The Keepers: - #8 - OF - Gilbert Gomez

8.                 Gilbert Gomez                  OF

Gomez is an undrafted international free agent that comes out of the DSL system. Batted .268 in 2009 for the DSL Mets as a 17-year old.

2001 stats (18-year old) for the GCL Mets: .229/.289/.344/.633.

7-7-11: - Mets outfield prospect Gilbert Gomez is beginning to make his mark professionally. The 19-year old went 3-4, 1-double, 2-RBI in yesterday’s suspended GCL game and has now raided his 2011 BA to .308. He was signed in 2008 as a heralded 16-year old, out of the Dominican Republic, and has so far taken baby steps through the organization… 2009:  DSL - .268, 2010: GCL - .229. Pop is still projected here, though he has five doubles this year and is sporting his highest (.422) slugging percentage in his career.

8-12-11: - Stock Up – OF Gilbert Gomez – OF Cesar Puello was placed on the 7-day DL today by St. Lucie and it’s easier just calling up someone from the back field GCL team, than shipping someone out of Savannah. Gomez got the call and, yeah, he debuted with an 0-4 line, but did you expect? 

8-22-11: - #16 – OF Gilbert Gomez – Gomez is a long way off, but he’s currently benefiting from the same kind of promotion Ruben Tejada had a few years ago. The GCL and St. Lucie Mets teams share a complex and it’s much easier to ask someone to take a walk down the block rather than pay airfare from someone in Savannah, especially when there is an injury. Gomez, who was basically floundering with GCL is now holding his own with Lucy, so it will be interesting to watch his stat line for the rest of the season. Either way, I’ve got the 19-year old sticking with Lucy for the 2012 season, though I reserve the option of moving him down as this process continues. ETA: 2015 

Mets: Darin Gorski, Rafael Montero, Matt Tuiasosopo, Edgardo Alfonzo

1-27-12: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6509 10. LHP Darin Gorski - Baseball-Reference player profile - While top prospects Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Jeurys Familia will get all the attention by likely starting the season together in the AA Binghamton rotation, a probable fourth member of that rotation should get some notice as well. Gorski has been flying under the radar since being an upper-80s finesse pitcher out of Kutztown State in Pennsylvania, where the Mets picked him in the seventh round in 2009.  After two undistinguished years in the minors, Gorski blossomed last year in the Florida State League, 11-3, 2.08 in 138 innings, allowing only 29 walks against 140 strikeouts. Most importantly, his velocity moved up from finesse/soft toss category to “firm low-90s” at times, which made his very good change and workable downer curveball all that more effective.   Gorski sounds very similar to another finesse left hander out of a small Northeast school who went on to pitch in the big leagues for nine years, John Halama.

1-23-12 - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/1/23/2693134/2012-amazin-avenue-top-50-mets-prospects  #46) RHP Rafael Montero - Like Mateo, the 21-yr old Rafael Montero signed a little late to pro ball but he certainly made up for lost time. Montero used a pinpoint low 90's heater to carve up DSL hitters early in the year (see, 0 walks vs. 20 K's) and for whatever reason, he was promoted forward while Mateo was not. Montero went on to post more gaudy totals -- including a combined .208 opp. average -- as he rocketed up four levels, right into the Cyclones 'pen in the heart of a playoff run. Pretty incredible, even before you realize that this was all during his pro debut. While he had age on his side, his combination of stuff and command are very impressive. I'd LOVE to see what he could do alongside Mateo in the Gnats rotation in 2012.

Make a lot of jokes about the guys the Mets have signed this off-season but Matt Tuiasosopo (I dare you to pronounce that properly) is simply so bad that no joke is funny enough to make this ok. I totally understand depth signings and I know guys like this get moved around all the time but I literally cant find a single reason the Mets have signed this guy. His stats are truly atrocious, in the three seasons where he played Major League Ball he played in 71 games and in only of those three seasons did he crack the Mendoza line, in 2009 when he hit .227. His career slash line is: .176/.234/.306, that is just so bad. I believe his big selling point is that he can play almost any position, having seen time at 1B,2B,SS,3B and LF. The only problem being, he is bad at all of them, having never posted a positive or even zero UZR at any of these positions.Finally. his career WAR is -1.1, in three years his presence has lost his teams a little over a game. Why are we signing him? He is worse than any decent triple A player we could bring up. http://www.metsrospectus.com/2012/01/gettin-to-know-matt-tuiasosopo.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

