The Keepers - #27 - OF - Cory Vaughn

27.       Cory Vaughn:

Vaughn was drafted by the Mets in the 4th round of the 2010 draft.

My draft analysis on Vaughn:  Well, it didn’t take long for the Mets to pull one out of their arse. I have basically nothing on Vaughn, other than a couple of 200+ round picks on some early mocks. It is very hard to find anything positive about this guy, other than the fact that his father was named Greg. He seems to swing at anything that’s thrown his way and has been one of the divisional strikeout leaders, both in school and the Cape Cod League. Had 55-K in 180-AB and 180-K in 592-AB career wise. Multiple scouting services have reported that his hitting mechanics are horrible. Projection: Boy, who the heck knows. Personally, I’m pissed that left on the board were RHP Sam Dyson and LHP James Paxton, and, if you wanted a toosy outfielder, what about Cody Hawn or Austin Wilson? Look, I have no problem drafting someone that shows potential, but save these kind of picks until the 15th round. There is no way of projecting any kind of ETA on this kid. Everything I have read said he is not a potential major leaguer. ETA: never  Draft Grade: F

6-30-10: - Vaughn hit his fourth home run of the young Cyclone season Tuesday night and we need to put him on the watch list. Included in the stuff I compiled on him below is my analysis of how I felt about thw Mets picking him. My thoughts were similar to what I originally said a few years ago about Ike Davis, so this should be good news for both the Mets and you fans out there. Sure, there is only 43 at bats, but you have to respect a .651 slugging percentage and a 1.036 OPS.

7-19-10: - It’s not the two hits he got on Monday that got him this stock up… nor is it the fact that one was another home run, which he leads the league in producing. Additionally, it’s not the fact that he now has his batting average up to .291. No, none of that earned him this listing. It was the fact that he had two outfield assists during the game also, throwing out runners at both third and second base. That’s an outfield performance we don’t see very often in the Mets’ minor leagues.

7-31-10: - Vaughn continues to lead the league in home runs, hitting his 10th last night. Seasonal stats are now: .310/.401/.581/.982, with an impressive 21-BB. Vuaghn continues to quiet critics, including myself, and seems a lock on the Sterling Award winner this season for the Clones.

10-8-10: - 2011 Forecast: - Well, we don't have to spend any more time on what Keith Law and I thought of this pick. The bottom line is I was wrong and Vaughn looks like he's a live one. Both he and Darrell Ceciliani made headlines playing the Cyclones outfield last season, but I have only Vaughn going straight to Lucy for the beginning of the 2011 season. That should be some kind of outfield with Vaughn, Matt den Dekker (who plays CF?), and Cesar Puello.

3-9-11: - Up: - OF Cory Vaughn – Vaughn got his first ever ST at bats with the big boys on Tuesday and launched a two-run homer in the eighth inning against the Nationals. He’s years away but continues to covert those of us that thought this was a bag draft pick. I expect him to bypass Savannah and go straight from Brooklyn to St. Lucie next month.

5-16-11: - We’re starting to get to the point in the season where certain players are proving they can play baseball at a level higher than they played last year. Prospects usually don’t have that much difficulty in doing this. OF Cory Vaughn, who wowed everybody (even me) last year in Brooklyn, has already proven he can dominate at the next level in the Sally League. I can speak first hand to his desire to excel, something I didn’t think he possessed when he was drafted out of college. Here is a guy that went into Monday’s game leading the league in OBP (yes, even higher than Bryce Harper) and he honestly feels he has played like sit this year. Amazing. He has been the only consistent bat on the team, and, now that other players are being to hit, we should se a huge increase of RBIs from this true prospect. I had him as the #15 “Keeper”, but I have now moved him up to #10.

5-27-11: - OF Cory Vaughn A-Savannah: - Vaughn’s season in Savannah this year reminds me a lot of Matt den Dekker’s last season. Both seem to just blow themselves through the competition, which is how you earn yourself a bump up. There really isn’t a list where everyone gets a turn. The ones that go on are the ones that prove their talent stands out above the rest of league they are currently playing in. That’s what Vaughn has already done this year. He’s leading the Sally League in OBP and seems the be able to drive in runners at will. His only shortfall so far this season is the fact that his teammates that hit before him haven’t gotten on base enough. Thursday’s game was a perfect example. CF Darrell Ceciliani led off the game with a walk and Vaughn knocked him in. There was no one on base the next time he got up, so, what the hell, he hit a home run anyway. As you know, I didn’t like this pick, but I was wrong. I was never wrong about the person though. He’s a great kid and he needs to move to Florida.

