Mets "Short Season" Top Prospects

Over the past few days Baseball America has been breaking down the best prospects in each level of the minor league system. Today, they wrapped up the short season leagues with the NYPL, and out of the 3 leagues, the Mets have 7 "top prospects". I tried just to use pieces of each scouting report, but, as you'll see, that didn't work to well.

GCL

3.	Jefry Marte, 3b, Mets

The Mets signed Marte last summer out of the Dominican Republic for $550,000. He participated in the instructional league last fall but had to wait until he turned 17 before he could participate in his first pro season. Even as one of the youngest players in the GCL, he had one of the more impressive offensive seasons, batting .325/.398/.532.

"He already has a good swing and a strong body, but I can see him growing and getting even bigger and stronger," GCL Mets manager Bobby Floyd said. "He is going to have some real power."

~Keep an eye out for this kid. All the talk has been about Flores, but this kid can rake. Also, the talk has been that Marte will join Flores on the left side of Savannah's infield next year.

12.	Cesar Puello, of, Mets

"..He finished the season batting .305 but his most impressive accomplishment was overcoming a tendency to chase breaking balls out of the zone. He struck out 20 times in his first 13 games but punched out just 12 times in the final 27 contents.

Puello is a physical prospect who projects to have average tools across the board. He's an instinctive player who learns quickly. He fits best as a right fielder with a strong arm and the requisite power for the position."

~Didn't hear much about Puello this year, but he's supposed to be a legitmate prospect, so I'm interested to see him play next year. I'm guessing he'll be with Savannah.

Appy League

2. Wilmer Flores, SS, Mets

...The youngest player in the league (he turned 17 on Aug. 6), Flores showed plus-plus bat speed and a knack for putting the barrel on the ball. He struck out in just 11 percent of his at-bats, the lowest rate among league batting title qualifiers.

Though he's an aggressive hitter, he keeps his hands back well and adjusts to breaking balls. Flores also showed a willingness to use the whole field when behind in the count. His power at this stage is predominantly to his pull side, but his line-drive stroke and physicality suggest the potential for plus power....

~The only thing I can add to this is that Flores should have been the #1 prospect. Beckham, the #1 prospect, is a year older than Flores and failed to come close to Flores' offensive production. What ever, doesn't really matter.

NYPL

7. Brad Holt, RHP, Brooklyn (Mets)

...He commands his fastball very well in the zone and throws it at 93-96 mph with excellent life...
Holt repeats his easy delivery and throws from a downhill angle. Occasionally he flashes an average or better slider around 80 mph, but most of the time he holds onto the slider too long when he throws it. Scouts are encouraged that he at least repeats the pitch, giving reason to believe he could throw an average slider with a couple of mechanical adjustments and some repetition.

Every once in a great while, Holt also throws a 79 mph changeup, but the pitch remains very raw. The Mets kept him in the rotation this summer, though some scouts think he profiles better as a reliever...

~I felt he should of been ranked higher, but I guess people still don't believe in him as a starter. St. Lucie next year, probably.

9. Jenrry Mejia, RHP, Brooklyn (Mets)

..Regardless, he throws much harder than most 6-footers, running his fastball up to 97-98 mph and sitting at 95-96 even when throwing out of the stretch in the middle innings.

"He's a power-armed guy. He's a freak," a National League scout said. "I'm not even saying he's any good right now, I'm just saying he's a freak. He could probably throw 100 mph. His delivery's fair, but it's hard to repeat. I see a hell of a lot of effort with Mejia. He's like the kid at the carnival trying to win the thing, just letting it all go. He's got no rhythm. He's trying to be more fluid, but it's not happening."

Mejia works around the plate but doesn't have a lot of command in the strike zone or feel for pitching. He does have a chance for three legitimate above-average pitches, however...

~This kid is extremely raw, but he's extremely talented. "HE COULD probably throw 100 MPH?" Well, if that happens, this kid is going to jump prospect rankings QUICK.

11. Reese Havens, SS, Brooklyn (Mets)

...An elbow injury hampered the start of Havens' pro career, limiting him to DH for all but two games in the NY-P. He also missed time with a pulled groin, and his overall numbers were lackluster at best. But scouts caught a glimpse of his easy power to all fields in batting practice. He has a mature offensive approach and the ability to wear out the gaps.

~Don't sleep on Reese. Injuries plagued him this year, but this kid has a legit bat.

17. Ike Davis, 1B, Brooklyn (Mets)

..The Mets took him with the first of their two first-round picks (17th overall), but he was one of the bigger disappointments in the NY-P. Before getting relatively hot over the final 14 games of the season, Davis was hitting .227, and he finished the summer homerless in 215 at-bats.

"He was just a flop," an American League scout said. "I don't know if anyone will have anything good to say about him. He was moping around, just not giving it to you. He wasn't very aggressive at the plate, and when he strikes out he's always shocked when he's called out."....

~I was unimpressed with Davis early on, but in the last 2 weeks of the Cyclones' season he showed great progress. Good transfer of power, good balance, solid swing.. He has a lot of doubters to prove wrong.

The Mets have/had an extremely talented group in the lower levels of the minors. Some of these guys like Flores/Marte and projected to have serious power, while guys like Meja and Holt are power arms organizations love. Keep underrating this system...