Let’s pretend for a moment that Sandy Alderson makes no effort to improve the Mets left field situation in the offseason. For arguments sake, we’ll say that he addresses the need at shortstop but a combination of high prices and long years got the better of the outfield candidates. Heading into 2015, can we expect anyone in the pipeline to make the jump to the big leagues?
According to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, the Mets top-two prospects are starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard and catcher Kevin Plawecki. Neither is likely to lend a hand in the outfield. After those two, it gets better. Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto are three and four.
Nimmo was drafted back in 2011 at the ripe old age of 18 and has shown promise, developing his game while his body catches up with his potential. He’s filled out nicely and is projecting to be a solid outfielder. The trouble is, with just 65 games played at AA Binghamton, where he hit .238/.339/.396/.735, he’s still at least a year away or maybe a 2015 September call-up.
Conforto and Nimmo are the same age and were actually born in the same month. The difference is, Conforto was drafted out of Oregon State while Nimmo came out of high school.
Conforto spent the entire 2014 season in Brooklyn where he hit .331/.403/.448/.851. It’s hard to imagine a player making the jump from short-season (A) to the majors, but you have to wonder if Conforto, with his years of college ball, could actually beat Nimmo to the Mets.
The reason those two names are talked about so much is because at AA and AAA there isn’t a whole lot of outfield talent. Guys like Cesar Puello, Matt den Dekker and Andrew Brown occupied spots with the 51’s while Darrell Ceciliani, Kyle Johnson and Travis Taijeron started the most games for Binghamton.
There are separate problems with the outfielders in each level. In AA the issue is a lack of talent. None of those players, who started the most games in the outfield this past season, had a batting average above .300. Not exactly a promising indicator. In AAA the issue is different. We know what den Dekker and Brown can be and it’s not a solution to the Mets problem.
Puello is a different story. Currently the #13 prospect in the system, he missed 50 games after he was suspended because of the Biogenesis scandal. That came after a monster year in AA, back in 2013. He slashed .326/.403/.547/.950 and added 16 home runs to that line. In 2014 he regressed, hitting less home runs and batting .252 with a .355 on-base and .393 slugging.
It’s safe to think Puello is the most major league ready outfielder left in the system. If you remove the guys who have already appeared on the team like den Dekker and Brown, Puello is clearly ahead of Nimmo and Conforto and if the Mets decide not to bring in outside help in the outfield, don’t be surprised if he’s the guy who gets a long hard look this spring.
