Mets: Omar Quintanilla, Taylor Whitenton, Chuck James, Cory Vaughn, Darin Gorski

Omar Quintanilla - Quintanilla was drafted 33rd overall by the A's in '03 after winning the College World Series with the University of Texas. Quintanilla ranked among Oakland's top ten prospects for the next couple seasons after batting .358 and .341 in his first two seasons, respectively. Unfortunately his bat didn't live up to the early hype. But his glove did and he's carved out a nice little niche as a Wilson Valdez-esque defensive-minded backup infielder with the Rockies and Rangers ever since. In 227 major league games he's posted a .213 career average with 2 homers and 3 stolen bases. http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/1/31/2753903/taking-inventory-of-the-mets-minor-league-free-agents

2-1-12: - http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com   -  Taylor Whitenton has an average MLB fastball and improved his control dramatically from 2010 to 2011.  A lean 6’3”, he usually sat around 90-91, and in shorter outings in the Arizona Fall Leagues was sitting 91-93 mph, touching 94.  There were scouts who saw the Gnats in the first half of 2011 who thought Whitenton was the most promising member of the team’s rotation. He complements the fastball with a slider that has more depth than horizontal movement and a changeup.  He became much more confidant throwing his secondary pitches in games in 2011 and the change-up passed the slider as his second offering.  His over the top delivery gives batters an unusual angle and the ball seems to hop a little out of his hand.  However, many of his strikeouts came on elevated fastballs, a strategy that might lead to trouble at the higher levels.  The high angle also makes it hard for him to generate much horizontal movement on his slider. Whitenton cut his walk rate from 13.8% in 2010 to 10.5% in 2011, or if you prefer to think in terms of innings, from 5.7 BB/9 to 3.9 BB/9.  While throwing more strikes, his strikeout improved from 23% to 25.9%.

• Dec 15: LHP Chuck James - Another soft-tossing lefty, you may remember the 30-yr old for his 2+ seasons of league average work in the Atlanta rotation between '06 and '08. As a prospect he was another former blue-chipper, ranked by John Sickels as the Braves no. 2 prospect at his peak in '06 -- ahead of guys like Elvis Andrus and Yunel Escobar. He spent 2011 at Minnesota's Triple-A affiliate where he was quite good in relief, posting a 2.30 ERA with over a K/IP and excellent rates against both lefties and righties. Like Olson he'll audition for a role as a lefty out of the Mets 'pen and I'd say he's got a pretty good shot out of camp. http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/1/31/2753903/taking-inventory-of-the-mets-minor-league-free-agents

2-3-12: - http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com/32-rf-cory-vaughn/  - 2011: Cory Vaughn graduated from Savannah at the All-Star Break after hitting .286/.405/.408 for Savannah.  He then hit .219/.310/.395 in 63 games for St. Lucie in the second half.  There are things in both of those lines that should be concerning.  In Savannah, it was the lack of power. Historic Grayson Stadium is an extremely difficult place to hit home runs. However, it’s not just the home runs that he missed. His extra-base hit percentage plummeted to 6.7% from 10.5% in Brooklyn.  Also, he just didn’t seem to drive the ball with very much authority. Nor did he seem to do much damage against quality fastballs. In St. Lucie, obviously the concern was his .219 batting average. However, across both levels, he hit a combined .255/.363/.402 with a .315 BABIP.  He aspires to join a group, MLB right fielders, who averaged .269/.341/.441 in 2011. 

