MPH System Audit Part IV: Catchers

Catchers

The system is extremely thin in catching prospects, so much so that a .210 hitter snags the top spot. That said, he's got a tremendous pedigree and is a terrific defensive catcher. The bat will/should come, and remember, he was 17 in A ball. Behind him include a couple of pickups from this offseason! In addition to those mentioned on this list, there are a few exclusions, 4 catchers who we signed during the 2007 International Free Agent signing period. Hansel Santana (16), Amauris Valdez (18), Milvin Vargas (17), and Hector Alvarez (16). Keep in mind that the Mets have not had a history of promoting catching talent from within, with their last real homegrown catcher being Todd Hundley.

1. Francisco Pena (18) R/R (A Savannah 103 games, .210/.263/.283, 77 for 367, 26 runs, 12 2b, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 24/76 BB/K, 1/2 SBs)

The 16 year old is considered a great prospect because of his hitting ability, power potential, plate approach, and his solid defense. He got a $740,000 signing bonus, and is the son of former Major League catcher Tony Pena. He is looking at a stateside debut, whether it be in the GCL, Kingsport, or Brooklyn, either way, keep an eye out for him, he could be a good one.

Pena started off in the full season A ball Sally League (at only 17), and put up atrocious stats. However, a few things to keep in mind: he is going to be only 18 years old next year, and now, with a full season of catching (103 games) under his belt, and a full season of playing in the states, at a level he had no business playing in, he should produce at a much higher clip then last season.

A very good sign for Pena this year was his comparitively low strikeout totals, only striking out in 20.71% of his ABs, and his 0.316 BB/K ratio. While he did walk 24 times, he was rather impatient at the plate, and that, in part, led to his low batting average. He also showed off pretty good power for his age, considering the level he was playing at. The hope is that the power will keep coming as he physically matures in coming years. Behind the plate, Pena's abilities of calling games and receiving balls helped gain the trust of his pitchers, but he suffered through his share of passed balls and throwing errors. His arm is strong but he does not have the proper mechanics, which led to a lot of throwing errors. As it expected, Pena is still very raw in many facets of the game, both offensive and defensively.

ETA. mid-2012. The Mets believe there is a large amount of upside to be had from Pena, which is why they brought him to the States at such a young age. Though he struggled in his rookie year, there is still plentiful time for Pena to make himself a household name among prospect watchers, and he is still very very young. However, at 6'2, 230, Pena needs to keep himself in playing shape, lest his defense (and offense) suffer. We would expect Pena to repeat the Sally League next year at age 18, and thereafter move a level per year, until being MLB ready sometime during the 2012 season.

2. Sean McCraw (21) L/R (A Savannah .272/.427/.377/.805, 41 for 151, 21 runs, 4 2b, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 37/35 BB/K, A+ St. Lucie .261/.340/.341/.681, 23 for 88, 17 runs, 4 2b, HR, 17 RBI, 10/23 BB/K, HWL Waikiki .143/.295/.257/.553, 5 for 35, 5 runs, 2b, HR, 5 RBI, 8/13 BB/K)

Total 2007 Stats: .252/.383/.350/.743, 69 for 274, 43 runs, 9 2b, 6 HR, 41 RBI, 55/71 BB/K)

McCraw was originally drafted by the Brewers in the 37th round of the 2004 draft out of high school, but instead chose to attend a one year college, San Jacinto in Texas. The Mets then drafted McCraw in the 8th round of the 2005 draft, and he signed and was immediately assigned to Kingport of the Appy League, where he hit a paltry .218/.313/.257/.570 in 32 games (101 ABs). McCraw repeated Kingsport in 2006, as the Mets wanted to keep the lefty batter away from lefty-Hell (Keyspan Park). He performed much better, hitting .266/.377/.439/.816 in 40 games (139 ABs).

2007 saw the catcher in Savannah, where he hit .272/.427/.377/.804 in 50 games (151 ABs). A late season promotion to St. Lucie slowed down McCraw, he hit .261/.340/.341/.681 in 26 games (88 ABs). McCraw played winterball in Hawaii, where he struggled mightily, hitting just .143/.295/.257/.553 in 11 games (35 ABs). However, since McCraw easily set career records in games played (87), and ABs (274), one could assume he tired out down the stretch in Hawaii.

