The numbers in paraenthesis are the genesis of the 2009 season, from my preseason 09 list (2/7/09), to the list prior to this one (8/18/09). See who gained/lost in my eyes. This will be my final 2009 ranking.
The lists were as follows: 2/7 (top 30), 5/17 (top 20), 6/6 (top 30), 8/18 (top 60), 1/8 (this one, written on 11/8 - top 20)
1. OF Fernando Martinez (1): Made his MLB debut, showed off some of the tools which have been talked about many times in scouting reports, plus some which weren't expected (good speed, good defense in CF). Was injured in a freak slip&fall in Milwaukee, posted a really good line in AAA. Should open 2010 back in Buffalo
2. RHSP Jenrry Mejia (9,4,4,2): Blew through St. Lucie, had mixed results in AA, and a poor line in the AFL (but his K/9 and GOFO was off the charts good in Zona). Should open 2010 back in Binghamton
3. SS Wilmer Flores (2,2,2,3): After posting a composite .307/.347/.468/.815 line over 280 ABs last year, some were expecting big things out of the 17/18 year old this season, but they didn't materialize, as he hit just .264/.305/.332/.637 over 488 ABs. He probably should repeat Savannah at age 18/19, but chances are he opens 2010 in St. Lucie
4. 1B Ike Davis (15,11,14,5): Davis shut me up something fierce this season, I'd made it very well known I did not like him one bit, but a composite .298/.381/.524/.906 line with 20 HR and 31 2b between St. Lucie and Binghamton vault him into the top 5 of Met prospects. He should open 2010 in Buffalo, after hitting .341/.394/.565/.958 in Arizona.
5. RHSP Brad Holt (5,5,5,4): Holt apparently is in the doghouse for skipping Instructs, but outside of the off the field stuff, his on the field performance left much to be desired. While he did post a 3.12 in St. Lucie, he struggled mightily in AA, with a 6.21 era, and just 45 Ks in 58 innings, after posting 54 Ks in 43.1 St. Lucie innings. His secondary pitches need improvement if he is to remain a starter. He should open 2010 back in Binghamton.
6. RHSP Kyle Allen (20,14,30,10): Allen isn't well known, but I predict that by this time next year, he will be, so while ranking him 6th is a reach right now, I like being ahead of the curve. Allen features a fastball in the 92-95 range, with a good low to mid 80s changeup, and a mid 80s slider. He posted a 3.45 in Savannah, but if you subtract out his April (7.47), his ERA plummets to 2.87 over 109.2 innings. He should open 2010 in St. Lucie, but there exists a good possibility he ends the year in Binghamton, then visits Arizona.
7. SS Reese Havens (7,6,6,7) Havens had a fine season in 2009, with a 247/361/422/784 line, supressed by a very low BABIP, in the pitcher friendly FSL. Havens began making the transition to 2b in Arizona, where he hit 368/478/658/1136 in 38 ABs, and should either be outright playing 2b in 2010, or flip-flopping there with Ruben Tejada (who shouldn't be in Buffalo).
8. OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis (UNR,UNR,17,11) Nieuwenhuis, until early July, was a disappointment, but from July 8th to September 2nd, he totally exploded, hitting .340/.411/.602/1.013 in 206 ABs, and earning a promotion to Binghamton, where he should spend most (if not all) of 2010 as a 22 year old. Nieuwenhuis is a 5 tool prospect, though you don't hear much about him, you will. During his torrid streak, his BB/K was a solid 24/48, even though his overall BB/K was nothing special.
9. LHSP Jon Niese (3,8,8,8) Niese posted a sub 1 era in Buffalo over a 8 start span, got promoted, was pitching well, them succumbed to the black death which afflicted so many other Mets in 2009. Featuring a refined arsenal, including a cutter, Niese looked poised to grab a permanent rotation spot and run with it, but it was not to be. He comes into 2010 (if 100% healthy) as the favorite for the 5th SP job.
10. C Josh Thole (8,7,7,6) Thole is as Thole does. A+, AA, MLB, VWL, it doesn't matter. Thole hits. The only question about him is defense, and he threw out ~30% of basestealers in AA this year, though at last check, he was 1 for 19 in the VWL. Thole, solely based on his defense, should open 2010 in Buffalo. It will be a rare case where whatever he does offensively will (or should) mean considerably less then what he does defensively.
11. RHSP Jeurys Familia (19,9,9,9)
12. SS Ruben Tejada (21,UNR,11,12)
13. RHSP Scott Moviel (12,17,15,24)
14. LHSP Robert Carson (14,10,10,13)
15. 3B Zach Lutz (UNR,UNR,26,14)
16. RHP Brant Rustich (22,3,3,21)
17. OF Cesar Puello (29,UNR,37,15)
18. LHSP Steven Matz (16)
19. LHSP Juan Urbina (17)
20. LHSP Zach Dotson (18)
Showing posts with label Top Prospect List. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top Prospect List. Show all posts
Friday, January 08, 2010
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Post Draft Signing Top 60 Prospects
Numbers in paraenthesis are my last official rankings. My next prospect list will be the final one for the 2009 season, sometime in November.
1. OF Fernando Martinez (1)
2. RHSP Jenrry Mejia (4)
3. SS Wilmer Flores (2)
4. RHSP Brad Holt (5)
5. 1B Ike Davis (14)
6. C Josh Thole (7)
7. SS Reese Havens (6)
8. LHSP Jon Niese (8)
9. RHSP Jeurys Familia (9)
10. RHSP Kyle Allen (30)
11. OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis (17)
12. SS Ruben Tejada (11)
13. LHSP Robert Carson (10)
14. 3B Zach Lutz (26)
15. OF Cesar Puello (37)
16. LHSP Steven Matz
17. LHSP Juan Urbina
18. LHSP Zach Dotson
19. 2B Jordany Valdespin (22) Note: He needs to get his head out of his anal cavaty, he's got all the talent in the world...
20. 1B Lucas Duda (21)
21. RHSP Brant Rustich (3) Note: His stuff is unparalled in the system, but his history of arm injuries renders him a complete wild card, and as such, I cannot justify a ranking in the top 10 anymore. Make no mistake, on pure stuff alone, he's a top 5 prospect, injuries rob him.
22. OF Brahiam Maldonado
23. RHSP Dillon Gee (13) Note: Torn labrums are nothing to take lightly, and that is the injury Gee's suffered from this year. He's opted for rest and rehab in lieu of surgery, so his status is completely up in the air, hence the low ranking. Prior to the injury, he was a good bet to make a few starts in the majors as a command and control guy.
24. RHSP Scott Moviel (15)
25. 3B Richard Lucas (41)
26. 2B Alonzo Harris (32)
27. C Nelfi Zapata
28. C Francisco Pena (18)
29. SS Robbie Shields
30. RHSP Eric Beaulac (20)
31. OF Darrell Ceciliani
32. 3B Jefry Marte
33. LHSP Eric Niesen (24)
34. RHSP Nick Carr (12) Note: See Rustich, Brant
35. LHSP Angel Calero
36. RHRP Eddie Kunz (23)
37. OF ZeErika Hall
38. 3B Shawn Bowman
39. 1B/3B Stefan Welch (43)
40. Camden Maron
41. RHSP Elvin Ramirez (16) Note: For the second straight season, Ramirez suffered an injury around the 75 inning mark, perhaps signalling he's a future reliever? He's got one of the best sinkers in the system, and tops out around 95,96, so he could be a nasty reliever.
42. OF Javier Rodriguez (38)
43. LHP Jim Fuller (49)
44. 3B Aderlin Rodriguez (33)
45. Julio Concepcion
46. RHSP Eduardo Aldama
47. 2B Hector Pellot (39)
48. C Dock Doyle (40)
49. C Ralph Henriquez
50. RHSP Tobi Stoner
51. RHSP Armando Rodriguez
52. RHSP Scott Shaw
53. RHSP Phillips Orta
54. RHSP John Holdzkom
55. OF Pedro Zapata
56. RHRP Stephen Clyne
57. LHSP Michael Antonini
58. OF/2B Emmanuel Garcia
59. OF Rafael Fernandez
60. RHSP Cole Abbott
1. OF Fernando Martinez (1)
2. RHSP Jenrry Mejia (4)
3. SS Wilmer Flores (2)
4. RHSP Brad Holt (5)
5. 1B Ike Davis (14)
6. C Josh Thole (7)
7. SS Reese Havens (6)
8. LHSP Jon Niese (8)
9. RHSP Jeurys Familia (9)
10. RHSP Kyle Allen (30)
11. OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis (17)
12. SS Ruben Tejada (11)
13. LHSP Robert Carson (10)
14. 3B Zach Lutz (26)
15. OF Cesar Puello (37)
16. LHSP Steven Matz
17. LHSP Juan Urbina
18. LHSP Zach Dotson
19. 2B Jordany Valdespin (22) Note: He needs to get his head out of his anal cavaty, he's got all the talent in the world...
20. 1B Lucas Duda (21)
21. RHSP Brant Rustich (3) Note: His stuff is unparalled in the system, but his history of arm injuries renders him a complete wild card, and as such, I cannot justify a ranking in the top 10 anymore. Make no mistake, on pure stuff alone, he's a top 5 prospect, injuries rob him.
22. OF Brahiam Maldonado
23. RHSP Dillon Gee (13) Note: Torn labrums are nothing to take lightly, and that is the injury Gee's suffered from this year. He's opted for rest and rehab in lieu of surgery, so his status is completely up in the air, hence the low ranking. Prior to the injury, he was a good bet to make a few starts in the majors as a command and control guy.
24. RHSP Scott Moviel (15)
25. 3B Richard Lucas (41)
26. 2B Alonzo Harris (32)
27. C Nelfi Zapata
28. C Francisco Pena (18)
29. SS Robbie Shields
30. RHSP Eric Beaulac (20)
31. OF Darrell Ceciliani
32. 3B Jefry Marte
33. LHSP Eric Niesen (24)
34. RHSP Nick Carr (12) Note: See Rustich, Brant
35. LHSP Angel Calero
36. RHRP Eddie Kunz (23)
37. OF ZeErika Hall
38. 3B Shawn Bowman
39. 1B/3B Stefan Welch (43)
40. Camden Maron
41. RHSP Elvin Ramirez (16) Note: For the second straight season, Ramirez suffered an injury around the 75 inning mark, perhaps signalling he's a future reliever? He's got one of the best sinkers in the system, and tops out around 95,96, so he could be a nasty reliever.
42. OF Javier Rodriguez (38)
43. LHP Jim Fuller (49)
44. 3B Aderlin Rodriguez (33)
45. Julio Concepcion
46. RHSP Eduardo Aldama
47. 2B Hector Pellot (39)
48. C Dock Doyle (40)
49. C Ralph Henriquez
50. RHSP Tobi Stoner
51. RHSP Armando Rodriguez
52. RHSP Scott Shaw
53. RHSP Phillips Orta
54. RHSP John Holdzkom
55. OF Pedro Zapata
56. RHRP Stephen Clyne
57. LHSP Michael Antonini
58. OF/2B Emmanuel Garcia
59. OF Rafael Fernandez
60. RHSP Cole Abbott
Monday, July 27, 2009
2009 MPH Midseason Report!
The 2009 MetsProspectHub Midseason Report!
The Mets farm system has been much maligned lately, with some people insinuating that the individual teams records actually has something to do with the quality of prospects on those teams. That might be the most laughable notion I've ever heard (right up there with trading Reyes because his .355 OBP = immaturity, and trading Beltran for someone with more "grit" - boy we've had some gems this season, huh?).
As of this writing, the Sand Gnats record is 51-46, good for 3rd in their division, 1.5 games behind Greeneville (Red Sox) for first place. They may have the strongest prospect core in the Mets system, with top prospects Wilmer Flores (he who looks like a teenager because...coincidently, he is a teenager), Jefry Marte (he's also a teenager) headlining a pretty good offense, along with lessor prospects Jordany Valdespin (injured; hammy), Raul Reyes, and Eric Campbell. Kyle Allen (teenager), Robert Carson, Elvin Ramirez (injured; tendon), Eric Beaulac and Jeurys Familia (teenager) form one of the best prospect/pitching rotations in the minor leagues.
The ringer laden Cyclones lead their division by 3 games over Staten Island with a 22-11 record, but very few actual prospects exist here. Sam Honeck, an 11th round pick out of Tulane (where Jamie Bruno is going, incidently), is off to a rip roaring start, hitting .320/.373 over his first 25 games (albeit with just 3 doubles). Nick Santomauro, a 10th rounder out of Dartmouth, is hitting .260/.403/.400 in 18 games. All other quasi-prospects are all floundering, with Ralph Henriquez (.208), Nick Giarraputo (.185), Juan Centeno (.179), Luis Nieves (.167) struggling to hit at or over the Mendoza line. Through 28 ABs, 3rd rounder Robbie Shields is hitting a lusty .107. The pitching staff is led by 23 year old Brandon Moore with a 1.32 era. Again, very few prospects exist, with Mark Cohoon being one of the few (2.48 era).
