Continuing our series of potential breakout prospects is right-handed pitcher Chris Flexen, a projectable righty drafted in 2012, who suffered a delay due to Tommy John Surgery. Our first two candidates in the series were third baseman David Thompson and Jhoan Urena.

Profile:

Chris Flexen was drafted out of Newark Memorial HS in California, during the 14th round. He was awarded an overslot bonus of $374,000. In an early draft report by Baseball America, he was called a “projectable arm” that could reach 93, with much more potential to fill out a skinny frame. BA also said he had the potential for a plus slider.

He, however has had an inconsistent career struggling initially in Kingsport before repeating and excelling. Then in 2014 he struggled with his control and recorded a 4.83 earned run average with 13 starts in Savannah, before undergoing Tommy John Surgery.  He returned on June 24th of this past year and pitched rehabilitation games in Gulf Coast League, and Brooklyn before returning to the Savannah Sand Gnats. In his final six games, he pitched much better, posting a 1.87 ERA, with a 1.9 BB/9, and nearly a strikeout per inning.

Why he may be a candidate:

According to recent scouting reports, Flexen’s fastball velocity has improved to the mid 90’s, and has touched 97. With an improving slider, and changeup he could have a serious arsenal in his future. He is finally healthy, which could lead to a great full season. One caveat is he has only pitched a maximum of 69 innings, so we’ll keep cautious about his future for now. We hope to see a bigger influx of innings as well.

Ted’s Prospect Extras

The Top 5 2012 Draft Picks

1. C Kevin Plawecki (1st Rd Supplemental, 35th overall)
2. SS Gavin Cecchini (1st Rd, 12th overall)
3. UT Matt Reynolds (2nd Rd, 71st overall)
4. RHP Matthew Bowman (13th Rd, 410th overall)
5. RHP Paul Sewald (10th Rd, 320th overall)

For more minor league coverage check out our partner site MetsMinors.net where we give you some info on the newest Met Raywilly Gomez. 

The post Mets 2016 Breakout Prospect: RHP Chris Flexen appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets have added outfielder Brandon Nimmo, RHP Seth Lugo, RHP Jeff Walters, and RHP Robert Gsellman to the 40-man roster.

Each will be protected from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft and automatically receive invites to major league spring training.

November 19

The Mets have until 11:59 PM on November 20th to decide which of their Rule 5 eligible players they will add to the 40-man roster to protect them from being drafted.

Last year, was a very active Rule 5 draft for the Mets as they took Sean Gilmartin out of the Minnesota Twins system and they lost Logan Verrett (briefly). They also lost Cam Maron, Greg Peavey, Juan Carlos Gamboa, and Randy Fontanez in the minor league portion.

Right now the Mets 40-man roster is sitting at 35 players after losing Jack Leathersich to the Cubs with expected movement including the possible non-tendering of Ruben Tejada. Other players with their roster spot on the line I think are Eric Campbell, Darrell Ceciliani, and possibly Carlos Torres.

In order for a player to be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, they must not be on the team’s 40-man roster and they must have in the minor leagues for at least 4 years if he was signed after age 19 or in the minor leagues for at least 5 years if he was signed before age 19.

The Mets have a couple of no-brainers this year with Brandon Nimmo and Robert Gsellman. Nimmo is still one of the Mets best position player prospects and will be added. Likewise with Gsellman who is one of their top pitching prospects after a good year combined with St. Lucie and Binghamton. He went 13-7 with a 2.89 ERA and 1.137 WHIP in 24 starts this season.

Paul Sewald is another one that I would protect but not 100% sure the Mets feel the same way. He has been spectacular since the Mets drafted him in 10th round in 2012 pitching to a career 1.83 ERA and 0.974 WHIP. Last year he saved 24 games for Binghamton while striking out 56 batters in 51.1 innings and was an Eastern League All-Star.

To me the other guy they will add without a doubt is outfield prospect Wuilmer Becerra who came over in the R.A. Dickey trade alongside Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard. Becerra hit .290/.342/.423 with 16 stolen bases while playing good defense in right field for the Savannah Sand Gnats in 2015. Despite being only 21 and have played just in low-A ball I don’t think the Mets can risk a team like the Phillies scooping him up one of their Top 10 prospects.

