From The Desk – Anthony Kay, Jaison Vilera, Mets Pitchers, Andrew Vaughn, Boise State

Good morning.

Fangraphs   Top 25 Mets Prospects –

           

PC - Ed Delany

9. Anthony Kay, LHP  - Drafted: 1st Round, 2016 from UConn (NYM)

          Age     23.8    Height 6′ 0″    Weight            218     Bat / Thr         L / L     FV       40+

          Tool Grades (Present/Future)

          


Fastball          Curveball       Changeup      Command      Sits/Tops

50/50                 50/55                50/55              45/50           91-94 / 96

21 months elapsed between when Kay signed his pro contract and when he finally threw a pitch in affiliated ball. UConn rode him hard during his junior year in Storrs. He faced 36 hitters in a March game the Huskies won 18-to-1. During conference tournament play, Kay threw a complete game, then pitched again during the tournament on three days rest; he threw 90 pitches amid an hour-long lightning delay. It was unsurprising when he blew out in the fall of 2016. When Kay finally returned last year, he looked markedly different than he did in college when he was a lefty changeup monster with mediocre velocity. Kay’s fastball has ticked up and now sits at about 93 mph instead of peaking there, and his two-plane breaking ball is better. His once-dominant changeup has regressed. There’s a strong chance Kay ends up as a good lefty reliever but if the changeup ever returns, he could be a No. 4 starter.

MLB Pipeline  Top Mets Prospects –

        

PC - Ed Delany 

    Jaison Vilera | Rank: 30 (Preseason: NR)

Team: Brooklyn Cyclones (A Short)           ETA: 2021

Position: RHP Age: 21 DOB: 06/19/1997

Bats: R Throws: R      Height: 6' 0" Weight: 188 lb.

Signed: Nov. 10, 2015 - NYM

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Signed in November 2015 out of Venezuela, Vilera excelled in the Dominican Summer League during his pro debut and enjoyed similar success the following year in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, finishing with the circuit's second-best ERA (1.59) and WHIP (0.96). Advancing to the Class A Short Season Brooklyn in 2018, Vilera paced all qualified New York-Penn League hurlers in ERA (1.83), WHIP (0.98) and strikeouts (78).

Vilera compensates for his lack of standout stuff with good feel for changing speeds and executing a solid three-pitch mix. His fastball sits around 88-90 mph, but his physically strong frame suggests there could be some more velocity to come. A slider and a changeup comprise his secondary arsenal, with the former currently ahead of the latter, and he's shown the ability to throw all three pitches for strikes.

Vilera's success comes with the caveat that he's been a slightly older pitcher in younger leagues, but there's something to be said about his sheer dominance to begin his career. A move up to full-season ball in 2019 should offer a more representative glimpse of his potential.

Mets Pitchers  Adopt a Whole New Identity –

       

    In 2017, the Mets’ average fastball was located 0.23 feet outside, away from the horizontal middle of the strike zone. That was the fifth-most outside average location in baseball. Put another way, the Mets threw 38.1% of their fastballs over the inner half. That was baseball’s fifth-lowest rate.

In 2018, the Mets’ average fastball was located 0.04 feet inside, away from the horizontal middle of the strike zone. That was the most inside average location in baseball. Put another way, the Mets threw 51.3% of their fastballs over the inner half. That was baseball’s highest rate.

2019 CBD TOP 100   COUNTDOWN: 1. ANDREW VAUGHN (CAL)

          

           I put Andrew Vaughn number one because even though he may not be the top prospect in the country, he’s the most exciting player in college baseball.

He has put up monster numbers in two seasons, and he won the 2018 Golden Spikes award after an incredible 2018 season.

As a sophomore he hit .349 in 218 at-bats with 36 runs scored, 7 doubles, 12 home runs, 50 RBI, and a .414 on-base percentage.

Boise State Broncos baseball  has no place to play yet in 2020  -

       

   It was April 2017 when then-Boise State President Bob Kustra announced the big news: The school was dropping wrestling to revive a baseball program, with the 2020 season targeted for the sport’s return.

About a year away from that first season, the Broncos have coaches, uniforms, the first dozen recruits on campus — they held practices starting last September — and land that the university acquired to build a stadium near campus.

What’s still missing is a place to hang their hats and bats for games.