Oct
10
2011

Prospect Pulse: 2012 Top Ten List

An article by Petey Pete

With all these Top Ten lists coming out, I thought I’d chime in with my own version, hope you like.

Mets Top Ten Prospects list for 2012:

1. Jeurys Familia
2. Zack Wheeler
3. Matt Harvey
4. Wilmer Flores
5. Kirk Nieuwenhuis
6. Reese Havens
7. Cesar Puello
8. Gilbert Gomez
9. Jordany Valdespin
10. Juan Lagares

Notable removals from many of last years lists include: F-Mart, Brad Holt, Juan Urbina, Cory Vaughn, Aderlin Rodriguez.

Just for fun, 11 – 20

11. Brandon Nimmo
12. Cory Mazzoni
13. Darrell Ceciliani
14. Tyler Pill
15. Jefry Marte
16. Logan Verrett
17. Darin Gorski
18. Akeel Morris
19. Cory Vaughn
20. Tillman Pugh

Honorable Mention:

F-Mart, Brad Holt, Juan Urbina, Erik Goeddel, Josh Edgin, Albert Cordero, Brad Marquez, Phillip Evans, Michael Fullmer, Danny Muno, Josh Satin, Zach Lutz, Collin McHugh.

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.

14 Comments + Add Comment

any October 10, 2011 at 9:55 am

as reasonable as anyone elses list!
Donal October 10, 2011 at 10:07 am

Shouldn’t we wait for the AFL and DWL to finish before we make these lists?
alex68 October 10, 2011 at 10:11 am

pete,

fair enough.. i see harvey and familia 1 and 2… i know you like gilbert gomez, so do i, but at #8 is a bit of a reach.. i’d put my list same as yours with slight changes:

11. Gilbert Gomez
12. Cory Mazzoni
13. Darrell Ceciliani
14. Tyler Pill
15. Jefry Marte
16. Cory Vaughn
17. Darrin Gorski
18. Akeel Morris
19. Brandon Nimmo
20. Fulmer
- any October 10, 2011 at 10:50 am
  
  any prospect list is going to be highly subjective of course. I think it makes sense to really just group them and not worry about ranking so much.
  
  and everyone has favorites they are going to put higher. And since half of this is gut feeling (trying to figure out what a kid in A ball is going to be 2-3-4 years down the line), why not!
  - Petey Pete October 10, 2011 at 1:14 pm
    
    I agree with you any, these guys I listed between 7 and 13, are all pretty much interchangeable, and the guys between 14 and 20 are as well. And of course, there were some guys like Tapia, Fullmer, and Lutz that I would have liked to include on the list but there’s only twenty spots!
    
    To actually rank these guys in a specific slot, comes down to personal taste. For instance, the core thinks Nimmo should be closer to 19 than what I said, I had him at 11. The core’s list is just as valid as anyone’s. I think more highly of Gomez, he thinks more highly of Vaughn than I. But we’re not that far off, we generally agree on whose pretty good and who stinks.
    
    In any case, just to muddy the waters a little more, Joe and I have decided to put together an “official” MMO Top Twenty. We will start at twenty, and reveal two a week for ten weeks as we count down. But the cool thing is you guys will get to vote each time in a “mini poll” that will allow you input on who the next selection will be. It should be really fun, and be great for discussion. Keep a lookout for the feature starting next week!
Steve S. October 10, 2011 at 10:49 am

I am putting in my two cents for Jack Leathersich for the 11-20 list.
steve October 10, 2011 at 12:43 pm

What about Domingo Tapia. He should in the top 20 along side Akeel Morris?
- Petey Pete October 10, 2011 at 3:25 pm
  
  Good job steve! They do compare very favorably. As two-fifths of the starting rotation this year, they both threw 50 IP apiece for Kingsport. The reason I have Tapia rated between 20 and 25, and not in my top 20, is the slight difference between the two pitchers which you can see in these two stats from last year. H/9: Tapia was at 9.0, while Morris was at 5.3, also K/9: Tapia was at 5.4, while Morris was 10.7. That is just an indication of Morris’ ability to utterly dominate.
Who October 10, 2011 at 4:40 pm

I think #8 for Gilbert Gomez is a pretty aggressive ranking to put it lightly. 85 plate appearances in the FSL probably shouldn’t make up for 300 poor plate appearances across two seasons in the GCL in which he hit just .238/.305/.349. I know Gomez is toolsy but it just seems like an enormous jump based on an incredibly small sample for a guy who wasn’t all that heralded even a few months ago.
- alex68 October 11, 2011 at 10:01 am
  
  well, why don’t you critique the guy who put nimmo as a #3 prospect here!?!?
Sach October 10, 2011 at 4:52 pm

Nice prospect list Petey Pete! I agree with you in that the 3 SP prospects- Wheeler, Harvey and Familia should be ranked above Flores. I also like that the fact that you expelled- F-Mart, Urbina and Holt from your top 20. I also like that you recognize Gilbert Gomez whom most prospect lists don’t mention, although a 8 ranking for him is being too aggressive. I also like that Mejia was left off the list with a ? mark now due to his TJ surgery and future role headed forward. I do think Danny Muno belongs in the 16-17 range.
- Petey Pete October 10, 2011 at 5:05 pm
  
  There were three players I left off the list because of injury. If their injuries weren’t so severe, and if not for the fact that they have no real timetables for returning, I would have listed at least two out of three from among Jenry Mejia, Brant Rustich, and Steven Matz.
  - Ambient October 15, 2011 at 11:18 am
    
    Matz has been a pro for 2 years and has yet to pitch, I don’t see how he can be ranked anywhere in the top 30 for this year. Rustich is 26 as hasn’t pitched above A+, Mejia’s prospect status is iffy, but acceptable, and probably still belongs in the top 10 should you choose to rank him.
Ambient October 15, 2011 at 11:28 am

Overall, I’m curious as to why so many people are ranking Mazzoni so much higher than Fulmer. Fulmer is 18, throws mid 90′s, and already shows a plus to plus plus curveball. Mazzoni is more polished coming out of college, and has a wider repertoire, but in terms of stuff and overall potential, they aren’t close. In a weaker draft, Fulmer would have been a legit top 15 (or higher) pick.

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