13
2012
Petey Pete: Mets Organizational Sleepers of 2012
An article by 
Everybody has their own definition of “sleeper.” Mine is the player who comes out of nowhere, the one without all the hype and high pedigree. I’m looking for the mutt’s. The brawlers. The over-achievers. The gamers. The winners. I’m looking for, not a prospect necessarily although he could be a fringy one, but a guy that is about to shed a mantle of mediocrity or obscurity, and join the elite. I am looking for the player that no one is talking about.
These 12 players are getting very little love right now, but I think each one listed here is poised to have a break-out season that will put him on the map much like what last year did for Juan Lagares.
JUAN CARLOS GAMBOA, SS
I’ve said often before that I think this guy is destined to become a household name to Mets fans one day soon. He has an exciting style of play that will endear him to fans of the Amazins’ right away. He’s a lefty-line-drive slashing hitter, from Mexico, who shows surprising pop for his tiny 5’7″ 150 lb. body. He can also field his position and is already accumulating quite an impressive array of fielding highlights. I truly hope the Mets are a little aggressive this year in their placement of Gamboa, who will play next season as a 21-year-old, and that they start him as part of the middle-infield combo of the Savannah Sand Gnats, with Phillip Evans another fast-tracked young infielder.
LUIS MATEO, RHP
The 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic has the rare qualities of being a “power pitcher” with very good control. He seems poised for a big year, and he matches that with some big stuff. He’s kicked around a little though, the Mets being his third organization. His first pro contract with the Giants was voided in 2008 when he turned up injured. Next DePo signed him with the Padres but he’d lied about his age by two years and was suspended for a year. Then the Mets picked him up as an IFA last spring.
Mateo who will turn 22 by the end of March, stands 6’3″ 185 lbs., throws his fastball in the low to mid-90′s, and also features a slider and change-up. Last year pitching for the Mets DSL 1 team in the Dominican Summer League, Mateo made 13 GS and pitched 63 IP. He was 2nd in the league in WHIP, with a 0.78, and 4th in strikeouts. His overall record was 6-1, with a 2.00 ERA, he gave up 44 hits, 1 HR, 5 walks, and struck out 80. I look for him to possibly open the season in the Brooklyn Cyclones starting rotation, and if he does he should quickly become “ace” of the staff.
RAFAEL MONTERO, RHP
Another power-armed right-hander from the Dominican Republic, the 2011 Sterling Award winner for the GCL Mets, may be a little smaller than Mateo, but he throws just as hard. Montero who will pitch this season as a 21-year-old, is listed as 6’0″, 170 lbs. His fastball sits low to mid-90′s, and he mixes in a breaking ball and a change. The amazing thing about Montero so far has been his control, he rarely walks anyone.
Last year he got 12 GS, good for 71 IP, but at four different levels of the system. He started the year at the DSL, got the call up to the GCL Mets, then on to Kingsport, before finishing up with Brooklyn. His overall record was 5-4 with a 2.15 ERA, giving up 55 hits, while walking 13 and striking out 66. I have Montero penciled into the starting rotation at Savannah, but he could also provide a terrific 1-2 punch at Brooklyn with Mateo.
MILLER DIAZ, RHP
A very intriguing young right-hander who completes the trifecta of power-arms I am predicting big things for this season. Diaz, who hails from Venezuela, is still 19 and won’t turn 20 until the end of June. At 6’1″ and 209 lbs., he is very strong, and throws very hard. Another power-armed righty, he’s not as far along as the other two on this list, and has to make strides this year in improving his command. He got into 9 games for Kingsport last year throwing just 34 IP, 6 GS, going 1-1 with a 5.35 ERA. I expect him to start 2012 with Mateo in the rotation at Brooklyn.
