:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46072632/noah-syndergaard-mcshane-2015.0.0.jpg)
The Las Vegas 51s open their season on Thursday, April 9, taking on the Fresno Grizzlies at Chukchansi Park in a four-game series. From there, they will travel to Raley Field in Sacramento to take on the River Cats before returning home on April 17 to host the Grizzlies. With a pitching staff anchored by two of the top pitching prospects in all of minor league baseball, and two more highly regarded hitting prospects in the infield, manager Wally Backman, hitting coach Jack Voigt, and pitching coach Frank Viola have their work cut out for them.
PITCHERS
| Name | B/T | Height | Weight | Age | 2014 Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowman, Matt | R/R | 6’0" | 165 | 23 (5/31/91) | AA, AAA |
| Bradford, Chase | R/R | 6’1" | 230 | 25 (8/05/89) | AA, AAA |
| Gorski, Daren | L/L | 6’4" | 210 | 27 (10/06/87) | AA, AAA |
| Leathersich, Jack | R/L | 5’11" | 200 | 24 (7/14/90) | AA, AAA |
| Matz, Steven | R/L | 6’2" | 200 | 23 (5/29/91) | High-A, AA |
| Pill, Tyler | L/R | 6’1" | 185 | 24 (5/29/90) | AA, AAA |
| Rice, Scott | L/L | 6’6" | 225 | 33 (9/21/81) | AAA, MLB |
| Robles, Hansel | R/R | 5’11" | 185 | 24 (8/13/90) | AA |
| Satterwhite, Cody | R/R | 6’4" | 235 | 28 (1/27/87) | AA |
| Syndergaard, Noah | L/R | 6’6" | 240 | 22 (8/29/92) | AAA |
| Thornton, Zach | R/R | 6’3" | 220 | 26 (5/19/88) | AAA |
CATCHERS
| Name | B/T | Height | Weight | Age | 2014 Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monell, Johnny | L/R | 6’0" | 210 | 29(3/27/86) | AAA |
| Plawecki, Kevin | R/R | 6’2" | 225 | 24 (2/26/91) | AA AAA |
INFIELDERS
| Name | B/T | Height | Weight | Age | 2014 Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen, Brandon | L/R | 6’2" | 230 | 29 (2/12/86) | High-A AAA |
| Campbell, Eric | R/R | 6’3" | 205 | 27 (4/09/87) | AAA MLB |
| Herrera, Dilson | R/R | 5’10" | 150 | 21 (3/03/94) | High-A AA MLB |
| Muno, Danny | S/R | 5’11" | 195 | 26 (2/09/89) | AAA |
| Reynolds, Matt | R/R | 6’1" | 205 | 24 (12/03/90) | AA AAA |
| Tovar, Wilfredo | R/R | 5’10" | 180 | 23 (8/11/91) | RK (GCL) High-A AA MLB |
| Zapata, Neifi | R/R | 6’0" | 200 | 24 (12/13/90) | Low-A AA |
OUTFIELDERS
| Name | B/T | Height | Weight | Age | 2014 Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castellanos, Alex | R/R | 6’0" | 200 | 28 (8/04/86) | AAA |
| Ceciliani, Darrell | L/L | 6’1" | 220 | 24 (6/22/90) | AA |
| Johnson, Kyle | R/R | 6’0" | 180 | 25 (11/09/89) | AA |
| Taijeron, Travis | R/R | 6’2" | 200 | 26 (1/20/89) | AA |
| Vaughn, Cory | R/R | 6’3" | 235 | 25 (5/01/89) | AA AAA |
PLAYERS TO WATCH
A much less flashy name than fellow rotation-mates Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz, Matt Bowman more than held his own in a handful of starts at the Triple-A level in 2014. Will the 13th-round draft pick show that he can succeed against advanced hitters, or will they feast on his fringy repertoire of pitches?
Since bursting onto the scene in 2011, Jack Leathersich has consistently done one thing exceptionally well: strike batters out. Unfortunately, he also walks batters at a rate unbecoming of a worthy MLB reliever. Will the lefty ever be able to get his walk rate down to a manageable level, or will Mets fans have to accept the bad with the good?
Following in the footsteps of current Mets backstop Travis d'Arnaud, Kevin Plawecki is among the top catching prospects in minor league baseball today. A professional hitter whose swing Keith Hernandez approves of, will Plawecki hit his way to Queens and force the Mets to choose between himself and d'Arnaud?
Dilson Herrera did not embarrass himself during his limited time in Queens in 2014 and is expected to only build off of that success in 2015. With Daniel Murphy already on the team, will the organization look to go the safe route going forward, or will we see the Colombian infielder sooner rather than later?