8/21/23

Tom Brennan - Don’t Overlook Wilfredo Lara

“Hey, there’s Wilfredo!”  I'm Always on the Lookout

I did what the title says not to do, when I put together my “productive top 30” list a few weeks back. 

I overlooked Wilfredo Lara.

My bad. What was I thinking?

Here’s what the just 19 yr, 4 month old Wilfredo Lara has done in St Lucie low A ball this year, after being an 18 year old in the lower FCL, where he hit just .235 with a homer and a .353 slug % in 42 games:

308 St Lucie at bats.

16 doubles, 3 triples, 13 HRs, 42 RBIs.

.266/.366/.464.

Less than a K per game, in a K-Krazy league for hitters, where teams average a 9 to 11 Ks per game.

And, 10 steals.

Glove works? Yeah, it does.

53 career games in the outfield, no errors.

41 games in all 4 infield positions, mostly 2nd and 3rd, and just 4 errors.

What’s not to like? 

He produces, he fields, and he is real young, baby.

And, he’s….

Doing top 30 productive stuff.

27 comments:

Mack Ade said...

Would be thrilled if the Mets concentrated on developing him in the outfield

Tom Brennan said...

Mack, he can clearly field it. Do it.

Mack Ade said...

I saw yesterday that some team promoted a 17 year old to AA

Mack Ade said...

SNY has a great story featuring scouts that confirm my thoughts on Mets weak starters in system and Tidwell being their only hope

Anonymous said...

What about Vasil, Scott, Stuart, Hamels,

Anonymous said...

If that is the case the need new people drafting.

Mack Ade said...

They said the make it or break it moment for all starters is AA ball

Mack Ade said...

Actually they have drafted well but when it was their turn the best player available was a bat.

So many starters never develop

Mets seem in good shape now at all positions.other than pitching

Cohen’s checkbook steps in now

Tom Brennan said...

Quite the article. No hometown subjective favoritism there, just objective.

Mack Ade said...

Look

When the Mets turn came up early they picked the best player available

Not their fault all but Tidwell were bats

They drafted a ton of starters in the past 3 drafts but all are crap shoots

Sign Yokamoto to 4-5 yr deal and him Senga and Q are a good start

Then sign a 4th FA starter to a 1 or 2 year deal

Anonymous said...

I feel that Parada has been a disappointment. I think the other teams passed on him for a reason.

Anonymous said...

The last two years the Mets drafted mostly pitchers so for the scouts saying pitchers in the system aren’t very good I think we are drafting the wrong pitchers. What about are new development system that Cohen has employed? Doesn’t that help pitchers develop better?

Anonymous said...

The Mets always seem to have a lot of pitchers that have to undergo TJ Surgery and we never are sure if they will return to form afterwards

Mack Ade said...

He has started out slowly then heated up then had a few tickey tackey injuries

Evaluators still very high on him

Mack Ade said...

You look right

It's a real crap shoot especially even you draft high school seniors pitching against small HS teams with no bats

Mack Ade said...

I agree

Mack Ade said...

18 yr old DSL RF Jeffry Rosa

15th HR

Anonymous said...

Mets stop drafting his pitchers and only drafting college pitchers

Mack Ade said...

Framklynyou are right

What makes Tidwell stand out was the teams he pitched successfully against in COLLEGE

TexasGusCC said...

I read that article in SNY earlier and the point about Lesko being taken at 15 brings the thought of Williams being taken at 14. Who would you rather have? A few years back, Theo Epstein of the Cubs went all bats and bought the arms - or at least the front end arms. The Mets aren’t in a bad position in their farm, but years of neglect and stupidity take their toll. Take the Ruf trade last year when San Fran wanted Davis and three arms, and the Mets said sure!!! If that wasn’t the bonehead trade of our times, then the PCA for Baez is, or Kelenic to the Mariners to lay down Cano’s deal is. Just stupid after stupid after stupid.

Tom Brennan said...

Lots of stupidity, Gus.

Anonymous said...

Those three pitchers that went to the Giants are going to be big.

Tom Brennan said...

Doubtful. A year after the Ruf trade, Seymour is only their23rd prospect, Zwack is not top 30, and Szapucki chalked up another year with zero innings.

Szapucki, drafted in 2015, has just 278 career innings.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes pitchers take little longer.

Tom Brennan said...

Zwack ERA this year? 6.29. Seymour has had a solid year in AA, 3.63, but not great. Both feel more like marginal major league pitchers in the future than they seemed they’d be this time last year. Seymour is, my guess, a future 6/7. Zwack? Long shot.

Anonymous said...

But it was sill a bad trade.

Tom Brennan said...

True. If we kept JD Davis, we almost undoubtedly win the division