Seth Stohs

Buyers or Sellers As we sit here in early July, the Mets are about a dozen games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. They are more than a half-dozen games behind the Washington Nationals for second in the division. In fact, they have the second-worst record in the National League, ahead of only the Miami Marlins. If the 2014 MLB draft order were selected today, the Mets would draft fifth overall. There is no question that the Mets will, or at least should, attempt to be sellers in July. What They Need What don’t the Mets need? David Wright (.914) is the lone Mets player with an OPS over. 802. Honestly, except for third, there isn’t a position at which the Mets could not make an improvement. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Wright is a cornerstone, and the Mets are starting to see the debut of a core of talented young pitchers. Matt Harvey (24) is one of baseball’s most exciting and talented young starters. Zach Wheeler (23) recently made his debut. Dillon Gee (27), Jonathan Niese (26, signed through 2016, with 2 option years) and Jeremy Hefner (27, 3.72 ERA) are a solid group of starters. Jeurys Familia (23) can be dominant out of the bullpen. 23-year-old shortstop Ruben Tejada is posting Florimonic offensive numbers. Ike Davis (26) hit 32 homers last year, but was finally sent to AAA after hitting .161 with little power this year. The outfield of Lucas Duda, Marlon Byrd and a rotation centerfielder can certainly be improved. John Buck is adequate at catcher and they do have Travis d’Arnaud waiting, injured, in the wings. What Might Work The Twins and the Mets should both be in the sellers category, so it is unlikely that these two teams line up real well. Marlon Byrd and closer Bobby Parnell should be available, but the Twins had best not be interested in either. The Mets may be interested in acquiring a couple of veterans who are signed long-term in an attempt to compete a little more quickly. They have been rumored to have interest in the White Sox’ Alexei Ramirez. How do the Mets feel about feel about the future of Ike Davis? At the deadline could they be interested in a player like Justin Morneau and then try to lock him up for a couple of years? There could be interest in bullpen arms like Brian Duensing and Casey Fien because of their low contracts with at least a couple years of team control. One other name that might garner interest from the Mets is Trevor Plouffe. He could platoon at 1B with Davis and potentially improve one of the Mets corner outfield spots. He will become arbitration-eligible following this season. Sleeper Targets Gabriel Ynoa - RHP – Low-A - 20 years old Ynoa is not currently a highly-ranked prospect. He throws into the low 90s with encouraging but inconsistent secondary pitches, as you would expect from such a young arm. At 6-2 and just 160 pounds, he has plenty of room to grow, and hopefully be able to add some velocity. This year, he is 9-3 with a 2.89 ERA. In 87.1 innings, he has given up just 73 hits, walked only 11 and struck out 73. Matt Reynolds - SS - High A - 22 years old The middle infielder was the team’s 2nd round pick just a year ago out of the University of Arkansas where he teamed with DJ Baxendale and went to the College World Series. He is what scouts call a ball player. His tools are not great. He is not real fast. He doesn’t have huge power. He is a smart player who is quite poised on the field. Right now in the Florida State League, he is hitting .242/.327/.370 (.696) with 15 doubles, five triples, three homers and 30 RBI. It is believed that he can stick at short, but could play second, third or fulfill a utility role. Steve Matz - LHP - Low-A - 22 years old Matz was the Mets 2nd round pick in 2009 out of high school. He had Tommy John surgery in 2010 and missed all of 2011 as well. He suffered some soreness early in 2012 and did not make his professional debut until last June. He is pitching in the Sally League this year. He is just 2-4 but has a 2.53 ERA. In 64 innings, he has given up just 53 hits, walked 20 and struck out 70. The reason he may be available is the injury risk, but it is still believed that he has very good stuff. Patience would be important. Dream Target We can dream of Harvey and Wheeler and d’Arnaud all we want, but with the two teams