The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

LAST week represented the opening in Minor League Baseball as well, and one Bahamian player on the diamond got off to a quick start in his promotion to an elevated level of Single A play.

Jervis “Champ” Stuart has delivered some impressive numbers thus far for the St Lucie Mets in the Florida State Class A Advanced League.

Through six games, Stuart is hitting .350 with an on-base percentage of .462 with one home run, three RBI and five stolen bases.

His home run was a solo shot in the fourth inning to propel St Lucie to a 7-2 win over Bradenton on opening day. He finished the day 2-4 with two RBI and added one stolen base.

The Mets followed to complete the home portion of the series with another win over Bradenton and Stuart went 2-4 with one stolen base.

The series shifted and in two games on the road, Stuart went 3-6 with one RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases.

Stuart was a 2013 sixth-round pick in the New York Mets organisation.

Regarded as “the fastest player in the Mets system” by the club’s minor league scoring report, Stuart is ranked as the Mets’ No.25 prospect.

“Stuart rates at the top of the scouting scale [as a] runner. A former multi-sport standout, the other part of his game are a bit raw, but he’s not without tools. He’s willing to work counts and draw walks, knowing his job is to get on base,” the report goes on to say. “He has some strength, unlike some pure speed guys, giving hope that there’s some hitting ability to be unlocked. He uses his speed well on the basepaths as an efficient basestealer, something that will only improve as he learns the nuances of his craft. He covers a ton of ground in centre field, showing improvement on his reads and routes. Stuart’s plus tool will give him many opportunities. If the bat comes around, he could be more than just speed off of the bench.”

He was promoted to Single-A baseball last May and finished with a productive first season with the Savannah Sand Gnats of the Class A South Atlantic League.

The 22-year-old outfielder hit .256 with three home runs, 28 RBI , 29 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of .341.

He played his rookie season with the Tennessee-based Kingston Mets before he received the call to Class-A. A Bimini native, in his three-year collegiate career, Stuart was a two-time All-South Athletic Conference selection at Brevard College.

A second generation professional player, “Champ” is the son of Jervis Sr and Cicely Stuart.

The elder Stuart had a budding minor league baseball career of his own in the mid-1980s. He joined the Baltimore Orioles farm system in 1984 and advanced to Class A baseball in 1985.