Next we have the group of guys that the Mets could possibly add and could possibly lose if they don’t:

• Seth Lugo– The former 34th round pick opened some eyes this year going 8-7 with a 3.84 ERA and 1.250 WHIP while leading all Mets minor league pitchers with his 127 strikeouts in 136 innings. The 26-year old right-hander made 19 starts for Binghamton and five for Las Vegas.
• Mickey Jannis– What a story for the 27-year old knuckleballer, as he started the 2015 campaign playing for the Long Island Ducks and is currently having success in the Arizona Fall League which is traditionally for teams top hitting prospects. He has a 2.88 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in the AFL which has certainly boosted his chances of being protected and being drafted.
• Beck Wheeler– Another guy who is having a strong AFL season and combine that with the strong year he had in Binghamton there is certainly a chance he gets protected. He had a 3.38 ERA and 1.227 WHIP in 58.2 AA innings while allowing only two homeruns in that span.
• Travis Taijeron– The 26-year old outfielder hit a career high 25 homeruns this season and slashed .274/.393/.536 in 394 at bats for the Las Vegas 51’s this year. However, he did strikeout 147 times in 127 games this year and has been limited to mainly just right field the last two seasons.
• T.J. Rivera– As many of you already know all the infielder does is hit, he is a career .318/.366/.418 in five Minor League seasons. So why hasn’t he got a chance? Really is a great question after the Mets continued to run Campbell and Danny Muno on the field last year. The biggest knocks on Rivera is that he doesn’t have a position he plays well defensively and the lack of power. He doesn’t have a strong enough arm for shortstop or third base limiting him to second really where the Mets are strong. He did show off some power last year boasting a .455 SLG with Binghamton and .443 with Las Vegas in 2015.
• Victor Cruzado– The former infielder finished the 2015 season with 15 at bats for the B’Mets after a strong season with St. Lucie where he hit .272/.359/.401. The 23-year old played the field 86 times last year with 83 of them being in right field. He is a solid player with his only plus attribute being his ability to get on base, has a career .375 OBP and has just 233 strikeouts compared to 177 walks.
• Zack Thornton– The right-handed reliever came over to the Mets from the Pirates in the Ike Davis trade. The 27-year old pitched to a 3.94 ERA and 1.334 WHIP as he spent the entire year in AAA with Las Vegas. Thornton is a groundball pitcher that somehow only allowed two homeruns in 61.2 innings in the Pacific Coast League last season.
• Matthew Bowman– After having a nice showing for the Mets during Spring Training, Matt really struggled this season with the 51’s going 7-16 with a 5.53 ERA and 1.679 WHIP. I still think that with his sinker and solid changeup that he can be a useful piece in someone’s bullpen.
• Jeff Walters– The right-handed reliever was thought of a guy who could help the Mets bullpen coming into spring training in 2014 before struggles at AAA and Tommy John Surgery derailed his career. He came back strong at the end of last season posting a 1.96 ERA and 1.091 WHIP while striking out 21 batters in 18.1 innings for Binghamton last year. He had a B’Mets franchise record 38 saves in 2013 and was hitting 94-95 MPH with his fastball last season.

Other notable names on the list of players that would need to be added to protect them from the draft include Binghamton catcher Xorge Carrillo, former highly touted arm Luis Mateo, and Jayce Boyd who showed he couldn’t handle the outfield. Here is the full list of all players that are Rule 5 eligible.

Last season the Mets added six players: Noah Syndergaard, Gabriel Ynoa, Cory Mazzoni, Akeel Morris, Hansel Robles, and Jack Leathersich in preparation for the Rule 5 draft.

This year I think they add five players with them being Nimmo, Sewald, Gsellman, Becerra, and Lugo. Sewald has been very good in the Minors despite not having a blazing fastball and could help Mets bullpen soon. Lugo had the best year of the other starters on the maybe list and the Mets minors starting pitching depth was depleted by mid-season trades.

I think there is a slight possibility of someone taking a guy like Taijeron who has plus power or Rivera who has shown extreme consistency with the bat. Walters, Thornton, and Wheeler could probably be a useful stash for a bad team in the backend of the bullpen. Jannis is a great story but I don’t think he has mastered the knuckleball completely yet.

For more Mets minor league coverage head over to MetsMinors.net.