McCraw tore his quad during the season, and that hampered him in the power department, but he did have a good year swinging the bat between Savannah and St. Lucie. The potential is still there for greater home run power as he strengthens his lower half, but aside from the long ball, he is a quality gap hitter. However, he still needs to work on his hitting versus left-handers (.182/.382/.255/.637). Nevertheless, he is an intelligent hitter who displays good patience and knows how to come through in clutch situations. McCraw is very solid in every facet of his work behind the plate. His good reaction time makes him proficient at blocking balls, and his good is strong enough to throw out most baserunners. He could benefit from cleaning up his mechanics, which improve his caught stealing ratio.

ETA. 2011. McCraw should spend the bulk of 2008 in St. Lucie, but much like this past year, a late summer promotion to Binghamton may not be a stretch. No matter how he finishes 2008, it is anticipated he will spend three more full seasons in the system before debuting sometime during 2011.

3. Luis Alen

Alen was signed out of Winnipeg (Canada) in the winter of 2007.

BA has this to say about him:

Alen, a 22-year-old from Venezuela, spent the 2006 season in Italy after playing four years in the Marlins organization. He was a light-hitting catcher with the Marlins, hitting .230/.289/.280 in 391 career at-bats before being released in 2005.

The Goldeyes weren't expecting much offensively, but they knew that he was a solid defensive catcher with an outstanding arm. The arm was just as good as advertised, and he registered consistent 1.8-1.85-second pop times (the time from the catcher's mitt to the second baseman's glove on a throw) while showing a quick release and accuracy. He gunned out 31 percent of basestealers as one of the youngest players in a league dominated by minor league veterans.

But what was surprising was Alen's development as a hitter. He hit .333/.396/.453 to finish eighth in the Northern League in batting. He struck out 20 times in 285 at-bats. His swing is not particularly short, but he does have a plan at the plate and shortens up if he falls behind in the count.

"He has a plan in every at-bat. He gets good wood on the ball," Winnipeg manager Rick Forney said. "The power will come. He hit a hard .330 with a lot of line drives."

4. Ralph Henriquez (20) S/R (Hou A Lexington .185/.227/.280/.507, 69 for 372, 12 2b, 3b, 7 HR, 36 RBI, 21/86 BB/K)

Henriquez was drafted in 2005 by the Houston Astros in the 2nd round. He was dealt to the Mets in the winter of 2007 for left hander Joshua Appell.

Here is a scouting report from the 05 draft on Henriquez.

Ralph Henriquez -- Henriquez was the top prospect at the Showcase and put on one of the most impressive hitting displays we've ever witnessed. We've seen Henriquez a number of times before in WWBA tournaments and while he's been a solid prospect in the past, there was no hint of this coming. Since October Henriquez has gotten stronger, especially in his upper half and changed his hitting approach some. There might very well be a connection between his improvement since then and the fact that his father, the Atlanta Braves minor league catching instructor, has been off the road during that time. Whatever the case, Henriquez showed us very good professional level bat speed from both sides of the plate. He gets excellent extension from both sides and attacks the ball with an aggressive vengeance. The Henriquez we've seen in the past was more of a gap to gap hitter with a more contact oriented approach. This Henriquez looks to hit the ball 450' and is very capable of doing so. If anything, Henriquez has a bit of wrap and is slightly longer from the left side than the right, but that's quibbling. As you would expect with the coaching he's received, Henriquez is a very sound defensive catcher with good shifting and blocking ability. His workout pop times aren't in the elite range but Henriquez "cheats" far less than most catchers and his arm strength and release are MLB quality. He's a hard worker from a baseball environment and a good student. He's a big time prospect!

5. Patrick Maat (20), R/R (R GCL .190/.352/.238/.590, 8 for 42, 4 runs, 2 2b, 3 RBI, 10/12 BB/K)

The Mets signed Pat Maat, who was a highly regarded catcher coming out of Australia, in January of 2005, and he made his debut in 2007 for the rookie leveel GCL Mets, but only got 42 ABs. He still has good upside, and should be one to watch going forward.