Vaughn, Peavey, Den Dekker on move in Mets farm system
Both the St. Lucie Mets and Savannah Sand Gnats won first-half crowns but will have to play the second half without several key contributors.
As expected, 2010 first-rounder Matt Harvey was promoted from Class A St. Lucie to Class AA Binghamton and was joined by center fielder Matt den Dekker. The Sand Gnats lost IF Robbie Shields and closer Josh Edgin a few weeks ago. Those two were joined by OF Cory Vaughn and righthander Gregory Peavey this past week.
Harvey finished on the losing end of his Binghamton debut Sunday after allowing four runs and nine hits over 4 2/3 innings in a loss at Bowie. He was 8-2 with a 2.37 ERA and a Florida State League-leading 92 strikeouts in 76 innings at St. Lucie.
“It’s always exciting to start with a new team and see what can happen,” Harvey told the Binghamton Press. “I’m happy I got a chance to be with the St. Lucie team. That was a great experience. Now I’m just happy to be here.
Den Decker, who hit .300 with six home runs and 36 RBI and 12 stolen bases in the FSL, has started slowly. The 23-year-old is just 5-for-26 with no walks and 11 strikeouts in his first six games. Three of his five hits came in one game.
Vaughn, the son of former major league slugger Greg Vaughn, had 14 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 30 RBIs in 68 games for the Sand Gnats, batting .286/.405/.408. The Mets’ fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft was fourth in the SAL in on-base percentage and homered in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game.
Vaughn is 6-for-11 with two homers and five RBI in his first four games with St. Lucie.
Peavey (6-2) was sixth in the SAL with a 3.12 ERA, seventh in innings pitched (78) and ninth in strikeouts (69). The 22-year-old allowed a run and four hits in five innings in his FSL debut, a win over Jupiter on Saturday.
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The wait for highly-regarded pitching prospect Juan Urbina is over.
The just turned 18-year-old, son of former major league pitcher Ugueth Urbina, has been hit hard in his first two starts for Kingsport in the rookie-level Appalachian League. The 6-foot-2 lefthander, ranked the No. 11 prospect in the Mets’ organization by Baseball America, is 0-1 with a 9.35 ERA in his first two starts.
Urbina has been torched for 17 hits in 8 2/3 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts. He was 5-3 with a 5.03 ERA in 11 starts in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2010.
Urbina has a fastball that can reach the low-90s, a changeup he can throw at any time and a young, projectable body, and the Mets have plenty of time to allow the youngster to develop.
AROUND THE MINORS: St. Lucie LHP Darin Gorski may be the next Met on his way to Binghamton. He won his last two starts to improve to 6-0, 1.55 – best in the Florida State League. The 23-year-old beat Bradenton Monday, allowing a run and six hits in seven innings. The 6-4, 210 pounder yielded just a hit over six scoreless frames in his previous start and hasn’t walked a better in two starts. He has yielded just 15 walks against 87 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings, including just three walks in his last six starts. … RHP Matt Harvey and St. Lucie 3B Jefrey Marte were selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game on July 10 in Phoenix. … Binghamton 2B Joshua Satin continued his impressive season, hitting for the cycle Friday against Bowie and then driving in three runs the following night. The 25-year-old is batting .315/.413/.524 with 21 doubles, nine homers and 46 RBI in 69 games. … Buffalo IF Nick Evans has hit in 17 straight games to lift his average to .306/.358/.468.