Las Vegas 14, Fresno 3

The 51s bats were in full force, putting the game out of reach by the first inning with a five-spot.

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Collin McHugh had a great outing today, going seven innings and allowing four hits while being charged with two unearned runs. He walked nobody and struck out five. McHugh had the offense behind him for the duration of the game so it was just a matter of not imploding and he did more than that. Jeurys Familia pitched the eighth inning and gave up two hits while striking out one. Robert Carson pitched the ninth and allowed one run on one hit and a walk.

Offensively, the 51s were firing on all cylinders. There were crooked numbers across the board as the first three innings yielded five, four, and three runs respectively. Vegas put across two more in the sixth, but after the first inning explosion, all of the rest was just insurance. Only one player (Omar Quintanilla) did not manage a hit. You could blame it on the PCL, but only two home runs were actually hit today. Some shoddy defense did, however, aid Vegas Thursday night.

Key Stats:

Juan Lagares – 3-for-6, HR, RBI, 2 R
Travis d’Arnaud – 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 3 R, K
Zach Lutz – 2-for-5, HR, R, 5 RBI (Grand Slam)
Collin McHugh – 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R (0 ER), 6 K, 0 BB

Las Vegas 4, Fresno 3

Darin Gorski had a decent outing and the late hitting for the 51s sealed the win, 4-3.

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Darin Gorski had a solid outing, going five innings allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, walking four and striking out three. Gorski did not exhibit solid command, but managed to miss the bats enough to walk away with a respectable start. Gorski will always be a contact pitcher, and the development of his breaking ball will determine his final resting place. Greg Peavey went two innings, allowing two hits and striking out one. Justin Hampson got the win, giving up one hit in his inning of work. Jeurys Familia came out for his inning to grab the save, giving up two hits but striking out one batter. Pitching has been a huge part of the 51s success and will continue to be.

On the offensive side, Vegas continued its early scoring mentality netting a run on a Wilmer Flores RBI groundout and an Andrew Brown RBI triple. Josh Satin would push an RBI single in the sixth inning to tie the game. A Jamie Hoffman RBI single in the top of the ninth inning would seal the win for the 51s. Despite many offensive explosion type games, the 51s have shown some clutch hitting as well as some great situational hitting.

Zack Wheeler toes the rubber for the 51s tomorrow evening at 10:05 ET as Las Vegas (4-1) continues their series with the Fresno Grizzlies.

Key Stats

• Juan Lagares - 2 for 5, R
• Travis d’Arnaud – 1 for 3, R, BB
• Wilmer Flores – 0 for 3, R, RBI, BB, K
• Darin Gorski - 5 IP, 5H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
• Jeurys Familia - 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, SV

Binghamton Mets 7, Erie SeaWolves 2

Erik Goeddel had a great outing and the offense made sure there was no doubt in the 7-2 victory

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Erik Goeddel put together a strong outing, going six innings giving up two runs on eight hits, walking no one and striking out five. Goeddel relied on generating ground balls and leaning on his defense, which is always a positive plan when you have a great defense behind you. Jack Leathersich came out for two innings of work, and allowed one hit while striking out two batters. Leathersich may be the fastest mover in the Mets system based on his ability to be a crossover reliever and dominate lefties. Jeffrey Walters came out for the ninth inning and allowed two hits and walked one batter pitching the ninth. The premier pitching surplus is present in Binghamton and they are utilizing it well.

The B.Mets offense didn’t take the day off either, with five earned runs crossing the plate and a few runs scoring due to some shoddy defense from the SeaWolves. Cesar Puello hit an RBI double in the fifth and was thrown out in a run down play being aggressive. Alonzo Harris hit a solo home run in the sixth inning. Wilfredo Tovar had an RBI fielders choice in the seventh, scoring Cesar Puello. Darrell Ceciliani had a two-RBI double in the seventh, and Cory Vaughn struck out swinging but a wild pitch allowed Darrell Ceciliani to score from third. Rhyne Hughes netted an RBI on a force attempt in the ninth inning, scoring Alonzo Harris.

Rafael Montero looks to build on his strong opening day start against Erie tomorrow evening at 6:05 ET.

Key Stats

• Alonzo Harris - 3 for 5, HR, 2 R, RBI
• Cory Vaughn – 0 for 5, 3 K
• Cesar Puello – 1 for 3, R, RBI, BB, K
• Erik Goeddel - 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• Jack Leathersich - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER. 0 BB, 1 K

Las Vegas 51s 10, Sacramento River Cats 5

The 51s had a rougher start to their season behind a shaky first outing for their star pitcher. Zack Wheeler got the opening day nod for Las Vegas and came out of the gate erratic but still exhibiting the mid-90′s fastball and hard curveball. Wheeler went three and one-third innings, throwing 86 pitches, allowing two runs on three hits, walking and striking out three each. Wheeler never seemed to find his comfort zone, and even when he settled in was leaving his fastball up in the zone. Gonzalez Germen came in to relieve Wheeler, and pitched a clean inning and one-third, striking out one. Greg Peavey came on in relief of Germen, and gave up two hits, a walk and struck out one in his inning and two-thirds of work. Justin Hampson came out for one-third and retired his batter with a strikeout. Armando Rodriguez pitched an inning, allowing three runs on four hits, walking three and striking out one. Robert Carson came out to clean-up for Rodriguez and went one clean inning, inducing a double play to end the game.

The 51s bats set the tone for the game, putting across two runs in the first inning on a Wilmer Flores RBI single and an Andrew Brown sacrifice fly. Andrew Brown came back in the third inning with a two-RBI double. However, the biggest output in one inning was in the fifth when Travis d’Arnaud had an RBI double, Wilmer Flores had a sacrifice fly, Zach Lutz had an RBI double and a wild pitch scored Andrew Brown. Brown would hit another sacrifice fly in the seventh, and Omar Quintanilla hit a triple and scored on a throwing error in the eighth.

