•Mike Pelfrey, right-handed pitcher: The first-round pick (ninth overall) in 2005 could be the next big thing in New York. At 6-7 and 210 pounds and with an enormous amount of upside, he has already been called a right-handed Randy Johnson.
After signing for a team-record $3.55 million bonus, Pelfrey, 23, pitched on four levels last year, going 2-1 in four starts for the parent club. In the minors he was 7-3 with a 2.43 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 96⅓ innings.
His fastball consistently resides in the 93- to 96-mph neighborhood, and he has enough confidence in his offspeed pitches to throw them at anytime in the count.
He's a serious contender for a spot in the 2007 rotation.
•Philip Humber, right-handed pitcher: The third overall pick in the 2004 draft out of Rice University blew out his right elbow 15 starts into his professional career and had Tommy John surgery in 2005. Cautiously, he returned in 2006 and threw 78⅓ innings, including two in his major league debut.
Although the 24-year-old was pulled out of the Arizona Fall League because of tendinitis in his pitching shoulder, Humber and the Mets think he will be healthy when spring training begins. His two best pitches are a fastball in the 90- to 95-mph range and a 12-to-6 curveball.
With a solid spring training and no further problems with his elbow, the 6-4, 210-pounder could make the big-league club. More likely, Humber will begin the season in Triple-A.
•Carlos Gomez, outfielder: The 21-year-old, who was signed out of the Dominican Republic, has quickly moved up the farm system's ladder.
Last year he was the organization's Sterling Award winner (the MVP of each level) for Double-A after hitting .281 with 24 doubles, eight triples and 41 stolen bases for Binghamton.
One of the fastest players in the organization, the 6-4, 195-pounder also is projected by the Mets to supply more power (he hit seven home runs last year). His defense is also improving.
Gomez, a close friend of shortstop Jose Reyes since childhood, probably will start the season at Triple-A New Orleans.
•Fernando Martinez, outfielder: Another signee out of the Dominican Republic (the Mets signed him for $1.4 million in 2005), the 6-0, 185-pound 18-year-old is a pure hitter from the left side.
In his first pro season, he hit a combined .279 on three levels, including .333 in 45 games at low-A Hagerstown, for whom he played in the South Atlantic League's All-Star Game. Martinez then played in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .253 in 25 games for Mesa and made the AFL's All-Prospects Team.
Martinez has played center field but might move to right.
He'll probably start the season at high-A St. Lucie.
•Mike Carp, first baseman: The 6-2, 205-pounder drafted out of high school in 2004 posted fine numbers at St. Lucie in 2006 (.287, 17 home runs, 88 RBI) and then hit .299 in 30 games for North Shore of the Hawaii Winter Baseball league.
The 20-year-old left-handed hitter used more of the field and got a better grasp of the strike zone in 2006. He also cut down his strikeout-per-at-bat ratio from 2005.
He's a good defensive player, too, and should start the 2007 season at Binghamton.
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