8-3-11: - Twitter exchange between Cory and I today: -       SugarFreeCV Cory Vaughn - Growing out the stache #ilookmexican http://t.co/V4FPzxg ...           MackAde Mack Ade - @ @SugarFreeCV - you look like Hamilton Bennett… SugarFreeCV Cory Vaughn - @ @MackAde i might have to get rid of it now since u compared me to him ha lol

8-21-11: - Observation - #11 – Cory Vaughn – OF – I have Vaughn higher on my prospect list than most of the other pundits out there. All the tools are there and the ceiling is the highest in the system. His one problem seems to be running hot and cold which, on the surface looks like a lack of concentration. It’s not his talent. Cory will most probably be held back for another stint in St. Lucie, where he will be reunited with his outfield buddy, Darrell Ceciliani. I originally had his ETA to possibly join the Bigs along with Matt den Dekker, but his two month slump at Lucy probably (and correctly) pushes him back a year. – ETA:  Opening day 2014

8-28-11 – Stock Up: - OF Gilbert Gomez – This is weird. I had a working title on my notes page entitled “Is Gilbert Gomez the new Cory Vaughn’? It was going to be a post that was pro-Gilbert, but, at the same time, designed to light a fire under a player I like and is going through his second slump of the year. So, what do BOTH of them do today? They both hit two home runs in the same game. Weird.

10-25-11: - http://www.minorleaguerundown.com/2011/10/25/2011-top-20-new-york-mets-prospects  - 2011 Top 20 New York Mets Prospects - 9.Cory Vaughn, OF (Low/High Class A): Very quietly, Vaughan represents one of the stronger offensive talents in the system. Vaughn has the power, eye, and bat speed to be a solid regular outfielder if he can further develop his pitch recognition. His 22% K rate must not get any worse at the AA level, as his power is not big enough to compensate for the lack of regular quality contact. Nevertheless, he’s athletic, has posted around a 10%+ walk rate every year, and his power potential is still of value. Vaughn should not be expected to post so low a BABIP next year (.247), so some offensive resurgence (more like his low A numbers) should be in order.

11-18-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/11/mets-top-position-player-prospects-were-disappointing-in-2011.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MetsMerizedOnline-GetMetsmerized-NewYorkMets+%28Mets+Merized+Online%29  - Cory Vaughn: My personal favorite in the Mets system, had me very excited early on.  He was hitting well over .300 for Savannah, and was beginning to drive the ball early in the year.  He then began to slide and was eventually promoted to Single-A St Lucie. Once he arrived there he began a downward spiral, that officially put a damper on his sophomore season in the pros.  He was coming off a season where he his a Brooklyn Cyclones record 14 home runs and drove in 56 RBI, while hitting .317, so there was reason to be excited.  He hit just .219 for St. Lucie in in 59 games.  He did hit 8 home runs, but really did not do much else to get you excited. Vaughn is considered the total package as he a good blend of speed and power to go along with his above average defense.

1-3-12 - http://mets360.com/?p=8885&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mets360%2Ffeed+%28Mets360+Feed%29   - 10. Cory Vaughn, OF, Lo-A/Hi-A, .286/.405/.408 in 297 PA - This is Vaughn’s line in Lo-A. His OPS was 110 points lower in Hi-A in 241 PA but the majority of that dropoff was from BABIP issues. Vaughn posted just a .247 BABIP in Hi-A, a decrease that dwarfed his ISO gains. In Lo-A, Vaughn posted a .122 ISO but in Hi-A he upped that to a .176 mark. And while he showed more power at the advanced level, he also showed virtually no change in his strikeout rate. After fanning 21.5% of the time in Lo-A, Vaughn posted a 22.0% mark in Hi-A. Vaughn played with a heel injury, which possibly caused some of the problems after his promotion. Many wonder if Vaughn has the bat speed necessary to succeed in the majors. He’s not a great speed/defense guy, so he’ll have to hit well to make it.