As I looked over the twenty categories listed in the Mets media guide in the all-time leaders section, the name Edgardo Alfonzo popped up on fifteen of the twenty categories, that put Alfonzo second just behind Darryl Strawberry for most top ten categories. (Straw is top ten in seventeen of the twenty failing to crack the top ten in  batting average, pinch hits and pinch hit home runs. I think we should be clamoring for number 18 to be retire don’t you think?) http://www.kranepoolsociety.com/2012/01/29/how-is-edgardo-alfonzo-not-in-the-ny-mets-hall-of-fame/

Mets: Wilfredo Tovar, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Vinny Rottino, Scott Hairston

1-30-12 - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/1/30/2757346/2012-amazin-avenue-top-50-mets-prospects-21-30  - SS Wilfredo Tovar - Tovar actually dropped one spot from last year's list, though due to no fault of his own. This was another case of the previously mentioned influx of talent into the organization. Otherwise, Tovar was perfectly fine in 2011, heading back to Savannah and once again showing off the skills that put him on the map last season. Specifically the plus defensive abilities at shortstop, the excellent contact skills as well as an improving eye at the plate. Now he didn't make huge strides in any one area and he's still not hitting for any power, but he was solid across the board in 2011. His average dipped a bit compared to his .281 mark in 44 games with Savannah last season, but it was mostly due to a slight drop in BABIP (.271). As an added bonus, Tovar made a surprise appearance in the AFL and shined, showing off the kind of power in about 100 at bats that we've never seen from him before. In fact, he ranked second in the entire league in doubles, trailing only league MVP and Rockies top prospect Nolan Arenado. Yes, the AFL is an offense-friendly environment but that's exactly the kind of gap-power you want to see Tovar develop in the coming years. I'm always a big fan of Tovar as one of only a handful of prospects in this system with a true major league plus skill at his disposal right this minute (defense). And in my view there's no reason why he can't become a player very much like Ruben Tejada, just a little slower/less aggressive on the development curve.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis was rewarded for his torrid campaign by jumping into the top ten Mets prospect list in 2011, as well as earning a Spring Training invite. He was on pace to join the big league club in September, but surgery to repair a shoulder injury prevented him from coming up. The question is, does he have a chance to recapture his form in 2012? Apparently Minor League Ball believes so. Having ascended four spots from last year, its obvious that the Mets have faith in him and hope he'll either crack the Opening Day roster, or be promoted early. Given the success of the Mets last outfield prospect, Lucas Duda—who has developed into somewhat of a power hitter, albeit with some defensive quirks—it would be nice to see Nieuwenhuis provide the contact that we have desired from Jason Bay since he signed a four year, $66 million deal, as well as the glove we need. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1044894-baseball-prospect-profile-and-2012-outlook-mets-outfielder-kirk-nieuwenhuis

•Nov 17: C Vinny Rottino - Like most of the guys on this list, the 31-yr old hasn't done much at the major league level, batting just .194 in 39 major league pa's. However, at the minor league level he has a more impressive .294/.363/.421 career triple-slash. In 2007, he ranked in the top 20 of John Sickels' Brewers Top Prospects list and in 2009 he was the starting catcher for Team Italy in the WBC under the tutelage of hitting coach Mike Piazza. This spring he'll contend with numerous other righty backstops for the role of Thole's understudy. http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/1/31/2753903/taking-inventory-of-the-mets-minor-league-free-agents

  In 2008, Scott Hairston struggled to get on base but most definitely hit for power, belting 17 home runs in only 362 plate appearances. Through the first half of 2009, he was getting on base at a much better clip while improving upon his power numbers, and the Padres traded him to the Oakland A’s in July. In his brief time with Oakland, Hairston was pretty awful with the bat, and after the 2009 season, the A’s traded him back to the Padres. His 2010 season was mediocre at the plate at best, but the one thing Hairston maintained was his ability to hit home runs. When he finally hit free agency at the end of the year, the Mets signed him to be a fourth-outfielder type for the 2011 season. Although Hairston had always been a part-time player in the big leagues, the Mets only used him for 145 plate appearances last year. Despite the limited playing time, Hairston managed to hit 7 home runs – one home run approximately every 21 plate appearances. One quirky thing about the season was the Hairston raked against right-handed pitching and didn’t do so well against left-handed pitchers, the opposite of his career splits, but that can be chalked up to the tiny amount of data on the year. On top of producing with the bat, Hairston appeared in all three outfield positions, and he looked like a capable if unspectacular defender at all of them. http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/1/31/2761508/2012-mets-player-profile-scott-hairston

