Mets Daily Farm System Report - 9/1: So Long, Kingsport

New York Mets Daily Farm System Report - Results from the night of Tuesday August 31, 2010.

The Usual Suspects

AAA - Buffalo (72-65)

• LF Jesus Feliciano: 1-4, K (.339/.385/.410)
• CF Kirk Nieuwenhuis: 1-4, 2 K (.185/.265/.304); really struggling right now
• LF Lucas Duda: 3-4, R, 2B, BB (.314/.389/.610); performance is a nice swan song to Duda’s 2010 minor league season
• 1B Nick Evans: 1-4, R, HR, 3 RBI (.317/.387/.577); will Nick get the call?
• SP Fernando Nieve: 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 10 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 0 HR (2-1, 5.77 ERA, 34.1 IP, 41 H, 11 BB, 28 K, 2 HR); well, no walks and no home runs is good
• RP Chad Cordero: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 0 HR (1-1, 1.88 ERA, 14.1 IP, 13 H, 5 BB, 11 K, 0 HR)
• RP Yhency Brazoban: 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 5 K, 0 HR (0-0, 9.00 ERA, 7.0 IP, 11 H, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HR)
• ROSTER MOVES: RHP Jenrry Mejia and OF Lucas Duda were called up to the big club. It will be interesting to see who else gets the call in the coming weeks. I’d expect Evans, Feliciano, and Justin Turner, at least, will all be up once the Triple-A season ends.

AA - Binghamton (64-71)

• CF Sean Ratliff: 0-2, HBP, K (.323/.375/.591); 3 for his last 22
• 1B Josh Satin: 0-4, 2 K (.312/.401/.479); 2 for his last 20
• LF Eric Campbell: 0-3, K (.279/.324/.436); power has vanished somewhat
• 3B Zach Lutz: 0-3 (.289/.389/.578); promoted
• 2B Jordany Valdespin: 0-4, 3 K (.233/.241/.302); hitting .195 over his last ten games
• SP Eric Beaulac: 1.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 0 HR (0-2, 9.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 8 H, 7 BB, 3 K 1 HR); second start could have gone better: had to be removed due to injury after just one inning
• RP Roy Merritt: 3.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR (4-4, 3.89 ERA, 78.2 IP, 73 H, 25 BB, 62 K, 6 HR); second straight appearance with a home run allowed
• ROSTER MOVES: 3B Zach Lutz was promoted to Buffalo, presumably to help make up for the loss of Duda.

Hi-A - St. Lucie (59-73)

• St. Lucie played two on Tuesday (actually one and part of another). The numbers below reflect that.
• CF Pedro Zapata: 2-7, 1 R (.247/.265/.288)
• SS Wilmer Flores: 2-6, R, 2B, RBI, K (.299/.325/.417)
• 1B Stefan Welch: 0-2, K (.246/.315/.374)
• DH Kai Gronauer: 0-4, R, 2 K (.323/.375/.411); another solid performance
• C Francisco Pena: 1-4, RBI, 2 K (.368/.350/.421)
• SP Brad Holt: 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 6 BB, 8 K, 0 HR, 2 HBP (2-8, 7.01 ERA, 61.2 IP, 65 H, 52 BB, 58 K, 1 HR); 13 baserunners allowed over five innings is not good
• SP Scott Shaw: 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 0 HR (0-0, 5.54 ERA, 13.0 IP, 12 H, 6 BB, 12 K, 5 HR); also allowed one unearned run

Lo-A Savannah (70-63)

• CF Matt den Dekker: 3-4, 3 R, 2 2B, RBI, 2 BB, SB (.413/.478/.550); den Dekker’s 2011 will be very telling as to what shape his career will have
• SS Robbie Shields: 2-5, R, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K (.271/.301/.450); hitting much better of late
• 3B Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 K (.333/.300/.444)
• SP Darin Gorski: 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR (5-8, 4.75 ERA, 108.0 IP, 118 H, 42 BB, 101 K, 12 HR); also gave up five unearned runs

SS-A Brooklyn (47-22)

• Brooklyn first completed a suspended game and then played a second. The lines below only reflect the second game
• RF Cory Vaughn: 0-2, R, RBI, BB (.304/.394/.543)
• SS Wilfredo Tovar: 1-4, R, 2B, 2 K (.283/.306/.326)
• C Blake Forsythe: 0-0 (.237/.303/.392); just a defensive replacement on Tuesday
• SP A.J. Pinera: 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 1 HR (2-3, 2.37 ERA, 60.2 IP, 60 H, 12 BB, 53 K, 3 HR)

