Adopted: Jeurys Familia

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

(Struggles to keep buttons from flying off coat)

[Frayed Knot]

Brief write-up from BP today:

Every team has a guy like Jeurys Familia: young and athletic, with excellent size and stuff, yet the results just aren't there. Familia is repeating the Florida State League after putting up a 5.58 ERA there last year, but at this rate, his return engagement won't last long. Sitting at 90-97 mph with his fastball and showing a much-improved power breaking ball, Familia faced the minimum 21 batters in his seven innings on Friday, allowing just one hit and striking out seven. Six-foot-three and long-armed, the 21-year-old Dominican has a history of control problems and still needs to improve his changeup to avoid a trip to the bullpen, but with 2010 first-round pick Matt Harvey and top prospect Jenrry Mejia both impressing in their season debuts, the Mets suddenly have a trio of power arms to make many organizations jealous.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

The new FO will get all the credit for these guys, of course.

[Edgy MD]

Maybe, as far as a corner-turning milepost, this is the A-ball equivelent of Dickey's near-perfect game last season.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Familia gets the ball, and the figurative ball keeps rolling: 6 IP, 6 K, 2 BB, 1 R, 1 H; 7 GB/3 FB outs.

He's sporting a 0.69 ERA, 0.31 WHIP, and a 6.5 K/BB ratio after 2 starts.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Against Fort Myers, arguably his worst start yet: 5 2/3 IP, 4 K, 2 BB, 1 unearned run, 4 H; 9 GB/4 FB. We seem to have a pattern.

He's at 0.48 on the ERA front (with a 0.54 WHIP).

[Edgy MD]

The most gratifying part of the whole subforum is sticking through the bad with him and so being the first in line to share the good.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

It's a Jyell of a roller-coaster already, and I've only followed him a year.

I'm proud, but wary. (TINSSAAPP, and all that.)

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

7 shutout innings at Jupiter tonight (3 H, 3 BB, 8 K) for his first credited win.

After 25 2/3 innings, he's allowed one earned run.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Roughest outing of the year on Friday night: 4 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 1 HR allowed. Encouraging, though, was the fact that his control was still there-- 5 K, 1 BB. Plus, he was spared the loss on Friday, thanks to Wilmer Flores and a red-hot Matt Den Dekker (because we HELP each other in THIS prospect-adoptee-family).

He's still swinging around a 1.52 ERA, a sub-1 WHIP, and a K/BB ratio close to 4 (30-to-8).

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Pitched against the same Bradenton team that smacked him around last time out... and shut them down for 1 ER on 5 H over 6 2/3 IP (6 K, 0 BB). This was just enough to get the "L" (thanks, SLoo offense!).

He's sporting a 1.49 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and a 36-to-8 K/BB ratio over 6 starts; if he's a planner, he's checking out area Dick's and EMSes for upstate-worthy windbreakers.

[MFS62]

Well, he'd better buy one real quick. He got called up to Binghamton today.

Later

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Different league? Same result.

7 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 earned), 6 K, 0 BB against the New Britain Rock Cats in his AA debut.

[Edgy MD]

BINGHAMTON -- Binghamton Mets pitcher Jeurys Familia didn't get the victory, but he showed he's more than capable of handling Double-A hitters. Familia allowed just two runs, one earned, in seven innings, and the B-Mets scored five runs in the seventh and eighth innings to defeat the New Britain Rock Cats, 5-2, in the second game of a three-game Eastern League baseball series at NYSEG Stadium. Mike Fisher and Eric Campbell hit eighth-inning homers for the B-Mets. Fisher's broke a 2-2 game in the eighth. Familia, the 13th-ranked prospect in the New York Mets minor league system according to Baseball America, struck out six batters and didn't walk anyone. He was a little wild at times, once throwing a wild pitch that went behind a batter all the way to the backstop. "I didn't feel pressure, I felt all right," Familia said in Spanish with reliever Manny Alvarez interpreting. "I got excited when I got on the mound. I tried to control my emotions and throw strikes." Familia, a 6-foot-3, 186-pound native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was promoted on Saturday. He was 1-1 with a 1.49 earned run average in six starts for Single-A St. Lucie. He allowed just 21 hits and he struck out 36 batters in 36.1 innings. Familia's fastball touched 96 miles per hour on Tuesday night, according to the right-center-field radar gun display. Familia, a 21-year-old fourth-year pro, complemented that fastball with a curveball and a change-up. He allowed just five hits. His change-up clocked between 80 and 86 miles per hour, froze several batters and also elicited off-balance swings. "Everything was there for him tonight," B-Mets manager Wally Backman said. "His velocity was good. He threw some real good change-ups. He threw a few too many breaking balls at times, but I like the mound presence that he showed as a young kid. "I think this kid is a big leaguer. He's young. He's still got to learn, but if he stays healthy and does some of the things he showed here tonight, he's going to be a pretty good pitcher one day." A throwing error in the first inning by second baseman Josh Satin led to the first run Familia allowed. New Britain scored another in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by Evan Bigley for a 2-0 lead. The B-Mets bats came alive in the seventh inning. The first two batters reached base and a sacrifice fly by Kai Gronauer and a pinch-hit RBI single by Carlos Guzman tied the game, 2-2. Designated hitter Fisher, 0-for-3 going into his last at-bat, hit a line-drive homer that cleared the wall down the left-field line for a 3-2 B-Mets lead. "I was just trying to find something positive to end the day on," Fisher said. "I just kept looking inside, hoping he'd throw it there and he did." Campbell added a two-run homer, his first of the season, three batters later. Inside pitches: Left-handed pitcher Brandon Sage joined Binghamton from Single-A St. Lucie. Sage pitched the last two innings to earn the win. ... Right-handed pitcher Dylan Owen, who pitched and won on Sunday in New Hampshire, was moved to Class A Brooklyn's roster to make room for Sage. Owen's move was purely paperwork as he is still with the club in Binghamton.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Nice breakdown here on AA from someone who appears to have caught the game on the TV.