Mets: Matt Tuiasosopo, Phillip Evans, Josh Edgin, Cam Maron

• Jan 27: Matt Tuiasosopo - Going back to our theme of former top prospects, the Mets signed the '04 third rounder and longtime Mariners prospect just last week. Puget Sound's favorite son signed with his hometown team out of high school and ranked very highly on prospect lists for his outstanding athleticism alone. However, unfortunately his amazing raw tools just didn't translate as he was never able to develop the kind of offensive game to profile as major leaguer. In parts of three seasons with Seattle between '08 and '10, he batted just .176 with 5 homers. Even as a minor leaguer he only managed a .263/.359/.405 triple-slash, while playing so-so defense at third. He's pretty much a sure-bet to play most of his 2011 with Buffalo as he's already a few slots down on the organization's third base pecking order. http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/1/31/2753903/taking-inventory-of-the-mets-minor-league-free-agents

1-27-12: - http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=6509  7. SS Phillip Evans - Baseball-Reference player profile - The Mets went way out of slot to sign Evans, giving him $650,000 in the 15th round, the third highest bonus they paid to any player, and over $200,000 more than second round pick RHP Cory Mazzoni. The 5-10/185 Evans is a prototypical Southern California middle infielder in many ways and a right handed hitting version of Tony Wolters, the Indians third round pick in 2010 who received a $1.35M signing bonus. A 2010 PG/Aflac All-American, Evans doesn’t have a true plus run or throw tool, as he’s a 6.9 to 7.0 runner with arm strength that is playable for shortstop and very good for second base. But he is an exceptionally polished and instinctive player both offensively and defensively, although his defense is what will likely get him to the big leagues. Evans also has the type of make up that will make him an extra coach on teams with younger players. Although whether he ever ends up with younger players is doubtful, as the Mets moved him through all three of their short season teams despite his signing close to the deadline.

1-30-12 - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/1/30/2757346/2012-amazin-avenue-top-50-mets-prospects-21-30  LHP Josh Edgin - Another lefty reliever, Edgin put his name on the map in 2011 with a definite breakout campaign. After reeling off an incredible run at Lo-A Savannah where he didn't allow a run seemingly for the entire first half, the 2010 30th round selection would go on to post an impressive 9.00 K/9 with a .184 opp. average against lefties at Hi-A St. Lucie. Edgin did slow a bit down the stretch -- including an August where he gave up more runs than the rest of his season combined. Though that's not entirely surprising considering he doubled his pro inning count from 2010. At 25, he's also a bit old for A-ball though that's probably due more to wasted time thanks to a collegiate transfer. At 6'1", 225 lbs if Leathersich is sturdy, then Edgin is downright stocky. Ultimately, Edgin's strong low 90's fastball and excellent low 80's slider as well as his solid command are what give him a chance to move fast. Paul DePodesta even hinted that we could potentially see Edgin in Queens in 2012 if things break right. He'll break the season in Bingo and we should know relatively quickly whether or not we're looking at a potential power LOOGY.

1-31-12 – http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com/  - Cam Maron is like Josh Thole Jr.  Like Thole in the minors, Maron’s been darn consistent about it. Maron has a short contact-oriented swing to go along with his strong plate eye.  He’ll never hit for much power, and even during batting practice does not look to drive the ball much. Still, he’s a catcher and a chance for plus OBP from the position is really nice. Maron moves well behind the plate, and believes that his blocking is the strongest part of his defensive game, while he still needs to continue to improve his throwing. Also, he gets bonus points for growing up a Mets fan. 2011: At 20 this past year in the Appalachian League, Maron walked more than he struck out. After hitting .318/.434/.413 in 58 games in the Appalachian League, Maron played one regular season game for the Sand Gnats.

I May Be Wrong, But… Ex-Mets, Rustich Update, Favorite Met poll,

I May Be Wrong, But… Ex-Mets, Rustich Update, Favorite Met poll,

·        Some ex-Mets signed elsewhere…

o   OF Cory Aldridge was signed by Baltimore

o   OF Willie Harris was signed by the Cincinnati Reds

·        I talked with P Brant Rustich today, who just returned home home after his first mini-camp since he was shut down last season. “It went very well,” said Rustich. “My arm is actually surprising me at the moment. This week better than last and only improving. It's looking very promising at this point.”

