17
2011
MMO Top 20 Mets Prospects – #20 Danny Muno, SS
An article by 
The 2011 Sterling Award winner at Brooklyn, Muno got off to as fast a start to his professional baseball career as anyone possibly could. After being drafted in the 8th round out of Fresno State this year, Muno signed quickly and was assigned to the Cyclones to be their everyday shortstop.
He was first in the New York Penn League in batting average in 2011, hitting a cool .355, while batting out of the lead-off spot for the Cyclones. The 22 year-old switch-hitter also led the league in: OBP with .466 and OPS with .980, and tied for first with 23 2B’s. He was third in the league in SLG% with .514, walks with 43, and runs scored with 45. He tied for 5th in the league in hits with 78, and was 8th in TB’s with 113.
He played four years of college baseball at Fresno State, and as a freshman in 2008, he was the starting shortstop for the National Champion Fresno State Bulldogs. Muno turned a huge double play in the bottom of the ninth inning in the championship game to bring the University of Georgia down to their final out. Moments later, in an unbelievable upset, Fresno State became the most unlikely national champion in the history of college baseball.
Muno is a “gamer”, and does all the little things it takes to win, bunting, situational hitting, moving runners over, and playing solid defense at 2B and SS. He will more than likely open the season next year as the starting shortstop at Savannah, although a jump all the way to St. Lucie and the Florida State League is not out of the realm of possibility for a player with his advanced skills and experience.
Choosing number 20 for this list was very hard. There are several deserving players that could have also sneaked into this spot. Players I have ranked just outside the Top 20 include: Cory Vaughn, Jack Leathersich, Tillman Pugh, Domingo Tapia, Tyler Pill, Logan Verrett, Albert Cordero, Taylor Whitenton, Brad Holt, Erik Goeddel and Zach Lutz. Perhaps we should have made a Top 30!
That’s something where Sandy and Omar can both be commended for. When Omar first took over, you would be hard-pressed to fill out even a Top 10 Prospect List, let alone a Top 20. But when all is said and done Muno’s fantastic pro start has planted him solidly in the Mets Top 20 for 2012.
Next Up: Number 19
My short list includes:
- Akeel Morris
- Collin McHugh
- Michael Fulmer
- Juan Urbina
About the Author: Peter Shapiro
The first time I went to Shea was not for a Mets game, it was for the Beatles concert there in August of '66. My first Met game was '67, a guy named Salty Parker was the interim-manager then. My first pennant race was 1969. As a 12 year-old that summer and fall, I managed to get to the park for 3 games. The first was the beginning of the Miracle which actually started on Tuesday July 8, 1969 with a day game against the Cubs. I was there a lot in '73. I saw games 3 & 5 of the 1973 NL Playoffs against the "Big Red Machine", from the upper deck behind home plate. It was from there that I witnessed the fight between Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose, and the mayhem that ensued. And that sweet victory in game 5! I saw a couple of WS games at Shea that year against that legendary Oakland A's club. I was there in 1985 for every single game Dr. K pitched including his two 16 strikeout performances, and the day he one-hit the Cubs on an infield single and the Mets won 1-0. I loved being a Met fan in those days. Hopefully we are once again preparing to emerge from the darkness.
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Why was Cory Vaughn left off your top 20? Many people have him in the top 10?
Sorry kevin, in my humble opinion, at this time, there are about 20 Mets farmhands that are better prospects than Vaughn. He is far away from any credible “Top 10 List.” I realize he hit a ST HR once. Do you recall who the pitcher was? Me neither. He can hit a fastball, no doubt, so can a lot of guys. When he got to St. Lucie this season, he ran into a brick wall, and batted .219. When he starts to hit a breaking ball, and makes it through A ball, perhaps he will one day make my Top 20 List. Say in 2013.
Nice job as usual Pete.
Guys on split contracts that allow them to play football at college rarely work out but we did sign a guy who’s doing that Brandon Marquez who looks like the best athlete the Mets have ever had in their system (from what you can glean off video)
He is going to play CF, probably in the Gulf Coast league next June and July and if his skills catch up to his tools (and he stops playing football) he could be the best player this team has ever produced.
I am hopeing that he develops a real love of baseball next summer.
Leathersich is a guy to keep a close eye on.
Leathersich dominated in a small sample.Struckout something like 17 per 9 innings or some sick number like that.May have been even higher.
Some comments by Leathersich:
“My fastball is a four-seamer. I’ve never really thrown a two-seamer, which is odd for a lefty…. but I feel my ball runs enough and is a lot firmer…. when I got to college I started lifting and really putting in some hard work. I gained 25 pounds and am 205 now, that’s allowed me to add an extra 6-7 mph on the fastball and get me up to 95mph….I also throw a circle change,… It allowed me to get more separation between pitches and get a lot of swings and misses. I will also throw a slurve, which is part slider, part curveball, that sits around 80mph. It’s a great pitch to throw to righties, I get it down at their feet and catch them swinging over it.”
http://news.soxprospects.com/2011/05/qa-with-jack-leathersich.html
Good stuff Des!