CAMDEN MARON, C
The 6’1″ 175 lb., lefty swinging catcher from Hicksville, NY, was one of two starting catchers at Kingsport in 2011, and should fill the same role at Savannah in 2012. The Mets 34th round selection in the 2009 player draft, Maron is a good contact hitter, and had an unbelievably high OBP last year due to more walks than K’s for the season. He batted .318 with 3 HR’s and 24 RBI’s, 34 strikeouts and 38 walks, for an OBP of .434, but has to learn plate discipline, to find a way into better hitting counts. Right now he’s getting hits, but not squaring them up like he should. His defense is improving very nicely and this year should really establish him as a legit prospect.
JUAN CENTENO, C
Another lefty-hitting catcher, this one comes from Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The 5’7″ Centeno was drafted out of high school by the Mets in the 32nd round of the 2007 MLB Draft. He has toiled ever since as a back-up catcher at stops all over the Mets system. Last year he played at advanced-A St. Lucie of the Florida State League, before spending time in the Arizona Fall League.
Despite only getting 157 AB’s at Lucey, he hit .318, with a OBP of .368, all the while playing very slick defense. For his career Centeno has thrown out 38% of all would-be base stealers. He will head on to AA Binghamton as a 22-year-old for 2012, but he will be in a head-to-head battle for playing time with the fading ex-prospect Francisco Pena, and the fading veteran back-stop from Germany, 25-year-old Kai Gronauer. The smart money goes on Centeno emerging on top.
COLE FRENZEL, 1B
The Mets 7th round draft pick from last year, a second-year first-baseman from the University of Arizona, Frenzel signed early enough but was never really able to get on track last year. The 6’2″ 208 lb. lefty-hitting slugger, struggled for most of the season while playing 1B for the Brooklyn Cyclones. In 160 AB’s he hit .238, with 1 HR and 20 RBI’s, though his fielding % around first-base was .997.
Frenzel has too good a swing for him to not get the bat going this season. He should prove to be a HR hitter who can also make contact, and his glove will continue to serve him well moving forward. I expect him to break camp with the Savannah Sand Gnats, sharing playing time at 1B and DH with Aderlin Rodriguez. But a strong showing by Frenzel, and a poor one in the field by Rodriguez, should see Frenzel capture the starting first-basemen’s job early in the season’s first half.
JEFF DIEHL, 1B
It may be a reach to place Diehl on this list as early as this season, but I like his hitting potential. The Mets over-slot draft pick from the 23rd round of the 2011 draft, Diehl was one of the top high school prospects from the tiny state of Rhode Island in the 2011 draft. He is very tall and lanky, a right-hand hitter, who although he played catcher in high school, he is destined for a corner in the pro’s and I think first-base will suit him best moving forward. He is already 6’4″ and built like a string bean, and has the potential to grow even more.
Although built like a bean, he doesn’t hit like one, but can crush the ball a long, long way. In a year or two we are all going to be whispering about the kid’s blossoming home run power, as he soars up the Met prospect rankings. But in the meantime, he is still very raw, and is strictly a long-term-project. Look for him to start out at Kingsport in 2012.
JOE BONFE, 3B
For those of you who followed my series of player interviews this off-season, I’m sure you remember the one with Bonfe. He’s a great guy, and a hard-working player who taught himself to play the outfield last year during the season, just so he could find a way to get himself into the everyday line-up. Poor performance by the Sand Gnat starting first-baseman, and Bonfe ended up playing as the regular first-sacker for the second half last season.
Bonfe hit a low-key .254 in just over 300 AB’s in the regular season, but helped the team every game down the stretch and into the play-offs. The biggest thing last year for Bonfe was not in his numbers, but the way you could see him gain confidence, and a sense of belonging as the season wore on. This is why I feel he is about to have a breakout year with the bat. And he will do it at his natural position. As the third-baseman of the 2012 St. Lucie Mets.
DUSTIN LAWLEY, 3B/OF
I really like this player. He’ll be 23 however, by the time the season starts and he’ll probably be playing for Savannah in the South Atlantic League, so the clock is certainly ticking. Although needing to be challenged, and moved along quickly, Lawley has an interesting mix of baseball skills. Last year at Kingsport he split his time between 3B and CF, and led the team in 2B’s, HR’s, RBI’s, and SLG%. The right-handed hitting Lawley was drafted in the 19th round of last years draft, and although I expect him to start 2012 in Savannah, he should be in St. Lucie by the second half.