2-3-12: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/2/3/2760606/2012-amazin-avenue-top-50-mets-prospects-20-16  LHP Darin Gorski - Of all the pleasant surprises in the Mets system in 2011, none was more impressive than the 24-yr old Gorski. The 6'4" lefty was nothing short of brilliant as he rode roughshod over the Hi-A Florida State League, posting a superb 9.09 K/9 and an even better 1.88 BB/9. Gorski was simply too good for the FSL for most of 2011 yet the organization curiously kept him there all season. Likely this was a result of a numbers game as Binghamton's rotation was crowded all season. Additionally, Gorski certainly didn't carry the kind of reputation of a Familia or a Harvey. In fact, the '09 seventh rounder out of DII Kutztown University was just coming off a 2010 where he posted a 4.58 ERA bouncing between starting and relief for Savannah and looked like the epitome of org depth. But that's why you always keep an eye on big lefties; suddenly the big kid with the soft stuff began throwing harder. Reports had him in the low 90's by season's end, up from the 87-89 mph range from past seasons. That new-found differential was more than enough to make his already impressive change-up downright deadly. Moving forward it's still hard to place him with the upper echelon pitchers -- he was very old for the FSL -- but armed with spot-on command and improving stuff from the left side, Gorski suddenly put himself on the map as a potential back of the rotation guy or lefty out of the 'pen.

Mets: Terrific on Pitching, 2013 Free Agents, Richie Ashburn, Taylor Whitenton, Valentino Pascucci

Q. What do you think about their pitching prospects, including Jeurys Familia, Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler? - A. I’m a huge advocate of pitching. You have to have good pitching as the solid core, the foundation. It keeps you in every game. Go back to ’69. We were in every game we played. That raises the level of play of everybody else on the ball club. Because you’re going to win by one run, or two runs. So that makes you hit the cutoff man, move the runner over and do the things that fundamentally make the ball club win. I’m sure that Sandy will be very strong at that.  http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/q-a-with-tom-seaver/#more-56509

I have comprised a list of the top eight players the Mets should pursue as free agents, assuming they become available and assuming the team is back in business next offseason. Now, I’m not suggesting 7-10 year contracts. But to land some of these players, it will take more than the standard 1 year contract Sandy Alderson has been generally floating out there.  

8. RHP Brandon League: Mariners. The hard throwing reliever finally broke through when given the chance to be the Mariners closer in 2011. He was an all star, who finished the season with 37 saves, replacing injured RHP David Aardsma. He has a good fastball and has always been known to miss bats. Scouts have always liked his stuff and he has shown signs of becoming as good as the scouts have said.  

7. LHP Sean Marshall: Reds. It’s safe to say Marshall is a reliever now. He may get a chance to close some for the Reds this year, along with Aroldis Chapman. The last two seasons, he has pitched in 80 and 78 games, respectively and has also struck out more batters than innings pitched. Similarly to League, scouts have been high on Marshall and he is starting to prove them right. - http://baseballreflections.com/2012/01/23/are-the-mets-considering-the-post-2012-free-agent-market/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

When my colleague and fellow baseball historian Adam Darowski wrote that Richie Ashburn was a better player than he had thought, I was pleased. Like the BBWAA writers, I have my biases and one is Ashburn. But using the standard that Adam developed for the “Small” Hall of Fame that I favor, Ashburn came up quite sort. Adam set 105 wWAR as the minimum for entry to the Small Hall; Ashburn had 84.8. Ashburn, if nothing else, was one of the most dependable players of his era. During the ten year period from 1949 through 1958, he played in 98.6 percent of the Phillies’ games. Only seven players had higher percentages over a similar period: Lou Gehrig, Billy Williams, Nellie Fox, Cap Anson, Stan Musial, John Morrill and Ron Santo. Ashburn must have been a manager’s dream. Phillies’ pilots Eddie Sawyer, Steve O’Neil, Mayo Smith and, for a season with the Mets, Casey Stengel knew they could pencil Ashburn into the lineup and he would deliver http://baseballpastandpresent.com/2012/01/23/richie-ashburn-non-wwar-overview/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

1-23-12 - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/1/23/2693134/2012-amazin-avenue-top-50-mets-prospects  - #41) RHP Taylor Whitenton - The 23-yr old former 39th rounder emerged in 2011 as a legit prospect based on one of the most dominant pitching lines in the entire system. As evidenced by his 9.56 K/9 -- which was right in line with his career marks -- as well as his SAL-leading .193 opp. average, hitters just don't pick up the ball well out of the 6'3" righty's hand. Additionally, he cleaned up his control quite a bit in 2011 posting a 3.86 BB/9 compared to a career mark above 5. 

