New York Mets Prospect Matt Harvey Shines In Triple-A All-Star Game
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP/WFAN) — New York Mets prospect Matt Harvey worked two shutout innings in front of his hometown fans in Buffalo at the Triple-A All-Star game Wednesday night.
He retired six of his seven batters to earn the Star of Stars award for the International League.
"It was hard not to [get fired up], especially here in Buffalo," Harvey said after the game. "It was fun to pitch in front of these fans. It was a great experience."
Harvey has a 3.39 ERA in 18 starts and striking out 102 in 98 1/3 innings, which is second in the IL in strikeouts. He was a 2010 first-round pick and is currently ranked 30 on MLB.com's top 100 prospects.
Right-hander Dillon Gee will undergo surgery on his right shoulder Friday, so there's a need for help in the Mets rotation. But with Miguel Batista and reliever Josh Edgin being called up to the majors, it looks like Harvey will be staying with the Bisons for the time being.
"All I can do is prepare for my next start here," Harvey said. He also added that he and Gee had become good friends and he cares more about the fellow right-hander's health.
Pacific Coast League star Wil Myers is also making major name for himself in minor league baseball.
Myers finished with a pair of hits for his second impressive All-Star showing in four days.
The Kansas City Royals prospect drove in one run and scored another to lead the Pacific Coast League to a 3-0 win over the International League in the Triple-A All-Star game. The 21-year-old outfielder had three RBIs on Sunday in the Futures Game in Kansas City, a showcase for top prospects during Major League Baseball's All-Star festivities.
"It was a lot of fun," Myers said. "Especially being in Kansas City, in front of a home crowd, and ending it off like this. This was the most fans I've ever played in front of in a minor league stadium."
A sellout crowd of 18,025 turned out in Buffalo, site of the first Triple-A All-Star game in 1988. The city has recorded two of the three biggest crowds in the game's history.
Myers was selected Star of Stars for the Pacific Coast League, which snapped a three-game losing streak. The PCL has won seven of the 15 games played under the inter league format.
Myers viewed his All-Star accomplishments as merely one step toward his eventual goal of a big league call-up.
"It's cool to come out here and get the MVP award," he said. "It's something I'll always remember. Hopefully the call-up will be even better. It could obviously happen at any time. Right now, I just want to go out and try to get better at-bats."
The up-and-coming outfielder is ranked 14 on MLB.com's top 100 prospects.
Myers, currently with the Omaha Storm Chasers, singled home a run in the first inning to put the PCL up 2-0. He led off the fourth with a double and scored on an RBI double by Tim Federowicz of the Albuquerque Isotopes in the Los Angeles Dodgers' system.
Mike Hessman of Oklahoma City (Houston Astros) drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly.
PCL pitchers combined to allow five hits while striking out 11. IL hurlers also fanned 11.
"It seems like everybody throws 95 (mph) now on both ends," said Buffalo's Valentino Pascucci, who won the Triple-A Home Run Derby on Monday and had a double and three walks in the game.
Leslie Anderson of Durham (Tampa Bay Rays) had two infield singles for the International League.
The shutout was the fifth in the event's 25-game history and the second in a row. The IL won 3-0 in 2011.
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