Down in Kingsport, the Mets are 10-19, all due to allowing 7.24 runs per game on average (210 runs in 29 games). Offensively, the Mets are a dynamic power laden team, with 2b Alonzo Harris having 7 HR, leading the team. Darrell Ceciliani (4th round, Columbia Basin) is off to a very good start, hitting .301/.393/.452 in 73 ABs. Kingsport is laden with good hitting prospects, most of them being actually age/level appropriate. Pedro Zapata is a speed burner who is hitting .339, with 5 steals in 6 tries (17 games). Harris is 20, Ceciliani 19. Cesar Puello is 17, hitting .263, though with a fugly 1/25 BB/K ratio. Pitching wise, it is largely an older staff, though they have gotten younger with the additions of Jhonathan Torres and Yohan Almonte from the GCL team. They've largely been ineffective, but there are people to keep an eye on. Besides the aforementioned, Eduardo Aldama is just 19, and shows good GB tendencies (1.82). Angel Cuan, who dominated the VSL last summer, is finding life stateside much more difficult, but his last outing was his best of the season.
So the conclusion? The Mets have several very very intriguing prospects in the lower levels of the farm system, going simply by record and dismissing all else is a very dubious, very poor way of judging a farm system.
Tejesh's Top 15:
1. Fernando Martinez
2. Wilmer Flores
3. Jenrry Mejia
4. Brad Holt
5. Brant Rustich
6. Jon Niese
7. Josh Thole
8. Reese Havens
9. Robert Carson
10. Kyle Allen
11. Jeurys Familia
12. Ike Davis
13. Ruben Tejada
14. Nick Carr
15. Dillon Gee
David's Top 11:
1. Fernando Martinez
2. Jenrry Mejia
3. Brad Holt
4. Wilmer Flores
5. Jon Niese
6. Ike Davis
7. Jeurys Familia
8. Reese Havens
9. Jefry Marte
10. Robert Carson
11. Ruben Tejada
The Man's Top 11:
1. Fernando Martinez
2. Jenrry Mejia
3. Wilmer Flores
4. Brad Holt
5. Ike Davis
6. Jon Niese
7. Robert Carson
8. Jeurys Familia
9. Ruben Tejada.
10. Josh Thole
11. Eric Beaulac
MPH Mid-Season Awards
*Note: I (Tejesh) wanted to stay away from the sexy buzzword prospects, which both David and The Man have covered very well in this section, so my choices for these categories will be a bit off the beaten track.
1. Most Improved Prospect:
Tejesh: Josh Thole
David: Jenrry Mejia and Ike Davis(tie)
The Man: Ruben Tejada
2. Biggest Disappointment:
Tejesh: Brahiam Maldonado
David: Michael Antonini
The Man: Reese Havens
3. Most Impressive:
Tejesh: Alonzo Harris
David: Jenrry Mejia
The Man: Jenrry Mejia
4. Don't sleep on..
Tejesh: Stefan Welch
David: Zach Lutz, and Aderlin Rodriguez
The Man: Eric Beaulac
5. I'd Never Heard of Him Before:
Tejesh: Jordany Valdespin (and may never again, lol)
David: Yohan Almonte
The Man: Jeurys Familia
6. To early to call a bust?
Tejesh: Francisco Pena (as much as I personally dislike him)
David: Jefry Marte and Francisco Pena(tie)
The Man: Fransisco Pena
The Mets farm system has been much maligned lately, with some people insinuating that the individual teams records actually has something to do with the quality of prospects on those teams. That might be the most laughable notion I've ever heard (right up there with trading Reyes because his .355 OBP = immaturity, and trading Beltran for someone with more "grit" - boy we've had some gems this season, huh?).
As of this writing, the Sand Gnats record is 51-46, good for 3rd in their division, 1.5 games behind Greeneville (Red Sox) for first place. They may have the strongest prospect core in the Mets system, with top prospects Wilmer Flores (he who looks like a teenager because...coincidently, he is a teenager), Jefry Marte (he's also a teenager) headlining a pretty good offense, along with lessor prospects Jordany Valdespin (injured; hammy), Raul Reyes, and Eric Campbell. Kyle Allen (teenager), Robert Carson, Elvin Ramirez (injured; tendon), Eric Beaulac and Jeurys Familia (teenager) form one of the best prospect/pitching rotations in the minor leagues.
The ringer laden Cyclones lead their division by 3 games over Staten Island with a 22-11 record, but very few actual prospects exist here. Sam Honeck, an 11th round pick out of Tulane (where Jamie Bruno is going, incidently), is off to a rip roaring start, hitting .320/.373 over his first 25 games (albeit with just 3 doubles). Nick Santomauro, a 10th rounder out of Dartmouth, is hitting .260/.403/.400 in 18 games. All other quasi-prospects are all floundering, with Ralph Henriquez (.208), Nick Giarraputo (.185), Juan Centeno (.179), Luis Nieves (.167) struggling to hit at or over the Mendoza line. Through 28 ABs, 3rd rounder Robbie Shields is hitting a lusty .107. The pitching staff is led by 23 year old Brandon Moore with a 1.32 era. Again, very few prospects exist, with Mark Cohoon being one of the few (2.48 era).
Down in Kingsport, the Mets are 10-19, all due to allowing 7.24 runs per game on average (210 runs in 29 games). Offensively, the Mets are a dynamic power laden team, with 2b Alonzo Harris having 7 HR, leading the team. Darrell Ceciliani (4th round, Columbia Basin) is off to a very good start, hitting .301/.393/.452 in 73 ABs. Kingsport is laden with good hitting prospects, most of them being actually age/level appropriate. Pedro Zapata is a speed burner who is hitting .339, with 5 steals in 6 tries (17 games). Harris is 20, Ceciliani 19. Cesar Puello is 17, hitting .263, though with a fugly 1/25 BB/K ratio. Pitching wise, it is largely an older staff, though they have gotten younger with the additions of Jhonathan Torres and Yohan Almonte from the GCL team. They've largely been ineffective, but there are people to keep an eye on. Besides the aforementioned, Eduardo Aldama is just 19, and shows good GB tendencies (1.82). Angel Cuan, who dominated the VSL last summer, is finding life stateside much more difficult, but his last outing was his best of the season.
So the conclusion? The Mets have several very very intriguing prospects in the lower levels of the farm system, going simply by record and dismissing all else is a very dubious, very poor way of judging a farm system.
Tejesh's Top 15:
1. Fernando Martinez
2. Wilmer Flores
3. Jenrry Mejia
4. Brad Holt
5. Brant Rustich
6. Jon Niese
7. Josh Thole
8. Reese Havens
9. Robert Carson
10. Kyle Allen
11. Jeurys Familia
12. Ike Davis
13. Ruben Tejada
14. Nick Carr
15. Dillon Gee
David's Top 11:
1. Fernando Martinez
2. Jenrry Mejia
3. Brad Holt
4. Wilmer Flores
5. Jon Niese
6. Ike Davis
7. Jeurys Familia
8. Reese Havens
9. Jefry Marte
10. Robert Carson
11. Ruben Tejada
The Man's Top 11:
1. Fernando Martinez
2. Jenrry Mejia
3. Wilmer Flores
4. Brad Holt
5. Ike Davis
6. Jon Niese
7. Robert Carson
8. Jeurys Familia
9. Ruben Tejada.
10. Josh Thole
11. Eric Beaulac
MPH Mid-Season Awards
*Note: I (Tejesh) wanted to stay away from the sexy buzzword prospects, which both David and The Man have covered very well in this section, so my choices for these categories will be a bit off the beaten track.
1. Most Improved Prospect:
Tejesh: Josh Thole
David: Jenrry Mejia and Ike Davis(tie)
The Man: Ruben Tejada
2. Biggest Disappointment:
Tejesh: Brahiam Maldonado
David: Michael Antonini
The Man: Reese Havens
3. Most Impressive:
Tejesh: Alonzo Harris
David: Jenrry Mejia
The Man: Jenrry Mejia
4. Don't sleep on..
Tejesh: Stefan Welch
David: Zach Lutz, and Aderlin Rodriguez
The Man: Eric Beaulac
5. I'd Never Heard of Him Before:
Tejesh: Jordany Valdespin (and may never again, lol)
David: Yohan Almonte
The Man: Jeurys Familia
6. To early to call a bust?
Tejesh: Francisco Pena (as much as I personally dislike him)
David: Jefry Marte and Francisco Pena(tie)
The Man: Fransisco Pena
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Revisiting my Preseason Top 30...
My preseason top 30, comments in parathesis, the grade following my comments is the grade I feel he's earned this season
1. Fernando Martinez OF (performed very well in AAA, flashed signs in the majors, solid BB/K, line drive hitter, injured again, though) B
2. Wilmer Flores SS (After, I'll say it, a very subpar April (.296/.676) and May (.235/.600), Wilmer's turned it on in June (.309/.766) and July (.310/.741), hitting around .310 with solid K numbers (17 in 165 ABs) after 24 in 158 April+May ABs with a .260 average, needs to show some power (but the average is damn impressive) B+
3. Jon Niese LHSP (after a disasterous first half, Jon's pitching to a 0.96 era in his last 8 starts, the best stretch of his pro career) B-
4. Danirl Murphy 3B/2B/1B/LF (started the season in LF, looked lost, moved to 1b, looks great. The bat hasn't come around as we'd hoped, he looks lost and in between at the plate, but he's been jerked around by Jerry, so it's not totally Daniel's fault.) C-
5. Brad Holt RHSP (Outside of his season debut, Holt dominated high A and made it to AA in his first full season. Has performed respectably in AA, again, removing his worst start, reports on his secondaries have been good) B
6. Nick Evans LF/1B (Yeesh. Was demoted to EXT then AA after hitting .096 in AAA (yes, .096). Performed decently in the majors, and has been...better upon his return to AAA (.227/.261/.273/.534 (22 ABs)) D
7. Reese Havens SS (severe disappointment, fell into a deep slump in high A, then got hurt) D
8. Josh Thole C/1B (Thole keeps on doing what Thole does. High average, high on base, acceptable pop (22 2b). Reports of his defense improving enhance his stock, and it's more a matter of him being passed by higher ceiling prospects then slippage that he'll likely end the year outside of my top 10) B+
9. Jenrry Mejia RHSP (flat out dominated high A at 19, made it to AA, performance was more mixed, then got hurt. Has HUGE upside, jumped 6 spots in my midseason rankings) A
10. Jefry Marte 3B (has been flat out awful on both sides of the ball, is making a 2 level jump at 17/18, hitting MUCH better in July (.296/.350/.446/.796), still on pace for 50 errors (he's got 35)) C+
11. Bobby Parnell RHP (has spent the entire season in the majors, has been hit or miss, flashes a wickedly plus fastball (96-100), inconsistent secondaries (slider, changeup), could probably use time in the minors/winter league to refine his secondaries) C+
12. Scott Moviel RHSP (tore his knee meniscus twice, hasn't pitched well since returning, but it's only 4 starts in St. Lucie) INC
13. Dillon Gee RHSP (was pitching decently in AAA before getting hurt, labrum tear severely clouds his future, which at best was a Greg Maddux lite) INC
14. Robert Carson LHSP (Has performed extremely well, outside of a 2 start + 1 inning span (4/24, awful first, good 5 after), totalling just 5.1 innings, he's pitched to a 3.15 RA, a 1.43 era, and a 7-4 record) A
15. Ike Davis 1B (Davis is shutting me up something fierce, huh? I've made my disdain for Davis well known, and Davis is doing nothing but performing, with 12 HR and 23 2b split between high A and AA. He's only got a .563 OPS against LHP, so he needs to improve that markedly, but his 1.015 against RHP is extremely impressive) A
16. Francisco Pena C (Pena's made some strides this season (12/48 BB/K, vs a 25/95 last year, .190 K rate this year, vs .239 last year, there are some who would tell you the high contact rate points to an imminent breakout, I'm not sure, but then again, to be fair, I've never been a Pena fan, either, and his July (.905 OPS, best month of his pro career) certainly backs up the prediction of a breakout) C
17. Eddie Kunz RHRP (yeah, I ranked my 3 "disdains" in a row, lol. Kunz has been largely pedestrian in his first full season in AAA, posting a 4.08 era, and slipping 6 spots in my midseason rankings (to 23). Again, to be fair, Kunz' season is largely a product of 4-5 very ill-placed appearances where he's been bombed out of existance (3+ runs). And as we know, one appearance of 4 runs in an inning can KILL an ERA for weeks and months. Still, AAA lefties are hitting .267 with a .360 OBP, while righties are hitting just .176 against him) C-
18. Michael Antonini LHSP (we knew Owen would flame out in AA, I, personally, had some hope Antonini wouldn't go down the same path, but he has. His season tanked his ranking, he's in the mid 40s, easily the largest drop on my preseason list (except for Nathan Vineyard). Antonini's allowing AA lefties to hit .269 against him, while righties are hitting .308, so even a role as a LOOGY looks like a longshot at this point) F
19. Jeurys Familia RHSP (his stock has risen considerably this season, he's jumped up 10 spots from this ranking to 9th overall (though I may be tweaking that post 8/15). Still, Familia at age 19 is dominating the Sally League, with 1.47 GO/FO and 91 Ks in 106 innings. Familia is 55 innings above his career high, a cautionary note if his performance were to slip from here) A
20. Kyle Allen RHSP (Allen was only ranked here because I didn't have good information on him, the same reason he was 30th in my predraft top 50, right now, he would be in the top 15 for sure. Outside of an awful 7.5 era April, Allen's pitched to a 3 era this season, and had 72 Ks in 86 innings, with an extremely good 2.31 GO/FO) B
21. Ruben Tejada SS (Considering his age (19), and his putrid performance in high A last year (.229/.293/.296/.588) it would've been very easy to write off Tejada for 2009 as well, after learning he was going to open in Binghamton. Indeed, Tejada hit just .222/.347/.286 in April, but from 5/1 on, Tejada's been extremely impressive, hitting around .292/.341/.374 in 250 ABs.
