11-23-11: - http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.js p?ymd=20111110&content_id=25949502&fext=.j sp&vkey=news_milb&partnerId=rss_nym - Zack Wheeler -- think Harvey with a cutter -- thrived at St. Lucie after being acquired from the Giants in the July trade involving All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran. In six starts, he went 2-2 with a 2.00 ERA and struck out 31 over 27 innings. "Wheeler and Harvey, both of these guys have phenomenal stuff," Lopez said. "Time will tell whether they will pitch in the big leagues." Wheeler, Harvey and Familia fill the first three slots on New York's Top 10 Prospect list.
Houston Astros: Rhiner Cruz, RHP, from Mets: A 25-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic, Cruz posted a 2.77 ERA with an 18/6 K/BB in 13 innings for High-A St. Lucie, followed by a 4.14 ERA with a 51/39 K/BB in 59 innings for Double-A Binghamton. Owner of a 95 MPH fastball, Cruz also has an erratic slider and a history of serious command problems. He could slot into a middle relief role but won't get a chance to close without huge improvements in his strike-throwing ability. http://www.minorleagueball.com/2011/12/8/2620950/2011-rule-5-baseball-draft-results-and-reports
12-7-11: - http://baseballdraftreport.com - After consensus top two prep outfielders Bubba Starling and Josh Bell, East HS (WY) OF Brandon Nimmo stands alone as the draft’s third best young outfield prospect. Nimmo’s asencion to the upper half of the first round wasn’t always a forgone conclusion; it took almost the entire spring for the prep outfield picture to develop, as early favorites like Derek Fisher and Larry Greene slipped and late risers such as Granden Goetzman and Senquez Golson couldn’t quite reach the loftiest of draft heights. Nimmo was left standing as the clear third best prep outfielder for very good reason. For as much praise as his raw tools received leading up to the draft, Nimmo showed in his brief pro outing that he’s more than that. There have been equal amounts of plaudits for his present skills, most notably his far better than expected plate discipline. When you combine an advanced approach with his existing tools (most notably his arm, speed, and hit tool), it is easy to envision a potential above-average regular in right. I’m pretty good at separating draft stuff from personal rooting interests (five years of development time gives some perspective, I think), but the Phillies fan in me is annoyed to have to “root against” such a compelling prospect in Nimmo. My annoyance is doubled when I think back to last year’s draft when the Mets grabbed personal favorite Matt Harvey. Annoyance is tripled (and then some) with the realization that, for as much justified criticism as the Mets have received for their thrifty drafting ways of recent years, they managed to undo a good bit of recent damage with what I consider to be a pretty darn strong 2011 try. Nimmo, Phillip Evans, and maybe Brad Marquez all have the potential to be well above-average regulars, and New York’s balanced approach to adding arms in the first ten rounds or so (figure at least one of the college guys wind up a steady starting pitcher, as well as one of the two overslot prep righties). If New York winds up with either Nimmo/Marquez (starting OF) and Evans (starting 2B) offensively, and, going off my own pre-draft list, Logan Verrett and Christian Montgomery in a future rotation, they will have done quite well for themselves.
Al Skorupa: This story of this system is the story of two big arms at the top and increased depth. I prefer Harvey to Wheeler slightly but there isn't a big gap between the two. They ended up less than 10 spots from each other on my top 100. Harvey has a good pitchers build, power stuff and a deep repertoire. He needs to work on his command and changeup to realize his potential. I expect Harvey to develop into a front of the rotation starter. The Tar Heels have really put some premium talent into the draft over the last decade. Wheeler was a great pickup by Sandy Alderson and has a good chance of joining Harvey as a frontline starter. His secondary stuff is a little more inconsistent and his mechanics give me pause. Wheeler flashes the potential to have an even higher ceiling than Harvey, though. I feel like Harvey is a slightly safer bet but you could list either of these guys first and I wouldn't really argue with you. I liked the pick of Brandon Nimmo. Good athleticism and tools and he's got a pretty swing. He's surprisingly polished for someone coming from an area without high school baseball... but he's still going to take time. Jeurys Familia flashes some electric stuff and his secondary pitches can be quite good. If he's ever able to harness his command and control he could be a good starter who misses bats. If he isn't able to its not hard to imagine him making an impact out of the pen. I found it difficult to rank Jenrry Mejia. I loved his stuff before he had Tommy John, but his mechanics always had me thinking bullpen... and you have to think its the most likely destination for him now. Michael Fulmer ranked in the top 50 on my draft board. He's a typical prep arm with good velo and a quality breaking ball but needs to find a third pitch and firm up his command. I liked Reese Havens in college and I still expect him to be a good major leaguer. I'm really hoping he gets that chance in 2012. He's got a well rounded game that could provide a lot of value to a team and make Mets fans happy. Cesar Puello would rank much higher if we were just grading raw tools, but obviously that's not the whole story here. I'm not sold that Puello will ever be much of a hitter... but if he puts it all together he could be a real impact guy. More likely he's a corner OF with better tools than production who shows us flashes of something more. Similar to Puello, I feel that Jordany Valdespin and Wilmer Flores will end up more toolsy than productive. They all have the tools to make a leap forward, though. Draftee Brad Marquez can also match most of these guys for tools and athleticism - other than power. Juan Urbina has some quality stuff for a short season LH and could rank much higher next year. Same goes for Domingo Tapia, who doesn't have the secondary stuff Urbina does but compensates with rare velocity. Cory Mazzoni was N.C. State's friday night starter last season but profiles as a back end guy in the pros. There's some quality depth in this system and the Wheeler trade instantly added another impact arm. This was a fairly poor system entering 2011 with one shining star (Mejia) but now its comfortably in the middle of the pack and should start paying dividends in the not too distant future. http://bullpenbanter.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=526:new-york-mets-2012-top-15-prospects&catid=18:articles&Itemid=11
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11-23-11: - http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.js p?ymd=20111110&content_id=25949502&fext=.j sp&vkey=news_milb&partnerId=rss_nym - Left-handed starting pitcher -- Darin Gorski, St. Lucie (27 games): The FSL Pitcher of the Year (and MiLB.com's Class A Advanced Best Starter) won his first 10 decisions, although he actually began the season in the bullpen. "We had a bit of an embarrassment of riches of pitching at St. Lucie. He didn't even get to start the year in the rotation because of that. He got in there and took off," DePodesta said of the 24-year-old southpaw. "He became the ace of that staff and anchored it when Harvey left. We wanted him to experience being the No. 1 guy and pitching in playoff games." Gorski, a 2009 seventh-round pick, went 11-3 with a 1.98 ERA as a starter and led the FSL in overall ERA (2.08) and WHIP (1.00). He also struck out 140 in 138 2/3 frames, including a career-high 13 on May 26 while holding left-handed hitters to a .171 batting average. "Darin is probably the biggest surprise of this year," Lopez said. "We knew he had the potential to become the type of pitcher he became, but it was a matter of time. It took Gorski two years to put everything together." In addition to his slider, improved fastball command was key. "He always had a changeup," Lopez said, "but nobody swung at it because he could never command his fastball. Next thing you know, he was graded as having the best changeup in our league."
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