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Here you can see the first six in the Mets Midseason Top Prospects 25-21

#20 Matthew Bowman
Preseason: #22
Age: 24 – May 31, 1991
Drafted: 13th round in 2012
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Bowman has had the worst year of his professional career going 7-13 with a 5.19 ERA and 1.62 WHIP to start the season for the Las Vegas 51’s. He has allowed 153 hits in 121.1 innings and has a bad 1.61 SO/W ratio. He did have a good showing in Spring Training this year allowing two runs in 10 innings with seven strikeouts.

Matt has been better against right-handed hitters this year holding them a .706 OPS with only one homerun in 249 at bats. Lefties have scorched him hitting .324/.380/.541 with twelve homeruns in 234 at bats. He was much better in 2014 with both Binghamton Mets and the 51’s going 10-8 with a 3.22 ERA while striking out 124 batters in 134.1 innings.

He was named PCL pitcher of the week on July 27th after pitching a complete-game shutout against Fresno with six strikeouts. Obviously the numbers for Matt aren’t as pretty this year but he is still getting groundball outs which is evident by the 14 doubles plays that have been turned behind him. He throws a heavy sinker in the lows 90’s, changeup, slider, and curveball without any of the secondary offerings being plus pitches. He follows the line of current Mets pitchers swinging the bat well with his career .191 average. Video from his two-hit complete shutout this season.

#19 Seth Lugo
Preseason: Unranked
Age: 25 – November 17, 1989
Drafted: 34th round in 2011
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Jacob Lugo has overcome being a late round pick from a D III school and being diagnosed with Spondylolisthesis which happens when there is a displacement of a vertebra in the spine. After his first pro season he underwent the lumbar fusion and surgery despite the risk that he may never pitch again. He was bedridden for almost 3 months and had his entire 2012 season wiped out following the surgery.

Lugo is 7-5 overall with a 3.79 ERA, 3.38 FIP, and 1.272 WHIP this year in 20 starts (19 with the Binghamton Mets, 1 with Las Vegas 51’s) with his best month coming in July when he was 4-1 with 2.39 ERA. He was named the Eastern League pitcher of the week for 7/20-7/26 after going 2-0 with one run allowed in 14 innings and 16 strikeouts in that span. It has been a streaky year for Lugo who’s ERA by month are 1.38, 3.41, 7.06, 2.39, and currently 6.30 in two August starts.

Lugo comes at you with the kitchen sink throwing two different fastballs, slider, curveball, and a changeup.He throws a two seamer at 88-90 with his 4 seamer topping out at 94. His best secondary pitch is his curveball which has good bite but sometimes gets left it up in the zone. Slider is average and the changeup below average as pitches he throws occasionally to keep the hitter off balance. He has kept the ball in the park this year allowing only 8 homeruns in 114 innings and holds runners on well giving up four steals all year.

I talked to multiple scouts this year that told me they liked Lugo’s pitchability and that he could be a Major League 4th or 5th starter. Paul DePodesta was also quoted saying that “he certainly has Major League potential” in an NJ.com article earlier this year. Here is video from a eight strikeout game this year.

#18 Max Wotell
Age: 18 – September 13, 1996
Drafted: 3rd round in 2015
Bats/Throws: Right/Left

The Mets drafted the 6’3 left-hander in the 3rd round this year out of Marvin Ridge High School in Waxhaw, North Carolina. In his senior year he went 14-0, led his team to the state championship, and was named the North Carolina Gatorade player of the year. Wotell was committed to the University of Arizona, instead he signed with the Mets for $775K which was over the slot value of $666,500.

In high school he was consistently at 89-91 while topping out at 93 MPH with his fastball and will surely add more velocity as he fills out. He has a deceptive three-quarters arm slot delivery with a curveball that has a chance to be a plus pitch. His third pitch is a changeup that some scouts think he has some feel for but needs to work controlling the pitch better in the strike zone. He has an unconventional delivery that he needs to work on to make it more repeatable for long-term success.

Max made his professional debut on June 24th with the GCL Mets pitching a scoreless inning with one walk and two strikeouts. In 7 pro innings he has allowed two hits, two runs, six walks, and struck out eleven. He is yet to allow an extra base hit or a hit with the bases empty. Here is video of him in 2014.

#17 Matt Reynolds
Preseason: #16
Age: 24 – December 3, 1990
Drafted: 2nd round in 2012 (Comp pick for Jose Reyes)
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Matt put himself on the Top 25 prospect scene with a great year in 2014 hitting .343/.405/.454 with 21 doubles, 7 triples, 6 homeruns, 61 RBI, and 20 stolen bases combined playing with Binghamton and Las Vegas. He showed up in great shape for Spring Training and impressed hitting .375/.404/.583 with two homeruns and ten RBI in 48 at bats. He went to Las Vegas and kept right on hitting having a great month of April posting a .903 OPS with 12 extra base hits, 12 RBI, and 5-5 in stolen base attempts.

