AAA Buffalo Bisons
Saturday: @ Pawtucket Red Sox 6, Buffalo Bisons 4
Sunday: @ Pawtucket Red Sox 3, Buffalo Bisons 1

After two doubles on Saturday, Lucas Duda had his 11-game hitting streak snapped by Sunday’s 0-4 in which he played first after playing mostly LF for Buffalo.  Lest you forget, the 24-year old Duda is hitting .318/.389/.657 in 53 games in AAA.  His left/right splits remain almost amazing: .361/.427/.744 vs. RHP and .235/.316/.485 vs. LHP.  Those numbers point to something he does well – smack righties – and something that he doesn’t – hit lefties.
After consecutive 0-4 games Saturday and Sunday, Kirk Nieuwenhuis is hitting .275/.370/.450 in his first ten games at AAA.
The Bisons enter Monday three games behind Louisville in the IL Wild Card Hunt.
Saturday, Michael Antonini (1-1, 4.50): 6 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

AA Binghamton Mets
Saturday: @ Binghamton Mets 11, Reading Phillies 9
Sunday: PPD by Rain
Why wins are dumb, part eight million and one: Robert Carson: W, 5 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Sean Ratliff (.335/.372/.620) was 3-5 with three singles.  That seems like a rare line for him; 33 of his 74 hits in AA have been doubles or homers.
3B Josh Satin (.325/.417/.485) was 2-4 with a home run.  He’s 25, but he just keeps hitting.  He’s a second baseman by trade, but can play a little first and third, which helps.
2B Jordany Valdespin was 0-1 before departing early.

A+ St. Lucie Mets
Saturday: @ Palm Beach Cardinals 3, St. Lucie Mets 2
Sunday: @ Port Charlotte Stone Crabs 8, St. Lucie Mets 7

Both recently promoted members of the Savannah bullpen, Erik Turgeon (Saturday) and Michael Powers (Sunday) gave up runs in the the opponents’ final turn at bat this weekend to take losses.
Saturday, Brad Holt: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K.  That’s now 37 walks and 41 strikeouts in 49.1 innings in St. Lucie for Holt.  Last year in 43.1 innings, it was 13 walks against 54 strikeouts.
Sunday, DH Eric Campbell was 3-4 with a double in his seventh rehab game with St. Lucie.  He played LF Saturday.  Sunday was his first multi-hit affair and first with an extra-base hit. Wrist injuries are supposed to sap guys’ power.  How about broken fingers?  Bat control?

A – Savannah Sand Gnats
Saturday: @ Savannah Sand Gnats 8, Kannapolis Intimidators 2
Sunday: PPD by Rain.

This was a pretty complete game from the Gnats.
DH Robbie Shields (.267/.276/.407 – 20 games) was 2-5 with a line drive of a home run in the first inning that cleared the wall in left in a hurry.
2B Alonzo Harris (.236/.279/.363) had one of his better games of the year, going 3-5 with two doubles and a home run from the leadoff spot.
Taylor Whitenton (7-6, 4.00) struck out 11 in five innings shutout innings in which he gave up only one hit.  He relied heavily on his fastball, mostly up and out of the zone with two strikes.

We’ll start in A-ball with some nasty injury news.
- Thursday, Juan Lagares was placed on the St. Lucie DL with a right ankle fracture.
- Also, in Savannah, 2B Alonzo Harris was placed on the DL with a right groin strain.
- Jefry Marte is currently day-to-day with a hamstring strain.

A+: @ Brevard Country 4, St. Lucie Mets 2
2B Jordany Valdespin (.301/.339/.453) put together his second-straight multi-hit game, going 2-4 with a home run.
Kyle Allen (6-7, 5.03) gave up three runs, one earned on five hits and three walks in 6.1 innings.  Sure, he picked up 12 groundball outs against six in the air, but he didn’t strike out a single batter.  For the year now, Allen has 53 walks against 52 strikeouts in 98.1 innings.  That’s not even close to good enough.
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A: Augusta GreenJackets 4, @ Savannah Sand Gnats 1
RF Cesar Puello was 2-3 with a hit by pitch and a run scored to account for a full 40% of the Gnats hits Thursday night.  He’s hit safely in his last eight games and 16 of 17 while hitting .347/.439/.439 with 14 stolen bases in July.  Puello, who scouts clock as at least a  70 runner, has played exclusively right field this year.  Mike Newman, of scouting the sally.com and I discussed in the pressbox last night whether Puello could handle center, and while we don’t know for sure he could, we’d like to see him try.  The Gnats are playing R.J. Harris (.186/.279/.287) in center every day now.  If Puello can play center, it would increase his value fairly dramatically.

