those St. Lucie guys on the diamond

[Frayed Knot]

The thread for tracking the goings-on in the Mets (High-A) Florida State League affiliate St. Lucie Mets

The roster:

NAME	POS	B/T	AGE
Kyle Allen	P	R/R	21
Eric Beaulac	P	R/R	24
Nicholas Carr	P	R/R	24
John Church	P	R/R	24
Jeurys Familia	P	R/R	21
Darin Gorski	P	L/L	21
Matt Harvey	P	R/R	22
Jeff Kaplan	P	R/R	25
Colin McHugh	P	R/R	24
Scott Moviel	P	R/R	23
Michael Powers	P	R/R	25
Armando Rodriguez	P	R/R	23
Brant Rustich	P	R/R	26
Brandon Sage	P	L/L	24
Juan Centeno	C	L/R	21
Francisco Pena	C	R/R	21
Travis Ozga	1B	S/R	24
Stefan Welch	1B	L/R	22
Richard Lucas	3B	R/R	22
Jefry Marte	3B	R/R	20
Matt Bouchard	SS	R/R	24
Wilmer Flores	SS	R/R	19
Rylan Sandowal	2B	R/R	23
Matt Den Dekker	CF	L/L	23
Rafael Fernandez	OF	L/L	22
Juan Lagares	LF	R/R	22
Cesar Puello	RF	R/R	20
Pedro Zapata	CF	R/R	23

Notable names to watch here are:
* Matt Harvey - 2010 1st round (7th overall) draft pick out of UNC makes his pro debut at this level; made it last night in fact going 5 shutout innings allowing 5 hits, 2 walks and K-ing 9
* Wilmer Flores - Now ranked by some as the top NYM prospect, he'll at least start the year at SS while we watch how the bat progresses. Won't turn 20 until after the season is over.
* Cesar Puello - this just-turned 20 y/o speedy OFer from the D.R. comes off a breakout year at low-A Savannah. The main questions about his future remain the extent to which his power develops (or doesn't) and whether he can improve his defense enough to use his "plus-plus" speed as a true CFer
* Matt Den Dekker - a 5th round pick as a college senior in 2010, Dekker is coming off a good debut in low-A ball plus an extended look in big league training camp.
* Jefry Marte - Played a season and a half in Savannah as a teenager and still won't turn 20 until near mid-season.
* Scott Moviel/Brant Rustich - Put these two hurlers together as both are remnants from the 2nd round of the Mets' (awful) 2007 draft who are running out of time to show us what they gots. The 6' 11" Moviel is repeating at this level where he pitched poorly last season and Rustich has pitched just over 100 innings total during the last three seasons while trying to overcome injuries.
* Pedro Zapata - Just so we can yell VIVA ZAPATA!!! if/when he even makes it.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Frayed Knot wrote: * Pedro Zapata - Just so we can yell VIVA ZAPATA!!! if/when he even makes it.

Zapata means "shoe" doesn't it? Will he be known as "Pete Shoe"?

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Thank for posting this, I was gonna do it when I got back from Melbourne.

The NY-Penn league really needs to be expanded to a full season comp - too many young ballers with nothing to do 'til June.

Stefan Welch is my new adoptee, so no funny ideas.... he sucks but whatareyagonnado?

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Zapata means "shoe" doesn't it?

It actually means, "he who moves extremely briskly while wearing shoes"

[Guest Edgy DC]

John Church is my guy in the FSL. "Church" is the English word for church.

[metirish]

Going to be keeping a close eye on my boy Rylan Sandoval this season.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Matt Harvey K's 8 in 6 shutout innings in his second ever start.

Adam Rubin, before yesterdays game predicted that not only will he be in the Mets rotation at the start of 2012, but will also represent the Mets in the 2013 ASG.

Somebody needs to adopt him asap. (I think m.e.t.b.o.t. would make an awesome parent).

