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Season Record: 40-28
The Kingsport Mets ended their 2014 season with an even 34-34 record, so there was no doubt newly minted manager Luis Rivera would be looking to improve on that. On paper, the team had several intriguing names, including holdovers from the 2014 season, promotions from the 2014 GCL Mets, and new additions from the 2015 MLB draft.
Kingsport started their 2015 season on the right foot by winning their first game, an extra-inning 4-3 victory over the Johnson City Cardinals. Kingsport would close out June with a 5-3 record, but then go 13-16 in the month of July. With roughly a month left in the season, they had an 18-19 record. The team picked it up in August, going 21-9 for the month, and won eight of its last ten games.
On Friday, August 28, Kingsport pulled out a come-from-behind victory in extra innings to clinch the Appalachian League West Division title, the team's second division crown in three years. After using the subsequent week to prepare for the Appalachian League playoff semifinals, Kingsport faced the Greeneville Astros in the series. Kingsport won the first game but dropped the next two, thereby eliminating them from the playoffs and ending their season.
Despite not winning it all, the Kingsport Mets had a successful season, going 40-28 on the year.
MVP
Patrick Mazeika
| Games | Plate Appearances | AVG | OBP | SLG | HR | BB | K | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | 268 | .354 | .451 | .540 | 5 | 24 | 26 | 1/1 |
Stetson product Patrick Mazeika showed that he was the big man on campus with the Kingsport Mets, absolutely demolishing Appalachian League pitching. The 21-year-old catcher was not only an offensive force on his own team, but also ranked among the best hitters in the league, finishing second in batting average and on-base percentage, sixth in slugging percentage, and fourth in OPS. Defensively, he could use polishing, but threw out roughly one-third of all runners that tried to steal against him.
Runner Up
Kevin Kaczmarski
| Games | Plate Appearances | AVG | OBP | SLG | HR | BB | K | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 284 | .355 | .415 | .512 | 4 | 24 | 33 | 20/29 |
Much like fellow 2015 draftee Patrick Mazeika, Kevin Kaczmarski had no problem punishing Appalachian League pitching. The University of Evansville product led the league with a .355 batting average, was ninth in OBP, sixth in slugging percentage, and seventh in OPS. In addition, the 23-year-old outfielder stole twenty bases, good the most on the team, and second most in the league.
Cy Young
Nabil Crismatt
| Games | Innings Pitched | ERA | FIP | Walks | Strikeouts | Hits | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 62 | 2.90 | 3.57 | 12 | 63 | 52 | 6 |
With a 2.90 ERA in 62 innings, Nabil Crismatt was among the best pitchers on the Kingsport Mets. The 20-year-old Colombian struck out 63 batters—the third most in the league— using an advanced arsenal of secondary pitches to complement his fastball. His most effective secondary pitch is his changeup, a plus pitch that could strike out MLB hitters right now.
Runner Up
Thomas McIlraith
| Games | Innings Pitched | ERA | FIP | Walks | Strikeouts | Hits | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 58 | 1.71 | 3.98 | 19 | 34 | 48 | 2 |
The 21-year-old Thomas McIlraith had a good professional debut season, leading the Kingsport Mets in ERA and placing second in ERA among Appalachian League starters. After having been hittable due command issues while playing with the University of Oklahoma and Midland College, the right-hander allowed just 48 hits and walked 19 batters in 58 innings pitched, both improvements from his college days.