Twin Bill Rained Out

Strike three, I'm out? Rain ruins another evening of scouting Sally talent forcing me to miss top Phillies prospect Trevor May. Add May to Rockies prospect Christian Friedrich, and Rays prospect Nick Barnese, and inclement weather has really hurt my ability to watch top players.

However, I was able to watch May's full warm up cycle and can discuss what I saw. Trevor May looks as if he was built for durability. With broad shoulders, and thick build, he has the ideal body of a workhorse. In the pen, his fastball had significant life up in the zone. He hit his spots with ease and was peppering the low and outside spot. His breaking ball flashed plus in the pen with true 12 to 6 action. May's change up was all over the place and he left the ball up more often than not. It didn't look nearly as developed as the rest of his offerings.

One red flag in May's game may be the mental aspect of things. When charting in the stands, he was frequently doing things other than his job. From texting, to eating, he, as well as other Lakewood pitchers in general showed little interest in what was happening on the field.

From the dozen or so pitches Jeurys Familia threw in game action, it was obvious he was definitely on. His fastball was 92-94 with serious life. He threw one slurve, but I didn't catch the mileage reading.

During the rain delay, a gentlemen came up to my wife and children and started to chat it up. It turned out to be a Special Assistant to the General Manager Bryan Lambe. It was fun talking baseball and family with him and he was a very kind and gracious man.

I was also able to talk a little Syracuse basketball with Eric Beaulac, congratulated Phillies prospect Matthew Way on his impressive pitching performance, and discussed pitching strategy with Kyle Allen who was kind enough to give my children a couple of signed minor league baseball cards. All in all, it was a fun evening even though very few pitches were actually thrown.

As a side note, the Mets philosophy of signing players of good character really pays off at the minor league level. While it's imperative for fans to understand the young pitchers in the stands are doing very important jobs during the game, the players are always very personable and generous of their time during rain delays and whatnot. From Robert Carson signing programs, to Kyle Allen, Eric Beaulac, and even the occasional Mets executive being willing to talk baseball, my 2 1/2 year old son only started asking me to play catch and hit with him after having wonderful experiences at the park.