Plenty of reasonable questions remain about Vaughn. 22 in the Fl St. League is a little older than average and he only spent the 2nd half there and didn’t hit for average. His K/BB are not great for a guy coming from a big time college baseball program.
9 HR’s in half a season is impressive but only 8 doubles left him with a sub .400 SLG. Next year is going to be crucial for Vaughn. A very good 1st half at St. Lucie followed by a good 2nd half introduction to AA will put some of those questions to rest.
Phillip Evans will crack this list before the end of 2012.
Good one Joe! I agree with you 100%!
I was shocked he was still there in the 15th round.Mock drafts had the Mets grabbing him in the 10th round.The kid can rake,he has a sweet swing.
Muno looks like a nice kid. Hopefully he develops into a solid prospect. I don’t take Brooklyn numbers seriously unless the kid is 18 or so.
Agreed. I hope Muno makes it big time. He sure looks like a gamer. But before we start congratulating our GM’s too much, let’s remember that Danny Muno was selected after 251 other players were chosen, including seven of so by the Mets. Drafts are crapshoots and 2011 was no exception.
Not a credible list. This Prospect should have been called,
“My List Of 20 Sleeper Prospects That If One Hits I can Say I Told You So But Most Likely None Will Make It and You Will Forget I Even Wrote This List”
Is this based on your extensive and exhaustive research of the Mets minor league system and prospects, or just your uninformed opinion solely intended to knock the work of a fellow Mets fan who has interviewed more Mets prospects than candles on your birthday cake?
Lifelong, man up and now post your own list for comparison purposes. I’m curious to see what a minor league maven like you has come up with.
Off the top of my head…
1. Matt Harvey
2. Zack Wheeler
3. Jeurys Familia
4. Brandon Nimo
5. Jordany Valpespin
6. Cory Mazzoni
7. Reese Havens
8. Wilmer Flores
9. Taylor Whitenton
10. Cesar Puello
11. Fernando Martinez
12. Cory Vaughn
13. Bradley Holt
14. Aderlin Rodriquez
15-20 its all a blur Kirk N. types outfielders…
*Jenry Mejia- makes this list after rehab
Just making a note here:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=607043
Brandon Nimmo deserves to be nowhere in the top 5. He may work out for us in the future, but he hasn’t shown me ANYTHING yet. Holt had a rough year and F-Mart is riddled with injuries. Vaughn should be much lower on this list (but I believe in him and Den Dekker).
No Gorski? Mchugh? Fulmer? This is just a surface analysis, but I think you have to do some more minor league Mets research.
I like Fernando Martinez even still… Martinez just turned 23 yrs old and still filling out. Yes, of course he needs to stay on the field but there is no other Met hitting prospect who offers the same promise as a healthy Martinez. I recall listening to one of the Met announcers quoting players talk about how the ball just sounds “differently” off of Martinez’s bat.
Nimo is our jewel. Easily one of the top 5 Met prospectors.
Fulmer- I really don’t know enough about him. Did he pitch professionally this year? I don’t think so. What I do know I do not like. Large, flabby bodied, lazy arm drags his arm just a bit across the side. Projects at best case a #4 starter. Fulmer certainly isn’t a better prospect than Matt Harvey or even Brad Holt at this point. Next year as me maybe he cracks my top 20 list then.
I would hardly call one name a list. Why not reserve judgement until a list is actually comprised? The only thing incredulous and un-credible here is your comment.
Petey….Florida St is what separates hitters from pretenders. AA is where pitchers are separated from pretenders. Hopefully, this is just a hiccup for Vaughn and is a late bloomer. Very discouraging seeing him struggle @ St. Lucie though.
Your right Omar, there is no reason to give up on Vaughn, but there were others more deserving this year, in my opinion.
I have not heard of this guy before today, and I’m disappointed that I haven’t. Very respectable pro start down there in Brooklyn and I expect to see him at St. Lucie by the end of this year if he continues to hit the same way.
Although he projects out to be a 2nd baseman there’s nothing not to like about Muno.He plays the game the right way,coming from an outstanding program at Fresno ST.
As a college Sr. though he should be dominating the NY Penn League and will have to fly up the ladder. 2012 Savannah and St. Lucie, 2013 Binghamton, then we’ll see what we’ve got.
If he follows that path, he’ll be in AAA at 25 and the MLB at 26. I would have no problem with that – especially at 2B.