TILLMAN PUGH, CF
As I have predicted before in earlier posts, Tillman Pugh is a guy who is about to bust out onto the scene in 2012. The only thing he hasn’t done is had the opportunity to play and that should change this year. Finishing strong in 2011, for Brooklyn as the centerfielder and two-hole hitter, Pugh had just enough opportunity to show the Mets that they needed to give him significant playing time in a long-season league this season and that will happen in the South Atlantic League.
In an interview I did with Tillman a few months ago he defined his thoughts about next year: “My goals for next season are to make a full season club, stay healthy all year long, get moved up a level, improve upon all facets of my game, win a championship, and most importantly have fun.” This speedy centerfielder should be dazzling them at Savannah this year, and hopefully next year, the sleeper will be fully awake.
CHARLIE THURBER, RF
Injuries were the only reason that Charley Thurber was still available when the Mets drafted in the 39th round of last year’s draft. He may go down as an absolute steal at that place in the draft. Now 22, a 6’4″ lefty-swinging right-fielder with a very powerful throwing arm, who is healthy headed into the season for the first time in a while. I interviewed Charley over the winter and he was very excited about asserting himself, and having a big year in 2012: “Next season I feel I can improve my OPS. In doing so, I can produce more runs for my team from both the batter’s box and on the bases. As I said earlier, I look to capitalize more on right-handers this season as well.”
I’m looking at Charley as the starting right-fielder at Savannah next year. He should be adding quite a bit of pop to what is already shaping up to be a potentially powerful line-up.
So there you have it, the “sleepers” if you will, that no one or practically no one is talking about. The 12 best-kept secrets in the Mets farm system. None of these guys are ranked very significantly on any prospect lists with the possible exception of Montero. All of the them are poised for a big year. Let’s check back at mid-season, and see how each of these players are faring.
For more speculation about where these players may find themselves playing in 2012, check out my four part, Mets Minor League Roster Preview:
Savannah – St.Lucie – Binghamton – Buffalo
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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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 25 | 18 | .581 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 21 | .523 | 2.5 |
| Phillies | 21 | 23 | .477 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 17 | 24 | .415 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 12 | 32 | .273 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/19/2013
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Juan Carlos Gomboa – 5’7″ 150 lb?? Boy, that is tiny.
You don’t say how old he is but I’m assuming he’s not done filling out yet.
Good stuff, Petey. I especially like what I’m reading around about Mateo and Montero.
Thanks srt, I just updated his age, which will be 21 in April.
Mateo and montero.. more power pitchers in the minors that are being overlook.. Familia, Montero and Mateo will be formidable for the mets org… i think Depo might have hit jackpot on MAteo… he was LIGHTS OUT in the DWL… he throws hard, very hard.. he was picked up by san francisco in 2008 but contract was voided because he had bone chips in his elbow, then last year san diego picked him up but again voided his contract when age came into question..
From what I’m reading, he reported himself 2 years younger than he really is. But says 21 is his true age.
Glad the Mets seemed to be the front runners on getting him when he came off the suspension for lying about his age.
Petey, Love Gamboa, Pugh and Maron. How great would it be to see Centeno make himself into a force in AA? Cyclones rotation this year can really be exciting, Gomez and Zapata?
By the way any word on Jose Garcia? DSL I assume.
I would think, with no GCL Mets anymore. The kid is only 16-years-old. I have Baseball Digests older than that.
I think Maron is the one that intrigues me the most.
Petey Pete, do you think he’ll stick at catcher if he advances?
Yes I do. His defensive development has been very impressive since he was drafted out of high school. He was receiving the ball much better this past season, and now has good footwork, a quick release, and a strong throwing arm. He is at that stage in his development where he is doing things correctly behind the plate. Now he needs his athleticism to help that translate into tangible results on the field. But I would definitely keep him at catcher, and that is surely the quickest way for him to reach the major leagues.
