Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Thumbs Up – Binghamton RHSP Tyler Pill – 24/yrs old – Pill was a very quiet 4^th round pick in 2011 who immediately passed the test in Brooklyn (2011: 7-G, 1-ST, 3.86, 1.00), Savannah (2012: 9-starts, 2.61, 1.24), and St. Lucie (2012: 11-games, 10-starts, 2.05, 1.09). But then 2013 rolled around and began with being shut down with what team officials called ‘Bennett Lesions’. Their initial estimates for recovery were three weeks, which quickly turned into seven and, by the time the season ended, Pill had accumulated four starts and a 7.58/1.95 for AA-Binghamton. Many just fade away after a AA year like this, but not Pill, who now has 18 starts this year in Binghamton including the seven scoreless innings he threw earlier this week (3.78).

Projection – The Mets drafted the CSF Pill to be a middle to back end starter and nothing has changed in that plan. He will be a very important member of the opening day AAA Mets rotation (wherever they play) for the same chance that Jacob deGrom got ahead of him. Pill is a major league starter in the making with an ETA of 2016 latest.

Thumbs Up – Las Vegas RHSP Rafael Montero – 23/yrs old – Montero is that guy that was called up to Queens earlier this year for four med starts (5.40), only to wind up on the disabled list with an oblique strain (ouch). Since then, he’s fought his way back through the rehab process and has now pitched 14.2 scoreless innings in Las Vegas, including this week’s 11-K, 8.0-IP gem at Sacremento.

Projection – His Las Vegas ERA is 3.28… all minors teams 3.15… and his 10 games 2.89. There’s nothing more for him to do here. Watch for him to be the first pitcher promoted to Queens when the rosters expand.

Thumbs Up – GCL RHRP Adonis Uceta – First of all, how can you hate someone with the first name Adonis?

I always get pissed off when players are promoted mid-season from the DSL league to one of the stateside teams. Try to image you trying to take your excellent game (10-starts, 2.33-ERA), jumping on the boat (it’s an expression, dude…), and going to a country that speaks a different language, serves different food, and has a completely new set of teammates and league members to get used to.

Uceta made the same kind of debut most have in similar situations, giving up four runs in three innings, but his seasons ERA remains 2.84

Projection -  I don’t know… these DSL players come and go like lawn maintenance workers (hey… just another expression, dude…). I’d check back next year and see if he’s on one of the short season teams.

            Thumbs Down – A+ SS Gavin Cecchini – As you can see, I’ve returned the ‘thumbs up, thumbs down’ concept we used to have here around five years ago. I won’t write this way every day, but when I do, I will have to risk sounding negative about Mets minor league players. We try not to do that here, but sometimes it can’t be helped.

            The Mets paid Cecchini a $2.3mil bonus to sign as the 12^th overall pick in the 2012 draft. So far this season, he has split time between Savannah and St. Lucie and, as of close of business Tuesday, is hitting .204 at the A+ level. (yes he hit 3-3 last night... this always happens to me when I write about somebody one day early :) is simply unacceptable for someone picked over the likes of Courtney Hawkins, Tyler Naquin, Corey Seager, Lucas Giolito, and Michael Wacha.

            It seems to me that a lot of time was spent drafting potential star shortstops here. Another, Phillip Evans, has also been disappointing, and splits time with Cecchini in Florida.

Projection – There really is no hurry here. Cecchini will play 2015 at 21/yrs old so I’d return him to St. Lucie until he gets it right. I’d move Evans on to Binghamton and let rookie-prospect Amed Rosario play Savannah.

As for my thoughts here, I don’t see any future shortstop coming out of this system for at least four years, when Rosario would enter the picture.

           Thumbs Up – Savannah RHSP Robert Whalen – Drafting high ceiling high school pitchers have a tremendous risk. One, they haven’t even come close to developing what someday will be the final product they show the world, and two, no one knows if it will be good enough to make it in this game.

A perfect example is Robert Whalen, the Mets 12th round draft pick in 2012. The 6-2 righty was paid $100k to come straight out of Haines City (FL) High School and pitch for the Kingsport Mets. This year, he is dominating for the Savannah Sand Gnats at the age of 20.

Projection – A team usually averages about one out of five of these guys to pan out in some way and, right now, the drafting of Whalen looks like a winner. Still, he has a long way to go and I expect he’ll finish this season for the Gnats, based solely on his early injuries/infections this year. Look for him to open 2015 in the St. Lucie rotation and, because of his young age, I can’t project his ETA until 2018.