Minors Stuff

The Herd:

The Buffalo Bisons did something on Saturday night they haven't done all season.
The Herd's 5-1 win over Charlotte pushed the team's winning streak to a season-high four games. The game was played in 95-degree heat before 8,152 at Knights Stadium.
The Herd has won eight of its last 11 games, averaging nine hits and five runs a game in its best stretch of season. The team hasn't won four in a row since June 26-29, 2008.
The Bisons used four consecutive hits to plate three runs in the first inning.
Argenis Reyes began the barrage with a lead-off triple. Jesus Feliciano followed with an RBI single and Fernando Martinez, playing his first game after returning from the New York Mets, wasted no time getting back in the swing of things with a double to deep left. Emil Brown followed with an RBI single and Chip Ambres hit a sacrifice fly that gave the Herd a 3-0 lead after only nine pitches from Knights starter Wes Whisler.
Ambres completed the scoring with a two-run home run in the third inning that increased the Herd lead to 5-0.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bisons/story/709818.html


B-Mets:

The Mets are another team that loves to rush prospects, and right now things are going well with RHP Jenry Mejia. He began the year going 4-1, 1.97 with a 44/16 K/BB in 50 innings for St. Lucie, with a 2.21 GO/AO ratio in nine starts. Promoted to Double-A Binghamton earlier this month, he's 0-2 in three starts, but with a 2.25 ERA and a 17/7 K/BB in 16 innings, with 17 hits allowed. I like the fact that he's maintained his strong GO/AO, with a 2.22 mark so far in the Eastern League. Mejia is just 19 years old, and skipped low Class A, having pitched in the New York-Penn League last year. He posted a 3.49 ERA in 57 innings for Brooklyn, with a 52/23 K/BB. In 66 combined this year, he has a 2.04 ERA with a 61/23 K/BB. The fact that he's maintained virtually identical ratios at a higher level of competition is a really good sign, especially given his age. As with Stanton, I'd leave him in Double-A the rest of the season. I gave him a Grade C+ "but with a very high ceiling" rating in the book. I'm jumping that up to Grade B+ now, and he could be a Grade A- or perhaps even a Grade A by the end of this season.

http://www.minorleagueball.com


Sunday, June 21 Trenton 1:05 pm RHP Eric Brown (4-5, 4.81) vs. RHP Zach McAllister (5-3, 1.81)

Tuesday, June 23 Bowie 7:05 pm RHP Jenrry Mejia (0-2, 2.25) vs. TBA

Wednesday, June 24 Bowie 7:05 pm TBA vs. TBA

Thursday, June 25 Bowie 7:05 pm TBA vs. TBA


Profile: SP Jake Ruckle


LAST START: This will be Ruckle’s first start of the season.
AGAINST TRENTON: This is Ruckle’s first start against Trenton this
year. Last season he made a start against the Thunder at NYSEG
Stadium April 23 and gave up three runs in five innings of work.
2009 SEASON OVERALL: Reinstated from Disabled List June 12 after
undergoing shoulder surgery and was sent to St. Lucie (High-A) where
he made two appearances with a 1-0 record and a 5.40 ERA in five
innings..

SEASON-BY-SEASON NOTES:

2008: Started six games for Binghamton (AA) going 1-3

2007: Spent entire season with St. Lucie (High-A) where he appeared
in 27 games, 11 of which were starts...Compiled a 3.48 ERA

2006: Began season with St. Lucie (High-A) starting six games and
appearing in relief in three more...Sent down to Brooklyn (SS-A) where
he was fifth in the New York-Penn League in innings pitched with
80.0...Started 14 games for the Cyclones with a 3.38 ERA...Combined
between the two teams he pitched a career-pro high of 130.2 innings

2005: Began season with the Gulf Coast League Mets (Rookie) going
8-1 in eight starts and three relief outings...Gulf Coast League All-
Star...Tied for first in the league in wins and fourth in ERA and strikeouts...
Moved up to Brooklyn (SS-A) where he pitched 2.1 innings and
did not allow a run

Personal: Drafted by the Mets in the 41st round in 2004...Went to
Junior College at Chandler-Gilbert in Chandler, AZ


Lucy:


The Mets will have three starting pitchers on the mound Monday night. While Tim Redding takes on the Cardinals at Citi Field, both John Maine and Oliver Perez will pitch for the Class A St. Lucie Mets of the Florida State League.


