Welcome to the Future: A Midseason Look at the Mets' Top Prospects
by MrMetsDaily on Jul 28, 2010 4:23 PM EDT
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Print1) Jenrry Mejia, SP
Birthday: 10/11/89
2010 Stats: 0-2, 3.25 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 5.5 K/9 in 27.2 innings (Majors), 0-0 2.70 ERA, 2.40 WHIP, 13.5 K/9 in 3.1 innings (Triple-A)
What to Expect This Year: Mejia has had success in the majors this year as a reliever. However, he was sent down to the minors to get stretched out and work as a starting pitcher. It would not be surprising to see Mejia back in the majors in late August or early September. If the Mets are in the playoff race, Mejia may be back in the bullpen. If the Mets are out of contention, expect to see Mejia starting.
Best Case Scenario: Mejia has electric stuff and is definitely a power pitcher. He has the potential to become an anchor at the top of the Mets rotation for years to come. If he harnesses all of his potential he might be able to win a Cy Young.
Most Likely Scenario: Mejia will become a solid number two or number three starter. He will have electric stuff but will struggle with his control. A high walk rate will prevent him from ever putting together more than one or two outstanding seasons.
2) Fernando Martinez, OF
Birthday: 10/10/88
2010 Stats: .252/.314/.450, 9 HR, 29 RBI in 55 games (Triple-A), .267/.313/.333, 0 HR, 0 RBI in 4 games (High-A)
What to Expect This Year: With the logjam in the Mets outfield, there does not appear to be any room for Martinez in the majors. Martinez should remain in Triple-A for the rest of the year. If he can fight off the injury bug, something that has caught up to him over the years, he should expect to be a September call-up.
Best Case Scenario: Martinez is able to remain healthy and continues to develop all of his tools. Martinez has never been able to play more than 90 games in a season. After staying healthy, Martinez will become a potential 20/20 guy every year with the potential to hit 30 home runs. Martinez could make a few All-Star games and is a main stay in the Mets outfield for years to come.
Most Likely Scenario: The Mets cannot find a spot in the outfield for Martinez until the 2012 season. Martinez spends his third season at Triple-A but develops the tools fans have been hearing about for years. When Martinez reaches the majors, it is as a doubles hitter and run producer.
3) Wilmer Flores, SS
Birthday: 8/6/91
2010 Stats: .360/.371/.474, 2 HR, 19 RBI in 26 games (High-A), .278/.342/.433, 7 HR, 44 RBI in 66 games (Single-A)
What to Expect This Year: Flores has been dominant since being called up to High-A ball. At 18, he is the second youngest hitter to play in the Florida State League this season. If Flores continues his success he could reach Double-A before the end of the season. He would become the youngest player at that level this season as well.
Best Case Scenario: Since it appears that Jose Reyes will be entrenched at shortstop for years in the majors, Flores will need to change positions. Look for Flores to move to either second base or a corner outfield spot. Since Flores is so young, we can expect his power to develop very well. Don't be surprised if Flores becomes a 35+ home run and 100+ RBI hitter. He could be a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the Mets order.
Most Likely Scenario: Flores becomes a solid defensive second baseman or outfielder. He is able to deliver some power and hits 15-20 home runs a year. Flores reaches the majors towards the end of the 2012 season.
4) Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF
Birthday: 8/7/87
2010 Stats: .297/.342/.526, 15 HR, 53 RBI, 13 SB in 81 games (Double-A)
What to Expect This Year: A prospect who has seemingly come out of nowhere, Nieuwenhuis has had a lot of success at Double-A this year. He has played well enough to earn a September call-up this year. However, Nieuwenhuis is not currently on the 40 man roster so he may not get called up. At the least, expect him to get a few starts in at AAA.
Best Case Scenario: Nieuwenhuis is another guy in the Mets system that has the potential to be become a 20/20 hitter with the potential to hit 25-30 home runs. He could become the number three hitter for the Mets. If Jeff Francouer is non-tendered this offseason, Nieuwenhuis has the potential to start next season on the Mets as a fourth outfielder.
Most Likely Scenario: Nieuwenhuis gets caught in the shuffle of the Mets' crowded outfield. Next season, he is called up and sent back down as an injury replacement. He becomes a starter in the Mets' lineup as a starter in 2012 and becomes a solid third outfielder for years to come.
