14
2013
MMO Top 25 Prospects: #20 (Robles) Through #16 (Leathersich)
An article by 
It is my turn to roll out some profiles on who we feel are the top prospects in the Mets minor league system right now. As Sean mentioned in the first post of the series, which you can read here, the list was compiled after much deliberation, arguing, and name-calling. To be honest, a lot of that had to do with my new name being Perseus and Sean requesting to be addressed as Batman…but nevertheless, let us move ahead into the top twenty with #16- #20.
20. Hansel Robles, RHP
Height: 5’11
Weight: 185 LBS
Age: 22
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Signed as an international free agent in August of 2008, Robles did everything in his power last season to dispel the idea that he projects to be a reliever. Arguably, Robles had the best season of any arm in the Mets system with an ERA of 1.11 over 72.2 innings, which led the New York Penn League. If you include his final start in the post season, he finished the year with 45 straight shutout innings, a WHIP of .784 (47 H/10 BB) and 0 home runs allowed. His 66 strikeouts were nothing to sneeze at, resulting in an 8.2 K/9 compared to an exceptional 1.2 BB/9 ratio. He can throw a fastball, slider, change-up, and an occasional curve ball.
Outlook: It is hard not to fall in love with what Robles did last year, but one has to remember that it was in his age 21 season, which is a little old for the NYPL. His fastball is a plus pitch, with good movement and good control while his changeup is just average. His slider comes in at around 87/88 MPH, but he struggles to control it and his curveball is scarcely used. His fastball sits at 91-92, and tops out at 94 and the change comes in at 82, which helps his cause. Robles will continue to get innings as a starter until he runs into some trouble, which I agree with completely. I have a bit more hope for Robles than others, but tempering my expectations, I think he projects to be a middle of the rotation starter in a best case scenario. Robles has a good jump ahead of him from Brooklyn to Savannah, but I think we can expect to see him in St.Lucie by the end of 2013.
19. Kevin Plawecki, C
Height: 6’2
Weight: 205 LBS
Age: 21 (22 in February)
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
The 35th pick in the 2012 draft, Kevin Plawecki, was selected with one of the comp picks we received for losing Jose Reyes. At the time of the draft, I liked him a lot more than I did Cecchini, and I went out of my way to compare him to Paul Lo Duca in terms of an offensive ceiling. The main criticism about the pick was not so much a knock on Plawecki, but rather that the Mets made a big reach taking him with the 35th pick when he could have been around in the third. One of the things that scouts keyed in on was that he had a long swing and it cut some of his power away, but he made strides to fix that in his first pro season since coming out of Purdue. Down in Brooklyn, Plawecki put up a .250 average with a 1:1 BB/K rate (25:24). The NYPL is a pitching dominant league, so try not to get too down on the .250 average, especially when he accompanied it with seven homers and eight doubles in just 216 at-bats.
Outlook: Plawecki is not a defensive wizard, as he gets by with a below average arm, but he is an intelligent baseball player. Intelligence at the catcher position is key, and he was known for calling his own games when he played at Purdue. I believe in Kevin Plawecki more than most, and I actually think he will pan out to be a solid major league regular. (Think AJ Pierzynski) Also, considering the fact that he was drafted as a junior in college, it puts him on somewhat of a fast track to the major leagues. His 2013 season will be key in determining what kind of player he will really turn out to be, as he makes the same jump as Hansel Robles to Savannah and potentially St. Lucie.
18. Rainy Lara, RHP
Height: 6’4
Weight: 180 LBS
Age: 21 (22 in March)
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
I never understood why Rainy Lara received so little attention last season. I mean, his name alone warrants a further look, right? Lara has been consistent and impressive at each level he has pitched at, and showed some real potential while closing and starting games for Brooklyn. He is coming off a strong 2012 campaign in the NYPL where he posted a 2.91 ERA in 68 innings pitched. His BB/9 ratio was a solid 1.6 compared to a scintillating 10.2 K/9. He also managed to keep his WHIP under 1.00 in what turned out to be a solid breakthrough campaign.