22. Brant Rustich RHP (he was ranked here due to injury concerns, stayed healthy long enough (pitching 4-5 innings every outing) for me to rocket him up to 3rd, and then got hurt. He's still got the best stuff in the system, but injury concerns at UCLA dropped him into the 3rd round in 07, and injury concerns in the pros have limited him to just high A at age 24) B-
23. Nathan Vineyard LHSP (he retired rather then rehab) Grade: WUSS
24. Angel Calero LHSP (Calero's had a mixed season, suffering through a 5.68 era in May+June, but posting 1.23 in April and 3.86 in July around them, overall pitching to a 4.19 in 77.1 innings. Calero hasn't appeared in a game since the 9th of July, cause unknown) C+
25. Greg Veloz 2b (outside of a hot 2-3 weeks to start the season, Veloz has been flat out awful, with a .628 OPS. He has slightly improved his BB/K (.3451 last year, .3824 this), but overall, it's been a disappointing season for Veloz) C-
26. Lucas Duda 1b/OF (Duda's performed well in AA, considering his ... somewhat disappointing high A campaign in 2008 (.263/.358/.398/.755). He's cut down his Ks (.267 rate last year, .249 this), and significantly improved his BB/K (.5116 last year, .622 this). Significant platoon splits are holding him back, however (.487 OPS vs LHP, .904 vs RHP), but this has been a good step forward season for Duda) B-
27. Nick Carr RHSP (Carr rebounded from a nightmarish 2008, and was having a good 2009, but got hurt midway through) INC
28. Jose Coronado SS (awful season from Coronado, who some had thought made strides offensively with his great showing in the VWL, but he got off to a putrid start in AAA, and hasn't been much better in AA) D
29. Cesar Puello OF (performing very well in short season rookie ball at age 17) B+
30. Aderlin Rodriguez 3B (hasn't appeared in a game yet) INC
1. Fernando Martinez OF (performed very well in AAA, flashed signs in the majors, solid BB/K, line drive hitter, injured again, though) B
2. Wilmer Flores SS (After, I'll say it, a very subpar April (.296/.676) and May (.235/.600), Wilmer's turned it on in June (.309/.766) and July (.310/.741), hitting around .310 with solid K numbers (17 in 165 ABs) after 24 in 158 April+May ABs with a .260 average, needs to show some power (but the average is damn impressive) B+
3. Jon Niese LHSP (after a disasterous first half, Jon's pitching to a 0.96 era in his last 8 starts, the best stretch of his pro career) B-
4. Danirl Murphy 3B/2B/1B/LF (started the season in LF, looked lost, moved to 1b, looks great. The bat hasn't come around as we'd hoped, he looks lost and in between at the plate, but he's been jerked around by Jerry, so it's not totally Daniel's fault.) C-
5. Brad Holt RHSP (Outside of his season debut, Holt dominated high A and made it to AA in his first full season. Has performed respectably in AA, again, removing his worst start, reports on his secondaries have been good) B
6. Nick Evans LF/1B (Yeesh. Was demoted to EXT then AA after hitting .096 in AAA (yes, .096). Performed decently in the majors, and has been...better upon his return to AAA (.227/.261/.273/.534 (22 ABs)) D
7. Reese Havens SS (severe disappointment, fell into a deep slump in high A, then got hurt) D
8. Josh Thole C/1B (Thole keeps on doing what Thole does. High average, high on base, acceptable pop (22 2b). Reports of his defense improving enhance his stock, and it's more a matter of him being passed by higher ceiling prospects then slippage that he'll likely end the year outside of my top 10) B+
9. Jenrry Mejia RHSP (flat out dominated high A at 19, made it to AA, performance was more mixed, then got hurt. Has HUGE upside, jumped 6 spots in my midseason rankings) A
10. Jefry Marte 3B (has been flat out awful on both sides of the ball, is making a 2 level jump at 17/18, hitting MUCH better in July (.296/.350/.446/.796), still on pace for 50 errors (he's got 35)) C+
11. Bobby Parnell RHP (has spent the entire season in the majors, has been hit or miss, flashes a wickedly plus fastball (96-100), inconsistent secondaries (slider, changeup), could probably use time in the minors/winter league to refine his secondaries) C+
12. Scott Moviel RHSP (tore his knee meniscus twice, hasn't pitched well since returning, but it's only 4 starts in St. Lucie) INC
13. Dillon Gee RHSP (was pitching decently in AAA before getting hurt, labrum tear severely clouds his future, which at best was a Greg Maddux lite) INC
14. Robert Carson LHSP (Has performed extremely well, outside of a 2 start + 1 inning span (4/24, awful first, good 5 after), totalling just 5.1 innings, he's pitched to a 3.15 RA, a 1.43 era, and a 7-4 record) A
15. Ike Davis 1B (Davis is shutting me up something fierce, huh? I've made my disdain for Davis well known, and Davis is doing nothing but performing, with 12 HR and 23 2b split between high A and AA. He's only got a .563 OPS against LHP, so he needs to improve that markedly, but his 1.015 against RHP is extremely impressive) A
16. Francisco Pena C (Pena's made some strides this season (12/48 BB/K, vs a 25/95 last year, .190 K rate this year, vs .239 last year, there are some who would tell you the high contact rate points to an imminent breakout, I'm not sure, but then again, to be fair, I've never been a Pena fan, either, and his July (.905 OPS, best month of his pro career) certainly backs up the prediction of a breakout) C
17. Eddie Kunz RHRP (yeah, I ranked my 3 "disdains" in a row, lol. Kunz has been largely pedestrian in his first full season in AAA, posting a 4.08 era, and slipping 6 spots in my midseason rankings (to 23). Again, to be fair, Kunz' season is largely a product of 4-5 very ill-placed appearances where he's been bombed out of existance (3+ runs). And as we know, one appearance of 4 runs in an inning can KILL an ERA for weeks and months. Still, AAA lefties are hitting .267 with a .360 OBP, while righties are hitting just .176 against him) C-
18. Michael Antonini LHSP (we knew Owen would flame out in AA, I, personally, had some hope Antonini wouldn't go down the same path, but he has. His season tanked his ranking, he's in the mid 40s, easily the largest drop on my preseason list (except for Nathan Vineyard). Antonini's allowing AA lefties to hit .269 against him, while righties are hitting .308, so even a role as a LOOGY looks like a longshot at this point) F
19. Jeurys Familia RHSP (his stock has risen considerably this season, he's jumped up 10 spots from this ranking to 9th overall (though I may be tweaking that post 8/15). Still, Familia at age 19 is dominating the Sally League, with 1.47 GO/FO and 91 Ks in 106 innings. Familia is 55 innings above his career high, a cautionary note if his performance were to slip from here) A
20. Kyle Allen RHSP (Allen was only ranked here because I didn't have good information on him, the same reason he was 30th in my predraft top 50, right now, he would be in the top 15 for sure. Outside of an awful 7.5 era April, Allen's pitched to a 3 era this season, and had 72 Ks in 86 innings, with an extremely good 2.31 GO/FO) B
21. Ruben Tejada SS (Considering his age (19), and his putrid performance in high A last year (.229/.293/.296/.588) it would've been very easy to write off Tejada for 2009 as well, after learning he was going to open in Binghamton. Indeed, Tejada hit just .222/.347/.286 in April, but from 5/1 on, Tejada's been extremely impressive, hitting around .292/.341/.374 in 250 ABs.
22. Brant Rustich RHP (he was ranked here due to injury concerns, stayed healthy long enough (pitching 4-5 innings every outing) for me to rocket him up to 3rd, and then got hurt. He's still got the best stuff in the system, but injury concerns at UCLA dropped him into the 3rd round in 07, and injury concerns in the pros have limited him to just high A at age 24) B-
23. Nathan Vineyard LHSP (he retired rather then rehab) Grade: WUSS
24. Angel Calero LHSP (Calero's had a mixed season, suffering through a 5.68 era in May+June, but posting 1.23 in April and 3.86 in July around them, overall pitching to a 4.19 in 77.1 innings. Calero hasn't appeared in a game since the 9th of July, cause unknown) C+
25. Greg Veloz 2b (outside of a hot 2-3 weeks to start the season, Veloz has been flat out awful, with a .628 OPS. He has slightly improved his BB/K (.3451 last year, .3824 this), but overall, it's been a disappointing season for Veloz) C-
26. Lucas Duda 1b/OF (Duda's performed well in AA, considering his ... somewhat disappointing high A campaign in 2008 (.263/.358/.398/.755). He's cut down his Ks (.267 rate last year, .249 this), and significantly improved his BB/K (.5116 last year, .622 this). Significant platoon splits are holding him back, however (.487 OPS vs LHP, .904 vs RHP), but this has been a good step forward season for Duda) B-
27. Nick Carr RHSP (Carr rebounded from a nightmarish 2008, and was having a good 2009, but got hurt midway through) INC
28. Jose Coronado SS (awful season from Coronado, who some had thought made strides offensively with his great showing in the VWL, but he got off to a putrid start in AAA, and hasn't been much better in AA) D
29. Cesar Puello OF (performing very well in short season rookie ball at age 17) B+
30. Aderlin Rodriguez 3B (hasn't appeared in a game yet) INC
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Tejesh's PreDraft Top 35 Prospects
I was gonna do stats and a short 3 line or so commentary...but I said more then enough during the System Audit, right? Links up at 4:58pm. Yes, 4:58pm, lol.
1. OF Fernando Martinez
2. SS Wilmer Flores
3. RHSP Brant Rustich
4. RHSP Jenrry Mejia
5. RHSP Brad Holt
6. SS Reese Havens
7. C Josh Thole
8. LHSP Jon Niese
9. RHSP Jeurys Familia
10. LHSP Robert Carson
11. SS Ruben Tejada
12. RHSP Nick Carr
13. RHSP Dillon Gee
14. 1B Ike Davis
15. RHSP Scott Moviel
16. RHSP Elvin Ramirez
17. OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
18. C Francisco Pena
19. 3B Jefry Marte
20. RHSP Eric Beaulac
21. 1B Lucas Duda
22. 2B Jordany Valdespin
23. RHRP Eddie Kunz
24. LHSP Eric Niesen
25. 2B Greg Veloz
26. 3B Zach Lutz
27. C Ralph Henriquez
28. RHSP Tobi Stoner
29. LHSP Angel Calero
30. RHSP Kyle Allen
31. RHSP Scott Shaw
32. 2B Alonzo Harris
33. 3B Aderlin Rodriguez
34. RHSP Cole Abbott
35. RHSP Phillips Orta
36. RHSP John Holdzkom
37. OF Cesar Puello
38. OF Javier Rodriguez
39. 2B Hector Pellot
40. C Dock Doyle
41. 3B Richard Lucas
42. OF Daniel Stegall
43. 1B/3B Stefan Welch
44. OF Pedro Zapata
45. OF Gabriel Zavala
46. LHSP Michael Antonini
47. OF/2B Emmanuel Garcia
48. OF Rafael Fernandez
49. LHP Jim Fuller
50. 3B Shawn Bowman
1. OF Fernando Martinez
2. SS Wilmer Flores
3. RHSP Brant Rustich
4. RHSP Jenrry Mejia
5. RHSP Brad Holt
6. SS Reese Havens
7. C Josh Thole
8. LHSP Jon Niese
9. RHSP Jeurys Familia
10. LHSP Robert Carson
11. SS Ruben Tejada
12. RHSP Nick Carr
13. RHSP Dillon Gee
14. 1B Ike Davis
15. RHSP Scott Moviel
16. RHSP Elvin Ramirez
17. OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
18. C Francisco Pena
19. 3B Jefry Marte
20. RHSP Eric Beaulac
21. 1B Lucas Duda
22. 2B Jordany Valdespin
23. RHRP Eddie Kunz
24. LHSP Eric Niesen
25. 2B Greg Veloz
26. 3B Zach Lutz
27. C Ralph Henriquez
28. RHSP Tobi Stoner
29. LHSP Angel Calero
30. RHSP Kyle Allen
31. RHSP Scott Shaw
32. 2B Alonzo Harris
33. 3B Aderlin Rodriguez
34. RHSP Cole Abbott
35. RHSP Phillips Orta
36. RHSP John Holdzkom
37. OF Cesar Puello
38. OF Javier Rodriguez
39. 2B Hector Pellot
40. C Dock Doyle
41. 3B Richard Lucas
42. OF Daniel Stegall
43. 1B/3B Stefan Welch
44. OF Pedro Zapata
45. OF Gabriel Zavala
46. LHSP Michael Antonini
47. OF/2B Emmanuel Garcia
48. OF Rafael Fernandez
49. LHP Jim Fuller
50. 3B Shawn Bowman
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tejesh's FINAL post-season 2008 Prospect List
There were about 10 different versions of this list before I settled (finally) on this one. I started with a top 15, and then kept expanding it until I got to 30. Again, this is just MY list, The Man posted his, and David should be posting his in the next week or so. This will be my final postseason 2008 list. We'll probably do another round of lists shortly before the 2009 season starts.
