Initially i was simply going to post this one excerpt from Baseball America, who projected the top players who could get picked in the upcoming Rule 5 draft.
But I was actually surprised that they listed Mets Double-A infield prospect Philip Evans among their “cream of the crop.”
That’s not to knock Evans who I think is a fine prospect, but I’m not sure that he’s ready to make the jump from Double-A and then stick for an entire season on a major league roster.
Here is what they had to say about him:
“Evans won the Eastern League batting title in 2016, hitting .335 for Binghamton. It was a surprising development as he was a career .236/.304/.310 hitter coming into the 2016 season. But Evans has a short, compact stroke with some pop, so his batting title didn’t look as flukish as one might believe.”
“He’s also hitting .333/.418/.521 in the Puerto Rican winter league giving scouts another good look. Evans was a full-time shortstop early in his career. He’s slid to second and third base more regularly as he moved up the ladder (and in deference to Amed Rosario) but he did play shortstop frequently this season and while he’s not good enough defensively to be an everyday shortstop, he is capable enough to contribute as a utility infielder.”
Not a bad assessment at all, but again, I just don’t see him making the jump right now. I would be shocked if a team selects him.
Now here’s the prospect that I genuinely believe we could lose, and quite frankly I’m surprised that BA left him off their list.
Paul Sewald was drafted by the Mets in the 10th round of the 2012 draft, and all he has done since that time is succeed at a very high level and probably more so than any other Mets pitching prospect in that same span.
The right-hander has worked his way through all five levels of the Mets minor league system since making his professional debut with the Short-A Brooklyn Cyclones and posting a 1.88 ERA, 0.98 WHIP while picking up four saves in four chances. The Mets knew early on that the plan would be to groom Sewald as late inning reliever and potential closer.
Sewald, 26, would go on to rack up some impressive numbers over the next four seasons, posting a 1.77 ERA for Low-A Savannah in 2013, a 1.92 ERA for High-A St. Lucie in 2014, a 1.73 ERA for Double-A Binghamton in 2015, and finally a 3.23 ERA in hitter friendly Las Vegas in 2016.
Along the way, Sewald racked up 66 saves with a 1.032 WHIP and a 10.7 K/9 rate in 194 appearances. While In Binghamton, he was named to the Eastern League All-Star roster but didn’t play because he participated in the Pan-Am games for Team USA.
With the status of Jeurys Familia still unknown and both he and Addison Reed in the throes of arbitration and due for some substantial salary increases, I would have thought that Sewald was a no-brainer to protect from the Rule-5 Draft on December 8th. And unlike Philip Evans, Sewald is clearly someone who can remain on an MLB roster all season long and should be able to become an asset for any team that selects him.
The Mets could have left Wuilmer Becerra unprotected instead, just as they did last Winter. While the 21-year old oozes with potential, there’s no way any team would carry him on an MLB roster for an entire season, especially with the highest level he’s achieved is High-A St. Lucie and having his season cut short due to season-ending surgery for a labrum tear in his shoulder.
Additionally, if the Mets had designated Rafael Montero for assignment and removed him from the 40 man roster, I’m pretty certain there wasn’t going to be a mad dash to scoop him up as teams have their own 40 man issues they have to deal with. And lets face it, Montero has seen his stock in trade plummet to non-prospect status.
Hopefully, Sandy Alderson’s calculated risk pays off and Sewald is still a member of the New York Mets organization on December 9… it would be areal shame to lose this effective control artist with the nasty slider and then having him pitch against us next season.
