Carmen asks:
Hey Mack. What if we
don’t sign one decent outfielder in this off season. Is our minor league
players that bad?
Mack:
A very timely question.
This would be a good
time to go over the guys in the system, in the order they will become eligible
for the majors. I’m only going to break out the guys I feel can possibly have a
decent career at this level:
Kirk Nieuwenhuis – Kirk obviously comes first. He’s
already been there (2012: 282-AB,, .252) though he was demoted to Buffalo after
playing bad at the end of his first major league stint. The major concern right
now is whether he comes back 100% from his injury (partial tear of the plantar
fascia in his right foot) in Buffalo.
I have faith in Kirk, though I don’t see him someday as HOF
material. I’ve penciled him in as my 2013 starting centerfielder, with Lucas Duda in right field and Mike
Baxter in left. I have Jordany
Valdespin as my 5th outfielder and the 4th OFer is open
right now, pending the Rule 5 Draft.
Matt den Dekker – We all seem to have forgotten that he was leading the Eastern
League in hitting (.340) when he was promoted to Buffalo. He didn’t hit as well
in Buffalo (.220), but we’ve seen these slow transitions from players like him
before, but he did hit 17-HR, 76-RBI, .274 combined for the AA/AAA season.
Obviously, 2013 is a critical year for Dekker. It would be
nice to think that we could find our future centerfielder from one of these two
guys, but there’s still a road to travel here. Dekker does strikeout too much,
but it’s equally important that he concentrates on a more consistent approach
to his batting average results. We saw this same inconsistency in 2011 (St.
Lucie: .296, Binghamton .235) so, if he keeps to his schedule, the results in
Las Vegas in 2013 should be positive. I’d like to think that the Mets won’t
rush him under any situation and I want his pro-ready for opening day 2014.
Cory Vaughn – Vaughn will be the next guy in order, and seems to have
more talent than the two just mentioned. Vaughn has sacrificed BA for power and
continues to have mechanics problems, but he potentially projects as a future
major league starter. He also has one of those infectious personalities that
everyone loves to be around in the clubhouse.
Vaughn is at least two years away and needs to play the
entire 2013 season in Binghamton with a new batting coach.
Darrell Ceciliani – Cecilliani cost himself dearly in
2012, dicking around with an unhealed groin injury from the beginning of the
2011 season. He got in only 85 at bats last season, though he did hit .329. No
one has ever questioned his ability to hit the ball, but he’s fallen a year
behind in the future plans of this team.
The Mets will play him back in St. Lucie for the beginning of
the 2013 season, but expect him to move to Binghamton by the all-star break.
There’s no way to ETA him yet because it will take another season and a half to
determine if ‘DC’ has the potential to be successful at the major league level.
Cesar Puello – In my opinion, Puello is the most talented outfielder in
the Mets organization and will have the most success at the pro level… if… he
stays healthy. He hasn’t and that has set him back, but none of his injuries
have been career threatening.
Puello is your classic #2 hitter with excellent speed both on
the bases and the outfield. He has gap power and has one of the strongest, most
accurate arms in the organization. He lacks the power, though he did show
glimpses of it this past season. He’s played two seasons with St. Lucie, so I
hope we’ll see him in Binghamton come spring. It will be his 6th
year with the Mets and he will play it at only 22.
I still have him as my
starting left fielder in Queens in 2014.
Brandon Nimmo and Vincente Lupo – I’m sorry
folks, but there just isn’t enough on these guys to project them out.
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