That being said, here are five names you should remember going into the 2011 season, all of which are capable to generate lots of headlines come April:
RP Nick Carr – Carr may still be the Mets pitcher with the highest ceiling. His fastball is much faster than Jenrry Mejia, but he’s had trouble hitting the zone. In addition, various injuries have slowed up his progress. This is a kid (21-yrs old) that tops out at 101 and, if he can find the plate someday, will be a star out of the pen.
LOOGY Oliver Perez – Yes, OP. Even in all this mess called the past two seasons, Perez has been dominant against left handed hitters. There is absolutely no trade market for him and, on paper, there is no one in the organization that has pitched better lefty to lefty. Heck, there are only a few in the majors that have. No, the Mets will not resign him, but he will pitch LOOGY in 2011.
RP Jose De La Torre – De La Torre will pitch 2011 at 25-years old and is ready to excel at middle relief in Queens. He has pitched excellently for the past two seasons, 2009 for AA/A+: 6-5, 2.73, 44-G, 72-K in 69.1-IP… and 30-2, 2.69, 80-K, 70.1-IP, 51-G for AAA/AA in 2010. He may only be 5-9, but he’ll gladly strike you out at your knees.
RP Brant Rustich – Rusty has always had the talent; he just wasn’t 100% since draft day. Rustich literally couldn’t feel his hand grip the ball, which had to cost him some velo (as if he needed more). Corrective surgery this off-season seems to have given him a new life and I expect Brant to waste no time showing the baseball world what he is capable of doing. He could easily wind up the 2011 season in the Mets pen.
SP Greg Peavey – big time draft pick in 2010 that signed late and never was showcased last season… 6-3 RHP out of Oregon State… FB hits 94… plus slider… projects as a 4th/5th starter… was big time high school pitcher that simply didn’t play well in college… still could be a star
Mack, besides Holt, Familia & Carson who everyone on here knows about at this point, a couple other guys that might be #6-#10 on your list could be:
ReplyDelete#6-Manny Alvarez-you were the guy that actually pointed this pitcher out last year as a possible Mets reliever in 2011. One to watch!
#7-Ryota Igarashi-he has a pretty good shot at making the opening day roster with the plethora of open bullpen spots at this point. Has a live arm and maybe a full year stateside calms him down.
#8-Eric Goeddell is a guy I was really high on when the Mets did the unthinkable and went over slot for a #24th round pitcher. Not sure if starter or reliever is his future, but I'm leaning towards reliever at this point.
#9-Ryan Fraser-rumors swirl about him possibly being a starting pitcher, but when I watched him twice in Brooklyn, he threw 90% fastballs and needs to refine secondary pitches. He'll need to do that either way to advance successfully.
#10-Ronnie Moria-I literally only put him on this list because you have him listed as high as #29 and I know nothing about him, but I trust your opinion to think he will atleast provide depth to our minor league pitching.
What's the deal with Moria? We have some good info on Beato, who will clearly be one to watch, but what are your thoughts on Moria's acquisition and how he'll fit in to next year?
Thanks Mack
Your 6-10 list looks like mine...
ReplyDeleteRe: Igarashi - a real wild card that didn't deserve a 2-year contract... I don't think the mets will use him in Queens again - we'll see
Re: Goeddell - my guess is he stay in the pen and opens with Lucy
Re: Fraser - Ryan told ME that the Mets were considering turning him into a starter this year, but the guys that told him that are long gone
Re: Moria: - this is why I love the Rule 5 draft... every team has 8-9 teams and you can only protect 40 players... some good players will fall through the cracks... Moria has done nothing wrong and could be a steal... but the great news is, if he stiffs out, you can return him to his old club