Syndergaard, Montero Look Sharp, Nimmo Falls Short

          The 15th annual Sirius XM MLB Futures Game was played on Saturday as three Met farmhands were sent to the Big Apple. Binghamton Met Noah Syndergaard took the bump for the USA squad as he opposed Las Vegas 51 Rafael Montero. Savannah Sand Gnat Brandon Nimmo came off the bench for the American team managed by Mets legend Mookie Wilson. Edgardo Alfonzo sat in the opposing dugout skippering the team comprised of the top foreign-born minor leaguers.

    From left to right: Noah Syndergaard, Rafael Montero, Brandom Nimmo.

          Sydergaard (5-3) looked sharp. The highlight of his one inning of work was his punch out of Cubs infield prospect Arismendy Alcantara. The only bump in the road was a single by the number 17 prospect in all of baseball, Xander Bogaerts. Bogaerts was then thrown out trying to swipe second by a bullet from Padres catcher Austin Hedges. The right hander who was acquired in the December deal for R.A. Dickey topped out at around 96 mph and was able to dial the curveball down to 78 with two strikes. He also threw a slider that reached the upper 80s. Overall a commanding performance. I can't wait to see him on a regular basis.

          Montero (8-5) showed good command of the strike zone from the first batter he faced. He was able to get through the first inning with no problem, setting down Billy Hamilton, Delino DeShields, and George Springer in order. His fastball hit around 92 mph and the hardest ball hit off him was a soft liner to center field. Overall a nice, solid outing from the Mets 2012 organizational pitcher of the year.

          Brandon Nimmo had two at bats coming off the bench for Team USA. He came in as a defensive sub in left field for Joc Pederson in the sixth and played the rest of the game there. The 2011 first rounder hit the ball hard in both trips to the dish but came up just short, lining out sharply to Bogaerts at short his first time.