Mets: Zack Wheeler, Collin McHugh, Matt Harvey, Josh Thole

Zack Wheeler, the No. 1 prospect in the Mets' organization, does not mind that many fans are pinning the hopes of this franchise on him. "It makes me feel good," Wheeler said in the press room at Digital Domain Park on Monday afternoon. "But then again, you've got all these other guys who are doing the same job as me and they're pro baseball players. So you've got to respect them and respect their abilities." Wheeler, the blue-chip pitcher who came east in last year's Carlos Beltran trade, said he has put a lot of time into developing his change-up. He counted off four pitches – fastball, change-up, slider, curve – and said the fastball is the best weapon in his arsenal. http://www.northjersey.com/sports/pro_sports/baseball/139788603_Mets_notes__Zach_Wheeler_focused.html

2-10-12 -  http://seedlingstostars.com/2012/02/10/s2s-2012-team-prospect-lists-new-york-mets/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitte r   - #2.)  Collin McHugh, RHP. McHugh has struck out over a batter per inning for his career, but he didn’t hit full-season ball until he was almost 23, so he’s always been old for his levels. He had a 2.87 ERA and 2.56 FIP in Double-A this past year at age 24. As one might expect from a guy with these numbers and little buzz, McHugh doesn’t have the velocity to blow the ball by hitters, working at 88-92 mph. He relies more on sequencing and good offspeed stuff, with an overhand curve, sweepy slider, and diving changeup. He could be a back-of-the-rotation innings-eater, and isn’t too dissimilar from Dillon Gee. Grade: B-

Matt Harvey, Mets SP -  Talent: 8 -  Opportunity: 5 -  2011 Highest Level: Double-A -  Future number two horse was impressive across two levels (3.32 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 10.3 K/9) after going No. 7 overall in 2010, and there’s not much in his way at the big-league level, so a strong start at Double-A in 2012 could have him on the verge by late summer. http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/?p=27635

After shortening his swing in June, Josh Thole hit .292 the rest of the way to finish with a .268 batting average. The real concern for Thole comes when he is behind the plate.  He led the NL with 16 passed balls.  In fairness, 11 of those came while catching knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.  He did have the third best fielding percentage among NL catchers, however (.997). If he stays within himself, he should be fine at the plate, but the real improvement needs to occur when he is behind it. http://realdirtymets.com/2012/02/21/player-projections-josh-thole/