Champ Stuart Racing Through System
Champ Stuart (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
NEW YORK—Center fielder Champ Stuart earned a promotion from high Class A St. Lucie to Double-A Binghamton in 2016. He then represented Great Britain in a World Baseball Classic qualifier in Brooklyn.
He capped his season by participating in the Arizona Fall League, playing alongside Tim Tebow in the Scottsdale outfield.
Stuart, a 2013 sixth-round pick from Brevard (N.C.), is bidding to become the first Bahamas-born player to reach the majors since Antoan Richardson appeared in a combined 22 games for the Braves and Yankees in 2011 and 2014. Before that, there had been a three-decade gap since Wil Culmer played seven games with the 1983 Indians.
Stuart in recent years has spent his offseasons in the U.S., with his family occasionally visiting him. But he intends to finally get home, albeit briefly, this winter.
“It comes with the territory,” said Stuart, 24, the fastest baserunner in the Mets system. “I haven’t been home in approximately two years, but I’m planning to go home this year to spend Christmas with my family—just a little bit.”
Stuart stole 40 bases in 46 attempts this season at two levels. He hit .240/.314/.349 in 114 games overall with eight home runs, 12 doubles and seven triples.
“There’s definitely more in the tank and more room for improvement,” Stuart said. “So I’m looking forward to seeing what next year brings for me.”
Stuart was eligible to participate for Great Britain in the WBC qualifier because the Bahamas was a British colony until gaining independence in 1973, and Stuart’s father was born before that date. Stuart led his team by going 7-for-15 with two doubles, a triple, three RBIs and a steal in four games before his team was knocked out by Israel in the final.
“Getting together with guys with different nationalities, playing the game of baseball, it’s so fun—probably the most fun I’ve ever had in my life,” Stuart said about the WBC.
NEW YORK MINUTES
• Double-A Binghamton announced on Nov. 3 that they have rebranded the franchise as the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. The name refers to the history of carousels in the region.
• Righthanded reliever Corey Taylor, a seventh-round pick in 2015 out of Texas Tech, represented the Mets in the AFL’s Fall Stars showcase.
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