St. Lucie will finish a suspended game with the Charlotte Stone Crabs before its regularly scheduled contest. Either Maine or Perez will pitch in the suspended game, and the other pitcher will start the regular game.

Maine was placed on the disabled list on June 11 with fatigue in his right shoulder. He is eligible to come off the DL on Monday, but the Mets announced earlier in the week that the right-hander would not be ready.

Perez has been on the DL since May 7 with patellar tendinitis in his right knee. He had been rehabbing at Triple-A Buffalo in late May before an MRI exam revealed the knee tendinitis. The left-hander threw 48 pitches in an extended spring contest last Thursday.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090620&content_id=5433388&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb


Gnats:

After two straight losses at the hands of the Sand Gnats the RiverDogs bats finally came alive in a, 7-3, win in front of 3,837 at The Joe on Saturday night. All-Star pitcher Hector Noesi (3-4) was as advertised and turned in a seven innings performance for his third win of the year and his first victory at home.


Savannah actually made its way onto the scoreboard first with a two-run home run by Stefan Welch in the second inning. The home run would be the last hit for a while as Noesi set down the next 11 batters he faced before a Rafael Fernandez triple in the sixth. The Gnats had just five hits in the loss.


Starting pitcher Elvin Ramirez (3-6) worked through the first three frames without allowing a run but couldn’t escape a fourth that chased him from the game. The ‘Dogs scored five runs on five hits as they sent 11 men to the plate and sent Ramirez to the locker room early. The right hander allowed five runs on eight hits with four walks and one strikeout.


The Gnats cut the lead to two in the sixth with the triple by Fernandez and a RBI groundout by Jefry Marte but the RiverDogs, scored two in the bottom half to lead by four the rest of the way.


Phillips Orta made his second appearance in as many nights and pitched much better, allowing just one hit over two scoreless innings of work.


K-Port:


The Kingsport Mets will open the 2009 season with a six game home stand. This will be the Mets 29th season in Kingsport.

The season will begin on Tuesday, June 23rd when the K-Mets host the Johnson City Cardinals. The opening game will be sponsored by Golden Corral. The series will continue with Fill-It-Up-Night on Wednesday. Patrons who show proof of purchase of at least one gallon of gas that day will receive free admission. The series concludes Thursday with US Army Night. All members of the United States Army, past and present, will receive free admission to Thursday night's game. Thursday will also be Gate City Little League Night with free admission to all Gate City Little League players in uniform.

Friday, June 26th will see the Bluefield Orioles come to Kingsport for a three game series. All Kingsport Parks and Rec. Little League players wearing their uniform will receive free admission to this game. At the conclusion of Friday's game there will be a fireworks show sponsored by Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union. Game two on Saturday will also host the annual ALS Group picnic. The home stand will conclude Sunday with Church Bulletin Night. Bring your church bulletin to the gate that night and receive free admission.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090617&content_id=5380334&vkey=news_t506&fext=.jsp&sid=t506



International:


According to a Yankees source, who didn't confirm or deny the agreement or money, nothing is guaranteed until a contract is signed.

"He is a big kid with a big arm," a Latin American talent evaluator for an NL team said of the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Sanchez. "I would like to have him, but $2.5 million is a lot of money. He has a thick body. He is a real good hitter, but he doesn't hit like Jesus Montero."
The Yankees gave Montero, a catcher from Venezuela, $1.6 million in 2006 and he has impressed with the bat in two-plus years in the organization. After hitting .356 with eight homers and 37 RBIs in 48 games for Single-A Tampa, the 19-year-old Montero (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) was promoted to Double-A Trenton, where he is batting .283 with three RBIs in 13 games.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06202009/sports/yankees/sources__yankees_sign_dominican_catcher__175236.htm