12/2/13

Organizational Evaluation By Position – RP


It’s almost impossible to project a relief pitcher. Most that make it to the majors started out as a starter so how do you take serious all the guys in the system that couldn’t even get a rotation slot? We had a couple of guys like Eddie Kunz drafted by this team as a pure reliever and we all remember how that worked out. Check any roster in baseball and you have every kind of pitcher you can find, but the one thing that is becoming more common every day is the need for speed. If you’re not throwing a fastball in the mid-90s range, you’re not only not to make it in this game, you probably aren’t even going to get a chance to show it.

With that said, we move on to each level with a few precious players color-highlighted as probable major leagues and almost probable ones as well.

AAA – Las Vegas - Jeff Walters, Adam Kolarek, Chason Bradford, John Church, Jack Leathersich, Chase Huchington, Daniel Herrera, Joel Carreno, Daryl Thompson, Armando Rodriquez, Ryan Fraser, Miquel Socolovich        

There’s a lot of relief talent on the Las Vegas staff and some of these guys are going to pitch in Queens. They are led by the 25-year old Walters who also started out in the Brooklyn rotation (2011: 4-6, 3.32). The conversion was made in Savannah (2012: 17-G, 0.95 ERA) and he ended the eyar in Binghamton. Last year, in Binghamton, he set a team record for 38-saves with an overall stat line of: 53-G, 56.0-IP, 60-K, 16-BB, 4-3, 2.09, 1.11. His fastball hits 96, but his bread and butter pitch is 88-91 sinker. There’s a good chance you’ll see him in Flushing sometime next season, especially if anyone there goes down with an injury.

My guess the next one you’ll see is Leathersich, who, in three professional seasons, has 241 strike outs in 143 innings pitched. That’s an unheard of 15.17 SO/9 and, the only reason he may not already be in the majors is his 5.03 BB/9 (which rose to 9.00 in 2013 for Vegas). His troubles last year was hitting the corners in the rarified air of Nevada, something he’s going to have to master if he wants his shot.

AA – Binghamton - Hamilton Bennett, Randy Fontanez, TJ Chism, Brett Mitchell, Jim Fuller, Greg Peavey, Taylor Whitenton, Cody Satterwhite, Shawn Teufel

My projected major leaguer here is Bennett, who has never started a professional game. I always wanted to ask him, or the scout that drafted him, what the draw was. He went 1-9, 5.79 as a starter for Winthrop (SC) and the Mets picked him in the 29th round of the 2010 draft. Since then, in 141 appearances from Brooklyn to Binghamton, he’s gone 15-4, 1.46, 0.73 with 195-Ks in 203-IP. His fastball only sits around 92-93, but has considerable movement and sink on it which creates that due pitch fastball-sinker situation that batters have to constantly keep guessing.

In addition, the Mets sent Satterwhite to the Arizona Fall League, which is always a good sign that the team has a future planned for him He rewarded the Mets with a stat line of: 11-G, 13.0-IP, 13-K, 4-BB, 2.77. 

A+ - St. Lucie -        John Magliozzi, Paul Seward, Beck Wheeler, Marcos Camarena, Hunter Carnevale, David Wynn, Julian Hilario, Luis Rengel, Wanel Mesa, Ernesto Yanez, Shane Bay, Octavio Acosta, Tim Peterson, Tyler Vandenheiden        

Magliozzi is a control reliever out of the University of Florida (2013: 29-G, 67.1-IP, 57-K, 4-2, 2.67) that wasn’t projected to fall as far down as the 17th round, but the Mets were thrilled he was still around. He got him professional career started in Brooklyn (14-G, 15.1-IP, 0-0, 1.17, 0.72) and, because he will pitch 2014 as a 22-yr. old, I see no reason why he can’t jump Savannah and play here in Florida.

Wheeler’s story is Hollywood-like. A highly heralded infielder, Wheeler suffered injuries to both his legs in a freak boating accident. He transferred to little known Orange Coast College and began his comeback as an infielder, but he, in 2011, playing ball then for UCSB, he was called on to pitch in four games near the end of the season (0-0, 2.24, 0.75, 4.0-IP, 3-K). The Mets drafted him as a pitcher, gave him a $1,000 signing bonus, and the rest was history. Since then, he has now struck out 131 batters in 99 innings and the soon to be 25-year old should be on a fast track in and out of St. Lucie come April.  

A – Savannah - Akeel Morris, Ricardo Jacquez, John Mincone, Juan Urbina, Estarlin Morel, Cameron Griffin, Christian Chivilli      , Robert Coles, Ricky Knapp, Kevin McGowan, Ty Williams, Dawrin Frias          

The story here is Morris, who was a much heralded 10th round draft pick out of the Virgin Islands. Morris wasted no time showing off his blazing fastball, with 28-K in 24.2-IP for the 2010 GCL Mets, and then 61-Ks in 51.1-IP in 11 starts for the 2011 Kingsport Mets. It was then that things went to shit and Morris simply couldn’t get batters out. He replaced Kingsport in 2012 going 11-G, 6-starts, 0-6, 7.98. 2013 brought Brooklyn and still more bouncing around as a starter (3 games) and reliever (11 games), but the results were excellent and back on target: 4-1, 1.00, 45.0-IP, 60-K. Look for him to piggy-back come opening day in Savannah. 

Extended Camp - Ruben Reyes, Crain Missellman, Waldo Rodriguez, Alberto Baldonado, Tyler Bashlor, Lenny Rosario, Christian Montgomery, Ediogilis Villasmil, Flabio Ortega, Ramon Estevez, Gaither Bumgardner, Gaby Almonte, Dan Hermann, Jose Encarnacion, Brent McMinn           

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