clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

2015 Mets Minor League Review: GCL Mets

Reviewing the 2015 GCL Mets' season.

Royce Ring, pitching coach of the GCL Mets
Royce Ring, pitching coach of the GCL Mets
Al Bello (Gerry Images)

Season Record: 27-32

Though wins and losses certainly matter, they are generally secondary to player development and improvement in the Gulf Coast League. So although the GCL Mets ended the season with a sub-.500 27-32 record, skipper Jose Carreno, hitting coach Ender Chavez, and pitching coach Royce Ring can all take solace in the fact that numerous players on their team took steps forward.

Coming into the season, the GCL Mets' roster was loaded with numerous intriguing names. Ali Sanchez, Ricardo Cespedes, and Yeffry De Aza were all international rookies who received six-figure signing bonuses and were considered top players in their respective signing periods. In addition, the team's roster was infused with intriguing talent from the 2015 draft who made debuts at different points during the season. Headlining those names was Mets second-round draftee Desmond Lindsey. Joining him were third-round selection Max Wotell, fifth-round selection Thomas Szapucki, seventeenth-round selection Sixto Torres, eighteenth-round selection Nic Enright, twenty-third-round selection Kenny Bautista, and twenty-eighth-round selection Anthony Dimino.

MVP

Yeffry De Aza

Games Plate Appearances AVG OBP SLG HR BB K SB
31 109 .313 .343 .384 5 26 2/4

In his first season stateside, Yeffry De Aza's .313 batting average was the best on the GCL Mets, and made him one of a handful of 18-year-olds to hit .300 or better in the Gulf Coast League. In addition, he displayed strong defensive abilities—juggling time at second base, third base, and shortstop—soft hands, an average-to-above-average arm, and good range and reactions.

Runner Up

Desmond Lindsey

Games Plate Appearances AVG OBP SLG HR BB K SB
21 81 .304 .400 .464 1 11 21 3/5

In his first year playing baseball professionally, second-round draftee Desmond Lindsey demonstrated that he has the physical tools and abilities to go far in baseball. Though he only played in 21 games with the GCL Mets, he found himself near the top of most offensive categories on the team. Defensively, Lindsey did not embarrass himself in center field, and stands to improve with more time spent fielding the position.

Cy Young

Adonis Uceta

Games Innings Pitched ERA FIP Walks Strikeouts Hits HR
12 61.1 3.08 2.61 9 46 67 1

After a brief cup of coffee at the end of 2014, Adonis Uceta began the 2015 season assigned to the GCL Mets. The Dominican right-hander was one of the best pitchers in his rotation, posting a 3.08 ERA over 61.1 innings. With forty-six strikeouts—the second most on the team- and nine walks, Uceta's 5.11 K:BB ratio ranked thirteenth in the league.

Runner Up

Jose Medina

Games Innings Pitched ERA FIP Walks Strikeouts Hits HR
10 32 2.25 2.90 1 21 36 2

Jose Medina gained notoriety for posting a 0.35 ERA as a sixteen-year-old with the DSL Mets in 2013, but was unable to follow that up in his stateside debut in 2014. He had much more success in 2015, when he repeated his second season with the GCL Mets. The Mexican southpaw demonstrated that his pinpoint control is real, as he walked a single batter for the season—the eighth batter he has ever walked in 56.2 innings in the GCL.