K, .107
1b Marinus Vernooij 1 for 4, RBI, 2 Ks, .192
lf Julio Concepcion 2 for 3, 2b, RBI, BB, K, .291
dh Orlando Rodriguez 2 for 4, 2 ru ns, BB, .296
c Cameron Maron 0 for 4, run, BB, .154
Lachlan Hodge 5 IP, 5 H, 4/2 R/ER, 1/4 BB/K, 1.88 era, W (3-1), 6:4:4
Michael Hebert 4 IP, 2 H, 1/2 BB/K, 1.29 era, 9:1:2, SV (1)

5/9 Minor League Report! BOWMAN, PELLOT, DOYLE, Ratliff!

Buffalo 1, Norfolk 5

Kyle Snyder got tagged with the loss, giving up just an UER over 4 innings (thanks to a Jose Coronado error). Carlos Muniz continues to be very subpar in relief for the Bisons, he's now given up 7 earned runs in his last 3 innings, and has a 7.62 era on the season.

The Bisons offense managed just 6 hits and 1 walk, and were a putrid, pathetic 0 for 13 with RISP, leaving 6 on base. Argenis Reyes (2 for 4, run, 2 2b, .310), Jesus Feliciano (1 for 4, .298), Jason Cooper (1 for 4, 2b, .200) and Robinson Cancel (2 for 3, .275) had the hits, everyone else took 0-fers.

cf Cory Sullivan 0 for 4, K, .203
rf Fernando Martinez 0 for 4, RBI, .288
1b Michel Abreu 0 for 3, BB, K, .200
3b Mike Lamb 0 for 4, .079
ss Jose Coronado 0 for 2, K, .130
Kyle Snyder 4 IP, H, R, 1/6 BB/K, 4.05 era, L (0-3), 69:43:26, 4:2:6
Tim McNab 3 IP, H, 3 Ks, 0.00 era, 35:24:11, 5:1:0
Carlos Muniz IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2 BBs, HR, 7.62 era, 28:14:14, 0:3:0
Connor Robertson IP, H, 5.25 era, 24:16:8, 0:3:0

Binghamton 4, Trenton 9

Edgar Alfonzo came into a tie game in the 7th, faced 4, retired none, and ultimately was charged with 4 earned and the loss. His season ERA doubled from 4.32 to 8.64, and over his last two outings, totaling just 0.2 innings, he's given up 7 earned runs on 5 hits and a 2 walks, for a very pretty 94.50 era. Jose Sanchez started and had his best outing of the season, allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits in 6 innings.

The Mets offense had 13 hits and drew 4 walks, but were a putrid 4 for 15 with RISP, and left a small army (13) on base. Emmanuel Garcia, Shawn Bowman, DJ Wabick and Carl Loadenthal had multi hit games, while Mark Kiger (0 for 3, 2 BBs, 2 Ks, .231) took 0-fers.

cf Emmanuel Garcia 2 for 5, run, K, .270
2b Jon Malo 1 for 4, run, BB, .298
c Josh Thole 1 for 5, K, .345
1b Lucas Duda 1 for 5, RBI, 2 Ks, .310
3b Shawn Bowman 3 for 5, 2 runs, HR, 2 RBI, .297
lf DJ Wabick 2 for 4, 2b, RBI, BB, .275
rf Carl Loadenthal 2 for 5, .264
ss Ruben Tejada 1 for 4, .267
Jose Sanchez 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2/3 BB/K, 6.53 era, 9:4:3
Edgar Alfonzo 3 H, 4 ER, BB, 8.64 era, L (1-1)
Julio De La Cruz IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, K, 3.60 era, 2:0:1
Eric Brown IP, 3 H, ER, 4.35 era, 3:0:0

St. Lucie 5, Fort Myers 7

Angel Calero got bombed for 5 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks in just 2.1 innings to take the loss for the Mets, he dropped to 1-2. Brant Rustich was more effective in his 4 innings (piggybacking), giving up 2 runs on 7 hits.

