My guess at the last catching prospect was Jesus Flores, who was mistakenly left unprotected in the Rule 5 draft. t turned out that he never did develop into a pro starter, but, at the same time, he was a prospect.
We talked last week about Cam Maron, but it's only fair to spend some time with another catcher that will be getting his shot to make it Queens earlier.
Juan Centeno was a 32nd round draft pick in the 2007 draft, out of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. 32nd round catchers are usually picked only to help out in extended camp, so very little was expected here.
Centeno did what he could to confirm my reasons he was drafted for the first three years (2007: GCL Mets - .146, 2008: GCL Mets - .206, 2009: .164), but then came the 2010 season where he hit .371 part time (89-AB) for the Cyclones.
In 2011, he jumped Savannah and went straight to A+ ball, hitting .318/.368/.382/.751 in 157-AB for St. Lucie (remember... the Mets platoon catchers which limits their ability to mature properly in the minors).
Last year, he quietly was promoted to AA-Binghamton and put together another respectable season: 281-AB, .285/.337/.342/.678.
A couple of important points...
Centeno is getting more at-bats every season which really makes his AA numbers look exciting
There isn't any power here... just a good defensive catcher who has proven he can get on base
He doesn't strike out that much... his most was last season, 43 in 281-AB
He will play 2013 as a 23-year old and hits left.
Currently, he is hittng .471 for Atenienses de Manati in the Puerto Rico winter league
Right now, it looks like he will split time with the right-hand hitting Mike Nickeas. My hopes are that Centeno will get the major starts so he can continue his quest to become a Mets catcher. His ETA is simple at this point:: Opening Day 2014
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