The Mets made an interesting signing this week. The Seattle Mariners placed ex-Yankees draft pick RHP D.J. Mitchell on waivers and the Mets signed him to a minor league deal. They have sent him to Las Vegas to join the rotation there. Originally a 10th round pick in 2008, Mitchell’s 4-yr. stat line was: 490.2-IP, 3.44, 426-K, 226-BB. He has a 87-01 fastball, slider, and changeup.
Ultimate Mets Database
Matt
Harvey's quick 4-0 record this season had us wondering about other Mets
pitchers who each of their first four
starts of a season. It turns out that Harvey is the eighth Mets pitcher to
accomplish this. The full list:
Jerry Koosman, 1968. 34.2 innings, 27 strikeouts, 1.04
ERA.
Tom Seaver, 1972. 30.2 innings, 33 strikeouts, 1.47
ERA.
Jerry Koosman, 1973. 34 innings, 14 strikeouts, 1.06
ERA.
Dwight Gooden, 1988. 26 innings, 22 strikeouts, 2.77
ERA.
Frank Viola, 1990. 27.1 innings, 29 strikeouts, 1.32
ERA.
Armando Reynoso, 1998. 28 innings, 12 strikeouts, 1.93
ERA.
Pedro Martinez, 2006. 26.2 innings, 28 strikeouts,
3.04 ERA.
Matt Harvey, 2013. 29 innings, 32 strikeouts, 0.93
ERA.
Juan Lagares promoted to Mets, Kirk Nieuwenhuis optioned to Las Vegas
Here’s a primer on Juan Lagares:
Juan
Mercado, the scout that found Jose Reyes, said in (2006) a Dominican
newspaper that 16 year old SS Juan Lagares is
better than Jose Reyes at the same age. Lagares was signed by the Mets in 2006 and
assigned to the DSL team, where he played 57 games and hit .255/.339/.412. He
was 3rd in the league in triples.
Lagares got off to a rough start in
2007 for Savannah, especially defensively, and was optioned back to extended
spring training in early May. He returned on 5/12/07 and immediately was
slotted back in the starting lineup, but eventually wound up on the IR list
through the end of the season (.210/.262/.317 in 281 at bats).
Lagares was born in Constanza,
Puerto Rico. In September 2007, Baseball America ranked Lagares as 16th in the
SAL in ‘speed score’.
In 2008, Juan started the season on
the IR and eventually played for Savannah, where he went .254/.285/.337 in 181
at bats.
5-15-11: - There’s a 22-year old
outfielder in St. Lucie hitting .302/.340/.479/.819. He has four home runs,
knocked in 19 runs in 27 games, has struck out only ten times and has stolen
three bases. The only problem is we gave up on this guy three years ago, plus
he’s been around for what seems like ten. It’s Juan Legares, the once top
infield prospect that broke his Mets cherry in 2006, when he was 16. I had the
pleasure (?) of watching him for three years in Savannah and, honestly, I
forgot he was still around. Well, this
is what happens when you sign 16-year olds. Some of them grow up and become
baseball players.
6-17-11: - We need to take another
look at Juan Legarus. It’s easy to forget about him because he’s been around so
long, but he is still only 22 years old. Right now, he is the the most solid
outfielder in the system. He’s playing for St. Lucie, hitting
.339/.379/.495/.873 in 192-AB.This comes off a 2010 where he hit .300 for
Savannah. Yes, he doesn’t ealk that much (12), but he also doesn’t strike out
much either (29). Defensively, he only has two errors all season. And there’s
not much more he can do at this level. Lagarus isn’t know for his pop, but he
does have five home runs this season and definitely deserves a promotion to
Binghamton as much as Matt den Dekker. He will;
however, start slow there, which is his motis.
7-11-11: - Top 10 Minor League
Performances in 2011 - 3. Juan Lagares – OF – A+/St. Lucie:
.343/.382/.496/.878, 6-HR, 43-RBI, 268-RBI – I give Lagares the top ranking for
hitters because no one expected to ever see stats out him like this in 2011. No
one likes his BB/AB ratio, which is about his only weakness right now in his
game.