1. Fernando Martinez OF
Consensus #1 prospect - has to prove he can stay on the field for a full season. Ripping shit up in the Dominican Winter League
2. Wilmer Flores SS
Many people have flipped Fernando and Wilmer - and they may not be wrong. Teenage hitting sensation, playing SS now, may have to move to a corner as he fills out. Keep in mind he'll be playing the majority of 2009 at age 17.
3. Jon Niese LHSP
OK, so he doesn't throw 95, and he needs a cutter/slider combination, but he spent the entire year at age 21, and reached the big leagues. He should, barring trade or necessity in NY, be anchoring Buffalo's rotation in 2009. Expect further gains from Niese.
4. Dan Murphy 3B/2B/1B/LF
We all saw what he can do with his bat, it's a question of finding him a position (3b, 2b, 1b, lf, rf). He won't be anything other then average at best anywhere, but with the type of offensive potential, he doesn't have to be.
5. Brad Holt RHSP
Yeah, I panned this pick when it was made, he was ranked 98th on BAs top 200 draft prospects. Oopsie. Holt is armed with a big mid 90s fastball, and has better command on his curveball then people thought. As with most NYPLers, we'll get a much better read on Holt after he spends time in the FSL, pitching friendly as it is.
6. Mike Carp 1B/LF
After a miserable 2007, Carp rebounded to post a career season in 2008, setting highs in AVG (.299), OBP (.403), OPS (.874), 2b (29), HR (17), and walks (79). It was a great season for the 21/22 year old, and one he can look to build off of next year in AAA, where he will be one of the younger everyday players, at age 22/23. Carp was able to put up such good numbers due to his newfound "prowess" against LHP (.792 OPS vs a career OPS of .661). Keeping that number over .750 will dictate whether the Mets view him as the successor to Carlos Delgado in 2010.
7. Nick Evans LF/1B
Evans, unlike Carp, did not falter in AA, instead proceeding directly to "kick the shit out of the league" phase, hitting .311/.365/.561/.926, and earning himself multiple callups to the majors, where he performed very well in a platoon situation. A very rough start to his winter league season ultimately means nothing, he should open 2009 either on the Mets bench, or preferably in Buffalo.
8. Reese Havens SS
Havens showed plus power when healthy this year, but he wasn't healthy all that often. Still, the Mets have to have liked what they saw, and a good bet is that he'll open 2009 in St. Lucie. Especially with Wilmer Flores likely opening in Savannah.
9. Josh Thole C/1B
High average, high OBP catcher who hits from the left side, only thing people question is his defense. Is tearing up the AFL, a very good sign for someone who played high A in the regular season. Booked for Binghamton in 2009.
10. Jenrry Mejia RHSP
Appeared out of nowhere to post a great half season between the GCL and Brooklyn, posting a 2.89 era in 71.2 innings. He'll play all of 2009 at age 19, so whether he's in Savannah, or St. Lucie, he'll be well ahead of the game. Mejia flashes a fastball between 94-96, which some scouts think could eventually reach into the upper 90s, and a curveball which shows plus potential. He also has a harder slider which he uses.
11. Jefry Marte 3B
Marte was signed in the same class as Flores, and he did just as well, but was a level behind, so he didn't get nearly the same pub as Wilmer. Make no mistake though, Marte is just as big a prospect as Flores, and should be playing alongside Wilmer in Savannah next season.
12. Bobby Parnell RHP
Parnell made his major league debut this year, one of 4 BMets to do so, he impressed out of the pen with a mid 90s fastball and good slider, just as advertised. Reportedly, he's making major strides with his slider in the AFL, tightening the spin on it. Still, it's hard to see how the Mets don't keep him in the pen for 2009.
13. Scott Moviel RHSP
Tall righty had a piss poor April (1-4, 9.68 era), but rebounded to post a very good season minus April (9-4, 3.35 era). Moviel features a low 90s fastball which should gain some velocity as he fills out, along with a curve and change which developed nicely as the season progressed. Moviel is on track to open 2009 in St. Lucie.
14. Maikel Cleto RHSP
Cleto, like Mejia, leaped onto many prospect lists this season, despite some rather on the surface unimpressive numbers (5-11, 4.25 in Savannah). But it was a couple of games which really grabbed people's eyes, first, a complete game shutout on May 22nd, and then 2 weeks later, firing 7 innings of 1 run ball, generating 19 groundball outs. Cleto's got a sinker (obviously), and throws in the mid to upper 90s right now, and there are some who think more velocity is possible. Cleto should open 2009 in St. Lucie.
15. Dillon Gee RHSP
Dillon Gee was one of a few pitchers who dominated the NYPL after being drafted in 2007, and as such, not much was expected of him in 2008. Well, Gee turned around and dominated the FSL, and then the EL, posting a sub 3 era cumulatively, and is unscored upon in Puerto Rico (2 GS, 11 IP). Gee should open 2009 back in Binghamton, but a quick promotion to Buffalo isn't out of the question.
16. Robert Carson LHSP
Carson features 4 pitches, a fastball, changeup, cutter and curveball. His fastball sits 90-92, and has topped out at 94. His changeup sits around 75-80, while his curveball is low to mid 70s. He feels his curveball needs more bite to it, and he is also working on developing a fifth pitch, a slider. He plowed through the GCL and Kingsport, and should open 2009 in Savannah.
17. Ike Davis 1B
Davis was drafted out of Arizona State in 2008, with the 18th overall pick, and debuted with a plop in Brooklyn. However, he's got massive power potential, and I find it very difficult to both judge, and take seriously, any stats put up by a recently drafted player. We should get a much better feel for Davis next season when he plays in St. Lucie.
18. Francisco Pena C
Pena improved slightly off a disasterous 2007 season, and he did play all of 2008 at age 18, so there are plenty of reasons to give him another mulligan, but reports of him being shaky behind the plate defensively, combined with his decline in plate discipline (.3152 BB/K in 2007, .2632 in 2008) led to his stock, in my eyes, plummetting. Despite very pedestrian numbers in Savannah (.264/.308/.380/.688), Pena should open in St. Lucie for 2009, at age 19.
19. Eddie Kunz RHRP
Kunz dominated AA, but has found life above AA to be very difficult, posting an ERA of 13.50 in 2.2 MLB innings, 7.94 in 5.2 AAA innings, and 10.13 in 13.1 AFL innings. Granted, all very small miniscule sample sizes, and the groundball tendencies are there (6.00 in the majors, 1.60 in AAA, 3.00 in the AFL), but he's given up 4 homers in those 21.2 innings above AA. Still, Kunz is either 1 or 2 amongst relief prospects, depending on what you call Parnell, and should open 2009 in Buffalo.
20. Michael Antonini LHSP
If Dillon Gee garnered a little attention post-draft in 2007, Antonini garnered none. A late teens pick out of a small college, who spent a good part of the 07 season in Kingsport, there wasn't much hype about Antonini. And then 2008 came around, and Michael blasted his way through 3 levels of the farm, starting in Savannah, and ending in Binghamton, posting a fabulous 9-7, 2.77 line in 28 GS. He should open 2008 in Binghamton, but a quick promotion to Buffalo isn't out of the question.
21. Jeurys Familia RHSP
22. Kyle Allen RHSP
23. Ezequiel Carrera OF
24. Ruben Tejada SS
25. Brant Rustich RHP
26. Nathan Vineyard LHSP
27. Angel Calero LHSP
28. Greg Veloz 2b
29. Lucas Duda 1b/OF
30. Nick Carr RHSP
1. Fernando Martinez OF
Consensus #1 prospect - has to prove he can stay on the field for a full season. Ripping shit up in the Dominican Winter League
2. Wilmer Flores SS
Many people have flipped Fernando and Wilmer - and they may not be wrong. Teenage hitting sensation, playing SS now, may have to move to a corner as he fills out. Keep in mind he'll be playing the majority of 2009 at age 17.
3. Jon Niese LHSP
OK, so he doesn't throw 95, and he needs a cutter/slider combination, but he spent the entire year at age 21, and reached the big leagues. He should, barring trade or necessity in NY, be anchoring Buffalo's rotation in 2009. Expect further gains from Niese.
4. Dan Murphy 3B/2B/1B/LF
We all saw what he can do with his bat, it's a question of finding him a position (3b, 2b, 1b, lf, rf). He won't be anything other then average at best anywhere, but with the type of offensive potential, he doesn't have to be.
5. Brad Holt RHSP
Yeah, I panned this pick when it was made, he was ranked 98th on BAs top 200 draft prospects. Oopsie. Holt is armed with a big mid 90s fastball, and has better command on his curveball then people thought. As with most NYPLers, we'll get a much better read on Holt after he spends time in the FSL, pitching friendly as it is.
6. Mike Carp 1B/LF
After a miserable 2007, Carp rebounded to post a career season in 2008, setting highs in AVG (.299), OBP (.403), OPS (.874), 2b (29), HR (17), and walks (79). It was a great season for the 21/22 year old, and one he can look to build off of next year in AAA, where he will be one of the younger everyday players, at age 22/23. Carp was able to put up such good numbers due to his newfound "prowess" against LHP (.792 OPS vs a career OPS of .661). Keeping that number over .750 will dictate whether the Mets view him as the successor to Carlos Delgado in 2010.
7. Nick Evans LF/1B
Evans, unlike Carp, did not falter in AA, instead proceeding directly to "kick the shit out of the league" phase, hitting .311/.365/.561/.926, and earning himself multiple callups to the majors, where he performed very well in a platoon situation. A very rough start to his winter league season ultimately means nothing, he should open 2009 either on the Mets bench, or preferably in Buffalo.
8. Reese Havens SS
Havens showed plus power when healthy this year, but he wasn't healthy all that often. Still, the Mets have to have liked what they saw, and a good bet is that he'll open 2009 in St. Lucie. Especially with Wilmer Flores likely opening in Savannah.
9. Josh Thole C/1B
High average, high OBP catcher who hits from the left side, only thing people question is his defense. Is tearing up the AFL, a very good sign for someone who played high A in the regular season. Booked for Binghamton in 2009.
10. Jenrry Mejia RHSP
Appeared out of nowhere to post a great half season between the GCL and Brooklyn, posting a 2.89 era in 71.2 innings. He'll play all of 2009 at age 19, so whether he's in Savannah, or St. Lucie, he'll be well ahead of the game. Mejia flashes a fastball between 94-96, which some scouts think could eventually reach into the upper 90s, and a curveball which shows plus potential. He also has a harder slider which he uses.
11. Jefry Marte 3B
Marte was signed in the same class as Flores, and he did just as well, but was a level behind, so he didn't get nearly the same pub as Wilmer. Make no mistake though, Marte is just as big a prospect as Flores, and should be playing alongside Wilmer in Savannah next season.
12. Bobby Parnell RHP
Parnell made his major league debut this year, one of 4 BMets to do so, he impressed out of the pen with a mid 90s fastball and good slider, just as advertised. Reportedly, he's making major strides with his slider in the AFL, tightening the spin on it. Still, it's hard to see how the Mets don't keep him in the pen for 2009.
13. Scott Moviel RHSP
Tall righty had a piss poor April (1-4, 9.68 era), but rebounded to post a very good season minus April (9-4, 3.35 era). Moviel features a low 90s fastball which should gain some velocity as he fills out, along with a curve and change which developed nicely as the season progressed. Moviel is on track to open 2009 in St. Lucie.
14. Maikel Cleto RHSP
Cleto, like Mejia, leaped onto many prospect lists this season, despite some rather on the surface unimpressive numbers (5-11, 4.25 in Savannah). But it was a couple of games which really grabbed people's eyes, first, a complete game shutout on May 22nd, and then 2 weeks later, firing 7 innings of 1 run ball, generating 19 groundball outs. Cleto's got a sinker (obviously), and throws in the mid to upper 90s right now, and there are some who think more velocity is possible. Cleto should open 2009 in St. Lucie.
15. Dillon Gee RHSP
Dillon Gee was one of a few pitchers who dominated the NYPL after being drafted in 2007, and as such, not much was expected of him in 2008. Well, Gee turned around and dominated the FSL, and then the EL, posting a sub 3 era cumulatively, and is unscored upon in Puerto Rico (2 GS, 11 IP). Gee should open 2009 back in Binghamton, but a quick promotion to Buffalo isn't out of the question.