http://metsmerizedonline.com/2012/01/mmo-2012-mets-top-prospects-s-31-40.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MetsMerizedOnline-GetMetsmerized-NewYorkMets+%28Mets+Merized+Online%29   - 32. Cory Vaughn (OF) The 23 year-old Vaughn, who was taken in the 4th round of the 2010 draft out of San Diego State, had his short minor league career hit a wall right in the middle of the 2011 season. I don’t know what could make the Mets do something so stupid as to take a guy who was having a very good year at Savannah, and yank him out of the league rather abruptly at mid-season, to promote him to the Florida State League. Why? Who knows? But it definitely did not have the desired effect as Vaughn’s season fell completely apart. In the first half at Savannah, Vaughn hit .286 in 245 AB’s, while in 210 AB’s at St. Lucie he hit .219. You can say it’s the minors and it doesn’t matter but it couldn’t have done any good for the man’s confidence. And was the second half slump due to injury, or fatigue? Or is it a matter of Vaughn being unable to hit advanced breaking pitches? Now Vaughn finds himself between a rock and a hard place because he is mired in high A ball after having played a brutally bad half-season there. What’s more, there are some very talented outfielders coming up through the system behind him, and the prospects of the big jump to AA, loom ahead. The next year will go a long way to seeing whether Vaughn moves up this list, or drops off it altogether.

1-20-12 - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2012/01/prospect-pulse-the-2012-st-lucie-mets.html  Cory Vaughn (LF) - Vaughn starts his first full season in the Florida State League after joining St. Lucie last year at mid-season. His first go-round in the FSL wasn’t a good one, and Vaughn would be best served if he used this winter to forget all about last season. Fighting a nagging injury, he batted 210 times for St. Lucie, hitting just .219, with 9 HR’s and 29 RBI’s. With luck, 2011 was just an aberration, and we’ll get to see Mr. Vaughn bust out in 2012. If he does he should be a pretty quick call-up to AA, if he continues to languish as he did last year, it will be a long season for him.

2-3-12: - http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com/32-rf-cory-vaughn/   - 2011: Vaughn graduated from Savannah at the All-Star Break after hitting .286/.405/.408 for Savannah.  He then hit .219/.310/.395 in 63 games for St. Lucie in the second half.  There are things in both of those lines that should be concerning.  In Savannah, it was the lack of power. Historic Grayson Stadium is an extremely difficult place to hit home runs. However, it’s not just the home runs that he missed. His extra-base hit percentage plummeted to 6.7% from 10.5% in Brooklyn.  Also, he just didn’t seem to drive the ball with very much authority. Nor did he seem to do much damage against quality fastballs. In St. Lucie, obviously the concern was his .219 batting average. However, across both levels, he hit a combined .255/.363/.402 with a .315 BABIP.  He aspires to join a group, MLB right fielders, who averaged .269/.341/.441 in 2011.

2-3-12: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/2/3/2760606/2012-amazin-avenue-top-50-mets-prospects-20-16   - OF Cory Vaughn - The 21-yr old son of former big leaguer Greg Vaughn is at a crossroads after a 2011 which can honestly give ammunition to either side of the debate on his future. On the one hand, in the first half of the season in Savannah he picked up where he left off in 2010, hitting well, showing good walk rates and featuring the kind of all-around athleticism that had scouts dreaming of a plus right fielder in the bigs the minute they saw him in a pro uniform. Conversely, he was far less impressive upon his promotion to St. Lucie. Specifically, for a college player Vaughn seemed surprisingly lost against A-ball pitching. That .219 mark was pretty damning, as was the continued increase of his K-rate up above 22%. And though you can give him a break for a BABIP below .250, you then must dock him for a mark above .350 with Savannah. There is some thought that his performance suffered thanks to a nagging heel injury, though Vaughn continued to play nearly every day so it’s tough to gauge. In short, there are certainly things to like about Vaughn as his combination of secondary skills and raw tools make it easy to envision an every day right fielder. But a decline in power as well as a K% bordering on unacceptable sinks his overall ceiling as well as the excitement he created during his pro debut with Brooklyn.