With Minor League Baseball’s season coming to a close, it is crucial for fans to be aware of how well the Double-A Binghamton Mets played. Not only did the team go 83-59, but they ended up winning the championship. Even though it is only playoffs in the minor leagues, the experience is tremendous, and one pitcher has cemented himself as big time prospect with his performance in the championship game.
In the series-clinching game, Steven Matz took the mound and dominated Richmond. Taking a no-hitter into the 8th inning took pressure off of the Mets’ offense as the team scored two runs to win the game. The ace-type performance from Matz shows that he has a “bulldog” mentality, and can take control of any game against any team. He ended up finishing the game with 11 strikeouts, and allowed one run in 7.1 innings. Not too bad for the 23-year-old lefty.
Rob Brender of metsblog.com reported that Dan Warthen told him “there is no doubt” that Matz’ stuff compares to Clayton Kershaw. At the time, it seemed as if the organization saw a tremendous amount of potential in Matz, and it is easy to see why his ceiling may be that high.
Rated the 9th best prospect in the Mets’ organization according to MLB.com, Matz finished the year in Double-A, going 6-5 with a 2.27 ERA, 69 strikeouts, and 14 walks in 71.1 innings after starting out in Single-A. The stuff is definitely there, and his control is fairly decent. The only knock on his season may be that he averaged just below six innings each start. Hopefully he will be able to last longer throughout next season.
Other pitchers like Jacob deGrom, Rafael Montero and Noah Syndergaard were spoken about so much, as they were either promoted, or close to being promoted. It was easy to overlook Steven Matz, but it is important to keep a close eye on him. His estimated time of arrival in the big leagues was thought to be 2016, but his dominance in Double-A may warrant him starting in Triple-A, and quicken the process of him starting games at Citi Field.
When facing big league hitting, he has succeeded. In this year’s Spring Training, Matz struck out one of the toughest hitters to strike out in Yadier Molina with a 3-2 fastball. Although it is Spring Training, Matz started his year off strong, by showing his capability. In the two innings he pitched in spring, Matz struck out five hitters and allowed three base runners. Yes it is a small sample size, but five strikeouts in two innings is quite encouraging.
Now that the Minor League season is over, the Mets know what they have in Steven Matz, and he has made quite the name for himself. After all, he was named the Sterling Pitcher of the Year (the organization’s award for the best pitcher) and it does not hurt to have the pitching coach compare you to Clayton Kershaw. Matz’ hard work and impressive statistics earned him a championship, and maybe even a promotion.
“Even though it is only playoffs in the minor leagues, the experience is tremendous…”
When the Tidewater Tides were the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate, they won the International League title in 1982, 1983, and 1985, leading to the resurgence of the major league team.
Brandon Nimmo and Stephen Matz have now won two championships in a row. Both were on the Savannah Sand Gnats team that won the South Atlantic League championship in 2013 and now on the Binghamton team. Here’s to hoping their success continues in the future in Flushing!
Exactly what I was thinking AV! Winners find a way to win, and it leads them to being successful more times than not. Plus, progressing through a winning minor league system will hopefully translate into wins at the Major League level. Time will tell, and thanks for the read AV!
Learning to win at any level is a plus. Nice points!