The Appalachian League announced Kingsport Mets OF Wagner Lagrange and 3B Rigoberto Terrazas have been named postseason All Stars. This marks the first time since 2015 there were two Mets received such an honor. The selection of these two players as All Stars did not come as a surprise to their manager Luis Rivera, who noted, “Those two kids are really special.” (Eric Cain, MiLB.com)
Lagrange, who was recently ranked by MMN as the Mets 37th best prospect, had a terrific year in Kingsport. In 44 games for Kingsport, Lagrange hit .343/.387/.475 with 10 doubles, one triple, four homers, and 40 RBI. In addition to his offense, Lagrange was terrific in left and right field. Overall, Lagrange showed everyone exactly why Rivera believes Lagrange “has great tools and has a great work ethic.”
His great work ethic has led to Lagrange ranking near the top of the leader-board in most Appalachian League statistics. Lagrange ranks eighth in hits (62), fifth in RBI, third in batting average, ninth in OBP, and tenth in OPS.
Now, with Lagrange a season like this was something expected. The same could not be said for Terrazas, who was not assured of an opportunity to play everyday at the beginning of the season. No, as Rivera put it, Terrazas was going to have to take advantage of the opportunity before him:
[O]ur third base position was open and Terrazas came in and really took advantage of the opportunity. He worked hard and it showed on the field to where he became an everyday player. Because of him taking advantage of the opportunity he has really opened a lot of eyes.
With him making the All Star team, it is clear he did take advantage of that opportunity. In 54 games, Terrazas hit .348/.413/.486 with 16 doubles, two triples, three homers, and 24 RBI. He is tied for first in hits (73), sixth in doubles, second in the league in batting average and runs (45), third in OBP, eighth in SLG, and fifth in OPS and total bases (102).
Ultimately, Lagrange and Terrazas were named All Stars because they are talented players that showed off their true potential. As their manager put it, “They both do well in tough situations throughout ballgames by not letting the pressure of a single at-bat get to them. They are good hitters with a lot of confidence.”
With their confidence and ability to pull through in tough situations, we should see both Lagrange and Terrazas continue to improve. Overall, this may not be the last time either player is named an All Star at any level.
