Mack Stuff – Wilmer Flores, Francisco Liriano, Wuilmer Becerra, Luis Mateo

3B Wilmer Flores – 0-2, 1-R, 1-BB, .288

                                   2-4, 1-RBI, .292

                -the trading of Jefry Marte creates a situation where Flores will be the featured third baseman at Las Vegas in 2013. Last year, he split time playing that position with Marte in Binghamton. The rest of the time was spent either at 2B or as a DH. For now, Zach Lutz remains in the organization, but it seems to me that this gives the Mets an opportunity to ‘showcase’ Flores next year for a future trade.

C Francisco Pena -  1-4, 1-RBI, .260

RF Juan Lagares -   2-4, 2B, .327

LF Jordany Valdespin  -  0-2, .284

LF Cesar Puello – 0-0, .185

RP Armando Rodriguez  -  0.1-IP, 1-R, 3.16

C Juan Centeno  -  1-3, 1-BB, .311

Sandy Alderson said free-agent LHP Francisco Liriano is on his list of pitchers who he would consider signing to join the Mets and compete for a spot in the rotation.

                Here’s a guy that just never reached his full potential. Lifetime MLB (7-yrs.): 53-54, 4.40, 1.35. You have to love the 846-Ks in 841-IP, which still held up in 2012 (combined CWS, Minny – 167-K, 156.2-IP). The problem is the 87-BB and 143-H given up at the same time. His last contract was $5.5mil for one year, which is about what the going rate (Mike Pelfrey) is right now. Remember… Zack Wheeler should arrive around July 1, but you’re asking the Mets to go through the first half of the season without any of the rotational pitchers being on the DL… while two of them technically (Johan Santana and Dillon Gee) are still there. Damn. I wish they would have signed Pelph.

 While I saw what amounted to basically one game of Wuilmer Becerra, he seems like the most relevant prospect to lead the article off with since he was included in the R.A. Dickey deal just a few days ago. Becerra is a real prospect in his own right, signing for $1.3 million on July 2nd, 2011 and that means youth is still on his side, as he turned 18 during instructs this year. His minor league debut was cut short after 36 plate appearances in the GCL this season after he broke his jaw from an errant in-game fastball. Becerra has a long frame, listed at 6’4, 190 but he isn’t the typical super-slender projectable tools monsters of July 2, as there’s already some thickness to his frame and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is or will soon be well over 200 pounds. He runs well for his size and I didn’t get a great time but Becerra looked to be a below average runner, a far cry from when he had put up above average times in amateur workouts. His arm wasn’t overly impressive and my read was a left field profile, which is where he played exclusively in instructs. Becerra’s swing is solid for a guy of his size, with a good, fluid load and hands at a medium height. He showed some patience in games and a direct bat path, along with some performance: he showed off his above-average raw power by tomahawking a fastball up in the zone off the left field wall for a double and hooking a fastball away over the left field wall. fangraph

I loved watching Luis Mateo down in Brooklyn, but I want prospect watchers to temper their enthusiasm. He’s got a plus fastball that sits in the 92-94 and touches 96 early in starts but his velocity drops as starts wear on, but he’s a big kid and a good athlete so this may not be a longer term issue. His success in 2012 was due to his above average ability to locate it and consistently pound the strikezone. I’ve seen his slider earn high praise; yesterday Baseball Prospectus called it a potential “7″.  I haven’t seen that. That doesn’t it mean it doesn’t exist, but in my trips to Brooklyn the pitch has been average and flashed “6″ only on a handful of occasions. The Mets will likely allow Mateo to start, but he could move quickly as a relief pitcher. BB