Last year’s third rounder Robbie Shields played short, sliding 18-year old Wilfredo Tovar over to second.  Tovar, whose plate discipline in his first few weeks with the Gnats was awfully impressive for an 18-year old, seemed jumpy at the plate.  By my count, he saw 11 pitches over his five plate appearances.

The plan is for Shields, rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery from last fall, to play short two days in a row, then DH two days, and then take a day off to rest his elbow, with Tovar playing short the rest of the time.

#20 3B Richard Lucas

Why Ranked Here: I liked Lucas’ strength and ability to use the whole field at the plate.  I thought he had a chance to stay at third.

What Happened: The Mets skipped the 21-year old Lucas, coming off a good year in Kingsport, and a so-so few weeks in the NYP, over Savannah (where Jefry Marte was holding down the hot corner) to St. Lucie, where’s he’s struggled.  He just hasn’t made enough contact in the FSL.  However, his ten home runs are good enough for fifth in the League, so he’s hit for some power.  Now, can he make more contact in the second half?

Stock: Down.

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#21 RHP Eduardo Aldama

Why Ranked Here: He’s flashed a solid average to plus fastball in the Appalachian League last year and the year before in the GCL.

What Happened: The 20-year old has made four appearances in the GCL.  Perhaps he was injured, I’ll have to find out.

Stock: Down.

(Note to self: this was a major over-ranking.)

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#22 RHP Dillon Gee

Why Ranked Here: Coming into the year, he was a command and control RHP with a chance to find a big league roster spot.

What Happened: The 24-year old has been all over the place at AAA this year, mixing five outings with one or zero earned runs allowed with six in which he’s allowed five or more earned runs.  He’s striking out nearly a batter an inning, but he’s allowing over a hit an inning, and 1.5 HR/9 which illustrates how hittable he’s been when he’s  in the strike zone.  His changeup is his best off-speed pitch along with a fastball that’s mostly upper 80s, below average for a RHP.

Stock: Down.

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#23 LHP Robert Carson

Why Ranked Here: I liked that Carson is a big, loose-limbed LHP with a plus fastball.

What Happened: Like the whole St. Lucie rotation, the 21-year old Carson got off to dreadful start.  In April, he owned a 7.07 ERA.  He fought his way through May and June with a K/BB of 1.9 (42/22) and an ERA of 3.94.  In his most recent two starts in July, however, he’s allowed just three earned runs in 13 innings for a 2.08 ERA with 12 strikeouts against two walks.  Has he turned the corner?  The Mets think so.

Here’s Mets Pitching Coordinator Rick Waits discussing Carson:

He’s a completely different pitcher than when he was here last year.  He’s more powerful and keeping that good fastball into the seventh and eighth innings.  I saw him throw 94 in the eighth inning the other night [editor: 6/28].  His slider is much improved.  He’s starting to understand how important it is to throw the fastball to both sides of the plate.  He has a tendency to want to cut the fastball in [to righties].  … He’s commanding his fastball better to both sides of the plate.

Stock: Holding.  A few more starts like his last two, and it’ll be up and he’ll finish the year in Binghamton.  I’m pretty dogmatic in demanding the following two numberical indicators from prospects in advanced-A:   a K/9 of 9 and a K/BB of at least 2.5.  If Carson can do that for a month, I’ll believe.

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#24 3B Aderlin Rodriguez

Why Ranked Here: He was a big bodied international signee with a big bonus  ($600K) and plus bat speed with serious power potential.

What Happened: Three weeks into the Appy League season and he’s slugging .658 with seven home runs as an 18 year old.    That will play.

Stock: UP.  Way UP.

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#25 CF Darrell Cecilini

Why Ranked Here: The Mets loved Ceciliani’s plus speed, average or better arm and gap power.

What Happened: He’s had a monster first three weeks for Brooklyn in the New York Penn League at age 19, which is actually a little young for the league.  Early evidence that he’s adapting: he didn’t draw a walk in his first 11 games, but drew seven in his next 12.

Stock: UP.  UP.

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#26 2B Alonzo Harris

Why Ranked Here: He showed power and speed from second base last year as a 19-year old in Kingsport. His raw agility gives him above average range at second, but his hands are the weak link in his defensive game.

What Happened: He’s still fast and he still has some pop in his bat, but his .236/.279/.359 line is very disappointing.  He just swings at everything.  The Mets have worked with him on his approach, and now it comes down to Harris putting it into a game, not just some nights, but every at bat, every night.

Stock: Down

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#27 3B Zach Lutz

Why Ranked Here: Lutz hits when he’s healthy, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy.

What Happened: Lutz, who turned 24 in June, got off to a great start, hitting .307/.447/.600 in April before slowing down to .196/.317/.353.  He was placed on the AA DL with a left foot fracture on May 25.

