Catch up on all of yesterday’s minor league action from around the Mets farm system!
*All results from games played on Friday, June 20th, 2014
Triple-A - Las Vegas 51s (44-31)______________________________________
LAS VEGAS 5, NASHVILLE 4 (Box)
Seeing as Travis d'Arnaud will lose his last minor league option if he stays at Las Vegas past June 27, it seems likely the Mets' catcher of the future will be back behind Citi Field's plate sometime next week. Even so, he's done more than enough to earn the promotion. At this point, it's just about a break-even proposition as to whether PCL pitchers can retire the backstop. d'Arnaud picked up three hits in four at-bats last night to drive up his average to .458 and he came around to score one of four ninth-inning runs Las Vegas scored to secure a come from behind triumph.
- CF Matt den Dekker: 0-4
- SS Matt Reynolds: 1-4, R, K
- C Travis d'Arnaud: 3-4. R
- RF Andrew Brown: 1-2, 2B, RBI, BB
- 1B Allan Dykstra: 0-3
- PH Daniel Muno: 1-1, R, RBI
- 3B Josh Satin: 1-4, R, 2B, RBI, 2 K
- LF Cesar Puello: 0-3, BB, K
- 2B Anthony Seratelli: 0-3, BB, 2 K
- RHP Giancarlo Alvarado: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
- RHP Zack Thornton: 0.1 IP, H, K
- LHP Scott Rice: 1.1 IP, H, K
- RHP Ryan Reid: 1 IP, K
Double-A - Binghamton Mets (42-31)______________________________________
BINGHAMTON 12, BOWIE 4 (Box)
A brief note regarding today's headline: As an adolescent Mets fan with escapist tendencies back in the early '90s, I spent way more time than I should have disappearing into the minor league registers of Baseball America's dead tree almanacs and poring over the profiles of Ryan Jaroncyk and Al Shirley printed in Mets Inside Pitch. The goal was to convince myself that there were better days ahead for the bad, old team I loved.
Point being, it's been a pleasure to write these reports this season because, for the first time in my conscious Mets fandom, the farm is as a-bloom with actual prospects as I can ever recall it being.
Anyway, Binghamton blew out the Bowie BaySox. Xorge Carrillo hit a grand slam, Brandon Nimmo picked up his first Double-A base knock, and Dilson Herrera, the fifth youngest player in the Eastern League and inspiration for the small bit of exuberance above, rapped out three singles. His Binghamton slash line now sits at a funky .556/.556/.556.
- RF Kyle Johnson: 1-4, RBI, BB, 2 K, SB
- 3B Brian Burgamy: 2-5, 2 R, 2B, K
- SS T.J. Rivera: 1-5, RBI, K
- 1B Matt Clark: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, BB
- LF Dustin Lawley: 2-5, 2 R, HR, RBI, K
- CF Brandon Nimmo: 1-4, 2 R, BB
- DH Travis Taijeron: 0-2, 2 R, RBI, 3 BB, K
- C Xorge Carrillo: 2-5, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI
- 2B Dilson Herrera: 3-5, R, 2 RBI, K
- RHP Hansel Robles: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, HR
High-A - St. Lucie Mets (41-29)______________________________________
NO GAME (PPD)
Rain forced St. Lucie off the field for the second time in three days. The team will play two against the rival Fort Myers Miracle this afternoon.
Low-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (45-23)_____________________________________
GREENVILLE 21, SAVANNAH 1 (Box)
It must have been Dionysian Orgy Night at Little Fenway because Greenville made the Sand Gnats wear goat horns while they pounded the team in submission. The Drive scored 11 times against John Gant, though only one run was earned thanks to four fielding errors Jonathan Leroux, a first baseman/designated hitter-type who was manning the hot corner for just the second time all season.
Meanwhile, Greenville starter Teddy Stankiewicz turned in another solid start against an affiliate of the team that failed to sign him as a second round pick in 2012. The 20-year old prospect put just five runners on base in his six innings of work and the only thing that kept Savannah from getting skunked was an errant throw that allowed Colton Plaia to scamper home in Stankiewicz's last frame.
Any spark that gift run might have provided the Sand Gnats was quickly extinguished by reliever Tyler Vanderheiden, who promptly gave back that score plus four more in his appearance. The Drive also hung a five-spot on the line of John Mincone. Go get 'em next time, Gnats.
