John Sickels, wrote a column called “Down on the Farm” for ESPN from 1996 until 2005. He now has his own site dedicated to baseball prospects, the one and only, Minor League Ball. John does a tremendous job analyzing individual prospects and evaluating all 30 MLB farm systems. His rankings and projections are always well received and respected. I am an avid reader of Minor League Ball, and I’d encourage all of you to check it out. John is also a very talented and accomplished baseball writer who wrote a biography of Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller entitled, “Bob Feller: Ace of the Greatest Generation.”

Every year John puts out a book profiling roughly 1,000 minor leaguers. It includes each prospects stats, a brief overview plus a scouting report on the player, and of course grades for every player. It is a must read for any baseball fan and it is considered to be one of the most prominent annual prospect books.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER “THE BASEBALL PROSPECT BOOK 2012″ (BPB 2012) BY JOHN SICKELS.

Mets Merized Online: You are a big fan of Brandon Nimmo. How do you think his tools will eventually project to the major league level?

John Sickels: If he reaches his maximum potential, I see him as a guy who hits .280-.300 with 15-20 homers, 15-20 steals, and a high walk rate leading to a strong OBP. Add in an above-average glove. I could see him as a taller, lankier Nick Markakis.

MMO: What players in the Mets minor league system do you consider to be sleepers?

JS: I like Akeel Morris a lot. Very live arm. Drafted in the 10th round out of the Virgin Islands. People who follow the Mets closely are quite aware of him, but the casual fan probably isn’t. We’ll have to see if he is a starter or reliever going forward, but the arm strength and ceiling are impressive.

MMO: What do you think of Jenrry Mejia’s potential going forward after his Tommy John surgery?

JS: It is the same as it was before the surgery: if his secondary stuff is there, he could be a number two or three starter. At worst he should be a strong relief pitcher. Keep in mind that Tommy John recovery is far from automatic, so let’s keep expectations cautious until we see how his stuff and command rebound.

MMO: Can Matt Harvey or Zack Wheeler make an impact this season or will we have to wait until 2013 to see them in the majors?

JS: Harvey should be a candidate for the second half of 2012, assuming he pitches as he should in AA and/or AAA. Wheeler is much more of a 2013 guy.

MMO: Other than Kirk Niewenhuis and Jenrry Mejia, are there any other Mets prospects that you think have a chance to make an impact this year?

JS: Reese Havens could if health allows. Harvey could. I’m a big fan of Jeurys Familia as well. With Harvey, Familia, and Mejia, the Mets have three power arms who could be/should be ready to do something positive by mid-season. If Dan Gorski performs well in his Double-A transition, you could see him sneak in there as well. Chris Schwinden doesn’t have the upside of the others, but he could be useful too as an inning-eater or long relief type.

MMO: You dropped Wilmer Flores from a B+ prospect to a B- prospect this year, which moved him from the Mets top prospect prior to 2011 to their ninth best prospect. Other than the possible position change from short to third, what was your basis for the drop?

JS: Lack of power development. His bat just isn’t coming along as projected and as a third baseman, he’s got to hit a lot more than he’s done so far. That said, he is still just 20 years old, and the fact that he makes contact is a good marker. It is way too soon to give up on him…all that talent in still in there, but they’ve got to unlock it somehow.

MMO: Based on your past assessments of Ruben Tejada, do you believe that he is a viable major league starter?

JS: I don’t think he’ll hit enough to be a long-term regular starter for a contending team, but he should have a very long career as a utility guy and occasional starter.

MMO: Would you say that the Mets farm system has improved over the years and if so, what do you believe is the biggest reason behind the improvement?

JS: Yeah, it has improved. They’ve been investing more in the draft, and I don’t think the farm system was ever as bad as some people felt to begin with. A big problem was just rushing people too quickly but they’ve slowed that down the last couple of years.

MMO: After one year of the new management, do you feel that the Mets have handled their prospects better than they have in the past?

JS: Yeah, I think so. But it takes 2-3 years until you know for sure, and with the financial situation of the team it will be very interesting to see how they manage prospect acquisition.

MMO: Where would you rank the Mets farm system in the NL East?

JS: I currently have them third, with the Braves and Nationals ahead of them. The Mets are in better shape than the Phillies and Marlins at this point. Overall, I ranked the Mets 15th in baseball, exactly in the middle.

These banned substances are especially rampant in the Dominican Republic and in Venezuela where aspiring baseball players are exposed to them at a very young age. Sadly, many of these young players, some as young as 15-16, are encouraged to take these performance enhancing drugs to improve their performance and hopefully land a contract with a Major League organization.

Some organizations, including the Mets, even have special baseball academies set up in these countries to help recruit and develop many of the players that are now flourishing in their minor league systems.

In the Mets case, all too many of them have been rushed mostly at the prodding of the now departed Tony Bernazard, but no doubt with the approval of Omar Minaya.

This morning, John Sickels of Minor League Ball, released his Top 20 Mets Prospects.

Topping the first three spots are Jenrry Mejia, Wilmer Flores and Fernando Martinez in that order. All three of these players were signed as international free agents and were not selected in the June Amateur Draft. Mejia and Martinez were both signed from the Dominican Republic, while Flores hails from Venezuela.

Sickels writes the following,

Part of the problem with analyzing the Mets is the weird way they have handled prospects. Some guys, particularly the Latin American signees, have been rushed way too fast, while others have been handled very cautiously.

Last week, Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball, reported that the Mets led the Major Leagues with eight PED suspensions in 2009.

Brown points out that 39 of the 82, almost half of all minor league drug suspensions, occurred in the Dominican and Venezuelan Summer Leagues. Furthermore, five of the eight Mets players that were suspended played in these leagues.

I would hope that after a season in which so many Mets minor leaguers were suspended, some new guidelines and protocols will be established and chief among them will be a system that will educate these players as to the dangers of these substances. Eight suspensions in one season is far too high a number, and although it will be almost impossible to stop PED use completely, the Mets certainly have to do a better job than they have been.

Getting back to Sickels top prospect list, I found some of his comments to be a little sobering.

He ranked Josh Thole #15 and wrote,

Grade C: He can hit for average, but has no power and defense is mediocre. Sounds like a bench guy to me.

Ike Davis got a solid #4 ranking, but Sickels says,

Grade B: Showed he could hit for power, also has a fine glove. But I think he looks more like a solid regular than a future star.

Considering the high expectations Mets fans have for Thole and Davis, and the enormous hype the Mets themselves have generated, you would expect to see some of those expectations shared by a lifelong expert in minor league prospects like John Sickels. The Mets have treated Ike Davis and Josh Thole as future All Stars. To hear one referred to as a regular player and the other as a bench player makes me wonder why we always hold on so tight to these prospects.