Tom Brennan: TOP MET TEEN PROSPECTS PART 2 OF 2

Tom Brennan: TOP MET TEEN PROSPECTS

PART 2 OF 2

My article from a few days back included some interesting stuff on successful young players of yore who debuted as teenagers in the major leagues, including the likes of Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Bob Feller, Joe Nuxhall and Sandy Koufax.

And let's not forget teenage Met sensations Eddie Kranepool and Doc Gooden.

Today, a number of teens are in the Mets system that appear to have real future major league potential.  I list 21 of them below.  Let me know if I missed anyone, will ya?

(By the way, my teen definition: still a teenager as of the time of this article).

Head of the Mets teenybopper class? Our teen idols?

Clearly, Andres Gimenez and Mark Vientos.

Andres Gimenez - ranked in the Mets' top 3 prospects by most rankers, he will play all of 2018 as a 19 year old.  Hitting and fielding very, very well for an 18 year old infielder already in full season baseball in 2017, he is the only Mets teenager with a real chance of making the Mets while in his teens.  Of course, because the Mets have a huge supply of infielders on the big league squad and in the high minors, it is extremely unlikely he will join the big club in 2018.  In 2019, though? If you ask me? Quite possible. Cream rise quickly.

Mark Vientos was highly drafted and will play the left side of the infield at age 18 this season after a fine first season in the Gulf Coast League.  May he become our Alex Rodriguez (sans steroids, bien sur).  A Major Leaguer at age 20?  Maybe.  He is good.

Greg Guerrero will be 19 all year, and hopefully as healthy as a horse after a shaky GCL debut in 2018. Let's hope Greg can show us he has real Guerrero "hit machine" DNA like his surreal cousin Vlad Jr is for the Blue Jays.

Some drafted teen pitchers include the following 5:

Matt Cleveland, turns 20 pretty soon, and the 12th round righty fired a decent 24 GCL innings in 2017.  My guess for 2018?  Brooklyn Cyclones starter.

Cameron Planck is about to turn 20, but the highly touted HS school arm, drafted in 2016, has (like this writer) not yet thrown a pro inning.  May he rack up innings in 2018.

Christian James was also nabbed in the 2016 draft and, unlike Planck, James finished his 2nd pro season, fanning 58 in 51 innings for Kingsport.  Get this 19 year old in full season ball in Columbia, please, he sure seems impressive.

Bryce Hutchinson was a big high school arm nabbed in Round 12 in 2017.  Got his toes wet in 2017 with a whopping 8 innings (Cameron Planck is jealous). Now, as a 19 year old for all of 2018, Hutch likely will be in rookie ball, hopefully racking up about 75 innings.

Nate Peden - the righty will pitch all year at the age of 19 - the 2017 13th round 6'4" righty put up kinda sorta 11 shaky innings in the GCL over 8 games, but with his toes now wet, hopefully 2018 will be a big season for Nate the Great.

DSL 1 Mets teenage bats that showed promise were:

SS Sebastian Espino: not turning 18 until Memorial Day, Espino in 64 DSL games had 16 doubles, 9 triples, 2 HRs, and hit .267 with 60 Ks. I like the extra base hit output, but not the Ks, but he's young.  He was also  3 for 17 in a late season promo to the Gulf Coast League.

C Wilfred Astudillo: turns 18 in a few weeks...only 20 Ks in 52 games: .291/.351/.368.  And he gunned down a very sweet 34 of 86 (40%) of base stealers in 2017.  Could be a goodie.

3B Jose Peroza...21 doubles in 57 games, and .300/.349/.437, but 55 Ks.  Like Espino, he went 3 for 17 in a few GCL games too...and he turns 18 on the same day in June as lean, muscular old timer Dominic Smith turns 23.

DSL 2 Mets bats who particularly impressed were:

3B Yoel Romero: .364/.439/.464, 32 Ks in 67 games. Close to Andres Gimenez #'s of 2016, so he is worth watching.  17 of 24 steals, too.. Remarkably, just 2 errors.  Already turning 20 in April, though...aging Tim Tebow would tell him not to waste time.

2B Luis Santana also was really strong at .325/.430/.481, and just 22 Ks in 65 games.  On the exclusive Brennan Watch List for 2018.  Swiped 16 of 20.  Just 4 errors, too.  Turning 19 in late July. Listed at 5'8", but swears he is taller than Freddy Patek. 

SS Sherveyn Newton excelled at .311/.433/.444, with 9 triples. He fanned 57 times in 64 games but walked 50, so it nicely appears that he was intent on learning the strike zone.  Newton made 15 errors, but for a really young SS, that error-to-games ratio was solid.  Born in the Netherlands, I hear he prefers Dutch Boy paint and wooden shoes.  Turning just 19 in 2 months, Newton is listed at a towering 6'4".

CF Jhoander Saez was spiffy, too, at .320/.397/.378...he did fan 66 times in 68 games, but stole a spiffy 20 of 24. And just two errors...turning an ancient 20 in late March.

1B Dave Lozano in 50 games, he  hit .313/.412/.381, stole 14 of 19, and fanned just 22 times. Turns 20 in mid-May, so there is still time to send him a birthday card.


Many of the top DSL's top Mets pitchers were already 20 or older last season, so I ignore them here - too old. Teens only here, people.  3 DSL teen arms of note include:

Willy Taveras, 19 turning 20 as we speak, the 5’11, 160 righty allowed just 6 walks in 70 IP in 2017, in which he went 8-3, 2.31 with an 0.91 WHIP.  Surely headed stateside in 2018. 

Oscar Rojas – found by super scout Felix Unger, Oscar, Oscar, Oscar is another low walks freak, with just 2 in 36 innings, to go along with 38 Ks, as he went 1-2, 1.99 ERA in 7 starts plus one save his other game in relief.  He turns 19 in May, and after this brief but very successful first pro year, I’d like to see him pitch in the GCL in 2018.

Jefferson Escorcha, an 18 year old lefty for all of 2018, the Scorcher was used exclusively in relief in 2017.  He went 21 games, 3-2, 1.86, 28 Ks, 7 walks in 29 innings.  A 1.38 WHIP was not bad…he may have done enough to get him a promo to the GCL in 2018, too.

Finally, in the super-young, super-talented category:

We need to mention Ronnie Mauricio, who is considered a top Mets prospect as he gets ready to play his first season at age 16, and slugger Adrian Hernandez, a year older, both of whom signed $1 million + contracts.  Maybe by the end of 2018, those two are in everyone's Mets' top 20 prospects.


All told, I think this is quite a crop of youths of the young kind - I hope you agree.