- CF Champ Stuart: 0-2, 2 BB, K
- SS Yeixon Ruiz: 1-3, BB
- RF Victor Cruzado: 0-4, K
- 1B Dominic Smith: 0-3, BB
- 3B Jonathan Leroux: 1-4, 2B, K, 4 E
- 2B Jorge Rivero: 0-4
- C Colton Plaia: 1-3, R, 2B
- LF Stefan Sabol: 0-3
- DH Neil Zapata: 0-3
- RHP John Gant: 4 IP, 8 H, 11 R, 3 BB, K
Short-A - Brooklyn Cyclones (6-2)______________________________________
BROOKLYN 7, ABERDEEN 6 (Box)
Alex Nelson twice used the word "inconsistent" to describe Casey Meisner in the post-draft scouting report he filed last year. Through two starts for Brooklyn that's exactly what the 2013 third-rounder has been. Last night, Meisner showed some of the potential that made him a top-100 pick by striking out seven (six swinging) and going five frames deep into the game. Kelly Secrest, a tenth round pick this year, made his professional debut in relief of Meisner and struggled with his control, putting four runners on base in two-thirds of an inning.
Luckily, timely singles from Tyler Moore and Tucker Tharp in the top of the eighth kept the UNC-Wilmington alum from taking the loss in his first pro game, while a sac fly off the bat of Michael Katz in the ninth gave the Cyclones the slimmest possible margin of victory.
- CF Tucker Tharp: 1-5, RBI, 3 K
- SS Amed Rosario: 0-5, 3 K
- C Thomas Nido: 2-5, 2 R, 2B
- 1B Michael Katz: 1-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, K
- RF Michael Bernal: 4-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 3B, K
- DH Jeff Diehl: 1-5, RBI, 3 K
- 3B Jhoan Urena: 2-4, R, BB, K
- LF Joe Tuschak: 0-2, BB, K
- 2B Dimas Ponce: 0-2, K
- PH Tyler Moore: 1-1, RBI
- RHP Casey Meisner: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, HR
- RHP Kelly Secrest: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, K
Rookie - Gulf Coast League Mets (1-0)_____________________________________
GCL METS 7, GCL NATIONALS 1 (Box)
Juan Lagares made his first appearance in the Gulf Coast League since 2009 yesterday as the start of his rehab assignment happened to coincide with the Opening Day of 2014 GCL Mets season. Lagares went hitless in four at-bats, but two of his young teammates, shortstop Alfredo Reyes and left fielder Enmanuel Zabala, each picked up three hits in the win.
- REHAB ALERT CF Juan Lagares: 0-4
- DH John Mora: 1-2, 2 R, SB
- SS Alfredo Reyes: 3-4, 2 R, K
- 1B Dash Winningham: 1-4, RBI, 2 K
- RF Jose Figuera: 1-4, RBI, 3 K
- C Dionis Rodriguez: 1-2, 2 R, 2 BB
- LF Enmanuel Zabala: 3-4, R, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI
- 2B William Fulmer: 1-4, RBI, K
- 3B Alvin Maracaro: 0-4. K
- RHP Logan Taylor: 5 IP, 5 H, ER, 0 BB, 6 K
- RHP Nabil Crismatt: 2 IP, 2 K (Listed mainly because his name sounds like one that Charles Dickens and Douglas Adams would have come up with in collaboration.)
Rookie - Kingsport Mets (0-2)______________________________________
DANVILLE 7, KINGSPORT 2 (Box)
Greg K's Branden Kaupe extra-base hit watch lasted all of a day. The tiny Hawaiian smacked a double in the sixth inning, his first two-bagger since before the last presidential election.
Also of note, Ismael Tijerina, a former middle infielder who's making the conversion to pitching, made his first mound appearance. It did not go well.
- SS Luis Guillorme: 1-4, R
- 2B Branden Kaupe: 1-4, 2B, RBI, K
- DH Pedro Perez: 0-4
- 1B Zach Mathieu: 0-3
- 3B Eudor Garcia: 0-3, K
- CF Ivan Wilson: 0-4, 3 K
- C Jose Garcia: 0-3
- RF Wuilmer Becerra: 1-4, K
- LF Vicente Lupo: 1-3, HR, RBI
- RHP Gaby Almonte: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
- RHP Ismael Tijerina: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K
Finally, in Dominican Summer League action, both Mets1 blanked the DSL Rojos and Mets2 did what the big league team couldn't, namely score enough runs to beat the Marlins.
Star of the Night
Plenty of worthy candidates, but I'll give the honor to Brooklyn's Michael Bernal for rapping out four hits (with three going for extra-bases) in five plate appearances.
Goat of the Night
The entire Savannah roster gets horns for shaving 20 runs off the team's run differential in a single night. Also, Jonathan Leroux is hereby named Satyr of the Night, as having cloven hoofs are the only excuse for booting three grounders in the span of three innings.