One of the upsides of throwing a lot of sinking fastballs in the zone is you generate a lot of quick at-bats. Familia only went to one three-ball count all night, and didn�t walk anyone, though he did hit a batter. He recorded seven outs on two pitches or less, and the most pitches he threw to a single batter was six. All three of his six pitch at-bats resulted in strikeouts. Part of the reason he didn�t go deep in counts is New Britain is a free swinging team, who was more than happy to jump on Familia's fastballs early in the count. They have also been one of the better offenses in the Eastern League, even though the only real position prospect on the team is OF Joe Benson. As they game wore on they did start to elevate Familia�s pitches and drive them. His last five in play outs were all flyballs and Lorenzo Scott had to run down a couple deep flies. SS Mike Holliman also just missed a home run, curling the ball foul. Familia was still generating strikeouts in the late innings, but he might have been tiring a bit as he got up over 70 pitches, and perhaps started elevating his fastball. He did seem to throw more breaking stuff later in the game as best I could tell. I didn�t get many velocity readings, but the ones I got on the fastball were all at 94, and the scoreboard gun apparently showed him hitting 96. I had a slider at 86, and another offspeed pitch of some sort in the low 80s. The announcers did regularly comment on the movement of Familia�s fastball. He was also able to backdoor a couple breaking pitches for called third strikes. So while I wouldn�t necessarily classify Familia�s start as dominant, though he was overpowering at times, he was very efficient. This was certainly a good first start at AA for a guy who was struggling to throw strikes at St. Lucie last year.

[Ceetar]

Here's a random shot of him on some back field in spring training.

[Edgy MD]

Number 8 is Wesley Wrenn --- swingman for Wally's 'Clones last year.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

He'll be in Trenton tomorrow afternoon... say hi for me, as I'll be at a baptism reception. (I swear, these people don't ever take others' familial obligations into account when scheduling these things.)

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Apparently, he did okay.

Like, 7 scoreless, 6 baserunners, 6 Ks okay.

And because his teammates apparently hate him-- last time, it was his offense; this time, inflammable closer Turgeon-- it's yet another no-decision. (On the year, he's 1-1 in 8 starts, all but one "quality"-plus.)

1.25 ERA/0.79 WHIP in 8 starts between High-A and AA; 0.64/0.79 in 2 starts since coming north.

[Edgy MD]

Guys, you're his familia. Act like it.

[Frayed Knot]

Kevin Goldstein at BP puts Familia in his Monday Morning rundown

Jeurys Familia, RHP, Mets (Double-A Binghamton) -- Few pitchers in baseball have done more for their stock this year than Familia, who entered the year as a big arm with plenty to figure out, and is suddenly among the best pitching prospects in the system. After putting up a 5.58 ERA in the Florida State League last year despite mid-90s heat, many projected Familia as a reliever, but that's no longer the case, as after putting up a 1.49 ERA in six starts back at St. Lucie, he's showing no signs of slowing down at Double-A, firing seven shutout innings on Sunday while allowing just three hits and striking out six. His stuff hasn't taken a step forward (not that it needed to), but his control has improved by leaps and bounds; after walking 74 over 121 innings last year, he's handed out just 11 complementary pizzas in 50 1/3. This season is critical in terms of defining his future role; six weeks in, he not only looks like a sure-fire starter, but an above-average one at that.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Had his worst start so far at Binghamton in his last time out (3 runs-- 2 earned-- and 4 BB in 5 2/3 innings), but he's still leading the organization in ERA (1.46 between St. Lucie and Binghamton) and 2nd in Ks (with 50, two behind Matt Harvey).