Stock: Down.

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#28 LHP Zach Dotson

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Why Ranked Here: Physical lefties with potentially plus fastballs are valuable.

What Happened: Dotson hurt his elbow last summer, and while he did not have surgery, had to spend the whole winter rehabbing and missed all of spring training.  He also missed most of extended spring training, so he’s thrown less than most guys one year out of high school.

His third start was much better than his previous two.

Mets pitching coordinator Rick Waits discussed Dotson last week:

“He’s got a really good arm.  He’s gonna be in the 90s.   He’s got a sharp slider right now, it’s just his delivery isn’t consistent right now.  Right now, he’s just learning how to repeat his delivery.  It’s not a matter of arm strength and it’s not a matter of stuff.”

Stock: Up – he’s throwing well and and he’s  healthy.

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#29 RHP Brant Rustich

Why Ranked Here: I liked that he’s a power pitcher with plus fastball ball and a potentially good slider even though he’s never stayed healthy.  I thought he might shoot up the ranks if he ever stayed healthy.

What Happened: He’s making progress from the stress fracture in his Humerus that ended his 2009 season.

Stock: Down, pending his return to the hill.

- DNP

A+: @ St. Lucie Mets 4, Fort Myers Miracle 1 (suspended)

This suspended game rule is dumb.  The two teams made it through 4.5 with the home team leading.  Let them call it a St. Lucie win and move on.
Carlos Beltran was 1-2 with a double out in CF.
Wilmer Flores was 1-2 to raise his average to .433.  A reader speculated that maybe Wilmer’s hot start in the Florida State League has to do with seeing a lot of fastballs hitting in front of Beltran.  I hope to be able to crunch the numbers on Thursday night, but I’m resistant to the idea.  Hitting .431, even for two weeks, has more to do with Flores’ own talent than with the dude behind him.  Besides, advanced-A pitchers throw lots of fastballs anyway.

A: @ Savannah Sand Gnats 6, Rome Braves 2
The story here was a balanced Savannah attack (8 of the 9 starters had a hit), strong relief work (Gnats pitchers retired the final 15 Braves in order) and excellent defense (the Gnats threw two runners out at the plate in the first two innings and Wilfredo Tovar made a few sensational plays at short).

2B Alonzo Harris was 2-4 with a double.  He singled home the first Gnats’ run, dropping a single into shallow right-center on a 2-1 pitch.  Those kinds of counts have been all too rare for the free-swinging Harris this year.  However, it seems like the 20-year old is starting to be a little more selective on a consistent basis.  He’s up to .278/.409/.333 in July while putting together better at-bats.  I desperately hope that he’s starting to put it all together because he’s just fun to watch.

I said on air Wednesday night, again, that Harris’ double-play partner, SS Wilfredo Tovar is easily worth the price of admission for his outstanding defense.  First he made a diving play on a ball to his left, hopped to his feet and nailed a runner at first and then he made a sliding backhand stop and made a longer throw from deep in the hole to first.  He’s also hitting a healty .386/.460/.455 in 14 games with five walks against four strikeouts in 14 games.  Wednesday, with a couple of guys on, he ripped a first pitch fastball inside the left-field line for a two-run double.

Darin Gorski survived eight hits, three walks and a HBP in five innings to allow just two runs, those on a HR to light-hitting Braves’ LF Jake Cunningham.  Gabriel Zavala tossed three perfect innings of relief with five strikeouts.

Listen: Pedro Zapata Throws out a runner & Tovar’s diving stop

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Tovar and Harris Drive in Runs in the Gnats’ Three-run Second

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By the way, can anyone pick out the songs I used to splice those highlights?  I’ll give you a hint, they came from the same album, which happened to be one of my favorites from last summer.

Alonzo Harris image courtesy Savannah Sand Gnats.

Bats/Throws: R/R

Height/Weight: 5’11”/165 lbs

Acquired: 39^th rd ’07 (McComb (MS) HS)

Born: 1/16/89

2009 Rank: NR (just missed)

Why Ranked Here: Harris earns this ranking on the basis of big-time athleticism and some pop from a little dude.  The Mets were pleasantly surprised when Harris turned down scholarships from Big 12 football programs to begin his professional baseball career.   He’s a burner with some bat speed and strength, who is still learning how to turn his gifts into consistent weapons.  Looking for evidence of his speed: try 15 stolen bases and five triples. However, defensively, he has a long way to go.   One Met official described his defense simply to me as “raw.”  I asked a scout buddy who saw him in the Appy League if he agreed, and he chortled, before responding, “the whole game is raw.”

