Jul
28
2011

Baseball America’s Jim Callis Calls Wheeler “A Good Get For Mets”

An article by Craig Lerner

When it comes to Minor League Baseball coverage, nobody will dispute that Baseball America reigns supreme for everything you need to know ranging from the high school and college prospects, and of course the international, amateur and professional ranks as well.

One of the masterminds behind that great magazine is executive editor Jim Callis, who had some interesting things to say about Zack Wheeler yesterday.

“It’s a really nice get for the Mets,” said Baseball America editor Jim Callis Wednesday. “Wheeler has a tremendous arm, mid-90s velocity, with an easy delivery. You just don’t see pitching prospects with his kind of upside being traded like this.

“The Giants, with their pitching, can afford to trade a guy like Wheeler more than other teams. But I’ve got to believe he’ll be the best prospect traded during this deadline period.”

Callis likened Wheeler to Matt Harvey, the Mets’ No. 1 pick last year out of North Carolina who has progressed nicely through the minors so far. In fact, Baseball America has Harvey ranked at No. 30 among prospects, five spots ahead of Wheeler. Still…

“As good as Matt Harvey is,” said Callis, “if the two of them were drafted at the same age, Wheeler would have been drafted higher than Harvey.

“He’s still got a ways to go, but it’s conceivable that Zack Wheeler could be at the front of the Mets’ rotation for a long time.”

Baseball America currently has Wheeler ranked #35 in their mid-season rankings, only a few spots behind the Mets’ Matt Harvey who debuted at #30 on the list.

If you’re not excited at the prospect of having Wheeler heading our rotation in the future, you should be.

By the way, Callis had this to say in an online chat regarding current Mets Top Prospect, Wilmer Flores:

Hector (New York, NY): Is it time to stick a fork in Wilmer Flores as a Top 100 prospect kind of guy?

Jim Callis: Yes. He’s going to have to be a LF/1B and don’t see him having the bat to be a star there.

All quotes via the NY Times.

About the Author: Craig Lerner

I'm a data analyst and researcher for a leading news agency who loves life and is hooked on the Mets. I love following the Amateur Draft and have a particular fondness for the Mets Minor Leagues who I follow each day. Give me a cold beer, a summer day, and a Mets game, and I'm good to go.

5 Comments + Add Comment

Wiseguy_Ash July 28, 2011 at 11:50 am

2013 Mets Pitching rotation is looking better than ever. Good job Terry Collins!

1)Matt Harvey

2)Jenry Mejia

3)Zach Wheeler

4)John Niese

5)Jeurys Familia
alex68 July 28, 2011 at 12:08 pm

from that guy’s mouth to god’s ear!!! let’s go mets or don’t go at all!!!!
jdon July 28, 2011 at 2:43 pm

I really do not want to see the mets signing any more 16 year olds from the Caribbean. Way too unpredictable at that age. Can these kids finish high school before we sign them?
- Donal July 28, 2011 at 3:16 pm
  
  That’s how you have to sign them. They don’t have their own version of NCAA or anything like that. besides, this way, if you have a good scouting system, you can get the ones with a ton of raw talent early, get them committed to your system and mold them the way you see best.
  - jdon July 28, 2011 at 7:24 pm
    
    I dont think 16 year olds should be away from home travelling and living in hotels. It is tough enough for 18 year olds. Is it too much to insist that they finish high school like we expect American athletes to do? We are not drafting 16 year olds here. It would be for their own good. And who knows what kind of damage leeaving home early does. FMart was the Dominican Ted Williams. Flores has hit the skids. Just because their own country does not care enough about them does not mean we have to be a party to it

NL East Standings

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
Braves	23	18	.561	-
Nationals	23	19	.548	0.5
Phillies	20	22	.476	3.5
Mets	16	23	.410	6.0
Marlins	11	31	.262	12.5

Last updated: 05/18/2013

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