My guess for a best case scenario would be a warm weather April in St. Lucie (or rehabbing in extended camp), then on to Binghamton in May. Brant has the experience and talent to make it to Queens this year if everything goes as hoped for

·        The current “who is the favorite Met” poll came to an end and the results were interesting. RA Dickey was way out in front until MetsBlog linked one of my posts and the kiddies clicked their way over for ten seconds. David Wright won going away which figures. I think the poll would have had different results if I left Daniel Murphy off of it and added Lucas Duda. Im happy that David still is the favorite going into his last year as a Met. Oh… I didn’t… that’s a different post.

The Lords Of Baseball - WS Predictions

Mack - I have designated you as one of the "Lords of Baseball". Well, at least you're one of mine.  The question...  what two teams will play in the 2012 World Series?

Jason Parks - Baseball Prospectus - Boston Red Sox vs. San Francisco Giants

Joe D. - Mets Merized Online  - Hi Mack, I always wanted to be a lord someday. I would say the Rangers vs Cardinals. Despite the Cards losing their MVP and the Rangers losing their Ace, I think both teams made up for their losses in significant ways and will play very motivated in 2012. I see a repeat of 2011 in October.

Kevin Burkhardt - SNY - I can't even begin to make a prediction yet. Give me a couple weeks of spring training! 

Jay Horwitz – New York Mets - Thanks for the honor, the Mets and Angels.

Joshua Sussman  - Bullpen Banter - I'll take the Rays and Diamondbacks.

Vinny Cartiglio – MetsBlog - Detroit Tigers vs Phillies

Brian Joura – Mets360 - I think we should wait for Oswalt and Jackson to sign and for MLB to determine how many Wild Card teams there will be before we give our Wild-A@@-Guess on who makes the World Series. That said, put me down for Angels-Cardinals

Matt Grabusky - MLB Draft Guide - Good question. I haven't put a lot of thought into it yet, but I'll go with the Phillies and Rays. I saw your post today, I appreciate the support.  The "Lords of Baseball" title is kind of nice too.

Eric Simon – SB Nation - Yankees-Phillies.

Mack Ade - "A Really Good Kid. A Very Good Player. Not a Superstar."

Photo by Mack Ade

"A Really Good Kid. A Very Good Player. Not a Superstar."

These were the infamous 11 words that Fred Wilpon told Sports Illustrated[i] about David Wright.

What many Mets fans don’t realize is that, according to people I talk to, Mr. Wright hasn’t spoken one single word with Mr. Wilpon since that article came out.

Everyone keeps writing that Sandy and Company have a hard decision to make regarding the possible trading of Wright in 2012. The assumption is that David would gleefully put his name next to Fred on a new contract.

Once more… David Wright has not shared one word with Fred Wilpon since the above mentioned story came out in SI.

Wright has been carrying for years what character is left in this organization. I’ve stood in the Mets clubhouse. I’ve been there through all the Wilpon-Omar-Jerry bullshit, including flame outs at reporters[ii], signings of injured re-treads[iii] , and I haven’t even mentioned anyone with a name that rhymes with Moliver Merez.

Wright has had this team’s back on every interview with every reporter that approached his locker. He has never been reluctant to answering a question and always took the high road when a reporter was looking to go low.

Did you understand what I just said?

David Wright will talk to anyone… except Fred Wilpon.

 I approached David three years ago when the Mets played their annual intra-squad spring training game the day before the Grapefruit League started.  The Mets always dedicate this game to Brian Cole, a prospect outfielder that was killed returning home from the 2001 ST season.

I was working on a story about Cole and asked David if he could give me a couple of sentences. I assumed they both knew each other, but researched later that night from my hotel room that Wright didn’t sign with the Mets until he was drafted by the Mets three months AFTER Cole had died.

Still, David didn’t take the easy road. I was some minor league old dude that didn’t do his due diligence. He could have dismissed me with letting me know that he had never met Cole. Instead, he gave me five minutes on tape that I could transcribe and write a Mets story no one else wrote that week.

That’s the class act that David is, both on and off the field. 

Do you honestly think he’s going to resign a contract with a man that he won’t even talk to?

I’ve been a fan of this team for 50 years. They have one member of the HOF and he was traded. Could someone tell me one great New York Met that started and ended with this team?

David Wright will take what he does elsewhere and all fans can do now is hope that Sandy Alderson can negotiate two good prospects for his services. He will then work for someone he talks to which, in the real world, has always been a condition of employment on the first day you go to work.

