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NYBD 2011 Top 50 Mets Prospects



By Joe DeMayo ~ December 31st, 2010. Filed under: Mets Minors.

This list was a combined effort of Joe Demayo, who you can check out at St. Lucie to Flushing, Jed Weisberger who covers minor league baseball for MILB.com, and Mike Silva. We used a combination of statistics, upside, scouting, and readiness to the big leagues in formulating our opinion. We also added the recent Rule V pickups in Brad Emaus and Pedro Beato.

1.RHP Jenrry Mejia - all secondaries need refinement, but has #1 starter potential.

2.SS Wilmer Flores - big bat potential(25 HR) always squares ball up. Needs a position.

3.RHP Matt Harvey - 2010 first round pick from UNC. Needs mechanical adjustment and secondary refining. #2 type starter potential.

4.OF Cesar Puello - big kid, speed takes you by surprise. Big BP power that hasn’t translated to games yet. Plus arm in right field, but could profile as CF long term.

5.OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis - average tools across the board. Doesn’t hit enough for corner OF spot, may not be good enough defensively for CF. May end up a 4th OF.

6.2B Reese Havens - needs to stay healthy. Above average bat for position, his work ethic gives him a chance to be average defensively.

7.OF Lucas Duda - like Puello couldn’t translate BP power to games. Finally did. Needs a position, probably best suited for a DH gig in AL.

8.3B Aderlin Rodriguez - best power bat in system. Unlikely to stick at 3rd, could be a LF or 1B. Concerns about his conditioning, but if that’s in order you are looking at a 30+ HR type bat.

9.OF Cory Vaughn - great numbers in NYPL. Bloodlines, needs work on plate discipline, average to above average tools, but there are questions if he can put them all together.

10.RHP Dillon Gee - bulldog. nothing really special about his game, just can work the plate up/down and in/out with all 4 pitches. should be a reliable innings eater.

11.IF Brad Emaus - Rule V pick. fantastic eye, rated best in Mets system by Baseball America. Has some pop, questions if he can handle 2B regularly. Some believe he is better suited for third. Others believe his ceiling is a utility infielder.

12.OF Fernando Martinez - needs to stay healthy and get consistent at bats. His star potential seems to have dwindled.

13.LHP Juan Urbina - very young lefty. bloodlines. decent fastball, and feel for change/curve. If he develops as Mets believe he will, has legit front-end starter type potential.

14.OF Darrell Ceciliani - some compare him to Jacoby Ellsbury. Quick runner, very strong defensive center-fielder. showed great offensive promise in Brooklyn. Need to see him in full-season ball.

15.RHP Jeurys Familia - simply a thrower at this point. Mid-upper 90s fastball, with a feel for a change. His upside is a MLB closer, but I see him settling more as a set-up type.

16.RHP Kyle Allen - back issues hindered his 2011. low 90s fastball and a good change, and feel for a curve. Still has #4 type starter potential, just needs to bounce back healthy and prove that he can throw strikes at a much higher rate than in 2011.

17.LHP Robert Carson - Screams middle reliever. fastball/slider combo, neither are plus pitches. But throws from the left side and has solid velocity on the fastball, so he should settle in as a big league reliever before too long.

18.RHP Pedro Beato - Rule V pick. Fastball touches mid 90s. Don’t see him as anything more than a set-up man in the future. But that’s still solid value from the Rule V.

19.3B Zach Lutz - some call him the best pure hitter in the Mets system. Sadly he is constantly injured, and is only capable of playing 1B/3B, so the Mets organization isn’t the right one for him.

20.2B Jordany Valdespin - great athlete, pretty quick, solid hitter, and a good fielder. Immaturity, and trying to be too flashy is sometimes a complaint about him. He could be a starting middle infielder one day, or at least a useful backup.

21.OF Sean Ratliff - big power, big K numbers. Surprises people with his CF play, really could be a decent power bat in the majors. Think 15-20 HR.

22.RHP Josh Stinson - a pure pitcher. Doesn’t really have any plus pitches. I’d say more likely he profiles as a middle reliever than a back end starter.

23.RHP Erik Goeddel - Mets will try him as a starter, but his future looks to be in the back end of the pen. Equipped with a 95-97 mph fastball and a wipeout slider, has as good a shot as anyone in the system to be a closer at the big league level.

24.LHP Mark Cohoon - extreme soft tosser. But seems to outsmart hitters thus far. We’ll see how he does in his first full season of AA. Nothing better than a #5 starter.

25.RHP Brad Holt - coming off to put it lightly a terrible season. But still maintains a fastball that can reach mid 90s and a decent feel for secondaries. A guy who some saw as a future #3 starter now looks destined for middle relief.

26.RHP Akeel Morris - sleeper of 2010 draft. Big fastball, good curve, ok change. Has a lot going in his delivery that would need changing if he is to stick as a starter. But you may look at a ceiling of a #3 starter.

27.OF Javier Rodriguez - Finally performed in 2011. Was drafted as a 5 tool talent out of high school. He needs to not let his head get in the way, and put all his tools to use to become a major leaguer.

