Last weekend on the farm Matt Harvey and Greg Peavey made their post-promotion debuts, the Bisons walked off and Fernando Martinez continued to hit.
AAA: International League
- Saturday: Norfolk 5, Buffalo 6
Jesus Feliciano had a walk-off single in the eleventh inning to secure a wild victory after blowing a late lead. Dylan Owen had the start and was strong, allowing two earned runs over 5.1. Fernando Martinez hit a three-run homer and Nick Evans had two doubles to pace the Bisons.
- Sunday: Norfolk 3, Buffalo 5
The Tide and the Bisons traded three-run first innings, with the herd powered by a Val Pascucci solo home run. Chris Schwinden bounced back nicely after the tough first, tossing six straight scoreless while striking out seven. Fernando Martinez had two RBIs on two singles, totaling five RBIs on the weekend and raising his average to .275.
AA: Eastern League
- Saturday: Binghamton 4, Bowie 1
Roy Merritt started for the B-Mets and was pretty good, allowing one run over five innings and only three hits before handing it over to an even better bullpen. Josh Satin continued to state his case for promotion, going 2-5 with three RBIs and a double, and Matt Den Dekker had three hits leading off.
- Sunday: Binghamton 4, Bowie 6
The story on Sunday, naturally, was Matt Harvey’s AA debut, and he struggled, allowing four runs over 4.2 innings. It’s a big jump from the FSL to the Eastern League, and Harvey is going to experience some growing pains, so let’s not all panic at once. A real cause for panic? Brad Holt allowed two runs on four hits and a walk over an inning and a third. On the bright side, Jordany Valdespin had two hits and Brahiam Maldonado had a triple and a home run. Unfortunately the pitching failures were the story of the day.
A: Florida State League
- Saturday: St. Lucie 5, Jupiter 1
Saturday’s schedule double-header turned into a good old-fashioned single tilt, with almost the entire line-up getting in on the fun for the Mets. Jefry Marte was the big man with a two-run double, hoping to get his numbers up a bit before the Futures game, while Wilmer Flores and Francisco Pena added doubles and Cory Vaughn, Pedro Zapata and Juan Lagares all had single RBIs. This was plenty for Greg Peavey who, in his FSL debut, allowed just a run over five innings. Thank god for small miracles.
- Sunday: Bradenton 11, St. Lucie 3
Cory Vaughn had an RBI double and Scott Moviel allowed two runs over five innings before all hell broke loose. Nine runs over the seventh and eighth innings were enough to get this one completed early, and its best we don’t talk about it.
A: South Atlantic League
- Saturday: Augusta 5, Savannah 6
A four-run sixth inning helped the Gnats come rebound from a shaky Ryan Fraser start (five runs, six hits, four walks) to get the win. Wilfredo Tovar had a rare big day at the plate, going 2-5 with two RBIs and Rafael Fernandez and Sam Honeck both had doubles.
- Sunday: Augusta 0, Savannah 2
Taylor Whitenton was excellent, tossing six scoreless while scattering four hits and a walk to notch the win. Joe Bonfe had the lone Gnat RBI, on an eighth inning double, and Luis Nieves scored an unearned run in the sixth.
Rookie: New York Penn-League
- Saturday: Hudson Valley 2, Brooklyn 7
Oh to be Brandon Browne this weekend–the Cyclones shortstop hit two home runs on Saturday, and would end the weekend slugging .900 (love the small sample size). The 24-year-old is way beyond the proper age for the NYPL, but it’s nice to see the guy hitting the ball regardless. Chris Hilliard snagged his second win with five innings of one-run ball, and Brian Harrison added two RBIs, but of course the weekend was all about Browne.
- Sunday: Brooklyn 6, Aberdeen 1
In addition to Browne’s third homer of the weekend, Javier Rodriguez had three hits and a walk, and Brian Harrison once again had two RBIs. Marcos Camarena started and allowed just one unearned run over six innings. Good weekend in Brooklyn.
Rookie: Appalachian League
- Saturday: Bristol 3, Kingsport 10
Yucarybert De La Cruz had the play of the game (in addition to the name of the year) for the Mets, tripling in three and scoring on an error by the second baseman in the bottom of the sixth. Julio Concepcion also had an RBI triple, while Gregory Pron and Jeffrey Glen each had a double in the seven-run inning. Brett Mitchell had an excellent start and did not allow a run over five innings in his season debut.
- Sunday: Bristol 3, Kingsport 10
The Mets spread the love a bit more on Sunday, taking the lead with a four-run fifth inning and adding six total runs in the next two innings. Julio Concepcion and Dustin Lawley each had two RBIs, Yucarybert De La Cruz had another triple, and the Mets pitching staff had a starting effort-by-committee, including the final four innings scoreless.
Rookie: Gulf Coast League
- Saturday: GCL Nationals 3, GCL Mets 4
Ryan Hutson was most of the offense, driving in two runs on a seventh inning double as well as the game-winning RBI single in the eighth. Juan Carlos Gamboa had three hits and an RBI as well. Edioglis Villasmil started and allowed one run over five innings in his 2011 debut, and challenged Yucarybert De La Cruz for the “name of the weekend” title. Lord help us if this guy makes the bigs.
16 comments
Bryan
6/27/2011-10:41pm at 10:41 pm (UTC -4)
hahaha, good call on Yucarybert De La Cruz, I only recently got comfortable typing Jeurys Familia every five days.
Mr North Jersey
6/28/2011-12:02am at 12:02 am (UTC -4)
Max I hope you don’t mind my re-edit of your post. For the record their is a backup of your post in draft form so I can switch it back in a moment’s notice.
metsfan4decades
6/28/2011-8:18am at 8:18 am (UTC -4)
Looks like it was a nice weekend from the top in Arlington all the way down.
