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Las Vegas 51s Season Review: Nimmo, Rivera Make Major Progress

By John Sheridan

September 9, 2016 8 Comments

Rivera 4

Behind AAA All-Star manager Wally Backman, the Las Vegas 51s were 70-74 which was good for third place in the Southern Division and failing to make the playoffs for the second straight year. Part of the reason for the sub-.500 record is the fact that the major league club had a number of injuries leading to the Mets calling-up several 51s players over the course of the season.

The biggest prospect that was recalled from the 51s was Brandon Nimmo, who was the organization’s top prospect in AAA as the year began.  Nimmo made tremendous strides in his first year in Triple-A. While there is some debate as to what his role would be on a major league team, one thing that was established this season between his time in AAA and the majors is that Nimmo has a real future in the major leagues.

During the season, he .352/.423/.541 with 25 doubles, eight triples, 11 homers, and 61 RBI.  Nimmo lost out on the the batting title on the last day of the season to T.J. Rivera.  He can at least console himself with having the highest OBP in the Pacific Coast League.

Rivera was the feel-good story of the year.  Not only did the 27-year old undrafted prospect win the Pacific Coast League batting title, he also made it to the majors.  During the course of the season, Rivera not only hit .353/.393/.516 with 31 doubles, one triple, 11 homers, and 85 RBI, but he also became a more versatile player.  Rivera played first, second, and third for the 51s, but he also learned how to play the outfield.  With his increased versatility and ability to make contact, Rivera showed he has a real future in the majors.

gavin cecchini

The other Mets middle infielder who has shown he has a bright future is Gavin Cecchini.  In his first year in AAA, Cecchini hit .325/.390/.448 with 27 doubles, two triples, eight homers, and 55 RBI.  Due in part to his defensive struggles at shortstop, the rise of Amed Rosario, and the trade of Dilson Herrera, Cecchini has been transitioning to second base, and he played three of his last four games there.  He has been rewarded for an excellent season by being added to the 40-man roster and being among the September call-ups.

In addition to raising the profiles of Nimmo and Rivera, the 51s were able to rejuvenate Michael Conforto.  With a wrist injury and uneven playing time, the Mets sent Conforto down to AAA twice.  In his most recent stint, Conforto was hitting both righties and lefties.  In 17 games, he hit .493/.511/.821 with four doubles, six homers, and 13 RBI while playing both left and center field.

Nimmo’s, Cecchini’s, Rivera’s, and Conforto’s successes is not only attributable to the fact the Pacific Coast League is a hitter’s league.  Much of the success can be attributed to hitting coach Jack Voigt who has worked well with other hitters who have passed through AAA.

On the pitching front, the 51s promoted a number of pitchers to the majors due to injuries at the major league level.  While many if not all of these pitchers struggled in AAA, they pitched much better in the major leagues.  Much of the struggles can be attributed to the Pacific Coast League being a hitters’ league.  Conversely, some of the success in the majors can be contributed to these pitchers just getting out of the Pacific Coast League.  It can also be attributed to the skills they learned under pitching coach Frank Viola.

The Mets top pitching prospect in AAA was Gabriel Ynoa who had an uneven season.  Ynoa started the year off well earning a spot on the Pacific Coast League All-Star team.  He would struggle in June and July leading the Mets to pass over him in favor of other pitchers.  However, he finished the season strong, and as a result, the Mets have called him up to pitch out of the bullpen.

The biggest revelation at the major league level has been Seth Lugo.  Lugo went from losing his job in the starting rotation and having a 6.50 ERA in Las Vegas to going 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA and 0.984 WHIP at the major league level.  Lugo has been joined by Robert Gsellman in the major league rotation.  After pitching to a 5.73 ERA in nine AAA starts, Gsellman was called-up to the majors where he is 2-1 with a 3.08 ERA.

smoker

While he had some AAA struggles of his own, Josh Smoker has also shown the ability to pitch at the major league level.  In AAA, he had a 4.11 ERA and a 12.8 K/9.  While his ERA is higher in the majors, he has still brought his strikeout stuff to the majors striking out 14.1 per nine.  It should also be noted that even though he was not called-up in September, Paul Sewald had an outstanding year recording 19 saves with a 3.29 ERA.

However, not everyone took a step forward on the pitching front.  The 51s saw both Sean Gilmartin and Erik Goeddel struggle and regress this season.  In his first year back after Tommy John surgery, Josh Edgin has not fully regained his velocity, and as a result, he has been hit around this year in both AAA and the majors.  Lastly, Jeff Walters saw his stock drop dramatically.  He went from a pitcher who was added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft to a player who was outrighted and not claimed off waivers.

Placement among league leaders in parentheses 

Hitting Leaders

Pitching Leaders

Ultimately, the main purpose of AAA is to get get players ready to play in the majors.  A necessary corollary to that is that the organization should have players ready, willing, and able to step in to fulfill a role with the major league ballclub when there is an injury or a player under-performing at the major league level.  Considering how the AAA players called up to the majors helped the Mets stay afloat and how they are helping lead the charge for the Mets to return to the postseason, this AAA season has been a successful one.

Previous season reviews: Binghamton, DSL , GCL

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