Val (Valentino) Pascucci is a Minor League Veteran, who is on the outside looking this Spring. Pascucci put together a really strong 2011 season, but he is not on the 40-man roster, so for him to break spring with the Mets going North, he is going to have to have a really strong Spring Training. Val is 33 years old and led all of the Mets system in RBI with 91 and was second in the Mets system with 21 homers. He also finished the season with a brief stint with the major league club:  

Minors: 443 AB, 58 R, 117 H, 29 2B, 1 3B, 21 HR, 91 RBI, .264 BA, .375 OBP

 Majors: 11 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 1 HR

What Pascucci has going for him, is what he has always had going for him. He packs some pop in his back. In fact, back in 2007 he had 34 minor league homers. In his time in the Minors, he has smacked 234 balls over the wall. http://www.213milesfromshea.com/2012/01/23/get-to-know-a-mets-minor-league-player-val-pascucci/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The Gamers vs. The Gifted: Whitendon vs. Fulmer

I've ranked both Whitendon and Fulmer as the #10 on the respective Gamers and Gifted lists. Some might argue for either being higher on their list and I'd hear the arguments out.

Full Name: Anthony Taylor Whitenton

Born: 02/20/1988

Birthplace: Conyers, GA

College: Darton College

Height: 6' 3"

Weight: 190

Bats: R

Throws: R

For those who tell you Whitendon will be nothing... there is some validity. He's not exactly blessed with anything spectacular. Also... success in Savannah doesn't translate into success ANYWHERE else. What you have to like is well... his ERA for 2011: 2.49, His K/9 for 2011: 9.56 and his WHIP: 1.12. I'm not a scout and I don't live near enough to Savannah to make any of the games but it would appear that scouts aren't that impressed.

Whitendon Scouting Report:

In game action, Whitenton works up in the zone with an 89-91 MPH fastball, 81-83 MPH changeup, and slurvy, mid-70′s curveball.

In all honesty, I probably liked Whitenton more than most as I see a couple of more miles in his frame and easy arm action. However, a scout commented the downward plane on his fastball was non-existent implying Whitenton will have significant difficulties at higher levels with his current repertoire.

And while it’s unlikely Whitenton will reach the big leagues without a spike in velocity AND significant refinement of his breaking pitches, the Mets have done much worse in terms of drafting small college arms with little to no upside.

I tend to look at results in the minors and focus on one key thing... PROGRESSION. Whitendon flopped in Savannah in 2010 but in 2011 he was a soaring success. In 2012 he'll move to Port St. Lucie and as long as he doesn't flame out he continues to slowly rise through the ranks to the exalted role of innings eater.

Full Name: Michael Joseph Fulmer

Born: 03/15/1993

Birthplace: Oklahoma City, OK

Height: 6' 3"

Weight: 200

Bats: R

Throws: R

Fulmer did not have a great splash into the minors with a few flame-out outings that showed he could get people to K but also that he's got a few problems to work out. Anyone who can reach the vaunted 95 MPH on the radar gun has a chance of being an impact in the majors but being almost a decade younger than me... he's hardly CLOSE.

Fulmer Scouting Report:

Fulmer is an attractive combination of stuff and polish. After a velocity bump this past spring, Fulmer is now throwing in the low-90s and can touch 95 from time to time. With a 6-3, 200-lb. frame, he might have a little bit more projection left in the tank, but the body is pretty mature right now. He's actually bordering on soft-bodied, and conditioning will be important for him going forward. In addition to the fastball, he throws a curve (which I've also seen referred to as a slider) and a changeup. While Fulmer's coaches even refer to the pitch as a slider, it acts more like a curve, but whatever you call it, it's impressive. He throws it with tight rotation and it has big downward break, coming in around 78. Even better: he can throw the pitch for strikes. He also has a changeup, but that's pretty much a non-factor right now, as is common with high school arms. But despite that, it's rare to see a prep curve ball as consistent as Fulmer's and it implies that he might move a little faster than most high school arms.

