Minor League Baseball

Minor League Baseball

Yankees name five prospects to play in AFL

September 01, 2010 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

Led by Austin Romine, the Yankees have named five of their prospects who will play in the Arizona Fall League next month. Along with Romine, third baseman Brandon Laird, second baseman Corban Joseph and right-handers George Kontos and Craig Heyer will play for the Phoenix Desert Dogs, who will be managed by Don Mattingly.
	 
Romine, Baseball America's No. 2 prospect in the Yankees system to start the year, has been the main catcher for a team for the first time in his career this year for Double-A Trenton, and has seen his pitchers there almost all do extremely well, too. The 20-year-old has done the job at the plate, as well, hitting .267 with nine homers, 64 RBI and 27 doubles. His brother, Andrew, who is a shortstop in the Angels' system, will also be the in AFL.
	 
Laird wasn't ranked to begin the season, but has forced his way onto the map with a stellar 2010 season. The brother of major league catcher Gerald Laird, the 22-year-old (who turns 23 Sept. 11) hit .291 with 23 homers and 90 RBI in 107 games with Trenton before a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre last month. He's struggled there, though, hitting .211 with two homers and nine RBI in 24 games.
	 
FOLLOW BUSHES ON TWITTER
	 
Joseph, a fourth round pick out of high school in Franklin, Tennessee in 2008, impressed with High-A Tampa this year. The 13th prospect in the system to begin the year, according to BA, hit .302 with six homers and 52 RBI in 98 games there. Like Laird, though, the 21-year-old has struggled since a promotion last month. He is hitting .216 with 10 RBI and a stolen base in 27 games with Trenton. Like Romine, Joseph also has a brother (Caleb) competing in the AFL. Caleb is a catcher in Baltimore's system, and the two played against each other in Trenton last month.
	 
Kontos was ranked 17th in 2008 and 23rd last year, but slipped out of BA's Top 30 this season after struggling with injuries last year. He's been good for Trenton since returning to the mound earlier this summer, though, going 0-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 17 relief appearances. Kontos has struck out 28 and walked 11 in 32 innings.
	 
Heyer has never been listed anywhere by Baseball America since the Yankees drafted him out of UNLV in the 22nd round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. But the right-hander has put together a strong season – albeit as a 24-year-old in High-A – with Tampa. The 6-foot-3 right-hander is 8-3 with a 3.21 ERA, striking out 63 and walking just six in 87 innings.
	 
tbontemps@nypost.com

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Mets release names of four prospects to play in AFL

September 01, 2010 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

The Mets have released the names of four players who will play in the Arizona Fall League next month.Left-hander Robert Carson, right-hander Josh Stinson, middle infielder Jordany Valdespin and... Read on

The Mets have released the names of four players who will play in the Arizona Fall League next month.
	 
Left-hander Robert Carson, right-hander Josh Stinson, middle infielder Jordany Valdespin and catcher Kai Gronauer will play for the Mesa Solar Sox, and will be there with Triple-A Buffalo's pitching coach, Ricky Bones.
	 
Carson was 7-5 with a 4.17 ERA in 17 games (16 starts) with High-A St. Lucie, striking out 69 and walking 33 in 86.1 innings. Since a promotion to Double-A Binghamton, though, the 21-year-old has struggled mightily, going 1-6 with a 8.74 ERA in nine starts. He's struck out 28 and walked 22 in 45.1 innings, and already has given up seven homers, after giving up only five with St. Lucie. The Hattiesburg, Miss. native entered the season as the Mets' 16th best prospect, according to Baseball America.
	 
FOLLOW BUSHES ON TWITTER
	 
	 
Stinson went 9.3 with a 4.24 ERA in 32 appearances (14 starts) with Binghamton before a recent promotion to Triple-A Buffalo, where he's 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in two starts, striking out 13 and walking three in 13 innings. He allowed six hits in seven shutout innings in his last start Aug. 27, striking out nine and walking one. The 22-year-old right-hander was drated in the 37th round out of Shreveport, La. by the Mets back in 2006, and was the No. 26 prospect, according to BA, in the Mets system to start the year.
	 
Valdespin, a 22-year-old who hits left and throws right, hit .289 with six homers, 33 RBI and 13 stolen bases with High-A St. Lucie before a promotion to Double-A Binghamton. Like Carson, Valdespin has failed to see results there, hitting .233 with no homers and seven RBI in 21 games. The 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic entered the season as the 30th best prospect in the Mets system, according to BA, and also was named the system's best athlete.
	 
