23
2013
Prospect Pulse: 2013 Mets Centerfield Candidate Matt den Dekker
An article by 
Matt den Dekker, CF
Bats: L Throws: L
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 205 lb.
Position: Centerfield
Age: 25 (26 in August)
ETA: 2013
MMO Top Prospect Rank: #12
Background:
Here is a brief player profile from the recent 2013 MMO Top 25 Prospect series:
Matt den Dekker has only been in the Mets farm system for three years, but his name has been relevant since the Mets tabbed him as a legitimate centerfield prospect. Den Dekker torched Binghamton upon his arrival in 2012, but struggled after his promotion to Buffalo and saw his strikeout rate increase to nearly 30%. He has a great feel for centerfield and could get by on his spectacular defense alone as a major leaguer. But his ability to hit advanced pitching will ultimately determine how quickly he makes his way onto the Mets.
Den Dekker is likely the closest outfield prospect the Mets have to being MLB ready. The one downside is that he’s another left-handed hitter which means he would have to outperform the glut of other Mets left-handed hitters to earn a promotion.
He is considered a superior defender to incumbent Kirk Nieuwenhuis, but with his inability to consistently make contact and a poor split-performance, den Dekker is likely to begin the season in Las Vegas and won’t make a trip up to Flushing until he can improve some elements to his offensive game. If he can square up and make more consistent contact, while reducing his strikeouts, Den Dekker could make an appearance later this season and end up playing a significant role this year and next. It’s a big “if” but it’s certainly not out of the question.
When looking at den Dekker’s stats, it’s easy to see his numbers took a dive after he made the jump to a higher level. This happened in both 2011 and 2012. What’s promising is how he adjusted at those levels when he started with those teams the following season. He was absolutely destroying Double-A pitching in 2012 after struggling during his first stint there in 2011. In 58 games with Binghamton last year, he hit to the tune of a .340 AVG/.397 OBP/ 8 HR/ 29 RBI/ 10 SB. You can see why he got promoted to Triple-A Buffalo after a sizzling start like that.
Up at Buffalo, he struggled. But as I stated earlier, that seems to be the trend with den Dekker (when he initially makes a jump, he struggles). It will be interesting to see what he does in Las Vegas this year, because if he follows the trend, he should put up some really solid numbers at the Triple-A level now that he got a half season under his belt. If he succeeds in Vegas, he will surely be a candidate to join the Mets sometime in June or July.
Analysis:
Based on the video, den Dekker does have a slight mechanical issue with his swing. It is easily fixable using muscle memory drills. However, he does have a very smooth swing and the potential is there to be a 20/20 type of player at the major league level.
I’m not sure den Dekker will ever be a .300 hitter unless he works out the mechanical deficiency that was described in the video. His front foot opens up during his swing, which causes his hips to open early. This could make him susceptible to off-speed pitches and pitches on the outside part of the plate. Keeping his front foot and hips closed longer should also improve his strikeout rate (since it will help him with the off-speed/outside pitches). If he is going to be a .300 hitter, he is going to have to working on keeping those hips closed and use all parts of the field when hitting.
Here is what a scout had to say about den Dekker via ESPN New York:
He’s a good defender. He throws good enough. He’s got some power — not great power, but he’s got some power. He’s making adjustments. I’ve been there [to watch Binghamton] three times. Every time he’s gotten better with the bat. He’s not flailing. He’s not trying to pull the ball. He’s making adjustments. It looks natural. He will cut down on his strikeouts with this new approach. He’s more patient. He’s going to be OK. I was prepared to not like this kid. He’s really won me over. It’s going to be a very spirited competition for center field between him and Nieuwenhuis, who are both better than Torres.
Those are pretty powerful words from that scout who said that both Nieuwenhuis and den Dekker were better than Andres Torres already, and this quote is from last June. Matt den Dekker should start the season with Triple-A Las Vegas, and you should definitely keep an eye on him in 2013. Depending on how he performs in Las Vegas, he could be in the outfield mix at Citi Field very soon.
To read previous editions of this feature, go to our MMO Prospect Pulse Archives.
Follow MMO Minor League Analyst Mitch Petanick on Twitter at @FirstPitchMitch for even more Mets Minor League and prospect coverage.
About the Author: Mitch Petanick
Mitch is currently an Editor and Minor League Analyst for Mets Merized Online. His baseball experience includes being a former All-Conference collegiate baseball player who had numerous professional tryouts, and he is currently a hitting instructor. He has been involved with the game of baseball for over 30 years now as a player, coach, and consultant. Mitch is also a former Featured Columnist on Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @FirstPitchMitch.
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The struggles at each level don’t really worry me…The key to being an MLb player is the ability to make adjustments…The concern is does he make them quick enough…
You can struggle in the Minors and have the time to adjust to what they do but once you get to the MLB you had better be quick to make adjustments or you will be riding pine where no success or work towards it get made.