Bryan
6/28/2011-10:11am at 10:11 am (UTC -4)
Saturday the organization was undefeated, 10-0, which is kinda insane, but in a good way. Even the Dominican teams won, and they’re not faring all that well this year.
metsfan4decades
6/28/2011-9:14am at 9:14 am (UTC -4)
OT:
Rubin’s morning briefing includes a blurb concerning Beltran and his surgery, diagnosis, etc. This supports more or less what I believed all along and should go a long way towards changing any Met fan’s mind who believes Beltran is either ‘soft’ and/or calculated:
Even those around the organization are surprised Carlos Beltran has been able to play more games than any other Met while batting .278, only four points below his career mark. Writes David Waldstein in the Times:
Those figures are more impressive considering that the doctor who performed the (January 2010) operation told the Mets he could not believe Beltran was even able to play. He added that in the future Beltran might be able to play only three or four days a week, and never in a day game after a night game. But a year and a half later, Beltran has become the most durable Met. “I’m just so happy that everything has worked out,” Beltran said.
Beltran told Waldstein about the bone bruise diagnosis: “It wasn’t like I wanted to have the operation. But when I met with the doctor in New York, the team doctor, he told me there was nothing he could do for me. The team doctor is saying there is nothing he can do for you. I was thinking: ‘Well, that’s the end of my career? I’m not going to play baseball anymore?’ No, no. Come on, man. For a bone bruise? I’m not going to be able to play this game anymore? I wasn’t going to give up. I felt that I needed to search for the best doctor in the world, and Scott was able to find the doctors, and thank God I feel good.”
Bryan
6/28/2011-10:07am at 10:07 am (UTC -4)
I never thought Beltran was soft and was just sitting out because he didn’t want to play. Remember how he came back in 2005 after that collision with Mike Cameron? They weren’t even that close to contention, but he wanted to come back and help the team, and I believe he even delayed a facial surgery to do so.
metsfan4decades
6/28/2011-11:05am at 11:05 am (UTC -4)
Agreed.
I know many fans though believe the timing of that surgery was all about Beltran and not about the team. I said all along that surgery timing was not calculated. He had no pain after the season when he started working out until Dec. The surgery in Jan was a result of Beltran trying to find a doctor who could help him remain on the field. It’s obvious now the Mets doctors could offer no hope for improvement. Why should’t he have done whatever he could to prolong his career?
I’m going to miss him when he’s gone. One of the best CFs of his generation.
wannybackstra
6/28/2011-11:03am at 11:03 am (UTC -4)
Good to see Marte playing his way back on to the prospect chart. Also good to see F-Mart heating up just before his spot is opened up in RF with the Mets…
metsfan4decades
6/28/2011-11:07am at 11:07 am (UTC -4)
You just know FMart will trip and break a leg in the airport on his flight up here…..
I’d like nothing better than to see him take over in RF when Beltran leaves, living up to the potential we’ve been reading about for years.
wannybackstra
6/28/2011-11:22am at 11:22 am (UTC -4)
i’ve read on some of the “insider” blogs or web sites recently that scouts have been very down on his because he runs so slowly now and doesn’t cover much ground. he’s got carlos beltran’s knees already it sounds like.
that said, if he can still hit he’ll have a place.
Bryan
6/28/2011-11:32am at 11:32 am (UTC -4)
If he is in the majors next year, they’re gonna have to have a right-hand platoon along with him, because there’s no way he can play everyday, the guy has arthritis, he won’t get better. I think the only way to maximize his productivity is to play him part time and hope that helps avoid stints on the DL. Unfortunately, it’s all lefty outfielders in the farm system. Although you could platoon him with Bay in left.
wannybackstra
6/28/2011-11:43am at 11:43 am (UTC -4)
what a disaster that would be: the team’s perennial top prospect resolved to platooning with the team’s most expensive outfielder. oy.
RH platoon types, i.e. the Matt Diazes of the world, are not hard to find in the offseason.
i really hope Martinez gets the chance to get an extended look in RF this season. With no more options after this season, it is put up or we have to shut up time.
njstuckintx
6/28/2011-12:09pm at 12:09 pm (UTC -4)
Fmarts Hype almost compares to Jeffries, yet at least Jeffries played at the big league level.
Bryan
6/28/2011-12:58pm at 12:58 pm (UTC -4)
I think you can consider it less of a disaster and more just trying to make the best out of a bad situation. Nobody assumes a $64 million outfielder will flop, and no one expects a 22 year old to have arthritis, it’s just the way things turned out. I do agree that a RH guy like Diaz can be found on the free agent market, but if Bay never comes around and you want to save money, it’s something to consider.
metsfan4decades
6/28/2011-12:43pm at 12:43 pm (UTC -4)
Yikes – didn’t realize he was this bad speed wise. He ought to take a page out of Beltran’s book. Carlos has been playing since his late 20s on 2 bad knees.
I’m going to speak for myself here although probably many Met fans have done the same, but I think my mistake early on was thinking that one of FMart or Captain Kirk was going to come up here and pick up where Carlos left off. I now realize that’s not going to happen.
Someone like Beltran is a rare talent. He’s a switch hitter with power, had speed and his defense in CF in his heyday was superb. An all around 5 tool player and one who excelled at all 5 tools.
We might get a power bat, we might get a switch hitter w/o power, we might get a defensive wizard, we might get speed. But I don’t think we’ve got anyone down there remotely ready who projects to be what Carlos was in his prime. And after six years, it’s going to be hard to take a step back.
Max
6/28/2011-2:29pm at 2:29 pm (UTC -4)
Don’t mind at all, this is gorgeous! I’ll take a look at the formatting and save you the work tonight!