Outlook: Lara possesses a fastball that sits in the low 90s, an above average change-up, and an average breaking ball. His ceiling might not be too high as a starter, perhaps a mid or back-end of the rotation starter, but you never know. He was a Brooklyn Cyclone last year, so the same disclaimer added to Hansel Robles has to be applied here – be careful not to make too much of his numbers in the NYPL. That being said, Lara has some experience working out of the pen and projects to be a useful pitcher in one way or another. If I had to give you one reason to rank him slightly above Robles, it would be his height. His frame gives his pitches a little boost, his change-up especially, and it may end up being the difference between him and Robles down the line.
17. Jacob deGrom, RHP
Height: 6’4
Weight: 185 LBS
Age: 24
Bats/Throws: Left/Right
Another solid right handed pitcher in the Mets system? You are correct, sir! I believe Jake deGrom was destined for something special. DeGrom was drafted in the 9th round of the 2010 Draft and immediately had TJ surgery in the Fall of 2010. That sounds pretty bad for a young pitcher, especially when you consider that he missed the entire 2011 season because of said surgery. But like I said, deGrom just might be destined for something special…because he came back topping the radar gun at 97 MPH in 2012. Mets Scouting Director Paul DePodesta raved about him according to Joe D.. He started 2012 in Savannah and was promoted to St.Lucie later in the year, where he actually improved on his numbers. He finished the year with a 2.43 ERA in 111.1 innings and a WHIP of .997. He struck out a solid 96 while walking only 20, and allowed only four home runs all year.
Outlook: Time to get serious. deGrom has definitely got the frame of a pitcher and still has some time to add a little muscle. The downside here is that projecting success for a 9th round pick is a stretch, and one that has already had TJ surgery is pushing it. However, DeGrom has an absolutely electric fastball that sits at 92-96 during all of his starts. He throws a two-seam variation with some sink and a straight four-seam with some more velocity behind it. His success as a starter will be determined, as always, by the development or lack thereof of his secondary offerings (a change-up and a slider), which are average at best right now although his change showed nice improvement at the end of last season. I will say this to sound a little bold, however… DeGrom should be very successful in AA in 2013, and I believe he has a successful major league career ahead of him as a starter, or at the very least as a reliever based on how strong his fastball offerings are and his improving change.
16. Jack Leathersich, LHP
Height: 5’11
Weight: 205 LBS
Age: 22
Bats/Throws: Right/Left
Jack “Leather Rocket” Leathersich is quite the interesting case. He was our 5th round pick in the 2011 draft and went on to dominate Brooklyn in his professional debut as a reliever. In 2012, he started the year in Savannah and was on cruise control before he was promoted to St.Lucie. He ran into his first real trouble there, where he posted an ERA of 4.12 in 48 innings compared to his microscopic 0.75 ERA in Savannah in 24 innings. He also showed a little bit less control once he was promoted, with his BB/9 increasing from 3.0 to 4.5. However, those numbers do not tell the whole story as even in St. Lucie, opposing hitters only hit Leathersich at a .224 clip and he allowed only three home runs all year. Did I forget to mention that he struck out a gaudy 113 hitters in 72 innings?
Outlook: Leathersich will likely be making the jump to AA at some point next season, and most of us at MMO believe his success there will be huge for projecting his future. That being said, the fact that he is a relief pitcher allows him to move through the system a little quicker, and he could potentially be competing for a bullpen spot in 2014 if all goes well. After a long look at his stats and game footage, especially his K/9 (14.2 at St. Lucie, 13.9 at Savannah, 18.5 at Brooklyn in 2011), Leathersich has the makings of a successful future reliever in my eyes. Leather Rocket has the skills to be more than just a LOOGY, and in fact, he just might be the top left-handed pitching prospect the Mets have in the system right now. A southpaw with strikeout rates like this is pretty exciting to say the least.
Keep a look out for prospects 11-15 from Sean on Wednesday, and the countdown continues from there as Sean and I double up to give a full breakdown of the top ten Mets prospects. On a personal note, I really enjoy taking part in this series because it promotes great discussion and informs people of what players to keep an eye on. All I ask is that you keep it clean and respectful, as always, or you just might incur my wrath… Oh, one last thing, because you asked, here is a list of ineligibles for this year’s prospect list: Robert Carson, Josh Edgin, Matt Harvey, Collin Mchugh, Jenrry Mejia, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Elvin Ramirez and Jordany Valdespin.
