Once again, there have been a number of outstanding performances in the Mets minor leagues during the Month of May with some players starting to raise their profiles. While we cannot mention everyone who has had a good month, here are the staff selections for the top performers in each category.
Position Player – Jeff McNeil, INF
There are many ways to express just how great a month Jeff McNeil had in Binghamton, but perhaps the best way to cite how great he was is to simply state by the end of the Month of May, McNeil was the Eastern League leader in homers. That means he finished the month with more homers than Peter Alonso, Cavan Biggio, and Vladimir Guerrero.
Over the course of the entire month, McNeil played 28 games hitting .340/.407/.651 with seven doubles, a triple, eight homers, and 27 RBI.
McNeil had begun the month on a torrid stretch with a 16 game hitting streak. Over the course of the entire month, he would reach safely in 25 of the 28 games he played. Seeing how great he played, it really is difficult to ascertain exactly which game was his best game during the month. That decision is all the more complicated by the fact he had two separate games where he had gone 4-for-6.
Making this stretch all the more remarkable was McNeil playing second and third during this stretch making him a potential long term solution for the Mets at either position. With him appearing at one game at shortstop, he has shown he can handle any role that is asked of him.
Honorable Mention: Columbia Fireflies OF Raphael Gladu began his franchise record 21-game hitting streak, which is still ongoing, by finishing May with a 16 game hitting streak. Gladu finished may with a .325/.389/.429 line. St. Lucie Mets SS Andres Gimenez hit .308/.385/.436 in May with six doubles, two triples and 11 stolen bases.
Starting Pitcher – David Peterson, LHP
With the draft being this past week, the Mets selected OF Jarred Kelenic, who they hope can join the likes of Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo as valuable contributors at the Major League level. At the same time, last year’s first round draft pick David Peterson is showing everyone how great a first round pick he was in his own right.
Over the past month, Peterson pitched not just like an ace for the Columbia Fireflies, but also like a starting pitcher poised to rise quickly through the Mets farm system. Over the course of the entire month, Peterson was 0-3 with a 1.10 ERA, 0.888 WHIP, and an 8.8 K/9. Perhaps even more remarkable than that, Peterson had an outstanding 4.0 K/BB ratio.
In four of the five games Peterson pitched, he pitched into the seventh inning, and he had departed each of those games with him not having yet reached 100 pitches. In four of those five starts, he allowed five hits or less, which was emblematic of a guy who was extremely difficult to hit. In fact, opposing batters would hit just .188/.260/.241 against him during the entire month.
Simply put, Peterson pitched not just like a first round draft pick. He pitched like an ace.
Honorable Mention: Columbia Fireflies RHP Tony Dibrell was 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA during the past month.
Relief Pitcher – David Roseboom, LHP
It is difficult to ascertain how anyone has ever dominated one league the way David Roseboom has dominated the Eastern League. He exhibited that dominance again by not allowing one run over the past month in 12.1 innings pitched.
More than that, Roseboom allowed just seven hits with only one of them going for extra bases. That translates to a .159/.262/.231 batting line against him and a 0.811 WHIP. Really, batters had no chance against him, and that is further evidenced by him striking out 13.1 batters per nine over the course of the past month.
This is not just a great run for Roseboom. In his career, he has pitched in 67 games in Binghamton. In those games, he is 201 with a 1.94 ERA, 14 saves, 0.962 WHIP, and a 9.5 K/9.
Honorable Mention: Binghamton LHP Daniel Zamora (Josh Smoker trade) had a 0.87 ERA and a 13.1 K/9 in nine appearances. Las Vegas RHP Drew Smith (Lucas Duda trade) had a 1.38 ERA and held opponents to .205 average while pitching in the PCL.
