Last week, there was a great article on Project Prospect, about the Mets minor league system. Ryan Fay had a Q & A with Toby Hyde, of the Mets Minor League Blog. I’m going to relate the highlights of this article and add in some statistics and comments. The article is a great read.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis – CF – age 22 – “fairly high on Kirk”. Good defender in CF with improving bat and power. Hit 16 HR at single A. Called up to AA at end of year. Combined BA of .282 and OBP of .364. Will start 2010 at AA Binghamton.
Brad Holt – RHP – age 23 – “Transition to AA ball did not go well’. His stock has fallen. His K/9 dropped from 11 at St. Lucie to 7 at B-Mets. Velocity was off from ’08. This year – 3.12 ERA at St. Lucie. 6.21 ERA at B-Mets.
Jefry Marte – 3B – age 18 – Mets are still high on him despite disappointing season at Savannah. Hit .233 and made 49 errors at 3B. Only 18, so will probably repeat low A ball in 2010.
Ruben Tejada – SS/2B – age 19 – Played full year at B-Mets at only 19 years old. “Looks like a big leaguer”. After hitting only .229 with OBP of .293 in 2008 at St. Lucie, Tejada had a breakout season at Binghamton with a BA of .289 and OBP of .351. Had his best month in August. Good defense. As he gets stronger, power may come. Should start 2010 at Buffalo.
Josh Thole – C – age 23 – “with enough playing time, Thole will be a Rookie of the Year candidate in 2010”. Big question is his defense. Threw out 2 of 6 base stealers in MLB but allowed 3 passed balls in only 17 games. Was also among the leaders in passed balls in minors this season. He can hit, but not for power. BA .328, OBP .395, 29 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR.
Jenrry Mejia – RHP – age 20 – Could have a relief role at major league level in 2010. Was great at A ball – 1.97 ERA but at AA – 4.47 ERA. This fall, AFL, is key to see if he can continue to develop at a rapid pace.
Ike Davis – 1B – age 22 – In 2009, ‘Davis was everything a first round draft pick should be”. Succeeded at high A and AA this season. Combined number: BA .298, OBP .381, OPS .906, 20 HR and 71 RBI. But struck out over 25% of at bats at AA. Strong defensively at 1B.
Reese Havens – 2B/SS – age 23 – Often injured in his 2 years of pro ball. Has power – 19 doubles and 14 HR in 360 at bats at St. Lucie. Should play AA in 2010 and that will tell a lot.
Jeurys Familia – RHP – age 20– Throws in the low to mid 90’s and has a good curve ball. In Savannah, he threw a full year of 134 IP, was 10-6, 2.69 ERA, 109 Ks, and a WHIP of 1.2. Should play at St. Lucie in 2010.
Stephen Matz was the Mets first pick in the draft this year. 6’3″ – 185 lb LHP who throws about 90, graduated from Ward Melville H.S.on Long Island.
