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MMN Recap: Hamel, Ziegler Struggle With Control

By Daniel Muras

August 28, 2022 No comments

Calvin Ziegler, Photo by Ed Delany of MMN

Two of the Mets’ top pitching prospects, Dominic Hamel and Calvin Ziegler, took the mound on Saturday evening. Although neither was outright bad, both struggled with their control, with Hamel walking four batters and Ziegler throwing less than half of his pitches for strikes.

AAA: Syracuse Mets (52-70) 6, Worcester Red Sox (62-60) 4  Box Score

Palka got the Mets on the board early with his two-run shot in the first inning. That home run was his 25th of the season, a total which surpasses Francisco Álvarez for the organizational lead. Jankowski is hitting just .162/.279/.243 since his early-August demotion to Triple-A. Smith has been racking up hits consistently since his own demotion and has walked more than he struck out (10:9 BB:K ratio in August), but, with just five extra base hits, he shown little power.

Butto returned to Triple-A and made his third start with Syracuse. He struggled quite a bit in the start, throwing nearly 20 pitches an inning (78 pitches total) and posting a WHIP of 2.50. After two horrific appearances to begin his tenure with Syracuse, Yamamoto returned to the bullpen in Saturday’s game. He struggled to find the zone in his one inning of work – just 5 of his 13 pitches were strikes – but he managed to escape the inning without giving up a run.

AA: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (47-71) 8, Reading Fightin Phils (53-66) 3  Box Score

The Rumble Ponies had just eight hits in Saturday’s game but managed to push across eight runs thanks to a 4-for-7 performance with runners in scoring position. Vasquez had the biggest hit of the game, giving Binghamton a five-run lead with his bases-clearing double in the eighth inning. Jake Mangum took five at bats as the designated hitter in his fourth rehab game with Binghamton.

By going six innings, Bryant tied his season high for innings pitched in a start, and, with only 71 pitches through those six innings, he probably could have gone a couple innings more if he were pushed. Although his August numbers are weighed down by a start in which he allowed eight runs, Bryant has allowed two runs or less in his other four starts this month. Vargas has allowed just one run in 16 2/3 innings pitched this month.

A+: Brooklyn Cyclones (61-58) 8, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (44-75) 3  Box Score

The Cyclones had 13 hits and just five strikeouts on Saturday evening; each of the first four hitters in the lineup had multiple hits. Ramirez is hitting just .231/.278/.297 in August but has been coming around recently by recording at least one hit in nine of his last ten games. Peroza extended his hitting streak to seven games and his on-base streak to 26 games.

Hamel has struggled with his control recently and has now walked 12 batters over his last three starts (11 2/3 innings pitched). However, he has also struck out an impressive 18 batters over that stretch. Juarez has not allowed a run since he returned from the St. Lucie injured list on July 24; he has started his Brooklyn career with two scoreless appearances. Despite walking nearly a batter per inning in August, Tavarez has allowed just two runs over 8 1/3 innings pitched.

A (Game 1): Palm Beach Cardinals (59-57) 3, St. Lucie Mets (67-50) 1  Box Score

The Mets went just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and could push across just a single run in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Parada made his St. Lucie debut and struggled quite a bit: he struck out three times and had a 94.4 MPH flyout. Beracierta’s fourth inning single was the hardest hit ball of the game, coming off the bat at an impressive 107.2 MPH.

  • RHP Calvin Ziegler (L, 0-4, 3.32 ERA) 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
  • RHP Raimon Gomez (4-5, 3.92 ERA) 4.0 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 4 K

Ziegler threw less than half of his pitches for strikes in Saturday’s start (23 of 48 pitches were strikes) and his poor control has become a trend since his return from the injured list. In four August starts, despite having a low 2.25 ERA, he has walked nine batters over eight innings. He averaged 93.2 MPH and topped out at 95.1 MPH with his fastball and generated just one whiff on 15 swings during his start. Gomez’s fastball topped out at 98.3 MPH.

A (Game 2): Palm Beach Cardinals (60-57) 4, St. Lucie Mets (67-51) 2  Box Score

St. Lucie’s offense similarly struggled in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader; they had just five hits, three of which came off the bat of Murphy. Two of Murphy’s three hits had an exit velocity greater than 100 MPH, with his seventh inning single registering at 107.8 MPH. De Los Santos’ stolen base was his 67th of the season, a total which ties him for second in the entire minor leagues and which leaves him just two steals behind the minor league leader.

  • RHP Joel Diaz (L, 3-2, 5.96 ERA) 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K
  • RHP Eric Orze (0-0, 0.00 ERA) 1.0 IP, H, K
  • RHP Douglas Orellana (0-0, 9.00 ERA) 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Diaz has looked much better in August: he has a 3.13 ERA and a 22:8 K:BB ratio in 23 innings pitched this month. In this start, Diaz averaged an impressive 94.6 MPH and topped out at 96.4 MPH with his four-seam fastball. Orze made his first rehab appearance in his return from an undisclosed injury; this was his first time on the mound since July 29.

Orellana was frequently dominant in the Florida Complex League this summer and, with his stuff, it’s not hard to see why. He averaged 96.3 MPH and topped out 97.5 MPH with his fastball, while his low-80s curveball featured a spin rate that eclipsed 3000 RPM.

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Written by Daniel Muras

I fell in love with the Mets during the 2006 playoff run and became obsessed with the Mets minor league system while looking for a brighter future during the 2009-2014 era. I hope to provide interesting analysis of the minors and am excited to have the opportunity to write for MMO and MMN.

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