16. Robert Carson LHSP
Carson features 4 pitches, a fastball, changeup, cutter and curveball. His fastball sits 90-92, and has topped out at 94. His changeup sits around 75-80, while his curveball is low to mid 70s. He feels his curveball needs more bite to it, and he is also working on developing a fifth pitch, a slider. He plowed through the GCL and Kingsport, and should open 2009 in Savannah.
17. Ike Davis 1B
Davis was drafted out of Arizona State in 2008, with the 18th overall pick, and debuted with a plop in Brooklyn. However, he's got massive power potential, and I find it very difficult to both judge, and take seriously, any stats put up by a recently drafted player. We should get a much better feel for Davis next season when he plays in St. Lucie.
18. Francisco Pena C
Pena improved slightly off a disasterous 2007 season, and he did play all of 2008 at age 18, so there are plenty of reasons to give him another mulligan, but reports of him being shaky behind the plate defensively, combined with his decline in plate discipline (.3152 BB/K in 2007, .2632 in 2008) led to his stock, in my eyes, plummetting. Despite very pedestrian numbers in Savannah (.264/.308/.380/.688), Pena should open in St. Lucie for 2009, at age 19.
19. Eddie Kunz RHRP
Kunz dominated AA, but has found life above AA to be very difficult, posting an ERA of 13.50 in 2.2 MLB innings, 7.94 in 5.2 AAA innings, and 10.13 in 13.1 AFL innings. Granted, all very small miniscule sample sizes, and the groundball tendencies are there (6.00 in the majors, 1.60 in AAA, 3.00 in the AFL), but he's given up 4 homers in those 21.2 innings above AA. Still, Kunz is either 1 or 2 amongst relief prospects, depending on what you call Parnell, and should open 2009 in Buffalo.
20. Michael Antonini LHSP
If Dillon Gee garnered a little attention post-draft in 2007, Antonini garnered none. A late teens pick out of a small college, who spent a good part of the 07 season in Kingsport, there wasn't much hype about Antonini. And then 2008 came around, and Michael blasted his way through 3 levels of the farm, starting in Savannah, and ending in Binghamton, posting a fabulous 9-7, 2.77 line in 28 GS. He should open 2008 in Binghamton, but a quick promotion to Buffalo isn't out of the question.
21. Jeurys Familia RHSP
22. Kyle Allen RHSP
23. Ezequiel Carrera OF
24. Ruben Tejada SS
25. Brant Rustich RHP
26. Nathan Vineyard LHSP
27. Angel Calero LHSP
28. Greg Veloz 2b
29. Lucas Duda 1b/OF
30. Nick Carr RHSP
Friday, November 14, 2008
My Top 20 Prospect List
Wow, I struggled big time ranking these prospects. It not that they aren't good, because they are, it's just that they are all basically around the same level--prospect wise. For me, this list will probably change 5 times from now until the beginning of next year, but, for fun, I'll post my top 20 list as of now.
NOTE: I included Daniel Murphy (1 AB over) and Nick Evans (service time) on the list, just to see where they would rank
1. Fernando Martinez
Not ready to give Flores the #1 spot yet. Fernando hasn't exactly broken out like I hoped, but he has continued, when healthy, to put up "solid" stats.
2. Wilmer Flores
What can I say? A hitting sensation. Amazing. Lets hope he keeps it up!
3. Daniel Murphy
To me, he looks like a sure thing hitting wise, and that's good enough in my opinion to rank him 3rd.
4. Jon Niese
Some have soured (or just didn't like him to begin with) but I still have faith in him. I feel that if he can develop a harder curveball and develop his cutter a bit more, he can still be a #3 starter with #2 upside.
5. Brad Holt
Electric fastball combined with the fact that he dominated the NYPL jumps him all the way up to #5. It was a good to see him make progress with his breaking pitches as that will basically determine if he's a starter or relief pitcher at the MLB level.
6. Reese Havens
Reese was thought of as a great pick for the Mets at 22 but he just could not stay healthy in his pro debut. I still have high praise for the kid, and here's to hoping he stays healthy in 09.
7. Nick Evans
This is where the flip flopping began... I like Nick Evans, and I think he can be a solid role player for a team, however I'm not sold on the fact of him becoming an everyday player. But, you cannot, and I won't, ignore the fact that he destroyed AA.
8. Bobby Parnell
Yeah, I'm probably overrating him a bit, but he's a personal favorite, and I like to play favorites. The way I see it is that anytime you have a guy who can maintain high velocity late in games, you have to at least give him a chance. I've heard positive reports about his slider out of the AFL.
9. Jenrry Mejia ***
An 18 year old kid (just turned 19 last month) who can already throw 95-96 MPH with an at times plus curveball and changeup has to be in my top 10. Scouts have already said that they expect Mejia to be able to reach the upper 90's into the 100 range when he is fully developed.
10. Mike Carp
Ugh, where do I stand on Carp? He had a pretty darn good season in AA but I didn't like the reports I heard about him. Scouts said that he didn't look good against left handed pitchers and pitchers in general who threw hard. This added with the fact that Carp is slow of foot and a bad defensive 1B, doesn't give me much faith in him.
11. Jefry Marte
Jefry Marte turned 17 years old age this past June. And if there was no Wilmer Flores you better believe all the talk/hype would be around this kid. Playing in the GCL for his pro-debut Marte hit .324/.393/.528/.921. Pretty Fluffing impressive. The kid has HUGE upside offensively. He'll probably start the year in Savannah on the left side of the infield with Flores next season. They'll be an infield to watch.
12. Ike Davis
Getting back to short recaps.. Davis had a putrid start to his pro career but showed positive signs late in the year. He's still got big power potential and the arm/defense to play RF along with 1B.
13. Eddie Kunz
A bad start to his MLB career combined with the fact that he's getting torn apart in the AFL has made me concerned about Kunz. I know I ranked him 13th, but I still have faith in him. However, he really needs to develop his slider and change if he wants to be anything more than a ROOGY.
14. Josh Thole (SLEEPER ALERT)
Thole caught for the entire season for the first time in his pro career, and though he has some work to do on defense, his great patience at the plate has caught more than my eye. A high average/high OBP catcher should not be overlooked.
15. Dillon Gee
What did I think of Gee coming into this year? Not much, a product of the NYPL, who would get exposed at the higher levels. But Gee posted a 3.25 ERA in St. Lucie and a 1.33 ERA in 4 starts in Binghamton and he's starting to make me believe. Also helping, is the fact that his fastball velocity (91-93) is higher than I originally thought. Still, lucky to be a 4th starter in the majors.
16. Maikel Cleto
Another young, hard throwing, right hander from the lower level of the system. According to the Mets pitching coordinator, Cleto sat 95-96 this year and touched 100 "regularly"
17. Scott Moviel
Huge right hander who really figured things out after struggling early this season. Keep an eye on him.
18. Brant Rustich
Guy who supposivley had one of the best arms in the system coming into this year, switched into a starter, and battled multiple arm injures. A stress fracture in your pitching arms isn't a good thing.
19. Ezequiel Carrera
Not sure what to think of this kid, but a guy with a high OBP + great speed, is a special talent. It was nice to see him hit a couple of homeruns this year.
20. Francisco Pena
Ok, maybe he doesn't belong this low, but I just don't know how to rank him. He's still pretty young, and had a better year this year repeating A ball, but I haven't seen enough out of him to put him above the guys ranked ahead of him.
IN THE DISCUSSION (no particular order):
Nathan Vineyard, Cesar Puello, Micheal Antonini, Dylan Owen, Ruben Tejada, Javier Rodriguez, Greg Veloz.. NOT MATT BOUCHARD.
NOTE: I included Daniel Murphy (1 AB over) and Nick Evans (service time) on the list, just to see where they would rank
1. Fernando Martinez
Not ready to give Flores the #1 spot yet. Fernando hasn't exactly broken out like I hoped, but he has continued, when healthy, to put up "solid" stats.
2. Wilmer Flores
What can I say? A hitting sensation. Amazing. Lets hope he keeps it up!
3. Daniel Murphy
To me, he looks like a sure thing hitting wise, and that's good enough in my opinion to rank him 3rd.
4. Jon Niese
Some have soured (or just didn't like him to begin with) but I still have faith in him. I feel that if he can develop a harder curveball and develop his cutter a bit more, he can still be a #3 starter with #2 upside.
5. Brad Holt
Electric fastball combined with the fact that he dominated the NYPL jumps him all the way up to #5. It was a good to see him make progress with his breaking pitches as that will basically determine if he's a starter or relief pitcher at the MLB level.
6. Reese Havens
Reese was thought of as a great pick for the Mets at 22 but he just could not stay healthy in his pro debut. I still have high praise for the kid, and here's to hoping he stays healthy in 09.
7. Nick Evans
This is where the flip flopping began... I like Nick Evans, and I think he can be a solid role player for a team, however I'm not sold on the fact of him becoming an everyday player. But, you cannot, and I won't, ignore the fact that he destroyed AA.
8. Bobby Parnell
Yeah, I'm probably overrating him a bit, but he's a personal favorite, and I like to play favorites. The way I see it is that anytime you have a guy who can maintain high velocity late in games, you have to at least give him a chance. I've heard positive reports about his slider out of the AFL.
9. Jenrry Mejia ***
An 18 year old kid (just turned 19 last month) who can already throw 95-96 MPH with an at times plus curveball and changeup has to be in my top 10. Scouts have already said that they expect Mejia to be able to reach the upper 90's into the 100 range when he is fully developed.
10. Mike Carp
Ugh, where do I stand on Carp? He had a pretty darn good season in AA but I didn't like the reports I heard about him. Scouts said that he didn't look good against left handed pitchers and pitchers in general who threw hard. This added with the fact that Carp is slow of foot and a bad defensive 1B, doesn't give me much faith in him.
11. Jefry Marte
Jefry Marte turned 17 years old age this past June. And if there was no Wilmer Flores you better believe all the talk/hype would be around this kid. Playing in the GCL for his pro-debut Marte hit .324/.393/.528/.921. Pretty Fluffing impressive. The kid has HUGE upside offensively. He'll probably start the year in Savannah on the left side of the infield with Flores next season. They'll be an infield to watch.
12. Ike Davis
Getting back to short recaps.. Davis had a putrid start to his pro career but showed positive signs late in the year. He's still got big power potential and the arm/defense to play RF along with 1B.
13. Eddie Kunz
A bad start to his MLB career combined with the fact that he's getting torn apart in the AFL has made me concerned about Kunz. I know I ranked him 13th, but I still have faith in him. However, he really needs to develop his slider and change if he wants to be anything more than a ROOGY.
14. Josh Thole (SLEEPER ALERT)
Thole caught for the entire season for the first time in his pro career, and though he has some work to do on defense, his great patience at the plate has caught more than my eye. A high average/high OBP catcher should not be overlooked.
15. Dillon Gee
What did I think of Gee coming into this year? Not much, a product of the NYPL, who would get exposed at the higher levels. But Gee posted a 3.25 ERA in St. Lucie and a 1.33 ERA in 4 starts in Binghamton and he's starting to make me believe. Also helping, is the fact that his fastball velocity (91-93) is higher than I originally thought. Still, lucky to be a 4th starter in the majors.
16. Maikel Cleto
Another young, hard throwing, right hander from the lower level of the system. According to the Mets pitching coordinator, Cleto sat 95-96 this year and touched 100 "regularly"
17. Scott Moviel
Huge right hander who really figured things out after struggling early this season. Keep an eye on him.
18. Brant Rustich
Guy who supposivley had one of the best arms in the system coming into this year, switched into a starter, and battled multiple arm injures. A stress fracture in your pitching arms isn't a good thing.
19. Ezequiel Carrera
Not sure what to think of this kid, but a guy with a high OBP + great speed, is a special talent. It was nice to see him hit a couple of homeruns this year.
20. Francisco Pena
Ok, maybe he doesn't belong this low, but I just don't know how to rank him. He's still pretty young, and had a better year this year repeating A ball, but I haven't seen enough out of him to put him above the guys ranked ahead of him.
IN THE DISCUSSION (no particular order):
Nathan Vineyard, Cesar Puello, Micheal Antonini, Dylan Owen, Ruben Tejada, Javier Rodriguez, Greg Veloz.. NOT MATT BOUCHARD.
Monday, October 13, 2008
4 Mets Make Sickles Top 100 List
NY Baseball Digest posted an article showing John Sickles top 100 prospects. However, I read Sickles blog, minorleagueball, and I have not seen a top 100 list posted by Sickles on the site. I trust NYBD enough to believe that they got it from Sickles, so, lets take a look how Mets prospects ranked in Sickles eyes.
29: Wilmer Flores
31: Fernando Martinez
39: Jonathan Niese
77: Mike Carp
Eh. I'm glad to see that Niese and Carp got some love, but I have to believe that Jon Niese at 39 has something to do with Niese being one of Sickles' favorite prospects.. I think Niese and Carp are rated a little too high, and I think Fernando should be somewhat lower on the list, though I can understand since he's never healthy and hasn't exactly broken out yet.
