Juan Mercado, the scout that found Jose Reyes, said in (2006) a Dominican newspaper that 16 year old SS Juan Lagares is better than Jose Reyes at the same age. Lagares was signed by the Mets in 2006 and assigned to the DSL team, where he played 57 games and hit .255/.339/.412. He was 3rd in the league in triples.
In March 2007, Lagares got his first taste of prospect-hype when this was written about him on the MiLB web site: “Remember the name Juan Lagares, a 17-year-old shortstop the Mets signed out of the Dominican Republic. It has yet to be determined where he will start the season, but he had a strong Instructional League in the fall and, according to Minaya, "does things ahead of what Jose Reyes was doing [at that age]." Lagares hit .255 in 57 Dominican Summer League games last year and collected eight triples and 12 stolen bases. "He's very talented," vice president of player development Tony Bernazard said. "He's going to be special."
Lagares got off to a rough start in 2007 for Savannah, especially defensively, and was optioned back to extended spring training in early May. He returned on 5/12/07 and immediately was slotted back in the starting lineup, but eventually wound up on the IR list through the end of the season (.210/.262/.317 in 281 at bats).
Legares was born in Constanza, Puerto Rico. In September 2007, Baseball America ranked Lagares as 16th in the SAL in ‘speed score’.
In 2008, Juan started the season on the IR and eventually played for Savannah, where he went .254/.285/.337 in 181 at bats.
5-18-10: - Stock Up: The Savannah sand Gnats are currently clicking on all cylinders and one of the reasons is “veteran” Lagares. He burst on to the scene in 2007 as a hot shit prospect infielder who scouts were saying that he would replace Jose Reyes. Juan went through a few growing years, switched to the outfield, and is back playing Savannah for the fourth straight season. The good news: .305/.321/.539/.860, and leads the team with 27-RBIs. The even better news… he only turned 21 this past March. Lagares is a perfect example of someone you shouldn’t give up on early. We tend to forget how young these 16-year olds were when we first crossed paths with him. If he was stateside and went to college, his class would still be in session.
5-24-10: - Juan Lagares – OF – A – Lagares’ third shot at Savannah has proved to be the charm, going .291/.310/.487/.797, 4-HR, 31-RBI, in 189-AB. The 21-year old has successfully switched from the infield to the outfield and should have been the first outfield promotion to St. Lucie, rather than Joey August and Cody Holiday, from extended camp. Hopefully, the Mets will correct this mistake before the all-star break.
7-14 from: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2010/7/14/1567569/mets-farm-system-mid-term-review - One could argue for any of the three directions here. Lagares had a strong first half in Savannah, posting the best half season he'd ever had including a career high in homers and a much improved slugging percentage. After losing premium positional value last season moving off short, he capitalized on his tools and got it back by handling center field capably. He also is on a pace to more than double his previous high in steals. However, for all you cynics it was his third stop in the SAL and though his slugging reached levels he hasn't seen since his Dominican Summer League days, his typically troublesome K:BB rate didn't improve in the slightest. In addition he is off to a very slow start in PSL, though he is still young for the league. I tend to be more on the 'glass half full side' with Lagares and expect to see his solid contact skills shine through this season and a continued utilization of his strong raw tools long-term as he is finally handled more conservatively.
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