He then came back down to earth hitting .252/.310/.365 from the start of May until the end of July in 230 at bats. He was limited to only 27 at bats in July because of an elbow injury that he tried playing through before ultimately being put on the disabled list. Coming back from injury he has hit better albeit without walking at all with a .310/.333/.448 line. Overall this year he is hitting .278/.331/.416 with 25 doubles, 5 triples, 5 homeruns, 61 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. However, his slash line is actually mediocre compared to the average PCL line of .272/.337/.414.

Reynolds has a nice short line drive stroke and can use the whole park but his reluctance to take walks while hitting for league average power limits his value to me. He plays a passable shortstop and has played 11 games at 2B where I think he can be an above average defender. Would like to see the Mets have him play winter ball this year and play some games at third base where he played in college. Matt was a Pacific Coast League All-Star but was unable to participate because he was on DL during the break.

Matt was left in Vegas this year when David Wright and Daniel Murphy were hurt leaving you to wonder what the Mets opinion of him could be. I think next year depending on who the Mets resign he could play a valuable role off the bench ala Justin Turner when he was here. He definitely has the athleticism to play some outfield as well if the Mets choose to turn him into a super utility guy. Still believe he has the potential to be a Major League regular at second base. Video of a homerun earlier this year.

#16 Akeel Morris
Preseason: #14
Age: 22 – November 14, 1992
Drafted: 10th in 2010
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Akeel has excelled since the Mets switched him to a primarily a reliever for Brooklyn in 2013 and full-time closer for Savannah last season. He put up video game numbers last year pitching 57 innings allowing a minuscule 19 hits while recording an eye popping 89 strikeouts. He sported a 0.63 ERA, 0.719 WHIP, and saved 16 games but did walk 22 batters. Akeel shared the Sterling Award (MVP) with Dario Alvarez for Savannah in 2014. He was an All-Star in 2014 and 2015, also named MiLB’s Fans Choice for best relief pitcher in 14′.

He started this year right where he left off in 2014 shutting down hitters in the Florida State League for the St. Lucie Mets allowing only 11 hits in 32 innings while recording 13 saves. The strikeouts did drop from 14.1 K/9 last year to 12.9 K/9 in St. Lucie and the walks rose from 3.5 BB/9 to 3.9 BB/9. The Mets saw enough in him to promote Akeel straight to the big leagues when they needed a bullpen arm in June, although mostly done because he was on the 40-man roster. He wasn’t ready yet and unsurprisingly struggled giving up five runs in his only outing.

When Morris was sent back down he went to the Binghamton Mets where he struggled at first allowing six runs and five walks in his first 4.1 innings. He has settled down since though giving up two runs on eleven hits and six walks while striking out seventeen in his last 17.1 innings. Over that span he is holding the Eastern League to a .183/.254/.283 slash line. He has always been able to keep the ball in the park allowing just 16 homeruns in 270 pro innings.

Akeel throws his fastball in the 93-95 MPH range that seems even harder with his deceptive straight over the top delivery. His changeup is his bread and butter, gets a good downward plane with a 13-15 MPH separation from his heater. Rarely throws a slider that needs work to become a Major League pitch. His fastball-changeup combination is good enough to get him to the big leagues if he is able to limit the walks. If he can improve his slider to a Major League average pitch he will be a back-end of the bullpen type guy. Video of Morris pitching in 2014.

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The New York Mets lost to Tampa Bay Rays by a score of 8-4 on Sunday in Port Charlotte.

Pitching

Bartolo Colon (10.29 ERA) started for the Mets and was roughed up for five runs on seven hits and a walk in two innings of work while striking out three.

Hansel Robles allowed a run in the fourth inning and Matthew Bowman allowed a pair of solo home runs in the seventh inning.

Chase Bradford, Jon Velasquez, Jack Leathersich and Carlos Torres each pitched a scoreless inning.

Offense

Kirk Nieuwenhuis went 2-for-3 with an RBI to raise his batting average to .464, and Wilmer Fores had two more hits including his fourth double to raise his average to .462 this spring.

