MM's Top 25- #25 RHSP Chris Flexen

#25 RHSP Chris Flexen (LR: NR)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 3" Weight: 215 lb
Age: 19
Acquired: 2012 Rule 4 Amateur Draft, 14th round, Memorial HS (Newark, CA)

2013: (R) 8-1, 2.09 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 0.942 WHIP
2012: (R) 1-3, 5.62 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, 1.625 WHIP

You generally do not expect to get much out of the 14th round of the draft but the Mets may have found a gem in Flexen. Chris signed for an over-slot bonus of $375,000 to commit straight out of high school and forgo his commitment to Arizona State University. The right-hander was widely regarded as talented enough to go in the 4th or 5th round but his asking price of 2nd round bonus money led to his drop on draft day. His repertoire consist of a 90-92 MPH fastball that can be cranked up to 94, a nice hard slider that has plus potential, a sparingly used change-up, and a below average curveball that could be scrapped in the near future.

After getting a cup of coffee in 2012, Flexen showed excellent command in his follow-up re-assignment to Kingsport walking only 12 in 69 innings pitched. The kid seems to have excellent stamina as well as he completed two complete game shutouts including one where he struck out 11 batters. He was also named the Appalachian League's Player of the Year as an added bonus. We should get some excellent exposure to Flexen in 2014 as he should get an assignment to the (A) Savannah due to his 2 seasons in short season ball so we'll be able to see 1st hand what he's bringing to the table.

Anticipated Assignment: (A) Savannah Sand Gants piggyback starting rotation.
Ceiling: Back-End MLB rotation starter
Floor: Career Minor Leaguer

Mack Ade – Noon Report – 8-23-13 – Masahiro Tanaka, Trace Evans, Chris Flexen, Zack Wheeler, Dominic Smith, Davey Johnson

Several teams expect Japanese righthander Masahiro Tanaka to make the jump to Major League Baseball next season, but there could be changes to the posting system on the way that affect his future. Earlier this year, MLB teams received a memo from the commissioner’s office stating that MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball were in discussions regarding potential revisions to the protocol agreement between the two leagues. Nobby Ito, the NPB chief of international baseball operations, also told The Japan Times this month that MLB and NPB are in negotiations about the posting system. Contrary to what some teams have believed, MLB confirmed that the posting system is still in existence, but declined to comment on any potential discussions to modify the agreement. http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/as-teams-scout-masahiro-tanaka-posting-system-changes-could-be-coming/

 

 



 

A year ago, Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies became the 22nd player in major league baseball history to hit a home run in four consecutive at-bats. Last week, a big kid with a mop of blond hair named Trace Evans hit a home run in 11 consecutive official at-bats to power the Las Vegas Baseball Academy Lightning to the championship of a 104-team tournament for kids 12 and under at Cooperstown Dreams Park, which is 5.3 miles up scenic State Route 28 from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. While most 12-year-old baseball pitchers do not throw nasty sliders, I consider the young Las Vegas slugger’s the more impressive feat. http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blogs/ron-kantowski/las-vegas-12-year-old-swats-11-homers-row-cooperstown-tourney

 

 



 

After a rocky start to the season the Mets 2012 14th round draft pick, Chris Flexen, has stepped up his performance and developed into one of the most productive pitchers in the Appalachian League. Impressively, Flexen currently ranks among the top pitchers in the league in several  key categories. He ranks  fourth in ERA (2.14), fourth in strikeouts (56) and he is tied for third in WHIP (0.95). He is also tied for first in wins at 7 and is the only pitcher to throw two complete games this season (although one was in a 7 inning double header). http://metsminors.net/flexen-lighting-up-the-appalachian-league/

 

 

 



Wheeler is the future to Matt Harvey’s present, a guy with a big fastball and ace potential. He may never reach that apex -- he doesn’t yet have Harvey’s command, let alone his complete arsenal of secondary pitches -- but he has pitched much better than I expected after watching his first couple big league starts, with a 3.49 ERA through his first 12 spins in the rotation. Those outings included a 12-strikeout gem in his previous start in San Diego and a one-run, no-walk effort the game before that in Arizona. Wheeler’s fastball is a weapon almost by itself. Since his recall on June 18, only 10 pitchers have struck out more batters on fastballs. His other pitches -- slider, curveball and changeup -- are works in progress, with the slider looking like it will become his top off-speed pitch. Ask Jason Heyward about the one he struck out on in the third inning. http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/39340/team-of-the-future-in-n-y-its-the-mets

 



 

The Mets 2013 1s round draft pick, 1B Dominic Smith, continues to impress for the GCL Mets. Smith went 3-4, 1-R, 2B yesterday and raised his seasonal batting average to a season high .277. He went into that game with a .308 batting average in his last 10 games. It’s hard to project what team he will play for in 2014. My guess, because of his young age, will be Brooklyn where the suits can get a nightly look-see at him.

 

 

 

 



 

Davey Johnson did his weekly appearance with the Junkies on 106.7 The Fan today, and it produced yet another best-ever quote from the Nats manager. “I’ve got scouts out there that you guys have been really raunchy today,” Johnson scolded the Junkies shortly into their interview. Jason Bishop then explained that they had been discussing the news that Red Sox slugger Mike Napoli apparently is dating a porn star who goes by the name Rachel Starr. Johnson’s reply: “Well none of my guys could, ’cause we can’t score.”