METS Q&A: - #21 - 2B - Josh Satin

Mack:

Good morning folks. We're talking this morning to one of the Mets top prospects, second baseman Josh Satin. Hey Josh, are you back home from your year in Bing-town? .


Satin:

Yeah, I just got home early Tuesday morning and am trying to adjust to life in the off season without baseball everyday .


Mack:

Josh, you were a sixth rounder in 2008, who signed, went 7-12 for K-Port (love those stats: .583/.615/1.000/1.615), and then hit .280 for the Clones. What was it like going from school ball to playing professional ball in front of the Coney Island roller coaster? .


Satin:

You know, it was a little bit of a wake up call for me. I started in Brooklyn and got off to a dreadful start. I think I was 1 for my first 21. I had come off a year in college where I hit almost .400 so to struggle right away in pro ball was difficult especially in brooklyn where the crowds were huge and the pressure to win is intense. When I got sent to Kingsport I had some success which really gave me confidence to get back to Brooklyn and succeed. Once Ii got back I was able to play my game and contribute to our team in a positive way. Playing in Brooklyn is an amazing experience because it really prepares you for the types of crowds and atmosphere that a player will see once he makes it to the big leagues. I definitely learned a lot about what it takes to be a professional baseball player from that experience .

Mack:

You and I go back to Savannah. For some reason, you were tagged in some blog as a miserable fielder, which just isn't true. The story went that someone asked you a question about your fielding and you made a joke about how bad you were. The story took off and yada yada... was that how it all happened? 

Satin:

I dont really know how I got such a bad wrap as a defensive player. If you watch me play it pretty obvious that I'm an offensive minded player but I take pride in the fact that I rarely make errors on defense and will always catch the ball if I'm able to get to it. I definitely have things to work on defensively like first step quickness and my range but I feel as though I'm capable of being a solid defender .


Mack:

You moved on to Savannah in 2009, where you started to turn some heads, especially with your defense. Was there anything in particular you learned from that experience? .


Satin:

My first full season in Savannah was definitely a big learning experience for me. Playing 142 games is so much different than playing a college season and it really takes a whole year to realize how to manage yourself. In college if you have a bad weekend you have two or three off days in between your next game to work on your swing and get back to where you are comfortable at the plate. In pro ball, you have a game everyday so you have to figure out how to manage your swing without overdoing it because you dont want to tire yourself out especially in he savannah heat. also in college you never play the same team in two different series so by the time they realize how to pitch to you, you have no more games against them that year. Pro ball is much different because you play the same teams 10-20 times so it's a constant game of adjustments where they change their plan against you and you have to counter and then when you show that you have figured that plan out the cycle begins again. It's a constant battle of adjustments. For me the jump from my first full year to my second was huge because i knew what to expect .


Mack:

Let's talk Savannah heat. I played ball and can't imagine playing in this humidity every day, no less running wind sprints and having infield practice 4-5 hours before game time, in the hottest point of the day. It has to take it's toll, doesn't it? .


 Satin:

Yeah, it's not easy to play an entire season in weather like that in Savannah. it's also pretty similar to the weather in Port St Lucie. It took a small toll on my body which is why I spent the entire offseason last year training to make sure my body doesn't break down at the end of the season. I think it paid off as I felt a lot better physically at the end of this year than I did at the end of the 2009 season. Once you make it through a season in the Savannah heat, I feel like every other season seems a little easier to make it through from a physical standpoint .


Mack:

Josh, I continue to see every so-called Mets expert write articles about who will be the future New York Mets second baseman. Fangraphs just did another one recently and featured their top five candidates for the job. All these stories have one thing in common and that it none of them ever list the one guy that has the highest career OPS of all of them, you.


Josh, did you every think of hiring a public relations dude? .


Satin:

Ha ha, I appreciate your support but there are so many great players in our organization that have earned an opportunity to compete for that job. I think I just became a player who has been put in the discussion so many people probably don't know who I am yet or don't know as much about me as other players who have been around longer. Although I had a decent year in Savannah, I was older than most players in that league and until you perform in AA or above, its difficult to consider a player as a possibility for the big league team in the near future. Hopefully I opened some eyes this season and gave myself the opportunity to play in the big leagues in the near future.


Mack:

Older? Yeah, you're dying from old age....


All I know is I'm talking to a guy that has hit .300+ in the last three years, batted .316 for Lucy, hit .308 for the B-Mets, had 12 home runs in 2010 and will play AAA next season at the ripe old age of 26.



My money's on you, Josh. .


Satin:

Thanks Mack, I really appreciate. Hopefully the next interview we do together will be about how it feels to make the big leagues. Let me know if you need anything else .


Mack:

You got it. Enjoy the summer and I'll catch you on the back fields in March.


Old stuff on Josh:

 Josh Satin – 2B


Satin was drafting in the 6th round of the 2008 draft by the New York Mets.