Key Stats

• Wilmer Flores – 3 for 3, two RBI, one walk, sacrifice fly. 
• Travis d’Arnaud – 2 for 3, four runs, two walks, one RBI, one strikeout
• Andrew Brown – 1 for 2, four RBI, one strikeout
• Zack Wheeler – 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• Robert Carson – 1 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 0 K

Binghamton Mets 2, Akron Aeros 1

The Binghamton Mets begun their season with a pitching exhibition that bodes well for the future of the B.Mets staff. Rafael Montero began the season with the same fury he exhibited in spring training keeping the Aeros hitters off-balance the entire game, going five and two-third innings, giving up two hits with no walks and striking out eight while allowing an earned run. Montero was consistently getting swinging strikes with a fastball that had good rising movement into righties and tailing away from lefties. The only run Montero allowed came at the expense of Adam Kolarek allowing an inherited runner to score. Montero struck out four Aeros in a row at one point. Kolarek himself was no pushover, going one and one-third innings, giving up one hit. Jeffrey Walters finished off the game with a two-inning save, giving up two hits and striking out two including the last batter he faced. The Binghamton bullpen looks like it will have some power arms and the rotation is solid one through five.

Offensively the B.Mets didn’t score much, but put Montero in the lead and kept it that way. SS Wilfredo Tovar had an RBI groundout on a botched double-play ball, scoring 2B Danny Muno. 3B Josh Rodriguez would send an absolute blast to the batters eye in center field in the sixth inning to make the score 2-0. Binghamton would work the count and draw a few walks but despite nine baserunners only managed two runs.

Key Stats

• Josh Rodriguez – 1 for 4 – Solo home run, three strikeouts.
• Cesar Puello – 1 for 3 – one walk, one stolen base
• Alonzo Harris – 1 for 4 – double
• Rafael Montero – 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
• Jefrrey Walters – 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Check MMO throughout the day for comprehensive round-the-clock Mets minor league coverage. And get ready for a major, exciting announcement as we take this to another level.

Wilmer Flores played second base yesterday in a Spring Training game for the Mets. Flores did not embarrass himself defensively and looked to have an idea offensively. So after roughly six innings it is safe to christen a man with 0 AB above Double-A with the starting second base job?

No. Nope. Nah. Negative. Not Yet.

Flores has even less MiLB experience at 2B than Daniel Murphy did when he tried a similar transition, and even at that point Murphy had significant innings at first base (same side of the infield, similar reactions). Wilmer Flores saw his first minor league action at new positions this year with seven games at first base, 27 games at second base and 87 games at third base. For a man who played 300+ career MiLB games at shortstop to not even take one inning at the position shows where Flores will wind up in the grand scheme of things.

The biggest knock has been movement in general, but specifically lateral movement and Flores ability to compensate for lack of speed with efficient footwork. In yesterday’s game, Flores made a few solid plays and no miscues in his four chances to handle the position. Just for an analysis, we will look into each chance.

1. Man on first, groundball hit directly at Flores, runs in front of the runner and shovel-passes the ball to Brandon Hicks (SS) covering second, turning the double play.

Thoughts: Flores got to the ball which wasn’t hit very sharply, got rid of the ball smoothly and did it in one fluent motion. This play shows more awareness and body control but did show Flores’ soft hands.

2. Man on first, groundball hit directly at David Wright (3B), throws to Flores covering 2B, throws to Ike Davis to complete double play

Thoughts: This was the most challenging play Flores would have all day and shows why he may still need some more reps to get smoother. Wright gives Flores an average to solid feed, although it was thrown directly into Flores numbers and not off to a side where Flores could easily avoid a baserunner. Flores had to stand tall, and due to the throw handcuffing was forced to throw flat-footed to Ike Davis and still got the runner by half a stride. Flores exhibited a strong arm and turned that play. The footwork around the bag was a bit rough as he could have taken the slide-step to the outfield-side of the bag to avoid contact but instead did an odd shuffle and stayed on the base

3. Ball hit to Flores left (glove side) hard, Flores goes down, gets the ball, spins and throws to Ike Davis for the out.

Thoughts: The reaction play will always be a great way to test a second baseman and this shot was a decent test. Though hit within Flores vicinity, the reaction to drop and get it with a slide and spin was a good move. If Flores goes for an outright dive, he runs a higher risk of booting the ball. By spinning as he catches it, he puts himself in the best position to throw and uses more of his body to block the ball in the event it doesn’t wind up in his glove.

4. Ball hit directly at Flores, gathers and throws to Ike Davis

Thoughts: This is a standard play regardless of which base a player would be covering. Scoop, regroup, throw. Flores didn’t look hesitant or worried and knew he had time to throw out the runner.

5. Ball hit on a big bounce near the plate, Flores rushes in but has almost no chance to throw out baserunner

Thoughts: This was the toughest play but not the most challenging for one reason. The player running on the play notched three infield hits, and not one was a bunt. Flores was forced to charge and throw from where he reached the ball which was above his head. For what it’s worth, Flores missed getting the runner by about a full stride, but on first watch it appeared to be a bang-bang play.

Conclusion: For his first six innings in a spring training game, Flores didn’t look bad with the glove. He made the routine plays, made a few difficult ones and was both the feeder and the pivot man for a double play. Wilmer looked confident and not like he was afraid to make mistakes. Just for reference, Reese Havens has been playing second base for nearly his entire MiLB career. He made two miscues yesterday in half the innings. Is Flores the savior? No. Can he be a useful MLB player with the glove? Useful in terms of adequate…sure lets go with that. Flores will probably see a fair-share of reps at both second and third base now that David Wright will be leaving for the WBC.

