11/10/12

Q and A - 'Wild Card' Mets Prospects


Charles asks:

          Hey Mack, I was wondering which Mets prospects have we heard very little about that you could possibly give us some info on?

I noticed on a recent post of yours you mentioned some if the DSL players and I only knew who Vincente Lupo was.  Perhaps you could fill us in on the top ten prospects we might not know about and which ones you feel have the best chance at being major leaguers.

Mack:

          Thanks Charles. I can always count on you for some good questions.

          I covered on Lamar’s question earlier today who I feel will make it to the Bigs and become a major factor in the game. I left off many names (den Dekker, Nieuwenhuis, etc.) who ‘may’ make it, but have not proven (at least to me) that they will be successful.

          You ask for the ‘wild cards’ and, most of them are at the lower levels. In no particular order:

          CF Brandon Nimmo – comes with all the accolades by the scouts, both before he was signed and, especially now, the ones that have followed him in Brooklyn. His pro numbers haven’t jumped off the page (2012 – Brooklyn - .243) but everyone continues to say that this 19-year old is going to be a great major league player. I assume the Mets will bypass sending him to Savannah where hitters simply die in the humidity that just prevent balls hit from finishing strong, but is a 20-year old that his .243 ready for A+? Still, potentially, one of the top ‘future’ players in the system.

          SS Gavin Cecchini – has taken a ton of shit after being drafted by the Mets. Scouts say he’s excellent both in the field and with a bat in his hand. This one is only 18-years old, so hitting .246 for Kingsport may be tons better than the production Nimmo put out in Brooklyn. Look, the Mets have drafted young these past two years and we’re going to have to wait out some of these picks until we really know what we have. I will tell you this… the Mets brass was absolutely thrilled with this pick. My guess is he goes to Savannah.

          RP Adam Kolarek – The Mets are so high on him they sent him to the AFL this off-season. Kolarek was a 11th round pick in 2010 who’s 3-year pro stat line is: 12-5, 2.86, 1.23, 98-games, 161-IP, 181-K, 65-BB. Does have some control problems but aces St. Lucie last season (2.37,70-K, 57.0-IP). You will start hearing his name more next season when he begins the season in Binghamton.

          SP Christian Montgomery – Montgomery started last off-season as a sure fired first round pick. Then, he went down with arm problems that drove him down in the draft and prevented him from playing the entire 2013 season for the Mets. The Mets stole him in the 11th round and the 20-year old will probably pitch Brooklyn in 2013. Remember this name. This was a big time high school prospect.

          P Cory Oswalt – another of those high school players most Mets fans know nothing about. Oswalt fell in the draft after sending signs that it would take big bucks to sign him. The Mets went over slot in the 7th round and sent the 18-year old to Kingsport, where he had a miserable year (4-3, 8.15). Still, Oswalt continues to project out as a future major leaguer that just needs to grow and mature. The log jam in front of him probably will send him to Brooklyn.

          RP TJ Chism – has pitched in the Mets system for four seasons now and has a stat line of: 12-3, 2.07, 1.16. Had 25 saves for Savannah last season (1.14 WHIP) and will close for St. Lucie in 2013. Not overpowering… just gets people out.

          C Adrian Abreu – We’re going to see many more DSL players in Florida this spring because of the return of the GCL Mets. IMO, this is potentially the power catcher we’ve been looking for, for so many years. Stat line last year for the DSL2: .295/.417/.406/.826… get this: 224-AB, only 26-K, but 45-BB. When was the last time we saw a catcher that put up an .826 OPS with this kind of BB/9?

          C Manuel Hilario – and, what about the other catcher on the DSL2 team? Well, all he did in 224-AB was: .286/.378/.451/.829. These are big numbers for DSL catchers and I see both of these guys playing at the K-Port/GCL level next season.

          SP Yoan Gonzalez – the ace of the DSL2 team… 14-starts, 2-1, 2.57, 1.16, 65-K, 66.2-IP. He’s a 22-year old lefty who only has one pro season under his belt, but, because of his age, and the return of the GCL team, stands a good chance of pitching for the GCL team.