To their credit, after falling behind 6-1 after 4, the Mets rallied for 4 runs in the next two innings, but couldn't complete the comeback, falling short. They had 12 hits and drew 1 walk, and were 3 for 7 with RISP, leaving 7 runners on base. Hector Pellot, who is suddenly red hot (11 for his last 21, 6 runs, 2b, 3 HR, 7 RBI), Carlos Guzman and Dock Doyle (in his season and high A debut) all had multi hit games, while Reese Havens (who is ice cold right now, 0 for 4, run, .259; 1 for his last 21) and Brahiam Maldonado (0 for 4, 2 Ks, .241) took 0-fers.

cf Kirk Nieuwenhuis 1 for 5, .239
3b Hector Pellot 3 for 5, 2 runs, HR (3), 2 RBI (11), .277
1b Ike Davis 1 for 4, RBI, .288
rf Carlos Guzman 2 for 4, run, 2b, RBI, K, .287
2B Matt Bouchard 1 for 4, RBI, 3 Ks, .205
c Dock Doyle 3 for 3, run, BB
dh Luis Nieves 1 for 4
Angel Calero 2.1 IP, 6 H, 5/3 R/ER, 2/1 BB/K, 2.76 era, L (1-2), WP, 4:2:1
Jose De La Torre 0.2 IP, 3.29 era, 2:0:0
Brant Rustich 4 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 4 Ks, 1.80 era, 3:4:4
Matias Carrillo IP, H, 3.86 era, 0:3:0

Savannah 6, Greenville 2

Jordany Valdespin comes back, Jordany Valdespin has 2 hits. And a double, and a run scored, and an RBI. This kid is unreal. It may just be a hot streak and he fades into obscurity, but this is fun while it lasts. Sean Ratliff and Juan Lagares also had multi hit games for the Gnats, who pounded out 10 hits and drew 4 walks, but were a woeful 4 for 17 with RISP, leaving 8 runners on. Eric Campbell (0 for 3, run, BB, K, .265) and Wilmer Flores took 0-fers.

Jeff Kaplan had another good outing, giving up just 2 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits over 5 innings for his 3rd win.

2b Jordany Valdespin 2 for 5, run, 2b, RBI, .386
rf Rafael Fernandez 1 for 5, K, .252
cf Sean Ratliff 2 for 3, run, RBI, BB, .350
dh Josh Satin 1 for 4, 2b, RBI, .350
ss Wilmer Flores 0 for 3, run, BB, 2 Ks, .250
3b Jefry Marte 1 for 4, run, K, .246
ph, c Jean Luc Blaquiere 1 for 4, 2b, K, .218
lf Juan Lagares 2 for 3, run, 2b, 3b, 2 RBI, BB, K, .269
Jeff Kaplan 5 IP, 6 H, 2/1 R/ER, 1/4 BB/K, 1.13 era, W (3-1), HBP, 4:7:4
Josh Stinson 2 IP, 2 H, 4 Ks, 3.57 era, 1:1:4
Rhiner Cruz 2 IP, 3 Ks, 2.30 era, 2:1:3

5/3 Minor League Report! FERNANDO, HAVENS, RATLIFF!

Buffalo 4, Louisville 1

Brandon Knight had an outstanding start this afternoon, firing 7 innings of 5 hit shutout ball as the Bisons won for the 2nd time in 3 games, 4-1 over the Bats. Fernando Martinez had another huge day with 3 hits, including his 10th double and 3rd homer. Martinez has raised his average 54 points in the last 4 games (going 8 for 14 with 2 2b, 2 HR and 5 RBI in that span). Ramon Martinez, in his season debut, also had a multi hit game. Willy Mo Pena (0 for 3, RBI, .313), Mike Lamb (0 for 4, .095), and Robinson Cancel (0 for 3, BB, .205) took 0-fers.

cf, lf Jesus Feliciano 1 for 4, run, .296
2b Ramon Martinez 2 for 3, 2 runs, 2b, BB
rf Fernando Martinez 3 for 4, run, 2b, HR, 3 RBI, .287
lf, 1b Nick Evans 1 for 4, K, .108
ss Jose Coronado 1 for 3, 2b, BB, .149
Brandon Knight 7 IP, 5 H, 9 Ks, 3.96 era, W (1-2), 100:73:27, 4:8:9
Elmer Dessens 2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 Ks, 1.38 era, 31:19:12, 3:1:2

Binghamton 3, New Hampshire 4

Dylan Owen had another rough outing today, giving up 7 hits and 3 runs in 5 innings (leaving him with a very evil ERA), to pick up his 2nd loss, as the Mets lost again to New Hampshire, 4-3.