*side note – Flores went 0-2 at the plate, both fly-outs to the right fielder. Flores hit them both the opposite way and I do not know if that was a product of hitting the ball where it is pitched, or a specific game plan to go opposite way.

Jerome asks:

Is there a chance that the Mets could check in on Cubs centerfielder Tony Campana? With Scott Hairston joining a crowded outfield situation in Chicago, Campana seems to be the odd man out now. Given the latest on the Michael Bourn front it seems unlikely that the Mets will sign him so why not go after Campana and add some speed and defense to the team via that route? Thoughts on a few hypothetical trades would be appreciated.

Sean Kenny replies:

Tony Campana is a very interesting case in that he is a true centerfielder, has great speed and has experienced moderate success at the major league level. From the Mets standpoint, it makes sense if you view Campana, who also hits left handed as an upgrade in CF to Kirk to at least inquire. Tony exhibits awkward splits (strikes out more against righties, walks more against lefties) but that may be a product of small sample size. However, the downside in getting Campana is he has ZERO power. Tony has 10 XBH in 317 career MLB at-bats, and profiles decently at the top of the order, but anywhere else he could be a liability for easier outs.

The Cubs have a very good farm system in terms of offensive potential and high-impact bats who may be ready within the next year or two, but very few pitchers who profile as anything more than 4/5 starters. The Cubs right now are penciling in Garza/Jackson/Samardzija in the rotation with the rest being up for grabs. The Mets could offer a guy like Colin McHugh, Darin Gorski or a package with Schwinden and a lower-level prospect since Campana at 26 doesn’t seem to fit into the Cubs future plans as anything but a fourth outfielder.

Another possible package which could interest the Mets would be grabbing Campana and SS Junior Lake, who is a toolsy-but-unrefined SS with some athleticism and trading Mejia/Familia and someone like Zach Lutz. Zach, who is closer to the MLB could provide an insurance plan in case Josh Vitters doesn’t pan out.

While the trade would be unlikely for a few reasons since the best Cubs OF prospects just recently finished playing A ball and insurance at CF is important, it is an avenue the Mets should explore if they see fit. Campana could add legitimate speed as he was on base 57 times last season and stole 30 bases while only getting caught 3 times – offering another option in the OF.

After the writer formerly known as Satish took his take on prospects 20-16, I will continue the list that is working its way down to the final ten. As I mentioned in the first post of the series, which you can read here, the list was compiled after much deliberation, arguing, and name-calling.

15. Vicente Lupo, OF

Height: 6’0
Weight: 180 LBS
Age: 19
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Signed as an international free agent in July of 2010, Lupo showed a penchant for extra base power at a young age. While his 2011 season was marred with a dangerous bout with malignant hypothermia that ruined his DSL season, the strongly built slugger came back with a vengeance. 2012 saw Lupo explode in the DSL where he posted a .343/.508/.600 batting line while drawing as many walks as strikeouts (1:1 BB/K ratio) –  something seldom seen in power hitters. Of his 70 overall hits, 31 were for extra-bases. While not possessing top-flight athleticism, he has the bat you look for in a corner outfielder. According to what Mets executives said last week in response to some questions from Joe D., Vicente will be playing stateside in 2013, so look for him at Kingsport or possibly even Brooklyn this Summer.

Outlook: Lupo has promising power and makes good contact as well. The most difficult thing to teach is a solid batting eye, and Lupo already exhibits a good eye. His .500 on-base percentage last season was off the charts and bodes well for future success. It would probably take some aggressive pushing to see Vicente reaching Triple-A before 2016, but he has the power, the discipline, and the potential, so don’t put it past him.

14. Phillip Evans, SS

Height: 5’10
Weight: 185 LBS
Age: 20 (21 in September)
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

The 2011 15th round pick who received a significant over-slot $660K bonus has been good, but not what has been expected overall. Evans has exclusively played shortstop though he profiles more as a second baseman due to his stocky build. The 2012 season saw Evans get his first full-season of short-season at-bats. The biggest downside in his numbers were the lack of more power, hitting .252 but only slugging .337. While the bat didn’t regress, the progression that should have occurred hasn’t. Evans is still young so the jury isn’t out on him yet.

Outlook: Evans projects as a 10-15 HR player with a solid batting average and a decent glove as well. Hopefully the 2013 season will see Evans get his first real taste of full-season ball in Savannah and that he will continue to progress with his bat, while hopefully getting some reps at second now that the system is well stocked at short. Evans still has the potential to grow as a hitter, but needs to stop pulling the ball so much and start spraying the ball to all fields. He must also become more consistent defensively where he has a knack to make some flashy plays, but sometimes flubs a routine grounder. The Mets have a lot invested in him so he’ll get every chance to succeed.

13. Cory Vaughn, RF

Height: 6’3
Weight: 225 LBS
Age: 23 (24 in May)
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Vaughn, the son of former big leaguer Greg Vaughn, was selected by the Mets in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. Cory Vaughn spent the entire season in St. Lucie and managed a 23 HR/21 SB campaign. Despite a low batting average which should follow the youngest Vaughn every season, he exhibited two tools that should get him some MLB plate appearances. The high strikeout rate will always be a product, but the ability to draw walks and put up plus-power as the closest Mets farmhand with right-handed power will keep him in the prospect sphere for at least another year

Outlook: Cory Vaughn will go to Binghamton where he will try to translate his power and plate discipline into a skill that can possibly lead to a promotion to Las Vegas in late 2013, and potentially be in play for the Mets’ 2014 outfield. Vaughn is the only true right-handed outfielder who is close to the MLB level and it will be a good test to see his performance in Binghamton against more advanced pitchers. He has all of the tools and his power/speed potential is addicting to say the least. If he can get the barrel on the ball more consistently, we may have something very special here.

