Scout.com > NY Mets Week in Review Across the Farm Story URL: http://mets.scout.com/2/746021.html Jon Star NYFansOnly.com Apr 13, 2008 In the season’s first edition of Week in Review, we take a look at standouts from Opening Day through games as of Saturday night. Who made their mark both at the plate and on the mound? Who were some other notables? Look inside for all that and more. NEW ORLEANS ZEPHYRS: The Zephyrs opened the season against the team they knocked out of the opening round of the 2007 PCL playoffs. New Orleans took three of four games against the Nashville Sounds including a sharp Opening Day outing from Adam Bostick, follow by six shutout innings by Ruddy Lugo and April 5. The Zephyrs followed up that series by splitting four games against the Memphis Redbirds before taking two of the first games against the Round Rock Express. Michel Abreu: 10 G, .286 [10-for-35], HR, 5 RBI, 6 R, 2 2B, 6 BB Abreu posted a strong start to the 2008 season, making the jump from Binghamton to New Orleans after missing out on the entire 2007 season. After posting just one hit in his first three games [nine at-bats], he came on strong in the season’s first full week by accumulating four multi-hit games in five days, including his best of game to date. On April 10 again Memphis, he went 3-for-5 and belted his first home run of the year, drove in three runs and scored three runs. He is just 1-for-6 against left-handers. Joselo Diaz: 0-1, 2 G, 2 GS, 1.38 ERA, 13.0 IP, 10 K, BB, 0.69 WHIP The 27-year-old right-hander has been dialed in during his first two starts of the season. He took the ball in the Zephyrs fourth game of the season and threw six innings of two-run ball, giving up three hits while striking out five and walking one. He followed up that performance with a gem on Friday night at Round Rock in which he commanded the opposing Express for seven scoreless innings, striking out another five and walking zero. Diaz was traded to Tampa Bay alongside Scott Kazmir back in the summer of 2004. Notable: Adam Bostick: 0-1, 2 G, 2 GS, 2.25 ERA, 12 IP, 12 K, 4 BB, 1.33 WHIP BINGHAMTON METS: The B-Mets roster is filled with fresh faces who look to bring more excitement to the Eastern League schedule than last year’s roster. The B-Mets got a challenge right from the start taking on the 2007 Eastern League Champion Trenton Thunder right out of the gate. Binghamton was up to the task, splitting the four-game series while getting two very fine outings from Jonathon Niese and Jose Sanchez. The B-Mets won two of three games against the Akron Aeros in their next series before the bats really came alive in three slugfests against the Erie SeaWolves, capturing two wins in the first three games of the series. Mike Carp: 10 G, .474 [18-for-38], 4 HR, 13 RBI, 8 R, 4 2B, 2 BB After a disappointing 2007 season, Carp got to work right from Opening Day streaking to an outstanding start. He has displayed a smooth, powerful stroke leading him to crack four home runs in the season’s first week and half [he hit 11 home runs in 2007]. Though predominately hitting from the five-hole, Carp has surely been a catalyst to his team. As anticipated, Carp has shared time at first base and has been moved into the designated hitter’s spot and even seen minimal time in the outfield. Nick Evans: 10 G, .444 [16-for-36] 2 HR, 13 RBI, 7 R, 3 2B, 4 BB It was a very slow start to the season for Evans who was just 1-for-10 through the B-Mets first three games. However, a late-inning two-run double against Trenton last Sunday seems appears to be what he needed to get going. Since that at-bat, Evans has been just about impossible to get out, hitting .608 [14-for-23] in his last six games with nearly all his production to date coming during that streak. After looking tight at the plate during the Trenton series, it is safe to say the former St. Lucie first baseman has loosened up. Notable: Daniel Murphy: .474 [18-for-38], 0 HR, 8 RBI, 10 R, 3 2B, 3B, 3 BB, 2 SB Jonathon Niese: 1-0, 2 G, 2 GS, 11.0 IP, 0.82 ERA, 10 K, 2 BB, 0.45 WHIP After adding noticeable size and strength in the off-season, Niese got the kind of start to the season that he had hoped for. In his first two starts, he demonstrated greater velocity on his fastball and brought even greater life to his already wicked breaking pitches. He took the ball on Opening Day and breezed through a potent Trenton lineup, throwing five scoreless innings surrendering one hit and striking out five. He took a tough no-decision in his second start on April 8 against Akron, when he pitched six innings, giving up just two hits and one earned run and striking out five more hitters as the B-Mets lost a late lead and fell to the Aeros. Jose Sanchez: 2-0, 2 G, 2 GS, 10.0 IP, 1.80 ERA, 3 K, 3 BB, 0.90 WHIP The right-hander, the lone member of the B-Mets rotation who pitched with the club in all of 