Getting Noticed
May 30, 2005 08:27 AM | General
May 30, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Grant Psomas is doing his best to get noticed in the New York Mets minor league system. The former West Virginia University standout is having a tremendous season so far at Single-A Hagerstown (Md.) in the South Atlantic League.
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| Former WVU standout Grant Psomas is one of the top hitters in the Sally League playing at Hagerstown.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
Despite a recent 1-for-8 stretch over the weekend, Psomas remains one of the Sally League’s top hitters with a .335 average. Psomas also has good power numbers with 10 home runs and 18 doubles through 48 games.
“I’ve just got to stay consistent and prove to everyone that I can do it on a daily basis,” he said recently.
To this point Psomas’ season has been a model of consistency. He began the year with a six-game hitting streak and finished the month of April batting .358 with 5 home runs. This month he has been just as effective despite and 0 for 14 stretch two weeks ago that dropped his average to a season-low .326 on May 15.
Psomas broke out of that slump going 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and a home run in an 8-1 win over Greensboro on May 16. Psomas has 16 multi-hit games so far this year and has only gone hitless 12 times.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound third baseman leads a talented Suns team with 108 total bases and 18 doubles and is second in hits with 58. Three of Baseball America’s top 10-rated minor league prospects in the Mets organization are currently playing at Hagerstown in pitcher Gabby Hernandez (No. 3), outfielder Ambiorix Concepcion (No. 5) and catcher Jesus Flores (No. 9).
Hagerstown, managed by former major leaguer Gene Richards, is also the current home of top 2004 Mets picks Matt Durkin (2nd round), catcher Aaron Hathaway (4th round), shortstop Ryan Coultas (6th round) and first baseman Chris Carp (9th round).
Only first-round pick Phil Humber has advanced past Hagerstown to High-A St. Lucie. With a roster loaded with up and coming talent, it’s no surprise that Hagerstown sits atop the Northern Division standings with a 31-17 record.
Psomas, a 15th round draft selection (243rd overall), has made steady progress so far and is holding his own playing with higher-profile prospects.
“I’m happy with the way I’m playing and it’s nice to have a lot of good players in the lineup hitting around you,” he said. “That has certainly helped me see good pitches to hit.”
The Carnegie, Pa., native first caught the eye of professional scouts playing in the wooden-bat Great Lakes Summer League prior to his junior year at WVU where he hit .382 and was voted by managers as its top pro prospect of the year. He was one of 62 players in the 11-team league to be drafted in 2004.
Psomas also showed outstanding power (18 home runs in two seasons) and great versatility at West Virginia, playing second, third and shortstop at different times during his career. That versatility could help him down the road.
“I’m comfortable at any of the infield positions but that is really up to them,” Psomas said.
Last summer in 65 rookie league games at Brooklyn, Psomas hit .233 with three home runs, 13 doubles and two triples playing third base.
“There was an adjustment that first year because I was facing better pitching and getting used to using a wooden bat,” Psomas admitted. “The jam-shots and the ones off the end of the bat that were hits in college aren’t hits at this level.”
An invitation to the instructional league followed last fall at Port St. Lucie, and Psomas was invited to minor league camp this spring where he was able to gauge himself against the Mets other top young corner infield prospects like 23-year-old David Wright, now the regular third baseman for the Mets.
Wright has played extremely well, batting .314 with eight home runs and 28 RBI in games through Friday. New York also has a highly rated third-base prospect at St. Lucie in Shawn Bowman, rated No. 7 in the system by Baseball America.
Twenty eight-year-old veteran third baseman Rodney Nye is hitting .296 at Triple-A Norfolk while 21-year-old Aarom Baldiris is having a solid season at Double-A Binghamton hitting .289.
“There are a lot of good third basemen in the Mets system,” Psomas said.
Psomas, currently batting fifth in the lineup, says he expects to remain at Hagerstown for the entire year.
“I’d love to move up but I don’t really know what their plans are for me,” he said. “I will probably be at Hagerstown for the whole season.”
Psomas says the Mets have done little to alter his swing since he’s been in their system.
“They have helped me shorten my swing a little bit,” he said. “It was a little too long.”
From the looks of things, Grant Psomas is going to have a long professional baseball career, too.