2009: Harris got off to a nice start for Kingsport, but was unconscious in July, hitting .306/.366/.541 with seven homers, including a run of a home in three straight games.  His hacktastic ways were exposed in August when the Appy League’s hurlers held him to a .232/.275/.357.  Throughout the season in the Appalachian, he terrorized lefties to a .358/390/.679 performance.  Harris finished the year with six games at Savannah.

Dr. Pangloss Says: It’s really possible that Harris develops into a top-10 2B in baseball with his power and speed.

Debbie Downer Says: Or he continues to struggle defensively and swing at everything and never really even plays everyday in AA.

Projected 2010 Start: Savannah

MLB Arrival: September 2013 or 2014

Alonzo Harris photograph courtesy of Allen Greene of http://www.allengreenephotography.com/.

Baseball America is running through their series of the best prospects in each minor league.  None of the GCL Mets made their league’s top 20, but Cesar Puello is #9 in the Appalachian League says BA.

With the caveat that there are questions about his makeup, Puello’s potential for five major league average tools affords him the benefit of the doubt for now. Signed by the Mets for $400,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2007, he’s a strong athlete with a solid 6-foot-2, 195-pound build and loose actions. He stole 15 bases in 20 attempts this season, and his plus speed rates as his best present tool.

Puello starts with an unconventional stance—one manager likened it to him sitting in a chair—but he has a pure, righthanded line-drive stroke. The ball comes off his bat well, and he already has natural power to left field. As he learns to use the opposite field, he’ll be more effective at the plate.

An aggressive player by nature, Puello showed an undisciplined approach at the plate, and some league observers questioned his maturity. His mindset works well in right field, where Puello charges balls with abandon and likes to show off his plus arm.

His plus speed might rate as his best present tool, but it’s his natural hitting ability that will potentially make him a big leaguer.  And of course, to be a good MLBer, he will need to grow into his power and overcome his walk-phobia just 10 in 196 AB for Kingsport.

And, if Matt Eddy’s subsequent chat is any indication, there’s a Mets fan out there in Missouri who follows the minors pretty closely:

Mike (MO): Although Richard Lucas did not make the list, what kind of prospect do you see him as?

Matthew Eddy: Lucas came close to making the list, and he might have gotten the benefit of the doubt had this showing come a year ago. A fourth-rounder from ’07, he missed the majority of the ’08 season while dealing with off-field issues. Lucas returned with a vengeance this season, showing off natural strength and righthanded bat speed by driving the ball to all fields. He knows the strike zone, too, and handled himself well after a promotion to the New York-Penn League. He’s nothing special at third base, but Lucas has pop-up prospect potential.

Mike (MO): Did any other Mets receive consideration for the top 20?

Matthew Eddy: While we’re talking about Kingsport’s Richard Lucas, let’s touch on two others from that squad. The Mets’ fourth-rounder this year, Darrell Cecilliani hails from a small town in Washington, but he’s made strides over the course of the past few years. He’s a 70 runner who can handle center field and steal bases, but his bat has a ways to go. A lefthanded hitter, he takes a fairly direct route to the ball and has enough pop to drive the ball into the gaps. Cecilliani could develop into a 50-55 type hitter with strong plate discipline and a center-field profile. And secondly, 2B Alonzo Harris lacks pitch recognition skills and tends to swing too big, but he’s a quick-twitch athlete who ripped 10 HR and stole 15 bases this season. His feet are quick enough to handle second, though he remains an inconsistent defender.

Keyspan Park in Brooklyn hosted a Wilco concert.  Baseball was not part of the agenda.

Bristol White Sox 7, @ Kingsport Mets 4

2B Alonzo Harris was 3-4 with a double and a homerun to lift his line to .287/.308/.540.  The 20-year old’s homerun was his fifth in 87 AB over 19 games.  Lets take a look at the homer and power numbers for 2B in the Mets organization.

That’s right, Harris leads all Mets 2B in homers, despite having played under 20 games.  Mets 2B are a pretty punchless group.  The only ISOs over 100 are at A-ball and below.  Among that group, Josh Satin isn’t really a 2B, having played at first and third base as well.  Valdespin hasn’t played since June 2nd.  Bouchard is done for the year.  I didn’t even put Matt Gaski, who’s been playing 2B everyday at Brooklyn since Matt Bouchard went down, into the table as he’s off to a .229/.325/.286 start as a Cyclone.

Yeah, yeah, small sample sizes and everything.  Still, the ball’s leaving the yard off Harris’s bat.

LHP Angel Cuan (0-1, 6.32) gave up four runs on seven hits in six innings.

@ GCL Mets 7, GCL Astros 6

Four different Mets had two hits including 19-year old C Nelfi Zapata (.378/.453/.622 in 45 AB) who was 2-4 with a double.