When it comes to Minor League Baseball coverage, nobody will dispute that Baseball America reigns supreme for everything you need to know ranging from the high school and college prospects, and of course the international, amateur and professional ranks as well.
One of the masterminds behind that great magazine is executive editor Jim Callis, who had some interesting things to say about Zack Wheeler yesterday.
“It’s a really nice get for the Mets,” said Baseball America editor Jim Callis Wednesday. “Wheeler has a tremendous arm, mid-90s velocity, with an easy delivery. You just don’t see pitching prospects with his kind of upside being traded like this.
“The Giants, with their pitching, can afford to trade a guy like Wheeler more than other teams. But I’ve got to believe he’ll be the best prospect traded during this deadline period.”
Callis likened Wheeler to Matt Harvey, the Mets’ No. 1 pick last year out of North Carolina who has progressed nicely through the minors so far. In fact, Baseball America has Harvey ranked at No. 30 among prospects, five spots ahead of Wheeler. Still…
“As good as Matt Harvey is,” said Callis, “if the two of them were drafted at the same age, Wheeler would have been drafted higher than Harvey.
“He’s still got a ways to go, but it’s conceivable that Zack Wheeler could be at the front of the Mets’ rotation for a long time.”
Baseball America currently has Wheeler ranked #35 in their mid-season rankings, only a few spots behind the Mets’ Matt Harvey who debuted at #30 on the list.
If you’re not excited at the prospect of having Wheeler heading our rotation in the future, you should be.
By the way, Callis had this to say in an online chat regarding current Mets Top Prospect, Wilmer Flores:
Hector (New York, NY): Is it time to stick a fork in Wilmer Flores as a Top 100 prospect kind of guy?
Jim Callis: Yes. He’s going to have to be a LF/1B and don’t see him having the bat to be a star there.
All quotes via the NY Times.
