Prospect of the Day: Brad Emaus

Bill Mueller?

His instincts seem below average & his range looks even worse. Small sample at the MLB level sure, but I think Emaus will have to hit a lot better than I expect him to in order to justify sticking in the middle infield (as a Jays fan, I was fine with him moving on due to organizational roster composition & lack of future all around upside in my opinion). I think it could be a pretty straight platoon with Daniel Murphy at 2b in the early going & I quite prefer Murphy as far as straight offensive potential goes.

…and it’s smart. Murphy is NOT a decent defender at second and he’s probably worse than Emaus. Plus, Emaus’ bat will allow him to play second because truthfully, he can’t field any other position and none of the Mets 2B candidates had the bat + glove combo that Emaus has. You can’t punt two spots in the batting order in the NL East (I’m looking at you, Luis Hernandez/ Luis Castillo). Murphy, on the other hand, is much better suited for super utility as he can play multiple positions (not particularly well, I agree, but he can actually track down a fly ball) and his bat can be used in multiple positions in the line-up. This is merely about putting the team in the best position to win and not running out the likes of Fernando Tatis (the undead version apparently) off the bench. Seriously, Fernando Tatis. I think I just recreated my Minaya nightmare.

Emaus is a below average with the glove, but will get on base enough to stick around for 300 ABs or so. .260/.340/.400 is my projection over that span, and that’s enough to warrant his playing time. As for Murph, he can play 1B exceedingly well and 3B about average. He’s still raw with MI footwork but given a year of practice or so he can get to Emaus level. Offensively he has above average contact ability and slightly above average power. When he’s cold he takes walks and when he’s hot he hits liners. Overall I expect a .280/.330/.430 line out of him in around 400 ABs.