The battle between Gaming and Gifted pitchers comes down to a battle of odds. Odds are that Whitendon will continue a slow plodding progress up the ranks towards AAA. If he stops there... nobody would be surprised, but in all likelihood he could reach AAA in the next 3-4 years without much imagination. Fulmer, on the other hand, could spend 2-3 years in rookie ball before finding himself and he might NEVER find himself at all.

I give round 1 to the Gamers as Fulmer's ETA could be anywhere between 4 and 8 years.

Mets Q and A: - Wally Murphy on The Sand Gnats

Mack: - Welcome Wally. No one has seen more from this team this year than you have. First question is really simply. Name the one player, and why, that is definitely going to be a star in the pros for the New York Mets?


Wally: - That is a good question. There are several players on the team this year that could play for the Mets in the future. The player I think will advance to the top is Josh Edgin, who pitched great in relief for the Gnats the first half-he was (1-0), ERA under 1, with 16 saves. His fast ball was 90 plus and had a great curve ball. I think he could pitch relief or come in the game to get a left handed batter out.


Mack: - I agree. I think Josh might make Queens by the beginning of 2013. Let's talk about Aderlin Rodriquez. Sadly, you've watch a lot of Mets prospects kick the ball around the infield in the last couple of years. We all know A-Rod can hit the ball out of the park, but is he as bad a fielder as the stats say?


Wally: - Aderlin Rodriquez has made lots of errors at third this season. He has a great throwing arm to first and has made a bunch of super plays at third. He is only 19 so they may keep working with him at third. Maybe he will play first base in the future.


Mack: - Regarding the rotation, is there one pitcher that stood out this season from the rest?


Wally: - I was impressed with Angel Cuan pitching well this season leading the team with 10 wins. Not overpowering, his fast ball is 85-86 range, but has good breaking pitches, moves the ball in and out and up and down in the strike zone. I would call him a "crafty" pitcher. Hope he does well in St. Lucie next year.


Mack: - You've watched this team for years now... a little word association. Cory Vaughn or Matt den Dekker?


Wally: - Both play very good defense in the outfield. Slight edge in hitting goes to Den Dekker.


Mack: - Better bat... Aderlin Rodriguez or Josh Satin


Wally: - Josh Satin has hit for good average (.300) at all of his stops. Aderlin Rodriquez has more power (17) home runs, but is hitting around 220. The upside for Rodriquez is that he is only 19 years old, and has time to improve his average and be a more consistent hitter to go with his pop.


Mack: - Wally, your thought on "DC". He didn't have the year everyone expected....


Wally: - The injury slowed down Darrell Ceciliani and he has been hitting better the second half (.260's). He is a tremendous center fielder and it seems like he runs down every ball hit to left-center, center, and right center. Only 4 errors for the year. Good speed leading the team in stolen bases with 25. I look for him to hit for a higher average next year.


Mack: - Wally, any other thoughts on any of the other players this season?


Wally: - Albert Cordero has improved his hitting and made adjustments to lead the Gnats in hitting (around .280) the second half. Gnats pitching has been strong, Angel Cuan (10-3), Adam Kolarek (7-0), Chase Huchingson (7-2), Taylor Whitenton (5-4), closer Hamilton Bennett (2-0) with 14 saves. The entire pitching staff has pitched well leading the SAL with the lowest team ERA.