12. Matt den Dekker, CF

Height: 6’1
Weight: 205 LBS
Age: 25 (26 in August)
Bats/Throws: Left/Left

Matt den Dekker has only been in the Mets farm system for three years, but his name has been relevant since his drafting 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 as a major leaguer, but his ability to hit advanced pitching will determine how quickly or if he advances to the Mets.

Outlook: Matt den Dekker is the closest MLB prospect the Mets have to man the outfield at Citi Field. The only 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 likely a superior defender to 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, New York until he can improve some elements to his game. If he can square up more and reduce the strikeouts he could make an appearance late in the 2013 season and end up playing a significant for role for the 2014 Mets. It’s a big “if” but it’s not out of the question.

11. Gavin Cecchini, SS

Height: 6’1
Weight: 180 LBS
Age: 19
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Louisiana native Gavin Cecchini was selected by the Mets with the 12th overall pick in the 2012 Draft. The right-handed hitting shortstop batted .246/.311/.330 with 12 extra-base hits, 18 walks and 43 strikeouts for Kingsport last season  before a quick promotion to Brooklyn that lasted all of two games. Cecchini flashed some of the skills that drew the Mets to him in the first place, but his bat remains a work in progress. He has a quick and compact line drive swing, but doesn’t generate much power. Defensively, he displayed some solid glove-work, and range, but his arm was mostly average. He should be able to stick at shortstop and become an adequate defender.

Outlook: Cecchini doesn’t have any singular outstanding tools and his game will not be based on power or speed, but he can spray the ball to all fields and get on base while playing at a premium position. He recently turned 19 and will spend most of 2013 honing his skills at extended spring training until the Summer when he’ll likely join the Brooklyn Cyclones. It’s too early to project what we have in Gavin and when he’ll be ready for the majors, but the talent is there and we should know more about him after another year of development. For now, the Mets can remain confident that they have a potentially good shortstop who will hit for a high average and have gap power.

On Friday, we’ll begin counting down the next ten prospects one by one as we work our way to the top of the food chain. 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

15. Vicente Lupo

14. Phillip Evans

13. Cory Vaughn

12. Matt den Dekker

11. Gavin Cecchini

It’s that time of the year again when Metsmerized rolls out their annual Mets Top 25 Prospects. This will be the first of many posts referencing the Mets and their newly reloaded minor league system. This list was comprised using three individual prospect lists from MMO’s Sean Kenny, Satish Ram and Joe D.. After much conjecture and arguing, it ultimately resulted and concluded the final order in which each of these 25 promising young Mets prospects were ranked. These official rankings reflect a months long process and well represents the viewpoint of MMO. Lets get started,

25. Danny Muno, SS

Height: 5’11
Weight: 175 LBS
Bats/Throws: Both/Right

After a surprise 2011 campaign and a promotion to St. Lucie, Danny Muno’s 2012 season was halted abruptly when he received a 50-game suspension for testing positive for PED. Due to the suspension, Muno only received 289 AB’s. in which he kept his BB/K almost even for a second season, while showing more speed with 19 stolen bases on the season. Prior to the 2012 season, Muno was looking like a fast mover in the Mets system but at this point, he will be 24 before Opening Day and just getting his first taste of Double-A.

Outlook: Muno has no plus-tools, but is a solid player across the board. Muno has great control of the strike zone, drawing walks while limiting the strikeouts. While playing both SS and 2B, he would slot at 2B in the majors, but with the potential to be a utility guy and play all over the diamond. Muno has some gap power and some speed, and if he continues to succeed at the MiLB level seeing him in 2014 playing for the Mets in some role has some legs to it.

24. Aderlin Rodriguez, 3B

Height: 6’3″
Weight: 210 LBS
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

The 2012 season saw Aderlin split time between Savannah and St. Lucie, displaying the same power that has kept him on prospect lists but showing little improvement defensively which may leave him playing first base. Rodriguez hit .263 across both levels, smashing 24 home runs in 471 at-bats. Rodriguez managed to put up nine more walks and five less strikeouts in 45 less at-bats. Aderlin may never be a patient hitter, but his ability to adapt to breaking balls at the upper levels will determine how he performs, likely going to Double-A.

Outlook: Aderlin Rodriguez has plus power  and it is the best power in the system by a long shot. However, Aderlin has not adapted well to third base, making first base his likely defensive home. If he can keep his average above .250 at the higher levels he could be part of a solid platoon. Aderlin will finish the 2013 season as a 21 year old, so their is still some development time. The ETA on Aderlin looks like 2015 at the earliest, with either a repeat of St. Lucie or a full season at Binghamton.

23. Cory Mazzoni, RHP

Height: 6’1″
Weight: 190 LBS
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Mazzoni spent time in both St. Lucie and Binghamton this season, proving why the Mets spent a second round pick on the hard-throwing starter from NC State. The righthander had a 3.93 ERA across two levels, going 10-6 while striking out 104  in 144.1 innings. Mazzoni has lost some velocity as of recently and works with a three-pitch mix. A fastball that sits low to mid 90′s with some movement, a slider that sometimes flashes some plus but more often than not is  inconsistent and a splitter which is effective when used but he keeps it in his back pocket. Mazzoni is a guy who will live or die by his ability to throw strikes without much margin for error.

Outlook: Mazzoni doesn’t have a very high ceiling, but will finish the season at 24 years old and has a shot at pitching in Las Vegas by the end of the 2013 season. If Mazzoni was moved to the bullpen, his three pitch mix could work and he could play up his velocity to possible a legitimate mid-90′s thrower and be pitching for the Mets in the 2014 bullpen. Mazzoni’s ceiling seems to be Mike Pelfrey with less velocity due to pitch quality.

