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Nimmo, Rosario, Conlon Among 2016 Sterling Award Winners

By Jacob Resnick

September 17, 2016 No comments

(Photo Credit: Mark LoMoglio/MiLB.com)

(Photo Credit: Mark LoMoglio/MiLB.com)

The New York Mets announced the 10 recipients of the 2016 Sterling Awards and their minor league player and pitcher of the year on Saturday. OF Brandon Nimmo and SS Amed Rosario were named as Sterling Minor League Organizational Co-Players of the Year, while LHP P.J. Conlon received the Sterling Organizational Pitcher of the Year award. Team Sterling honors represent their most valuable player from that given season.

The players will be honored at Citi Field during a pre-game ceremony before the Mets face the Braves on Monday, September 19.

Nimmo, 23, earned his second career Sterling Award. The outfielder received the honors in 2014 as the representative from the St. Lucie Mets. Nimmo began the 2016 season with Triple-A Las Vegas, before being promoted to the major leagues for the first time on June 25. In 97 games with the 51s, the Cheyenne, WY native hit .352 with 11 home runs and 61 runs batted in. Nimmo also set career highs in hits (138), total bases (212), doubles (25), and OPS (.964). He hit his first major league home run on July 2 off Jason Hammel.

Rosario, 20, enjoyed a breakout year that saw him place at number 12 on MLB.com’s end-of-season prospect list. The wiry shortstop opened the 2016 campaign with Hi-A St. Lucie, but earned a call-up to Double-A Binghamton on June 23. Once there, he thrived, hitting .341 with 14 doubles and 31 runs batted in over 54 Eastern League games. Originally signed by the Mets out of the Dominican Republic in 2012, Rosario has shot up the organizational depth chart and is slated to reach Triple-A in 2017.

Conlon, 22, pitched with both Low-A Columbia and St. Lucie in 2016, but he dominated the competition at each stop. In 24 appearances (23 starts) between both levels, Conlon went 12-2 with a 1.65 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 142 innings pitched. The southpaw is looking to become the first native of Belfast, Ireland to reach the major leagues since Harry McIlveen in 1909.

The following players were named the recipients of the Sterling Award for their teams:

3B T.J. Rivera, Triple-A Las Vegas 51s: The 27-year-old utility man hit .353 with the 51s, barely edging out Nimmo for the Pacific Coast League batting crown. Rivera was called up to the major leagues on August 10, and became the first Met since Lastings Milledge in 2006 to hit his first career home run in extra innings. Rivera’s shot gave the Mets a win against the Washington Nationals on September 13.

Photo Credit: Rick Nelson/MiLB.com

Photo Credit: Rick Nelson/MiLB.com

1B Dominic Smith and 3B Phillip Evans, Double-A Binghamton Mets: Smith, the Mets’ first-round draft pick in 2013, won his third career award after hitting .302 with a career high 14 home runs for Binghamton. Evans was promoted to Double-A midseason and hit .335, securing the Eastern League batting title. His average was Binghamton’s highest since Jay Payton in 1995.

C Tomas Nido, Hi-A St. Lucie Mets: Nido broke out in a big way in 2016, raising his 2015 average by 61 points to .320, which cemented him as the Florida State League batting champion. The 22-year-old also improved his defense, throwing out a career high 69 basestealers.

3B David Thompson, Low-A Columbia Fireflies: Thompson improved on a rough pro debut in 2015 to earn Columbia’s first Sterling Award in 2016. The power-hitting third baseman led the Mets system with 95 runs batted in and earned a promotion to St. Lucie in late June.

(Jacob Resnick/MetsMinors.Net)

(Jacob Resnick/MetsMinors.Net)

OF Desmond Lindsay, Short Season-A Brooklyn Cyclones: Plagued by injuries since being selected in the second round a year ago, Lindsay showed flashes of five-tool potential with the Cyclones. He joined the team on July 23 and hit .347 in his first 20 games. He finished with four home runs at MCU Park, a notoriously difficult stadium to hit longballs in.

LHP Thomas Szapucki, Rookie Kingsport Mets: After striking out 47 batters in 29 innings with Kingsport, the 20-year-old lefty was sent up to Brooklyn, where sat down 39 more. The Mets’ fifth-round pick in 2015 throws a 95-mph fastball, complemented by a curveball in the high 70s.

C Carlos Sanchez, Rookie Gulf Coast Mets: Sanchez hit .317 in his first season in the United States. The 20-year-old has caught 68 percent of basestealers in his four-year career.

OF Raul Beracierta, Dominican Summer League Mets I: The 17-year-old made his professional debut in his homeland and hit .327 in 62 games. He spent the majority of his time in center field and recorded ten outfield assists.

andres gimenez

SS Andres Gimenez, Dominican Summer League Mets II: The diminutive Gimenez, standing six feet tall and weighing in at 165 pounds, hit .350 after signing a $1.2 million bonus last July. He began his career with a bang, knocking a grand slam for his first hit as a professional on June 4.

The players will participate in community service during the day on Monday, preparing sandwiches for the hungry in East Harlem. Lindsay, Szapucki, Sanchez, Beracierta, and Gimenez are slated to participate in the Mets’ instructional league program, which begins next week.

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