The Mets offense had 7 hits and drew 5 walks, but were just 1 for 8 with RISP, and left 9 men on base. The top 3 in the order (Loadenthal, Malo, Thole) were a combined 0 for 10). Mark Kiger (0 for 4, 4 Ks) also took an 0-fer, while DJ Wabick and Ruben Tejada had multi hit games.

rf Josh Petersen 1 for 4, run, 2b, .275
1b Lucas Duda 1 for 4, K, .300
dh Shawn Bowman 1 for 3, run, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K, .247
lf DJ Wabick 2 for 4, .241
ss Ruben Tejada 2 for 3, run, BB, .242
Dylan Owen 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1/3 BB/K, 6.66 era, L (0-2), 4:7:3
Edgar Alfonzo IP, H, ER, 2/1 BB/K, 1.35 era, 2:0:1
Eric Brown 2 IP, 3/1 BB/K, 4.24 era, 3:2:1
Roy Merritt IP, 2 BBs, 1.84 era, 2:1:0

St. Lucie 3 Sarasota 4

The Mets had their 5 game winning streak snapped today, as Scott Shaw turned in a very uneven performance, surrendering 4 runs on 6 hits (including 2 homers) in 6 innings.

The Mets pounded out 14 hits and drew 2 walks, but went just 2 for 8 with RISP, and left 12 men on base. Only 3 players failed to get multi hit games, the top 2 in the order (Veloz and Nieuwenhuis) were a combined 0 for 9 with 3 Ks, and then Carlos Guzman had just 1 hit.

ss Reese Havens 3 for 5, run, HR (5), RBI (14), .308
1b Ike Davis 2 for 5, .301
c Francisco Pena 2 for 5, K, .215
rf Carlos Guzman 1 for 4, run, BB, K, .295
lf Seth Williams 2 for 4, 2b, .283
dh Brahiam Maldonado 2 for 4, 2b, RBI, .235
3b Hector Pellot 2 for 4, run, HR (1), RBI (5), .188
Scott Shaw 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 6 Ks, 2 HR, 3.41 era, L (1-2), 5:7:6
Edgar Ramirez 1.1 IP, 2 H, K, 0.00 era, 0:3:1
Matias Carrillo 0.2 IP, K, 4.50 era, 0:1:1

Savannah 7, Asheville 0

Jeff Kaplan had another dominant outing today for Savannah, scattering 3 hits over 7 innings for his 2nd win. The Gnats pounded out 10 hits and took advantage of 2 Tourist errors to score 7. They went 2 for 6 with RISP, and left just 4 men on base. Sean Ratliff had another 4 for 4 game, he's now 8 for his last 8 with 6 2b and a HR. Jefry Marte and Jean Luc Blaquiere (0 for 4, RBI, .229) took 0-fers.

cf Rafael Fernandez 1 for 4, .250
ss Wilmer Flores 1 for 4, run, .280
1b Eric Campbell 1 for 3, 2 runs, BB, .280
dh Sean Ratliff 4 for 4, 3 runs, 3 2b (9,10,11), HR (3), 3 RBI (14), .354
2b Josh Satin 1 for 3, run, 2 RBI, BB, .354
rf Raul Reyes 1 for 4, K, .214
lf Juan Lagares 1 for 3, .266
Jeff Kaplan 7 IP, 3 H, 1/3 BB/K, 1 era, W (2-1), 10:7:3
Manuel Olivares 2 IP, H, 3.52 era, 1:5:0

5/2 Minor League Report! MEJIA, RATLIFF!

Buffalo 5, Louisville 1 - Game 1

Oh. My. God. They winned.

Dillon Gee, after seeing what happened to Jon Niese yesterday, took it upon himself to beat the Bats today, tossing a 7 inning CG for his first win of the season. Gee allowed a run on 6 hits, throwing 91 pitches for the minors first CG (of course, it gets a * being a 7 inning one).

The offense was led by Fernando Martinez' 2 hits, Martinez is 5 for his last 9, raising his average 42 points in two games. Cory Sullivan (0 for 1, run, RBI, BB, K, .207), Argenis Reyes (0 for 2, .267), Jason Cooper (0 for 1, BB, .200) and Jose Coronado (0 for 2, BB, K, .115) took 0-fers.

lf Fernando Martinez 2 for 3, 2 runs, 2b (9), HR (2), 2 RBI (10), K, .275
1b Willy Mo Pena 1 for 2, run, BB, .400
3b Mike Lamb 1 for 3, 2b, 2 RBI, .143
c Robinson Cancel 1 for 3, run, .242
Dillon Gee 7 IP, 6 H, ER, K, 4.33 era, W (1-3), 91:60:31, 5:14:1

Buffalo 0, Louisville 2, Game 2

...And then they losed.

