Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukkah

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Draft 14 – Evan Skoug, Nick Gordon, Kyle Schwarber, Alex Jackson, Slade Heggen

10-30-13 - Clint Longenecker/BA – WWBA World Championship - Although he was not a part of the championship squad, Reds Scout Team catcher Evan Skoug won the tournament’s most valuable player award by hitting .636/.800/1.000 with a double and a home run. The lefthanded-hitting Texas Christian commit from Libertyville (Ill.) High had eight walks against one strikeout. Skoug is a physical beast with a powerful lower half, sloped shoulders and strength throughout his large frame at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds. He is a hard-nosed, high-intensity player with above-average raw power. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/evoshield-canes-win-perfect-game-wwba-world-championship/


10-29-13 – Jim Callis – Top 10 World Wood Bat Association World Championship (WWBA) Jupiter, Fla - 4. Nick Gordon, SS/RHP, Cardinals Scout Team/FTB Chandler (Olympia High, Orlando, Fla./Florida State)  Son of former All-Star Tom offers defensive ability, above-average speed and a low-90s fastball. http://ht.ly/qi5No


10-15-13 – Baseball America - 17. Kyle Schwarber, c/1b, Indiana: Physical lefthanded swing helps him hit for power and average; his best position is clearly the batter’s box. http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2014-draft-top-50-october-2013-carlos-rodon/


10-29-13 – Jim Callis – Top 10 World Wood Bat Association World Championship (WWBA) Jupiter, Fla - 1. Alex Jackson, C, Cardinals Scout Team/FTB Chandler (Rancho Bernardo High, San Diego/Oregon) -  Plus right-handed power and arm strength are his two best tools; no reason he can't stay behind the plate. http://ht.ly/qi5No


9-11-13 - Sully’s 2014 Top 100 MLB HS Draft Prospects – 100. Slade Heggen – C, Loyala Sacred Heart (MT) HS http://www.ninebaseball.org/Wordpress/sullys-2014-top-100-mlb-hs-draft-prospects/

FLASH - Ricky Nolasco

Twins agree to terms with Ricky Nolasco.

Draft 14 - A Quick Look At - LHP - Brady Aiken

Brady Aiken

7-2-13 - 24. Brady Aiken- LHP, Cathedral Catholic (CA) HS http://www.ninebaseball.org/Wordpress/jeff-sullivans-top-100-2014-prospects/   

7-5-13 - Brady Aiken, LHP, Cathedral Catholic HS (CA) - One of the youngest players in the 2014 MLB draft, the 6’-4” southpaw is an alumni of Team USA Baseball and is very polished on the mound. His fastball sits in the low 90s, and both his curveball and change-up are solid offerings. He has great control of his pitches and dominated at The Tournament of Stars, striking out seven over three scoreless innings. He had a 1.18 ERA and 80 K/25 BB over 53.1 innings as a junior for a team that included 2013 fourth-round pick Stephen Gonsalves. Committed to UCLA. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/prep-arms-chicago-cubs/34856#Vp7zJ4JvRevfV1fR.99  

 

7-24-13  -  5. Brady Aiken, lhp/of, Cathedral Catholic, San Diego/San Diego Show - At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds with broad shoulders and room to carry more weight, Aiken has an ideal pitcher’s build. He has a quick arm, clean arm action and hides the ball well from a high three-quarters arm slot. His fastball sits 89-92 mph and will touch 93 with downhill plane. Aiken has a curveball with tight 1-to-7 rotation, making it one of the best breaking balls in the class at its best. His low-80s with fade changeup shows the makings of an above-average offering. Aiken repeats his fluid delivery well and has good control. He is a two-way player as an outfielder. Aiken, a UCLA commit, is young for the class and will be 17 on draft day. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/tyler-koleks-heavy-fastball-among-tournament-of-stars-standouts/

7-25-13 – Top 30 High School Prospects For 2014 Draft - 29. Brady Aiken, LHP, Cathedral Catholic HS (CA) - 6'4/210, Draft Day Age: 17.81, UCLA commit, Full Report & Video - Quick Take: Aiken has been scouted a lot, coming from a top program as mentioned above and is a big lefty among the youngest in the class, so there's a lot to like. His stuff is more average now, working 88-92 with a solid curveball and changeup but the feel to pitch is good and he's not a bad prospect as a right fielder with good athleticism, some power and a plus arm http://sbb.scout.com/2/1310090.html

