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Jaison Vilera Stellar Once Again For Brooklyn

By Jacob Resnick

July 29, 2018 No comments

Jaison Vilera (Ed Delany/Mets Minors)

The Brooklyn Cyclones’ Jaison Vilera continued his destruction of the New York-Penn League on Sunday with seven scoreless innings against the West Virginia Black Bears on Sunday in Morgantown, W.V.

The 21-year-old right-hander held his opponents to a pair of singles while striking out eight. Travis Swaggerty, the Pirates’ third-best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and the tenth overall selection in this June’s Draft, fanned twice against Vilera.

It was the end to an other-worldly month for the native Venezuelan, who signed with the organization in November of 2015 and earned a Sterling Award as the best player on his GCL Mets team last season. The final July totals will sit at 33.2 innings pitched—all but one frame saw him leave the mound without allowing a run—17 hits allowed, eight walks issued, and 39 strikeouts recorded.

56 strikeouts and a 0.78 ERA in eight total starts are good for the best marks in the league. It’s a big reason why the Cyclones sit comfortably in the top five in team pitching categories like ERA and WHIP.

Vilera’s frame suggests he has the potential to add a tick or two to his velocity, but for now, he works in the 89-92 range with a fastball that is complemented by an already promising slider and a change-up that isn’t far behind.

He likely finishes the season in Brooklyn (barring the need for a spot start at a higher level, which he has certainly earned), and will look to continue his recent dominance on a track that should begin to be accelerated.