Kai Gronauer was pretty far off the map to begin the season, not even being listed among the first best catching prospects in the Mets' system to begin the year (with only one of the players in front of him, Josh Thole, even making BA's top 30), although he was named the system's best defensive catcher. But Gronauer, a 23-year-old German, has impressed since a midseason callup to High-A St. Lucie from Low-A Savannah. Since then, Gronauer is hitting .323 with two homers and 19 RBI in 34 games.
	 
The Mets will likely send either six or seven players to the AFL, with full rosters set to be released in the near future. Some potential candidates for the remaining spots are Binghamton second baseman Reese Havens (if he can recover from an oblique injury), Cyclones outfielder Corey Vaughn, Buffalo outfielder Kirk Nieuwnhuis and the team's first-round pick in June's draft, Matt Harvey.
	 
tbontemps@nypost.com

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Yankees place three on International League All-Star Team

September 01, 2010 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

The Yankees have placed three players -- catcher Jesus Montero, shortstop Eduardo Nunez and reliever Jonathan Albaladejo -- on the International League's Postseason All-Star Team. All three also were named to the league's midseason All-Star Rosters.
	 
Montero, who entered the season as the Yankees' top prospect, according to Baseball America, as well as one of the top prospects in all of baseball, has had a blistering second half to make up for a slow start to the season. The 20-year-old is hitting .284 with 18 home runs and 66 RBI.
	 
FOLLOW BUSHES ON TWITTER
	 
Nunez entered the season as the organization's 14th best prospect. He was called up to the Yankees earlier this month when Alex Rodriguez went onto the disabled list after having a great season in Triple-A. He hit .289 with four homers, 50 RBI and 23 stolen bases.
	 
Albaladejo has been brilliant for SWB this season, setting an International League record with 43. He is 4-2 with a 1.43 ERA, striking out 82 and walking 18 in 63.1 innings. Look for Albaladejo to throw some important innings down the stretch in the big leagues.
	 
tbontemps@nypost.com

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Mets prospect named top pitcher in South Atlantic League

September 01, 2010 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

Left-hander Jimmy Fuller has been named the South Atlantic League's Most Outstanding Pitcher after going 8-3 with a 1.93 ERA in 107.1 innings.Fuller, who struck out 99 and walked 29 for the Sand... Read on

Left-hander Jimmy Fuller has been named the South Atlantic League's Most Outstanding Pitcher after going 8-3 with a 1.93 ERA in 107.1 innings.
	 
Fuller, who struck out 99 and walked 29 for the Sand Gnats, was leading the SAL in ERA and was seventh in strikeouts when he was promoted to High-A St. Lucie earlier this month. He also was one of six Savannah players named to the league's midseason All-Star team.
	 
Fuller entered the season as the Mets' eighth-best left-handed starter, according to Baseball America, and was outside the organization's Top 30 prospects. The 23-year-old was drafted in the 21st round out of Southern Connecticut State in last year's First-Year Player Draft.
	 
	 
******
	 
Yankees prospect Rob Lyerly also made the SAL's Postseason All-Star Team. Lyerly, a sixth round pick by the Bombers last year out of Charlotte, the first baseman/third baseman is hitting .312 with seven homers and 70 RBI.
	 
tbontemps@nypost.com

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Mattingly to manage Arizona Fall League team

September 01, 2010 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

Don Mattingly will be managing this year – just not in the major leagues.The Yankees legend is the manager of the Arizona Fall League's Phoenix Desert Dogs. Ironically, the Desert Dogs are the AFL... Read on

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Bushes: Mets should take it slow with Mejia, keep him in Triple-A

August 31, 2010 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

The Mets had their chance to have Jenrry Mejia be a part of their rotation. Instead, they had him sit in their bullpen for the first two months of the season.The decision to bring the fireballing 20... Read on

The Mets had their chance to have Jenrry Mejia be a part of their rotation. Instead, they had him sit in their bullpen for the first two months of the season.
	 
The decision to bring the fireballing 20-year-old right-hander north with the team as a middle reliever is one of the many decisions that have backfired on the organization this season. By having Mejia make 30 appearances out of the bullpen over the first couple months of the season, instead of starting for Double-A Binghamton, Mejia's development was stunted, and his innings were severely limited.
	 
When he finally was sent down to Binghamton in June, Mejia was further delayed because of a strained right shoulder, which kept him on the shelf for a month. But even after all of the fits and starts, Mejia's talent has clearly shown through over the past few weeks.
	 
He was utterly dominant for Double-A Binghamton, including throwing seven innings of shutout ball in each of his final two starts, and going 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA overall. Mejia then was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo over the weekend, where he made his first start last night against Syracuse, and he was equally impressive. Mejia allowed one run on five hits in eight innings, striking out nine and walking one, and threw 67 strikes out of 97 pitches.
	 