8-11-14 - Jeff Sullivan ‏@JSully12 - Brady Aiken - LHP, Cathedral Catholic (CA) HS sitting 91-92, touched 93

8-14-13 – Through The Fence – Top 50 Prospects – 31. Brady Aiken, LHP, Cathedral Catholic HS (CA) - One of the youngest players in the 2014 MLB draft, the 6’-4” southpaw is an alumni of Team USA Baseball and is very polished on the mound. His fastball sits in the low 90s, and both his curveball and change-up are solid offerings. He has great control of his pitches and dominated at The Tournament of Stars, striking out seven over three scoreless innings. He had a 1.18 ERA and 80 K/25 BB over 53.1 innings as a junior for a team that included 2013 fourth-round pick Stephen Gonsalves. Committed to UCLA. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-top-50-prospects/36463#mwWwsFxSUZy7YC5V.99

8-16-13 - 11th All-American Classic - Brady Aiken (LHP, Cathedral Catholic HS (San Diego, CA): Excellent size; major-league body; high three-quarters slot with a high front side; deliberate with the leg lift and plant; pretty easy and repeatable; pace was inconsistent and he struggled with runners on; slow release around 1.50 seconds to plate with runners on; fastball comfortable at 91-92 with some sink; long, tumbling curve at 73-74; good feel for the offering; fastball command limited the pitch. —Jason Parks http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=21537

8-21-13 – Area Code Games - 6. Brady Aiken, lhp, Cathedral Catholic, San Diego/San Diego Show - A 6-foot-3, 207-pound lefthander with broad shoulders, a trim waist and long legs, the athletic Aiken has a projectable pitcher’s build. His fastball sat 87-91 mph from a high three-quarter arm slot. The UCLA commit has a 71-75 mph curveball with 1-7 tilt that is one of the better breaking balls in the class. Aiken threw three innings in Long Beach, allowing one hit and striking out eight. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/area-code-games-top-10-prospects/   

8-31-13 – Area Code Games - Brady Aiken (LHP) 6’4″ 205; 2014 Large frame w/strong, athletic build. Exceptional athlete also plays CF. Good projection body that looks the part on the mound. Simple delivery remains online for pinpoint command. Loose HTQ arm uses present 5/future 6FB w/future 60 command. Lives on top of BB w/confident arm side spot and downplane. Late breaking CB w/12:6 shape. Advanced feel for CH sells with same arm speed and tumbling effect; misses bats. Finishes all his pitches and lives down in the zone. Showed mound savvy where game came very EZ for him. Strong follow; 3-pitch mix starter material.  http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/08/31/area-code-notes/   

9-1-13 - Jim Callis – 9. Brady Aiken, lhp/of, Cathedral Catholic HS, San Diego - Projectable athlete could have three plus pitches in time, reminds me of Trey Ball at same stage.

9-4-13 – Mack’s Mock Draft v1.0 – 16 –  LHP Brady Aiken – Cathedral Catholic (CA) HS – 6-4 frame, Aiken is going to be a great major league pitcher. Had a great summer at the 11th All-American Classic and the Area Code Games. Every scout was wowed by his control… 91-92 fastball… 73-74 curve. He also will be one of the youngest players in the 2014 draft. Could easily wind up a top 10 pick.

9-11-13 - Sully’s 2014 Top 100 MLB HS Draft Prospects – 26.Brady Aiken – LHP, Cathedral Catholic (CA) HS http://www.ninebaseball.org/Wordpress/sullys-2014-top-100-mlb-hs-draft-prospects/  

 

9-29-13 – XMLBScout – 4.)LHP, Brady Aiken, Cathedral Catholic HS, Cardiff by the Sea, CA, 6'3 1/2 205, nice frame, long arms and legs, upper 3/4 arm slot has improved 2-3 mph on his fb and sharp downer type cb, most fb were 89-90, touched 93 a few times, cb nice bite and rotation which enticed hitters to chase, some deception, pitched up in zone rushing himself a few times, something here to work with, top 25 candidate for 2014 for sure, keep an eye on him, UCLA commit?  http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com/  