[Guest Edgy DC]

Somebody needs to adopt Adam Rubin and feed him some Calm Down Juice.

[Ceetar]

Edgy DC wrote: Somebody needs to adopt Adam Rubin and feed him some Calm Down Juice.

Calm is not a word I'd ever use to describe Rubin.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

I was following a webchat last night where he seemed to blame all of the Mets financial woes on Omar (with the help of a terrible leading question). It made me wonder.

[Gwreck]

Adam Rubin, before yesterdays game predicted that not only will he be in the Mets rotation at the start of 2012, but will also represent the Mets in the 2013 ASG.

The first question asked what the likelihood of the 2012 rotation being Santana/Dickey/Niese/Meija/Harvey was. Rubin's answer: "There seems to be legs on this Pelfrey getting traded thing, so you may have hit the rotation."

Jon in NYC then asked "What's the early buzz on Matt Harvey? Future no. 1? ETA?"

Rubin's answer was: "2012 rotation very doable."

Rubin DID NOT predict that he would represent the Mets in the 2013 All-Star game. There was a question about "When can we look forward to some excitement with the Mets?" and Rubin answered "The 2013 All-Star game?" He then noted, "If there's any consolation, it will force the Mets to go young, so you'll see players such as Matt Harvey within a year. They just have to do a better job developing players."

Ceetar wrote: Calm is not a word I'd ever use to describe Rubin.

Tough to determine this based on a text-only internet chat.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Whoah. That's the stuff.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Gwreck wrote: Rubin DID NOT predict that he would represent the Mets in the 2013 All-Star game. There was a question about "When can we look forward to some excitement with the Mets?" and Rubin answered "The 2013 All-Star game?" He then noted, "If there's any consolation, it will force the Mets to go young, so you'll see players such as Matt Harvey within a year. They just have to do a better job developing players.

I see you were following the same webchat. Thanks for the correction.

[Frayed Knot]

"They have to do a better job at developing players" ... which is why I'm advocating that Harvey jump from A-ball to the majors in one year.

[Centerfield]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: * Pedro Zapata - Just so we can yell VIVA ZAPATA!!! if/when he even makes it. Zapata means "shoe" doesn't it? Will he be known as "Pete Shoe"?

I doubt he makes it. I hear Zapatas end up being runners.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

The 2013 All-Star Game thing was likely about the fact that it'll be IN Citi, yes?

[Gwreck]

Yes.

[Frayed Knot]

The hot start of Matt Harvey gets him noticed by BA as #7 on their season-opening installment of 'The Hot Sheet'

Why He's Here: 2-0, 0.00, 2 GS, 11 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 17 SO, 4 BB
The Scoop: The top college righthander to sign out of last year's draft (No. 7 overall), Harvey faced big expectations in his pro debut�and through two starts he's more than met them. Joining Keyvious Sampson (No. 2 on this Hot Sheet), Harvey was one of seven minor league pitchers to open the year with a scoreless-inning streak of 11 or more frames.


and Jeurys Familia gets an 'honorable mention' on the same list with BA noting that -- Lost in Jeurys Familia's ugly campaign for high Class A St. Lucie last year (6-9, 5.58, 5.5 walks per nine innings) were stretches of effectiveness. The 21-year-old Mets righty got bombed for eight runs in his final start of 2010, but in the seven starts preceding it he went 4-2, 3.38 with 58 strikeouts and 13 walks in 42 2/3 innings. Familia has carried forward that momentum through his first two starts and 13 innings of 2011, in a repeat of the Florida State League. He's kept his walks in check (two) and has kept the ball off the barrel of opponents' bats (13 strikeouts, two hits, one run, 2-to-1 ground-to-flyout ratio).



'Hot Sheet' is like a music top-40 list, it's a weekly look at who's been hot (or not) over the recent span, not an overall ranking of prospects although prospect-y types are the ones who usually get on it as opposed to merely hot weeks from 26 y/o career minor leaguers.