where they are, that’s not happening. For the names mentioned above, they wouldn’t likely get Top 10 prospects. I don’t see a fit with Glen Perkins, and if we did, someone like Noah Syndergaard would have to be in play. After much research, I would love to see the Twins target one of these following mid-level prospects for the above-mentioned Twins. It would also be an acceptable haul in a deal for Morneau, in my opinion. Jack Leathersich - LHP - AAA – 22 years old There are a lot of left-handed relievers out there; few are like Glen Perkins. Those that are can be quite valuable. Leathersich fits the Perkins mold. He is just 5-11. His fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s. He has a sharp curveball and is looking to develop a change-up. After signing in 2011, he struck out 26 in 12.2 innings. Between two levels in 2012, he struck out 113 batters in 72 innings. He began this season in AA and struck out 25 in 29.1 innings. He has been promoted to AAA where he has struck out 15 batters in eight innings (9 games). Worst case, Leathersich looks like a dominant LOOGY. Best case scenario, he becomes a second Glen Perkins. Kevin Plawecki - C – High-A - 22 years old Plawecki was the Mets’ first-round pick in 2012 out of Purdue, where he was the Big 10 Player of the Year. Like Twins’ 2013 draft picks Stuart Turner and Mitch Garver, Plawecki was a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award as college’s top catcher. Catchers are valuable in the minor leagues, but the Mets do have Travis d’Arnaud as their catcher of the future. After hitting .314/.390/.494 (.884) with 24 doubles, a triple, six homers and 43 RBI in Low-A, Plawecki was recently promoted to the Florida State League where he is hitting .361 with four extra base hits in nine games. Hopefully Joe Mauer will be able to catch for several years, but it will be important to having catching options (to go along with the likes of Josmil Pinto) ready within the next two to three years. The Twins have some high-upside prospects and some veterans. Together they will, we hope, make the Twins much better in 2014 and a contender by 2015. The Mets have the kind of young pitching that will make them a team to watch, potentially quickly, if they can score any runs. Twins fans may recall the most recent trade between the Twin and the Mets. In that trade, one team (Mets) was a buyer, and the seller (Twins) received the #1, #2, #4 and #8 prospects of the Mets. It’s likely fair to say that despite the lofty rankings of those four players (Carlos Gomez, Deolis Guerra, Kevin Mulvey and Philip Humber), the Twins did not get much for the two-time Cy Young Award winner. Meanwhile, after a couple of very good years, the Mets paid a lot of money to Santana while he was on the Disabled List. This year, both teams are sellers and likely unwilling to give up top prospects. So the only way the teams will deal with each other is a minor deal. Of course, those are the types of deals that Terry Ryan has made most years of his tenure. And, many of those trades have resulted in the Twins acquiring a not-highly-publicized prospect who becomes a solid contributor.

Yesterday, we reviewed the top pitching performances in June by the relief pitchers. Today, we’ll look at the top five starting pitchers in June. There were some strong performances, though there aren’t enough to need an Honorable Mention section. June is often a month when you start seeing some pitchers tire. There is a chance that some guys who have been starting to this point will miss a start, or spend some of the second half of the season working out of the bullpen. By next month, we may have some nominees from Elizabethton and the Gulf Coast League Twins. Southpaws are prominent in this list, which is always nice to see as. More specifically, lefties who went to the University of Kentucky are quite prominent! [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] One thing that isn’t very prominent… strikeouts. Here’s a list of the Top 5 pitching performers from June. . --- Number 5 – Ft. Myers – LHP Taylor Rogers - 4 GS, 2-1, 3.48 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 20.2 IP, 23 H, 6 BB, 7 K The first of three lefties from the University of Kentucky in the top five, Rogers has been terrific since his move up to the Miracle. He