Was he drafted as a catcher, or is he being converted?
No he was drafted as a catcher, but he was really raw when they got him, lot’s of bad habits, he had to be taught from square one.
I think the term you were looking for was “victor Cruz”!
and considering I have no idea who many of these guys are (or have heard the name and know nothing about them), then at least to me they all qualify as potential sleepers!
“34 strikeouts and 38 walks, for an OBP of .434, but has to learn plate discipline,”
I know what you are saying but I don’t think plate discipline is his major issue, LOL.
TRS86, i meant to ask you, are you part of AA? amazing ander.. errrr, avenue?
Was trying to answer you but my computer froze… fate.
I can’t remember the last time I read one of their articles. Not saying they do a bad job but it’s just not for me. On my Droid I have Google reader and I have MMO, TRDM, MB, MLBTR and ESPN that’s it. On our site I have the Sportsypder link so if some of the other Mets blogs post something that looks interesting I will click on it. We are getting ready to install a new plug in that will actually show all the current stories from anyone on our blogroll, kind of excited about that.
Uh back to the topic, it’s funny that on here I am labeled as a Sandy and Saber worshiper but in all honesty I am neither. I prefer to look at both with an open mind and pull things out that I like and discard the things I don’t. Example in “saber” I still don’t think there is a great stat to measure defense, especially at positions like 1B and Catcher, there are too many variables. As for Sandy, I think he made a good move with unloading Krod and trading for Wheeler. He has hit and missed some on the 2ndary signings like Capuano or Young. I would like to see IF a guy like Oswalt would come to NY for 1 year and build value while looking to trade Pelfrey but I also realize that just because I want them to do it does not mean that the player I want even has 1% of desire to play for the Mets. I can’t knock him for not making trades or signings when I don’t know the entire story. Thus I will wait and see how the Mets do over the next couple of years. I keep saying that if after 2013 the Mets are still stuck then I will be right there with the extremist.
He has hit and missed some on the 2ndary signings like Capuano or Young”
you mean he has 1 hit and a bunch of swing and misses? don’t sugar coat it there ok, also, i ask because i happen to stumble into the sandy has a twitter article, and most of the commenters MURDER bayonne and pomes.. my goodness.. i figure that’s a site who loves alderson and hate the guys from here, so i assume you’d be part of it
Actually most of the Mets bloggosphere makes fun of Bay and Greg, it’s nothing new. They have developed their reputation just as Sylow has at MB.
As for hits and misses? I think that every GM has about the same percentage of hits and misses on 2M or less guys. They are all gamble picks, I guess it’s luck in some ways but Alderson has not had the mistakes like Ollie and Castillo because he doesn’t have the money to make them. Looks like Carrasco is for sure his worst signing so far. It could be Francisco if he flops. Emaus was a flop but that was a rule 5 guy, Beato turned out to be a decent value from Rule 5. Hu was a flop as he was brought in to be a defensive replacement but due to the depth chart had to be given more than that and was awful. I did not like the trade because Antoni was a LHP that had pitched well at times, problem was he was out of options and old for a AA player. He went to the Dodgers AA and did not pitch that well either considering. Young again I liked the signing at the time so I am not going to 2nd guess. The money was minimal and it was all potential just like a potential deal with Kazmir. Again, some good, some bad. I still think it’s impossible to judge the effectiveness until he has been given a little more time. Did we think this was a one year process?
and let’s just fail to mention Bucholz, Tankersley, Boof Bonser ..and Boyer too (?) so add that to Emaus, Hu, Carrasco and I guess you can add Paulino as a bust too.
