Meet this season’s Las Vegas 51s
Meet the (future) Mets. Meet the (future) Mets. Step right up and greet the (future) Mets.
The Las Vegas 51s begin the season on Thursday with a team of veterans and newcomers.
Here’s a guide to the guys who will start the season with the 51s.
The 27-year-old starter signed with the Mets as a free agent this past offseason.
He’s had a lengthy minor league career beginning in 2007 in the Texas Rangers’ organization.
Last season, he made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates, going 1-1 in six games — one start — with a 6.56 ERA in 15 1/3 innings pitched.
Boyd, who made his Triple-A debut with the 51s in 2015, spent all of last year at Double-A Binghamton.
He returns this year and will mostly play left field and serve as a designated hitter for the 51s.
The outfielder was a four-sport star in high school, playing baseball and football for four years while also playing two years of basketball and one of golf.
One of two locals on the team, Bradford returns to the 51s for his fourth straight season.
Bradford was born and raised in Nevada and graduated from Silverado High School.
Last year, he gave up 35 earned runs in 65 2/3 innings (4.80 ERA) over 56 appearances.
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Prior to starting the season with the 51s, Carrillo has appeared with the team in two others seasons.
He played in eight games for the 51s in 2014 and five games in 2016.
More recently, he played in the World Baseball Classic for Mexico, where he went 2-for-8 in two games behind the plate.
Cecchini was the Mets’ first-round pick in 2012, taken 12th overall and he enters this season ranked the team’s seventh prospect, per MLB.com.
Last year, he played shortstop for the 51s and hit .325, good for third in the Pacific Coast League.
This year he will primarily play at second but will also see some occasional time at shortstop and third.
His older brother, Garin, is an infielder for the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals) and his parents both serve as coaches at Barbe (LA) High School where they have built a powerhouse.
Cruzado, who was signed in 2010, spent all of last season at Double-A Binghamton.
At Binghamton, he hit .261 with eight home runs, 53 RBIs and 95 hits in 111 games last year.
Glenn spent all of last season with the 51s, helping out mostly with the pitchers in the bullpen.
He was used sparingly in game action, but in his seven games, he went 2-for-5 with a home run.
He also pitched in a game last year, giving up one run on two hits in an inning pitched.
Evans won a batting title last year in the Eastern League, hitting .335 in Binghamton.
He sealed the title on the last day of the season after going 4-for-6.
He continued his success at the plate into the offseason, where he went 23-for-74 (.311) in 19 games in the Puerto Rican Winter League.
Gilmartin was a first-round pick in 2011 by the Atlanta Braves after a highly successful college career at Florida State University.
He was selected by the Mets in the Rule 5 draft in 2014 and stuck with the Mets in the bullpen through the 2015 season, where he posted a 2.67 ERA in 50 appearances.
He was a starter for the 51s last season and will be once again this year.
His father, brother and two uncles were also professional baseball players.
Goeddel returns to the 51s after having a bone spur removed from his elbow in the offseason.
He first made his major league debut in 2014 and has bounced back and forth between the majors and minors since then.
His brother, Tyler Goeddel, played for the Phillies last season and was recently claimed by the Reds and sent to Triple-A.
Hand impressed the Mets enough in a March tryout for them to offer him a minor league contract.
Last year, he played in Taiwan and for the Somerset Patriots, an independent team.
Prior to that, he reached the majors in two separate years, pitching for the Brewers in 2013 and Reds in 2015.
Jennings was a late addition to the 51s, with his signing announced on Wednesday.
He was drafted by the Rays in the 10th round in 2006 and played for Tampa Bay from 2010-16.
He signed with the Mets after being recently released by the Reds.
Knapp pitched across three levels last season — including three games in Las Vegas — going 8-4 with 3.05 ERA in 121.0 innings pitched.
This year, he’ll join the 51s in the rotation, despite having made just six total starts at Double-A.
His father, Rick Knapp, is a former Tigers pitching coach, and after years as a minor league pitching coordinator, he assumed his new role as international pitching consultant/coordinator for Major League Baseball.
Lopez enters his first season as the manager of the 51s after spending five seasons at Double-A Binghamton.
This will be his 10th season in the Mets organization after starting his minor league managerial career with the Rangers.
He currently boasts a .522 winning percentage (809-740) as a minor league manager.
Lopez played 13 years in the minor leagues, including one as a member of the Las Vegas Stars in 1994.