28.SS Wilfredo Tovar - by far the best defensive infielder in the Mets system. Not really much of a hitter, but his defense could get him to be a starting shortstop for a non-contending team.

29.RHP Greg Peavey - 6th round pick in 2010. Highly touted out of high school, but never truly developed in college. You’re probably looking at a #4/#5 type starter.

30.RHP Armando Rodriguez - older righty dominated the South Atlantic League with his ability to control his 3 average pitches. Destined for middle relief.

31.RHP Eric Beaulac – After pitching consistently at St. Lucie (5-5, 3.68), was rocked in a pair of starts at Binghamton. Needs to perfect his changeup to enhance his status as a prospect.

32.OF Matt den Dekker - him or Ceciliani would win award for best defensive outfielder in the system. den Dekker hit in Savannah even though he’s older. He covers a lot of ground in the outfield, and is a smart base runner. Should be a very valuable 4th outfielder very soon. Made this great catch in the College World Series.

33.3B Jefry Marte – Showed some improvement in return to Savannah in 2010 batting .264 (87-for-329) in 82 games. Has plenty of work to do defensively. Still young. Won’t turn 20 until next June.

34.2B Josh Satin –  Opened eyes by hitting ,308 (88-for-286) in 79 games at Binghamton in 2010. Not the best at getting to the ball at second base. Not really an outfield prospect, either

35.LHP Eric Niesen - above average fastball velocity, and above average slider movement. Almost no control. If he doesn’t harness his control, he won’t be a big leaguer. If he can he’ll be a good lefty middle reliever.

36.3B Eric Campbell – Had something of a breakout season in 2010, earning a promotion to Binghamton after a .335 (57-for-170) effort at St. Lucie. Hit solid .279 50-for-179) with B-Mets and performed well at both third base and in left field. Will be 24 in April.

37.LHP Zach Dotson - Suspended for PED use, but sports a 91-93 mph fastball and a very strong change, with a feel for a curve. Has mid-rotation potential.

38.LHP Steven Matz – Mets like his size (6-4, 195) and drafted him first in 2009. Lefty had Tommy John surgery last May and won’t pitch until late in the 2011 season. Can he pull a Brackman or Betances comeback?

39.C Francisco Pena - simply not as good as advertised when signed. He hasn’t hit anywhere, and he is described as a poor catcher.

40.LHP Jimmy Fuller – Made as much progress as any Mets pitching prospect in 2010.

41.SS Robbie Shields - Tommy John surgery limited him to 39 games at Savannah 23 with the Gulf Coast Mets and two at St. Lucie in 2010. Hit well with Sand Gnats, batting .290 (47-for-162), but made nine errors in 23 starts at shortstop. We’ll call his 2010 year a push after surgery.

42.C Blake Forsythe – Handled pitchers well at Brooklyn in 2010, but hit just .238 (24-for-101). Solid defensively.

43.C Juan Centeno – One of Brooklyn’s more impressive hitters, batting .371 (33-for-89).

44.RHP Ryan Fraser – Was effective as Brooklyn’s closer, recording a 3-3, 1.44 mark and recording 12 saves in 14 opportunities.  Savannah will provide 2011 test.

45.RHP Domingo Tapia - put up good numbers in first pro appearance and had his fastball touch 96. Big arm, but not at all certain what to make of him yet. Keep an eye on him though.

46.C Kai Gronauer – Hit .267 (51-for-191) at Savannah, but caught fire at St. Lucie, batting .324 (45-for-139). Will play 2010 season at 24, so this is a key season for him.

47.C Albert Cordero – Spent most of 2010 at Kingsport, catching 31 of 54 games he played in. Hit .277 (57-for-208) with K-Mets, but wasn’t the best defensively.

48.3B Brian Harrison – Showed some power at Brooklyn, batting .286 (36-for-126) with seven homers and 22 RBis in 35 games. Defense was not best with 12 errors in 29 starts at third base

49.OF Rafael Fernandez – Another performer who started at Savannah and thrived at St. Lucie, batting .300 (60-for-200). Also showed good instincts in outfield.

50.OF Gilbert Gomez -  Made his United States debut as an 18-year-old in 2010. Has stolen 41 bases in 50 attemps in 113 games in DSL (2009) and GCL.

Joe DeMayo is a lifelong resident of Connecticut. He has been covering the Mets for almost 6 years. He started off as a writer for RoundingThirdKnight, which eventually in time would turn into SheaBaseball.com where Joey served as the Editor-In-Chief of SheaBaseball until early 2007. Joey then moved on to GothamBaseballMagazine.com where he wrote for a short period of time, and then was brought on as a correspondent and Mets minor league “guru” for NY Baseball Digest. Joe’s claim to fame is that he had the Johan Santana accurately portrayed since day one and broke the Omar Minaya extension. Check out Joe’s Mets minor league reports and Rumor Mill each week at nybaseballdigest.com He also has his own personal blog called St. Lucie to Flushing.
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