red - top prospects
blue - emerging prospects
MLB - Mets -
David Wright - We have to keep listing him here, right?
I don't expect to ever see him play again in a Mets uniform, but who would have thought a former Heisman trophy winner would play outfield next year in Binghamton?
Still, his rotator cuff surgery should finally do him in here as a professional baseball player. May help him take out the garbage, but that's about it.
Ditto T. J. Rivera who could be lost for the entire, or most of, 2018 season.
Any number of current Mets could wind up here. (Astrubel Cabrera, Jose Reyes, Wilmer Flores, Gavin Cecchini, Matt Reynolds) and my guess if they will platoon at least two of these guys in 2018 and keep their money ready for a shite-load offer to Manny Machado for 2019+
I'd love to be able to tell you that the Mets will close a long term deal with Manny Machado to take over the hot corner beginning in 2019, but that's just a dream right now.
Look for the Mets to either renew the option on Cabrera or make it 'first one out of the parking lot plays third tonight'.
AAA - Las Vegas David Thompson - 24/yr. old - Rd. 4/2015 - loved this kid's bat since he led the D1 Baseball RBIs as a junior. He continues to assault the baseball with 185-RBIs in 308 minor league games. Put these numbers against a 162 game pro schedule and you come in at around 100 per season. He also has raised his home run totals from three in 2015, 11 in 2016, and now 16 in 2017... and... he has cut his errors in the field from 18x (.937) in 2016 to 12x (.963) this past season. All good news here. Still too many strikeouts (90x in 432-AB in 2016... 92x in 476-AB this past season... but even the K/9 has gone down a little.
AA-Binghamton -
Jhoan Urena - 23/yrs. old - IFA - he had 14 home runs and 70 RBIs this year for St. Lucie which earns him the bump to New York State.
St. Lucie -
Cody Woodmansee - 23/yrs old - 5th Rd. 2016 - Played short, third and was a DH this past season. The once almost prospect had an injury plagued 2017 (core muscle tear) that awards him only 179 at-bats in the GCL-Mets, Columbia, and St. Lucie (.151). I'd put him back on his natural position here at third... if he's 100% healed... and turn him loose for the entire season. Nothing to lose here.
There's a bunch of guys that played second, short, and third and I have three of them (Michael Paez, Nick Sergakis, Leon Bird) that could back up 'Wood' here in 2018.
Columbia-
Reed Gamache - 23/yrs. old - undrafted - played third, first, and second this season, in that order. 280 combined 2017 at-bats for Columbia and Brooklyn: .246/.350 (38-BB)/.314/664.
Carl Stajduhar - 21/yrs. old - Rd. 18/2017 - exclusively played third for the Cyclones: 164-AB, .140. Not much to write home about here.
Blake Tiberi - 22-yrs. old - 3rd Rd. 2016 - on DL for TJS - only 18-ABs due to a season ending injury. Recovery is far shorter for every day players with this procedure, but his biggest problem might be if there is a job left for him in the system. Being a 5th rounder with money behind him will help.
I'm going to let these three guys duke it out in spring training for one starting position here, and one utility.
Low-A - Brooklyn -
Rigoberto Terrazas - 21/yrs. old - IFA - 2017: Hit .348 for Kingsport, which came in 2nd in the league behind Ryan Noda. These are fantastic numbers. Terrazas has easily earned himself the opening day start in Brooklyn.
Rookie - Kingsport -
Mark Vientos - 17/yrs. old - Rd. 2, 2017 - Here is our red letter third baseman prospect. Vientos came out swinging for the GCL Mets this past season and hit .259/.316/.397/713 in 174 games. Finished the season right here (17-AB, .294) where he'll open up next spring. Years away.
Rookie - GCL-Mets
Jose Perosa - 17/yrs. old - This one looks exciting. He's 17-years old and hit .300 for the DSL-1 Mets in his first pro season. Did come stateside at the end of the season for 17-at bats and he might as well stick around and find yourself an apartment in Port St. Lucie. He will open the season as the starting third baseman for the GCL-Mets.