Tej edit: This is Sickles take on prospects for fantasy baseball, it's from Rotowire.
29: Wilmer Flores
31: Fernando Martinez
39: Jonathan Niese
77: Mike Carp
Eh. I'm glad to see that Niese and Carp got some love, but I have to believe that Jon Niese at 39 has something to do with Niese being one of Sickles' favorite prospects.. I think Niese and Carp are rated a little too high, and I think Fernando should be somewhat lower on the list, though I can understand since he's never healthy and hasn't exactly broken out yet.
Tej edit: This is Sickles take on prospects for fantasy baseball, it's from Rotowire.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Tejesh's Season Ending Top 15 Prospects List
This is my personal top 15 list, both Charlie's, and David's, I'm sure, would be vastly different.
All ages are af os 2/1/09.
1. Fernando Martinez 10/10/88 (20.33) L/R (AA Binghamton .287/.340/.432/.772, 101 for 352, 48 runs, 19 2b, 4 3b, 8 HR, 43 RBI, 27/73 BB/K, 6/8 SBs)
2. Wilmer Flores 8/6/91 (17.5) R/R (R Kingsport .310/.352/.490/.842, 76 for 245, 36 runs, 12 2b, 4 3b, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 12/28 BB/K, A Savannah 2 for 5, run, 2 Ks, A- Brooklyn .267/.290/.300/.590, 8 for 30, 3 runs, 2b, RBI, 1/7 BB/K)
Total 2008 Stats: .307/.347/.468/.815, 86 for 280, 40 runs, 13 2b, 4 3b, 8 HR, 42 RBI, 13/37 BB/K, 2/3 SBs
3. Jon Niese 10/27/86 (22.25) L/L (AA Binghamton 6-7, 3.04 era, 22 GS, 2 CG, CGSO, 124.1 IP, 118 H, 53/42 R/ER, 5 HR, 44/112 BB/K, 1.50 GO/FO, .253 BAA, 1.30 WHIP, AAA New Orleans 5-1, 3.40 era, 7 GS, 39.2 IP, 34 H, 15 ER, 4 HR, 14/32 BB/K, 1.66 GO/FO, .231 BAA, 1.21 WHIP, MLB New York 1-1, 7.07 era, 3 GS, 14 IP, 20 H, 11 ER, 2 HR, 8/11 BB/K, 1.38 GO/FO, .333 BAA, 2.00 WHIP)
Total 2008 Stats: 12-9, 3.44 era, 32 GS, 178 IP, 172 H, 79/68 R/ER, 11 HR, 66/155 BB/K, 1,53 GO/FO, .255 BAA, 1.34 WHIP
4. Dan Murphy 4/1/85 (23.83) L/R (AA Binghamton .308/.374/.496/.870, 110 for 357, 56 runs, 26 2b, 3b, 13 HR, 67 RBI, 39/46 BB/K, 14/19 SBs, MLB New York .313/.397/.473/.871, 41 for 131, 24 runs, 9 2b, 3 3b, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 18/28 BB/K)
Total 2008 Stats (AA, MLB): .309/.381/.490/.870, 151 for 488, 80 runs, 35 2b, 4 3b, 15 HR, 84 RBI, 14/21 SBs, 57/74 BB/K
5. Brad Holt 10/13/86 (22.33) R/R (UNC Wilmington 11-1, 3.18 era, 15 GS, 2 CG, 93.1 IP, 78 H, 40/33 R/ER, 8 HR, 36/95 BB/K, .225 BAA, A- Brooklyn 5-3, 1.87 era, 14 GS, 72.1 IP, 43 H, 18/15 R/ER, 3 HR, 33/96 BB/K, 0.98 GO/FO, .171 BAA, 1.05 WHIP)
Total 2008 Stats: 16-4, 2.61 era, 29 GS, 165.2 IP, 121 H, 69/191 BB/K, 1.15 WHIP
6. Mike Carp 6/30/86 (22.58) L/R (AA Binghamton .299/.403/.471/.874, 143 for 478, 67 runs, 29 2b, 3b, 17 HR, 72 RBI, 79/88 BB/K)
7. Nick Evans 1/30/86 (23) R/R (AA Binghamton .311/.365/.561/.926, 92 for 296, 52 runs, 18 2b, 7 3b, 14 HR, 53 RBI, 26/64 BB/K, MLB New York .257/.303/.404/.706, 28 for 109, 18 runs, 10 2b, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 7/24 BB/K)
Total 2008 Stats: .296/.348/.519/.867, 120 for 405, 70 runs, 28 2b, 7 3b, 16 HR, 62 RBI, 33/88 BB/K
8. Reese Havens 10/20/86 (22.25) L/R (South Carolina .359/.486/.645/1.131, 89 for 248, 76 runs, 13 2b, 2 3b, 18 HR, 57 RBI, 58/44 BB/K, A- Brooklyn .247/.340/.471/.811, 21 for 85, 13 runs, 6 2b, 2 3b, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 11/27 BB/K, 3/4 SBs)
Total 2008 Stats: .330/.450/.601/1.051, 110 for 333, 89 runs, 19 2b, 4 3b, 21 HR, 68 RBI, 69/71 BB/K
9. Josh Thole 10/28/86 (22.29) L/R (A+ St. Lucie .300/.382/.427/.808, 104 for 347, 49 runs, 25 2b, 2 3b, 5 HR, 56 RBI, 45/38 BB/K)
10. Francisco Pena 10/12/89 (19.29) R/R (A Savannah .264/.308/.380/.688, 105 for 397, 34 runs, 22 2b, 3 3b, 6 HR, 41 RBI, 25/95 BB/K)
11. Jefry Marte 6/21/91 (17.58) R/R (R GCL .325/.389/.532/.930, 50 for 154, 29 runs, 14 2b, 3 3b, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 13/30 BB/K)
12. Bobby Parnell 9/8/84 (24.42) R/R (AA Binghamton 10-6, 4.30 era, 24 GS, 127.2 IP, 126 H, 66/61 R/ER, 14 HR, 57/91 BB/K, 1.52 GO/FO, .258 BAA, 1.43 WHIP, AAA New Orleans 2-2, 6.64 era, 5 G, 4 GS, 20.1 IP, 25 H, 16/15 R/ER, 9/23 BB/K, 1.06 GO/FO, 1.67 WHIP, .298 BAA, MLB New York 0-0, 5.40 era, 6 G, 5 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2/3 BB/K, 1.40 GO/FO, .176 BAA, 1.00 WHIP)
Total 2008 Stats: 12-8, 4.65 era, 35 G, 28 GS, 153 IP, 154 H, 85/79 R/ER, 14 HR, 68/117 BB/K, 1.44 GO/FO, .262 BAA, 1.45 WHIP
13. Eddie Kunz 4/8/86 (22.83) R/R (AA Binghamton 1-4, 2.79 era, 44 G, 27 SVs, 48.1 IP, 39 H, 19/15 R/ER, 25/43 BB/K, 3.55 GO/FO, .222 BAA, 1.32 WHIP, MLB New York 0-0, 13.50 era, 4 G, 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, HR, BB, K, 6 GO/FO, .455 BAA, 2.25 WHIP, AAA New Orleans 0-1, 7.94 era, 6 G, 5.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, HR, 2/4 BB/K, 1.60 GO/FO, .346 BAA, 1.94 WHIP)
Total 2008 Stats: 1-5, 3.82 era, 54 G, 27 SVs, 56.2 IP, 53 H, 28/24 R/ER, 2 HR, 28/48 BB/K, 3.47 GO/FO, .259 BAA, 1.43 WHIP
14. Ike Davis 3/22/87 (21.88) L/L (Arizona State .385/.457/.742/1.200, 82 for 213, 64 runs, 26 2b, 3b, 16 HR, 76 RBI, 31/34 BB/K, A- Brooklyn .256/.326/.326/.652, 55 for 215, 17 runs, 15 2b, 17 RBI, 23/43 BB/K)
Total 2008 Stats: .320/.393/.533/.926, 137 for 428, 81 runs, 41 2b, 3b, 16 HR, 93 RBI, 54/77 BB/K
15. Brant Rustich 1/23/85 (24) R/R (A Savannah 3-4, 3.62 era, 20 G, 8 GS, 49.2 IP, 42 H, 26/20 R/ER, HR, 16/48 BB/K, 1.22 GO/FO, .231 BAA, 1.17 WHIP)
All ages are af os 2/1/09.
1. Fernando Martinez 10/10/88 (20.33) L/R (AA Binghamton .287/.340/.432/.772, 101 for 352, 48 runs, 19 2b, 4 3b, 8 HR, 43 RBI, 27/73 BB/K, 6/8 SBs)
2. Wilmer Flores 8/6/91 (17.5) R/R (R Kingsport .310/.352/.490/.842, 76 for 245, 36 runs, 12 2b, 4 3b, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 12/28 BB/K, A Savannah 2 for 5, run, 2 Ks, A- Brooklyn .267/.290/.300/.590, 8 for 30, 3 runs, 2b, RBI, 1/7 BB/K)
Total 2008 Stats: .307/.347/.468/.815, 86 for 280, 40 runs, 13 2b, 4 3b, 8 HR, 42 RBI, 13/37 BB/K, 2/3 SBs
3. Jon Niese 10/27/86 (22.25) L/L (AA Binghamton 6-7, 3.04 era, 22 GS, 2 CG, CGSO, 124.1 IP, 118 H, 53/42 R/ER, 5 HR, 44/112 BB/K, 1.50 GO/FO, .253 BAA, 1.30 WHIP, AAA New Orleans 5-1, 3.40 era, 7 GS, 39.2 IP, 34 H, 15 ER, 4 HR, 14/32 BB/K, 1.66 GO/FO, .231 BAA, 1.21 WHIP, MLB New York 1-1, 7.07 era, 3 GS, 14 IP, 20 H, 11 ER, 2 HR, 8/11 BB/K, 1.38 GO/FO, .333 BAA, 2.00 WHIP)
Total 2008 Stats: 12-9, 3.44 era, 32 GS, 178 IP, 172 H, 79/68 R/ER, 11 HR, 66/155 BB/K, 1,53 GO/FO, .255 BAA, 1.34 WHIP
4. Dan Murphy 4/1/85 (23.83) L/R (AA Binghamton .308/.374/.496/.870, 110 for 357, 56 runs, 26 2b, 3b, 13 HR, 67 RBI, 39/46 BB/K, 14/19 SBs, MLB New York .313/.397/.473/.871, 41 for 131, 24 runs, 9 2b, 3 3b, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 18/28 BB/K)
Total 2008 Stats (AA, MLB): .309/.381/.490/.870, 151 for 488, 80 runs, 35 2b, 4 3b, 15 HR, 84 RBI, 14/21 SBs, 57/74 BB/K
5. Brad Holt 10/13/86 (22.33) R/R (UNC Wilmington 11-1, 3.18 era, 15 GS, 2 CG, 93.1 IP, 78 H, 40/33 R/ER, 8 HR, 36/95 BB/K, .225 BAA, A- Brooklyn 5-3, 1.87 era, 14 GS, 72.1 IP, 43 H, 18/15 R/ER, 3 HR, 33/96 BB/K, 0.98 GO/FO, .171 BAA, 1.05 WHIP)
Total 2008 Stats: 16-4, 2.61 era, 29 GS, 165.2 IP, 121 H, 69/191 BB/K, 1.15 WHIP
6. Mike Carp 6/30/86 (22.58) L/R (AA Binghamton .299/.403/.471/.874, 143 for 478, 67 runs, 29 2b, 3b, 17 HR, 72 RBI, 79/88 BB/K)
7. Nick Evans 1/30/86 (23) R/R (AA Binghamton .311/.365/.561/.926, 92 for 296, 52 runs, 18 2b, 7 3b, 14 HR, 53 RBI, 26/64 BB/K, MLB New York .257/.303/.404/.706, 28 for 109, 18 runs, 10 2b, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 7/24 BB/K)
Total 2008 Stats: .296/.348/.519/.867, 120 for 405, 70 runs, 28 2b, 7 3b, 16 HR, 62 RBI, 33/88 BB/K
8. Reese Havens 10/20/86 (22.25) L/R (South Carolina .359/.486/.645/1.131, 89 for 248, 76 runs, 13 2b, 2 3b, 18 HR, 57 RBI, 58/44 BB/K, A- Brooklyn .247/.340/.471/.811, 21 for 85, 13 runs, 6 2b, 2 3b, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 11/27 BB/K, 3/4 SBs)
Total 2008 Stats: .330/.450/.601/1.051, 110 for 333, 89 runs, 19 2b, 4 3b, 21 HR, 68 RBI, 69/71 BB/K
9. Josh Thole 10/28/86 (22.29) L/R (A+ St. Lucie .300/.382/.427/.808, 104 for 347, 49 runs, 25 2b, 2 3b, 5 HR, 56 RBI, 45/38 BB/K)
10. Francisco Pena 10/12/89 (19.29) R/R (A Savannah .264/.308/.380/.688, 105 for 397, 34 runs, 22 2b, 3 3b, 6 HR, 41 RBI, 25/95 BB/K)
11. Jefry Marte 6/21/91 (17.58) R/R (R GCL .325/.389/.532/.930, 50 for 154, 29 runs, 14 2b, 3 3b, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 13/30 BB/K)
12. Bobby Parnell 9/8/84 (24.42) R/R (AA Binghamton 10-6, 4.30 era, 24 GS, 127.2 IP, 126 H, 66/61 R/ER, 14 HR, 57/91 BB/K, 1.52 GO/FO, .258 BAA, 1.43 WHIP, AAA New Orleans 2-2, 6.64 era, 5 G, 4 GS, 20.1 IP, 25 H, 16/15 R/ER, 9/23 BB/K, 1.06 GO/FO, 1.67 WHIP, .298 BAA, MLB New York 0-0, 5.40 era, 6 G, 5 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2/3 BB/K, 1.40 GO/FO, .176 BAA, 1.00 WHIP)
Total 2008 Stats: 12-8, 4.65 era, 35 G, 28 GS, 153 IP, 154 H, 85/79 R/ER, 14 HR, 68/117 BB/K, 1.44 GO/FO, .262 BAA, 1.45 WHIP
13. Eddie Kunz 4/8/86 (22.83) R/R (AA Binghamton 1-4, 2.79 era, 44 G, 27 SVs, 48.1 IP, 39 H, 19/15 R/ER, 25/43 BB/K, 3.55 GO/FO, .222 BAA, 1.32 WHIP, MLB New York 0-0, 13.50 era, 4 G, 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, HR, BB, K, 6 GO/FO, .455 BAA, 2.25 WHIP, AAA New Orleans 0-1, 7.94 era, 6 G, 5.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, HR, 2/4 BB/K, 1.60 GO/FO, .346 BAA, 1.94 WHIP)
Total 2008 Stats: 1-5, 3.82 era, 54 G, 27 SVs, 56.2 IP, 53 H, 28/24 R/ER, 2 HR, 28/48 BB/K, 3.47 GO/FO, .259 BAA, 1.43 WHIP
14. Ike Davis 3/22/87 (21.88) L/L (Arizona State .385/.457/.742/1.200, 82 for 213, 64 runs, 26 2b, 3b, 16 HR, 76 RBI, 31/34 BB/K, A- Brooklyn .256/.326/.326/.652, 55 for 215, 17 runs, 15 2b, 17 RBI, 23/43 BB/K)
Total 2008 Stats: .320/.393/.533/.926, 137 for 428, 81 runs, 41 2b, 3b, 16 HR, 93 RBI, 54/77 BB/K
15. Brant Rustich 1/23/85 (24) R/R (A Savannah 3-4, 3.62 era, 20 G, 8 GS, 49.2 IP, 42 H, 26/20 R/ER, HR, 16/48 BB/K, 1.22 GO/FO, .231 BAA, 1.17 WHIP)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
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
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.