[Guest Edgy DC]

St. Lucie poundedthe Ft. Myers miracle today, 11-2, featuring the slumming Jasonian Bay going 4-for-bloody-4 with two homers. That's a pretty magical number as the Lucies (they of the barren farm) also run their record to a first-place 11-2. Starting strong is lost prospect Francisco Pena, and Scott Moviel (who impressed Terry Collins by beating him to camp this summer) is at 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA.

Wowie and Hayne are suggesting that Bay might celebrate his demolition by joining the Queensmen tomorrow night.

[Frayed Knot]

A John Sickels write up of Matt Harvey - with accompanying ST video of him pitching against Wilmer Flores and an added bonus of a baby crying audio.

[Frayed Knot]

Jefry Marte - one of those prospects we've seemingly been hearing about for a while even though he's yet to reach drinking age - had a good enough week in Pt St Lucie to attract BA's notice. #13 on this week's 'Hot List'. 9 hits and 3 HRs in a week will do that.

Team: High Class A St. Lucie (Florida State)
Age: 19
Why He's Here: .409/.481/.864 (9-for-22), 3 HR, 1 2B, 8 RBIs, 7 R, 4 BB, 6 SO
The Scoop: St. Lucie has jumped off to a Florida State League-best 13-2 record and they've done so with some of the Mets' finest prospects. Righthanders Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia have given up a total of three runs in six starts, while the offense features shortstop Wilmer Flores and right fielder Cesar Puello, the system's Nos. 2 an 3 prospects who both appear to be shaking off the rust early in the season. The same is not true of Marte, who paces the St. Lucie attack with a .340 average (17-for-50), eight walks, three home runs and 10 RBIs.
Marte spent last season playing in the shadow of Flores and Puello with low Class A Savannah, but he appears to be completely healthy this season as he makes up for a so-so 2010 campaign (.264/.333/.401, six homers in 82 games).

[Guest Edgy DC]

The Lucies are an astounding 18-3, seven games up on their division and have 4-0 Matt Harvey going tonight.

The have five regulars hitting .300, including:

[list:vjx3f8j6][*:vjx3f8j6]Pedro Zapata: .377[/*:m:vjx3f8j6]
[*:vjx3f8j6]Matt Den Dekker: .370[/*:m:vjx3f8j6]
[*:vjx3f8j6]Francisco Pena: .333[/*:m:vjx3f8j6]
[*:vjx3f8j6]Jefry Marte: .311[/*:m:vjx3f8j6]
[*:vjx3f8j6]Wilmer Flores: .301.[/*:m:vjx3f8j6][/list:u:vjx3f8j6]

The top three starters --- Harvey, Jeurys Familia, and Scott Moviel --- have combined for a 1.01 ERA in 71 1/3 innings.

Farm not barren.

[Frayed Knot]

Jeurys Familia makes BA's 'Hot List' again this week (#10)

Why He's Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 SO
The Scoop: Familia continued his stellar start to 2011 with seven shutout innings Saturday against Jupiter. He has allowed just two runs and nine hits in 25 2/3 innings this season, a stark contrast to his season last year at St. Lucie when he went 6-9, 5.58. Familia is a large part of the reason St. Lucie is playing so well this year and has a Florida State League-leading 2.84 ERA. Like the rest of the top prospects on that team, Familia probably won't spend too much longer in St. Lucie. He appears to be in line for a promotion to Double-A Binghamton once the weather warms up in New York state.

[Ceetar]

So who's getting promoted? The team is destroying the league which must suggest someone would benefit from a little steeper competition no?

Didn't people say the Mets over-stacked the Cyclones lineup last year too?

[Frayed Knot]

The charge about them stacking the Brooklyn squad comes from the fact that the Wilpons own that team (they don't own any of the full-season NYM affiliates - most teams don't) and so they stuck guys there who maybe should or could have been placed higher so as to protect their investment. It's probably true, although tough to prove.