Now this year is Rob Johnson, Quintanilla (another guy busted for PEDs), Matt Tuiasosopo.Ronny Cedeno, Miguel Batista, resigning Hairston (wow), Sean Kazmar, Fernando Cabrera, Chuck James, resigning Mike Baxter, Garrett Olson, the legendary Jeremy Hefner
But he had a good day when he acquired Ramirez & Torres for Pagan
Meanwhile EVERYBODY is reading everyday how other teams are getting legitimate and better players that can help the team win – at prices the Mets can afford. But Sandy refuses to do that.
His off seasons have been AWFUL, i’m vocal about it and that’s why the SABER blogosphere hates me. And I laugh at what they think. That’s the “Mets blogosphere” this clown mentions happens to be mostly a saber community who..i could not give a DAMN about and I am completely unaffected. The defense of the lousy job this GM is doing is comical
One parrot here says “idiot masses” because on TV broadcast you don’t see much mention of saber and then another guy says the masses are right because they’re complaining about me.
Pick one. I personally do not care and will continue to feel the way I do about things – these idiots don’t bother me and I will remain status quo
OK I am not sure if I am going to want to respond or not.
Bucholtz: 24 very effective innings for 600K, is it Sandy’s fault that he has mental issues that does not allow him to pitch? That would be like blaming Omar for signing a guy on a MIL contract that got injured. Hell we drafted a pitcher that could never overcome it and just quit baseball.
Paulino is certainly 2nd guessing to most. While he did have the roid bust, he was an effective backstop before coming to NY and was cheap… rather go with Mickey like this year?
Emaus cost nothing at all so not sure the point there. Is it really swinging and missing when you draft someone in a rule 5 draft?
Hu, I already covered that one… bad move as I said.
Carrasco, already covered that one too if you would read my post.
This year’s guys? Why condemn them before they even play? You could end up with a Valentin or Tatis or you could end up with a Hu… hard to say. I actually like Bautista and Hairston signings for depth as they both performed about equal to their salaries.
As for your reputation? LOL, the only “saber” Mets site I know of is AA. You are known at many more blogs than just those.
You seem to always ignore the fact that the player has a choice where to go, thus just because the Mets did not sign a player does not mean that Sandy was uninterested…
‘You seem to always ignore the fact that the player has a choice where to go, thus just because the Mets did not sign a player does not mean that Sandy was uninterested…’
This. I don’t know why some Met fans assume that just because we didn’t get player A, we didn’t initially target player A. Most of what the FO went into the off season targeting on their whiteboard we as fans will never know.
Yup and as SRT will attest to I used the same defense over and over and over in defense of Omar. It’s not about Sandy or Omar or any other GM, we just don’t have enough information to judge yet. It’s like how many people get all over Omar for the Castillo signing and bidding against himself. Yet we know there are plenty of rumors that the Astro’s were interested and had a 3 year deal in place but never made an official offer.
I thought that comment was a bit offly worded also.
I asusme it meant he needs to learn when to attack a fat pitch?
taking a walk is better than flailing at bad pitches and getting yourself out, but not at the expense of taking a hittable pitch that you should be able to drive.
Welllllllll, it depends.
Does he have a crazy high BABIP? Is he chasing a lot of stuff? Is he hitting off a lot of guys learning to locate their fast ball? There are a lot of variables we’d have to see.
He may in fact be a free swinger (most minor league hitters are). He is just going up against guys putting fat ones in the zone. For all we know, he’s never seen a real off speed pitch in his life.
I’ll take any catcher who wants to play his way into the majors!
gamboa and evans both play ss .. so who loses out and is forced to play 2b?
You missed out on Chase Huchingson.
No, I didn’t “miss” him, I purposely left him out because I’ve seen his name mentioned by too many people. Once again, I was looking to list players that no one was talking about. That eliminated Huch in my estimation.
JUST LIKE THE “IDES OF MARCH” ONE MUST BEWARE OF THE PRE-AA POWER PITCHER WHO STRIKES OUT MANY WHILE WALKING FEW!
AS HITTER’S PLATE DISCIPLINE IS LEARNED THAT RATIO CAN QUICKLY REVERSE ITSELF.