Building 2012 Rosters Prospects First - Picks 31-35

#31 – 1B/2B Josh Satin - I guess I should have Josh higher on this list, but the reason I don’t is my belief that Satin has reached the peak of his projectibility (I know that’s not a word, but I like it). Does a future big-league utility player warrant an “A” prospect rating. I have him going to Queens in the spring, as one of the 4-5 utility players. His hitting is similar to Daniel Murphy, but a better field player. Josh and I used to laugh when he was in Savannah when people would write that he sucked in the field. He simply doesn’t. He’s not a Golden Glove candidate at second, but, in my world, Jose Reyes gets signed and Ruben Tejada becomes the second baseman. I want Satin and Murphy’s bat coming off the bench. ETA – Mets utility opening day 2012

#32 – SP Taylor Whitenton – Whitenton has been a breath of fresh air since he was drafted out of Darwin Colege. He’s another of those finesse guys, hitting around 91. As we said before, we see a lot of pitchers that dominate A-ball and only time will tell if they survive past Binghamton. That being said, he’s currently ranked second in the Sally Leagee with a 2.70-ERA. He’ll pitch St. Lucie in 2011 and unless he comes up with a pitch with five more miles per hour than he throws, he’s project out as a bullpen possible. - ETA – 2015 Bullpen

#33 – P Angel Cuan – Angel and I sat in the Sand Gnats dugout before one of the games and I don’t think either one of us thought he would even start, no less have the great year he’s having. Cuan was piggybacked in the first month but had to step up due to injuries on the team. He did. He will join three of his former and current teammates in the 2012 St. Lucie rotation; however, I believe he is a strong candidate for the Mets bullpen in the near future. Batters tell me he’s very hard to hit. - ETA – 2015 Bullpen

#34 – P Colin McHugh – Colin is another of those mid-range starters that seem to dominate at the lower levels. He has successfully pitched at the AA level (6-2, 3.33, 1.26, 81-K, 29-BB, 78.1-IP) which most so-called pitching prospects never do. This will earn him a rotation spot in Buffalo and, depending upon what the Mets do with Chris Schwinden, sets him up as an emergency starter for Queens in 2012. Sadly for him, he will quickly be passed by the “Generation 2K” kids and his only chance will be either in the pen or as a multi-year AAAA starter in Buffalo. - ETA: - AAAA SP 2012-2015

#35 – RP Jack Leathersich – Jack’s been pitching baby steps every five steps since signing and is completely dominating early in the pen. This is another of the new guys that could project as either a starter or reliever, but one must respect the fact that “Generation 2K” will get first shot at the 2013-2014 Mets rotations. That means the best of the rest of the talent should be directed to the pen. I expect “Leather” to move fast. ETA: 2014 Bullpen


Rosters So Far:


Buffalo: (5) –SP Chris Schwinden, Collin McHugh, IF Reese Havens, Jordany Valdespin, OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis


Binghamton: (8) – SP: Mike Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jeurys Familia, Darin Gorski, RP Josh Edgin, IF Jefry Marte, OF Matt den Dekker, Cesar Puello


St. Lucie: (10) – SP Greg Peavey, Taylor Whitenton, Angel Cuan, RP Cory Mazzoni, Jack Leathersich, Chase Huchingson, IF Wilmer Flores, Aderlin Rodriguez, OF Cory Vaughn, Gilbert Gomez


Savannah: (3) – SP Akeel Morris, Alex Panteliodis, Erik Goeddel,


Brooklyn: (4) – SP: Michael Fulmer, Juan Urbina, IF Phillip Evans, OF: Brandon Nimmo


Kingsport: (2) – SP Luis Mateo, OF Vincente Lupo

The Keepers: - #44 - P - Taylor Whitenton

44. SP Taylor Whitenton



Whitenton was drafted in 2009 as the 39th pick, out of Darton College.


He got his feet wet with the GCL Mets in 2009 (0-0, 0.00, 4-G) and then played the 2010 season for Savannah (8-9, 4.57).


He has returned to Savannah in 2011.


