Mack Ade – Morning Report – 10-30-13 – Colorado Rockies, Prospects, Yankees Tampa Move, Mets Draft Pick

Matt Cerrone –

                In September, John Harper of the Daily News proposed trading Travis d’Arnaud, Dillon Gee and Rafael Montero for Tulowitzki, an idea that was not outright rejected when pitched to a Mets source. “We have to be open-minded,” the source told Harper. “We have to be ready to be creative.” http://metsblog.com/metsblog/edit-rockies-will-listen-to-offers-for-dexter-fowler/

                Mack – I would have absolutely no problem with this deal. You trade a catcher that still hasn’t earned his keep, at best an SP3, and an untested pitching prospect for the best shortstop in the league.

Cerrone also said that the Rockies would take offers for both outfielders Dexter Fowler and Michael Cuddyer.

I’ll tell you this. If Sandy Alderson once again tries to go cheap, he’lll lose out on all the good names out there, both on the free agent market and via trades. The Hunter Pence deal has set the bar at a crazy level but it is what it is. You’re going to have to be ready to pay a few guys a once unheard of amount of money to fill in the right holes until you can build out within the system.

 

And, while we’re at it, just what does the system look like right now?

Here’s a short list of what should grow out of the affiliates in the next five years. There could be some other surprises… hell, I never had Juan Lagares listed on any projection list, but this, IMO, represents the potential major league players our current system is producing (this is an opinion piece, so please join in if you feel different about this):

2014 – SP Noah Syndergaard, SP Rafael Montero, RF Cesar Puello

2015 – C Kevin Plawecki

2016 – SP Steven Matz, SS Gavin Cecchini, OF Brandon Nimmo, 2B Dilson Herrera

2017 – SS Amed Rosario, 1B Dominic Smith

2018 – none yet

This is a conservative list and there’s a good chance a few more will develop from a list of players like Adam Kolarek, Jeff Walters, Jacob deGrom, Gabriel Ynoa, Michael Fulmer, Hamilton Bennett, Robert Whelan, Chris Flexen, Pedro Perez, Jhoan Urena, Wuilmer Beccera, Ivan Wilson, and Jared King… but, in my humble opinion, the system is still short a number of bats to guarantee a successful future.

 

FYI –

                The New York Yankees reached an agreement to relocate their high Class A Florida State League franchise from Tampa to a planned new ballpark 90 minutes north in Ocala. The move, which was first reported over the weekend by the Ocala Star Banner, would not impact spring training for the Yankees’ major league team. The Yankees still have roughly 12 years remaining on a 30-year contract obligating them to maintain their spring home in Tampa at Steinbrenner Field.                  http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/yankees-strike-deal-to-move-fsl-team-out-of-tampa/

 

Sally asked –

                Hey Mack, great site.

                You follow the draft throughout the year. Do you have any fell on who the Mets will draft in the first round?

                                Mack – Thanks Sally.

                                There’s no way of knowing who will be picked until the team that has the 9^th pick calls out their name, but we can narrow it down a little.

                                First, certain to be gone are players like LHP Carlos Rodon, RHP Tyler Kolek, RHP Touki Toussant, SS Jacob Gatewood, and SS Trae Turner.

                                Secondly, under Sandy Alderson, every first round pick has been a high school senior.

                                Here’s my guesses as of yesterday:

1 – LHP  Rodon – NC State -  any anyone possibly pick anyone else with the firs pick? He has been the first pick in the last ten mock drafts and only was picked less that first in only one all off-season (Baseball Draft Report – June 10, 2013). It will take a major injury to lower this pick.

2. RHP Kolek - Shepard (TX) HS – Here comes the high school pitchers. Kolek is obviolsy the best and I now have him higher than the ‘big three’ shortstops in this draft.

3. RHP Toussaint              - Coral Springs (FL) – Touissant wowed them at the PG Showcase this past weekend in Jupiter and solidified a top five ranking.

4. SS/3B/OF  Gatewood -              Clovis HS (CA) -                 has climbed past Trea Turner as the top SS prospect in the draft.

5. SS Turner – NC State – Still a top five pick and a sure bet to be a regular MLB player someday.

6.  Now it starts to get difficult. You can go power college arm (Tyler Beede), the flashy catcher ( Alex Jackson), or the 3rd best SS in the draft (nick Gordon. I pick C Alex Jackson - Rancho Bernardo HS (CA)            -  who could not stick here and eventualy wind up as a corner outfield.

7. RHP Tyler Beede – Vanderbilt - is a power college righty a la Mike Harvey that could easily be in the majors in 2015. He started the mock season as the top pick and the only reason he has dropped this low his high school fever.

8.  RHP Jeff Hoffman – East Carolina –  Hoffman has dropped a few spots but is still  a big time power college pitcher.

9.  RHP Grant Holmes – Conway HS (SC) – It would be interesting to see if Holmes was still available when the Mets pick came around. Definitely one of the top three high school pitchers out there.

10. OF/1B  Braxton Davidson – TC Robinson HS (NC) – I list Davidson and break the ‘best player available’ rule. OF Michael Gettys projects out as a more talented overall player, but the Mets need Davidson’s power