The Las Vegas 51s will begin their fourth season as the Mets Triple-A affiliate in the Pacific Coast League and look to get back to the playoffs after missing them in 2015 for the first time with the Mets. Wally Backman is back at the helm, joined again by pitching coach Frank Viola and hitting coach Jack Voigt as they look to improve on the 77-67 record from last season.
The Las Vegas roster boasts some familiar faces with thirteen players that played for them during the previous season including one of their top performers from 2015 Dilson Herrera. The Columbian Cannon will be the 51s second baseman as he waits for his everyday opportunity with the Mets. He will be joined in the crowded infield by talented shortstop Gavin Cecchini, Matt Reynolds, veteran Marc Krauss, Daniel Muno, and the guy that has hit everywhere in T.J. Rivera.
Cecchini should be the everyday guy at short meaning Reynolds is going to have to move around to find playing time. Matt did play eleven games at second last year and he played third base in college at Arkansas. Cecchini is coming off a breakout in season in which he hit .317/.377/.442 for Binghamton and was named the Eastern League Rookie of the Year.
The outfield will be filled by one of the Mets top prospects in Brandon Nimmo, former big leaguer Roger Bernadina, and the farm systems 2015 homerun leader (25) Travis Taijeron. The versatile Ty Kelly should also see time in the outfield while having experience at every position but catcher in his seven year minor league career. I would expect to see Rivera and even Reynolds get a shot at some left field this season.
The catching situation is a bit unsettled with the recent signing of veteran and former Met minor leaguer Rene Rivera. He is not currently on the roster but should see most of the catching duties for Vegas. Right now the 51s have Johnny Monell and Nevin Ashley on the active roster, with Jeff Glenn starting the season on the disabled list.
(Steve Spatafore/MiLB)
The starting rotation will be former highly regard pitching prospect Rafael Montero, 2015 Rule 5 pick Sean Gilmartin, 34th rounder Seth Lugo, and Gabriel Ynoa. New Met Stolmy Pimentel could make some starts too despite pitching exclusively out of the pen in the majors for the Texas Rangers in 2015. He did make twelve starts for their Triple-A affiliate last season though.
Montero will get the Opening Day start in what is an extremely important season after a disappointing 2015 that was shortened because of injury. Gilmartin will return to the familiar role of starting which he has done in 79 of this 80 minor league appearances before being used successfully out of the pen for the Mets last year. Lugo made five starts for Vegas in 2015 going 2-2 with a 4.00 ERA while striking out 30 batters in 27 innings, he was our #12 prospect at MMN. The strike throwing Ynoa will be getting his first taste of Triple-A after going 9-9 with a 3.90 ERA and 1.23 WHIP for Binghamton in 2015.
The bullpen will be lead by Paul Sewald who was the B’Mets closer last season and will assume the same role with the 51s. The Las Vegas native has a career 0.97 WHIP while striking out 227 batters in 192.1 innings despite a fastball that sits in the 89-92 MPH range. He is joined my flamethrowing lefty Josh Smoker, who was added to the Mets 40-man roster this offseason after being signed last April.
The rest of the Las Vegas bullpen will be all former 51s including lefties Chase Huchingson and Dario Alvarez. They are joined by 2014 Vegas closer Jeff Walters, Chasen Bradford, Zach Thornton and Erik Goeddel who is coming off a terrific rookie season with the Mets in which he had a 2.43 ERA and 0.99 WHIP.
The roster currently includes twelve players with Major League experience (if you count Reynolds) and eleven that are on the Mets 40-man roster.
The 51s will start the 2016 season with an eight game homestand at Cashman Field, Opening Day is tonight vs. the Fresno Grizzlies at 10:05 PM ET.
It is very calming to have 8 pitchers that I feel comfortable getting major league innings in AAA. Not saying I want Montero playing a huge role, but him getting 20 innings is a lot better than John Lannan
Or Aaron Laffey or Dave Williams or Pat Misch. Not all the Mets pitching talent is in the bigs yet. They really do have some great depth in that area still.
Michael,
Whatever happened to Jayce Boyd?
He is staying back at extended spring training, still having some soreness in his throwing arm.
Thanks for the update. I had not heard anything about him.
I think the Mets did him a disfavor when they tried to move him to the outfield coming off arm issues. He is a very good defensive first baseman that should have stayed put in my opinion.
He had the arm problems before last season, so not sure how much the OF affected him. I have always viewed him as a corner infield type; maybe because I think of him as a Dave Magadan type player.
I think it’s a lot easier to hide a guy with an arm issue at first base than it is to throw him out in left field everyday. Mets were seeking versatility though partially because of his lack of power.
Speaking of first baseman, what is your opinion of Matt Oberste? He has been somewhat overshadowed by playing at the same level as Dom Smith.
It will be telling to see the infield lineup tonight, who’s at short? Ashley just got put on the DL, wink wink. Who starts at catcher? Does Muno get the nod at first or do they think Krauss still has a shot?
Boyd is done, going the way of David Cooper. No power and medical issues.
Infield tonight I think will be Krauss 1B, Reynolds 2B, Cecchini SS and Rivera 3B
I was close lol. I have been screaming for Reynolds to play third so I am very happy.
Really limited because he isn’t an okay defender at anywhere but first base. Very old for the leagues he has played in to. Does have some power though and a decent approach at the plate.