Brooklyn Examiner Interview with... err... me

Mack Ade, of Mack's Mets, took time to discuss the 2009 Brooklyn Cyclones. He is an expert of the Mets' minor leagues and of the MLB draft. On his blog, you can find daily recaps, Q & A's, early coverage of the 2010 MLB Draft and much more.

PS: Sam Honeck has showed very little power thus far, should Mets fans be concerned, or after seeing Ike Davis' breakout this year, can we expect Honeck's power to show up in the future?

MA: Mets fans should always be concerned about minor league first basemen that don't hit for power. The Mets define a first baseman as someone that consistently can give you 30/85... and a perfect barometer on what it takes to get and stay in Queens would be Mike Jacobs. He had 100 major league at bats for the Mets in his last year with them and produced a .600 slugging percentage... which still got him traded.

Right now, all signs show that Ike Davis is projected as the Mets first baseman starting in 2011. It will be his to lose.

I had Honeck as only the 26th top first baseman available in the 2009 draft, though I do like what I see so far this year. He was only ranked third on his college team, in 2008, in home runs, with only seven, so the Mets knew he didn't have major pop when they drafted him.

PS: How much does winning in Brooklyn get in the way of player development?

MA: Boy, I could write a book on this one.

How much?

Everything.

The Mets top brass is to the obsession stage of making sure Brooklyn beats Staten Island every year. Every year, players growth is held up so the Cyclones has the better players, and, it is well though by most Mets, and scouts throughout the league, that the Sand Gnats in Savannah take second fiddle to the Clones.

PS: This is Dock Doyle's second season in the Mets system and he is still in short-season ball, after being a fifth-round pick in 2008 (as a college catcher), why are the Mets bringing him along so slowly? (Where would you have started him this season?)

MA: I had Doyle projected to start at least in Savannah, and possibly St. Lucie. He actually played one game for St. Lucie, went 3-3, and his stats there are: 1.000/1.000/1.000/2.000.
The Mets decided early on the give the year of 2009 to Frankie Pena in St. Lucie, which sent Doyle back to the extended camp. I do not know why he didn't go to Savannah. I heard he might have been injured... then I heard the Mets didn't like what they saw... but that's all rumors. The bottom line is he has progressed slower than most Mets pundits expected.

PS: Would Jim Fuller have been better off in Savannah this season, even if he had to work out of the bullpen there?

MA: No, he had a nice season last year in the pen, though he didn't pitch enough to be totally evaluated. The Mets decided in the off-season to start him in 2009 and, frankly, Savannah opened the season with nine starters. There simply wasn't enough room for him there.

I expect if the 22-year old continues to pitch as well as he is doing this year that he will go directly to St. Lucie next spring.

PS: Robbie Shields is struggling in his first month after signing. Did you like the Mets drafting him in the third round?

MA: Frankly, there was nothing I liked about the Mets 2009 draft, but that's just me.
Regarding Shields, I had him ranked as the 8th top shortstop in the draft, and my pre-draft comments were:

Robbie Shields - Florida Southern… 6-0, 200, R/R… junior… 2008: led team in hits, .348, 9 HR, 36 RBIs… injured wrist in Cape Cod League this past summer… ability to hit high for average… great bat speed… limited defensively

It made me sick that players like LHP Josh Spence were still on the board after this pick.

PS: Which 2008 Cyclone will we see in the majors first: Ike Davis, Brad Holt, Jenrry Mejia or Roy Merritt? Why?

MA: I still think it will be Merritt, for two reasons:

1. The Mets pitching brass fell in love with him at ST this past spring

2. Relief pitchers always move faster.

Holt needs at least one more year and Mejia possibly two.

PS: Out of Davis, Holt or Mejia, who has the best chance of at least making it as an every day player or major league starting pitcher? And who has the best chance to become a star in Queens?

MA: Again, this is just my opinion... I have talked to some of the Mets pitching brass this year and no one has excited them more than Brad Holt. Yes, he is struggling this year, but it's a year where he has had to develop secondary pitchers as well as being tweaked by every so-called expert around him.

I think Brad Holt will be a star.

PS: There are several Cyclone starters having solid seasons. All things considered, which one has the best chance to develop into a prospect and why?

MA: I have three on my list:

SP Mark Cohoon should have started in Savannah and has consistently showed that he will be a Mets pitching prospect with a projected date of 2012.

We've already taked about James Fuller, who is slightly behind Cohoon on the depth chart

And lastly, Brandon Moore turned all out heads this year and will easily project out as a secondary prospect going into next season.

(Let me caution this with one thing... it's impossible to name someone a "prospect" until he proves he can dominate at multiple levels. I can't tell you how many pitchers have looked like Warren Spahn at the A level and wound up playing like Warren Zevon at AAA)

PS: Nick Santomauro is showing good pop, lots of patience and is sporting an .865 OPS so far. Did the Mets get a steal in the 10th round-pick out of Dartmouth?

MA: I don't have an opinion here worth his draft value. Yes, his current numbers seem to warrant the pick, but I had 83 outfielders on my pre-draft list... and none of them were Nick.

For more info: Check out Mack's Mets. Mack's blog is a must-read for anybody that follows Mets' prospects or the MLB Draft. Mack and his team of contributors are very insightful and do a great job covering the minor league scene.