It was Homer Bailey's turn to throw a 7 inning CG in Game 2 of the DH today, unfortunately, he's on the other team. Bailey fired a 5 hit shutout, as the Bats split the DH with a 2-0 win. Kyle Snyder pitched well in his first start of the season, but was tagged with the loss, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits in 4 innings. The Bisons went 0 for 4 with RISP, and left 5 on base.

cf Jesus Feliciano 1 for 3, .299
2b Argenis Reyes 1 for 2, BB, .277
lf Fernando Martinez 0 for 3, K, .265
rf Willy Mo Pena 1 for 3, .385
3b Mike Lamb 0 for 3, .118
c Robinson Cancel 0 for 3, .222
1b Michel Abreu 0 for 3, K, .196
ss Jose Coronado 2 for 3, K, .141
Kyle Snyder 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, K, 5.06 era, L (0-2), 69:42:27, 5:6:1
Connor Robertson IP, BB, K, 5.06 era, 14:9:5, 0:2:1
Jon Switzer 2 IP, H, BB, K, 2.89 era, 30:21:9, 5:0:1

Binghamton 4, New Hampshire 14

Ouch. Michael Antonini gave up 5 in the first, and the Mets never really recovered. They did pull to within 5-3, but after that the wheels completely fell off, the Mets allowed 9 unanswered runs, with Nick Abel taking the brunt of the pounding. Met pitching walked a stunning 10 batters today, and allowed 13 hits.

The Mets offense had 7 hits and 9 walks themselves, but unlike the Fisher Cats, who went 7 for 16 with RISP, the Mets were only 2 for 11 in those situations, and left 12 men on base. Josh Thole, Shawn Bowman (0 for 3, run, RBI, BB, K, .244), and Josh Petersen (0 for 3, BB, .278) took 0-fers, while DJ Wabick had the only multi hit game.

cf Carl Loadenthal 1 for 5, K, .261
ss Jon Malo 1 for 4, run, BB, .368
c Josh Thole 0 for 2, 3 BBs, .371
1b Salvador Paniagua 1 for 4, BB, K, .375
lf Lucas Duda 1 for 4, 2 runs, BB, .304
rf DJ Wabick 2 for 5, 2b, RBI, .220
2b Mark Kiger 1 for 3, RBI, BB, .263
Michael Antonini 4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1/3 BB/K, 5.84 era, L (3-1), 6:3:3
Nick Abel 0.1 IP, H, 4 ER, 5 BBs, 5.59 era, 1:0:0
Julio De La Cruz 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BBs, 3.48 era, 3:3:0
John Madden 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, K, 3.86 era, 2:1:1
Edgar Alfonzo A PERFECT INNING! ZOMG! 0 era, 3:0:0

St. Lucie 2, Sarasota 0

Reese Havens RBI single in the first inning was all the run support Jenrry Mejia needed today, as he spun an absolute masterpiece against the Reds. Mejia went 8 innings, allowing just 3 hits, striking out 6. Emary Frederick finished off the game with a scoreless 9th for his second save.

The Mets had 8 hits and a walk, but went just 1 for 6 with RISP, and left 5 on base, not that any of that mattered thanks to Mejia. Francisco Pena (0 for 4, K, .200), Matt Bouchard (0 for 3, K, .150), and Brahiam Maldonado (0 for 3, K, .219) all took 0-fers, while Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Carlos Guzman had multi hit games.

2b Greg Veloz 1 for 4, .228
cf Kirk Nieuwenhuis 2 for 4, 2 runs, 2b, HR, RBI, .256
ss Reese Havens 1 for 3, RBI, BB, .291
1b Ike Davis 1 for 4, 2 Ks, .295
rf Carlos Guzman 2 for 4, 2b, .298
lf Seth Williams 1 for 4, .262
Jenrry Mejia 8 IP, 3 H, 1/6 BB/K, 2.36 era, W (1-1), 11:7:6
Emary Frederick IP, BB, K, 2.02 era, SV (2), 1:1:1

Savannah 2, Asheville 3

Jeurys Familia had a rough outing today, allowing 3 unearned runs in 4 innings (due to 2 Jefry Marte errors, #s 11 and 12), but the real issue was his 5 walks and 2 balks (I didn't know Bob Davidson did minor league games...). The bullpen turned in 5 terrific innings behind Familia, allowing just 4 hits, but the Gnats couldn't get the tying run across. They were 0 for 8 with RISP, and left 6 runners on base. Sean Ratliff had the only multi hit game, while Rafael Fernandez (0 for 4, 2 Ks, .250), Marte, Josh Satin (0 for 3, BB, .355), Juan Lagares (0 for 4, 2 Ks, .263), and Jacob Eigsti (0 for 3, .222) all took 0-fers.