McGowan appeared in just one game for the 51s last season, giving up a run in 1 2/3 innings pitched.
In addition to baseball, the pitcher played hockey while he was in high school.
His uncle, Sean, was also a professional baseball player, playing six years in the minor leagues.
The supplemental first round draft pick has played for the 51s in parts of three seasons, with 2017 being his fourth.
He also played in 73 games for the Mets in 2015 and 48 for them in 2016.
He played three years of college baseball at Purdue, where he was the first player in program history to be named Big Ten Player of the Year.
Reynolds has been an infielder throughout his new career.
But this year, he’ll mostly start in left field. He’ll also see time at second, third, short and possibly in center field.
Reynolds made his major league debut last year and played in 47 games for the Mets.
Rodriguez was a second-round draft pick by the Indians in 2006.
Since then, he’s also played in the Pirates, Mets, Marlins and Athletics’ organizations.
This is his third stint with the 51s after playing for them in 2012 and 2015.
Rosario is the consensus No. 1 prospect in the Mets system and a top-10 prospect overall in Major League Baseball.
The shortstop is routinely described as a five-tool player and “electric.”
He has formed a close friendship with Jose Reyes, his favorite player.
Roseboom comes to Triple-A after a highly successful season in Double-A, in which he assumed the closer role.
Roseboom compiled a 1.87 ERA in 57 2/3 innings pitched while converting 14 saves.
This year, he starts the season as the only lefty in the 51s’ bullpen.
Rowen, a submariner, signed a minor league contract with the Mets in the offseason.
He has a lengthy Triple-A career with major league appearances with the Rangers and Brewers in 2014 and 2016 respectively.
In seven minor league seasons, he’s 25-10 with a 1.85 ERA in 384 2/3 innings pitched.
Sewald, a local who graduated from Bishop Gorman, returns to the 51s for the second straight year.
Last year, he served as the 51s’ closer, converting 19 saves. He posted a 3.29 ERA in 65 2/3 innings.
He made sure he was on the Mets’ radar with a solid spring training, leaving Florida as one of the last cuts and just missing out on a bullpen spot.
He is also an avid golfer.
Smith, the team’s No. 2 prospect behind just Rosario, was a first-round draft pick by the Mets in 2013.
He came to camp this spring after shedding 24 pounds in the offseason.
A year ago, he hit 14 home runs at Double-A Binghamton, the first time his power started to show through in the minors.
His uncle, Andre LaFleur, is a Runnin’ Rebels assistant coach.
This season will be Taijeron’s third with the 51s.
Last year, he tied for the team lead with 19 home runs last season. A year before that, he led the 51s with 25.
He has also led the 51s in RBIs in each of the past two seasons with 71 in 2015 and 88 in 2016.
Taylor joins the 51s after going 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA in 85 2/3 innings pitched last year at Double-A Binghamton.
He was the Mets’ 11th-round pick in the 2012 draft.
Taylor relieved in 2012 but he was a starter from 2013-15 become pitching primarily in relief again last year.
This year will be Viola’s fourth as 51s pitching coach and seventh overall as a coach in the Mets organization.
As a player, Viola was a three-time All-Star and won the Cy Young in 1988 with the Twins after going 24-7 with a 2.64 ERA in 255 1/3 innings pitched.
He was the World Series MVP a year prior with the Twins.
Among other teams, he also pitched for the Mets in 1990 and 1991.
Voigt enters his third season as the 51s hitting coach and 12th overall in the Mets organization.
As a player, Voigt played in parts of seven seasons in the majors after playing for three seasons at Louisiana State University.
Voigt played for the Orioles, Rangers, Brewers and Athletics.
In 2005, he worked on Frank Robinson’s staff with the Nationals.
Wheeler spent part of last season pitching for the 51s, appearing in 19 games.
He gave up 19 ER in 23 2/3 innings for a 7.23 ERA while in Las Vegas last season.
He has spent most of the past two seasons at Double-A Binghamton.
Wilk had surgery last year to repair his hip labrum but came into camp feeling healthy.
The lefty signed with the Mets in the offseason and will be a starter for the 51s.
He previously has played in the majors for the Tigers and Angels in three separate seasons (nine games).
Follow all of our Las Vegas 51s coverage online at reviewjournal.com/51s and @RJ_Sports on Twitter.
Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BetsyHelfand on Twitter.