22. Cesar Puello, OF

Height: 6’2″
Weight: 195
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

2012 marked a season marred with injuries for the toolsy outfield with as much raw talent as any Mets player in the system. However, staying healthy has been a problem for Puello as he only had 252 at bats while repeating a season at St. Lucie. The tools showed when he was healthy, hitting nearly 50% of his hits for extra bases, stealing 19 bases in 21 attempts and still playing enough games in CF to consider him a prospect at that position. Health will dictate where Puello winds up and how much of that raw talent becomes evident statistically.

Outlook: Puello has enough tools that could be plus that will keep his name relevant until he is 25 (which will be in three years as of April 1st) but a full season of at-bats at Double-A could go a long way in determining if Puello has a shot at the 2014 Mets or a shot at Las Vegas. His ability to improve his SB % in one season is astounding, and seems to be a product of being able to learn. Puello with health and some more growth could look like a real good 10 HR/30 SB guy very soon

21. Juan Lagares, OF

Height: 6’1″
Weight: 175 LBS
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Lagares had a monster season in 2011 and followed it up with a good season at Binghamton hitting .283 with some improvement in his plate discipline and his continuing ability at playing CF. Lagares’ value at this point is held to which position on the field he will play because despite the high batting average, Lagares doesn’t exhibit the type of power you would expect from a corner outfielder. Expectations would see Lagares going to Las Vegas for the 2013 season to either start in CF if possible, otherwise playing a corner and proving his bat is solid

Outlook: Lagares can hit but the only downside is the tweener label at this point and value that goes to each position. The Mets outfield at this point is so devoid of right-handed bats, if Lagares came up to the Mets for the 2013 season I would not be surprised in the least bit. That being said, I think Lagares gets 400+ AB in Las Vegas, playing all three OF spots and makes the big club by September 2013 for a tryout for 2014.

Editor’s Note from Joe D. – Prospects numbered 16-20 will be posted on Monday, followed by prospects numbered 11-15 on Wednesday. The top ten ranked Mets prospects will be published individually to conclude our feature. Though we argued about a great many players in terms of makeup, ceiling and development, one thing we all agreed on is that the Mets now have a minor league system to be proud of.

Andrew asks:

I know there is no way the Marlins would trade Stanton to us, but I see a few other solid young outfielders that could help the Mets in a big way. What about Mark Trumbo of the Angels, A.J. Pollock from the Dbacks, or Gary Brown from the Giants? Trumbo would be the most ideal, but the other two could be good pieces too. Brown could be an ideal leadoff hitter with speed which we lack. Thoughts?

Sean Kenny replies:

The Stanton debate will keep on raging until he is traded for a systems promising starter, two top prospects and possibly another position player – something I don’t see the Mets doing. However, the other options you propose are interesting at the least, and the likelihood of each varies from “could happen” to “Not tonight, boss”.

Mark Trumbo was held on to by the Angels, and despite the fact they signed Josh Hamilton to a lucrative contract Trumbo will see plenty of starts from the DH position as well as LF/RF. While the power in his bat in real – his outfield defense is pretty bad using both the eye test and advanced metrics. The soon-to-be 27 year old is hitting his peak in terms of offensive approach but defensively will always be a rough outfielder. However, the Angels seem reluctant to trade with Josh Hamilton’s injury history, an aging Albert Pujols and the fact that teams in the AL West can never have too much offense. The hypothetical return would be a young, cost controlled starter at the higher end of the spectrum and a settling package would seem to be a package of an MLB arm/MiLB arm and another prospect.

A.J. Pollock is an interesting name who I have rarely heard in trade rumors involving outfielders which is surprising despite his advanced prospect age (25) and the fact he can play all three outfield positions. Pollock has good size and moved through the Dbacks system in three years. The downside of Pollock is he profiles as a center fielder with his numbers, but may not with his range as he ages. If the Dbacks see him as a true CF, his value becomes much higher. The hypothetical return for Pollock could be a league-average MLB starter and an MiLB starter who may be at the A/AA level at the higher end of the spectrum, and the low end of the spectrum would involve an MLB reliever, but for a team like the Dbacks who aren’t competing right now it seems about restocking.

Gary Brown was the rumored player to be going to the Mets in the Beltran-Wheeler deal with the San Francisco Giants, and hindsight makes it seem like a good idea the Mets got their best pitching prospect as opposed to Gary Brown. Gary profiles as a true CF, with some pop, some solid defense and some great speed. While his CS rate has been respectable, 2012 saw him fall to around 66% success, which points towards lack of baserunning instincts, an anomaly of a season or the dreaded slowing down. Brown is still the fourth-best prospect as per John Sickels at MinorLeagueBall.com, so seeing the Giants trade their top offensive prospect would seem to require a power bat at 1B who was either MLB-ready or an MLB regular.

If I had to guess the likeliest of the three to be moved? Pollock. He offers a similar skillset to Adam Eaton and if the Dbacks aren’t competing this year or even next, an outfielder like Pollock offers more in a trade to build for the future. Least likely? Brown – top prospects who can play a true CF don’t get traded frequently.

Hitman asks:

What are the chances of Hamilton Bennett being this upcoming season’s Josh Edgin when it comes to making the jump through AA & AAA? Here’s a 24 year old lefty that, like Edgin, has done a great job the previous 2 seasons in Savannah & PSL. Last season, although he had trouble vs right handed hitters (.270, 3.78 ERA Vs RHBs), if his 2nd half isn’t any indication (1-2, 1.53 ERA), he could be someone to keep an eye on come Spring Training.

