Tom Brennan - SPOTLIGHT ON METS PROSPECTS KEVIN SMITH AND QUINN BRODEY

SPOTLIGHT ON METS MINORS PITCHER KEVIN SMITH AND OUTFIELDER QUINN BRODEY

The first part of today's little ditty is about Mets 2018 seventh round Kevin Smith (let's call him Smitty). 

Ditty and Smitty rhymes, which is pretty witty.

About this point in the article, Mack wants to insert a quip about how my humor is (well, you fill in the blanks).

Enough.  Let's get down to the nitty gritty.  

Smitty has accomplished a lot in a short period as a pro.

The 6'5", 230 lefty sidewinder was 4-1, 0.76 with 28 Ks in 23.2 IP for Brooklyn last year in relief.  Outstanding.

In college at Georgia, Smitty was converted from a starter to a reliever. 

In 2019, the Mets were impressed enough with him to skip him over Columbia and start him out in St Lucie - as a starter. 

He has rewarded their aggressiveness by doing quite nicely:

3-3, 2.81 ERA, and 55 Ks in 48 innings. 

In his latest start on May 29, he threw 4 shutout innings and very impressively fanned 8.  Over his last 7 outings, spanning 35 innings, he has allowed just 8 earned runs (2.05 ERA) and 28 hits, while fanning 42.   Smitty can pitch in my city!

One might conclude that he has already figured out this High A ball thing...and one might imagine he is already being strongly considered for a promotion to AA - and with just 72 minor league innings under his belt.  

His sideslinging FB can approach the mid 90s, with good breaking stuff, too, including a mighty fine slider.  

So, he has size, and seemingly future MLB quality stuff, too.

On draft day last June, Mack wrote about Smitty.  I wrote a comment in reply, saying I would have preferred a hitter.

Looks like I was wrong about that....I'm not afraid to admit it.  

So, I will say it now: Smitty looks like a great 7th round pick.

Having just turned 22, he is pitching like a guy who should be pitching for a needy team in Queens by the time he is 23, like a fellow tall Georgian, Zack Wheeler, did when he made his own Mets pitching debut at that age.

As I see it, the 6'5", 200+ pound lefty is bound to make it to the Mets as a starter - because he hits from the opposite side,  righty, just like Jake, Thor, Matz, and Zach hit on the opposite side from their pitching.

It is fascinating to me, folks, to see how the Mets are challenging their 2018 draftee pitchers, far more than in past years.  

Moving them up FAST!

Tommy Wilson?  Already in AA.

Ryley Gilliam?  Ditto.

Kevin Smith moving fast, too.

Smith, Gilliam, Wilson?  

I dunno about you, but those 3 picks in 2018 look excellent so far.  

Keep it up in the upcoming June 2019 draft, Mets management.

Add in previously SPOTLIGHTED prior draft picks Anthony Kay, David Peterson, Tony Dibrell, and Colin Holderman, and the rise from nowhere of seemingly devastating Dedniel Nunez (22 hits and 53 Ks in 42 innings thru May 29 for St Lucie), and the pitching guppies in the minors are looking strong in quantity - and quality, don't you think?  

If Tom Szapucki returns strong over the rest of 2019, that much the better for the Mets.

GO SMITTY!  GO SMITTY!  GO SMITTY!


OK, NOW FOR PROSPECT QUINN BRODEY:

Quinn Brodey was picked in 2017's 3rd round by the Mets.  Brodey, with pop, speed, and athleticism, had a solid short season debut, hitting .253 in 63 games.

In 2018, mostly for Columbia, however, he hit just .224 in 115 games.  In 2017 and 2018, the 6'1", 195 lefty hitting Brodey also fanned 187 times in 178 games.  Numbers-wise, he was looking like a disappointment.

In 2019, starting for St Lucie, he came out of the gate like a house on fire, hitting .365 through April 22.

The, for a the next month (April 23 through May 21) he went arctic frigid, going just 8 for 79 to drop his season average to .236.  Stop the clock on his career right there, and you'd be thinking: 3rd round bust.

But that's why they keep playing - things change in baseball.  Over the last 9 games if May, he went into el fuego, super nova mode, going an amazing 19 for 35 with 5 walks and just 5 strikeouts to rocket back up to .292 on the season.

So, he seems once again like a viable future major league starting or reserve outfielder in the making.  

A guy who has 10 career triples and 29 of 36 in steals?  

A guy with 40 career doubles, and 20 homers, to go with the 10 triples, plus an excellent 136 career RBIs in just 836 career ABs (a rate of 98 RBIs over 600 ABs)?   

In fact, a guy who is hitting .420 (21 for 50) with RISP in 2019.

And despite his weak overall .224 in 2018, a guy who was a fine 36 for 117 (.307) with RISP in 2018.

He sure seems to love hitting with runners in scoring position, don't you think?

His .292 is the 10th best average in the Florida State League, and his 36 RBIs?  # 1 in the league!

Man, on second thought, that REALLY reads like the stuff of a viable, real prospect.  

One that could show up in Citifield perhaps late in 2020.

He just needs to have more hot streaks and fewer cold streaks, wouldn't you agree?  And lots of guys on base.