Steven Matz, Michael Conforto, Gavin Cecchini and Dominic Smith all represent the second wave of top Mets prospects.
This group, which also includes players like Brandon Nimmo and Akeel Morris, projects to reach Queens within the next year or two. In the meantime Matz, Conforto, Cecchini and Smith each had big weekends for their respective Mets affiliates.
In St. Lucie Dominic Smith continued his hot streak, going 5 for 14 with 7 runs batted in. After a rough start to the season, Smith is currently riding a thirteen game hitting-streak where he has batted .377. The young first baseman also played hero Saturday night when he clubbed a walk-off two-run shot in the 11th inning. If he keeps up the solid play, Smith will find himself in Binghamton before seasons end.
Moving on to Binghamton, both Gavin Cecchini and and Michael Conforto had good weekends with the Bees. Cecchini went 7 for 12 in three games against Altoona, increasing his average for the season to .320. While only 21-years-old, Cecchini could be the answer to the Mets long-term shortstop concerns.
Conforto’s weekend, on the other hand, wasn’t statistically significant, but Saturday was the second-year outfielder’s AA debut. After drawing 3 walks in his first contest, Conforto picked up his first hit, a run scoring triple, on Sunday. After being drafted out of Oregon State less than a year ago, Conforto has skyrocketed through the system, and will likely break camp next season in AAA-Las Vegas.
Left-hander Steven Matz started Sunday for the 51s. With an innings limit in effect, Matz tossed 5 innings of 1-run-ball. Despite losing the game, Matz lowered his season ERA to 1.98, an extremely impressive statistic in the hitter-friendly PCL. It’s widely believed that Matz is ready for the big show, but with the Mets already using a six-man rotation the 24-year-old will continue to wait.
The Mets are hoping this group of players can build upon the success and hype that Harvey, deGrom, Syndergaard and d’Arnaud have brought to Flushing.