My hope is he goes to Vegas, Gets really hot there and they bring him up while the iron is still hot…Maybe that will carry over, give him some confidence to carry over. Then hope he can make the adjustment quick enough to not get labeled AAAA and worthless….
If anyone has any designs on Trading for aguy like Stanton a guy like Den Dekker is going to be needed to fill the positional hole. Unless they decide to trade Nimmo instead.
Nimmo has nothing to do with MDD really, since he is at least 3 years away by normal progression.
to me, the key is, if you believe in the guy, make the commitment to him, and give him enough time to work out of it. If you plan to promote him and make a knee-jerk reaction after 1-2 rought weeks, than don’t even bother.
If CF is not working, and he is tearing up Vegas, then bring him up, put him there, and tell him he will be the starter for the rest of the year no matter what. That at least will give him a chance to get comfortable, and work through the adjustment period.
it worked well for Duda in 2011. Once they gave him a spot, and said you are starting he settled in, and was the teams best hitter for the 2nd half of the year.
a lot has to do with what you think the guy’s ceiling is though. If you really don’t see him as mroe than a 4th OF/platoon guy, then fine, use him that way (unless he somehow proves otherwise). But if you think he can potentially be a real starting quality player, then make the commitment and ride it out.
Well he does if the Marlins insist on Nimmo in return for a trade of Stanton…
otherwise we would probably prefer to ship them MDD instead!
They are going to want a OFer to replace the loss of glove and the only two real CFs we have are those two…
well, if Miami wants Nimmo for stanton, then you will find him in Florida.
still, big difference between a guy that could be up this year and one that is a good 3 years away. By then, there could be a number of other guys pop up, or they will just get one from the outside.
Van what is the difference when it comes to Stanton pray tell?
There is none!
Please read what I said in relation to mentioning MDD and Nimmo please and tell why a difference between the two is worth pointing out as it relates to what is required to get Stanton and fill the hole in CF a trade of him would creat in Miami…
not sure why you are so worked up, but since it means so much to you, I will try.
Mets don’t have a set CF right now. MDD is one of the guys that could fill that in 2013 at some point.
Nimmo is at least 3 years away most likely. Trading him tomorrow does not change anything about the team in 2013-2015. So there is no hole to replace if you trade Nimmo.
Van I’m not worked up…
Just wondering what the hell your babbling about when all I said about MDD and Nimmo was ONE of them would be required in a trade for Stanton.
In that situation there is no difference between the two!
Other than maybe if we are lucky Nimmo means less payers other than him in the deal…
Becuase right now they are the only two kids we have who play the OF that ACTUALLY PLAY OF as opposed to 2B or 3B or 1B and being thrown into the OF….
http://www.amazon.com/Joby-GP1-D1EN-Gorillapod-Flexible-Tripod/dp/B000EVSLRO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1361558266&sr=8-5&keywords=tripod
Lol, I was thinking the same thing.
They will get better, I wanted to make sure there was interest enough before I started investing in advanced equipment lol not that a tripod is advanced
It was very cool and I enjoyed watching. I just thought Jason Bourne was going to show up and knock you out.
Well Tripods can be very advanced if you buy the good ones….
In my business a good Tripod can go for 10K with motion fluid camera heads and multiple leveling features! LOL
Of course they are meant to hold a Camera that costs 150K and weighs a ton! LOL
I just saw one of the ads on the side of the page was for tripods on amazon lol what a coincidence
Did I miss something? Why are you guys talking about tripods?
I made a few guys motion sick with my camera work lol
LOL The side ads are targeted ads Mitch…
If you did a search for Tampons you have a good chance of getting a tampon ad there as well!LOL
I bet you looked or did a search for tripods today.
Mitch, once again you continue to add quality analysis with each of these posts in this series. Great work.
I’d like to make a request for future consideration. If possible it would be nice to see an analysis on a prospect that when he 1st came in to the organization had something about his mechanics that needed to be worked on that can be seen in some video who has since had it worked on and corrected that can also be illustrated in video.
Just an idea. Thanks again for everything you have brought to the table in this series.
Good analysis Mitch and I agree for the most part but my question does his front foot open up all the time or just on breaking pitches. Also have you seen him do this repeatedly or are you basing your analysis just on the video because if that’s the case than is he getting a breaking pitch in the video.
Very good question Bayonne…in fact, you bring up a great point because this problem could actually have been worked out by now. Its a relatively easy fix and a pretty common issue. In my experience, hitters will tend to do it on every swing but could actually be more visible depending on the pitch…like an inside fastball
Right,
I would tell him to try sliding his front foot up an inch or 2. That may help slow the opening of the hips lessening the opening up of his front shoulder a bit. Or at least go in that direction.
i mean sliding his front foot FORWARD an inch or two…not up
That’s actually what i did to fix the issue when I had it… it also helps to keep the hitter’s head and eyes on a level plane when the pitch is coming in.