"..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...
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...
Monday, September 08, 2008
Reviewing The Pre-Season Top Prospect List
Obviously, I wasn't writing here back in January, but, I'm sure I had some sort of talk with Tejesh to help/hurt a prospect on this list.
So, lets take a look at the MPH Pre-Season Top 10 Prospects.
This is not a new list, just a review of the old one.
1. Fernando Martinez: The obvious choice for #1, and still is the number one prospect in the system. Martinez had another injury plagued season in AA, but still managed to put up a .287/.340/.432 line in 352 AB's. He'll be playing winter ball this season to help makeup for the lost time. No Fall Or Rise In Stock.
2. Brant Rustich: Yeah...well...OK, this list was made in January, and at the time we all thought Rustich was on the fast track as a relief pitcher. It wasn't just MPH that was high on Rustich, Scout ranked him as the 4th best prospect, BA ranked him as the 5th best prospect, and I ranked him as the 3rd best prospect..
Anyways, in spring training it was decided that Rustich would be used as a stater this season. Rustich got off to a predictable slow start in Savannah, pitching to a 5.3 ERA in the first two months of the season, but he really turned it on after that, putting up a 2.86 ERA in the second half. However, it was not all positive, as Rustich went on the disabled list on August 25th with a stress fracture in his right arm. That injury causes him to take a major hit on his prospect status/ranking. Falling Stock.
3. Jon Niese: 3.04 ERA in 22 starts in AA, followed by a 3.40 ERA in AAA. His first MLB start didn't go great, but the kid is 21 years old, and I can't believe some of the reactions to his ONE start. Showed good groundball tendencies in the minors which is plus and now just needs to work on sharpening his pitches. Possible #5 starter next year, while probably looking at a #3 ceiling. Rising Stock:
4. Mike Carp: Coming off a disappointing 2007 season Mike Carp, fully healthy, put up a .299/.403/.471 line in 478 AB's this season. However, that line doesn't show that Carp, through about half of the season, hit for a .362 average. So, in about 2 and a half months Carp's average dropped .63 points, and it would of been more if not for the second wind he could in Mid-August.
Overall a very nice bounce back season from Carp, but, for the future, I just don't see Carp, with the emergence's of Murphy/Evans, fitting in with the big league team, and I think he'll be traded before next August. Rising Stock.
5. Nick Evans: I'll tell you what, I liked Nick Evans coming into this year, but there is no way anyone could have predicted the kind of year he had. During his time in AA he was arguably the best hitter in the Eastern League.. In 296 AB's, Evans had 39 extra base hits, he posted an OPS of .926, all while batting over .300. Rising Stock.
Evans earned himself a promotion to the big league club, and though he looked over matched early, it has become clear that he KILLS left handed pitching. The 22 year old is hitting .344 with a .901 OPS against lefties so far in his big league career. This makes Evans extremely valuable as a possible platoon player next year, or, possibly, a power right handed hitter from the bench.
6. Bobby Parnell: First of all, Happy 24th Birthday to Bobby Parnell - At least you didn't have to spend it rotting in the bullpen for another day. As for his season in the minors as a 23 year old, Parnell posted a 4.30 ERA in AA Binghamton, and earned himself a late season promotion to New Orleans, where he got rocked in 5 games (4 starts). No Fall Or Rise In Stock.
Here's the thing about Parnell. He has the stuff. He's got 2 good pitches, and he has the ability to get tons of groundballs. I'm just waiting for him to put it all together, and so far, I can't say he has. However, he's still a decent prospect, who projects as a back end starter or a set-up (2009??) guy.
7, Nathan Vineyard: Had high hopes for this guy coming out of High School, but suffered a rotator cuff (2 starts into his first pro season) injury that required surgery. A lot of his projection was based on him gaining velocity, and this surgery really hurts him projection wise. Falling Stock.
8. Scott Moviel: Got off to a slow start in Savannah in his first full season, but rebounded nicely after fixing some mechanics, and even earned a late season promotion to St. Lucie. Huge right handed, got a ton of groundballs, still incredibly young. Rising Stock.
9. Eddie Kunz: 27 saves with a 2.79 ERA with Binghamton, more impressive though, his 3.55 GO/FO ratio. Though, he didn't look MLB ready in his short time in the bullpen. Needs to work on his secondary pitches. Amazing to me that the Mets didn't call him back up in September. Stock Rose Then Fell.
10. Francisco Pena: You have to consider this season a success for the 18 year old catcher. His .264 batting average may not be impressive at first look, but considering he hit .210 last season, with just a .263 OBP, this was a major improvement. His 31 XBH this season were almost double the amount that he put up last year (17) in about the same number of at bats. Don't get me wrong, the kid is far from being a top prospect, especially seeing how he struck out 95 times, and walked just 25 times, in 397 AB's, but this season was a step in the right direction. Rising Stock.
This system has gotten remarkably better thanks to 3 picks inside the top 33, but also because of the emergence of prospects such as Daniel Murphy, Wilmer Flores, Dillion Gee, Micheal Antonini, Josh Thole, Meja, Cleto, the list goes on. There is a ton of talent in the lower half of this system to go along with guys who are about ready to contribute, and no, it's not as bad as people make it out to be.
The new top 10 list would look nothing like this. This list needs to be gutted (like the Mets bullpen), and redone. You can expect that sometime in the near future, though it's going to be tough to cut it down to a top 10 list--Believe me, I have a hard time leaving guys out on my top 20 lists.
Tej edit: David and I will probably release a top prospect list sometime soon (and hell, I might talk Charlie into doing one, too).
I want to go back to Mike Carp. I said he probably doesn't have a future with the organization, and though that's true, his one opportunity would be if he destroys AAA in 2009, and Nick Evans continues to crush left handed pitchers. This may (just my speculation after talking it over with Tej), be enough for the Mets to platoon Evans/Carp @ 1B in 2010 with the departure of Carlos Delgado. Just my two cents.
~visit me at Mets Prospectus
So, lets take a look at the MPH Pre-Season Top 10 Prospects.
This is not a new list, just a review of the old one.
1. Fernando Martinez: The obvious choice for #1, and still is the number one prospect in the system. Martinez had another injury plagued season in AA, but still managed to put up a .287/.340/.432 line in 352 AB's. He'll be playing winter ball this season to help makeup for the lost time. No Fall Or Rise In Stock.
2. Brant Rustich: Yeah...well...OK, this list was made in January, and at the time we all thought Rustich was on the fast track as a relief pitcher. It wasn't just MPH that was high on Rustich, Scout ranked him as the 4th best prospect, BA ranked him as the 5th best prospect, and I ranked him as the 3rd best prospect..
Anyways, in spring training it was decided that Rustich would be used as a stater this season. Rustich got off to a predictable slow start in Savannah, pitching to a 5.3 ERA in the first two months of the season, but he really turned it on after that, putting up a 2.86 ERA in the second half. However, it was not all positive, as Rustich went on the disabled list on August 25th with a stress fracture in his right arm. That injury causes him to take a major hit on his prospect status/ranking. Falling Stock.
3. Jon Niese: 3.04 ERA in 22 starts in AA, followed by a 3.40 ERA in AAA. His first MLB start didn't go great, but the kid is 21 years old, and I can't believe some of the reactions to his ONE start. Showed good groundball tendencies in the minors which is plus and now just needs to work on sharpening his pitches. Possible #5 starter next year, while probably looking at a #3 ceiling. Rising Stock:
4. Mike Carp: Coming off a disappointing 2007 season Mike Carp, fully healthy, put up a .299/.403/.471 line in 478 AB's this season. However, that line doesn't show that Carp, through about half of the season, hit for a .362 average. So, in about 2 and a half months Carp's average dropped .63 points, and it would of been more if not for the second wind he could in Mid-August.
Overall a very nice bounce back season from Carp, but, for the future, I just don't see Carp, with the emergence's of Murphy/Evans, fitting in with the big league team, and I think he'll be traded before next August. Rising Stock.
5. Nick Evans: I'll tell you what, I liked Nick Evans coming into this year, but there is no way anyone could have predicted the kind of year he had. During his time in AA he was arguably the best hitter in the Eastern League.. In 296 AB's, Evans had 39 extra base hits, he posted an OPS of .926, all while batting over .300. Rising Stock.
Evans earned himself a promotion to the big league club, and though he looked over matched early, it has become clear that he KILLS left handed pitching. The 22 year old is hitting .344 with a .901 OPS against lefties so far in his big league career. This makes Evans extremely valuable as a possible platoon player next year, or, possibly, a power right handed hitter from the bench.
6. Bobby Parnell: First of all, Happy 24th Birthday to Bobby Parnell - At least you didn't have to spend it rotting in the bullpen for another day. As for his season in the minors as a 23 year old, Parnell posted a 4.30 ERA in AA Binghamton, and earned himself a late season promotion to New Orleans, where he got rocked in 5 games (4 starts). No Fall Or Rise In Stock.
Here's the thing about Parnell. He has the stuff. He's got 2 good pitches, and he has the ability to get tons of groundballs. I'm just waiting for him to put it all together, and so far, I can't say he has. However, he's still a decent prospect, who projects as a back end starter or a set-up (2009??) guy.
7, Nathan Vineyard: Had high hopes for this guy coming out of High School, but suffered a rotator cuff (2 starts into his first pro season) injury that required surgery. A lot of his projection was based on him gaining velocity, and this surgery really hurts him projection wise. Falling Stock.
8. Scott Moviel: Got off to a slow start in Savannah in his first full season, but rebounded nicely after fixing some mechanics, and even earned a late season promotion to St. Lucie. Huge right handed, got a ton of groundballs, still incredibly young. Rising Stock.
9. Eddie Kunz: 27 saves with a 2.79 ERA with Binghamton, more impressive though, his 3.55 GO/FO ratio. Though, he didn't look MLB ready in his short time in the bullpen. Needs to work on his secondary pitches. Amazing to me that the Mets didn't call him back up in September. Stock Rose Then Fell.
10. Francisco Pena: You have to consider this season a success for the 18 year old catcher. His .264 batting average may not be impressive at first look, but considering he hit .210 last season, with just a .263 OBP, this was a major improvement. His 31 XBH this season were almost double the amount that he put up last year (17) in about the same number of at bats. Don't get me wrong, the kid is far from being a top prospect, especially seeing how he struck out 95 times, and walked just 25 times, in 397 AB's, but this season was a step in the right direction. Rising Stock.