Danny Muno couldn’t even handle playing shortstop full time in college. His defense is sub-par. Muno played 3rd base more than shortstop in college. Muno doesn’t hit for power. Muno has average speed. Muno can’t play 3rd base or 1st base as a Pro because he doesn’t hit for power. Muno is Daniel Murphy without the freakish ability to hit. Muno is Reese Havens without the pop.
Your telling me that a shortstop who can’t play shortstop as a pro because
he is not good defensively, can not play 1st or 3rd base as a pro becuase he has no power is the Mets 20th best prospect?
Of course Danny Muno is a “Look-At-How-Smart-I-Am-You-Will=Forget-I-Made=This-Pick”
FRESNO, Calif. – After leading the New York-Penn League with a .355 batting average, former Bulldog Danny Muno earned the Sterling Award which is emblematic of the league’s most valuable player award. The Brooklyn Cyclone shortstop was recognized by the New York Mets in a pregame ceremony Wednesday night.
Muno recorded the highest season batting average in Cyclone history and closed the regular season on a 13-game hit streak. The 22-year old infielder recorded multiple hits in 23 of his 59 games played in 2011.
As a part of his recognition, Muno dressed with the Mets and took batting practice and infield drills before their game on Sept. 14 against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field.
Muno’s on base percentage of .466 led all of minor league baseball above the rookie division.
He led the NY-Penn League in doubles (23), a Cyclone record, and was third in slugging percentage (.514).
The Thousand Oaks, Calif. native also led the league in walks (43), on base plus slugging percentage (.980) and led all shortstops in fielding percentage (.982).
Muno is 22. There were 23 players same age or older than Muno on the Cyclones and 167 in the league.
Do we have a case of mistaken identity? Danny Muno had a very good season with the Cyclones, his first in professional baseball. Muno was:
1st…. AVG…. .355
1st…. OBP…. .466
2nd…. SLG…. .514 (minimum 50 at bats)
1st…. OPS…. .980
1st…. HITS…. 78
1st…. 2B…. 23
2nd(T)…. 3B…. 3
2nd…. TB…. 113
1st…. BB…. 43
Of the 22 Cyclone players who got at least one BB, he was the only one who had more BB than K’s.
Lifelongmetfan exactly how long is life long? 5 years? Most 18 year olds head to the GCL not the Penn league unless they’re off the charts. If he hit 255 you’d be saying oh great another garbage prospect.
You are not a credible Met fan.
I didn’t write any article, what kind of hallucinogens are you taking? Obama? What? Does your mother know you chat online with grown men?
Wow man, what in the world is wrong with you?
My first guess would be a lot.
This is why I rarely comment on this site anymore only read the posts. Seen too many good debates get ruined by “The Core”.
Me too. The lack of respect for differing opinions dooms adult dialog.
Not only that, why would a minor league player consent to doing an interview on this site if certain readers are going to be such dickwads and talk such crap about them? I sent this article to Mr. Muno, and I am embarrassed that he has to read such trash about himself on the comment thread. This “reader” should be ashamed of him or herself, whatever it is.
Danny is a talented player. But more importantly, he is a quality person from all that I’ve read. He will do well in life and in the big picture, that’s the most important thing. If Lifelong and others of his ilk went down to Florida during spring training and spent time with our young players, he and they would realize we have typically great kids. They deserve the respect of all baseball fans.
Most of us have consistent but rational views, even when we’re not on the sauce. How ’bout you?
When he was drafted he was projected as a 2nd baseman but thanks for the breaking news.
Muno did nicely in Brooklyn, but that league is very limited when it comes to talent. At the age of 22, he should be slapping around that league. This is a guy just a year younger than Fernando Martinez, if that. He played against men @ Fresno St. I hate when people start giving Top 10 or Top 20 rankings to kids who just arrived into the organization.
Didn’t people do that with Javier Rodriguez and Francisco Pena? Muno is a nice kid playing @ a level where he should dominate.
Lifelong, have you ever watched the old Yankee, Phil Rizzuto, a Hall of Famer, play shortstop? His arm did not stand alone. Getting to the ball, fielding it, the release, strength of throw, and accuracy are all part of a shortstop’s talents. Now tell me what Phil had that Danny Muno doesn’t — specifically.
Also, you jump from a shortstop’s requirements, to not seeing Danny as a major league starting player. Which is it? What is your evidence? You really haven’t detailed enough to justify the conclusions you’re claiming.
Each year the Mets and every other major league team will draft about fifty players for their respective organizations. Each team also will sign a lot of international, non-domestically drafted players. Over a ten year period, the Mets will likely have signed about 650 players despite having a 25 player active roster which will typically vary by no more than ten players each year. I hope Danny has a great career. He may well have one. Danny is already more likely to play big league ball than the bulk of the 650 players signed. Most minor leaguers will likely never play a major league game. Danny’s chances are much better than average.