MetsMerized Top 25 Prospects
25. Danny Muno
24. Aderlin Rodriguez
23. Cory Mazzoni
22. Cesar Puello
21. Juan Lagares
20. Hansel Robles
19. Kevin Plawecki
18. Rainy Lara
17. Jacob deGrom
16. Jack Leathersich
About the Author: Satish Ram
I am a Senior Writer and Editor here at MetsMerized - where I specialize in Minor League coverage. I have been on the staff since 2007 and I am currently in my third semester of college in New York City. You can find me at www.facebook.com/SatishRam or @SilverHeatMMO. Feel free to message me - I love talking about the Mets or baseball overall with anybody.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 28 | .600 | - |
| Nationals | 34 | 35 | .493 | 7.5 |
| Phillies | 34 | 37 | .479 | 8.5 |
| Mets | 25 | 40 | .385 | 14.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 47 | .319 | 19.5 |
Last updated: 06/18/2013
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What happened to Pete?
Pete left for personal reasons.
So he’s gone?? Whoa.
Hey can you add a running list of who your released players are so far? It will make it easier to put this into context that way. Just throw it at the end or something.
Added it.
Did he? I always liked to hear Pete’s opinon on the Mets Farm
Hope to read his writing in the future.
“If you include his final start in the post season, he finished the year with 45 straight shutout innings”
Wowsa, that’s impressive no matter what the conditions are.
Leathersich looks very promising even if his ceiling is a BP arm.
Robles…is he comparable to Gee or a tick better?
Agreed on Leathersich.
I’d say a tick better, but he still has the issue of overcoming his frame.
The “Leather Rocket”. LOL.
It’s his twitter haha, and the nickname stuck.
Also, referring to what you said above, the way Robles finished last season was ridiculous.
deGrom and Leathersich are too legit to quit. They’ll both be in Queens by 2014 at the latest.
I hope you right.
One key aspect about the enormous depth of projectable young pitching talent is that the odds to finally come up with a strong & cost efficient homegrown bullpen are very high.
I don´t know if there´s any team in Baseball that has produced fewer legit major league relievers over the past decade or so than the Mets.
Bell – Parnell – Heilman – Lindstrom – J.Smith and – err – nobody.
Not exactly awe-inspiring either.
Familia, Edgin, maybe Mejia and maybe even Gorski or McHugh if there´s no space in the rotation, plus Carson, Fraser, Ar.Rodriguez or Ramirez could change that this season.
And a bunch of other options – including the 4 pitchers on this list and several more ahead and behind them in the rankings could emerge as factors by the second half of the 2014 season.
I would bet everything I have that the Mets will graduate a much higher and overall more productive number of relievers over the next 10 years than over the past 10 years, for sure…
Great point. I think the homegrown bullpen (read: cheap) is a key to the Mets success moving forward. We’ve never been good at it. What’s required is a shift in organizational thinking. You read it everywhere, from scouts and fans, that a guy might be “just” a BP arm in the arm. And that’s perfectly fine — it’s desirable — we need a pipeline of young, cheap arms for the pen. Then you can spend elsewhere. So I agree, it looks like the Mets are 1-2 years away from succeeding at that, and I credit Alderson for having that vision (I think).
“and I credit Alderson for having that vision (I think).”
Well, if we are going by the players Drdooby listed( Familia, Edgin, Mejia, Gorski, McHugh, Carson, Fraser, Ar.Rodriguez and Ramirez), all of those potential future RP’s were already in the organization before Alderson got here.
Vinny, yes, I understand that. My take on Alderson — and it’s mostly guesswork, so I could easily be wrong — is that he’s a smart guy who understands the need for “internal options” (Sandy’s pet phrase) in the bullpen. It’s well-known that the cost for relievers is very high and that consistency from year to year is extremely low. Then you look at the Atlanta Braves and see that everyone, or most everyone in their pen last season made the ML minimum (I could be wrong about that, too, because I’m not looking it up, but the basic point remains). It’s just the smart way to go.