ss Wilmer Flores 1 for 3, run, .282
3b Jefry Marte 0 for 4, 2 Ks, .266, 2 E (11, 12)
cf Sean Ratliff 4 for 4, run, 3 2b, .326
1b Eric Campbell 1 for 4, 2b, RBI, .278
c Kai Gronauer 1 for 4, 2 Ks, .220
Jeurys Familia 4 IP, H, 3 R, 5/1 BB/K, 1.14 era, L (2-2), 2 balks, 4:6:1
Wendy Rosa 2 IP, 3 H, BB, 8.03 era, 4:1:0
Josh Stinson 2 IP, H, 2/3 BB/K, 3.29 era, 1:1:3
Rhiner Cruz IP, K, 2.38 era, 1:1:1

4/29 Minor League Report! Duda, DAVIS, Ratliff!

Buffalo 0, Rochester 1

I'm not sure what else I can say at this point. Pitch well and lose, pitch poorly and lose, score 4 and give up 5, score 0 and give up 1...it's just a sad sad situation up in Buffalo right now. The Bisons were held to 7 hits and 3 walks today, and went 0 for 5 with RISP, leaving 8 men on base in their loss. Willy Mo Pena and Jesus Feliciano had multi hit games, while the top 3 in the order (Cory Sullivan, Andy Green, Fernando Martinez) were a combined 0 for 11. Mike Nickeas and Jose Coronado also took 0-fers. Nelson Figueroa pitched brilliantly for 7 innings, allowing just 1 run, enough for the loss.

lf Fernando Martinez 0 for 3, BB, 2 Ks, .233
dh Willy Mo Pena 2 for 4, K, .500
3b Mike Lamb 1 for 4, .143
1b Nick Evans 1 for 3, BB, K, .102
rf Jesus Feliciano 3 for 4, .283
Nelson Figueroa 7 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 Ks, 2.25 era, 84:59:25, 10:9:2
Elmer Dessens IP, H, 0.82 era, 9:6:3, 1:1:0

Binghamton 2, Portland 6

Jose Sanchez has been having a very rough start to his 2009 season, so much so that tonight's outing (3 earned in 5 innings) served to lower his ERA a full run and change from 9.88 to 8.68.

It was a very frustrating night for the offense, as they had 8 hits and 3 walks, but in a performance the big club could be proud of, went 0 for 11 with RISP and left 11 on base. Josh Thole, Lucas Duda and Jon Malo had multi hit games, while Emmanuel Garcia (0 for 4, run, BB, .243), Shawn Bowman (0 for 5, .250), Mark Kiger (0 for 4, 3 Ks, .214), and Carl Loadenthal (0 for 4, 2 Ks, .288) took 0-fers.

ss Ruben Tejada 1 for 5, 2 Ks, .233
c Josh Thole 2 for 4, 2b, BB, .382
1b Lucas Duda 2 for 3, 2b, BB, .318
2b Jon Malo 2 for 4, run, .500
lf DJ Wabick 1 for 4, 2 Ks, .205
Jose Sanchez 5 IP, 7 H, 4/3 R/ER, 4 Ks, 2 HR, 8.68 era, L (1-3), 5:6:4
Nick Abel IP, BB, K, 1.93 era, 0:2:1
Julio De La Cruz IP, 1/2 BB/K, 2.25 era, 0:0:2
Adam Bostick IP, 4 H, 2 ER, K, HR, 3 era, 1:1:1

St. Lucie 1, Jupiter 1 thru 12.5 innings

Angel Calero went 6 strong innings, followed by 5 terrific innings from Brant Rustich, but the offense has done nothing all night, outside of a run in the 9th to tie it, Ike Davis doubled and scored on Francisco Pena's single. That's where we are, 1-1 in the 13th. I'll edit this post with a full game recap when it goes final.

St. Lucie 2, Jupiter 1 in 14 innings

As I told you earlier, Angel Calero and Brant Rustich were the majority of the story for the Mets tonight, they combined for 11 incredible innings, scattering 4 hits and a run (Calero's) between them, each struck out 7. But it was Ike Davis who ended up as the main story, he doubled and scored the tying run in the 9th, then singled and scored the winning run in the 14th, ending with a 3 for 6 day. The Mets had just 5 hits, but made 4 of the 5 count heavily. Francisco Pena's only hit drove in the Mets first run, Reese Havens' only hit drove in the Mets second run. Matias Carrillo got the win by getting the final out in the top of the 14th.