Sean Kenny replies:

The numbers for Hamilton Bennett do look good, especially when viewed through the RH/LH splits line, and he could expect a promotion to Double-A to start the year. However, just because he is doing so well at the low level does not guarantee he will be the Mets next LOOGY.

As it is, the 2013 team barring any spectacular performances out of Spring Training will feature Edgin as the defacto LOOGY out of the pen, with Carson and Laffey the primary challengers. Tim Byrdak is still signed for the Mets, but depending on the length of his rehab he will either be seen later in 2013, or not at all.

Bennett has done wonders statistically in the lower levels, but comparing his relative age, he was older than any other prospect, and upon beginning the 2013 season will finally be in a league where he meets the median age. Double-A is the hardest jump for both pitchers and hitters, so seeing how he is utilized at the second step before the big leagues will be a big telling point.

Do I think Hamilton Bennett could be a useful MLB piece as exclusively a LOOGY in 2013? Unlikely, but for 2014 there is a chance he could become a much more viable option with the lack of any LHP in the system, less infact starters who project better as LOOGY’s. This season will be the true test, with his expected arrival in Binghamton.

Updated by Joe D. at 6:05 PM

R.A. Dickey tweeted a fond farewell to Mets fans this afternoon, writing:

“Now that it’s official, I want to say that I don’t have the words to express how grateful I am to you for the steadfast support and encouragement I received from all of you. I’ve always felt that there was a connection beyond the uniform. Thank you for making me feel wanted.”

Original post by Sean Kenny at 5:00 PM

R.A. Dickey has passed his physical as reported by Andy Martino Of the Daily News. While the players have yet to be informed of an official trade, this can all be a formality to either announce it today at a makeshift press conference, or to hold it off until tomorrow and introduce all of the new players to their respective franchises.

Dickey, Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas have been traded to the Blue Jays for top C prospect Travis D’Arnaud, veteran C John Buck, Toronto’s top pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard and 18-year-old OF Wuilmer Becerra.

The teams are likely to make an official announcement soon…

While it seems like this has been going on forever, this has been a four day process and that has finally ended the never ending rumor mill.

With the last hurdle of the R.A. Dickey to Toronto deal approaching, the trade is as good as done. In this deal, the Mets will be giving up Dickey, Josh Thole and an unannounced prospect who isn’t believed to be a top-ranked player. The Mets will be receiving MLB catcher John Buck, catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud, RHP prospect Noah Syndergaard and a player to be named later, also of the same level as the other unannounced prospect. While attaining Buck would have been viewed as an improvement over last season’s catching tandem of Thole and insert right handed catcher here. The real prize of the haul is d’Arnaud and Syndergaard. Here is a look at the players:

Travis d’Arnaud

Position: Catcher

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 195 LBS

Bats/Throws: R/R

Travis d’Arnaud was originally drafted by the Phillies in the 2007 amateur draft with the 37th pick, and was included in the trade for Roy Halladay that sent him to Toronto. d’Arnaud shows a solid approach at the play, making solid contact and turning it into good power from the right side of the plate with a level-swing that generates good natural power without an uppercut. d’Arnaud is not without his offensive flaws, as he will strikeout at a decent amount, and is selective at the plate without drawing walks. In terms of baserunning acumen, he runs without much effort and gets around the bases well, but will never be someone you look to steal bases consistently at the MLB level (21 SB’s in 2000 MiLB AB’s)

Defensively, d’Arnaud has improved every year he has been at catcher, never recording more than six errors at the position. Over his career, he has thrown out 25% of runners, but small sample sizes at each level vary from 30% to 11%. His motion is solid, he has good arm power and it should translate well at the MLB level with some coaching as well as improved pitchers with better pick-off moves/understanding of situations.

d’Arnaud was ranked as the 17th best prospect by Baseball America for the 2012 season and based on talent and potential, could be up playing for the Mets by mid-May.

Possibly 2013 outlook: 303 AB, .246 avg, 11 home runs, 36 RBI, 31 runs, .422 slugging pct (done using MLE equivalency of 2012 season, 303 AB’s)

Noah Syndergaard

Position: RHP

Height: 6’5″

Weight: 200 LBS

Bats/Throws: L/R

Noah Syndergaard was a first round draft pick (38th) of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010. Syndergaard has what will always be defined as the perfect pitchers body, which does leave some room for growth and his height allows him to get solid velocity on the ball (92-97) with compromising his control too much (31 walks in 103 innings at A (Lansing). Syndergaard also features an advanced changeup and a good feel for a curve-ball that leads scouts to believe he will have three plus pitches at the MLB level. Noah pitched in A, and the possibility of seeing him for the St. Lucie Mets seems more than likely, with a long shot the Mets would push him to Binghamton to enable the management to keep a close eye on the second best pitching prospect in the system.

Possible 2013 Outlook: Difficult to determine since assignment isn’t known, but an increase in innings would be expected (140-150 total innings) at either High-A or AA

—

By trading Dickey, the Mets have gained two prospects who immediately slot into the top-three in the entire system. d’Arnaud is virtually MLB ready, and Syndergaard has put up better numbers than Zack Wheeler at the same point in his career and will be looking at a late-2014 possible ETA.

Years ago, the best options internally the Mets has to fill any vacancies in either the pitching or offensive side of the ball delivered a large handful of quad-A guys and retreads. The system had very few pieces to ever even dream about trading, and the prospects with enough value to be traded were labeled as untouchable. That style of retaining prospects who had yet to perform at the MLB level led to a few flame-out outfielders, overrated infielders and pitchers who just couldn’t put it all together. Not anymore.

The Mets have been progressively improving their farm system over the last five years, making some good signings in the International market, acquiring prospects via trade for MLB players with expiring contracts as well as reinvesting time and effort into making quality draft picks. This ideaological standpoint is one that seems so simple and essential for winning, but yet certain teams (including the Mets) had ignored it for the better part of the last decade.