Those numbers are impressive, and there is no question that Mejia has the potential to be a dominant starter for the Mets in years to come. But that doesn't mean he needs to join the team's starting rotation this weekend, as was hinted after last night's 9-3 loss to Atlanta and
	 practically confirmed today.
	 
"When you have a young guy like Mejia, and if he happens to go out there and be lights out, you've got to find a place for him because of his potential,"
	 Jerry Manuel told The Post's Mike Puma after last night's game. "You've got to find a place to give him a shot."
	 
	 
FOLLOW BONTEMPS ON TWITTER
	 
Though that statement is true, it was the Mets and Manuel's handling of Mejia earlier this season that helped stunt the right-hander's development. If he'd been kept in the minor leagues all season, Mejia could have increased his innings count from last year, could have gotten a cup of coffee late in the season with the Mets, and been in a position to give the Mets anywhere from 140-170 quality innings as a starter next season, depending on where he finished this season.
	 
But after spending a month on the DL in the minors and two months being used sparingly in the majors, Mejia has thrown exactly 70 innings this year between Double-A, Triple-A and the majors. That's after throwing 43 2/3 innings in 2007, 71 2/3 in 2008 and 94 2/3 last year. So over his four year professional career, Mejia is still south of 300 total innings.
	 
There is no one who realistically thinks the Mets are going to find a way to get back into the playoff race at this point in the season. They are a game under .500, several games back in the wild card race and, most importantly, would have to pass six teams in order to make the playoffs. It may be a similar deficit to the lead the Mets choked away to the Phillies in 2008, but it's an entirely different set of circumstances.
	 
And that set of circumstances is why the Mets will likely callup Mejia – as well as why they shouldn't. Manuel and general manager Omar Minaya are both in danger of losing their jobs. Because of that, Mejia looks like a great option to them, because he's very talented and could give them a few more wins down the stretch, as well as something to point to as a sign of hope going forward.
	 
But there's no telling how ugly things are going to get at Citi Field over the next few weeks, when the Mets likely remain mired far outside of the playoff chase and fans look for places to take out their frustration. Why put a 20-year-old who has made a total of 49 professional starts in that cauldron? What if he gets shelled, and the fans take out their frustration on him? It's an unnecessary situation to put the team's top prospect.
	 
The more prudent thing to do would be to keep Mejia in the minors, to have him pitch in instructional league and the Arizona Fall League to get to the necessary innings (roughly 125) for him to be a starter for the Mets next season, then prepare to have him as the team's fifth starter in 2011, giving fans a bright new face to be excited about, onethat isn't tainted by what looks like it will be a rough finish to the 2010 season.
	 
But the more prudent thing to do earlier this season would have been to have Mejia starting in the minor leagues, rather than sitting in the big league bullpen. Then, instead of pining for Mejia while he watched Pat Misch give up five runs on eight hits in three innings, he could have been watching him pitch.
	 
tbontemps@nypost.com

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Yankees prospect Heathcott hits walkoff homer for Charleston

August 31, 2010 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

Before the bottom of the 12th inning of last night's game between the Charleston RiverDogs, the Yankees' Low-A affiliate, and the Greenville Drive, Slade Heathcott was having a dreadful night. The... Read on

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Yankees propsects Mitchell, Noesi get first Triple-A wins

August 30, 2010 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

One week after right-handers D.J. Mitchell and Hector Noesi were promoted from Double-A Trenton, both pitchers have already picked up their first wins for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.Mitchell... Read on

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Berkman begins rehab in Trenton tonight

August 30, 2010 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

Lance Berkman will begin his road back to The Bronx tonight a couple hours down I-95 at Trenton's Waterfront Park, as the first baseman/designated hitter will play for the Double-A Thunder. He has... Read on

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Mejia promoted to Triple-A, will start Monday

August 28, 2010 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

After a dominant stretch with Double-A Binghamton, Jenrry Mejia, the Mets' top prospect, has been promoted to Triple-A Buffalo, and will start for the Bisons Monday night against the Syracuse Chiefs... Read on

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

↑ Back to Top

Viewing Page: 1 of 50

Next >

Subscribe to this Blog

About the Author

TIM BONTEMPS The Post’s minor-league baseball writer since 2008, he’s also covered U.S. Open tennis, college basketball, the NFL, NHL and NBA. A graduate of St. Bonaventure University, he was a Jim Murray Memorial Scholarship honoree.

Follow Tim on Twitter