2b Greg Veloz 0 for 4, 2 BBs, K, .241
cf Kirk Nieuwenhuis 0 for 6, 2 Ks, .216
1b Ike Davis 3 for 6, 2 runs, 2b, K, .297
ss Reese Havens 1 for 6, 2b, RBI (walkoff), 2 Ks, .263
c Francisco Pena 1 for 4, RBI (tying, 9th), .196
rf Carlos Guzman 0 for 5, 2 Ks, .296
3b Matt Bouchard 0 for 5, 3 Ks, .111
lf Brahiam Maldonado 0 for 5, 2 Ks, .241
dh Hector Pellot 0 for 4, 3 Ks, .150
Angel Calero 6 IP, 3 H, ER, 2/7 BB/K, 1.23 era, 5:6:7
Brant Rustich 5 IP, H, BB, 1/7 BB/K, 1.38 era, 4:5:7
Jose De La Torre 1.2 IP, H, 2/1 BB/K, 4.35 era, 1:2:1
Emary Frederick IP, BB, K, 2.19 era, 0:1:1
Matias Carrillo 0.1 IP, BB, K, 5.06 era, W (1-1)

Between the two teams, there were 33 strikeouts (17 by the Mets, 16 by Jupiter), 33 of the 83 outs recorded by both teams were via strikeout.

Savannah 11, Greenville 7

Robert Carson has been alternating good outing-bad outing so far this year, and he had a strong bounceback outing tonight, going 6 strong, allowing 3 hits and 2 unearned runs (due to Jefry Marte's 10th error of the season). Wendy Rosa and Eric Turgeon combined to give up 5 runs in 2.2 innings, but Jimmy Johnson came in with the tying run at the plate and struck him out to end it, earning his first save.

The Gnats offense exploded tonight for 11 runs on 17 hits and 3 walks, they went a blistering 8 for 18 with RISP, and left 8 men on base. Wilmer Flores, Kai Gronauer (0 for 4, run, 2 RBI, 2 Ks, .214) and Juan Lagares were the only Gnats who didn't have multiple hits tonight.

rf Rafael Fernandez 2 for 5, 2 runs, 2b, RBI, BB, .268
3b Jefry Marte 2 for 5, run, RBI, K, .280
ss Wilmer Flores 1 for 5, run, K, .313
2b Josh Satin 3 for 5, run, 2b, RBI, K, .379
1b Eric Campbell 2 for 4, run, BB, K, .269
lf Sean Ratliff 4 for 5, 3 runs, 2b, HR, 2 RBI, .289
dh Raul Reyes 2 for 4, RBI, BB, .250
cf Juan Lagares 1 for 5, run, 2 RBI, .265
-------------

Couple questions from comments:

re: my Jordany Valdespin rant/meltdown:

Q: If I remember correctly, they did a similar thing with Jordan Abruzzo last year. He was batting .300 in St. Lucie and then he went down to Brooklyn.

Where is Abruzzo anyway?

Answer: Abruzzo was released by the Mets.

Q: long time no speak.
i have to ask you, what are your feelings on fmart at AAA? personally, i think he should have repeated at AA this year. when a guy like the cards brett wallace is still at AA, it makes me believe that the mets, as usual, are rushing fmart for no good reason....curious to hear your thoughts

Answer: He had spent the last 2 seasons in AA, and was coming off ripping the DWL (which in my eyes is AAA level) to shreds, so in my eyes, it was justified to have him open up in AAA. Brett Wallace was just drafted in 2008, and had just 49 ABs in AA during last season. Starting him in AA was the smart thing to do.
Robert Carson 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2/7 BB/K, 3.48 era, W (2-2), 4:7:7
Wendy Rosa 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BBs, 9.58 era, 1:4:0
Eric Turgeon IP, H, ER, 5/3 BB/K, 2.45 era
Jimmy Johnson 0.1 IP, K, 1.42 era, SV (1)

7/3 Minor League Report! Carp, VELOZ, Ratliff, Welch!

News on Wilmer: Flores blasted home run No. 5 in the first inning, then left after his second at bat not feeling well. Flores finished 1-for-2 and is now hitting .380 with 19 RBI -- second in the league to Danville's Gerardo Rodriguez.

"We took him out as a precaution. We'll see how he feel tomorrow,'' said Kingsport manager Pedro Lopez. "If he can't play, we'll have someone else in there.''