The reports on six more prospects (including Reese Havens and Jefry Marte) can be found at Mr.Mets Daily
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I'd Say So
Even as much as the Mets outfielders have struggled, they still have four solid players for three spots. There is no way that F-Mart gets called up also long as Beltran, Pagan, Bay, and Francoeur are all on the roster. He is not going to get playing time over Beltran or Bay. If/When Francoeur gets traded or non-tendered, I expect to see F-Mart back in the majors.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis
He really didn’t come out of nowhere. He was a third round pick coming out of high school and was pretty well scouted. Granted, he’s struggled a bit in the minors and appears to be coming together. Regardless, it’s good to see him developing.
"When Justin Upton faces Lincecum, I think Christ might appear in the heavens, and the world will end." -JakeFree
Not high on him
average bat speed and i’ve seen him a few times. Will have trouble with fastballs..
really?
I thought the scouting report on him was that he’s a good fastball hitter who needs work on pitch recognition?
the knock on Capt. Kirk,
has always been the breaking stuff. He’s always been a dead-red fastball hitter…
"When Justin Upton faces Lincecum, I think Christ might appear in the heavens, and the world will end." -JakeFree
well, there are lots of hitters who are suspectible up, some of them really good ones
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say you’re wrong here, you’ve seen the guy. But most scouting reports say he can wreck fastballs. You say he has trouble with fastballs AND has trouble with sliders that are down (and seeing as the only slider that is up is a hanging slider, I can see why). And all of this is being said about a player who is hitting very well in AA. Basically . . .there’s got to be SOMETHING this guy can hit for him to have the numbers that he does, right?
What I had meant was that he wasn’t a highly regarded prospect in the Mets system before this year. He wasn’t even ranked as a Mets top 10 prospect by Baseball America at the beginning of the year. He will definitely be towards the top of that list next year. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he cracked the Top 100 before next season.
Good to know that I'm not the only one who see's a lil bit of Utley in Havens.
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
Every Mets' fan sees it, or at the very least is hoping for it
But I have to disagree with his “Most Likely Scenario” for him. The power is already there, his issue is strikeouts, average, and most importantly, health. I know it’s a minuscule sample size, but he had a .228 ISO in 65 A+ PA, and a .324 ISO in 75 AA PA. He’s already developed power.
CBS Sports (I know not the best source), mentions that he could be a 2B (Link below). Also Flores played 2B at the Futures game last year. He has the range to play to position, the only issue is that he may be too big for it.
by MrMetsDaily on Jul 29, 2010 12:29 AM EDT up reply actions
He did that for four years
Last year was a fluke due to the horrible Mets’s training staff and some bad luck. This year he’s been pretty healthy. Hhe missed time due to a thyroid issue, and his oblique injury was made worse by the Mets refusal to rest him for a few days. It’s hard to call a guy who played at least 153 games a season with at least 700 PA for four straight years injury prone.
except
when you also take into account the problems he had with his hamstrings before that. Then you have a guy with 3 years of less than 80 games played, 4 of 153+ and this year we will call ‘unknown’ but did spend time on the DL. I don’t think you can call that reliable.
Thats what I was thinking
"The A's have to be setting some record this year for simultaneously maximizing team quality and player anonymity. I guess that’s sort of their thing though." - Luke in MN
He can hit for average but he is not a run producer. That could potentially be a problem for the Mets. Thole can be solid defensively and has been known to manage games well. In ’08 he threw out 22% of would be base stealers and he threw out 30% in ’09. I would say that has the room to develop into a above average defensive catcher.
yeah, that's just strange
not to be a jerk, but when you call thole a strong defensive catcher with poor offensive skills, it’s hard to take your seriously.
I am aware I am not as high on Thole as many other Mets fans and prospect evaluators. In the minors, Thole put up a .289 average in six years. He was not much of a run producer. His highest RBI total was 56 in 402 plate appearances two years ago in High-A ball. He hits for virtually no power as evident from his .381 minor league slugging percentage. I said he can develop into a strong defensive catcher base on his minor league performance. His offensive skills however might not continue to develop. If he is a .260/.270 hitter as a catcher with little run production, I wouldn’t exactly say he is someone who would be know for his offense.
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