9-30-13 – TTF Mock 2.0 - 30. Boston Red Sox — Brady Aiken, RHP, Cathedral Catholic HS (CA) One of the youngest players in the 2014 MLB draft, the 6’-4” southpaw is an alumni of Team USA Baseball and is very polished on the mound. His fastball sits in the low 90s, and both his curveball and change-up are solid offerings. He has great control of his pitches and dominated at The Tournament of Stars, striking out seven over three scoreless innings. He then earned the win in the gold medal game against Japan at the World Cup Championships in Taiwan, striking out 10 over seven innings, allowing just one run. He had a 1.18 ERA and 80 K/25 BB over 53.1 innings as a junior for a team that included 2013 fourth-round pick Stephen Gonsalves. Committed to UCLA. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-mock-draft-2-0-draft-order-set/38280#5E3F5j1jWOgE69bJ.99

11-14-13 - Michael Schwartze - Arms Dominate Class One of the biggest strengths of this year’s class is the quality and depth of frontline starting pitching. After the summer, it appears as if as many as 10 high school pitchers could go in the first round. The top prep lefty in the class may be Brady Aiken (Cathedral Catholic/San Diego, Calif.) who had a dominant summer while showing great stuff, including a low-90s fastball, improving curveball and an advanced changeup. He has a smooth, low effort delivery and a projectable, 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame. He commanded both secondary offerings well and both project as swing-and-miss offerings. http://www.studentsports.com/blog/2013/11/13/baseball-jupiter-wraps-up-2013-showcase-circuit/    

Big League Futures - Top 25 Draft Poll

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Carlos Rodon	LHP	North Carolina State
2	Tyler Beede	RHP	Vanderbilt
3	Jeff Hoffman	RHP	East Carolina
4	Trea Turner	SS	North Carolina State
5	Michael Gettys	OF	Gainesville (GA)
6	Alex Jackson	C/OF	Rancho Bernardo (CA)
7	Tyler Kolek	RHP	Shepher (TX)
8	Nicholas Gordon	SS	Olympia (FL)
9	Jacob Gatewood	SS	Clovis (CA)
10	Sean Newcombe	LHP	Hartford

The rest of the list...http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/11/26/mlb-draft-top-25-prospects-poll/

Believe It or Not, Mets Fans Have Plenty of Reason to Give Thanks

It’s that time of year when people are supposed to reflect on what blessings they have enjoyed throughout the previous year and towards that end all of us doom and gloom Mets fans do indeed have reasons to give thanks:

Matt Harvey – what can be said about the new ace other than, “Get well soon!”  He exceeded projections and at times made Mets fans remember fondly what it felt like when the magic was in the air of a Seaver or Gooden start.  The glimpse of the future was truly on display on June 18th when the hapless Mets mired in the worst record in the division swept the first place Atlanta Braves in a doubleheader behind the combined starts of Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler.  Being handed the ball to represent the National League to start the All-Star Game capped off what was at times the lone light at the end of a very dark tunnel for Mets fans.  

David Wright – While you can argue both sides of the question as to whether or not they overpaid for a hitter whose stats have been in freefall since the opening of CitiField, the fact remains that David Wright is the first home-grown hitter who stands a good chance of beginning and ending his career in the orange and blue.  His enormous contract seemed to fly in the face of the oh-too-familiar “We have no money” refrain echoing around the ball club.  Here’s hoping you stay healthy (and sane) for the duration of the contract.

 

Wilmer Flores – A lot of people forget that Wilmer Flores was on fire, hitting 1 HR and 9 RBIs in his first 27 ABs in the big leagues, promoted when David Wright went down with an injury.  Unfortunately Flores then suffered a severe ankle sprain and wasn’t the same for the rest of the way trying to play through the pain. 

Bobby Parnell – Though he’d shown flashes in the past, for the first time Bobby Parnell was “The Man” designated to close games and he responded with a performance to rival or exceed anyone who’s ever come in to seal down victories for the Mets.  An injury cut short what could have been a season whose on-the-field-performance was on track to exceed even the legendary Mariano Rivera across town. 

Juan Lagares – While there were times he was clearly in over his head when it came to hitting the ball, he may have grabbed the nickname “The Human Highlight Reel” from his former AAA teammate Matt den Dekker.  A converted shortstop, Lagares’ easy grace tracking down fly balls and his Howitzer of an arm made him a highlight for the long suffering fans.  The fact that he led all centerfielders in defensive metrics but didn’t even sniff the Gold Glove confirms what we all suspected – that the award is more about being a competent hitter while fielding your position than it is purely about defensive wizardry.

