It was a beautiful night for baseball at Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford, CT on May 5. The Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the New York Mets Double-A affiliate, were in town to take on the Hartford Yard Goats, the Colorado Rockies Double-A affiliate. The pitching matchup wasn’t the most exciting as Alex Valverde squared off against Noah Davis. Offensively there was a ton of talent with the likes of Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Ezequiel Tovar, and Michael Toglia.
Binghamton Rumble Ponies
Francisco Alvarez, C | GAME STATS: 2-3 (2 1B, 2 BB, 0 K)
Alvarez was the prized prospect in this game. The Mets #1 prospect and our #11 overall prospect was showing off why he is so highly touted in this game. Still only 20 years old, Alvarez looked far from overmatched by his older competition in Double-A. Featuring a wide-based stance, Alvarez creates more hard contact from his pull side. He showed good patience at the plate in this game though he is very aggressive early and often. Generates his power with his strong, well built frame. He’s got a strong, bigger lower half, but is still quick and agile given his size. Even though Tovar nabbed a base on him, his arm looked great behind the plate. He had a quick release and accurate throws to second base. His well-rounded profile on offense and defense will lead to some potential good production behind the plate in the future.
Brett Baty, 3B | GAME STATS: 2-3 (2 1B, 2 BB, 0 K)
The New York Mets #2 overall prospect has a well-rounded frame. His stance is slightly open and he lined most of his hits to right field. As we’ve come to know, his loud plus power is his carrying tool. He has more gap power and could still tap more into his raw power. He is able to work deep into counts and find his pitch. A line drive hitter who is able to square up his pitch once he gets it. Shows an above-average ability to barrel up pitches. He is making more progress with his hit tool, but swing and miss tendencies keep him from fully tapping into his raw power. Defensively, he looks to be an average third baseman with an above-average arm.
Ronny Mauricio, SS | GAME STATS: 2-5 (1 1B, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 0 K)
I was most impressed by Ronny Mauricio in this game. Although he DH’d and I didn’t get to see him on the field, he looked very good at the plate. A switch hitter, Mauricio has a more closed, upright stance on the left side of the plate. He’s struggled a bit with contact issues again this year, but in this game he looked poised at the plate. He is aggressive and still struggles with some swing and miss tendencies, but showed a much improved ability to barrel the ball. When he makes contact, it is LOUD. He is tall and lanky with plenty of room to still grow at his age. He ripped a single in the first to the pull-side and his double in the fifth was more center-right. If he can continue to refine his approach at the plate and grow into more strength, he has the potential to solidify an everyday role. He has tools for days. It will all come down to if he capitalizes on them.
Hartford Yard Goats
Ezequiel Tovar, SS | GAME STATS: 1-4 (1 1B, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 RBI, 1 SB, 2 K)
Tovar has been skyrocketing up prospect boards this year and rightfully so. He’s kicked off his Double-A campaign strongly, showing a nice display of power and speed. In this game, he struggled to pick up spin and seemed a bit overmatched by Valverde. The hit tool is improving and has helped him tap into some more power. He is patient at the plate which works in his favor as he is able to work deep into counts and be more selective with the pitches he sees while not being afraid to take a base. He has great instincts on the base paths and showed that off early in the first by stealing second off of Francisco Alvarez after being hit by a pitch. Tovar looks really polished defensively, showing off an above-average arm and quick reflexes on the field.
Michael Toglia, 1B | GAME STATS: 2-3 (2 2B, 1 BB, 1 K)
Toglia turned heads in the Arizona Fall League this offseason as he showed off his massive raw power. He showed off some good gap power driving two doubles, pulling one down the right field line in this game. He shows a good feel for the strike zone but struggles to recognize pitches. Has some swing and miss tendencies which could keep him from maximizing his raw power. I was most impressed by Toglia defensively. He is extremely athletic at first base and does a great job holding runners on. He shows great range and even made a fantastic diving play on a ball that was absolutely smoked by Mets top prospect Brett Baty.
Noah Davis, RHP | GAME STATS: 4.2 IP (3 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K)
Davis was traded by the Cincinnati Reds along with RHP Case Williams to the Colorado Rockies for reliever Mychal Givens at last year’s trade deadline. He showed some flashes of success in High-A last year both in Dayton and Spokane. Davis works very quickly on the mound and does a good job at repeating his simple mechanics. He’s got four pitches that include a slider, curveball, and change-up. His change-up had average fade to it. His slider, which sat in the low to mid 80s, was his best out pitch this outing. His fastball sat 92-94 mph and had some two-seam ride to it. He struggles with command as well as deceiving hitters with his off-speed. His command and control limit the effectiveness of his pitches overall.