RK Kingsport (28-39)

• LF ZeErika McQueen: 1-4, K (.264/.315/.343); also struck out 63 times in 254 at-bats and stole 14 bases in 18 attempts
• CF Chase Greene: 3-5, R, 2B (.228/.298/.290); just seven extra-base hits in 145 at-bats and five steals in ten attempts but only struck out 23 times
• 1B Luke Stewart: 0-4 (.255/.353/.431); power and patience muted by age and 68 strikeouts in 216 at-bats
• C Nelfi Zapata: 3-4 (.247/.327/.312); some patience and doesn’t strike out, but eight extra-base hits in 186 at-bats is disappointing considering shoddy defense
• DH Albert Cordero: 2-4 (.277/.306/.466); interesting catching prospect needs to walk more than eight times in 206 at-bats
• SP Peter Birdwell: 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR (2-1, 3.94 ERA, 32.0 IP, 32 H, 21 BB, 28 K, 6 HR); small sample size, but home run and walk rates were very high

Star of the Night

The Star was Jeff Flagg, who knocked in five runs in Brooklyn’s 6-4 victory over Vermont, including a walk-off three-run homer. Flagg’s now hitting .259/.333/.470, which might be slightly impressive if he weren’t five years too old for the league.

Binghamton’s offense was dreadful on Tuesday, and Jordany Valdespin’s performance might have been the bottom of a very deep barrel. Valdespin went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He’s struggled since being promoted, which isn’t terribly surprising given his limited plate discipline.

System Roundup

• Buffalo jumped to a 3-0, first-inning lead thanks to a Nick Evans three-run home run, but it wasn’t enough as Buffalo lost to Syracuse, 6-4. Most of the damage was done against Buffalo starter Fernando Nieve, who allowed five runs on ten hits over six innings. Besides Evans’s three-run blast, there were other positives for the Bisons: Lucas Duda hit two singles and a double, and Justin Turner had three hits, including a solo home run and a double. Boxscore
• Bingo’s offensive woes continued on Tuesday, and they lost to Portland, 6-0. The Mets found just three hits in their boxscore after the game: singles by Jose Coronado and Raul Reyes and a double by Marshall Hubbard. Portland starter Stephen Fife took a no-no into the sixth inning. Pitching-wise, starter Eric Beaulac allowed three runs in the first and was taken out of the game with an undisclosed injury. Fun times. Boxscore
• St. Lucie and Bradenton played a double header, or at least attempted to. They got the entirety of the first game in, and St. Lucie actually managed to squeak out a victory in nine innings (extra innings in a doubleheader) in the first game. The Mets had dramatically tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on a Wilmer Flores sac fly that brought home Joey August. August would actually become the winning run also on a walk-off single by Mike Fischer (Boxscore). In true St. Lucie-Bradenton fashion, the second game was suspended in the bottom of the sixth due to rain with the score tied at three. Scott Shaw started the game and pitched serviceably for four innings. The Mets actually held the lead until the top of the sixth when Pedro Martinez allowed an RBI single to Austin McClune. Boxscore
• Savannah faced off against Marlins 2009 first-rounder Chad James and wound up winning 12-8. The victory was entirely due to the bats: starter Darin Gorski allowed seven runs over four innings of work. Matt den Dekker had three hits—including two doubles—Robbie Shields drove in three, Jordan Abruzzo had two hits, and Aderlin Rodriguez had a two-run single. Boxscore
• Like St. Lucie, Brooklyn also played a whole game and part of another, but theirs was the completion of a prior game and the day’s scheduled game. The first game had been an extra-inning affair with Brooklyn winning 8-7 in the 12th inning. Ryan Fraser got two quick outs to complete the match (Boxscore). In the second game, A.J. Pinera wasn’t at his best, but Brooklyn scored three runs in the seventh on a walk-off three-run home run off the bat of Jeff Flagg. Boxscore
• Kingsport’s season came to an end with a 4-2 loss to Bristol. Peter Birdwell made the first start of his pro career and allowed three runs over four innings. Chase Greene and Nelf Zapata ended things on high notes, each totaling three base knocks, and Ray Van Gurp and Albert Cordero had two more each. Boxscore