Mets Positional Future - SP

Positional Future – SP

Current Mets: Johan Santana, John Maine, Mike Pelfrey

At best, the Mets promote one SP a year to the rotation, meaning, if they don’t sign either Pedro Martinez or Oliver Perez, than the SP4 will come via a trade or through free agency.
To me, that means Jon Niese gets the shot at SP5.

The really great news here is what’s coming down the pipe right behind him:


Pipeline:

Jonathan Niese - 22 yrs. old - 2008: 11-8, 3.13/NO-Bing - Niese won the Sterling Award for Pitcher Of The Year in the Mets minor league system. Niese will get the opportunity to compete for the SP5 slot in 2009.

SP Brad Holt – 22-yrs old - 2008: 5-3, 1.87, 1.05, 14 starts, 96Ks, 72.1 IP for Brooklyn - Holt hit 100 mph in a game last year against Aberdeen. The Brooklyn pitching coach, Hector Berrios, says that he feels that Hot will be in the front end of the Mets rotation ‘in a couple of years’. Holt won the Sterling Award for the top player in 2008 on the Brooklyn Cyclones. Baseball America ranks Holt as the 7th top prospect coming out of the NY-Penn League. I consider Holt and Niese the two untouchable pitching prospects right now in the Mets pipeline.

SP Dillon Gee – 23-years old - 2008: 10-6, 2.92/Lucy-Bing – Gee won the Sterling Award for the top player in 2008 on the St. Lucie team. He’s a control pitcher a la Glavine and ceiling is probably at the SP4 or SP5 slot. Had a wonderful 2008.

SP Bobby Parnell – 24-yrs old - 12-8/Bing/NO – most of you that follow my prospect lists over the years know I never had Parnell very high on them. In his defense, I have never seen him pitch, so it’s hard to judge whether or not he has a future in the majors as a pitcher. I believe he does, but not as a Mets starter. Parnell is in a bad position at his age. He’s projected directly behind Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese, which, going into the 2008 season meant he was behind two untested kids for a rotational spot on the parent squad. The good news for him is Pelfrey is now solidly entrenched into the 2009 rotation. The bad news is the Mets are never going to rotate two rookies at the same time; thus, Niese would get the first shot this year, and that’s not even certain at this point. One of three things will happen to Parnell in 2009. One, he will park his car in Buffalo for a year and wait it out. Two, he will be packaged for a season positional player (OF, C, RP, SP) the Mets need immediately. Or three, he will be converted to the bullpen. I simply expect number one, but think number two would best suit both the Parnell family and the Mets.

SP Mike Antonini – 23-yrs old - 2008: 9-7, 2.77 – Sav/Lucy/Bing – no one expected much from Mike this year and all he did was pitch and pitch well. Probably SP4-5 trade bait.

RP Eric Beaulac – 22-yrs old - 2008: 2-2, 2,38 – Gnats/Clones/King – made a splash this past year and the Mets are very high on him. I expect him back in Savannah in the spring.

SP Brant Rustich – 24/yrs old - Rustich pitched dinged for most of the 2008 season, for Savannah, but still managed to post stats of: 3-4, 3.62, 1.17,in 20 games, 8 starts, 48Ks, 49.2 IP.

SP Robert Carson – 20-yrs old - In 2008, Carson started out with the GCL Mets and pitched impressively: 1-0, 1.57, 0.74. He was promoted to Kingsport, where he went 2-3, 1.76 in 6 starts.

SP Scott Moviel – 20-yrs old – finished 10-8 combined for Savannah and Lucy, with a 4.25 ERA. 6-11 2nd rounder with huge ceiling.

SP Tobi Stoner – 24-yrs old – had a 3.64 combined ERA in 24 starts for Binghamton and Lucy. Continued, for some strange reason, to get little help from the hitters. I see him much more of a trade bait than a future Met pitcher.

SP Dylan Owen – 22-yrs old – 13-7, 3.66 combined for Lucy and the B-Mets. Another of those trade bait possibilities.

SP Jeurys Familia – 19-yrs old – 2-2, 2.79 in 11 starts for the GCL Mets – very high ceiling for the 6-3 kid who the Mets are very excited about. Savannah bound.

Others: Scott Shaw – 22-yrs old - Clones 2008: 6-3, 2.80 - Christopher Schwinden – 22-yrs old - In 2008, Schwinden went 4-1, 2.01, 14 games, 8 starts, 70Ks, 62.2 IP, only 12 BBs, for Brooklyn. - Michael Olmsted – 21-yrs old - Phillips Orta – 22-yrs old - .217 ERA/K-Port-Gnats - Gonzalez German - 21-yrs old - German won the 2008 Sterling Award for the top player on the 2008 DSL team - Jhonathan Torres – 19-yrs old - Torres won the 2008 Sterling Award for the top player on the 2008 VSL team - Angel Cuan – 19-yrs old - Orlando Tovar – 21/yrs old –

Draft needs:

Really none. For the first time in many years, the Mets look loaded in young starters, but as we all know, half of these will poop out by the end of 2009. If so though, that would still leave the Mets with at least 10 good ones. That’s how many pitched well last year.

Trade needs:

Actually, here’s a reversal. Now, the Mets have 6-8 starting pitchers they can package together for 2 trades involving a starting OFer, an immediate SP4, or a closer.