Thoughts on John Sickles Mets Top 20 Prospects

1) Travis D'Arnaud, C, Grade A-: Borderline B+.

2) Zack Wheeler, RHP, Grade A-: Borderline B+.

3) Noah Syndergaard, RHP, Grade A-: Borderline B+.

                                I totally agree with the placement of both D’A and Syndergaard, for multiple reasons. Pro-ready prospects should always rank higher and the system is depleted because the parent team has so many of the young players already playing there. I’m sure Mets purists lime Mark Healey and Howard Medgal hate that the 2013 season has been tossed aside, but, frankly, the team didn’t have enough to compete with anyway. Now, you have a major bat behind the plate, an immediate 3-4-5 of Wright-Davis-D-‘Arnaud, a legitimate SP3 candidate for 2015, and the same amount of money left to find an outfielder.

4) Wilmer Flores, 3B-2B, Grade B+: Borderline B.

5) Michael Fulmer, RHP, Grade B: Borderline B-:

6) Jeurys Familia, RHP, Grade B-: Borderline B

                I’ve already have another bone of contention because I haven’t seen the name Rafael Montero typed yet, but I also disagree with Sickles on Familia. Frankly, I’l watched this guy closely over the past three years and, IMO, he’s a puff of smoke a la Mikial Cleto and Deolis Guerra. All flash and no results. TC already has said he will pith 2013 in the Las Vegas bullpen. That’s probably his only chance to make this team someday.

               

7) Luis Mateo, RHP, Grade B-: Borderline B.

8) Brandon Nimmo, OF, Grade B-:

9) Gavin Cecchini, SS, Grade B-:

10) Rafael Montero, RHP, Grade B-:

                There’s Montero. I have him #4 on my list right now, just ahead of Mateo. Mateo will probably jump Savannah and will pitch St. Lucie at the same age he would pitch if he just graduated college. I really don’t have much to say about either Nimmo or Cecchini, though scouts I have talked to love Cecchini as the future Mets second baseman. I’m still numb from not hearing the name Courtney Hawkins being called out.

11) Domingo Tapia, RHP, Grade B-:

12) Cory Mazzoni, RHP, Grade C+: Borderline B-.

13) Jake DeGrom, RHP, Grade C+:

14) Kevin Plawecki, C, Grade C+:

15) Matt Den Dekker, OF, Grade C+:

16) Cory Vaughn, OF, Grade C+:

17) Logan Verrett, RHP, Grade C+:

18) Jack Leathersich, LHP, Grade C+:

19) Danny Muno, INF, Grade C+:

20) Phillip Evans, SS, Grade C+:

                It was great to see that someone finally recognized ‘Leather’ for his accomplishments last season.

                I found it strange that both Cesar Puello and Aderlin Rodriguez were left off this list. I still feel that a healthy Puello is the most talented minor league outfielder in the system.