Catcher Johnny Monell also stayed hot homering for the second time this spring in the ninth. Matt den Dekker walked, singled and stole a base.

On Deck

The Mets hit the road again to play the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers on Monday. Matt Harvey will make his third start of the Spring in 1:00 PM matchup.

The post MMO Game Recap: Rays 8, Mets 4 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

LAS VEGAS 6, RENO 0

Veteran southpaw Dana Eveland took the ball for the 51′s on Thursday night as they topped the Aces. The 30-year old lasted just five innings, but held his opponents scoreless while striking out six and walking a couple. Las Vegas took the lead in the fourth inning thanks to a two-run double off the bat of Wilmer Flores, followed immediately by a two-run shot by Allan Dykstra that cleared the center field wall. The 51′s would tack on another run in the inning on a Juan Centeno single. Flores would add an RBI triple in the seventh frame. Matt den Dekker and Eric Campbell combined for five hits. Dykstra is now batting .429 for the season.

NEW HAMPSHIRE 1, BINGHAMTON 4

Matthew Bowman was absolutely brilliant on Thursday, pitching seven scoreless innings and only surrendering four hits. He also struck out 11 Fisher Cats and walked only one on his way to a victory. Through two starts, the 22-year old righty is now 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA. Offensively,Darrell Ceciliani led the charge, going 3 for 5 from the leadoff spot with a double and two runs scored. Matt Reynolds also pitched in with three hits of his own, while Matt Clark drove in two.

ST. LUCIE 6, FORT MYERS 1

Not to be outdone by Bowman, lefty Steve Matz also went seven innings for the win for St. Lucie. The New York native struck out six batters and walked one, while scattering just two hits. The offense finally broke through in support of Matz in the 6th inning, when catcher Cam Maron hit a two-run single that scored Brandon Nimmo and Brandon Allen. T.J. Rivera notched two hits on the night, including a double. No other Met had more than one hit, while Nimmo was held hitless.

GREENVILLE 4, SAVANNAH 0

Robert Gsellman pitched fairly well, but it wasn’t enough as the Sand Gnats were shut out by the Drive. Gsellman pitched five innings, limiting the damage to just one run despite walking three batters. He also struck out five in the losing effort. The SAL Pitcher of the Week Akeel Morris came on in relief of Gsellman, tossing two scoreless frames while striking out a pair, but walking three. The Savannah offense was nowhere to be found, mustering just five hits in total– and not a single extra base hit. Two of those hits came off the bat of third basemen Jeff McNeil, while Jared King and Stephan Sabol each contributed a hit. Dominic Smith‘s struggles continued as he went 0 for 3 and struck out twice. His batting average has now dropped to .154 on the season. Shortstop Gavin Cecchini, who has been hot of lately, also failed to reach base in four attempts.

PLAYER OF THE NIGHT

For what may have been the most dominant pitching performance by a Mets prospect this season, former 13th round pick Matthew Bowman has earned player of the night honors. Bowman has been brilliant thus far in 2014, pitching to a sub-1.00 ERA and sporting a 15 to 2 strikeout to walk ratio.

Check out Mets Minors On Deck for Friday’s probable starters.

The post Mets Farm Report: Bowman Strikes Out 11, Dykstra Homers In Vegas Rout appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