Jenrry Mejia – Long forgotten after being abused by Jerry Manuel in a desperate attempt to save his job by jerking him back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation, Mejia was not even on most people’s radar.  Injuries derailed his once-promising career until the Mets rotation was hit with its own onslaught of health problems and his turn happened to fall on a day they needed a starter.  He was summoned from Sin City and responded with an electric fastball, great movement and poise that surpassed his young age.  He responded with five outstanding starts, finishing with a 2.30 ERA and a WHIP of just 1.171.  Shut down in August for surgery to have bone chips removed from his elbow, many are hoping he can be a part of the Opening Day pitching rotation in 2014. 

Daniel Murphy – While he may be second to Ike Davis in the “Man Most Likely To Be Traded”, Murphy finally seemed comfortable at 2^nd base, added speed to his game for the first time and continued his onslaught of slugging doubles.  The Mets probably haven’t had as effective a weapon at 2^nd base since Edgardo Alfonzo and the Rodney Dangerfield of the starting lineup deserves some appreciation before he dons another club’s uniform in 2014. 

Eric Young – A scrap heap pickup that ignited an otherwise moribund club, Eric Young brought a dimension of speed that was sorely lacking.  He’s not a perfect leadoff hitter and makes up for his defensive flaws by taking advantage of his quickness.  His rag arm in left field was passable at best, but he gave the fans something to root for at the end of the season when he passed Biogenesis-tainted Everth Cabrera and injured Jean Segura to win the NL stolen base title.  On a good club he’s a supersub.  On the Mets he’s a starter. 

Finally, let’s offer up some thanks for people who flashed brilliance at times and led to many Mets victories who are no longer a part of the club.  Marlon Byrd put together the season of his career for little more than minimum wage.  Latroy Hawkins showed that 40 was the new 30 and took over for Parnell as closer once Bobby was shut down with neck problems.  John Buck, a salary dump from Toronto in the big R.A. Dickey trade, did his best Mike Piazza impression for the first couple of months of his Mets career until exhaustion and the law of averages caught up with him. 

Here’s hoping both the Mets family and yours have a terrific holiday season and that Sandy Alderson exceeds his allotted minutes trying to improve the team at next month’s Winter Meetings.  

Why The Mets Should Hop Aboard The David Price Express Part 1

From MLBTraderumors.com: “In an article last week ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported that David Price signed a one-year, $10.1125MM contract to avoid arbitration last January, but $5MM of that sum comes in the form of a signing bonus that is deferred to next year. While it was presented as a tax-related issue at the time, Stark notes that the Rays can use it as leverage in a trade, agreeing to take a slightly lesser package if the acquiring team pays that additional $5MM.”

What if that package was 1B Ike Davis, 2B Daniel Murphy and 2B/1B Wilmer Flores in return for Price and Ben Zobrist? The Mets would have in their possession one of the top trading chips of the 2013 offseason and a power bat who can play all over the field.

As outrageous such a deal sounds on the surface, dig a little deeper, and it makes sense for both parties.

Why?

The Rays need a power hitting 1B. Ike Davis fits the bill. Also, Tampa Bay is always looking to get high ceiling talent that is younger and cheaper than what they’ve traded away-Flores is high ceiling and although arbitration-eligible, Murphy is a cheaper option than Zobrist. The power they lose by trading Zobrist is made up for with Davis and Flores. The hustling Murphy would seem like a perfect fit with Maddon’s Rays, and give them a player, like Zobrist, who could move around the field.

From ESPN, “In 2013, the Tampa Bay Rays used 15 different hitters in the designated hitter spot in their lineup. That group ended up batting a combined .214 on the season -- tied for 13th in the American League.”

Flores is a born DH. But all three players they acquire could DH effectively, and give the creative Maddon added flexibility when writing up his line-up card.

As for the Mets, well they add the 2012 Cy Young Winner to their rotation-and bring in an established bat to protect Wright in the line-up. Even in a down year Zobrist was an All-Star with a 5.1 WAR. He also smacked a dozen HR’s and36 doubles. On the basepath’s he a threat to steal 12-15 bases, with the potential for more-he swiped 24 in 2010 and 19 in 2011.

Most importantly for the Rays, they are off the hook for the $5 million remaining they’d have to pay Price in 2014. That mean’s with Price’s upcoming arbitration, he’d cost the Mets about $15 million.

