Farm Life

[Edgy MD]

After relentlessly killing it in Brooklyn and Binghamton this season, Brandon Sproat got punched in the face by reality in his first start for Syracuse, giving up six runs in 4 2/3 innings, yielding three walks and seven hits, two of which cleared the fence.

I'm guessing that any notion that he'll end the season in New York may have been similarly struck by a haymaker.

On the other hand, some guy named DJ Stewart has gone .429 / .579 / .786 // 1.365 in five games since joining the team.

[smg58]

Syracuse is not a forgiving place for pitchers right now. I'm not sure why, but Vasil, Tidwell, and Hamel have all faceplanted on making the jump. It would be very upsetting if Sproat follows suit. It's reached the point where I'm not sure I'd take the hitting numbers at face value either, but I have no good reason why Binghamton and Syracuse would be that different.

[smg58]

On the more optimistic side, Dedniel Nunez had similar struggles going from AA to AAA last year, Butto's numbers over the last two seasons are better at the major-league level than at AAA, and Scott held his own here despite a frightening home run rate at AAA. So maybe you just have to factor in that Syracuse favors hitters, and a pitcher doesn't have to be spectacular there to be fine here.

[Edgy MD]

Part of what's going on is the presence of robo umps at AAA.

[batmagadanleadoff]

It's the stadium. Thr stadium that the Mets AAA team plays in is the most hitter friendly stadium in the IL.

[smg58]

It's the stadium. Thr stadium that the Mets AAA team plays in is the most hitter friendly stadium in the IL.

It looks like that based on a handful of pitchers, but is there hard data to that effect somewhere? And what would make Syracuse a hitter's park?

[batmagadanleadoff]

It's the stadium. Thr stadium that the Mets AAA team plays in is the most hitter friendly stadium in the IL.

Is there data on that somewhere? And what would make Syracuse a hitter's park?

Google the phrase AAA park factors. I didn't provide a link because I'm posting from my smartphone instead of from my computer and posting links this way is a real pain in the ass.

[Edgy MD]

It's a good park for homers, and a bad one for homer prevention, but the data is kind of mixed as to its overall effect, at least according to Baseball America, among other sources.

[Cowtipper]

I hate getting stoked about a prospect who has killed it at Single-A just to have them tank once they hit Triple-A.

Fool me 1,000 times, shame on me...

[kcmets]

Farm livin' is the life for me
Land spreadin' out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan
Just give me that countryside

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Duh-nuh, nuh-nuh-nuh Marte!
Duh-nuh, nuh-nuh-nuh Ty Jay!

Duh-nuh, nuh-nuh-nuh Butto!
Duh-nuh, nuh-nuh-nuh Nido!

[Edgy MD]

Brandon Sproat reportedly looked sharper today, giving up one run in three innings, but exited after only 49 pitches following an ejection.

The roof later fell in on Shintaro Fujinami and Matt Gage and Mets lost 12-2, their second blowout in a row.

Brett Baty scored both runs, reaching on a walk and coming around for one, and homering for the second.

[Fman99]

Brandon Sproat reportedly looked sharper today, giving up one run in three innings, but exited after only 49 pitches following an ejection.

The roof later fell in on Shintaro Fujinami and Matt Gage and Mets lost 12-2, their second blowout in a row.

Brett Baty scored both runs, reaching on a walk and coming around for one, and homering for the second.

Kind of them to get their blowouts out of the way on the road (they're in Rochester this week).

Back home next week but this coincides with the opening of the Great New York State Fair on Wed 8/21. I may sneak out solo for the Tues 8/20 game as my wife & kids are playing in their Tuesday night beach volleyball league that night (I played with them the last two summers but my daughter yells at me too much for being bad at volleyball so I opted out this year).

[Edgy MD]

Brandon Sproat's meteoric rise and Jett Williams mostly lost season has Brandon jumping to the top of recently published prospect rankings for the team.