          OF Bradley Marguez – I left the best for last. He’s reported to be the most talented athlete in the system. He’s also a football player that just broke his leg. The Mets drafted him when they worked out a relationship that allowed him to play while he still was a WR in college. Did get 30-Abs for Kingsport last season (.267) and really is still just learning the game. He has now given up football and should be ready for the spring. A real long shot but a great shot in the dark.

9 comments:

Charles said...

I wish it was 2016 already...

Thanks mack

Anonymous said...

Mack thanks for all the work you do as a mets fan i thank you. Im sure hundreds of other mets fans feel the same.

Anonymous said...

Yes you're right! I really appreciate what u do for us Mets fans! Aside from that its nice to hear something positive about Cecchini..i hope he will suprise us all and become a better player u might think. Whats your oppinion on him?

Greg b said...

Hi Mack, can u please give me a scouting report on vicente lupo. Is there a player in the majors that he can in the future play like. Thanks

Mack Ade said...

Greg:

I'm going to answer your question on Lupo as a seprate post

Mack Ade said...

Anon:

Re: Cecchini, I like his brother better, but you honestly don't know what you have when you draft a high school senior until you play them for 2-3 years against professional teams.

All the high school stats in the world mean nothing if your team is playing inferior teams in a shit division.

we're watching the Mets change their draft direction. In fact, there will never be the amount of great college players anymore. The good ones will sign out of high school and we'll just have to hope and pray

Anonymous said...

they say that you just cant have enough good prospects who play one of the "up the middle" positions. I'm sure thats correct; being a good SS prospect will always get you more attention than being a right fielder. I think the problem most people have with the Cecchini pick isn't that he'll take 4 or 5 years to hopefully reach the majors, it's that even if he fulfills everyone's highest hopes, he really might not have the powerful impact bat that a player like Courtney hawkings would have.

Fans, myself included, feel that there is something special about a first round pick. There's a lot of hope up and down that first round. Your team gets the chance to pick the best player available in the entire country and really, that's all you can ask for. That they do right by the fans, and take the best player available.

So when there's players like Lance McCullers Jr on the board, I think that the Mets fans deserved to have their team pick the best damn player available.

Now, Cecchini could end up being a great shortstop who emerges right when Ruben Tejada starts to get expensive. He could be right what this team needs. You never know, he could end up being a 2 million dollar bust as well. This FO isn't going to pick the best player available, we've all witnessed that so far.

I actually think that if this team had the first picks in 2009 and 2010, they wouldn't have choosen Strasburg or Harper. I think they are a little cheap as well with their first picks.

We all would be better suited to take a look at who would be the best player available ten picks after the mets pick, and figure that those are the players the mets are going to be looking at.

Mack Ade said...

the Mets, under both Omar and Sandy, seem to never take the best man available.

That being said, get used to a 4-5 year wait for draft picks to pan out. The future of the draft will be the signing of most of the major talent straight out of high school.

Sure, there will be players in college that emerge, but the draft will become much more risky.

I'm like you... draft thw McCulllers of the world. There are only 20-40 great players every draft. You better get them early.

Charles said...

I loved what Houston did. They took the best SS and since Lance was actually available, they grabbed him. Wow, great draft after just two picks. A lot of times, teams get scared away, like with McCullers. Turns out, 2.5 million did it. That's just 200,000 grand more than what Cecchini got and if the Mets took him, their draft and future looks so much better.

The Nationals are another team. Look at the players they've taken over the past 10 years. Shit, look at the 2009,10.&11. Strasburg, Harper, Rendon, Purke, and another outfielder I forgot his name. Last year they grabbed Giolitto who was going number 1 before injury concerns. This is who the Mets have to deal with for the next 10 years as these guys all mature and join the mother ship. And they chose Cecchini? That's the problem when you're not spending money anymore!!! They are winning, making more cash, and spending more.

The Wilpons better wake up, times are changing.