A full listing of our Top 25 Prospects is on the right hand side of our website.Without further ado....The Mack's Mets #6 organizational prospect is......
#6 RHP Rafael (Quezada) Montero
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 170 lb
Acquired: 2011 international signing, Dominican Republic
2012: (A/A+) 11-5, 2.36 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 1.4 BB/9, 0.943 WHIP
2011: (R/SS-A) 5-4, 2.15 ERA, 1 SV, 8.4 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 0.958 WHIP
Generally starting pitchers who can keep their WHIP rates below 1 are having stellar seasons. Also generally as a prospect progresses, he should see dips in his sabermetric rates. However for Montero the opposite is true. After only 4 starts in the Mets DSL team where he only gave up 7 hits total and struck out 20 while walking none, the team brought him stateside to the Kingsport team where he had a so-so performance in 4 more starts (1.353 WHIP). From there it was all improvement, he performed incredibly in the GCL (1.097 WHIP) and then went on to make 2 relief appearances with Brooklyn (0.800 WHIP).
General knowledge would've said to start him Brooklyn the next season but with the team's elimination of the GCL team some prospects, including Montero, were given more aggressive assignments. Montero did not falter as he won half of his starts and kept runners off the basepaths to a tune of a 0.943 WHIP which earned him a promotion to Port St. Lucie. There he once again improved raising his K rate while dropping his ERA and his WHIP (0.908).
Despite his performances so far, Montero still has plenty of projection. At only 170 lbs, he should continue to add some more velocity to his low 90's fastball which will in turn help his slider and his already plus change-up. He already knows "how to pitch" showing the ability to throw any of his pitches at any time in any situation anywhere in the zone. He has also draw many comparisons to Pedro Martinez due to his short stature and comparable motion and arsenal.
Anticipated Assignment: (AA) Binghamton starting rotation
7 comments:
This is my #1 guy.
And, you know if he ever gets to Queens, I'm going to lobby every Mexican restaurant to come up with something called a 'Quezada'.
I hope the Mets send him to Binhamton and give him around 10 more starts there.
Then, on to Vegas and September in Queens
Mack,
I hope Montero gets more than 10 starts. He should stay in Binghamton all year. Why rush him when we already have our 5 man rotation for 2013 and 2014. Let him get a full year at AA in 2013, then a full year in Vegas with a September call-up in 2014.
We'll plug him in for 2015 when we should have:
Wheeler
Harvey
Niese
Syndergaard (13 in A+/AA,14 in AAA)
Montero (13 in AA,14 in AAA)
Fulmer (13 in A+/AA,14 in AAA)
DeGrom (13 in A+/AA,14 in AAA)
That's a very good problem to have
Soto:
You can't just say a guy needs to spend a whole year at one level. You start him and then, based on his performance, you leave him be, demote him or promote him.
Now, demotions are probably not in Montero's minor league future, but if he's dealing and dominating in AA, then he should be promoted. Wether it's 10, 15, or 20 starts, when he's ready, he should get promoted.
Just leaving him there could very well work against the process. You don't want these guys getting pissed off or bored in a situation that he's proven too good for.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I see Montero in 2014following in Wheeler's 2013 footsteps and Harvey's 2012 footsteps, to be followed in 2015 by Syndergaard. It just doesn't get any better than this. I'm amped.
I agree with Charles that holding Montero back when he is developmentally ready to move up would hinder his progress, although I don't think it would do him any long term harm.
I was impressed with the development of Montero's secondary pitches. I am with Mack here in that he too is my #1 guy. He could also be a potentially closer if endurance is an issue with him in AA. I guess this season will say alot about where he projects.
I think we'll all be even more psyched to see Sybdergaard eventually. In 2015, the Mets just won't have the room for all these guys.
Montero, Fulmer, Synd, DeGrom, Tapia, Mateo, Robles...damn!
I talked to someone who talked to someone who talked to someone that tracked Synder in the minors... he said that he projects out THE SAME as Wheeler
For now, we have 40%... Niese and Harvey
next year... 60% Wheeler
2015 100% Synder and Montero
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