This system has gotten remarkably better thanks to 3 picks inside the top 33, but also because of the emergence of prospects such as Daniel Murphy, Wilmer Flores, Dillion Gee, Micheal Antonini, Josh Thole, Meja, Cleto, the list goes on. There is a ton of talent in the lower half of this system to go along with guys who are about ready to contribute, and no, it's not as bad as people make it out to be.
The new top 10 list would look nothing like this. This list needs to be gutted (like the Mets bullpen), and redone. You can expect that sometime in the near future, though it's going to be tough to cut it down to a top 10 list--Believe me, I have a hard time leaving guys out on my top 20 lists.
Tej edit: David and I will probably release a top prospect list sometime soon (and hell, I might talk Charlie into doing one, too).
I want to go back to Mike Carp. I said he probably doesn't have a future with the organization, and though that's true, his one opportunity would be if he destroys AAA in 2009, and Nick Evans continues to crush left handed pitchers. This may (just my speculation after talking it over with Tej), be enough for the Mets to platoon Evans/Carp @ 1B in 2010 with the departure of Carlos Delgado. Just my two cents.
~visit me at Mets Prospectus
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Rotoworld Top 150 prospects list(Mets have 4)
11. Fernando Martinez - OF Mets - DOB: 10/10/88 - ETA: 2010
Previous rankings: mid-2006 #80, 2007 #10, mid-2007 #8, 2008 #12
.462/.500/.692, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2/0 K/BB, 0 SB in 13 AB (R GCL Mets)
.292/.333/.421, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 51/13 K/BB, 5 SB in 233 AB (AA Binghamton)
With a .328 average in 119 at-bats since the beginning of May, it seems like Martinez is starting to get a handle on Double-A pitching. He got off to another slow start in April, and 32 of his 53 strikeouts came in the first month of the season. He's made adjustments versus breaking balls since, and he's collecting a lot of singles as a result. His power stroke isn't there yet at age 19, and it's likely similar adjustment periods are in store when he's promoted to Triple-A and later the majors. However, he remains an elite prospect with All-Star upside. He should possess the power to his 30 homers per year, and he projects as an above average defender in right field.
98. Jon Niese - LHP Mets - DOB: 10/27/86 - ETA: June 2009
Previous rankings: none
105. Ruben Tejada - SS Mets - DOB: 09/01/89 - ETA: 2013
Previous rankings: 2008 #127
138. Mike Carp - 1B Mets - DOB: 06/30/86 - ETA: Aug. 2009
Previous rankings: mid-2007 #124, 2008 ---
Ineligibles
Below are approximations of where some of the ineligible players would have ranked:
115. Reese Havens - 2B/SS Mets
Previous rankings: mid-2006 #80, 2007 #10, mid-2007 #8, 2008 #12
.462/.500/.692, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2/0 K/BB, 0 SB in 13 AB (R GCL Mets)
.292/.333/.421, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 51/13 K/BB, 5 SB in 233 AB (AA Binghamton)
With a .328 average in 119 at-bats since the beginning of May, it seems like Martinez is starting to get a handle on Double-A pitching. He got off to another slow start in April, and 32 of his 53 strikeouts came in the first month of the season. He's made adjustments versus breaking balls since, and he's collecting a lot of singles as a result. His power stroke isn't there yet at age 19, and it's likely similar adjustment periods are in store when he's promoted to Triple-A and later the majors. However, he remains an elite prospect with All-Star upside. He should possess the power to his 30 homers per year, and he projects as an above average defender in right field.
98. Jon Niese - LHP Mets - DOB: 10/27/86 - ETA: June 2009
Previous rankings: none
105. Ruben Tejada - SS Mets - DOB: 09/01/89 - ETA: 2013
Previous rankings: 2008 #127
138. Mike Carp - 1B Mets - DOB: 06/30/86 - ETA: Aug. 2009
Previous rankings: mid-2007 #124, 2008 ---
Ineligibles
Below are approximations of where some of the ineligible players would have ranked:
115. Reese Havens - 2B/SS Mets
Friday, January 05, 2007
Baseball America top 10 Mets Prospects
1-Mike Pelfrey, RHP
2-Fernando Martinez, OF
3-Carlos Gomez, OF
4-Philip Humber, RHP
5-Deolis Guerra, RHP
6-Kevin Mulvey, RHP
7-Jon Niese, LHP
8-Mike Carp, 1B
9-Joe Smith, RHP
10-Alay Soler, RHP
more to come on Jan. 8th, with full analysis and MPH take.
2-Fernando Martinez, OF
3-Carlos Gomez, OF
4-Philip Humber, RHP
5-Deolis Guerra, RHP
6-Kevin Mulvey, RHP
7-Jon Niese, LHP
8-Mike Carp, 1B
9-Joe Smith, RHP
10-Alay Soler, RHP
more to come on Jan. 8th, with full analysis and MPH take.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Macks Mets top 41 Mets prospects
MacksMets.com has come out with his top mets prospect list:
Tier One - 5 star – A
1. SP Phil Humber - I still place Humber a little ahead of Pelfrey. I think he has equal potential and ceiling; however, he has mastered more than one pitch, which every successful starter must have.
2. SP - Mike Pelfrey - There is no question whether or not Pelfrey will make it in the majors. He will. But he needs to continue to work on his slider and change-up in 2007, preferably at New Orleans. Otherwise, he would be our top relief specialist prospect. .
3. OF - Fernando Martinez - .There’s been enough written about Martinez. He’s part of the Mets’ future… that’s for sure.
4. OF - Lastings Milledge - Now, here’s someone no one is sure about anymore. Have you ever seen a prospect’s value drop so fast without an injury? I sure hope he gets a full year at New Orleans to turn everybody’s head straight, especially his own.
5. OF - Carlos Gomez - Just chillin’ in the wings, waiting for his turn.
Tier Two - 4 stars - A
6. SP/RP Alay Soler - Though he did return to starting mid-way through winter ball, I still think Soler is high on the list of potential future Mets relief pitchers. Remember, he has a three speed slider (I know…. the all walked someone that last game he threw for the Mets).
7. SP - Deolis Guerra - I’ve noticed many so-called experts have downgraded Guerra on their lists lately, probably due to the fact this kid never seemed to get past the 5th inning last year. The Mets had him on a very strict pitch count, which should loosen up in 2007 and we’ll see what he really has.
8. 1B Michel Abreu - this is simply one of the best hitters the Mets have in the minor league system… down side… age and he can’t field a lick. Abreu should be backing up Delgado, not Franco. The best potential PHer on the Mets. I can’t wait to see him in ST.
9. SP/RP/CL Jason Vargas - I’m not exactly sure what position Vargas is coming to ST with. He pitched exclusively in relief in winter ball, was very effective, and wound up a very successful… closer. With all the losses the Mets have in the pen, Vargas’ best shot at making the team is in relief.
10. 1B - Mike Carp – Abreu may be an excellent hitter, but Carp is the top 1B prospect in the system. I still thing he has a good chance to play AA ball, especially if Abreu makes the Mets as a utility player.
Tier Three – 3 stars - B
11. OF Dustin Martin - This is another one of those kids that I’ve loved ever since he signed and he is finally making a couple of the prospect lists that are going around. Had a super winter ball season and would have led the league in hitting if he had around 10 more at bats.
12. CL Carlos Muniz The Mets have almost completely traded away their minor league closers, and Muniz is now ranked as the number one guy in the system. Muniz had 31 saves for St. Lucie last year with a 3.08 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Muniz will play AA ball, but look for him to quickly get to the Big Easy if he keeps up these kinds of numbers.
13. SP Kevin Mulvey - I can’t wait to see this kid pitch in 2007. The Mets might have stolen themselves a real prospect here.
14.. SP Jon Neise - Nothing saying against Neise, but he needs to rebound for the poor ending of the 2006 season to keep the other kids from passing him on the ladder…
15. C Yasmil Bucce - Bucce hasn’t played much for the Mets… a couple of yers in Latin American ball, 2005 for the GCL Mets, and a small amount of games in 2006 for St. Lucie…. But his numbers have been incredible. He was named the top catcher in thr entire GCL system in 2005 and was hitting up a storm until he suffered a torn lathum that killed his 2006 a season. There’s no guarantee he’ll be ready at the beginning of the 2007 season, but expect him to play sometime next year in Savannah and expect big things from Bucce, our number one catcher prospect.
Tier Four – 2 stars - C
16. 2B Manny Garcia. All indications are that Garcia will start the 2007 season at Savannah (A) as the starting 2Bman.
17. SS - Juan Lagarus - hopefully, Lagarus will hed stateside this spring and we’ll all see what everyone is talking abut here…
18. RP Brandon Nall - .I finally learned how to spell this guy’s last name.
19. OF Caleb Stewart - .Just a killer winter ball season which vaulted him to this position on my list. It’s enough to keep an eye on him in the spring, even though he’s 5th or 6th in the prospect pecking order to play outfield someday at Shea.
20.. RP Joe Smith - Sorry folks… I still have Smith lower than everyone else. Even John Sickles gave him rave reviews in his recent list. I want to see another full season before I start quoting the same kind of things I used to say about Henry Owens.
21. C Yunir Garcia - I know that baseball played in Venezuela is nowhere near the quality of “stateside” ball; however, you do play against players that are suppose to be in the same stages of development. Garcia finisjed up the 2006 season playing 9 games at Norfolk, but returned to the VWL for winter ball… and hit .292/.485/.646 and had 9 HRs in 96 at bats. He’s turning 25 and makes my list for the first time.
22 RP Ambiorix Burgos - I predict this will be the John Maine of 2007, meaning, the Mets will wind up with a very good player no one thought was worth trading for. Another rushed prospect who the Mets will now slow down and determine exactly what they have here.
23. SP Michael Devaney - nobody knows how to rank Devaney… he just hasn’t had a bad season in the organization, but everyone says there’s nothing super special here. I keep asking “then why does he finish each year with a great W-L record and a low ERA? I expect Devaney to be changed to relief when he hits AAA.
24. 3B Shawn Bowman - Having a great winter and has spent most of these past two months leading his league in home runs. He’s always been known as the best defensive 3Bman in the sytem (including the Mets) and now his power is coming out. All he has to do in not get injured and have himself a full season. If Bowman didn’t break his back… twice… he would be a top 5 Mets prospect and David Wright would be practicing at 1B.
25. SP Jacob Ruckle - again, I love this kid, but he keeps dropping lower on my list since his Mom stopped posting on my blog J
26. SP Joshua Stinson - like Mulvey, I can’t wait to see this kid in person on the mound…
27. C Francisco Pena - well, we have no stats yet on this kid, but it looks like he will make it to Florida for the GCL season.
28 RP Robert Paulk - is it my imagination or do the Mets seem to be stacked with pitching prospects these days?
29 SP Eric Brown - no one finiahed a season stronger in the organization… no one…
30 RP Jose de la Torre - boy, I’m sure glad this guy signed again with the Mets…
31 1B Nick Evans - I’m not sure we’ll ever see this kid at Shea, but let’s hope he keeps up the good stats, if for no other reason tan future trade bait…
Tier Five – 1 star - D
32 SP Nelson Portillo - those of you that know he know how much I touted this guy last year. I still think he’s a future major league starting pitcher, but frankly, it is far too early to determine that…
33 OF Corey Coles - Coles is another of those outfielders that is going to have a hard time finding a position someday on the parent team. Another future trade bait in a package for a top pitcher…
34 SP Tim Stronach - more young, snappy, starting pitchers… I love it!
35 SP Toby Stoner You have to admit that there are thousands of Mets fans rooting for a kid named Stoner to make the Mets someday. The profits alone on shirts will be overwhelming.
36 OF Sean Henry Henry might be the smallest ballplayer in the system which has held back many prognosticators from putting him on their prospect list. John Sickles has him in his top 20 and 2007 will be the year Henry will have the opportunity to prove if he should be mentioned in the same sentence as people like Milledge and Martinez.
37 OF Brahaim Maldonado - had a great 2006 season… get in line…
38 SS Jonathan Schemmel - like most Mets infielder prospects, watch for him to be taking practice ground balls at 2B in the spring…
39. OF Gabriel Zavala - came out of the VSL gate last year on fire, but ended the season in a slump (.263/.318/.484). Zavala went on to winter ball, where he continued going in the wrong direction (.231/.320/.385). Zavala seemed to be projected to head stateside for 2007, but we’ll see.
40. OF Carlos J. Garcia - yes, the Mets have two prospects named Carlos Garcia. This one came to the Mets VSL system with all sorts of toolsy rhetoric.. but put up so-so stats (74 Abs .243/.349/.365) in winter ball, after slugging .433 in the VSL last year.
41. 3B Jose Jimenez - no, not the comedian and not the Colorado pitcher…just some kid that came out of nowhere last year in the Dominican Republic and hit .309/.437/.455 in 34 games, which is enough reason to put this 19 year old on my list.
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