Kenny Hernandez - 2014 signee for $1mil bonus - Hernandez has been a bust since he was signed three years ago. Starting as a shortstop, he hit .195 in 2015, followed by .203 (2016) and .208 this past season. I hope he didn't spend the money in one place. Still 18, I would still cut this embarrassment... no... I'd cut the scout that signed him. Let him back up at short and third for one more season.
DSL-1 -
Yoel Romano - signed in 2014 for a $300K bonus - more Milb/Baseball Cube confusion... the Baseball Cube has him not playing a single game for the Mets in 2017 while MilB has him leading the team with a .364 BA. They also can't seem to agree whether he plays... one has him at SS, the other at 3B and 2B. I'm settling with him at third and, as of the end of this season, he finished hitting with the second highest batting average in the league. So far, looks like a great international sign.
DSL-2 -
Cristopher Pujois - basically Pujois served as backup third baseman for Romano and made the person that signed this guy proud. Hit .349 in 63 at-bats. He's only 19 so hopefully he returned here for a full starting season in 2018
Observation -
A few guys with some promise, but, to be honest, no stone cold lock here to be a star third baseman... which means we really have to save our change for an over the top offer to Machado.
Rating: C
8 comments:
Can Phillip Evans play 3rd? He played 2nd, SS, and 3rd in the minors.
Thompson is kind of low on average (.260's) and on base (.320's), so he to me still has a lot to prove - Zach Lutz hit better.
David will only take out the garbage after 2 hours of stretching exercises.
If Giminez could this season go straight to Columbia from DSL at 18, maybe Vientos goes from rookie ball to Columbia at 18 in 2018.
Tom -
A lot of guys, like vans, can 'play third', but the Mets have no one that can excel there in either 2018, 2019, or 2021.
Vientos has a good shot to be the guy... in 2022.
This is a position that would be best suited to bet the house on and go get a stud (cough) Manny (cough) guy that can firm up this corner for the next 3-5 years.
I want to see more of Phil Evans too--this week & ST (& maybe W.Ball). Think he could be the TJR 1/4-time (1/8 1B. 1/8 3B) PH/UT.
Moustakas will be too expensive (in years more than $$ per), so I have the feeling Cabrera will be the nominal 3B and hope Wilmer plays 6/8 at 2B, while Jose complements that and likely another 2/8 at SS (making him 1/2 time).
Thompson's 2018 in AAA will determine how all-out the pursuit of Machado is, and anyway, Donaldson with a shorter term wii probably be a higher target.
Hobie -
I don't see any path to future victory without signing a third baseman like Machado.
Trust me... this could be accomplished if EITHER the manager or GM is Hispanic.
Hobie -
You've been a reader of mine for 10+ years and would remember how excited I was when the Mets talked Evans out of his commitment to college.
He told everyone not to draft him, but the Mets did in the 15th round of the 2011 draft. I always track the players eligible for the draft and I had him as the 3rd top shortstop eligible for the draft.
I talked to Evans when I met him in Savannah and asked him back then if he ever played third. It was early on with David Wright's problems but it was obvious back then that the Mets needed to look for solutions someday. He told me that he did in school and was willing to play any position to get to the dance,
I'm so happy he is ready to star.
If this club really wanted to see what it had they would be playing Evans at 3B every day and Cecchini at 2B every day. There is no rational reason to play Cabrera or Reyes. YOU hold the option on Cabrera and I can't see a big line queuing up to sign Reyes as a FA at 36.
Mack, I never expected SS-drafted Evans to be a burly 25 year old. Never thought his bat would become his chief tool. I just wonder if he has the power to play 3B in 2018, with Machado in 2019. Right now, don't see why not. I just like Evans' sterling last 2+ months in AAA and his hitting so many liners since his call up, which seems to indicate he can hit adequately, and perhaps very well, at the big league level.
Man, I hope we get lucky (not like that) and someone like Evans blossoms while still a member of our organization (Justin Turner like). It would solve a fairly large issue on the roster....okay, a Grand Canyon sized issue on the roster.
It would also allow the team to move on from DW......I swear it feels like the team is in some kind of suspended animation, waiting for David to finally call it a day.
(Cabrera on our roster, never mind at third base, makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit).
Mike
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