Den Dekker is an interesting case. We all hope he starts to hitting quickly. With his defense, even if Kirk is doing well, Den Dekker should take over center and Kirk go to RF. But that is presuming each is hitting which is not a foregone conclusion at this time.
“ETA: 2015″
Dude, I understand the cautious approach with development, but isn’t he a little closer to the big club?
Thanks for pointing that out Donal…just a typo, it should have said 2013.
I can’t help but wonder if he’s the reason the Mets didn’t chase Bourn until it looked like they could get him at a steal. While MDD probably won’t be the caliber player Bourn is (not this year anyway) they do seem awfully similar. Left handed, good fielding, decent speed, problem with the strike out. Bourn has the advantage in pure speed, but MDD has a little more pop.
very possible. Almost like Bourn was 1 year too early. By the end of 2013, they could have pretty much tried out all of the near term possibles (cowgil, MDD, Kirk, Lagares) and have a pretty good idea if they can fill CF internally. If not, then they really need to go outside. But if that means Gomez, I am fine with that.
Mitch, the front foot opening which you say opens the hips too soon is an essential part of the swing, and something that all major league hitters do. Does it HAVE to open? No. But it’s certainly not an issue if it does. As the long as the hips are able to open. Most of the great hitters in the game open it. Chase Utley is really the only one I can think of off the top of my head that keeps it hardcore closed at the start of and throughout the swing. Actually if you read Ted Williams book The Science of Hitting, he himself preaches opening the foot around 45 degrees at foot plant. That guy was pretty good.
If the hips stay closed, as you advocate, then there is no separation between hips and shoulders, which means no torque, which means no bat speed or power. The hips HAVE to open earlier than the hips to be successful at this level. Watch slow motion video of great major leaguers and you will see.
The thing to look at would be position of shoulders, not hips. As long as the shoulders are closed at foot plant you are fine. If you pause Den Dekker in this video at foot plant, you can see his shoulders are closed. If you notice the line of his hips and line of his shoulders are different, which means good separation at time of swing start. It could just be that he has trouble reading breaking pitches out of the hand. It’s certainly not because of his foot or hips. Den Dekker’s foot and hips are just fine.
Disagree,
Dan Dekker is opening up his foot before foot plant. After your weight is transferred from back to front during swing THEN your front foot opens up just by natural reaction. Try planting your front foot in open position. It doesn’t work.
Mitch is correct. Also positioning of the shoulders is not something a hitter should be actively conscious of in my opinion. IF the position of the shoulders falls in line after you’re worked out whatever issues you have..and you feel completely BALANCED than you can take a snap shot of the shoulders. But talking about the shoulders doesn’t apply here.
I haven’t read Ted Williams book but I find it hard to believe he would advocate opening up the front foot before the swing is finished. I think it’s a matter of the wording you portray here. I’d have to see exactly what he wrote.
CB thanks for reading, but I’m sorry to say that your hitting analysis is way off and I think you maybe misunderstood what I was trying to say…
I am not advocating keeping the hips closed, but the longer they stay closed, they easier it will be for the hitter to handle an off-speed or outside pitch. The hips will open during the swing and the foot will naturally swing open to a 45-or even comptletely open as the hitter completes. That’s a given. But if that lead foot opens, his hips will open up, and he will be more susceptible to outside pitches. You can disagree with my analysis, but this is what a scout from the Chicago White Sox taught me during my playing days around ten years ago and what I pass on to younger hitters.
CB – this is what I meant by the front foot closing…found this on some hitting website maybe it explains it better:
Stride with front toe closed
By keeping the front toe closed you keep your hips closed. When the hips fly open too soon not only do you lose all of your power, but your head and shoulders fly out preventing you from making solid contact.
I was only referring to keeping the foot and hips closed during the stride – not the entire swing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OAcmITmzUY – front foot should be perpendicular to the pitcher on the plant
lol why are you sending me links to videos from Joe Blow from phoenix making a home video about what he teaches five year olds, and telling me about scouts who probably never even played the game or at least at a high level which is why he became a scout.
I am aware you don’t mean they never open, that would be ridiculous. But what it looks like you apparently don’t know (and Bayonne) is that the hips actually start to open BEFORE the foot plants, which is what opens the foot. By the time the heal is down the hips have already started to open. It is an essential part of the swing and something they ALL DO. When I say all, probably 99%. Now again, i’m not saying it HAS to open. If you can open your hips without opening your foot. Chase Utley made a fine living not opening it. But for most of them it does.
You can continue to listen to old college players from phoenix with a video camera, and scouts if you’d like, but I’m going to listen to MVP’s, Triple Crown winners, Hall of Famers, and all-time greats.