has made 11 appearances for the team since being promoted and is 6-2 with a 2.04 ERA. He gave up just four earned runs in his first three starts in June before giving up four earned runs in four innings in his final start. Rogers has good stuff. He throws in the low 90s, and he has a very good slider. With that combination, one would think he'd have some notable splits. While right-handers are hitting .272 against him, lefties are hitting .274. However, it’s also important to point out that against lefties, he has issued one walk with 18 strikeouts. Against (many more) right-handers, he has walked 11 while striking out 15. So, there is a difference. He was the Twins 11th round pick in 2012. Last month, he was runner-up for starter of the month. Number 4 – Cedar Rapids – LHP Brett Lee - 5 GS, 2-1, 3.48 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 31.0 IP, 35 H, 7 BB, 23 K Lee was the Twins 10th round pick in 2011, out of St. Petersburg College. Last year with Elizabethton, he made four starts and twelve times came out of the bullpen. Overall, he went 4-0 with a 2.78 ERA and a 4:1 K:BB ratio. He has been in the Kernels six-man starting rotation this year. He is 5-4 with a 3.89 ERA. In 72.1 innings, he again has a 4:1 K:BB rate, with 56 strikeouts and 19 walks. He has good stuff and has been fairly consistent each month. I shouldn’t, but will, point out that in his second June start, he gave up eight runs in four innings. Without that rough start, he gave up just four earned runs in 27 innings, for an ERA of 1.33. Certainly a strong month and something he can build on as the season goes forward. Number 3 – New Britain/Rochester – LHP Logan Darnell - 5 GS, 2-3, 2.87 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 31.1 IP, 30 H, 7 BB, 25 K Darnell spent most of the month of June eating a lot of innings for the Rock Cats. Really, he was just biding his time until there was an opening with the Red Wings. Gibson’s promotion meant there was a spot; Darnell made one start for the Red Wings but in the third inning he suffered a blister that could keep him out for a while. Darnell has a good mix of pitches and generally throws strikes. He won’t be a big strikeout pitcher, but he has the ability to miss some bats. The southpaw has found a way to be more efficient and eat more innings. The 24 year old was the Twins 6th round pick in 2010 from the University of Kentucky. Number 2 – Rochester – RHP Kyle Gibson - 4 GS, 3-0, 2.08 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 26.0 IP, 22 H, 9 BB, 20 K It was a very good month for Gibson. He generally pitched well for the Red Wings, and when Mike Pelfrey was put on the disabled list (and after Pedro Hernandez made a spot start and was then optioned), Gibson finally received the call he has been waiting two years for. Consider: he would likely have been a big leaguer about two years ago if not for the Tommy John surgery. It’s been a long, but so far, successful recovery from the surgery for Gibson. In his first big league start, he gave up two runs in six innings. He showed that he has some Deduno-like movement on his pitches with a better idea of where they are going. He will get ground balls while striking out enough. It will be fun to watch how he now develops. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Beloit – LHP Andrew Albers - 6 GS, 5-1, 2.97 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 39.1 IP, 34 H, 8 BB, 31 K Albers has probably been the best, most consistent starting pitcher for the Rochester Red Wings this season. He has seen PJ Walters, Sam Deduno and now Kyle Gibson promoted to the Twins. It hasn’t fazed him as he is now 7-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 16 starts. In 92 innings, he has walked just 24 and struck out 80. The lefty is very aggressive and likes to use his defense which makes his strikeout rate surprising, yet encouraging. At this point, I’m certain everyone has heard the incredible story of the 27 year old from Saskatchewan. He was my choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2011. He has starred for Team Canada in international competition since then, including the 2013 WBC. We hope he'll get an opportunity at some point this season to pitch for the Twins. What do you think? Please feel free to discuss and ask questions.

