An MMO Fan Shot by Matthew Sitler
It was the 17th of December, 2012, when the New York Mets and the Toronto Blue Jays made their blockbuster deal official. The deal involved the reigning National League Cy Young winner and two of MLB’s top 30 prospects. The Mets sent the Jays knuckle-baller R.A. Dickey and two catchers that were comfortable with his signature pitch: Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas. In return, Toronto sent top catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud, elite pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard, major league backstop John Buck, and minor league outfielder Wuilmer Becerra.
Obviously, the primary pieces of this deal for the Mets were Travis d’Arnaud and right-hander Noah Syndergaard. John Buck was also later used as a piece in the trade to acquire top second base prospect Dilson Herrera. However, Becerra, thought to be only a throw-in at the time, began to blossom into much more than just an added bonus.
In 2012, Wuilmer signed as a 17-year old Venezuelan international free agent. At the time of the trade, he was the 25th ranked prospect in Toronto’s weak system after playing just 11 games in the Gulf Coast League. The year 2013 was Becerra’s first full professional season and he displayed some modest numbers for the Gulf Coast Mets. In 206 plate appearances over 52 games, Wuilmer hit .243/.351/.295 with a home run and 25 RBI.
A promotion followed in 2014 for Becerra as his professional career moved onto the Kingsport Mets. This is where he would take the next step in his evolution to top prospect status. With significant improvement across all levels at the plate, Becerra became one to watch after posting a triple slash line of .300/.351/.469 with 10 doubles, seven home runs, 29 RBI and seven stolen bases. The big question would be if he’d maintain this level of production when he makes the jump to Single-A Savannah and their grueling environment for hitters.
In 2015, Becerra responded with his best season as a pro with the Savannah Sand Gnats (now known as the Columbia Fireflies). He played in 118 games and over 487 plate appearances Wuilmer recorded 130 hits, 27 doubles, three triples, nine homers, 63 RBI and 16 stolen bases. He led the team in many offensive category including doubles, home runs, RBIs and total bases. Becerra finished the season with an impressive slash line of .290/.342/.423/.765 and by the end of the season he was featured on just about every top ten Mets prospect rankings.
In an exclusive interview last week with MMO, ESPN Prospect Analyst Keith Law said he’s probably three years away, but could move faster if he keeps hitting.
“I thought it was a real breakout year for him, where he always had the ability — Mets people were stoked when they got him in the trade — but you knew it was a long-term play for them. The approach there is good enough, so that he can get to the strength and to the power.”
Law was impressed that Becerra had his breakout in what he called a terrible park for power in Savannah.
“So maybe Becerra gets out this year, gets to the Florida State League and starts to hit for a little more power, maybe the next year he gets to Binghamton and then the power really blossoms, because he’s out of those deadly A-ball parks.”
His only concern with Becerra are some questions with his outfield defense, but he believes his bat will more than make up for any shortcomings. “If he hits for the kind of power I think he’s gonna have, it’s not really gonna matter.”
Some scouts predict that if he continues to develop, Becerra will eventually surpass former first-rounder Brandon Nimmo to become the top outfield prospect in the organization. It’s simply amazing when you consider how much that R.A. Dickey trade has gleaned for the Mets organization, and it may not be too early to call it one of the greatest trades in franchise history.
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This MMO Fan Shot was written by Matthew Sitler. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 30,000 Met fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to [email protected]. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.