---

[i] http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/285713-wilpon-blasts-reyes-believes-mets-should-go-162-0

[ii] http://www.amazinavenue.com/2009/7/27/964808/omar-minaya-attacks-adam-rubin-of

[iii] http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=mlb/news/newstest.aspx?id=4205807

New Met - P - Jeff Stevens

Jeff Stevens

Jeffrey Allen Stevens
Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right, Throws: Right
Height: 6' 2", Weight: 205 lb.

Born: September 5, 1983 in Berkeley, CA (Age 28)
High School: Campolindo (Moraga, CA)
School: Loyola Marymount University
Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 6th round of the 2005 amateur draft.
Signed June 9, 2005. (All Transactions)
Debut: July 10, 2009 vs. STL 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 SO, 0 BB, 0 ER
Team: Cubs 2009-2011
2012 Contract Status: Pre-Arb Eligible (details)[*]
Service Time (01/2012): 0.124, Arb Eligible: 2015, Free Agent: 2018 [*], http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/steveje01.shtml

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	GS	GF	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	BK	WP	BF	ERA+	WHIP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
2005	21	CIN-min	Rk	4	4	.500	2.98	13	8	1	0	0	0	54.1	44	20	18	4	15	0	58	5	0	1	222		1.086	7.3	0.7	2.5	9.6	3.87
2006	22	CLE-CIN-min	A	9	7	.563	4.42	30	21	1	0	0	0	116.0	107	62	57	10	39	1	103	13	0	8	498		1.259	8.3	0.8	3.0	8.0	2.64
2007	23	CLE-min	AA,A+	6	3	.667	2.81	49	0	8	0	0	2	83.1	58	30	26	6	25	1	102	5	0	6	336		0.996	6.3	0.6	2.7	11.0	4.08
2008	24	CLE-min	AAA,AA	5	4	.556	3.24	36	0	14	0	0	6	58.1	38	22	21	5	27	0	81	2	0	1	237		1.114	5.9	0.8	4.2	12.5	3.00
2009	25	CHC-min	AAA	1	3	.250	2.03	42	0	10	0	0	2	57.2	35	15	13	1	25	4	61	2	0	5	232		1.040	5.5	0.2	3.9	9.5	2.44
2009	25	CHC	NL	1	0	1.000	7.11	11	0	2	0	0	0	12.2	14	10	10	2	8	1	9	1	0	0	59	64	1.737	9.9	1.4	5.7	6.4	1.13
2010	26	CHC-min	AAA	0	2	.000	3.16	36	0	21	0	0	10	42.2	31	16	15	3	26	0	43	0	0	3	186		1.336	6.5	0.6	5.5	9.1	1.65
2010	26	CHC	NL	0	0		6.11	18	0	3	0	0	0	17.2	21	15	12	4	10	0	15	0	0	3	84	71	1.755	10.7	2.0	5.1	7.6	1.50
2011	27	CHC-min	AA,AAA	3	0	1.000	5.26	42	0	15	0	0	2	65.0	74	38	38	6	28	2	67	2	0	12	290		1.569	10.2	0.8	3.9	9.3	2.39
2011	27	CHC	NL	0	0		5.14	4	0	1	0	0	0	7.0	4	4	4	1	7	0	4	1	0	0	31	80	1.571	5.1	1.3	9.0	5.1	0.57
3 Seasons				1	0	1.000	6.27	33	0	6	0	0	0	37.1	39	29	26	7	25	1	28	2	0	3	174	70	1.714	9.4	1.7	6.0	6.8	1.12
162 Game Avg.				2	0	1.000	6.27	68	0	12	0	0	0	77	80	60	54	14	52	2	58	4	0	6	359	70	1.714	9.4	1.7	6.0	6.8	1.12

Stevens made his professional debut with the Billings Mustangs in 2005, going 4-4 with a 2.98 ERA.

Stevens started 2006 with the Single-A Dayton Dragons. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians as the player to be named later in the Brandon Phillips trade. He was assigned to Single-A Lake County Captains where he spent the remainder of the 2006 season.

In 2007, Stevens was moved to the bullpen and began the year with the Kinston Indians. He was 3-2 with a 2.31 ERA, with 37 strikeouts in 35 innings pitched for Kinston. He was promoted to Double-A Akron Aeros where he was 3-1 with a 3.17 ERA and 2 saves in 34 games.

