N.Y. Mets: Still No Agreement With First Round Pick Anthony Kay

From the desks of:  

HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET  and  THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

Still Waiting....

Friday, July 15

is the deadline for amateur draft picks to sign.

The New York Mets have so far agreed to terms with ten of their top eleven 2016 amateur draft picks. Seven reported to the (A-) Brooklyn Cyclones, while three others reported to the Kingsport Mets of the (R) Appalachian League:

Brooklyn

• Rd. 1 - Justin Dunn, rhp
• Rd. 2 - Peter Alonso, 1b
• Rd. 3 - Blake Tiberi, 3b
• Rd. 4 - Michael Paez, ss
• Rd. 5 - Colby Woodmansee, ss
• Rd. 7 - Austin McGeorge. rhp
• Rd. 10 - Gene Cone, of

Kingsport

• Rd. 6 - Chris Viall, rhp
• Rd. 8 - Placido Torres, rhp
• Rd. 9 - Colin Holderman, rhp

Dissecting pitching performances in particular would be premature, as they've only appeared in a handful of games to date.  First round pick (#19 overall) Justin Dunn has made just two appearances for the Cyclones so far, in which he's thrown four scoreless innings.

Of the position players, shortstop Colby Woodmansee is off to a fine start with the Cyclones.  The former Arizona State product made 82 starts at shortstop for the Sun Devils, and wrapped up his collegiate career with 44 RBI.  He is presently hitting .328 (seventh in the NYPL) through 17 games with two home runs and already has a team leading ten RBI.

There's Always One in Every Crowd

Only first round compensatory pick and the #31 overall selection, left-handed pitcher Anthony Kay, remains unsigned (among the Mets top ten round selections.  Four of their top 21 selections remain unsigned).

A University of Connecticut junior hailing from Stony Brook, Long Island, Anthony Kay started 17 games in 2016 for the Huskies posting a 9-2 record with a 2.65 ERA.  He surrendered 99 hits, walked 37 batters, and fanned 111 in 119 innings pitched.  He twice registered ten strikeouts in a game, while hitters hit just .223 against him.

Overall, Kay went 22-12 in 52 games/39 starts with a 2.64 ERA during three seasons at Connecticut, and fanned 263 batters over 286 innings pitched, with a .224 average against.

Brooklyn Cyclones: No Week for the Weary

From the desk of:  THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

Extra-Long Opening Week for the Brooks

BROOKLYN CYCLONES: Something eerily similar about these guys...

A year after posting their first ever losing season, the Brooklyn Cyclones have gotten off to a 2-5 start through the first week of this season, and presently own last place of the McNamara Division to themselves.

The Cyclones pitching staff was levied with an onerous tax through the first games of the season, having to put in double-time for 56 innings over four games in four days.

Game One Final

Brooklyn        2

Connecticut    3

The Cyclones lost their series opener 3-2 in Connecticut Thursday night to open their first official road trip of the season, despite limiting the Tigers to just a pair of hits for the game.

Harol Gonzalez pitched well in his second start of the season, and perhaps better than his line looks:

• 6.2 inn, three ER, three W, five K, 86 pitches with 55 going for strikes, and two HBP.

He lost control of a quality start in the sixth; a one-out walk, a HBP, and a wild pitch resulted in a 1-0 Cyclones deficit from which they never recovered.  Another HBP, a single, and another wild pitch in the seventh earned Gonzalez the hook from Coach Gamboa after 86 pitches.

Harol Gonzalez otherwise no-hit the Tigers through the first six innings.  Reliever Taylor Henry allowed Connecticut their only other hit of the game.

The heart of the Cyclones line-up; #3 hitter Colby Woodmansee, clean-up hitter Ali Sanchez, and #5 hitter Brandon Brosher all registered multiple hits, combining on 6 for 12, with 2 RBI and a run scored.  Jay Jabs drove in his 4th run of the season.

Offensive Behavior

Collectively, the Brooklyn Cyclones are last in the league with a paltry .166 team average - exactly why they ponderously needed 20 extra innings of baseball for determining three of their first seven games.

Memories of last year indeed ... in fact, the Cyclones have been all pitch/no hit for three seasons now.

This season, Cyclones rank:

• 14th in Batting
• 13th in OBP
• 14th Slugging
• 7th Runs
• 13th Hits
• 11th Total Bases
• 5th Walks 
• 3rd Most Strikeouts

Thing is, they haven't been as good on the mound when compared to previous seasons.  A week into the season, Brooklyn's team ERA ranks 10th best, and only ninth best in team WHIP.  A league leading 80 strikeouts, however, is more in line with what we've grown accustomed to around here.

Distribution of Company Assets

After spending a few days in Brooklyn, pitcher Adrian Almeida, and infielders Franklin Correra, Yeffry De Aza, and Santo Marte, have all reported to (R) Kingsport - Appalachian League season opened on June 23.

Top Ten June Draft Picks: #6 Chris Viall, # 9 Colin Holderman, and #8 Placido Torres, have all reported to Kingsport.

REMAINING TOP 10 UNSIGNED DRAFT PICKS:

• LHP Anthony Kay 1st round
• 1B Peter Alonso 2nd round
• SS Michael Paez 4th round