Even at $7 million for 2014, he’s still cheaper than the newly acquired Chris Young and if he flops in the orange and blue, there’s a $2.5 million buyout option for 2015. If he joined the Free Agent ranks in 2015 the Mets would almost assuredly be in line for a compensation draft pick.

You’ve lost Murphy but Zobrist has more power and becomes your starting SS, on most days, because another great thing about Zobrist, is his ability to play all over the diamond.

Now let’s address the key piece of this trade-David Price.

Since they would now possess the most-desired pitcher available this winter, the Mets would have huge trade flexibility, teams would be lining up at their door with offers.

Or they could do the unexpected.

Keep him.

Before we address the obvious, trading Price this winter, we’ll look at the opposite side of the coin. The powers that be have said the Mets have $25-$30 million available to spend this offseason. Let’s say the Rays agree to eat roughly $2 million or so of that $5 million. Now the Mets are on the hook to Price for $3 million and his arbitration for the 2014 season, which I’ve read would probably be around $13 million, so $16 million in total. If that seems like a lot keep in mind that if you retained the arbitration eligible Davis and Murphy, you’d spend around $5 million for Murphy and another $3.5-$4 million for Davis. So a combined $9 million let’s say. Just with those two you’d be contributing $9 million to the 2014 payroll. So adding Price would cost $7 million, less than $7.5 you spent on Chris Young.

By trading them and adding Price, as well as Zobrist, to the already signed Young, you’re increasing payroll substantially, but you’re only paying each player for one year and you would still have enough left over to sign a low-cost power bat like Jason Kubel, or invite Grady Sizemore to spring training on a minor league deal. But you’ve added a Cy Young winner and 2x All Star.

What’s the on field impact?

Let’s look at the line-ups:

Currently

1b-Davis

2b-Murphy

SS-Tejada

3b-Wright

LF-Young Jr.

CF-Lagares

RF-Young

P-Niese

P-Wheeler

P-Gee

P-Meijia

P-??

  

With Price and Zobrist

 

1b-Duda

2b-Young Jr.

ss-Zobrist

3b-Wright

LF-Kubel? Sizemore?

CF-Lagares

RF-Young

P-Price

P-Wheeler

P-Niese

P-Gee

P-Familia

The positional flexibility afforded by Zobrist would allow the Mets to target the best available player in their price range and not be limited by focusing on a specific position. So you could sign Jeff Baker let’s say, and move Zobrist to LF.

Keeping Price might seem like a luxury, but would it be? In some ways it makes more sense than trading him right away. Retaining David Price would give the Mets a formidable rotation to challenge both the Braves and Nats. Especially when you consider by July he would be joined by Syndegaard and Montero. Speaking of those two, the addition of Price to the rotation would keep the Mets from rushing either of their two prized arms down on the farm.

The Mets might not score a helluva lot of runs, but they wouldn’t give up many either. Citi Field would be packed the games when Price pitches and his uni sales would probably challenge Wright’s. Also, watch how fast season ticket sales take off. Oh, I almost forgot, Price is a lefty.  Imagine you’re a team coming to Citi Field for a three game series and you have to face Price on Friday night, Wheeler Saturday and then Niese on Sunday.  

How did the Braves and Nats fare against southpaws last season?

Atlanta .239/.321/.380

Washington .239/.306/.367

How about the World Series champion Cardinals?

.238/.301/.371

Making this trade and keeping Price could put the Mets right in the thick of the Wild Card race and if things broke right, possibly in contention for an NL East title too. It would also soften the blow of losing Harvey for the season. If the team tanks in 2014, then you peddle Price at the summer trade deadline when a huge feeding frenzy would occur in pursuit of his services.

But instead let’s be optimistic, and believe that this trade goes a long way to making the Mets contenders next season. Imagine meaningful baseball being played in September for the first time at Citi Field. A year of David Price would be worth that wouldn’t you agree?

In that scenario after the season ends, Prices departs and Harvey returns. The Mets get draft pick compensation for Price, as well as Zobrist if he leaves too, and depending on what Young does, possible draft compensation for him as well. Instead of a lost season the Mets enter 2015 with a) money to spend, b) added draft picks for future prospects, and c) the return of Harvey, as well as the first full season of Syndegaard and Montero in the Mets rotation. A combination of the network television money and increased revenue for the team due to sell-out crowds watching an exciting team playing meaningful baseball into September puts to rest worries about the Wilpon money woes.