Stevens began the 2008 campaign with the Aeros. After going 5-1 with a 2.51 ERA, he earned a promotion to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. He was 0-2 with a 4.00 ERA when his season ended as a result of being named to the US Olympic Baseball Team to play in Beijing.

In December 2008, Stevens was traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Chica
go Cubs in a deal for Mark DeRosa.

On July 10, 2009 Stevens made his Major League debut for the Chicago Cubs. Stevens had a 1-2-3 MLB debut, getting Joe Thurston, Chris Duncan and Brendan Ryan in order in the 9th inning of a 8-3 loss to the Cardinals. He was optioned back to the minor leagues on August 5, 2009 when Aaron Miles was activated from the 15-day disabled list.

He was designated for assignment by the Cubs on May 30, 2011.

Stevens signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets on January 4, 2012.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Stevens

2009 Scouting Report on Jeff Stevens

Of the three prospects the Cubs got in return for DeRosa, 25 year old 6′2 205lb righty reliever Jeff Stevens is by far the most equipped and ready to make an impact on the ballclub now (he was ranked #15-20 prospect in the Padres organization). Stevens is an alum of Loyola Maramount, where after three years as mainly a starting pitcher, he was taken in the 6th round of the 2005 draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

Stevens didn’t stick long as he was traded for Brandon Phillips in April of 2006 but didn’t officially become traded til halfway through the 2006 season (since he was just drafted the year prior) as a Player to be Named Later (PTBNL). Stevens has spent his last two seasons as a reliever and has really come into his own in the role switch, becoming one of the better relief prospects in baseball. After his breakout 2007 season, Stevens was sent to the Arizona Fall League and was also selected to Team USA’s World Championship team where he was filthy. To back it up, Stevens was also selected to Team USA’s Olympic squad that earned him a bronze medal; it also cost him a MLB callup as he left his ballclub in August. Jeff’s line over the past two seasons as a reliever (High A, AA, AAA) is in 85 G, he’s gone 142 1/3 IP, giving up 96 H, 11HR, 52 BB, 183 K, 2.99 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, .190 BAA.

Onto Stevens’ stuff, there is no question that his four seam fastball is his best pitch as it has great life to it with regular velocity around 91-94 mph but did hit 96-98 mph this season. Stevens also throws a good change and a decent dropball to mix it up with hitters but his new developing slider is almost a staple needed to mimic his four-seam fastball. As a reliever, Stevens has absolutely no problem challenging hitters or throwing his fastball up and in. His MLB comparison is ex-Cub Bob Howry. Stevens could challenge for a MLB pen spot this season but odds are that he’ll start the year in Iowa working on developing that slider into a MLB pitch that will only make him better down the road and he could see a midseason or injury callup as he was added to the 40 man roster. Jeff profiles as a solid setup man with the potential to become a closer down the road.    

http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?86128-Scouting-Report-on-Jeff-Steven

The Keeper - 7 - CF - Kirk Nieuwenhuis

7.                 Kirk Nieuwenhuis

4-28-10: - Kirk Nieuwenhuis – OF – AA – Binghamton – Kirk is off to another of his typical productive years: .313.360/.475/.835. I happen to think that he’s the top Mets outfield prospect and will get to Queens ahead of Fernando “Day-To-Day” Martinez, who I understand is once again dinged up.

5-22-10: - OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis: Most of the outfield prospect press has fallen on Fernando Martinez; however, Nieuwenhuis has very quietly become the top Mets prospect for that position. Kirk hit 16-HR and 71-RBI for St. Lucie last year and is hitting .301/.337/.470/.807 so far this season for Binghamton. He needs to learn some plate discipline (only 8-BB this season), but as of right now, he’s on top of the list to become a future Mets center fielder. Keep an eye on this kid. Big trade bait.

5-27-10 - Stock up: Nieuwenhuis has quietly been putting together a decent year in AA, but there just wasn’t that home run pop we got used to last season at St. Lucie. Well, that’s not true anymore. Kirk hit #7 of the young year last night, which is his third in the past five games. His slugging percentage is up to .500 and his OPS is .837. It will be interesting to see what the Mets do with him next season. They gave him a taste over Fernando Martinez at ST and I can speak firsthand about how much he enjoyed being part of the Mets locker room with the Queens boys. Martinez will obviously not be ready to play centerfield at Citi Field, but Nieuwenhuis is earning playing CF in Buffalo, over F-Mart. As I said, interesting decision coming up for the Mets.