So to me it’s not so much a matter of how we got these players — Alderson’s only been in charge for two drafts — but how we deploy them moving forward. In addition, I don’t think you draft relievers, I think you show a willingness to groom pitchers for relief work once you figure out who you’ve got. My suspicion is that the regime understands the valuing of growing your own relievers. I’ve been waiting for that particular light bulb to go off for a long time now.
Okay, but I don’t see how Alderson gets credit for talent that was already here before he arrived. The regime that drafted/signed these players should get the credit, not the regime that inherited them.
I don’t know what to tell you, Vinny. I’m clearly, clearly NOT giving him credit for the players he didn’t draft. I mean, just reread what I wrote. You are disagreeing with something that hasn’t been said. I am crediting him, hopefully, if I read this correctly, with a shift in organizational philosophy.
I don’t see a shift in organizational philosophy(I’m talking specifically about homegrown RP’s and nothing else). All those potential RP’s that drdooby mentioned were all here before Alderson got here, so shouldn’t the regime before him get credit for the shift in philosophy?
Minaya’s regime should get the credit for the “vision” because they did all the leg work and acquired all of them(with the exception of E Ramirez).
I don’t see anything Alderson has done so far to deserve credit in this area (other than Leathersich), whether it’s the “vision” or potential RP’s we have I don’t see how Alderson could get any credit.
Both have done well in that regard ( though we’re often talking about the same scouts that did he groundwork anyway).
Credit for the 1st wave mostly goes to Omar & Co.
Credit for the 2nd wave mostly goes to SA & Co.
An interesting question will be is: When will SA pull the trigger on some SP prospects who a) project to do better in the bullpen anyway and b) probably won’t find space in the major league rotation ?
Jeurys Familia – to me – is the first candidate for that switch.
And Cory Mazzoni figures to be the next one.
And as the depressingly low number of homegrown bullpen pieces over the past decade shows, coming up with strong homegrown relief pitching is a key part of success.
Just look at the 2012 Braves, Rays, Nats or A’s bullpens for example. No reliever on those staffs made over 5 million $ in 2012 and I don’t think the overall salary for any of those groups was higher than 10 million total – or about as much as Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch made combined in 2012…
The 2nd ‘wave’ is considerably smaller than the first. This isn’t a criticism of Alderson, I’m just stating a simple fact here. He really hasn’t done much of anything yet to get credit for having homegrown RP’s. There are no homegrown RP’s on the major league roster from Alderson, and I don’t believe there are any in AAA either, so I don’t see how can he can get any credit in this area.
Again, this is not a criticism, it’s just a simple fact.
Also, let’s look at the Rays more closely. Just because those guys don’t make a lot of money doesn’t mean they are homegrown. Many of their key pieces to their bullpen has come from outside the organization – Rodney, Peralta, Badenhop, Howell, all were acquired from outside the organization, but they were key pieces in their successful bullpen.
And it’s not like that’s a fluke from them, it’s a trend. In 2011 the three pitchers who lead them in appearances came from outside the organization (Farnsworth, Cruz, and Peralta).
And in 2010 the 6 pitchers who lead them in appearances also came from outside the organization(Soriano, Benoit, Cormier, Wheeler, Choate, and Balfour).
The Rays actually prove that you don’t necessarily have to have a homegrown bullpen to have a successful bullpen. Of course it’s an advantage to have one, but the Rays prove you can build on without it – And cheaply too.
5 worthy names again for sure.
Though in general, I would hesitate to rate reliever prospects higher over SP prospects with similar upside.
While I really like “Leather Rocket” and his odds to move through the system quickly, he´s definitely a longterm reliever for me, so I´d rank him somewhere in the 20 to 30 range, based on the depth of other pitching prospects with higher ceilings in the system. DeGrom is a legit SP prospect – even if his age means that he won´t have a lot of time to realize it and figures to be moved through the system rather swiftly. But even then, his raw stuff is probably more overpowering than Leathersich´ stuff – where the question is whether his deception will work closer to Sid Fernandez or to Yusmeiro Petit at the major league level.
