Sickels: Prospect of the Day, Brad Emaus

John Sickels of Minor League Ball, profiles Mets second baseman Brad Emaus in his Prospect of the Day series and writes,

Taking over at second base for the New York Mets this year is Brad Emaus, a Rule 5 pick from the Toronto Blue Jays system.

Drafted in the 11th round in 2007 from Tulane University, Emaus doesn’t have exceptional tools or eye-catching athleticism, but is a “grinder,” a player whose performance may exceed his natural “talent” due to his polish.

He always showed excellent strike zone judgment in the Toronto system, drawing 212 walks against just 220 strikeouts in 1559 minor league at-bats. He also hit 15 homers and 32 doubles last year between Double-A and Triple-A, then won the Mets job with a .294/.400/.431 mark in spring training. His defense is considered average, but he hustles and has good instincts, and if he hits as expected, his glove is good enough for him to hold a job.

Don’t expect Emaus to set the league on fire, but he can hit .260 with a good OBP and the occasional home run.

Last week, Emaus spoke with David Heck of MiLB.com and told him, “I’ll be the first one to tell you I’m not a ‘toolsy’ guy at all,” Emaus said. “But I feel throughout the entire course of a year, I’ll put up good numbers for you and I’ll play sound defense — just good baseball out there. That’s all you can do. I don’t have a ton a speed or a ton of power. You’ve just got to play every day, grind it out.” 

Never really considered a top prospect, Emaus hit .290 with 15 homers, 75 RBIs and an .874 OPS last season between Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Las Vegas. He also scored 79 runs and stole 13 bases in 15 attempts.