Mets Minors: RHP Tommy Wilson on a roll in SLU

You don’t find many pitchers wear uniform number three. But then again, Tommy Wilson doesn’t have a normal baseball story. After putting up a 1.37 ERA as a high school senior with 76 Ks in 59.1 IP, Wilson didn’t pitch for two years. He returned to the mound at a Junior College, where he fanned 104 batters in 85 IP, which helped land him a spot at Cal State Fullerton. In his one year with the Titans, Wilson went 7-0 with a 2.11 ERA and helped lead CSF to the Super Regionals.

The Mets picked him in the 19th round of the 2018 draft and assigned him to Brooklyn, where he worked out of the pen, got into 11 games and posted a 1.23 ERA in 22 IP with 27 Ks. Wilson was sent to St. Lucie this season and in eight games, all starts, in the Florida State League, he’s 4-2 with a 2.01 ERA. And even that’s a little misleading, as Wilson was hit around in his first start. In his last seven games he has a 1.36 ERA and has limited opposing batters to a .485 OPS.

A 6’4, RHP, Wilson sits in the low 90s but his main thing is a solid three-pitch arsenal. His slider has been called a swing-and-miss offering, while Wilson’s former Cal State Fullerton teammate Jacob Hobson said on Twitter, “All I want for Hanukkah is @tommy_wilson’s change-up.”

Wilson just turned 23 on Sunday, so he’s a little older than you’d like to see in the FSL. But with the way he’s pitching this year, it’s hard to believe he’ll still be in St. Lucie for very much longer.

Triple-A Syracuse

So much has been made about the minor league veterans that the Mets are stockpiling in Triple-A that it’s flown a little under the radar that three of these are guys who saw time in the majors with the Mets, left the organization and now are back. Dilson Herrera has 8 HR and hopefully is back from the shoulder injury that sidetracked his career. Travis Taijeron played 26 games with the Mets in 2017 but spent the following season in Triple-A with the Dodgers. Back with the Mets, he still brings power to the table, with 18 of his 25 hits going for extra-bases, including 11 HR. And Ruben Tejada has come back, too, after appearing in four different organizations since leaving the Mets. He’s 10-20 this year, splitting time between Binghamton and Syracuse.

Double-A Binghamton

Anthony Kay ran his record to 6-2 with a win on Sunday. It wasn’t a great outing but with a 1.28 ERA overall, he’ll be forgiven for an appearance where he had nine baserunners in 5.2 IP… Since being activated from the Injured List, Sam Haggerty has played center field in two of his three games. Acquired in the Kevin Plawecki deal, Haggerty had been having a solid year at 2B but the promotion of Luis Carpio has made playing time scarce for Haggerty in the infield… C-1B Patrick Mazeika has been swinging a hot bat, putting up a 1.035 OPS in 89 PA from 4/27-5/24. He hit safely in 20 of 21 games in this stretch… RP Ryley Gilliam has appeared in seven games since being promoted from St. Lucie and is 2-0 with a Save. He has 20 Ks in 15 IP and has a 0.833 WHIP in Double-A.

Hi-A St. Lucie

After a tough start, the hits are falling in for 2018 third-round pick Carlos Cortes. He’s 19-55 (.345) in his last 14 games… 1B Jeremy Vasquez continued his hot hitting at home on Sunday, as he picked up two hits and three runs scored. He’s 29-81 (.358) at First Data Field but is hitting just .167 in road parks… RHP Walker Lockett is finally healthy after opening the year on the IL with elbow issues. After getting knocked around in his first game, Lockett pitched five scoreless innings on Friday. Expect him to get a promotion soon, perhaps even to Syracuse… LHP Blake Taylor was named to the FSL All-Star team. In his first season as a reliever, he has six saves.

Lo-A Columbia

After a brutal month of April, C Juan Uriarte appears to have shaken off the rust from missing all but one game in 2018. Here in May, he’s 14-41 (.341) with five of his hits going for extra-bases, giving him a .561 SLG… 3B Mark Vientos put up a .975 OPS in 11 games from 5/14-5/25… After looking overmatched in the FSL, ATH Hansel Moreno was returned to Columbia. In 11 games, he’s batting .300 with four of his 12 hits going for extra-bases… After giving up 8 ER in his first start in May, RHP Christian James has put together four solid starts. He’s got a 2.61 ERA in 20.2 IP with 3 BB and 13 Ks.