Mets Prospect - P Nathan Vineyard

Nathan Vineyard LHP L L 6-3 200 10-3-88 Woodland HS (GA.)

Vineyard, a 6-3, 200-pounder, went 8-2 with a 0.84 ERA in 10 games with Woodland this year. In 59.0 innings, he allowed 29 hits with 12 walks and 105 strikeouts. Vineyard, 18, was a 2007 Louisville Slugger High School Pre-Season All-American

A scouting report put out just before the draft had his fast ball clocked in the 88-91 mph range, with ‘average’ life. Vineyard's slider is also average, but it's already an out pitch. He's got good athletic actions on the mound and excellent aggressiveness in attacking hitters.

Another scouting report:

Vineyard has an average 88-91 mph fastball and slider. His change-up is currently below-average. Vineyard has a solid delivery but his command is below average at this point in his career. He is athletic and likes to aggressively attack hitters.

BA on Vineyard:


Like fellow Georgia high school lefty Josh Smoker, Vineyard has been on the map as a prospect for several years. His performance has been far less consistent than Smoker's, but he re-established himself as a potential high-round pick last fall when he dealt in front of more than 100 scouts in the featured game of a World Wood Bat tournament in Jupiter, Fla. His delivery is loose and easy and the ball jumps out of his hand. His fastball comes in at 88-91 mph, but because he leans heavily on his plus slider, there's reason to believe he will add velocity once he learns to pitch off his fastball. His slider has late break with good depth and tilt. He'll throw it in any count and can spot it down in the zone or bury it as a chase pitch. Vineyard profiles as a No. 4 starter or set-up man in the big leagues and could be drafted as high as the supplemental round.


Vineyard was drafted in the supplemental portion of the 1st round by the Mets in 2007.

He pitched the entore 2007 season with the GCL Mets, where he went 0-3, 5.27 in 9 games (7 starts) with 33 Ks in 27.1 IP.

In November 2007, Scouts.com named Vineyard the 14th top Mets prospect, while BA had him 9th.

In December 2007, Jonathan Mayo/MLB.com wrote:

The Georgia high school product was another of the Mets' supplemental first-round picks. He got his feet wet in the Gulf Coast League, where he struck out 33 in 27 1/3 innings. He allowed only four earned runs over his final 18 innings (1.78 ERA), spanning five games.

In late January 2007, Baseball America ranked Vineyard as the 9th overall Met prospect, adding:
"throws 3 pitches that presently grade average or better, with some projection remaining"
In February 2008, Baseball Prospectus gave Vineyard a 2-star rating and ranked him as the 6th overall Mets prospect.

Also in February 2008, Rotoworld ranked Vineyard as the #4 Mets prospect, saying:


The Mets had six picks in the first three rounds of last year's draft and used them all on pitchers. Vineyard, the 47th overall selection, looks like the best of the bunch at the moment. A projectable left-hander with a 88-91 mph fastball and a quality slider, he could be a No. 3 starter. The Mets will surely have him focusing on improving his changeup over the next couple of years. He's probably not going to advance more than a level per year, at least not until 2010.
In 2008, Vineyard pitched for Savannah, with an 0-2, 14.63 in 2 games.