It may like an impossible dream but all the pieces are in place for a such deal to happen. The Rays and Mets match up well as trade partners. Let’s face it someone is going to acquire David Price this winter. I would hate for it to be the Braves, Nats…or that team across town.

Next week I will talk the more obvious outcome from this proposed trade idea, the Mets trade David Price. I’ll look at scenarios and possible landing spots. But as I wrote this I became more in favor of keeping Price for 2014 if the Mets pulled a trade involving him.

Matthew Silva - So far, Same Old Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is almost upon us. In a couple of days, you will look around at a table; at all the food, friends and family and really appreciate what you have. Then maybe you'll sneak a glance at your phone to check if the Mets have made any progress towards 2014 and you won't feel so happy.

The meal that the Mets are currently serving on Turkey Day is most likely nothing compared to the feast you will indulge in; mostly because a lot of it is still last year's food. Sandy Alderson forgot to go shopping and right now we're reheating leftovers. Players like Ruben Tejada and Lucas Duda are attending fitness camp. That's all well and good, but those lumpy potatoes won't taste any better just from whipping them a little. Ike Davis has been part of trade discussions and yet he is still here. I don't think anyone really wants a guy who looks like his legs are stuck in gravy when he swings. The rest of the squad resembles stuffing. Guys like Jonathon Niese, Zack Wheeler and Daniel Murphy are not going to make anyone come back for seconds just yet.

So where does that leave this team? We already have a turkey, albeit a slightly overcooked one in David Wright. We put too much heat on that bird and it needs some support to carry the meal. Sometimes you need a nice ham to sate the masses. Where is that prized ham we are searching for? It certainly isn't Chris Young. He's more of an old, dented can of cranberries the Mets paid too much for. Players like Jhonny Peralta have been bought up already and it leaves a big hole at the Mets' table to fill.

There are still some options for last minute shopping on the shelves. Nelson Cruz may be a little aged and was previously pumped with taste enhancers, but that doesn't mean he can't be a helpful addition to this team. Stephen Drew might be the most expensive side dish you'll ever see, but when you wait too long to shop, beggars really can't be choosers. Why not add Scott Kazmir who had some years to marinate and improve? He could certainly help fill the void left by Matt Harvey this year. Hopefully we'll have something to be thankful for in the coming weeks. Winter meetings are on the way, and maybe I should just be hoping for a Christmas miracle. But I'm hungry right now and I bet many Mets fans are as well.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone.

Mack's Morning Report - 11/27 - ‘Player Evaluation By Position’ – 3B

This is a relatively short report, both at the major league and minor affiliate level.

Thankfully, the Mets broke policy and signed David Wright to a long term contract. Only an injury would force a contingency plan here, which currently would probably include some combination of Wilmer Flores, Daniel Murphy, and Zach Lutz.

I’m not sure if Lutz is going to survive this camp. It may all be determined on whether or not Flores or Murphy is traded. Frankly, I have him returning to Las Vegas and holding down the fort there. There’s not much of a future being a third baseman in the Mets chain before 2020. There just isn’t.

Minors wise, I have no utility players listed here. Their names have already been discussed either in the 2B or SS portion of this series. No, I have five names for the five top affiliates, with no one currently on the roster for either Kingsport of the GL Mets. They will have to come via the draft or the international system.

In Vegas, I have Lutz. He does a credible job at the AAA level (AAA: .293, MLB: .300) and also can back up as a first baseman.

In Binghamton, Robbie Shields (St. Lucie: 337-AB, .231) should graduate to the AA level. Shields has had disappointing numbers since hitting .290 in 2010 at Savannah, but the ex-3rd rounder can also play both SS and 2B.

Jeff Reynolds (Savannah: 330-AB, .242) will move up to St. Lucie, Pedro Perez (Kingsport: .264) will play Savannah, and Jhoan Urena (GCL: .299) will wind up in Brooklyn. Both Perez and Urena are ex-international bonus babies and, in fact, Urena played GCL last year as an 18-yr. old. He could wind up in Kingsport if the Mets go college at this position early in the draft and place that player with the Cyclones.

No one stood out at the DSL level.

Summation – It’s imperative for Wright to keep healthy. He’s not going anywhere until the day he retires which will be in the beginning of the next decade.

Grade: A