Baseball America in June 2008: - Phelps' closest comparison may be California senior Josh Satin, who after two difficult springs put it all together as a senior. Satin showed he can hit with wood in the Cape Cod League—he was the league's all-star MVP in 2006—and has above-average bat speed that produces excellent power. He has played mostly second base in college, though many scouts believe he's a better fit in the outfield as a pro due to fringy range and infield actions.


http://www.insidebayarea.com/ : - "That was a huge wake-up call," he said. "That led to the revelation that I really had to improve my game. I had to force myself to become the player that I perceived myself to be."


So Satin gave himself a crash course on the art of hitting. He worked with Cal's coaching staff on his swing, stuck to a vigorous diet and exercise routine and watched countless videos of different hitters (Miguel Cabrera is his favorite).


John Manuel: "How did Josh Satin last until the sixth round? That’s a surprise, but he’s a college value pick with legit power and a small chance to stay at second base as a pro. The California senior has enough ability to be a useful outfielder and has the raw power to at least have a chance to reach the big leagues. He could be a utility player if he retains his athleticism and can play second or third base. Satin was the Cape Cod League all-star game MVP in 2007."


Satin was drafted at 23 years old, so he’s moving as fast as he can. After signing in 2008, he played for Kingsport (.583/.615/1.000/1.615… okay, it was only 12 at bats) and Brooklyn (.280/.350/.462/.812).


2009 brought Savannah (.284/.385/.418/.803 in 440 at bats, 7-HR, 60-RBI) and a taste of St. Lucie (.364/.464/.591/1.055).


His 2-year professional totals are: .292/.384/.446/.830


2010 Forecast: - It’s obvious that Satin was a good draft pick and the kid can definitely get on base. We should see a little more power this year, but his biggest problem is the fact that Reese Havens is currently being converted to a second baseman in the Winter Leagues. Havens looks timed perfectly for the end of the Luis Castillo contract, which leaves Satin where?


I wrote on Feb 10: - Josh Satin – I didn’t spend much time with Josh last year in Savannah (hell, I didn’t spend much time with anyone there…). There’s no rush for Satin, who will settle into various minor league levels for a couple more years. He was tagged early on as a poor defensive infielder which just isn’t true.


6-21-10 from: - http://www.minorleagueball.com/  - One player who does not have age on his side is New York Mets farmhand Josh Satin, already 25 years old. Scouts discount the UC-Berkeley (sixth round, 2008) product due to so-so tools and his age, but he's hit at every level of pro ball to which he's been exposed, including a .316/.406/.459 mark in the Florida State League this year. He moved up to Double-A last week and is 8-for-25 (.320) so far, albeit with a weak BB/K ratio of 1/7, granted sample size issues. Primarily a second baseman (although he has some experience at third and first), his range is limited but he's reliable on the routine play, not making many errors. A career .298/.388/.450 hitter so far, he's rated mostly as an organizational player, but strikes me as the type of guy who could end up being a surprise contributor in the majors in his late 20s.


7-13 from: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2010/7/13/1565273/mid-term-farm-system-review-part  - Another impressive Pac-10 product (Cal), Satin has continued to hit his way through the Mets system, one level at a time. Without the raw tools of fellow '08 draftees Havens or Nieuwenhuis, Satin has had to prove himself at each stop and hasn't disappointed. For the second straight year, Satin started the season on fire posting a .343 AVG for the month of May with four home runs (.362 April in '09). Not only did he make the FSL All-Star Game, he won the game MVP. Soon after he was promoted to Binghamton and he's continued to do more of the same, hitting for good average with solid plate discipline and decent pop. His numbers haven't jumped up like Havens but the fact that he's maintained them at Double-A is the key factor here. Satin doesn't have any one skill that jumps out at you but he does everything well, with the exception of speed. Different story on the defensive side where he isn't as strong and probably doesn't profile as an everyday major league second baseman. However, it's his bat that will need to continue carrying him, possibly into a long-term role as a solid offensive-minded utility man.


8-17-10: - from http://bleacherreport.com/articles/436319-unsung-new-york-mets-minor-leaguer-joshua-satin  - A California native, Satin was selected by the Mets in the sixth round of the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft. He's logged some great hitting numbers in the Mets farm system, as he is a career .303 hitter and has shown good discipline. The right-handed hitting Satin began the year at Class A St. Lucie, and has since earned a promotion to AA Binghamton, where he has spent half the year. It is almost difficult to think of Satin as a prospect at this point. The 25-year-old is getting to the point where he is just another minor league player. But this burst of solid hitting should start getting him some attention. To say that Satin has hit regularly doesn't really sum his game up enough. He hit .316 with a .406 OBP in 58 games at St. Lucie. Since his promotion, the hits have kept coming. In 56 games with Binghamton, Satin has posted an even higher batting average of .325 and a .417 OBP.

9-12-10: - 2011 Forecast: -  2011 will be for Satin like 2010 was for Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Mets fans will finally start to see some national press on the guy that just might beat everyone out for the full time second base job in 2012 . Satin has done nothing wrong. He went to class in college, he hit the snot off the ball ever since, and he's played a decent defense. The knock on him was he came out of college too old. Trust me, you'll love this guy when he plays 2012 at 27. Josh will go to Buffalo next spring and don't be surprised if he hits .300+ there. That's what he does.