TOP NL UTR PITCHING PERFORMANCE RHP Jordan Humphreys (LoA Columbia – New York Mets) 20 years old 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, Win Season Stats: 8-1, 1.40 ERA, 57.2 IP, 31 H, 9 ER, 7 BB, 73 K in 9 starts
- Humphreys picked up his 8th win in 9 starts last night over Augusta (SF). Including (with taking) his first loss on May 15th, the 6’2″- 225 lb righty has gone 19 innings allowing only 2 earned runs with 24 strikeouts and one walk. Humphreys becomes the first NL pitcher to make three Pitcher of the Day mentions (April 24th, April 7th). Those honors propelled him as the Mets Top UTR Pitcher for April. Something to watch: Of the 9 starts by the 20-year old, 5 have been against teams dwelling in or near the basement of their respective South Atlantic League divisions. Three starts have been against last place (SAL South) Augusta who’s struggling with a 14-33 record. The 18th round pick (2015) leads all qualified minor league pitchers in FIP (.182), WHIP (0.66), and K-BB% (33.3%).
- Watson was my preseason “One to Watch” for the Nationals. He had a solid April (26.2 IP, 23 H, 9 ER, 8 BB, 34) to earn the UTR NL Top Prospect Pitcher for the month. The southpaw in ranked just inside the Nationals Top 30 prospect list at #27. He was 4-0 over his last four starts, before getting a no-decision last night. Despite giving up 6 earned runs, he got offensive help to earn his first win of that streak on May 7th. Watson has then only allowed 4 ER over his last 23.1 innings; with only 3 walks and 21 strikeouts. This is the first full season for the 34th round pick (2015) after getting a 3 start taste in last season.
- One of April’s Top UTR Pitcher‘, Gallen had the longest outing of his career last night against Lakeland (Detroit). He did go 8 innings on May 17th versus Jupiter, which earned him the Top NL Pitcher of the Day.
- Bettencourt extends scoreless streak to 17 innings, since giving up earned run during his first 2017 appearances on April 8th. Opponents are batting only .162 off the righty, who has a K:BB rate of 31:2 in 17.2 innings.
TOP AL UTR PITCHING PERFORMANCE RHP Ofreidy Gomez (LoA Lexington – Kansas City) 21 years old 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, Win Season Stats: 2-6, 4.75 ERA, 47.1 IP, 55 H, 25 ER, 15 BB, 41 K in 11 appearances with 6 starts
- Gomez was a non-drafted free agent signee all the way back in 2012. He spent three seasons with the DSL Royals before coming state-side in 2016 with Appy League Burlington. He made 12 starts going 5-4 with a 5.20 ERA in 55 innings posting 44 K’s with 27 walks. Last night was his third straight start, picking up his second win of the season. Over that time, he’s thrown 17 innings allowing 19 hits, 6 ER, 4 walks, and 16 strikeouts. The bright spot for the 6’3″- 190 lb. right-hander has been dip in his BB9 rate (2.9), compared to last season (4.4), while his K9 rate has held steady (7.8).
- Littell got his 5th straight win in as many starts and the only AL pitcher to qualify for a mention today. The Yankee’s #24 ranked prospect came from Seattle via a 2016 trade, where he was a 2015 UTR Organizational All-Star. In his last 3 starts, the righty has allowed only 2 earned runs over 21 innings with 22 strikeouts and 3 walks.
Under The Radar Minors 