Today Baseball America released the Eastern League top 20. Michael Taylor of the Nationals topped the list with a fantastic campaign and three Mets made the cut. Steven Matz, coming off a stellar year was rewarded with a #4 in the top 20. Dilson Herrera was behind him in the 12th spot, performing exceptionally well after being bumped up to Double-A and torching the league. After that was Kevin Plawecki, who was an excellent offensive catcher this season for the B-Mets and was promoted to Triple-A halfway through the season.
Here is what Baseball America had to say about each of them:
4. Steve Matz, LHP, Binghamton (Mets)
Age: 23. B-T: R-L. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 200. Drafted: HS—East Setauket, N.Y., 2009 (2).
After missing two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2010-11 and getting his feet wet in 2012, Matz looked sharp last year at low Class A Savannah, and then built on that strong year in high Class A St. Lucie in the first half of 2014 and with Binghamton in the second.
Tall and strong with a loose arm and a clean delivery, Matz’s fastball sits comfortably between 93-95 mph and can touch as high as 97 when he needs it. The pitch also features sinking action. He complements it first and foremost with a circle changeup thrown in the mid-80s with excellent fade and separation from his fastball.
The separator this year, however, has been the development of the curveball, a 12-6 breaker that has gotten much more consistent under the tutelage of pitching coach Glenn Abbott. It’s still his third pitch, but it’s got the makings of at least an average major league offering in the future. If that happens, Matz has a ceiling as lofty as a No. 2 starter.
12. Dilson Herrera, 2B/SS, Binghamton (Mets)
Age: 20. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 5-10. Wt.: 150. Signed: Colombia, 2010 (Pirates).
The prize in the trade that sent Marlon Byrd to the Pirates last season, Herrera has so far looked to be a coup for the Mets after performing well in both high Class A St. Lucie and Binghamton this season.
Much like Mets starter Daniel Murphy, Herrera receives most of his positive marks for his bat. He’s an aggressive hitter with a short, compact swing and the potential for double-digit home run power in the future. He went deep 13 times in the minors this season, and then swatted two more in his first few games in the big leagues.
Herrera plays serviceable defense at second base with fringy range and actions that are sometimes stiff.
He’s not a liability out there and has the work ethic to make himself into at least an average defender as he matures. His arm is a little short at this point but got better as the year progressed and should continue to do so as he gets stronger.
14. Kevin Plawecki, C, Binghamton (Mets)
Age: 23. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 225. Drafted: Purdue, 2012 (1s).
An offensive catcher who makes a ton of contact, Plawecki divides as to whether he’s the Mets’ backstop of the future or whether that job still belongs to the incumbent Travis d’Arnaud.
Plawecki is blessed with strong hands and has a solid approach at the plate, which he used to strike out just 48 times in 376 at-bats between Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas this season. He keeps the barrel in the zone a long time and shows solid power in batting practice, despite hitting just 11 home runs in the regular season.
As a receiver, Plawecki has work to do. Scouts find him to be average as a receiver and a blocker and believe he tends to stab rather than sway when catching.
His footwork needs to be streamlined and his arm stroke shortened. His arm rates as solid-average at best, and he threw out just 23 percent of basestealers in two stops this season.
Just a few thoughts:
The Baseball America staff got a couple things wrong on Dilson Herrera which were that he hit three home runs this year, not two. He also has some pretty good range, but his hands are a little stiff. These are things he can work on this year in the Dominican Winter League.
Keep in mind that with these writers, they are just that, writers. They get fed information from scouts inside and outside the organizations and write these evaluations when they come in. They are not the scouts, but they are fed by them.
As Always, I will post the chat in the comment section.
