Mack Attack: June 10, 2008

By John Mackin Ade
Posted Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Mets News:

The Mets signed 2 of their draftees:

Collin McHugh RHP R R 6-2 195 6-19-87 Berry College (GA.)

The Mets drafted McHugh in the 18th round of the 2008 draft. 2008 stats as SP for Berry (a favorite drafting school for the Mets): 4.67 ERA 61.2 IP 67 H 20 BB 62 K 15 HBP

Erik Turgeon RHP R R 6-1 185 3-25-87 Univ. Connecticut

Turgeon was drafted in the 25th round by the Mets in the 2008 draft. He was first drafted by Boston in 2005, but chose to go to college instead. 2008 stats: 6.68 ERA (?) 28.1 IP 33 H 16 BB 18 Ks .300 opposing BA. (??)

 

Zephyrs

Chris Aguila went 5-for-5 with five RBI, falling a triple short of the cycle, as the New Orleans Zephyrs beat the Omaha Royals on Monday, 10-4. Aguila, coming off PCL Hitter of the Week honors a week ago, set a new season high for a Zephyrs batter with five hits. It came almost one year to the day after the last Zephyrs five-hit performance, by Chip Ambres at Iowa last June 7. Aguila singled in the first, doubled in the second, hit a two-run homer in the fourth, doubled in the sixth, and singled in the eighth to complete the perfect night. Anderson Hernandez and Argenis Reyes both went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, and together with Aguila, combined to go 9-for-13 with eight runs scored and seven RBI. Willie Collazo was the benefactor of the run support, only the second time the Zephyrs have scored in double digits at home this season. Collazo (4-2) went six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and one walk. Every batter in the New Orleans lineup contributed at least one hit in the 16-hit attack, as the Z's kept pace atop the American Southern. The second game of the series is Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., when RHP Ruddy Lugo faces RHP Brandon Duckworth.

Lucy:

Roster Moves: - Add IF – Matt Smith to roster
Place OF – Joe Holden On DL
Send P – Tobi Stoner to Binghamton
Send P – Nick Carr to Savannah
Send P – Tim Stronach to Savannah
Add P – German Marte from Binghamton
Add P – Michael Antonini from Savannah
Add P – Angel Calero from Savannah

Gnats:

 

Columbus starter Jesse Darcy (2-0) picked up his second win in as many weeks over the Sand Gnats, this time defeating Savannah 2-1 on Monday night at Historic Grayson Stadium. Savannah would take the early lead in the first when Casey Craig, who was 2-for-3, singled to right and moved to second on a wild pitch by Darcy. All-Star designated hitter Jordan Abruzzo reached on an error by the second baseman Omar Luna, allowing Craig to score and give the Gnats a 1-0 lead. The lead would be short lived as Columbus plated a run in the third to tie it and one in the fourth to put them up for good. In the fourth, Quinn Stewart led off the inning with a single. Reid Fronk followed suit and singled into right, moving Stewart to third. Starter Elvin Ramirez (5-5) then recorded back-to-back strikeouts and seemed as if he was going to get out of the inning unscathed. A two-out single by Seth Dhaenens gave Columbus the lead for good. Ramirez had another short outing, lasting just 4.0 innings, allowing a season-high 8 hits. He gave up just the two runs with only one of them being earned. The bullpen for Savannah was solid with Edgar Ramirez and the newest Gnat Nick Abel combining for 5.0 hitless, scoreless innings. The Sand Gnats couldn’t capitalize on missed opportunities all night. Joaquin Rodriguez doubled to lead off the ninth but Michael Parker couldn’t move him over. Earlier in the game, Richard Pena failed to lay down a sacrifice that would have moved Jose Jimenez and Francisco Pena to third and second, respectively, with one out.

Southpaws Mike Antonini (4-4, 2.71) and Angel Calero (3-5, 2.57) have been promoted to the High-A St. Lucie Mets, the New York Mets announced today. It is the first promotion for any member of the 2008 Sand Gnats. Antonini, Savannah’s Opening Day starter, has anchored the starting rotation beginning with a no-hit bid in his first outing of the season. He only went fewer than 4 innings once while throwing at least 6.0 innings in seven of his 13 starts. The 22-year-old Antonini had a 3.8-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio during his tenure in Savannah. This will be his first stint in High-A. Calero, 21, was the best pitcher on the staff along with fellow lefty Antonini. Despite his sub-.500 record, Calero has pitched well all season and has won his last three starts. Like Antonini, Calero took a no-hit bid deep into a game at Hickory back on May 9. He has struck out 59 batters compared to 15 walks. Calero didn’t allow an earned run in five of his 12 starts. Also being moved is RHP John Holdzkom. In 15 games, Holdzkom was 2-1 with an 8.31 ERA. He has been placed on the Kingsport roster and will join Extended Spring Training. With three roster spots open, RHP Nick Carr, RHP Tim Stronach and RHP Nick Abel join the Sand Gnats. All three come down from the St. Lucie Mets, who are 16-47. Carr was 0-7 with a 7.19 ERA in 12 starts for St. Lucie. The 21-year-old Carr was drafted in the 41st round of the 2005 draft out of the College of Southern Idaho. With Brooklyn in 2007, Carr was 5-2 with a 3.80 ERA and struck out 74 batters in 66.1 innings pitched. Stronach, 22, returns to Savannah after starting the 2007 season with the Gnats. In 16 appearances with St. Lucie this season, Stronach was 3-2 with a 5.30 ERA. Stronach did make two starts with St. Lucie, going 1-1 with a 7.27 ERA. The Haverhill, Mass. native was a 22nd round pick by the Mets in 2006. Abel joins Savannah after starting the 2008 campaign in Double-A with the Binghamton Mets. In five outings, Abel was hit hard, going 0-0 with a 18.00 ERA. After being sent to St. Lucie, Abel was 0-2 with a 21.00 ERA in three outings. Prior to ’08, Abel spent all of 2007 in St. Lucie where he was 2-3, with a 2.37 ERA in 42 appearances. The Wantagh, N.Y. native was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2006 out of Stony Brook University.

Minor League Bios

Eric Brown P Bats R Throws R 6’6” 225 2-23-84

Brown attended college at Wingate U in North Carolina, where he struck out 111 batters in 95 innings in his junior season.

The Mets quietly recruited him and picked him in the 18th round of the 2005 draft. According to the local newspaper there, the Mets didn’t want anyone to know they were scouting Brown. The big guy (6.6”) started the 2006 season at H-Town (3-2 5.29 – led the league in complete games and shutouts), but was transferred to Brooklyn in late June. He dominated throughout the 2006 season and became one of the top Mets pitching prospects. He was virtually un-hittable in the last month of the season (September) posting a WHIP of 0.60 and having an opponent batting average of .172. He finished the season with the organization’s 8th lowest ERA, 3.11, which was also 2nd in the league. He also was a member of the NY-Penn all-star team

The 22-year-old features four pitches - a fastball, slider, curve and changeup - with his fastball in the 88 to 91 mile per hour range and his devastating slider as his out pitch. He finished in Brooklyn with 10 starts, a 7-1 record, and a 1.16 ERA. I expect Brown to start in Savannah in 2007, but he could be held back in Kingsport. Either way, the Mets are very proud of finding this stud.

In February 2007, Scout.com ranked Brown as the 19th top Mets prospect.
2007 was considered a disappointing year for Brown at St. Lucie. He went 10-8, but posted an ERA of 4.13 and a WHIP of 1.38. Additionally, he had only 68 Ks in 143.2 IP.

In September 2007, Baseball America ranked Brown as the 13th best pitcher in the Florida State League in “groundout-to-flyout ratio’.