7-25-11: - Lagarus made it known
last night that his recent promotion to AA-ball should have happened earlier.
Juan went 5-5, with two doubles, a triple, three runs scored and one run batted
in, raising his AA-BA to .667. Remember, he’s still only 22-years old and could
be someone we will be talking a lot about next season.
7-26-11: - link - OF Juan Lagares - STOCK UP - Lagares has seemingly come all the way back from
one of the worst botched prospect mishandlings of the Minaya era. It's a
testament to his talent that he's lived up to his initial billing as an IFA
Robin to FMart's Batman back in the summer of '05. Lagares was only recently
called up to Binghamton but in his time with St. Lucie he was tremendous,
posting a .339/.389/.495 triple slash. He's added a lot of muscle to his
athletic frame which has meant far more in-game power yet he's still showed
good speed, even filling in at CF when needed.
The reason why he toiled away at Hi-A for so long is the plate discipline,
or lack thereof. Yes, the .339 average is nice now but do not forget, Lastings
Milledge once batted .337 with Binghamton leading many to minimize his poor
on-base skills, yet I'd say they caught up with him quickly and thoroughly.
However, like Valdespin, Lagares has made strides in the BB% department this
season which is a good sign going forward. Despite more room for improvement
his excellent tools and emerging production are forcing his name into the
discussion as a top tier prospect in this system.
8-20-11: - link - Once upon a time, Juan Lagares was a lithe,
athletic shortstop. He made 40 errors in 82 South Atlantic League games back in
2007, yet his athleticism prompted BA to rank him No. 28 in the Mets' farm
system that offseason. Our report quoted a Mets official as saying that
long-term, Lagares' bat would be his best tool. Since then, Lagares evolved as
a prospect, moving to the outfield (mostly the corners) and actually starting
to hit. He's just 22 and has earned his first trip to Double-A by batting
.339/.381/.495 for high Class A St. Lucie, and he hasn't stopped hitting with
Double-A Binghamton. He's hit safely in 20 of 21 starts for the B-Mets,
carrying a nine-game hitting streak into the weekend, and is batting
.400/.420/.589 overall. "He's a very quiet hitter," B-Mets manager Wally Backman told Gannett Newspapers. "He's got
a nice swing . . . He's a pretty good-looking player." Lagares doesn't
have one carrying tool, and he's lost his plus speed over the years while
filling out (though he's still listed at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds). He'll go as far
as his bat will take him.
8-28-11: - #41 – OF Juan Lagares –
This is one of the great positive stories of the 2011 season. Lagares almost
played himself off the map after the 2009 season, but what do you expect from a
teeneage who originally came up as an infielder. Right now, he’s the top
hitting outfielder in the system. He has a combined A+/AA BA of
.354/.391/.508/.899, with 9-HR and 67-RBI. The Mets have already announced that
he is playing winter ball in Arizona which is probably a combination of more
experience plus showcasing. Where is he going? Well, I have him in Buffalo in
2011 with F-Mart, Captain Kirk, and Mike Baxter (though
Baxter may be in Queens). This is a real good problems. ETA: part of a pre-2012
trade.
9-3-11: - link - Juan Lagares - 2011 has been a breakout
season for Lagares in the truest sense of the word. After totally demolishing
the Florida State League in the first half, with a .338/.380/.494 slash line,
he went to Bingo and started hitting even better, to the tune of
.376/.397/.523. He is off to the Arizona Fall League after the regular season,
and barring a total meltdown, should be starting in LF for the Herd next year.
This guy is coming very fast now and has a well-rounded game. It may sound like
a broken record, but there is no reason why he can’t break-in at Citi sometime
next year too.