Robles and Lara – while being less advanced in terms of level mastered- also seem to have a better shot at remaining SP longterm than Leathersich.
So, I´d probably flip Robles and Leathersich in these rankings and be alright with it….
Yeah, his higher ranking was a result of the way we put together our list.
I agree with you on the fact that deGrom has better raw stuff than Leathersich, and that it’s hard to put a reliever higher than starters. However, Leathersich benefits from the fact that he’s left handed.
I like the Sid name drop… He came up when I was researching Jack because of his high K rate.
Out of all the people on today’s portion, deGrom probably has the best raw stuff, but we’ll see what happens. Much respect to your knowledge of the minors, btw.
I don’t know exactly what it is but in that picture of Leathersich he looks a lot like Seaver.
I think it may be the leg kick…Lets hope it’s more than just a superficial similarity.
Surprised that Plawecki was so high, but it reads like you’re very high on him. Robles had a tremendous season and I hope he can duplicate that success in Savannah. deGrom is an interesting prospect and some say he may already be knocking on the Mets door if not for the TJS. He flashed some brilliance last season and I’v read that he actually throws harder now than when the Mets first selected him.
That sucks about Petey Pete, but you guys are doing a nice job, so keep up the good work.
However, there’s one ranking I really disagree with, Cesar Puello. He should higher than 22. Puello is a tremendous athlete – he’s got some power, and a lot of speed. Not many players in our system can match his athleticism and potential.
I understand that he hasn’t produced much statistically, but he’s still young enough that he could still turn his potential into results. Also, I believe he missed most of the season due to a wrist injury, so I think there’s no doubt that effected his performance.
Appreciate it, Vinny.
Puello is a pretty impressive athlete. If he has a strong statistical year this year, expect him to jump up the list.
I’m not too down on him yet, because he’s only turning 22 in April and has the potential to definitely turn things around.
I keep reading a lot of great things about DeGrom. Makes me excited about his future. Toby Hyde is really high on him too as he saw him pitch in Savannah
I see juan centeno cracked the top10!
Hey, why don’t you write up a fan post about Centeno?
He isn’t in our top ten. But if you feel he should be, write up a post. I’ll even edit it for you if you’d like – I’m up for promoting new knowledge about our prospects.
Amazin Avenue did a top 50 yesterday and Juan Centeno didn’t make their list. Remain calm.
Is Gabriel ynoa in the top 25? You can argue that he’s the best of the Brooklyn guys.
Ynoa was on our honorable mentions. We might compile those together and release them later on.
I love Ynoa and I agree. I’d take him over Robles in a heartbeat.
Being impatient ( while patiently awaiting the rebuilding), wondering who the 15 remaining prospects are.
11 are pretty much standard for everyone:
Wheeler – D’ Arnaud – Syndergaard – Flores – Fulmer – Nimmo – Tapia – Montero – Cecchini – Familia – Mateo, those 11, in whatever order you like them should be in the top 11 in all likelihood. That leaves 4 spots to fill.
Will it be advanced pitching prospects with somewhat limited ceilings such as LH Darin Gorski & RH Colin McHugh ? Slick-fielding ( and underrated) Wilfredo Tovar ? Talented but far away SS Phillip Evans ? Slugging OF Corey Vaughn ? Slick fielding OF Matt Den Dekker ? DSL sensation Vincente Lupo ? Highly touted record signee Ahmed Rosario ? Heck quick moving RH Logan Verrett ? 20 names for 15 remaining spots ? How is that going to work,damnit ?
And the beloved Omar vs. Sandy debate could reach another climax.
So far, Omar is ahead 6 prospects signed vs. 4 through 10 listed prospects. However 7 of the likely top 11 were signed or traded for by SA & Co. So it’s actually 11 to 10 in favor of SA. However 6 of the 9 others I mentioned were signed by Omar & his administration…
Of course, one camp will quickly point out that without Omar’s groundwork, Sandy wouldn’t have been able to trade for Wheeler, D’Arnaud & Co and receive early picks too ! While the other side will make sure to let us know that only SA ‘s progressive development methods have helped the Minaya kids settle in as top prospects….
And what about Juan Centeno & Kai Gronauer ?