While not without their flaws, the Mets have drafted players in the last five years who are producing at the MLB level, have prospects they signed internationally contributing at the MLB level and soon with the arrival of Wheeler, a prospect who was received in one of the aforementioned trades. It is not a perfect model, but it is a night-and- day difference between a few years ago when our best pitching prospect was Mike Pelfrey and Lastings Milledge was our best hitting prospect.

With the recently developing news of top Blue Jays prospect Travis d’Arnaud heading to the Mets, it gives them their best catching prospect in years if it goes through. All of this improvement in the system shows an ability to maximize talent at both levels all while scouting more. While the Mets system isn’t the best, it has gone from one of the five worst systems a few years ago up to the top half of the spectrum.

Alex In CT asks:

With no real power corner outfielders to speak of in the Mets minors, would it make sense to shift Aderlin Rodriguez to left or right field? As it stands now he’s blocked by David Wright and Ike Davis at the corner infield spots. We know he has the bat, but does Rodriguez have the arm to play in the outfield?

Sean Kenny replies:

Before I start this response, I will say that everything regarding fielding and Aderlin is based on scouting reports as I have never seen him in person nor playing on TV. Despite having an arm that has been rated as a 60 on the 20-80 scale, his footwork/fielding as well as his conditioning have been called into question. Defense will never be his calling card, and a positional shift would be geared at getting him into the lineup for his bat and not much else. (See Lucas Duda)

Despite his awesome power, which is by far the most promising in the Mets system, his overall hitting approach is based on guess-hitting. Aderlin has improved his patience at the plate, but hitting .263 isn’t too enticing and doesn’t show much of an advanced approach. On the plus side, of Ad-Rod’s 124 hits, 51 were of the extra-base variety.

Could Aderlin develop into someone who can get to the balls hit at or near him? Quite possibly. Would it ever look pretty and make you mistake him for a gold-glove candidate? Probably not. Aderlin fits into the same mold as Flores in the sense that his bat (or the power in it) will get him to the majors.

In a vacuum, I try Ad.Rod at the outfield, but only for the sake of eliminating it as a valid option. Aderlin looks like a first baseman, his hitting profile fits like a first baseman, and he would be able to hide some of his negative defensive value at first base.

So, in closing. Should they move him permanently? No. Would it hurt to play him a few times in left field just to see if its an option? Probably not. Best-case scenario has Aderlin spending most of the season with the B-Mets with a late season promotion to Las Vegas, and a 2014 season spent mostly in Vegas with a  visit to Flushing in the summer of 2014.

On the note of Mets power hitters in the minors, that assessment is correct. Cory Vaughn is the closest to the majors, but he repeated Hi-A ball at 23 years old. On an aggressive promotion path, Vaughn could be a New York Mets outfielder by June/July 2014, if at all. On the slow path? Opening Day 2015. The system is barren of proven power-hitters.

Pete asks:

Now that David Wright will be our third baseman until 2020, what is the future of third base prospect Wilmer Flores? Do you think he’ll be moved to the outfield, or will he be traded?

Sean Kenny replies:

First – Wilmer Flores and outfield should not be mentioned in the same sentence unless it is at the end of the statement “Wilmer Flores with a hard hit into”. Flores does not possess the foot speed to even foresee being anything but a below average fielder, which would require his bat be that much more potent and powerful.

Second, Flores could be traded but I don’t see a world where the Mets cannot find a place for Flores’ bat. He has taken reps at every infield position, and that can add to his value. Many hypothetical scenarios have been thrown around, making Wilmer a super-utility guy for 400+ AB a season, making him the full-time second baseman (despite lack of experience and slow feet), or platooning him with Ike Davis at first base.

Flores is all speculation at the moment, and a season at Triple-A to see how good his bat is will determine the future for Flores. In my opinion, if Murphy is a below-average/average second baseman with little pop, with more reps could Flores become a better future option for the Mets?

If he were to be traded, it would have to be for a huge package, considering his place as the Mets best position prospect (by a wide margin) and the fact he is still so young. Even if he didn’t take an AB for the 2013 Mets, he could be a pivotal player for the 2014 Mets. Only time will tell.

Wex asks:

Do you think Ruben Tejada will still be the everyday shortstop in 2015? The reason I ask is the Mets drafted Gavin Cecchini one year after they went way over slot on Phillip Evans. They also signed the top Dominican shortstop Germán Ahmed Rosario in July for a record setting bonus. All these moves don’t seem to bode well for Ruben Tejada who has been holding his own at 22 years old and did well considering he had some big shoes to fill.

Sean Kenny replies:

Each one of those guys you’ve mentioned it at least three full years away from helping the MLB club. Just to give this more depth, i’ll approach them one-by-one.

Gavin Cecchini has under 200 AB’s, so a repeat in Brooklyn is possible, if not it would be an aggressive push for a kid turning 19 to go to Savannah. Defense has never been the question, and most of the thought in drafting Gavin here was his ability to stick at short. His bat will essentially decide whether he is a star, a useful piece or career minor-leaguer.

Phillip Evans was drafted as a shortstop, but doubts about his size and his glove have always had him leaning towards the right side of the infield. Evans has 294 AB’s, so he has the same chance to repeat Brooklyn, if not get a promotion. Evans is in a different class, as his defense will be average/above-average, but his bat will be his calling card. While he hasn’t shown a ton of power, he has shown some ability to be selective at the plate so as he matures age wise, he should hone that ability. Evans is a finished product physically, and seeing anymore weight on that frame could hurt his already average speed.

Rosario is a newly-signed 16 year old prospect who can easily wind up in the outfield pending how he handles the infield. Even if he displayed Flores-like aptitude with hitting, seeing him near the MLB by 2015 would be amazing and a total stretch.