9-14-11: - link - Defensively, Lagares can play both left and
right field, and also is a good enough athlete to play some center-field in a
pinch. While Lagares would not be a
liability in centerfield, he is not an everyday centerfield type mainly due to
lack of foot speed. Lagares shows good
instincts in the outfield to go along with smooth clean actions. Lagares does
not fit the mold of a starting corner outfielder in the big leagues (on a championship
type team). His lack of power is the
biggest reason for this. Lagares would
need to hit a ton in order to make up for the lack of power to be an everyday
corner outfielder. The closest
comparison I can see Lagares becoming is perhaps a Jose Tabata type. Lagares
looks the part of a solid fourth outfield type.
His ability to play all three outfield positions to go with his ability
to hit, gives Lagares a chance to be a future solid bench contributor to the
Mets organization
10-11-11: - link - Juan Lagares: (ER) Lagares will head to the
AFL following what has been a breakout season. After a scorching 335 plate
appearances in the FSL he's only been hotter at Double-A Binghamton. He's
always shown a good speed/moderate power tools package, but is finally starting
to show it on the field, and at just 22 is positioned to be a player of great
interest to a Mets team which has been forced to give prominent roles to Jason
Pridie and Willie Harris this year. Like many young players, Lagares' weakness
is his walk rate, which hasn't hindered him this year but will almost surely do
so at the highest level. He has shown solid contact skills, consistently good
BaBIPs, and completely acceptable mid-teens strikeout rates the last three years,
so there's much to like here. Lagares has played both OF corners this year, and
while it's more likely he ends up a good back-up at multiple OF spots, he could
become a fringe everyday player in the mold of fellow Met Angel Pagan.
10-18-11: - (Revised Keepers to #8)
- Okay, others might thing this is a
stretch, but right now, no one is raking like this kid. He had the top season
for any Met in the organization and he’s still going strong in fall ball. He
was a 5-tooler that was predicted to be better than Jose Reyes someday (when he
was signed as a 16-year old) and, amazingly, he’s starting to possibly be
proving those statements correct.
10-25-11: - link - Juan Lagares, OF, Mets - Lagares quietly
had a breakout season for the Mets in 2011, splitting time between High- and
Double-A and hitting a combined .349/.383/.500. A 22-year-old Dominican who
began his career as a shortstop, Lagares never found a defensive home in the
infield, and his time chasing fly balls has only proved that he's stuck in a
corner for the long term. What he can do is hit, but it doesn't come with much
else; Lagares has below-average power and isn't a big fan of working the count.
He's 11-for-28 in Arizona, and he'll need to keep hitting to improve his
prospect stock. The hit tools trumps all, but there has to be at least
something to go with it.
10-26-11: - link - We’ll start with Juan Lagares, a gap
hitter and likely corner outfielder. Lagares split time between Single A St.
Lucie and Double AA Binghamton this past season. At St. Lucie he hit .338 –
which led the Florida State League when he was promoted – with 7 HR and 49 RBI
in 82 games, but at Binghamton he performed even better – in 38 games, Lagares
batted .370 with 2 HR and 22 RBI while also stealing 10 bases. His combined
average of .349 was the 4th best overall in the entire minor leagues. And
Lagares has not disappointed thus far in Arizona. He’s hitting .393 with 2 HR
and 9 RBI and an OPS of 1.128. Last Saturday, he went 3-5 with a HR, triple and
4 RBI. That extended his hitting streak to 6 games and his RBI streak to 4
games. Lagares also has 4 multi-hit games out of 6 games and ironically, a
righty hitter, he’s batting .500 (11-22) vs. righthanders and is 0-6 vs.
lefties.
10-25-11: - link - 2011 Top 20 New York Mets Prospects - 11.Juan Lagares, INF/OF (High Class A, AA):
The free-swinging former shortstop is now manning the outfield in AA
Binghamton, and it has brought him new life. While much of this new life is
inflated by a big BABIP numbers (.379 at A+, .439 at AA), Lagares definitely
knows how to put bat to ball. With just around average power, it will be key
for him to keep making quality contact going forward. On top of this, he’ll
need to maintain nothing less than to the 6.3% walk rate that he showed at High
A this year to be relevant. It’s not impossible, but he needs to keep evolving
to be anything more than a 4th outfielder/bench bat.
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