I’ll get you started on some of the videos you SHOULD be watching….
Prince Albert…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVZNFaFOQU4
Miguel Cabrera…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV9ssAuLE4o
Alex Rodriguez…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmH-laYAD3E
Matt Holiday…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oued02GvSQI
Sorry your analysis is wrong, my man. Den Dekker’s foot is a non-issue.
Listening to that instructor who was a scout got me to a pretty high level of playing ball. Where did you play that you learned that its ok to open the hips early and its helpful, because I’ve been around the game for 30 yrs and its the first I’m hearing this. I’m not going to argue back and forth about hitting mechanics with you but if a player is opening his hips before his stride foot touches the ground then he will never play above high school level baseball. Every guy in the video you sent keeps his hips closed even though the plant foot opens slightly. I was simply pointing out something I noticed with den Dekkers swing that could lead to future issues…if he opens the plant foot ans the hips stay closed then good for him. Like I said in a previous comment, if the pitch is an inside fastball then I can see a player swinging those hips open early…but on offspeed pitches or outside part of the plate it will be detrimental. I agree that den Dekker opening his foot could be a non-issue which is why I stated he has the potential to be a 20/20 guy.
wait, dude, are we watching the same videos?? pause the video when their heels hit the ground, their hips are open bro lol. That’s what is opening their foot. How can you open your foot but not open your hips lol. Their front knee swings around. Their back knee has already started to turn in and their back foot has already started to pull up when the foot plants.
It’s not about what you think or I think or a scout thinks or some dude in phoenix thinks. It’s about what these guys do, dude. They all do it. That is why they are in the major leagues and are able to have the bat speed for 95 mph fastballs.
Ryan Braun….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBDQlXLiOBc
I played D2 ball down in florida. But thats not where i learned it or why I think I know. Where I learned it was from watching the best. I’ve just showed you five videos now of some of the best hitters in the game. Two or three are a few of the best there ever was.
You say it got you to a pretty high level of ball. Did it get you to the major leagues? did it get you to bet one of the best ever? First step would have been to do it like these guys do it.
Nope I never made it to the major leagues. I saw those videos and understand what you are saying and agree that on 95mph fastballs the hips are going to open like that or you will never catch up especially on an inside fastballs. I don’t know, maybe the hitting strategies I was taught when I was coming up through the years is outdated…we were always taught to keep the hips closed as long as possible and avoid flying open. When guys opened that front foot it was a tell tale sign they were flying open. I’m not saying den Dekker was flying open and like I said before you’re probably right in that it will be a non issue…the dude has been raking aside from his adjustment periods.
Good Debate CB, I look forward to more discussions with you in the future. Maybe I won’t be as strict when I see the kids opening their front foot anymore lol
Once again, a detailed intelligent analysis that you never see on Metsblog. Thank you!
Thanks, Dave
Selfishly, I wish he’d get the job out of Spring Training. I’m pulling for Den Dekker to make the team sooner than later. Nothing against Nieuwenhuis, but once Den Dekker gets that little flaw out of the way, there’s no stopping him from being the man in CF for the next few years.
Speed, power (for being touted as someone with “some power”, I don’t think you can manage to hit 34 HRs the last two years by accident), great D. All the ingredients we need right now in an outfielder.
I think he’s pretty much a lock to be our future CF at this point barring some monumental collapse…he raked at single-a, then raked at double-a…I think he will rake at triple-a this year. Right now I think Kirk has the starting job in CF until den Dekker forces them to call him up with solid play and then they will slide Kirk over to a corner spot.
Mitch,
John Bernhardt contacted me and emailed me the following regarding Matt den Dekker:
I attend nearly 30 B-Met games each summer. Flores has a huge upside. If he pans out, the Mets very well might trade Murphy sometime down the road for outfield help.
I also have high hopes for Den Dekker. He was outrageously good in Binghamton during the first part of last summer’s season. I realize his numbers were dismal in Buffalo, but they were improving during the final weeks of the season.
At every level he has needed transition time. Den Dekker is a terrific defensive outfielder and he can run.
He seems to validate exactly what you pointed out regarding MDD and his transition time and ability to make necessary adjustments to succeed at each higher level.
That’s encouraging news on DD. If he can just come around with the bat we might have the CF of the future.
Nice job and nice site. It’s great to see good old fashioned player analysis like this complete with video. I’m not a Met fan but I love baseball and working and developing aspiring high school kids these days. I run a clinic in my hometown when I’m not coaching our high school team. The way you did this reminded me of how my old pitching coach would break down our form and mechanics the day after a game when I was pitching in the Twins system. I never made it past AA, but it was the experience of a lifetime and I believed my purpose in life was to impart what I’ve learned into developing young players for a potential future in baseball and to go farther than I did. That was my calling in life and I look forward to every new day.
Mark, thanks for reading and for sharing your story.