5-6-11: - Looks like Savannah might have themselves a new rotational pitcher. Taylor Whitenton impressed the hell out of the team: 7.0-IP, 0-R, 3-k, 0.77 for the year. It was his second start in six outings and he now has given up only 2-ERs in 23.1-IP. Taylor’s a finesse pitcher, throwing an 89-91 fastball, 81-83 changeup, and mid-70′s curveball.


5-21-11: - Whitenton continues to pitch well; however, he’s pulled after 4.1-IP, with 8-Ks and only 1-ER.He pitched 7.0 innings on 5-6, followed by outings of 4.2, 2.2, 2.0, and now, 4.1. At the same time, he now has 46-K in 35.0-IP.


6-2-11: - RHP Taylor Whitenton keeps putting up great numbers for Savannah, though I would like to see him go deep into a game sometime again this year (7.0-IP on 5-6). 53-Ks in only 42.0-IP puts him in the Gorski league.


6-27-11: - Whitenton pitched another gem for the Sand Gnats Sunday night. Taylor pitched 6.0 innings, giving up 0-R, 4-H, while striking out four. He’s started 11 of his 15 appearances this year and now posts an overall 3.02 ERA. More important, he has 73-K in 62.2-IP, while walking only 29. One could make a case of removing either Kyle Allen or Scott Moviel from the St. Lucie rotation and kicking up “Whit”, but that’s not my call.


7-11-11: - Top 10 Minor League Performances in 2011 - 9. Taylor Whitenton – SP/RP – A/Savannah: - 4-1, 2.69, 1.13, 73.2-IP, 81-K – Whitenton started the season as a reliever but, right now, he’s the top starter in the Savannah rotation. It will take the removal of either Scott Moviel or Kyle Allen from the St. Lucie rotation to move him up this season.


7-12-11: - https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/1312027ccedc68a6  - RHP Taylor Whitenton, who is fifth in the SAL in ERA (2.69), is scheduled to make his 14th start of the year today. Whitenton leads the SAL in batting average against (.183), twenty points lower than West Virginia’s Colton Cain. Whitenton is tied for 9th in the SAL in strikeouts (81). In his last 28 innings over five starts, he owns a 0.96 ERA (3 ER/28 IP) with 16 walks, 21 strikeouts and 13 hits for an opponents’ batting average of .131 (13 H/99 AB). In 2010 with the Gnats, Whitenton walked 5.7 batters/9 IP (68 BB/108.1 IP). This year, he’s walked 4.3 BB/9 (35 BB/73.2 IP). Last year with Savannah, Whitenton was 8-9 with a 4.57 ERA in 18 starts and eight relief appearances with the Gnats. He fanned 113 batters and walked 68, the second-most in the SAL, in 108.1 innings. In 2009, Whitenton threw five scoreless innings over four games in the Gulf Coast League, striking out seven, walking five and yielding just one hit. The Mets drafted Whitenton in the 39th round of the 2009 draft out of Darton (GA) College. The Gnats are 9-4 when Whitenton starts and have supported him with 3.5 runs per game.

Top 10 Minor League Mets Performances in 2011

1. Josh Edgin – RP – A+/A: - 2-0, 0.79, 33-G, 53-K, 45.1-IP, 18-SV – one bad outing on opening day and then basically unhittable all season for two teams. Josh will turn 25 in December so I expect him to possibly move another level before the season ends, but we don’t need a repeat of Eddie Kunz here.

2. Ryota Igarashi - RP - AAA-Buffalo - 0-1, 0.87, 0.77, 31.0-IP, 3-ER -  everybody has sort of forgot about this dude, but he's eating up AAA,


3. Darin Gorski – SP – A+/St. Lucie – 8-0, 1.56, 1.04, 86.2-IP, 96-K – A simply magical season for Gorski, who has added a couple of MPH to his fastball. I’ve been told he also changed rubber positions, which might be the kicker here. Deserves to be promoted, but who do you bump out?


4. 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.