A day after several of the Twins minor league affiliates’ games were rained out, it was nearly a full schedule on Tuesday night. Elizabethton had the night off, but Rochester played two games to make up for it. A Honkball star showed what he is capable of in New Britain. A big time international signing from last year celebrated this year’s International Signing Day with a nice game. A couple big relief pitching prospects who hadn’t pitched in about ten days got back into action. A couple pitchers from the Twins' opening day roster took the mound in the minors.. Lots happened, including another homer from a guy in Cedar Rapids who quietly is putting up some monster power numbers in the shadow of Chris Colabello and Miguel Sano.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Speaking of the Kernels, were they able to continue their winning streak? Check out that and what else happened in the Twins farm system on Tuesday: Game 1 - Rochester Red Wings 2, Syracuse Chiefs 5 Box Score Cole De Vries was on the mound to start Game 1. The righty gave up three runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings. He walked two and struck out three. Michael Tonkin came on after being out for ten days due to soreness in his shoulder. He went one inning and gave up two runs on three hits. They are his first earned runs in two months. Blake Martin relieved and got the final two outs. Ray Olmedo went 2-3, the only Red Wing hitter with more than one hit. Antoan Richardson doubled for the eighth time. Game 2 - Rochester Red Wings 6, Syracuse Chiefs 5 Box Score Vance Worley was not terribly impressive in Game 2. The Twins Opening Day starter gave up four runs on six hits and in 5.1 innings he walked five and struck out just two. And, for his efforts, he improved to 5-3. Aaron Thompson gave up one run on two hits in the next inning. Luis Perdomo picked up his sixth save by getting the final two outs. The offense came through in this game though. Eric Farris was 2-4 with his 14th stolen base. James Beresford went 2-3 with his first double. Eric Fryer drilled a two-run double (his sixth). Deibinson Romero was 1-2 with a walk, his fifth double and two RBI. New Britain Rock Cats 3, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 1 Box Score It’s been an up-and-down season so far for Tom Stuifbergen, and on this night he was very good. He threw 6.1 shutout innings, giving up four hits, walking one and striking out three. Edgar Ibara got the next four outs, two of them on strikeouts. Dan Turpen recorded his second save. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk in 1.1 innings; he struck out two. The Rock Cats won despite just six hits. Josmil Pinto had his 19th double. Fisher Cats' 2012 first-round pick Marcus Stroman was very good. In 6.1 innings he walked one and struck out 13. He was charged with all three runs and took the loss. Ft. Myers Miracle 5, Bradenton Marauders 2 Box Score Tyler Duffey put together his best start for the Miracle. The right-hander threw seven shutout innings and used his defense to do so. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out zero. Jose Gonzalez came on and worked a perfect eighth frame. Zack Jones made his first appearance since June 23rd and was a little rusty. In his inning, he gave up two runs on a hit and two walks. Jhon Goncalves went 2-3 with a walk, his 15th double and fifth stolen base. Byron Buxton went 2-4. In Buxton’s first three games with the Miracle, he went 2-13. His last three games have all been multi-hit games through which he is 7-12. Now, he is hitting .360 with the Miracle. He is 19 years old. Just saying. Cedar Rapids Kernels 4, Beloit Snappers 5 Box Score JO Berrios was on the mound, hoping to extend the Kernels 2nd half start to 12-0. He struggled. In just 4.1 innings, he gave up five runs (3 earned) on seven hits. He walked one and struck out six. Madison Boer came on in relief and gave up two hits over 2.2 innings. Steven Gruver came on and struck out two in the final inning. Jonathan Murphy, in his second game with the Kernels, went 3-4 with a double. JD Williams went 2-4 in his first game back since being hit by a pitch in the knee on Saturday. On the organization's home run leader board, Travis Harrison took over third place with his 14th. The loss ends the Kernels 11 game post-All-Star break winning streak. The team is 11-1 in the second half. Beloit won for the fifth straight time, and they are 10-2 in the second half. Elizabethton Twins No Game Scheduled. GCL Twins 2, GCL Orioles 3 Box Score It’s only been about ten days, but Amaurys Minier has already experienced the ups and downs of pro ball. Monday, he was very good. He went 3-3 with his second and third doubles. Brian Navaretto was 1-2 with a walk and his first double. Sam Gibbons started and worked the first three innings. He gave up no runs on four hits. He neither walked nor struck out a batter. He did hit one. Lewis Thorpe came in for the next two innings and didn't allow a run. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. Derek Penilla made his first professional appearance. He gave up one run on two hits in an inning. Dan Sattler had Tommy John surgery last August, and he made his first rehab appearance. He gave up two runs on two hits and recorded two outs, one on a strikeout. Sattler took the loss when Miguel Gonzalez came on and gave up a game-winning hit. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.