Fireflies Game Notes - May 13 vs. Rome Braves (Games 36 & 37)
May 13, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
Please note the following New York Mets minor league transactions:
RHP Billy Oxford transferred to Brooklyn from Columbia
RHP Tylor Megill transferred to Columbia from Brooklyn
Columbia Fireflies (11-24) vs. Rome Braves (16-19)
RHP Jose Butto (0-4, 4.88) vs. RHP Alan Rangel (2-1, 6.00)
RHP Alec Kisena (0-1, 3.52) vs. RHP Victor Vodnik (1-1, 3.63)
Mon., May 13, 2019 - Segra Park (Columbia, SC) - First Pitch 5:35 p.m. - Games 36 & 37
LISTEN: FirefliesLiveStream.com / ColumbiaFireflies.com / TuneIn App
WATCH: MiLB.TV
LAST TIME OUT: Columbia dropped Sunday's tilt to Rome, 11-0.
CHOPPED: The Fireflies are now 5-2 this season against Rome. If the Fireflies win twice on Monday, Columbia will have won all three series against the Braves to start the year.
ROSTER MOVE: Right-handed pitcher Tylor Megill was added to Columbia's roster on Monday. Pitcher Billy Oxford was transferred to the Brooklyn roster. Megill was drafted by the Mets in the eighth round of the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Arizona and went on to post a 3.21 ERA in Brooklyn last year in 10 outings.
DOUBLEHEADER FACTS: Monday is Columbia's second doubleheader of the season. The Fireflies previously played a twin bill against Hickory on April 20 (two one-run losses).
MOLINA'S MASHING...AGAIN: Fireflies centerfielder Gerson Molina blasted his first homer of the season on Saturday. The 23-year-old Cuban, in his first season in affiliated baseball, is hitting .250 over the first six games of his career. Molina was signed by the Mets in August of 2018 after playing in the Cuban National Series from 2013-17.
FOLLOW THE LAW: Keith Law, senior baseball writer at ESPN, ranked Columbia's roster as the 7th-most "Loaded Roster" in all of Minor League Baseball. Law recognized the fact Columbia's roster includes the Mets' third, fourth and fifth-rated prospects (infielders Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos and Shervyen Newton, respectively), New York's past two second-round draft choices (RHP Simeon Woods-Richardson, Vientos) and the system's ninth-rated prospect, left-hander Thomas Szapucki (drafted in the fifth round in 2015). The roster also features 26th (Baseball America) and 27th-rated prospects Chris Viall and Christian James. The prospect rankings are according to MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
NEW STAFF: Fireflies second-year manager Pedro Lopez notwithstanding, Columbia has an entirely different coaching staff in 2019. Former big leaguer and Mets pitcher Royce Ring assumes the role as pitching coach and former Eastern League champion Luis Rivera is the new hitting coach. One-time Mets farmhand (and former player for Lopez in Binghamton in 2014) Gilbert Gomez is the team's first-ever bench coach. Daichi Arima (athletic trainer), Sam Nickelsen (strength and conditioning coach), Nicole Collins (assistant athletic trainer) and Dave Williams (mental skills coach) complete the Fireflies coaching staff in 2019.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 13, 2019
- Suns Scorch 'Birds for Split - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Sharp Sinks Rome, Leads Columbia to Doubleheader Sweep - Columbia Fireflies
- Offense Soars over 'Birds in 15-1 Victory - Hagerstown Suns
- Fireflies Game Notes - May 13 vs. Rome Braves (Games 36 & 37) - Columbia Fireflies
- Comeback Bid Falls Short as Dogs Lose Series Finale - Charleston RiverDogs
- Pena Homers as Power Drops Finale in Front of 6,027 Fans - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Lexington Drops Series to Augusta - Lexington Legends
- Asheville Downs Greenville with Two Solo Homers Monday - Greenville Drive
- Monday Morning Mound Battle Goes to GreenJackets - Augusta GreenJackets
- 'Dads Pick up Series Win with 7-5 Victory over RiverDogs - Hickory Crawdads
- Vavra Provides the Offense; Bush Pitches a Gem - Asheville Tourists
- King of the Cage Fight Rescheduled for Monday - Augusta GreenJackets
- Game Notes (May 13) - Charleston Dirty Birds
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