Adam Rubin provides a sketch.

�What�s standing out here, he�s almost got the total package going for him,� B-Mets pitching coach Marc Valdes... �His last game wasn�t his best stuff. He didn�t have much. But he still went five innings and only gave up two runs... No question, he�s got an electric fastball -- 95, to 97 mph at times,� Valdes said. �And his changeup and curveball have come a long way the last couple of years as far as development.� Said Gronauer: �A lot of guys throw 96 mph. I think what makes him hard to hit is his deception when he throws the ball. It�s hard to find a rhythm off of him. You see it very late. It has some kind of run where it�s very heavy. It�s hard to time it out of his hand. Catching it is easier. Thankfully I�ve never hit against him.� Familia, with catcher Salomon Manriquez interpreting, said he was particularly fond of Josh Beckett�s pitching style. �He makes it look easy to pitch -- the way he commands his pitches,� Familia said... ... As for the rise in velocity to its current level, Familia added: �I made some adjustments on my mechanics and I�ve been working hard.�

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Last two starts, against Altoona and Erie: 9 combined IP, 12 H, 11 K, 5 BB, 9 R (6 ER). Not so nice... although the scuttlebutt from scouts is that he appears to be using his slider a lot more than in PSL (where he was more fastball/changeup), so as to develop the pitch.

He's still put up a more-than-respectable 2.89 ERA in 28 IP at AA; he's also posted 25 Ks, 12 BB and 2 HRs. (For the season, between the two levels, he's left a 2.10 ERA on the table over 64 1/3 IP, allowing 46 H, 21 R-- 15 earned-- 61 K and 20 BB.)

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

The AA ERA's crept up a bit (3.35 over 8 starts total), as Familia has given up a few more walks and hits during his in-game slider-tinkering over the last month. The tinkering appears to have worked, though: after yesterday's clean-but-for-one-two-run-shot 6-inning stint against Trenton, he's posted 21 combined strikeouts in his last two starts-- and walked a mere 4-- spanning 12 2/3 innings.

Three potential plus-pitches, plus ever-increasing stamina? Barring an Act of God or Dr. Andrews, we'll see him at some point next year.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Was due to start on Saturday at Bowie. Didn't do so. What's the doo?

Familia will not pitch in Bowie, but is expected to make his next scheduled start. "Because he's where he's at pitching, and he's one of our big prospects, we're just going to skip one start just to try to re-energize him a little bit," Backman said. "Nothing's wrong with him. It's more a precautionary thing just to try to give him a little extra life."

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I can see the crossed fingers behind Wally's back. He may as well have said he was missing a start so as to find wmds in Baghdad.

The question I suppose is whether it's TJ surgery or something worse.

[Edgy MD]

First AA win for Jeurys:

5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 SO.

Portland came back aganst the Bingo pen, but the B-Mets held on.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

First start since June 18, although he's apparently been throwing bullpen sessions and working on the slider. (When he hasn't been availing himself of the cornucopia of summer sensory delights that is Binghamton in July.)

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

After a half-decent-but-for-two-HRs (5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) start against New Britain on the 9th, Hyoo-rees was named to the Eastern League all-star team for Wednesday night's game...

... where he showed, but didn't play...

... and now he's shut down for a start. ("Rest," says B-Met pitching coach Marc Valdes.)

Yeah, I have no idea either. Innings limitation? He is just 21, and pushing 100 innings on the season already. (3-3, with a 2.63 ERA/1.14 WHIP over 16 starts combined, with 100 K, 33 BB, a just-about-1-to-1 GB/FB ratio, and a low low .214 BAA.)

[Ceetar]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: After a half-decent-but-for-two-HRs (5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) start against New Britain on the 9th, Hyoo-rees was named to the Eastern League all-star team for Wednesday night's game... ... where he showed, but didn't play... ... and now he's shut down for a start. ("Rest," says B-Met pitching coach Marc Valdes.) Yeah, I have no idea either. Innings limitation? He is just 21, and pushing 100 innings on the season already. (3-3, with a 2.63 ERA/1.14 WHIP over 16 starts combined, with 100 K, 33 BB, a just-about-1-to-1 GB/FB ratio, and a low low .214 BAA.)

100 seems like a lot so far. how many did he throw last year? (121, and 134 the year before) I doubt they'd want to push him much beyond 150 or so right?