But a lot of these guys won’t be known to the general minor league community for another year or two due to the fact that most of them were signed at 16.

is now big, but at the time he was signed he was considered the 9th best position prospect out there. Additionally, at that time, I was unable to find a single scouting report on him. So yeah, he wasn’t given a sack of quarters, but he is outperforming the expectations of pretty much everyone else but the Mets’ scouts.

Link from baseball america
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It’s from a week before the 2007 signing period (when Marte was signed). He isn’t even listed as a potential prospect. And Flores is described as follows:

A lot of clubs weren’t on Flores, a 16-year-old from Barquisimeto, but his stock rose significantly over the last two weeks after several workouts with representatives from the Mariners, Cubs, Astros, Red Sox and Twins all present.

Flores remains an enigma, however, with sources now saying that he’s at least 19 or 20 years old, and more than 10 clubs voicing complaints of not being able to see the lefthander this spring. One source claimed Flores was actually in the States now, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Flores got the 9th highest bonus during that signing period, so clearly Omar had a different view of his value than others. That’s really the thing about signing bonuses. A team is going to pay what it takes to get a guy, which means that had the Mets not signed him it is probable that Flores, Marte, and Puello all drop at least tens of thousands of dollars (and in the case of Puello, off of the list).

Just some Mejia information for you. he’s 17, played in the NYP league (Short Season A ball), and I am not even sure whether he was signed in ’07 or ’06 at the moment. He was ranked as the 9th best prospect by Baseball America in what ended up being a stacked league. This is what they had to say about him:

Prospects like Mejia don’t come along very often. He’s listed at 6 feet and 162 pounds, but one scout said he looks closer to 190. Regardless, he throws much harder than most 6-footers, running his fastball up to 97-98 mph and sitting at 95-96 even when throwing out of the stretch in the middle innings.

“He’s a power-armed guy. He’s a freak,” a National League scout said. “I’m not even saying he’s any good right now, I’m just saying he’s a freak. He could probably throw 100 mph. His delivery’s fair, but it’s hard to repeat. I see a hell of a lot of effort with Mejia. He’s like the kid at the carnival trying to win the thing, just letting it all go. He’s got no rhythm. He’s trying to be more fluid, but it’s not happening.”

Mejia works around the plate but doesn’t have a lot of command in the strike zone or feel for pitching. He does have a chance for three legitimate above-average pitches, however. He has good feel for his plus 88-90 mph changeup, which he uses like a two-seam fastball. His low-80s power curveball is inconsistent, ranging from a plus pitch to well below average. If Mejia can harness his stuff, his ceiling is high, but long-term durability is a major concern with his small physique and max-effort delivery.

And I am pretty sure that’s all that counts.