Photo by MiLB.com

The St. Lucie Mets went 68-70 in the 2015 season despite having a handful of the Mets top prospects on the roster at some point during the year. They also had David Wright, Daniel Murphy, Travis d’Arnaud, Dilson Herrera, Michael Cuddyer, Steven Matz, Eric Goeddel, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis make rehab appearances with the team.

St. Lucie scored the third most runs per game at 4.01 (league average was 3.73) and had the third best OPS in the Florida State League at .672. They were 2nd in doubles (221), third in triples (35), and third in walks with 416.

The pitching staff was towards the bottom of the league allowing 3.98 runs per game and a 3.42 ERA. They issued the most walks in the lead (457) while striking out the fourth fewest (924) giving them a league worst 2.02 SO/W ratio. They also led the league with 14 balks and had 102 wild pitches which was the second most in the league.

The biggest bright spot on the team for the entire season was first baseman Dominic Smith who was the FSL Most Valuable Player after having a career year with the bat and a great season defensively. They were also lucky enough to have Mets rookie sensation Michael Conforto until July.

St. Lucie and Tradition Field hosted the All-Star Game with infielder Jeff McNeil, reliever Akeel Morris, catcher Colton Plaia, starter Robert Gsellman, outfielder Maikis De La Cruz, reliever Mike Hepple, and Conforto all being named to the team.

Offensive Leaders (league leaders in bold):

• Homeruns – Conforto 7, Dominic Smith 6, Matt Oberste 6, Champ Stuart 4
• Triples – Victor Cruzado 7, Oberste 6, Jeff McNeil 6, Amed Rosario 5
• Doubles – Smith 33, Oberste 24, Rosario 20, Cruzado 19, McNeil 18
• AVG – McNeil .312, Smith .305, Oberste .301, Colton Plaia .285, Conforto .283
• OBP – McNeil .373, Oberste .359, Cruzado .359, Smith .354, Conforto .350
• SLG – Conforto .462, Oberste .430, Smith .417, Cruzado .401, McNeil .382
• Stolen Bases – Stuart 21, McNeil 16, Rosario 12, Maikis De La Cruz 10, Yeixon Ruiz 10
• RBI – Smith 79, Obserte 64, McNeil 40, Plaia 39, De La Cruz 35, Cruzado 34
• Runs – McNeil 80, Smith 58, Oberste 52, Cruzado 51, Stuart 43, McNeil 41

Pitching Leaders:

• Wins – Logan Taylor 8, Robert Coles 6, Gsellman 6, Kelly Secrest 6, Kevin McGowan 6
• Starters ERA – Gsellman 1.76 (51 IP), Mickey Jannis 2.98 (45.1 IP), Taylor 3.69
• Starters WHIP – Gsellman 0.941, Taylor 1.322, Jannis 1.346
• Reliever ERA – Josh Smoker 1.69, Morris 1.69, Jimmy Duff 1.93, Kyle Regnault 1.99
• Reliever WHIP – Morris 0.781, Smoker 0.844, Duff 0.911, Regnault 1.057
• Saves – Morris 13, Regnault 7, Smoker 6, Coles 5
• SO/W – Duff 13.00, Smoker 4.33, David Roseboom 3.63, Gsellman 3.36

They were managed by Luis Rojas who has been coaching in the Mets system for 10 season. The pitching coach was veteran Phil Regan for the seventh straight season, he won 96 games as a pitcher in the big leagues and managed the Baltimore Orioles in 1995. For the second straight year the hitting coach was Joel Fuentes who played minor league baseball up until 2003.

Here are the links to the previous team reviews: DSL Mets 1, GCL Mets, Brooklyn Cyclones, and Savannah Sand Gnats.