2/3/15

Tom Brennan - Majoring on the Minors: Top 30 Prospects - #3 Dilson Herrera


MAJORING ON THE MINORS: TOP 30 PROSPECTS – #3 DILSON HERRERA – Tom Brennan

I’m doing my Top 30 Prospects articles a bit differently – in 2 lists:
·       A top 10 list of lower minors guys who likely won’t show up until 2017 or later.  See list at end of this article.

·       Followed by my top 20 list of guys who are closing in on the big leagues.  Guys who could help in the near future or be trade bait.

Here is the list so far:
20.   Daniel Muno
19.   Michael Fulmer
18.   Miller Diaz
17.   Dario Alvarez
16.   Jayce Boyd
15.   Rob Whalen
14.   Hansel Robles
13.   Gabriel Ynoa
12.   Gavin Cecchini
11.   Jack Leathersich
10.   Cory Mazzoni
9.      Cesar Puello
8.      Matt Bowman
7.      Akeel Morris
6.      Matt Reynolds
5.      Brandon Nimmo
4.      Kevin Plawecki

Today, #3, no surprise to anyone, hopefully:

DILSON HERRERA:  Herrera first really impressed me last winter.  After a full minor league season of progress, the youngster goes to Colombia and plays something like 40 winter league games and does well.  Seemed then that he was an indefatiguable hit machine who wanted to get to the big show ASAP.

Then he works the swing in 2014, cuts the K's, dazzles in St Lucie and Binghamton, and gets promoted to the Mets in September when Daniel Murphy gets hurt and acquits himself quite nicely.

Some readers and fans want the classic build guy.  A star baseball player should be built like Syndergaard, for example.  Herrera is a little guy who breaks out of the mold and is coming fast to a stadium near you.  Maybe opening day, maybe mid-2015 but he is on his way and is gonna be g..o..o..d. Two other little guys of yore proved small stature and power and success can coexist.  Jimmy Wynn.  Joe Morgan.  Room for one more.

He'll be really good.  Because he wants to be.  Badly.  2B or SS, he probably does not much care.  Just put his name on the line up card 7 days a week.  40 years ago, he'd join Ernie Banks in saying "let's play two". 

I guess you can say I like Herrera a little bit.

Mr. Dilson played 128 minor league games in 2014.  .323/.379/.479.  Phew!   23 of 30 steals.  Whew! 

Then 3 homers in 59 at bats with the Mets.  Hungry and on his way.  I'm hungry to see more of Herrera.  How about you?

Thank you Pittsburgh, for him and for Vic Black. Maybe, just maybe, Dilson turns out to be the best player coming out of this minor league system in 2015.

MY TOP 10 LOWER MINORS LIST:
# 1 - Marcos Molina

#2 – Michael Conforto

#3 – Amed Rosario

#4 – Dominic Smith

#5 - Jhoan Urena

#6 – Vicente Lupo

#7 – Wuilmer Becerra

#8 – Luis Guillorme

#9 - Casey Meisner

#10 - Milton Ramos

6 comments:

Mack Ade said...

There is no one in this organization that I am higher on than this guy (hint)

Unknown said...

Mack - I am not sure I would put him above Matz and Thor - who both have ceilings as #1 starters, but the fact that we can have a legitimate debate about which of the three are the best prospects in the system is a nice place to be.

Boy have we come a long way since trying to make Milledge out to be a stud

Anonymous said...

Amen to that Lew, I have been a big follower of the Mets Farm for awhile now and the never had the level or volume of talent that they do right now. Which brings me to a point I know Christopher thinks I am crazy for, but in the spirit that nobody is untouchable at the right price:

I am starting the bidding at Wheeler or Thor + Nimmo + one more piece (even MDD, who I think has great secondary value in a package for:
Herrara's future DP partner and leading off for the NY Mets......Francisco Lindor

I know the Tribe are hot on him, but the Mets have inventory to overpay and frankly, they have more talent in the minors than they currently have room for.

shed the Vets, trade for Lindor and sign Heyward in the offseason. Only downside is that Met fans would no longer have anything to bitch about
Anon Joe F

Tom Brennan said...

I think Herrera has the inner drive to be great. He reminds me of the energizer commercial, when comparing him to Nimmo - they both started strong in A ball last year, then Nimmo's battery faded, but Dilson's nuclear generator just kept pushing him at breakneck pace with amazing success.

A lot of guys like a Fulmer you keep rationalizing how he'll do better - Herrera is the opposite - I think the sky's the limit.

Bob Sugar said...

Good read. So you saying he has a big heart and is super competitive. I'll take that in my ball player anyway. Go Dilson. If we are not looking at the playoffs by the break I assume Murphy will be traded and Dilson will be the 2b for the next 5 years

Tom Brennan said...

By 5 years of Dilson, Bob, I imagine you to mean that's when Dilson Herrera will get too expensive to keep. If this team starts to win in exciting fashion, revenues go thru the roof, they'll be able to keep the "keepers." Maybe Herrera will be a keeper.