Baseball America ranked Steven Matz the No. 7 prospect in the Florida State League, with Dilson Herrera coming in at No. 12 and Brandon Nimmo at No. 17 in their Top 20.
7. Steve Matz, lhp, St. Lucie
Matz impresses scouts and managers with both his stuff and his mound demeanor, where he shows toughness and confidence. He missed two seasons after having Tommy John surgery, but he has developed into a three-pitch, power lefthander with No. 2 or No. 3 starter potential.
Matz starts with a fastball that can reach 98 mph and works better at 93-96, because he can throw more consistent strikes at that speed. His fastball has some natural sink, helping him keep the ball in the park, and his above-average changeup features good depth. His curveball was inconsistent in the FSL, but scouts who saw him report significant progress with it at Double-A.
12. Dilson Herrera, 2b/ss, St. Lucie
Acquired by the Mets for Marlon Byrd in 2013 from the Pirates, Herrera spent all of 2013 in low Class A but finished 2014 in the major leagues with the Mets. One of the league’s younger regulars, he impressed managers with both his physical tools and maturity.
Herrera is an offensive player whose power was muted in the bigger ballparks and heavy air of the FSL, but he hit 10 homers after a promotion to Double-A Binghamton. He features a compact, short swing with pull-side power and a knack for the barrel. He’s adept driving the ball to the gaps, runs well and has athleticism to spare, even if his body thickens up a bit going forward. He’s an average defender at second base with first-step quickness, good range, the savvy to read hitters and scouting reports and enough arm for the position.
17. Brandon Nimmo, of, St. Lucie
Nimmo was Double-A-ready thanks to a patient batting eye and ability to attack pitchers who tried to take advantage of that by sneaking in a first-pitch fastball. He has the power to handle those, and now that he’s added 20 pounds of strength since signing, he has the power to punish those mistakes, rather than just serving them to the gaps. Scouts still are projecting, though, to get Nimmo to above-average power.
Nimmo’s has improved his jumps in center field, working on his first-step quickness and taking his pre-game shagging routine seriously, which scouts noticed. He has fringy arm strength but has added greater accuracy with more coaching. His bat likely would fit better in center field if he can handle the defensive assignment.
In 24 starts across two levels, Matz was consistently dominant all year long. He began the season with a 2.21 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 69.1 innings pitched for Advanced-A St. Lucie. The hard-throwing lefty was then promoted to Double-A Binghamton where he pitched even better, posting a a 2.27 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 71.1 innings with a 8.7 K/9 and a 1.8 BB/9.
Herrera opened the season with Advanced-A St. Lucie as well, where he slashed at .307/.355/.410 in 288 at-bats with 48 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. He also took it up a notch after a promotion to Binghamton, batting .340/.406/.560 with 10 home runs, 17 doubles, three triples, 47 RBI, and 48 runs scored in 61 games.
Nimmo tore it up in the FSL, batting .322/.448/.458 while driving in 25 runs and scoring 59 in 62 games. He collected four home runs and nine doubles in 279 plate appearances. After a late promotion to Binghamton, Nimmo slashed at .238/.339/.396 in 65 games, but started performing better once he got acclimated toward the end of the season.
After getting snubbed in the SAL Top 20, glad to see this. Great seasons by all three who each took huge steps forward and in the case of Herrera – made his major league debut.
