It’s that time of year. The weather is warmer, there’s an influx of young talent from the draft and organizations begin to promote those players who made impressions in the first half of the minor league season. Not everyone who deserves a promotion receives one, and not every promotion that is made is deserved. Here are some notable promotions.
Cory Vaughn to AAA – Vaughn has lost whatever prospect buzz he once held. With natural talent and a severely flawed swing, Greg Vaughn’s son has not impressed in the upper minors. He should, at least, benefit from AAA Las Vegas. When I look at him I simply see too much of Chris Young.
Brandon Nimmo to AA – A name on the rise in the prospect stock market. What Nimmo does over the next two months will define his placement within Baseball America’s top 100 prospects. Nimmo was hitting well in Port St. Lucie, but AA brings a higher echelon of pitcher and a deeper arsenal of breaking pitches to deal with.
Dilson Herrera to AA – Another name everyone expected to move up. Herrera will continue to split time between the middle infield positions and if he can also continue his 15 HR 30 SB pace in a higher league, the Mets will likely begin to write him into their future plans.
Steven Matz to AA – Matz is no longer too old for his level. He’ll get some leeway on his first few starts in a harder league (and harder climate) but there are big things expected from Matz’s future.
L.J. Mazzilli to A+ – Mazzilli made a big run towards the end of his time in Savannah. He’s the most advanced hitter that was promoted to Port St. Lucie and he will look to continue to pave his future with the bat.
Jeff McNeil to A+ – McNeil was a star in Savannah and even though his prospect status was not impressive, he earned the promotion based upon his performance. The next few months will tell us if the early season success meant anything.
Gavin Cecchini to A+ – Not to dump on Cecchini but there was little performance based in his promotion. He has hit a little bit and run a little bit, but nothing stands out as an exceptional tool.
Notably not yet: Kevin Plawecki – Plawecki could be moving on to AAA when the Mets call Travis d’Arnaud back up to the majors over the next few days. Plawecki has hit well enough to move up to the next level and the Mets would love him to put on a hitting showcase in AAA to motivate d’Arnaud and drum up additional trade value.
AAA:
Darin Gorski’s brilliant outing – It’s already been noted, but in case you missed it: 6.1 IP, 5 Hits, 1 ER, 2 BB and 11 Ks.
Noah Syndergaard is back on the mound – He’s given up a share of runs and hits in his two recent starts but he’s showing good with the bad.
Travis d’Arnaud’s absurd AAA numbers: .453/.491/.943, 8 Doubles, 6 Home Runs, 13 Runs, 16 RBI with 4 Ks. He’s walking a lot less in the minors than he did in the majors but the Mets don’t care about that with the rest of these numbers.
A:
Akeel Morris promoted… to closer – He has three saves in his last five games and his numbers are still great.
Milller Diaz showing potential – His strikeout rate hints that he might have potential to stick in the front half of a rotation.
A-:
Corey Meisner has a good debut – 6.0 IP, 3 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BB and 8 Ks.
Marcos Molina looks good – Through 2 starts: 13.0 IP, 5 Hits, 1 ER, 1 BB and 12 Ks.
Michael Bernal is the star of Brooklyn’s offense – He’s a bit old but he’s supplying much of the offense for the Cyclones.
R:
Cory Mazzoni doing some rehab – Started on 6/21 and should be promoted back into Vegas once he’s up to speed.
DSL:
Ysidro Pierre is a leadoff specialist – 17 games played and 11 stolen bases is good. He’s also walking a goodly amount.
Jose Medina is the biggest hitter for DSL Mets – .294/.400/.471 with 4 doubles, a triple and a home run.