Mets Arizona Fall League Update: Week 5

*All results from games played from Monday, November 7 to Saturday, November 12

Monday, November 7: Scottsdale 4, Mesa 3 (Box)

• SS Gavin Cecchini: 2-5, R, 2B, K
• LF Tim Tebow: 1-4, RBI, BB, K
• CF Champ Stuart: 0-4, 3 K

Tuesday, November 8: Scottsdale 13, Glendale 3 (Box)

• 1B Matt Oberste: 2-5, R, 2B, RBI
• DH Tim Tebow: 1-4, R, BB
• CF Champ Stuart: 1-5, R, RBI, 3 K
• RHP Marcos Molina: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 36 P (25 S/11 B), 4 GB-2 FB

Wednesday, November 9: Scottsdale 5, Surprise 4 (Box)

• SS Gavin Cecchini: 2-4, 2 R, K
• LF Tim Tebow: 0-3
• RHP Corey Oswalt: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 65 P (44 S/21 B), 6 GB-0 FB
• LHP David Roseboom: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 14 P (10 S/4 B), 0 GB-0 FB

Thursday, November 10: Peoria 5, Scottsdale 4 (Box)

• LF Tim Tebow: 1-3, R, 2B, BB, 2 K
• CF Champ Stuart: 1-3, BB, 2 K, CS (1)
• RHP Corey Taylor: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 17 P (14 S/3 B), 2 GB-0 FB

Friday, November 11: Glendale 5, Scottsdale 2 (Box)

• SS Gavin Cecchini: 1-4, R, 3B, 2 E (6, 7)
• 1B Matt Oberste: 2-4, RBI

Saturday, November 12: Glendale 4, Scottsdale 3 (Box)

• 1B Matt Oberste: 1-3, 2B, RBI
• CF Champ Stuart: 0-4, K
• LHP David Roseboom: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 8 P (5 S/3 B), 1 GB-0 FB

WEEK FIVE TOTALS

Gavin Cecchini: 14 G, .283/.355/.453 (15-53), 4 2B, 3B, HR, 6 RBI, 7 BB, 8 K, 0/1 SB, 7 E

Gavin Cecchini played in three games this week, and his bat came alive, adding five more hits to his Arizona Fall League totals. Of those five hits, one was a double and one was a triple, boosting his slugging percentage by roughly .50 points. Not everything was rosy for the young middle infielder, though. His defensive yips reemerged this week after quite a few games with no difficulties in the field. In Friday’s game, he committed a pair of errors: a wild throw to first that allowed Carson Kelly to reach base and Cody Bellinger to score, and a fielding error that allowed Nick Tanielu to reach base.

Matt Oberste: 11 G, .146/.159/.195 (6-41), 4 RBI, 1 BB, 8 K, 0/0 SB, 1 E

After weeks of futility at the plate, Matt Oberste has finally righted the ship. He added five more hits this week, two of them doubles, bringing his batting line for the AFL season to .146/.159/.195- still not great, but a big improvement.

Tim Tebow: 15 G, .157/.232/.196 (8-51), 2 2B, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 15 K, 1/2 SB, 0 E

Tim Tebow played in four games this week and notched a hit in three of them, including a walk-off single on Monday’s game. Two of his hits this week were to his pull side, the first time the left-hander hit balls into center right and right field. Intentionally highly aggressive at the plate, the former quarterback also drew three unintentional walks. Though he wasn’t charged with an error, the left fielder dropped what should have been a putout in the first inning of Thursday’s game, leading to two runs scoring in the bottom of the first against Yankees top prospect James Kaprielian.

Champ Stuart: 16 G, .305/.339/.424 (18-59), 4 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 20 K 8/9 SB, 1 E

Stuart was very obviously playing over his head, coming into the week with a .372/.400/.535 batting line, and regression hit him hard. He managed only one hit, a bunt single, going 1-16 with one walk and nine strikeouts. In addition, he was thrown out trying to steal a base for the first time this Fall by the battery of Mariners farmhand Dylan Unsworth and Tampa Bay prospect Nick Ciuffo. It was not all bad news for the Bahamian centerfielder, though. He continues to play an excellent centerfield, and on Saturday, threw out Nationals minor leaguer Drew Ward at the plate to prevent a run from scoring.

Marcos Molina: 6 G (2 GS), 15.2 IP, 14 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 6 BB, 7 K, HR, 1 HLD

Marcos Molina made one appearance this week, relieving Grayson Long in Tuesday’s 13-3 blowout of the Glendale Desert Dogs. He scattered two hits, back-to-back line drive singles by Carson Kelly and Willie Calhoun, and struck out two batters, both on called strikes. Molina was effective, throwing eleven pitches out of the strike zone in total.

Corey Taylor: 8 G, 12 IP, 12 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 13 K, HR, 3 HLD, 1 SV

Corey Taylor made one appearance this week, pitching an inning plus on Thursday in relief of starter James Kaprielian. He was brought in in the middle of the fifth inning with men on the corners to put out the fire the Yankees top prospect started, but faltered. After striking out Michael Gettys on three pitches, Franchy Cordero hit a ground rule double and Tyler O’Neill singled, allowing two runs to score. He had much more success in the bottom of the sixth, tossing a 1-2-3 inning. Taylor mostly relied on his change-up, which ranged in velocity from 83 to 87 MPH, while mixing in five fastballs- 94, 94, 95, 96, and 95 MPH, respectively- and three sliders- 85, 86, and 88 MPH, respectively.

Corey Oswalt: 6 G (6 GS), 22 IP, 22 H,14 R, 9 ER, 9 BB, 18 K, HR

Corey Oswalt started Wednesday’s game against the Surprise Saguaros, allowing three runs on six hits. He needed 65 pitches to get through four innings, throwing 44 pitches for strikes and 21 for balls. He walked one batter, outfielder Connor Joe, while striking out three.

David Roseboom: 10 G, 10.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 8 BB, 15 K, 1 HLD, 1 SV, 1 WP

David Roseboom pitched in two games this week, pitching in the eighth in Wednesday’s 5-4 victory over the Surprise Saguaros and to a batter in the sixth and seventh innings of Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Glendale Desert Dogs. On Wednesday, the left-hander struck out the side, retiring Nick Gordon on a perfectly placed pitch right on the black, Isiah Kiner-Falefa on a pitch inside and at the belt, and Ryan O’Hearn on a pitch down Broadway that froze him. On Saturday, after coming in with a man on first in the sixth, he uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Courtney Hawkins to reach second, but got pinch hitter Harrison Badler to ground out to end the inning. He began the seventh and got Drew Ward to ground out weakly to third before being replaced by Justin Anderson.