FSL1 St. Lucie Mets

St. Lucie Mets Sending 7 to FSL All Star Game

Published on June 3, 2014 under Florida State League (FSL1)
St. Lucie Mets News Release


DAYTONA, Fla. (June 3, 2014) - Florida State League President Chuck Murphy announced the rosters for the FSL All Star Game on Tuesday and the St. Lucie Mets are well represented.

The Mets will send seven players - tied for most in the league with Dunedin - to this year's All Star Game in Bradenton to be held on June 14. The seven Mets include four position players and three pitchers.

The top three hitters in St. Lucie's lineup were voted to the South team - leadoff man Dilson Herrera, No. 2 hitter Brandon Nimmo and No. 3 hitter T.J. Rivera.

Starting pitchers Steven Matz and Matt Koch are on the South squad, as well as closer Randy Fontanez.

Cam Maron, the Mets primary catcher, rounds out the Mets representatives.

Nimmo, a center fielder and the No. 6 prospect in New York's system according to MLB.com, has been atop the leaderboard in walks, on-base percentage and runs scored in the FSL and all of MiLB. He is in his first year with St. Lucie and was selected by New York with the 13th overall draft pick in 2011.

Rivera, last year's leader in the FSL in hits, is near the top of the league in hits again this season. For most of the year he has led the FSL in batting average, hits, RBIs and total bases. Rivera is from the Bronx, N.Y. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Mets in 2011.

Herrera, a native of Colombia, is having a breakout season in his first full year in the Mets' system. The short stop/second baseman is also among the league leaders in hits and runs. His batting average climbed to as high as .333 on May 23. He leads the Mets in stole bases. Herrera was acquired by New York in August 2013 in a trade with Pittsburgh that sent Marlon Byrd and John Buck to the Pirates. Herrera is rated as the No. 10 prospect in the Mets' system by MLB.com

Maron has proven to be one of the top offensive catchers in the FSL this season. Through June 1, he was hitting .270 and was third on the team in RBIs and second on the club in walks. He spent all of 2013 in St. Lucie and is already approaching his season totals in runs and RBIs from last year. Maron was a 34th round pick by the Mets out of Hicksville (N.Y.) High School in 2009.

Matz, a power left-handed pitcher, is having a career resurgence. After being drafted in the second round out of high school in New York in 2009, he underwent Tommy John surgery and had complications for three years. Now completely healthy, Matz is dominating the competition in the FSL. In 10 starts, Matz has 51 strikeouts in 57.1 innings. His ERA is 1.73, the fourth best in the league.

Koch began the season as the Mets' No. 6 starter in their six-man rotation. He's pitched like an ace. Koch won six of his first eight starts, including five in a row. Through nine starts his ERA sits at 2.70. A control pitcher, Koch has walked just eight in 53.1 innings. Making his All Star selection even more special is how last season ended. Koch was hit in the head with a line drive while pitching for Class A Savannah in August and he spent three days in the hospital with bleeding on the brain. He did not pitch again in an official game until this season.

Koch was a third round selection by the Mets in the 2012 draft out of Louisville.

Randy Fontanez is the Mets' representative out of the bullpen. Fontanez leads the Mets in saves with seven through June 1, which is the fifth most in the FSL. He has 27 strikeouts in 26.1 innings (20 appearances). Fontanez is in his second season with St. Lucie. Last year he had just one save. Fontanez was a 27th round draft pick by the Mets in 2011 out of South Florida.

The South will be managed by Charlotte's coaching staff while Daytona's staff with manage the North.

The FSL All Stars were voted on by the managers, official scorers and club beat writers.

The South will face the North in the All Star Game at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Fla., on Saturday, June 14 at 7:05 p.m. Fans interested in attending the games should contact the Marauders at 941-747-3031.

Check out the St. Lucie Mets Statistics

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Florida State League Stories from June 3, 2014


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