In this case I don't think they intentionally stacked St Lucie so much as there are a bunch of guys there just off to great starts. Look at Familia's start last year for instance and there was no way to expect what he's doing now. Then throw in the hot start from #1 pick Harvey who's probably just there until the upstate weather warms up and you've got a team on a roll.

[Frayed Knot]

Matt Harvey once again on BA's 'Hot List' - #3 this time

Why He's Here: 0-0, 0.00, 1 GS, 6 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 9 SO, 2 BB
The Scoop: Harvey carried a spotless 0.00 ERA through his first four starts, allowing only a single unearned run in his first 22 professional innings. That changed in his fifth start last Thursday, when Bradenton touched him up for six runs (four earned) on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. Facing the same lineup in his next start Wednesday, Harvey rebounded with his best outing of the year. The Mets' 2010 first-round pick leads the FSL and ranks seventh in the minors with a 1.10 ERA in 32 2/3 innings, and he's also second in the league with 39 strikeouts. Fans in Florida hoping to watch him should probably try to do it sooner than later.

[Frayed Knot]

From John Sickels' notes:
-- New York Mets lefty Darin Gorski has had two excellent starts in a row for High-A St. Lucie, fanning 13 in seven innings and allowing three hits and a walk on May 26th, then throwing seven shutout innings with three strikeouts on June 1st. Overall, the southpaw has a 1.85 ERA with a 66/13 K/BB in 49 innings with 43 hits allowed. Gorski was a seventh round draft pick in 2009 from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. Although he's a big guy at 6-4, 215, his velocity was mediocre until this year, usually in the 85-87 range. This year he's hitting 88-91 MPH, and the increase in fastball oomph combined with his already-solid secondary pitches has led to big success. Let's see if he can maintain it in Double-A.

[Frayed Knot]

John Sickels:

NYM pitching prospect Armando Rodriguez is off to a good start for High-A St. Lucie. Since being activated from extended spring training in late May, he's made four starts and pitched 17 innings, allowing five earned runs for a 2.65 ERA, with 16 hits allowed and a 21/6 K/BB ratio. 10 of those strikeouts were over five innings in his last start. The 23-year-old right-hander is one of the more interesting prospects in the Mets system. Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2007, he had a fine year in 2010, posting a 152/46 K/BB in 146 innings for Low-A Savannah, with just 116 hits allowed. He entered '11 with 322 career strikeouts and just 225 hits allowed in 306 IP.

Despite his excellent component ratios, scouts are lukewarm on him, pointing to mediocre right-handed velocity (87-90, hitting 92 on his best days) and a fringy slider and changeup. He does have a decent cutter, but his success is primarily reliant on sharp control and deceptive mechanics. Scouts admit this works in A-ball, but there is a lot of skepticism about how it will translate to higher levels. Rodriguez has definitely earned to chance to show us, however, and continued quality pitching at St. Lucie could/should result in a Double-A trial later this year.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Disappointing Florida State League All Star Performances from the St. Lucie Mets

• Matt Harvey (Scheduled to Start at P, but Promoted to Bingo Before Game Time)
  
• Darin Gorski (Start at P, 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER)
  
• Scott Moviel (L, 1.0 IP, 3 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB)
  
• Jeff Kaplan (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 SO, Yay!)
  
• Matt den Dekker (0-3, BB, 2 SO, Batting Third)
  
• Pedro Zapata (0-3, 1 SO)

[Guest Edgy DC]

St. Lucie, having cooled considerably after a torrid start out of the gate, has a magic number of 2 (with three to play) to clinch a first half title.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I don't quite get it. Matt Harvey gets called up to Bingo, and so misses the All Star Game, and then goes down to pinch the clincher PSL. Anyhow, an extra-inning walkoff double by Cesar Puello and Pedro Lopez has got some first half champs. We all do!