New Orleans 3, Oklahoma 5

Jesus Feliciano (cf) 0 for 4, BB, .305
Andy Green (2b) 0 for 2, run, 2 BBs, K (AAA debut)
Raul Casanova (dh) 3 for 5, 2b, K, .328
Val Pascucci (rf) 1 for 5, run, HR, 2 RBI, 2 Ks, .293
John Rodriguez (lf) 1 for 5, run, K, .255
Michel Abreu (1b) 1 for 5, K, .259
Gustavo Molina (c) 1 for 4, RBI, BB, K, .244
Anderson Hernandez (ss) 2 for 4, BB, K, .188
Abraham Nunez (3b) 0 for 4, .197
Nelson Figueroa 6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BBs, 8 Ks, HR, 3.24 era, 101:67:34, 2:8:8
Jose Santiago 2.1 IP, H, K, 5.83 era
Ivan Maldonado IP+, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BBs, K, 4.57 era, L (1-3), 43:22:21, 0:1:1
Nate Field IP, BB, K, 6.82 era

Binghamton 6, Altoona 2

Dan Murphy started at 2b for the first time in his career, and played error free baseball, and even had to turn over a 643 DP. It would be a very good thing if Murphy proved adequate at 2b, because his bat will definitely be able to carry him in the majors. Murphy also was on base three times with a double and 2 walks. Mike Carp and Saloman Manriquez had multi hit games for the Mets, while Fernando, Nick Evans and Emmanuel Garcia (0 for 4, .226) took 0-fers.

Salvador Aguilar, appointed to the AA ASG, picking up his EL leading 10th win tonight, firing 6 innings of 2 run ball, striking out 7. Aguila is 26, way too old to be considered a prospect, but it's awfully hard to ignore the production he's putting up, 10 wins before the ASB and a 2.83 era in 90+ innings. Eric Brown and Edgar Alfonzo finished off the game.

Fernando Martinez (cf) 0 for 4, RBI, BB, .285
Dan Murphy (2B) 1 for 3, run, 2b, 2 BBs, .317
Nick Evans (1b) 0 for 5, run, .302
Mike Carp (lf) 2 for 4, run, BB, K, .322
Caleb Stewart (rf) 1 for 4, RBI, K, .290
Saloman Manriquez (c) 2 for 4, 2 runs, HR, 2 RBI, K, .289
Jose Coronado (ss) 3 for 3, run, 2b, BB, .275
Salvador Aguilar 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, BB, 7 Ks, 2.83 era, W (10-1)
Eric Brown 2 IP, H, 2 Ks, 6.32 era
Edgar Alfonzo IP, 2 Ks, 5.19 era

St. Lucie 3, Daytona 12

Dylan Owen got jacked up for a 2nd straight outing, giving up 6 hits and 6 runs in just 2.1 innings. In his last two starts, he's given up 12 runs on 14 hits in 5.2 innings, an ugly 19.06 era. Elvys Quezada allowed a run in 2.2 innings, and then Casey Hoorelbeke got jacked up for 7 hits and 5 runs in his 2.1 innings. Emary Frederick finished off the nightmarish game.

The offense had little chance in this one, Owen put them down 4-0 and 7-1 before they could mount any significant rally attempts. Shawn Bowman had his first homer of the season, he, Jose Thole, and Ruben Tejada had the RBI. Victor Mendez, Bowman and DJ Wabick had the runs. Ezequiel Carrera (0 for 4, BB, 2 Ks, .257), Lucas Duda (0 for 4, BB, K, .267), Victor Mendez (0 for 4, run, BB, K, .231), and Peeter Ramos (0 for 3, BB, 2 Ks, .200) took 0-fers.

Ruben Tejada (ss) 1 for 5, RBI, .249
Josh Thole (c) 1 for 3, RBI, BB, .294
Shawn Bowman (3b) 1 for 3, run, HR, RBI, BB, 2 Ks, .300
DJ Wabick (dh) 2 for 4, run, .283
Brahiam Maldonado (lf) 1 for 4, .193
Dylan Owen 2.1 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, BB, 4 Ks, HR, 4.13 era, L (6-6)
Elvys Quezada 2.2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BBs, K, 3.18 era
Casey Hoorelbeke 2.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, K, 5.46 era, HBP (3rd straight outing he's hit at least one batter)
Emary Frederick 0.2 IP, 3.32 era

Savannah 9, Greenville 1

The offense went and threw a party, with every regular but two getting multiple hits, and every regular but one (Francisco Pena 0 for 5, K, .250) getting at least one hit. Greg Veloz and Nick Giarraputo had 3 hits apiece, Sean McCraw was on base 4 times. All this in support of Elvin Ramirez, who evened his record at 6-6 with 5 innings of 1 run ball. Nick Waechter pitched 4 perfect innings of relief for his 3rd save.

