Second base prospect Dilson Herrera was acquired by the Mets when John Buck and Marlon Byrd were traded to the Pirates. In the trade, the Mets also received promising reliever Vic Black, who could be assuming the Mets closer role if Bobby Parnell isn’t ready to begin the 2014 season.
Herrera, who is listed at 5’10″, has been playing very well in his native country of Colombia for the Sincelejo Bulls. Through 25 games, the 19-year old Herrera is batting .289 (26 for 90) with eight doubles and 17 RBIs while drawing 12 walks and posting a .422 Slugging Percentage.
Prior to coming to the Mets this past summer, he played for three seasons in the Pirates farm system, and in 234 games he has a batting line of .281/.356/.448 with 159 runs, 58 doubles, 13 triples, 21 home runs, 112 RBI, 39 stolen bases and 88 walks. After the trade he was sent to Savannah and played in seven regular season games, batting .316 and also helping the Sand Gnats to win the 2013 South Atlantic League Championship down the stretch.
I also watched him at the Mets Instructional League in October and he showed me a lot of pop as the ball just flew off his bat. He sprayed the ball around all parts of the field. I really liked what I saw, and I’m excited to have Herrera in the Mets organization.
I can’t wait until spring training rolls around so I can drive down to see him again and watch him continue his development. He’s a great young talent who is playing a prime position and at his current pace, we could see him in the majors in a few seasons.
(Photo: MiLB.com)