Tejada will be the shortstop for the next year or two at minimum based on his affordable contract, and the ability he has shown so far. It also does not hurt that the best options in the Mets system are all worse offensively, and without Wilfredo Tovar, worse defensively by a large margin.

JetsMets13 asks:

I read that the Mets will be re-opening their Gulf Coast affiliate for the 2013 season. I was wondering why they would do that after shutting down operations for only one year. The more I thought about it I wondered if closing that affiliate is why they were unable to sign half of their draft last June. It seemed like last season the Mets were using their minor league DL to store players with phantom injuries. I read somewhere that one Mets minor leaguer on the DL was asked how his sore hamstring was and he rolled his eyes and said, “what sore hamstring?”  Is any of this connected? Thanks.

Sean Kenny replies:

They are re-opening the GCL affiliate, and it seems to be just a product of fielding a team with players, then contracting the team leaves 25 players without a place to play. While so far down the ladder it may be difficult to say who will become what, the Mets put themselves in a precarious situation last year, having some of their higher draft picks with major upside being stashed on the DL for the exact reasons you mentioned – lack of roster space.

While this didn’t always happen, a guy like Bradley Marquez (the man who mentioned the phantom sore hamstring) who was drafted as a raw, high-upside outfielder netted 30 AB’s for Kingsport, and spent most of the time on the DL without an injury as Marquez had mentioned on his twitter. Having two low-level affiliates isn’t required, but the situation wouldn’t rectify itself for a few years as organizational guys would work themselves out of the system for….more org. guys.

At first, the Mets may have thought this would be a great way to save some money and to possibly avoid being superfluous in there spending, but realized keeping 20 players on the DL while not injured and being paid is a critical waste of money. In terms of signing picks…maybe it did have some bearing on signing picks, but the Mets could have used another GCL affiliate just for pitching alone, less infact hitters.

As reported by Adam Rubin Of ESPN NY, Tim Byrdak will be signing a minor-league deal with the Mets for 2013

While a bit of an odd move considering Byrdak just had surgery on a torn anterior capsule and the recovery time is over a year, the Mets may just be looking to add some depth that may be able to contribute to some extent for the 2013 season.

This may be something that is beneficial to both parties, and maybe the recovery time for Byrdak can be less since he is a reliever who throws fewer pitches.

BTF asks…

Maybe you could clear something up for me. Can somebody please tell me what the heck we are doing about the outfield now that Bay is gone? Is Kirk Nieuwenhuis really the answer at center field? What can we expect from him? Is Den Dekker even in the team photo anymore?

Sean replies…

The 2013 Mets outfield is more of a mystery now that Bay has “parted ways” with the Mets. But it will probably be comprised of some inexpensive pieces that can hit for some power or at least play respectable defense. Lucas Duda will not be the answer defensively, but shifting him to left field will hide his lead glove, and give the team hope for a .270 – 20 – 75 season makes him a decent option in the Mets eyes.

In regards to Kirk – his fielding, instincts or arm have never been the question. The biggest problem with Kirk was after bursting out of the gate offensively, the concerns over his weak plate discipline resurfaced. He was striking out in over 33% of his at-bats. If Kirk can curb the strikeouts, he has shown he can make positive contact and might be the best all-around option the Mets have that is MLB ready.

Matt Den Dekker is the best defensive option in the Mets upper minors. But after a strong season in Binghamton, he really struggled in 317 AB’s at Buffalo. Den Dekker has a bit more pop than Kirk, but until he can show an ability to hit AAA pitching, he won’t be seeing Flushing anytime soon. It doesn’t help his case that he is also a lefty, and every outfielder the Mets have hits from the left side.

As far as right field goes, it looks like it will be shared between Jordany Valdespin and Mike Baxter unless the Mets add a better option this Winter. At this point, the front office needs to sign or trade for at least one, if not two productive and reliable outfielders to the mix, otherwise it could be a very long summer.

Alex asks…

The Red Sox just signed David Ross as a catcher and are also said to be going after Mike Napoli. That tells me that Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway are certainly available. Which one would be a better target for the Mets and what would the cost be?

Sean replies…

Both of these players are interesting, but both have their issues and they would not be the final answer for the Mets, but possibly a stopgap for another year or two.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia can hit for power – but sadly, his strong suit is hitting for power against RHP’s, and he drowns against LHP’s. He is all power and no plate discipline, which will always keep his BA down. Defensively, he is nothing special and is somehow worse than Josh Thole at throwing out runners. Salty would make a good platoon partner for a right-handed catcher who struggled against righties. Outside of that, he only adds power to the Mets.

Ryan Lavarnway has yet to prove himself at the MLB level, and despite being able to hit for power and draw walks in the minors, has yet to see those skills carry over to the MLB level. Many scouts are not convinced he is a catcher in the long run, and I have yet to see enough of Ryan to be able to say he can’t stick at catcher. He is only 25, and has well below 300 MLB AB’s.

If the Red Sox were to accept a lower-level prospect (Travis Taijeron, Taylor Whitenton) or a utility guy (Lutz, Satin), it would be more worth it for the Mets to look at Lavarnway. Saltalamacchia can only hit righties, while Lavarnway can still amass AB’s and see if he can hit righties.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets will not be trading Ike Davis, despite the original plan of possibly moving him to capitalize on his value and allow Lucas Duda to play first.

Sandy Alderson has a track record of putting high value on the ability to hit for power, and if R.A. Dickey were to be traded, Alderson would be looking for a power hitter, preferably in the outfield.

Even before the Duda injury, the perfect plan involved the two combining for 50-60 home runs, but the Mets realize the quickest way to turn a team around is by hitting more home runs.