Greg Veloz (2b) 3 for 4, run, 2b, 2 RBI, .266
Casey Craig (rf) 1 for 3, 2 RBI, .321
Juan Lagares (ss) 2 for 5, RBI, K, .288
Jose Jimenez (1b) 2 for 5, 2b, K, .239
Sean McCraw (dh) 2 for 3, 2 runs, 2b, 2 BBs, .364
Carlos Guzman (cf) 2 for 5, 2 runs, 2b, K, .242
Nick Giarraputo (3b) 3 for 5, 2 runs, 2b, 2 RBI, K, .286
Bradley Hubbert (lf) 2 for 4, 2 runs, 2b, 2 RBI, BB, K, .174
Elvin RamirezA 5 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 BBs, 5 Ks, 3.43 era, W (6-6)
Nick Waechter 4 IP, 6 Ks, 2.90 era, SV (3)

Brooklyn 12, Williamsport 3

Hey, look at that! Brooklyn puts up a dozen! A weeks worth of offense ;) The Cyclones cracked out 15 hits and drew 7 walks, and found a way to leave 13 men on base. Brandon Richey had a HUGE day leading off with 4 hits and a walk. Zach Lutz and Sean Ratliff had 2 hits and 5 walks hitting 4-5 in the order, despite Lutz taking an 0-fer.

Tim Stronach was the beneficiary of all the runs, he went 6, allowing a run on 3 hits for his 2nd win.

Brandon Richey (2b) 4 for 5, 2 runs, 3b, 2 RBI, BB, .219
David Havens (dh) 2 for 6, 2 runs, 2b, HR, 2 RBI, 2 Ks, .235
Ike Davis (1b) 1 for 5, run, K, .278
Zach Lutz (3b) 0 for 3, run, 3 BBs, .366
Sean Ratliff (lf) 2 for 4, run, RBI, 2 BBs, K, .333
Kirk Nieuwenhuis (cf) 1 for 4, K, .217
Will Vogl (rf, cf) 1 for 5, run, 3 Ks, .250
Ralph Henriquez (c) 2 for 4, 3 runs, BB, 2 Ks, .242
Jacob Elgsti (ss) 1 for 3, 3b, 3 RBI, .111
Tim Stronach 6 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BBs, 8 Ks, 2.61 era, W (2-2)
Mike Lynn 2.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 Ks, 6.75 era
Roy Merritt 0.2 IP, K, 1.08 era

Kingsport 11, Johnson City 3

Wilmer Flores hit his 5th homer in the first, but was PH for in the 4th inning after popping out to 2b in his 2nd AB, no word yet on why. Stay tuned for updates if they become available.

Outside of that, Stefan Welch hit his first pro homer, a 2 run shot in the 9th. Everyone in the lineup had either an RBI or run scored, despite 3 0-fers (Ignacio Medrano (0 for 3, run, RBI, BB, .333), Imbewer Alvarez (0 for 2, RBI, .059), and Pedro Zapata (0 for 3, 2 runs, BB, K, .206)).

The beneficiary was Oscar Melendez, who went 5, allowing a run on 2 hits. Phillips Orta, Junior Guerra and Jason LaVorgna finished out the game.

Dan Stegall (lf) 1 for 5, run, RBI, K, .290
Wilmer Flores (ss) 1 for 2, run, HR (5), RBI (19), .380
Dock Doyle (c) 1 for 3, run, 2 BBs, K, .286
Stefan Welch (1b) 2 for 5, run, HR (1), 4 RBI (14), K, .387
Gabriel Zavala (dh) 1 for 5, run, 2b, K, .326
Rafael Fernandez (rf) 2 for 4, 2 runs, 2b, 2 RBI, BB, K, .250
Kyle Suire (2b) 1 for 2, run, 2b, RBI, K, .313
Oscar Melendez 5 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 6 Ks, HR, 2.81 era, W (2-0)
Phillips Orta 2 IP, H, 3 BBs, 3 Ks, 0.00 era
Junior Guerra IP, 2.25 era
Jason Lavorgna IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 Ks, 3 era