Updated 2013 Mets Minor League Rotations

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• FPCBulldog February 21, 2013 at 3:19 pm

  Nice to see a Stetson Hatter, Jacob deGrom, having success in the Mets system. Looking forward to hopefully seeing him pitch in Daytona against the Cubs.
  • Joe D February 21, 2013 at 3:52 pm

    If not for the elbow injury which cost him 18 months, deGrom may be knocking at the door for an MLB rotation spot this Spring.
• Dave In Spain February 21, 2013 at 3:19 pm

  Joe, do you think deGrom could start in Binghamtom instead of Germen or Hutchingson or even Pill? He´s a little older and did well last year, so could potentially be pushed.
  • Joe D February 21, 2013 at 3:47 pm

    Dave I struggled hard with that one. I mentioned in the Lucie rotation that deGrom would be the first to AAA and it’s because of three things; 1. His age, 2. His composure, 3. His command.

    Yes, he could start in AA, it’s not a stretch, but it really depends on who gets cut and who gets sent to the pen. I have a feeling that for April they will start him in Lucie, but that by the end of the month he could be in Bongo where he probably belongs and needs to be.
• CThomp519 February 21, 2013 at 3:35 pm

  Here’s the thing, there won’t be any seven man rotations. They might piggyback a few guys, but nobody is developing pitching every eight days.

  I doubt Gorski starts in Vegas since he was mediocre in Bingo; unless he shows a lot this spring or moves directly to the bullpen.

  I kind of think the reason these guys weren’t traded was because they’ve mostly achieved success in the lower levels. Their value increases once they’ve had success at least in AA. This time next year, the Mets could have an unbelievable amount of players in mlb’s top 100. They could have like 5 or 6 pitchers alone.

  DeGrom, Tapia, Fulmer, Mateo, Robles, Lara, Syndegaard, Lara, and Gnoa can all make that list with continued development. And that’s just the pitchers and doesn’t include any 2013 draftees.
  • Joe D February 21, 2013 at 3:50 pm

    Gorski was very mediocre as a starter as you point out. But one of the coaches told me that he will likely transition to a relief role and that it could happen as soon as right now. As for the 7 pitchers think of it as a depth chart, only five will get slotted but it’s always good to see the entire landscape.
• nickel7168 February 21, 2013 at 4:04 pm

  CThomp519 wrote: “I kind of think the reason these guys weren’t traded was because they’ve mostly achieved success in the lower levels. Their value increases once they’ve had success at least in AA. ”

  I agree. Don’t forget…..
  AA is the biggest jump in baseball & a graveyard for avg fastball pitchers
• DrDoooby February 21, 2013 at 4:05 pm

  Hmm. I see things a bit different:

  Either Hefner or Laffey will be in the mlb bullpen, I suppse. Can’t see the Mets going without any sort of long reliever.

  AAA: Wheeler – Mejia – McHugh – Gorski – Schwinden is my guess. If a 6th SP s needed it’ll be Cohoon or Owen.
  Familia & Germen will transition to the bullpen, I suppose.

  AA: this will be interesting. Mazzoni is the only lock. With all the buzz, I see Montero in here. Probably Goeddel. Due to his age and looming 40-man decision, DeGrom could be pushed here. Assuming the BMets have a 6-man rotation, Pill & Verrett should round out the staff. Maybe Angel Cuan instead of DeGrom or Montero early on as the lone lefty. Peavey & Hutchigson will be relievers.

  Hi A: Syndergaard – Fulmer – Tapia should be locks. I believe Panteleodis will be here as a lefty after his strong finish. As a 40-man roster player, I expect to see Robles here, probably joined by Mateo to form one of the most promising rotations in the entire minors on paper.

  Low A: Ynoa & Lara should be locks. I also expect Matz here, if healthy, considering he’s Rule V eligible after the season. Same for Miller Diaz, so he is a good bet to appear here. Matt Koch may project as a reliever but will start initially, I believe. The final spot is anyone’s guess among Cessa, Hillario, Gsellman, Taylor or Gant, imho. With some heading to Brooklyn.

