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Lucie Logistics: Lawley’s Power Surge, Boyd Tearing It Up, Plawecki At First?

By Former Writers

July 8, 2013 No comments

Worth noting: In a Mets farm system heavy on power arms and burgeoning catcher prospects, Dustin Lawley continues to serve as an offensive force from the outfield. Lawley, who can also play third base, has particularly excelled from a power standpoint while cutting down his strikeout rate from last season at Low Class A Savannah. Those improvements have helped him take over the Florida State League lead for home runs among active players at the level with 17. Officially, he is tied with Javier Baez, but the Cubs’ top prospect was promoted to Double-A Tennessee last week, leaving Lawley at the top.

The sight of a St. Lucie player atop the homer column is not a rare commodity. In the five seasons prior to 2013, the Mets have had a player rank first and second in two separate years. Outfielder Brahiam Maldonado, a 10th-round selection in the 2004 MLB Draft, was the last Mets player to pace the FSL when he slugged 18 homers in the 2009 season. Another outfielder, Cory Vaughn, came one home run short of leading the league last year when he belted 23 home runs. He has gone deep six times in 45 games for Double-A Binghamton this season. In the other three years, no player finished in the top five.

Surging in the batter’s box: First baseman Jayce Boyd. Since arriving from Savannah last month, Boyd has been St. Lucie’s most consistent hitter and currently leads the team with a glossy .393 batting average. The 22-year-old, who has shifted to a DH role the past six games, has tallied a hit in all but one of his 15 games with the club, nine of them multi-hit efforts. Boyd also shined with the Sand Gnats prior to his promotion, hitting .361 with a sturdy BABIP (.397) that he has been able to relatively maintain with St. Lucie (.389).

Surging on the mound: Reliever Chasen Bradford. Part of an improving Mets bullpen, Bradford has not allowed a run in nearly a month and is tied with Angel Cuan for the team lead with six wins. During his 10-game scoreless stretch dating back to June 9th, the right-hander has fired 14 innings, permitting just 10 hits (seven singles) and three walks along with 16 strikeouts. However, his ERA still sits at 3.80, more than a run higher than his mark with Savannah last year (2.47).

Number to remember: 1. During the Mets’ series opener against Fort Myers last Saturday, an unexpected member of the squad patrolled first base: Kevin Plawecki. The move, which was only for one game, was particularly fetching since the rising prospect has mainly served behind the plate this season and Jayce Boyd, normally the starting first baseman, was in the lineup. It marked just the second time Plawecki has played first base during his brief pro career as he also took the spot for a one-game cameo with Brooklyn last August. The 22-year-old did not make an error and went 2-for-3 at the plate during the contest.