Michael Conforto started the year as a preseason All-American and he even drew support for the Player of the Year in some corners. A junior season in which he did not set the world on fire saw his prospect star dim some. Still, he did enough to be selected by the Mets with the 10th overall pick of the draft.
The Mets had selected high school products all three years Sandy Alderson had been in charge of drafting and they also went underslot with their top picks. Some feared how taking a big-name collegiate player would work out for the Mets, especially since Conforto had Scott Boras for an agent.
Rumors of his signing started to circulate in mid-June but Conforto did not ink his contract until July 11 and it was for an exact slot-level bonus. Even after signing his contract, Conforto did not immediately start playing for any of the Mets’ affiliates. He made his pro debut Saturday afternoon and has now played in three games for Brooklyn, getting a hit each time out.
He’s now 5-for-12 with a double and sports a .917 OPS.
The New-York Penn League is an appropriate assignment for a collegiate first-round pick. It will be interesting to see where the Mets send Conforto at the start of the 2015 campaign. If he begins the year in Double-A, you know the Mets are doing their best to fast track him, especially after they sent 2012 supplemental first-round pick Kevin Plawecki to Lo-A in his first full season in the organization.
Triple-A
After making rehab appearances in the GULF and FSL as he worked back from a strained oblique, Rafael Montero returned to Las Vegas and hurled four innings on Sunday. He allowed one run and three walks and fanned three in his first Triple-A outing in five weeks.
It’s been a triumphant return for Cesar Puello, who was sidelined for two weeks with a concussion. Since being activated on July 6, Puello has gone 9-for-28 with two doubles and two homers. In Monday’s game against Tacoma, Puello went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
Double-A
Greg Peavey returned to Binghamton and recorded his seventh win in eight decisions on Sunday. He hurled 7 IP and allowed just 1 ER. He also added seven strikeouts. It was quite a change from his output for the 51s, where in six games, he had an 11.62 ERA with 7 HR allowed in 28.2 IP.
The Eastern League Player of the Week for the period ending July 13, Travis Taijeron has found Binghamton to be a very friendly home. In road games, Taijeron has a .660 OPS but in front of the home fans, he has a .300/.396/.617 line over 120 ABs. Eight of his 11 homers this season have come in Binghamton.
Hi-A
Former first-round pick Gavin Cecchini continues to struggle in St. Lucie. After a questionable mid-season promotion, Cecchini is struggling to stay above the Mendoza Line in the Florida State League. After 28 games in Hi-A, Cecchini is batting .196 with more than twice as many strikeouts (22) as walks (10).
Michael Fulmer hurled his third straight Quality Start with six scoreless innings against Brevard last time out. In that three-game stretch, Fulmer has allowed 3 ER in 19 IP, with 19 Ks and just 4 BB. This has lowered his ERA to 4.08 in 15 games this season.
Lo-A
In his last nine games, catcher Colton Plaia is batting just .100, with three hits in 30 at-bats. He has two walks and 15 strikeouts in this span.
Meanwhile, teammate Matt Oberste is living high on the hog. The guy with his socks pulled up high has a 20-game hitting streak, with 13 XBH in 79 ABs. He has a .456/.483/.772 line in this span.
Short-Season
Wuilmer Becerra is trying to make a name for himself outside of his high-speed drag racing arrest. Earlier this past week he had a five-hit game with two doubles. Now, he’s riding a modest six-game hitting streak, where five of his 12 hits have gone for extra-bases, including three home runs. The 19 year old now has an .855 OPS for the season.
Dominican native John Mora continues to swing a hot bat for the Gulf Coast Mets. He had a five-hit game last Thursday with a double and two triples. For the season, Mora has a .352 AVG with 23 runs scored in 26 games.
Corey Oswalt ran his record for Brooklyn to 3-1 with seven shutout innings on Sunday. For the season, Oswalt has four outings where’s he’s allowed one or no earned runs and he’s surrendered 8 ER in 6.2 IP in his other two starts. The Mets gave an overslot bonus to sign Oswalt back in 2012. The 20 year old has a 2.48 ERA in 32.2 IP for the Cyclones.
I haven’t heard a lot about Nimmo these days. Has Conforto made him obsolete?
Think Nimmo hit a 2-run oppo dinger last nite. He usually takes awhile to adjust to new level & then goes crazy lol.
Nimmo has more tools – he’s like a Jake Marisnick from the left side, but Conforto is more of a hitting machine & not a slouch in the field. Add Dom Smith to the mix & we’ve got quite a stable of lefty hitters.
“Wuilmer Becerra is trying to make a name for himself outside of his high-speed drag racing arrest.”
Oh Gosh – I lost it when I read that comment. I’m a criminal defense attorney and a baseball coach – laughed so hard I pulled an intercostal lmao.
Always thanks for the updates. This is a far cry from the days of scouring The Sporting News and deciphering box scores from past month performances lol
Thanks Tommy!
The Sporting News was a gift from the heavens back in the pre-USA Today days. I remember keeping stats for my fantasy league through TSN boxscores.
Trekked to Asheville and took in two Sand Gnat games. Oberste went 4-11, 1 double, 2 homers, and 4 RBI’s. The man can hit as his hitting streak proves. Morris pitched his usual two innings, 1 hit, no walks, 4 K’s. I wanted to personally drive him to St Lucie after the game but since I will be heading to Citi Field in August maybe I’ll drop him off there instead ! John Gant was named SAL pitcher of the week for his one hit, seven inning shutout on Sunday vs Lexington.
One other mention, Flores has a 22 game hitting streak in Las Vegas.
Does Cecchini have any health problems or any off-field issues that may account for this rough adjustment? Or is this just a prospect that’s struggling to keep up with the level of play?
None that I’m aware of.
He was performing well at Lo-A but not good enough to deserve a promotion. The starting SS was injured so they moved him up. The starting SS is back but they insist on leaving him at a level he’s apparently not ready for. Perhaps he will end the season on an up note.