  In any case, it’s good to have an interesting prospect projected for almost every rotation spot for these teams. Due to the strong control exhibited by some of these arms and the depth in numbers, I expect to see some being pushed a bit faster than before. Of course, injuries may take care of these ” problems”. In spite of a good pitching development program, I can’t see another almost injury free year like in 2012…
  • van February 21, 2013 at 4:16 pm

    a real interesting thing to monitor is how many of the PSL guys pitch their way up to Bingo this year. Hopefully 2-3 do, since that would mean they obviously wear dealing, but also are now a quick jump to the majors (with the comensurate higher trade bait value too).
• van February 21, 2013 at 4:12 pm

  some of the number crunch will work itself out naturally if a couple guys get hurt in ST. Hopefully not, since too much talent is not really a bad thing! And odds are, some guys that probably deserve to start will be fighting for innings out of the pen.

  I agree about being surprised they did not move a few guys this off season. No clue if the returns just weren’t there, or they are hoping to hang onto the arms through the next level (AA?) where they will be more valuable.

  of course, deadline deals are much easier if you have an abundence of players that other teams want. And if not moved then, thee will be no choice but to trade some in the off season or they will lose them for nothing.

  so, figure out of this bunch a few guys come up lame, a couple move to the pen (and hopefully shoot to the majors!), and plenty of them force there way up the chain.

  finally, my dark horse to be the break-out guy that moves a couple levels quick is Matz.
  • DrDoooby February 21, 2013 at 4:28 pm

    With all due respect to Mike Antonini and Jefrey Marte, the Mets haven’t traded a real prospect in 4+ years.
    And while the slow building process ain’t easy, it’s probably the right call to keep all the chips together until the time to cash in is right – which probably is next winter.

    And as long as no legit prospect is blocked, it’s not an issue. So if there’s no rotation room for Peavey or Cuan, so be it…
    • van February 21, 2013 at 4:41 pm

      Agreed. But, next winter can easily start this July if the right player becomes available. Not just thinking of trading for a rental for the stretch run (though it would be fantastic to be in that position!) But even if the Mets are selling, it may be possible to expand a deal to bring a higher end player back.

      tough of course to find say a team that needs a SP real bad, but has too many OFs to use them all, but the key is, the more chips you have, the better position you are to take advantage of an opportunity.
• CThomp519 February 21, 2013 at 4:23 pm

  DeGrom was a Viola favorite. I heard he even talked Jacob into possibly bringing back the Viola Mustache once he eventually makes the bigs…
  • Joe D February 21, 2013 at 4:27 pm

    I’ll be talking to Jake either Tuesday or Wednesday of next week in an interview for MMO.
• CThomp519 February 21, 2013 at 4:28 pm

  Matz, if he could only just stay healthy, could become the best lefty pitcher the Mets have produced in decades… This guy is a beast and throws close to 100 mph as a starter. But, he’s the Reese Havens of their minor league pitchers.
  • van February 21, 2013 at 4:44 pm

    well, Reese had a variety of 1-off injuries, and ow seems to have a chronic back issue.

    matz was just a TJ surgery guy that took a while to get all the way back from it, but pretty sure he has not had any other injuries, so no reason to think he is any different than the multitude of other young pitchers that had fine careers after having TJ.
• CThomp519 February 21, 2013 at 4:30 pm

  They traded Lindstrom and Heath Bell…that didn’t work out very well.
• HarryDoyle February 21, 2013 at 8:52 pm

  Joe D,

  If Hefner and Laffey are headed for Vegas, then who will be the Mets long-man in the pen?
  • Joe D February 21, 2013 at 10:03 pm

    Hi Harry,

    Currently I project the bullpen like this:

    CL: Bobby Parnell
    SU: Brandon Lyon
    RP: Josh Edgin
    RP: Scott Atchison
    RP: Pedro Feliciano
    RP: Greg Burke or LaTroy Hawkins or Elvin Ramirez

    http://metsmerizedonline.com/2013/02/projected-mets-opening-day-roster-are-valdespin-and-turner-out.html
    • Hitman February 21, 2013 at 10:11 pm

      Joe, why would you consider Elvin Ramirez in the running but not Familia?
    • HarryDoyle February 22, 2013 at 1:33 am

      So you don’t expect the Mets to have a long-man in the pen? Isn’t that pretty unorthodox?