5. Josh Satin – IF – AA/Binghamton: - .327/.425/.547/.972, 10-HR, 55-RBI, 300-AB – Satin is a pure hitter who, I hope for his sake, is being marketed as trade bait. This year’s version of Shawn Bowman. Nowhere to go and no one’s desire to move him. I expect him to remain here, especially after the Queens demotions that will come down with the return of Reyes and Wright.


6. Nick Evans – 1B – AAA/Buffalo: .329/.378/.480/.858, 7-HR, 29-RBI, 225-AB- Last year, Evans masters AA ball. This year, he owns AAA. Another player that has nowhere to go. The Mets will play Ike Davis for years, with Lucas Duda as backup.


7. Chase Huchingson – SP/RP – A/Savannah: - 5-2, 1.91, 1.06, 16-G, 71-K, 61.1-IP,19-BB – He started as a starter (1.80), but now comes out of the pen (2.01). Frankly, his K/IP ratio is way down as a reliever, but he’s still averaging over one per inning pitched.


8. Hamilton Bennett – RP – A/Savannah: - 2-0, 2.25, 0.94, 20-G, 32.0-IP, 33-K, 8-SV – a very pleasant surprise this year. Has very quietly turned in a great season for Savannah. Could wind up in St. Lucie before the season ends.


9. Jeurys Familia – SP – A+/AA: - 3-3, 2.63, 16-ST, 100-K, 92.1-IP – Naturally, Familia is finding it tougher to pitch in AA; however, he is making the conversion. He’ll finish the season here, return here for the stat of 2012, and be ready for Queens in 2013.


10. Taylor Whitenton – SP/RP – A/Savannah: - 4-1, 2.69, 1.13, 73.2-IP, 81-K – Whitenton started the season as a reliever but, right now, he’s the top starter in the Savannah rotation. It will take the removal of either Scott Moviel or Kyle Allen from the St. Lucie rotation to move him up this season.

 

Lucas Duda, Jeurys Familia, Darin Gorski, Brandon Sage, Taylor Whitenton

Mets prospects going in different directions last night.


- Buffalo’s Lucas Duda has been on a tear since coming back. Last night he went 3-3, which included a double and two home runs. That’s a .400 batting average in the last game, which includes five home runs. Interesting is most of this is coming at a time when he is back playing his natural position of first base. You think it’s a coincidence this position change has come during the same time Ike Davis is wearing a boot?



-

6-2-11: -        It was going to happen. SP Jeurys Familia fifth turn in AA ball wasn’t one for his scrapbook: 4.0-IP, 7-H, 3-ER, 3-BB. That’s okay… his AA ERA is still 2.89 and his combined stats for the season are 64.1-IP, 61-K, 20-BB, 2.10.  Reports from the team are that he’s been asked to throw more sliders so he can develop the pitch. You have to throw what you’re trying to master and, in doing that, stats will be affected.

- St. Lucie RHP Darin Gorski is developing his own personal fan club over at NYFS. Gorski continues to impress at St. Lucie, throwing seven shutout innings, while striking out three and walking none. Overall season: 12-G, 6-starts, 3-0, 1.85, 66-K, 48.2-IP. Everybody is trying to figure out what is different about his game than last year when he went 6-8, 4.58 in Savannah. He did have 109-Ks in 114.0-IP, but he was nowhere near the pace he’s setting now. I don’t remember much about his game last season and even Toby Hyde is puzzled over this good development. Obviously we, and the Mets, will take it.



- RP Brandon Sage seems to be totally overmatched at the AA level this season. I like Sage’s game and was a big proponent of this promotion, but some pitchers just have a hard time making that initial adjustment to a new level. The one stat that stands out is his ERA comparison between home and away games: Home – 4-G, 3.38… Away – 4-G, 31.50. I’m sure Brandon will either work this out or do everything he can to miss the bus.



- RHP Taylor Whitenton keeps putting up great numbers for Savannah, though I would like to see him go deep into a game sometime again this year (7.0-IP on 5-6). 53-Ks in only 42.0-IP puts him in the Gorski league.