Mayo believes the majority of the team's top pitching prospects are not candidiates to help in the major-league team's bullpen, mostly because they are so young and project to be starting pitchers as they all have a wide array of pitches, such as Jason Vargas, who was acquired recently from the Marlins.
According to Mayo, though Vargas has done some relieving, he does not profile as a reliever, instead he is more of a back-end-of-the-rotation type of guy. Of course, Mayo is certain to reference cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright, who was initially projected to be a starter, but was quite dominant as a closer this past season when called upon to do so.
Regarding Joe Smith, who the Mets selected in the 2005 draft, Mayo believes he could be ready to pitch at the major leagues by the middle of this season, noting he will be more successful as a set-up man and not a closer.
Like many minor-league experts, Mayo was very impressed with the progress and maturity of Fernando Martinez, who was the youngest player to play in the Arizona Fall League, during which he hit .303. The 18–year-old Martinez, according to Mayo, has lived up to early expectations at this point in his young career, which is certainly worth noting since many international signees struggle early on.
Mayo was quite surprised to see Phil Humber return as strong as he did, following Tommy John surgery a year-and-a-half ago. As Mayo put it, “He went from being sort of a, 'well, he's an injury guy, we'll have to see what happens, another ruined-arm from Rice,' to a guy who is ready to help out in New York as early as next April.
Lastly, Mayo does not believe that other teams have soured on Lastings Milledge, noting, “considering his age, and his skillset,” while not outstanding, the young outfielder did quite well in 2006. “Maybe a little bit of the luster has faded, since he didn't come up and dominate,” Mayo explains, but he should still be considered a top prospect.
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