Tom Brennan - ANDRES GIMINEZ: 18 & I LIKE IT

Tom Brennan - ANDRES GIMINEZ: 18 & I LIKE IT

While all Met fans drool at getting 21 year old wunderkind SS Amed Rosario in the Mets' everyday lineup for the next 15 years or so, we've got an 18 year old proceeding AHEAD of Rosario's minor league career pace:

18 year old ANDRES GIMINEZ - DANDY ANDY

Giminez tore up the DSL at age 17.  The Mets liked what they saw so much, they skipped him past 3 rookie leagues and straight to the venerable South Atlantic League where he and Tim Tebow averaged out at 24 years old together prior to Tim Terrific's promotion to St Lucie.

So how would an 18 year old fare in full season A ball as a shortstop while teammates mostly 3 or more years older frequently struggle?  Silly question!

Through Friday's game, he was hitting .289 in 65 games!  And the lefty bat has been consistent:

.295 at home, .282 on the road.

.276 against lefties, .294 against righties.

And he improves in-season, right before watchful eyes:

.321 in 21 July games.

14 for 32 in his last 8 games with 4 walks.  Table setter?  He is setting the whole cafeteria!

He shows some power, not much, but my guess?  It will soon follow.  All these guys beef up as they get older.  Michael Conforto, interviewed after his 2 homer game in Seattle this weekend, remembered that as a 16 year old there, those fences seemed much further away.  Dandy Andy will see the same happen as he turns 19 next year.

Speed? Yes. 10-16 in steals, but 10 for 12 in June and July.

Fielding?  Just 8 errors in 65 games at shortstop!!  And 1 in 12 games at second base.  At 18!!!

Which, by the way, is better than Rosario is fielding this year. 

And at 18 in Brooklyn, Rosario played the same number of games at SS (64) and made 21 errors.  

Frankly, NO shortstop at age 18 that I can ever recall makes anywhere near as few errors as Giminez.  

Luis Guillorme made 8 at age 18, but in just 37 games, or just about half the games as Andres.   Heck, Gold Glove CF Juan Lagares made 40 errors in 82 games at shortstop when he was 18.  

Bud Harrelson made 18 errors (yes, 18!) in just 36 games at shortstop in his 1st minor league year - at age 19!!

Andy G is VERY special - defensively as well as offensively.

CONCLUSION:

Giminez is an absolute gem.  And I think he will be playing shortstop for the Mets and bumping Rosario to 3rd base in 2019 as a 20 year old, at the latest on opening day 2020.   

Believe me, as the Mets think of who to sign in the infield, like a Mike Moustakas, long term, this kid is roiling the equation.  They won't block his rapid path to the big leagues.  He'll be here soon.  He's Dandy.

He may be the best player in his league right now - at 18 years of age.  And I like it.  Yes I do.

Just hope that being from Venezuela, with its tremendous current turmoil, he is allowed to stay here permanently.

He will be the most famous Andy G since, well, Andy Gibb.  Saturday Night Fever at Citifield is coming soon.