2007, is off to a quietly impressive start after a tumultuous time last season. Sanchez is not a hard thrower, consistently hitting 86-87 MPH on his fastball in his first two starts, but has mixed his pitches well and spot them well on both corners. His steady performance on April 5 in which he tossed five innings of one-run ball allowed his squad to take the backend of a double-header with Trenton. He notched his second victory of the season on April 9 against Akron, throwing five more innings, allowing two earned runs. Sanchez will not wow with his stuff, but if the B-Mets are to any sort of run this season he will surely need more growth and greater consistency than he showed in 2007. Notable: Jake Ruckle: 1-0, 2 G, 2 GS, 11.2 IP, 1.54 ERA, K, 2 BB, 1.03 WHIP ST. LUCIE METS: The season has not started as hoped for many of the players who make up possibly the most intriguing squad in the organization. With a roster full of young talent that hovers around an average age of 21, the Mets have found tough treading in the Florida State League and opened the season with just a lone victory in their first ten games. The offense has not found any rhythm and the pitchers [a number in just their second season] have built no consistency against a significantly higher level of hitters from their previous experience. Lucas Duda: 10 G, .325 [13-for-40], 1 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R, 3 2B, 3 BB In a lineup that has yet to find its footing, Duda has done his best to help spark offense from the cleanup slot. He recorded a hit in eight of his games including four multi-hit games. He has struck out ten times so far this season, but still displays many of the attributes the organization likes to see from which are his high on-base percentage an OPS % nearing .900. His best game of the season came on April 8 against Brevard County when he knocked his lone home run, drove in two runs, scored two runs and recorded two walks in a 2-for-3 effort. Notable: Leivi Ventura: .250 [7-for-28] 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2B, BB Dylan Owen: 1-1, 2 G, 2 GS, 11.0 IP, 1.64 ERA, 9 K, 2 BB, 1.09 WHIP The 2007 New York-Penn League Player of the Year has looked very sharp in his first two Florida State League outings. The number one starter on the St. Lucie staff took just his second professional loss on April 4 against the Vero Beach Rays when he gave up two earned runs in five innings. However Owen was on point in his second start, leading his club to its only victory to date in a masterful performance in which he tossed six shutout innings, striking out six and walking none. While his mates in the rotation have got off to sluggish starts, Owen looks to be a rock at the head of the staff. SAVANNAH SAND GNATS: The Sand Gnats got off to a very strong start in 2008 by taking the first three games of a four-game series against the Columbus Catfish thanks to a dynamic contribution of strong pitching and clutch offense. However, the positive start to the season wore off quickly as the organization’s South Atlantic League club dropped its next seven games including a four-game sweep to the Yankees’-affiliated Charleston River Dogs. First-year Savannah manager Donovan Mitchell looks to have his work cut out with a very young squad. Raul Reyes: 10 G, .286 [16-for-35], HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2B, 3B, BB Reyes, a projected 2008 organizational sleeper by this publication, is off to a strong start after putting his name on the radar with a fine 2007 season in Brooklyn. He started the year just 3-for-17 through his first five games, but has come on strong in the last week. Runs have come a premium for the young Savannah team, but Reyes’ emerging power should be play a significant role in the team’s offensive production all season. Nick Waechter: 0-0, 4 G, 0 GS, 8.1 IP, 2.16 ERA, 10 K, BB, 1.32 WHIP The 23-year-old right-hander moved from pitching in Brooklyn’s rotation in 2007 to the Savannah bullpen where he has been a stabilizing force. Waechter has pitched both in short and long-relief with half his 2008 innings coming in Saturday’s outing against Columbus when he threw four scoreless innings, walking none and striking out four. Michael Antonini: 1-1, 2 G, 2 GS, 8.2 IP, 3.12 ERA, 5 K, 4 BB, 1.27 WHIP The 22-year-old left-hander made the opposite move from Waechter and transitioned into the Savannah rotation have spending the majority of his rookie season in the bullpen. He got off to a great start throwing six hitless innings against Columbus, walking just one. However, his next outing was not as effective as he gave up three earned runs, seven hits and three walks in just 2.2 innings pitched against Charleston. Antonini figures to be a fixture at the front of the Sand Gnats rotation for the majority of the season. Copyright © Scout.com and NYFansOnly.com