Emilien Pitre
CANADIAN EMILIEN PITRE CAN REALLY HIT, YES?
BEFORE I START ON THE FAB FOUR INFIELD PROSPECTS
TUESDAY: Mets win a 10 inning thriller. This Mets team has gelled and would be downright dangerous if Juan Soto was in the middle of the line up.
Meanwhile, Binghamton and St Lucie combined for 18 runs, Brooklyn and Syracuse combined for two.
Jon Santucci pitched great after allowing a first inning HR to a very strong AAA hitter. He is adjusting. Now…
BACK TO PITRE, WHO IS HITTING .354 IN 17 GAMES POST-TRADE, WITH ONLY ONE K EVERY 11 PAs, BUT JUST ONE METS SYSTEM XBH SO FAR.
Here is how I see the middle infielders (and 3rd base) on the Mets roster playing out by 2028, and actually sooner:
But first, keep this in mind…
Elian Peña, $5 million bonus baby, just got promoted to High A Brooklyn. FAST!! He only turns 19 in October.
The last 18 year old position player promoted by the Mets to High A?
Yeah, I can’t think of one, either. Like, ever. Gooden did…but he pitched.
Pena remarkably skipped past the FCL from the DSL, straight to St Lucie, and posted a tremendous .388 OBP in St Lucie this year.
So, my projected IF roster - how does it look?
Between Jefferson Rojas, Mitch Voit, Emilien Pitre, and Elian Peña, I’d be somewhat surprised if Francisco Lindor is still a Met in 2028. But he is back playing like Lindor, and you don’t discard stars.
AND…THE TWO VERY OLD MEN?
Marcus Semien’s days are numbered.
Jorge Polanco’s days are numbered. (I now call him Pol-Ankle)
Both have their Mets remaining playing days numbered, in very small digits.
Back to the four kids…
All four (Rojas, Pitre, Voit, and Pena) are very promising middle infielders.
First 3? They do not strike out much, which is absolutely key. Rojas is simply bombing away in AA, and already deserves a AAA promotion.
So does Voit. Pitre is already there, n’est pas?
The first 3 look extremely promising in every aspect of the game, except a bit low on power from Voit and Pitre, so far, as MLB is a power hitters’ league that lusts for power, but their power will normalize soon.
I see all three as promising starting MILF’s for the Mets fairly soon.
Maybe Voit get an outfield glove.
The fourth, Elian, is being appropriately rushed, so he has fanned once per game, in 2026, and that’s is OK. And he has a decent .303 OBP in his first 6 Brooklyn games.
That K rate will drop as he gets a little less rushed.
Plus Elian had led off all year for Lucie, and hence had compiled more PAs per game. Which accelerates development. His 94 St Lucie Ks in 439 PAs is a very good rate at age 18.
He is more than surviving the fast promotion challenge. He is thriving.
His defense (decidedly “I’m 18” shaky this year) will normalize in 2027.
The first 3 dudes are more advanced than Pena and will be METS starting players before, or by, opening day 2028.
I’d say all 3 will show up in Queens WELL BEFORE 2028…
…just like Benge and Ewing hurtled upward.
I am betting first half 2027 for all three.
Pena, the fourth, will show up by mid 2028, or opening day 2029.
Lindor? Aging, too, like the somewhat older Semien and Polanco. But far more dangerous still.
FL will be turning 34 in 2028. He is still owed $33 million per year for FIVE YEARS, starting in 2027, and those 5 years span ages 33-37.
Few baseball players are ever worth that money in that age bracket.
Last chance as I see it for the Mets in 2027, or even this off season, to deal Lindor and not eat huge contractual $, before his age really catches up to him.
Like it quickly did with Happy Jose.
The fine Jose Reyes decidedly downshifted performance-wise at age 34, and collapsed in a heap to .189 at age 35.
So, it is in my view a big risk to keep Lindor at his $$ past mid-2027.
If he is hot, but the Mets are out of contention by 2027 trade deadline, he could go then.
Or, trade him this off-season.
Call up the cheap, talented kids in 2027.
Out with the aging, in with the low-cost youths.
A gamble? For sure. The youth could flop, of course, or sputter a bit.
But Lindor’s 33 RBIs in 289 ABs while hitting .239?
Maybe Jefferson Rojas could do that in 2027 instead.
Or Voit. Or Pitre.
Moving on…
WANDY ASIGEN? Late 2029 or opening day 2030.
He’s 16, reader dude, so relax.
Meanwhile, before I go, there are four more…
Sammy Stafura, Boston Baro, Trey Snyder and Jack the Ripper Reimer all say, “Don’t forget me!” All have to be healthier and/or do better.
Jack the Ripper is the closest to throwing his hat in the Queens Ring.
All four have real potential if they stay healthy, which 3 of those 4 have struggled with.
So, there you have it.
