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Kevin Plawecki, Rafael Montero Named to BA’s Minor League All-Star Team

By Former Writers

July 10, 2013 No comments

rafael montero springSo, Cesar Puello isn’t the only prospect getting some love from Baseball America today. Both Kevin Plawecki and Rafael Montero have been named to their Minor League All-Star team, which is a part of their massive midseason prospect update.

This is a nice honor for both guys, and it is a well deserved distinction for the first half they each put together in their respective leagues. The 22-year-old Plawecki started his 2013 season with Low-A Savannah. He tore up opposing pitching, and once the Sand Gnats secured the first half championship and the catcher was able to enjoy the SAL All-Star game, the Mets promoted him to High-A St. Lucie. His start may be getting overlooked a bit because Jayce Boyd continues to hit at a ridiculous rate, but Plawecki is adjusting quite well to the next level of competition.

The 2012 supplemental first round pick is hitting .322/.365/.441 in 16 Florida State League games. Between Savannah and St. Lucie, Plawecki has accumulated 304 at-bats (81 games played), and is hitting a combined .316/.386/.484 with seven home runs, 56 RBIs, 41 runs scored, and 28 doubles. Matt Eddy commented on the catcher’s solid plate discipline, and surprising power.

Montero, who was in the DSL in 2011, is now just one step away from the majors in Triple-A with the Las Vegas 51s. He started the season in Double-A, and was promoted to the PCL after dominating the Eastern League in 11 starts. He’s experienced some up-and-down results since landing with the 51s, but he looks to be slowly getting acclimated to the next level of play. Between Binghamton and Las Vegas, Montero has thrown 97.2 innings (17 starts), compiling an 8-5 record, 3.13 ERA, with 99 strikeouts against 20 walks. At the time of his promotion, Montero was leading the Eastern League in both ERA (2.43) and WHIP (0.92).

Congratulations to both on this honor! Hopefully we’ll continue to see Plawecki perform well in the FSL with St. Lucie, and it will be fun to watch Montero throw in the Futures Game this weekend at Citi Field.