These are the guys that
will make or break the future of this team and we will review what they are
doing throughout the year.
(Good WHIP <1.20,
Good BABIP <2.75, Good FIP >3.40
Buffalo:
RHP Matt Harvey – (ETA: Sept 2012)- 53.1-IP, 1.36-WHIP,
3.15-BABIP, 3.48-FIP
Most fans love what Harvey is doing so far this season. He’s
won a bunch of games and his fastball is hitting the zone consistently at 94.
Still, coaches will tell you he has a ways to go and the saber stats back up
that claim. Just leave the guy alone, bring him up in September, and then give
him the summer off. He’s be more than ready for April 2013.
RHP Jeurys Familia – (ETA: 2013) – 43.1-IP, 1.82-WHIP, .344-BABP, .397-FIP
Doesn’t Familia always seem to struggle? This year it’s
pure wildness with 34-BB (46-K). His game goes well when his fastball has life
in the zone and when he gets his release point out front of his slider. He’ll
never survive in an MLB rotation without better control and a third pitch. My
guess right now is he has the rest of this season to prove he can make it as a
rotation pitcher. My guess right now is he will come out of the 2013 pen.
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| photo by Michael G. Baron |
RHP Jenrry Mejia – (ETA: June 2012)- 2011> 28.1-IP, 1.02-WHIP, .192-BABIP,
3.91-FIP
Mejia is pitching rehab in 2012 so stats are out the
window. This is simply all about arm strength and the results are secondary. No
one questions Jenrry’s ability; they just want to make sure he still has it.
You know what? He does. My guess is 2-3 starts at the AAA level. There will
only be a third if one of the first two is shaky. Either way, I got him in
Queens by Flag Day.
Binghamton:
RHP Zack Wheeler – (Sept.
2013) – 45.2-IP, 1.05-WHIP, .255-BABIP, 2.83-FIP
There’s nothing wrong here. Wheeler is the real deal.
Technically, there will be an opening on the Buffalo rotation when Mejia gets
called up, but probably Chris Schwinden or Jeremy Hefner will be looking for a home. No, Zack is
going to have stay in Binghamton where he has the chance to win a bunch of
awards that are worth absolutely nothing at the end of the day (boy, I can get crusty…).
St. Lucie:
RHP Chris Young – (ETA:
July 2012) – 17.0-IP, 1.11-WHIP, .286-BABIP, 3.80-FIP
Like Mejia, Young is pitching rehab and, when completed,
will go on the 25-man. He will become the SP5, and possibly move up to SP4 as
the season progresses. A slight dead arm situation plus the birth of his child
slowed things down a little, but he should be pitching in Queens sometime
between June 15-30th.
Savannah:
RHP Michael Fulmer –
(Sept. 2014) – 33.2-IP, 1.30, .281, 4.61
Fulmer is still learning that he no longer is in high school.
It’s like pitching every five days against a regional all-star team. This is
the level you have to dominate because it’s the easiest. He’s not
domination, but he doesn’t suck either. I hope the Mets leave him in Savannah
for the entire season.
RHP Domingo Tapia – (2015)
– 42.0-IP, 1.16, .319,
.280
Tapia is even greener than Fulmer. He’s just as inexperienced
but, in his case, pitching in a foreign country that speaks a different
language. So far so good for someone that just needs to pound the strike zone
with what he has while the coaches teach other pitches.
From David Rubin:
From David Rubin:
It truly is a new (old) day for this organization. Growing up with this team, it was pitching, pitching, pitching...and the occasional big hit from an unexpected source. Now, once again, the foundation of the minor leagues is pitching, and I, for one, could not be happier. Yes, there are some interesting bats making their way through the system, but the thought of arms like Wheeler's, Harvey's, etc. brings me back to the early 70's, when a Matlack joined a combo of Koosman & Seaver, and the 80's, when a Gooden/Darling/Fernandez combo rocked Flushing! There are so many exciting arms in the system that we can't even write about all of them in a single post without hitting 5,000 words plus! As exciting as this season is turning out to be (and a very pleasant surprise it is), the "treasures" that await the organization are myriad and if we can continue to be patient, another dynasty is potentially in the making...
16 comments:
Why include Chris Young in this otherwise delicious post? I think the next best starting pitcher prospect might be Jacob DeGrom, who pitched today for Savannah. The guy is lighting it up with a plus heater and sinker. He also throws a nice curve. He hasn't pitched much yet this year but he's been very solid, while getting pretty shaky defensive support.
Please opine.
DeGrom has beena pleasant surprise this season, sitting at 94. Pitching coach Frank Viola is very high on him.
Will, I totally agree that DeGrom is one to truly watch. His plus stuff is outstanding, and Mack was told about him by pitching coach Frank Viola a few days before he was officially added to the roster and made his debut. He has nowhere to go but UP!! And of course we have guys like Mr. Pill and Mr. Leathersich, not to mention about 6-7 more to be excited about.
Will, I've learned over the years not to get too excited about pitchers at the A level.
Especially older ones.
Dude, all I said was that DeGrom should (maybe) be seventh on this list and that Young shouldn't be on it at all. I realize that half the hitters in the SAL can't hit any kind of pitching. Anyway, he's having about the same success down there as Tapia. And he's got good stuff and a nice easy pitching motion.
He's certainly worth some blogger ink.
DeGrom will be getting plenty of blogger ink if he keeps this up but I'm with Mack. It's just like it's hard to get excited about Goeddel and an ERA below 2 in PSL. Start facing upper-level hitters, stay healthy, and still perform like that then that is an entire new level of "prospect". At this point, DeGrom and Goeddel (and Pill and Leather in a lot of ways as well) are more intrigues than top prospects at this point.
That is what makes baseball so unique, though. No one knew who Darin Gorski was two years ago. No one. Sure as hell no one was writing about him either.
1. I was the first to write and recognize deGrom. I believe that qualifies for "blogger ink".
Regarding the "dude" reference... save it for the kiddie channels
Gentlemen, all I'm saying is that Young should not have been on this list and that perhaps DeGrom is the Mets' seventh best pitching prospect. You guys are not responding to that point.
If not DeGrom, then who is the Mets next best pitching prospect?
I called the original post 'delicious.'
right now , starter wise, I would say Rafael Montero
Make it a top 10 and throw in guys like Juan Urbina, Akeel Morris & Colin McCugh.
TheCloser
Based on his "stuff" and what he's accomplished so far this year, I could make a case for Elvin Ramirez.
However, this post is titled "System Rotation Pitching Progress Report".
So, in looking at the starters who could impact the team before long, I would have to look at Colin McHugh, Darin Gorski, and, if he continues to have solid starts again and again, Mark Cohoon.
I'm going to include Elvin in a "System Relief Pitching Progress Report" I am working on today
The talent at Savannah is impressive: Tapia, Pill, DeGrom, Fulmer, Montero and Verrett. The Savannah guys get spotty defensive support and are always pitching in tight games. Neither of which can hurt their development.
But...
and this is a BIG but...
this is A ball... and we've seen this so many times b4
Will:
email me from your real emal address to macksmets@gmail.com.
we'd love to have you write with us and I'll invite you into the site
Mack
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