Corey Oswalt/Photo by Ed Delany
With all the Mets Minor League full season affiliates beginning their 2018 seasons tomorrow, each team has announced their Opening Day starters. Some of these decisions were expected, and some came as quite a surprise:
Las Vegas 51s – RHP Corey Oswalt
In somewhat of a surprise move, it is the reigning Eastern League Pitcher of the Year and not Zack Wheeler who will get the Opening Day start in what will be the Mets last season in Las Vegas. While a surprise, it is hard to argue with the decision to start Oswalt over Wheeler.
Oswalt is coming off a great year where he was 12-5 with a 2.28 ERA, 1.176 WHIP, and an 8.0 K/9. He followed that breakout season with a strong Spring Training performance where he had a 2.84 ERA, 0.790 WHIP, and five strikeouts in 6.1 inning pitched. Certainly, that was a much stronger performance than Wheeler’s. As a result, Oswalt will get the ball first with Wheeler starting the second game of the season.
Binghamton Rumble Ponies – RHP Drew Gagnon
The Rumble Ponies roster features some well regarded starting pitching prospects like Marcos Molina and former second round pick Andrew Church. There is also Ricky Knapp, who was 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in four starts when he was sent to Binghamton to help with the team’s push to the postseason. Instead of selecting one of these pitchers, the Rumble Ponies will hand the ball to Gagnon.
The last time Gagnon was a full time starter was in 2014 for the Brewer’s Double-A affiliate. Last year, he made 10 starts and 21 relief appearances for the Angels Triple-A affiliate Salt Lake Bees. He would average 3.2 innings per start with his high being five innings, which he did three times. As a starter, he was 0-0 with a 6.39 ERA.
It will be interesting to see if his getting out of the Pacific Coast League, focusing more on being a starter than splitting duties, and working with pitching coach Frank Viola will help him become a more effective starter – one that was worthy of getting the Opening Day start.
St. Lucie Mets – RHP Justin Dunn
Whereas the decisions to go with Oswalt and Gagnon may have been a surprise, the decision to give the Mets 2016 first round pick (19th overall) is of little surprise. What will ultimately be interesting to follow is how long Dunn will remain in the rotation.
Last year, Dunn struggled in the rotation going 3-6 with a 5.74 ERA and 1.723 WHIP in 16 starts. Conversely, in his four relief appearances, Dunn was 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA and a 0.824.
Now, this was Dunn’s first full season as a starter, and a prospect’s development is not necessarily linear. With that said, this is an important year for Dunn to show the Mets he be the starter they believed he could be when they made him a first round draft pick. As noted, Dunn’s important season will begin wtih an Opening Day start.
Columbia Fireflies – RHP Tony Dibrell
The decision to hand the ball to Dibrell over former first rounder Anthony Kay is a mild surprise. After being drafted in 2016 draft, it was discovered Kay needed Tommy John surgery, and he has yet to throw a pitch as a professional. He has looked good in Spring Training, and according to reports, he’s back to full strength and ready to have a breakout year.
Instead, last year’s fourth round draft pick, Dibrell will be rewarded with the start. While his overall numbers weren’t strong, he had a great end to his first ever season as a professional. In his final eight appearances, Dibrell was 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA, 1.097 WHIP, and a 12.5 K/9. With numbers like those, he has certainly earned the Opening Day start for the Fireflies, and like Kay, he may very well also be poised for his own breakout season.
