Mets Minor League Players of the Week: Week Eleven

Pitcher of the Week

Nabil Crismatt

2018 Season: 14 G (14 SG), 81.1 IP, 71 H, 36 R, 31 ER (3.43 ERA), 28 BB, 82 K

Week: 1 G (1 GS), 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

Nabil Crismatt quietly had a strong season in 2017. He began 2017 as a member of the Colombian World Baseball Classic team. He made one start in the tournament, pitching in Pool C Game 5, Colombia versus the Dominican Republic. The right-hander lasted three innings in the start, allowing three runs- two earned- on three hits while walking one and striking out one. After Colombia was knocked out of the tournament, Crismatt returned to Mets spring training camp and began his preparations for the 2018 season. He was assigned to the St. Lucie Mets to start the season and spent the entire year there, posting a 3.95 ERA in 145.2 innings pitched. Starting 25 games and making 1 relief appearance, he allowed 161 hits, walked 36, and struck out 142. Of note, his 142 strikeouts were most in the Florida State League. Based on his performance and his stuff, Amazin’ Avenue named Crismatt the Mets’ 14th top prospect.

Now 23-years-old, the right-hander began the 2018 season with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. In April, he posted a 1.21 ERA in 22.1 innings, allowing 19 hits, walking 4, and striking out 27 in his four starts. In May, he posted a 3.60 ERA in 35.0 innings, allowing 27 hits, walking 16, and striking out 29 in his six starts. Through June 21, he has posted a 5.25 ERA in 24.0 innings, allowing 25 hits, walking 8, and striking out 26 in his four starts. For the 2018 season, he has a 3.43 ERA in 81.1 innings pitched, allowing 71 hits, walking 28, and striking out 82 in his fourteen starts.

Crismatt isn’t an overpowering guy and relies more on moxie and guile. His fastball is only fringe-to-average, sitting in the high-80s-to-low-90s. The pitch has a bit of natural sink and run, so he gets above-average ground ball rates and is able to induce weak contact and limit home runs; through his 81.1 innings this season, he is sporting a 47.7 % ground ball rate, a 25.0 % infield fly ball rate, and a 0.66 HR/9 rate.

His primary weapon is an above-average changeup, a pitch that sits around 80 MPH with slight, sudden fade. He complements it with a slider that almost acts like a cutter due to its late break and a loopy, 12-6 curveball in the high-60s. He mixes all of his secondary pitches and is comfortable throwing each of them in any count.

Without a blazing fastball and possessing only one above-average secondary pitch, the Colombian right-hander has thrived thanks to the above-average control and command that he has exhibited his entire professional career. Over 448.2 professional innings between the Dominican Summer League to the Eastern League, Crismatt has a cumulative 2.3 BB/9 rate. Looking only at his time in the upper levels of the minor leagues, he posted a 2.2 BB/9 rate in 145.2 innings in the Florida State League 145.2 and a 3.0 BB/9 rate in 87.1 innings in the Eastern League.

It is a tight rope that Crismatt will have to walk, because of his lack of a good fastball and his lack of a stronger third pitch, but he is knocking on the door of the MLB.

Hitter of the Week

Peter Alonso

2018 Season: 72 G, 247 AB, .316/.439/.587, 78 H, 13 2B, 0 3B, 18 HR, 63 RBI, 48 BB, 59 K, 0/2 SB (Double-A/Triple-A)

Week: 6 G, 24 AB, .375/.464/.792, 9 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 4 BB, 9 K, 0/1 SB (Triple-A)

Alonso went 0-3 in his Las Vegas 51s debut, and people were already tossing the ‘S’ word around (slump). Since then, he has gone 9-24 with a double, three home runs, and four walks, which translates to a 375/.464/.792 batting line. He’s faced an assortment of major leaguers- Randall Delgado, Naftali Feliz, Pat Venditte, Justin DeFratus, Logan Ondrusek, Drew Hutchinson- or top prospects- such as Arizona’s Alex Young and Braden Shipley, so it isn’t like he is just beating up on pitchers that are has-beens, or pitchers that have no potential.

Other than the fact that he hasn’t really missed a beat, there’s not much else we can glean from his week in Las Vegas. His strikeout rate is a little up, but it is still such a small sample size that there is really nothing to worry about. He made two errors, but fielding isn’t something that Alonso has ever been good at and whatever team he is playing for is always going to have to suck up the fact that he is not and never will be a particularly good fielder. Recent reports of “improved defense” are greatly exaggerated.