• Miller Diaz– After bouncing around the Mets’ Rookie Ball affiliates for parts of four seasons, Diaz is having a breakout season for Low-A Brooklyn. The hard-throwing righty has a fastball that sits in the mid-90s. He doesn’t have good enough control to stick as a starter, but he has the tools to be a very good relief pitcher down the road. This year, he has a 2.01 ERA in Brooklyn, striking out 11.8 batters per nine and walking 4.3 in 62.2 innings. His ERA and WHIP are both among the league leaders and Diaz’s 82 strikeouts leads all NYPL pitchers.
• Chris Flexen– Flexen has put up gaudy numbers for Kingsport this season. In his first full year, the 2012 14th-round pick has a 2.09 ERA in 11 starts, striking out 8.1 batters per nine and walking just 1.6. He has already tossed two complete game shutouts this season, and currently sits fourth in the Appalachian League in ERA. He has a decent low-90s fastball and secondary pitches, but his most impressive trait is his control, likely the reason the Mets took a flier on him in last year’s draft. Maybe this year’s dominance is a result of repeating Kingsport, but it’s certainly a promising sign when any young pitcher is competing for the ERA crown in his league while walking so few batters.
• Matthew Bowman– Bowman, a 2012 13th-round pick, has already made quite an impression in his year and a half of professional pitching. The soon-to-be Princeton graduate (he will finish his degree this fall) is armed with four average pitches, with a changeup that could be above average eventually, and superb control. He has consistently gotten hitters out at every level he’s pitched, going form Brooklyn, to Savannah, to St. Lucie in one calendar year. This season, he has a 3.05 ERA in 21 starts with 116 strikeouts (8.2 K/9) and 35 walks (2.5 BB/9) in 127 innings. He is undersized at 6’0″ and less than 170 pounds, which may eventually force him to move to the bullpen, but Bowman could become a suitable back-of-the-rotation pitcher or middle reliever and make his debut sooner rather than later.
• Akeel Morris– After blowing up last season with Kingsport, watching his ERA balloon to almost eight, Akeel Morris practically fell of the prospect map. A 10th-round pick out of the Virgin Islands in 2009, Morris had a solid first two seasons in professional ball, posting a combined 3.32 ERA between the Gulf Coast League and Kingsport, striking out over ten batters per nine innings. The big concern, however, was his control. In each season, he was walking well over six batters per nine, something that was going to catch up to him sooner or later. Although he brought his walk rate down to 5.2 in 2012, he fell apart, finishing with a 7.98 ERA in 38.1 innings. This season, Morris has flipped the script, putting up unbelievable numbers for Brooklyn mostly as a “piggybacker,” a long relief pitcher that comes in after a starter and is put on regular rest. Morris has brought his walks down further (4.6 BB/9), and has improved his already-incredible strikeout numbers. In 45 innings, he has 60 strikeouts (12.0 K/9), giving up only 29 hits (5.8 H/9) in the process.
• Steven Matz– Anytime you get a lefty throwing in the upper 90s, heads are going to turn. Matz, 22, was taken in the second round of the 2009 draft. It took quite a while for him to actually get on the mound, as Tommy John Surgery delayed his arrival, and when he did arrive, we only got a short glimpse of what he could be last year with Kingsport. Even in a short time with Kingsport, however, earning a spot on the Baseball America Hot Sheet before going down with injury. He finished te year with a 1.55 ERA in six starts. This year, he has come back fully healthy and has been fantastic for Savannah. In 21 starts, he has a 2.62 ERA with 121 strikeouts (10.2 K/9) and 38 walks (3.2 BB/9) in 106.1 innings. Although his numbers may be boosted by the pitcher-friendly Grayson Stadium, he still has a 3.38 ERA on the road. With his stuff, he’s a keeper. You may not hear much about Matz now, but if he keeps this up, he will shoot up top prospect lists very quickly.

Check out more great information on the Mets’ minor league system over at MetsMinors.net.

Also make sure to follow me on Twitter @UpAlongFirst

The post Mets Minors: Top Underrated Pitchers In The System appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

OK, before I begin chatting about Matthew Bowman and Wilmer Flores, are you curious as to what the Fringe Five is? I was too when I first stumbled upon this article by Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs.

The Fringe Five is a weekly series unique to FanGraphs where authors use regressed statistics, scouting reports, and their own opinions to identify fringe prospects that are the most compelling in professional baseball. To give fringe a concrete definition, those contributing to this series are considering a fringe prospect one that doesn’t appear in any of the three notable pre-season top-100 prospect lists.

This week’s edition of the Fringe Five is the second week in a row that Bowman has appeared, as he continues to string together solid performances with High-A St. Lucie. He allowed one run on two hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts in eight innings pitched on June 28th against Palm Beach, which caught the eye of Cistulli. That brings his season statistics in St. Lucie to 4-1 with a 2.33 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 9.5 K/9IP, and 1.7 BB/9. He also boasts a 2.21 ground ball/fly ball ratio, and induces ground balls approximately 60% of the time. Also, according to the SCOUT + rating John Bernhardt talked about earlier today, Bowman’s rating of 70 is third best among High-A starting pitchers.

It’s understandable to see why Bowman has been considered an “under the radar” type prospect, but he’s quickly separating himself from the pack with the way he’s been performing on the mound this year. Between Savannah and St. Lucie this season, he’s 8-1 with a 2.44 ERA, and has only allowed 71 hits and 15 walks in 88.2 innings pitched, while striking out 87 hitters. He showed more of the same last season with Brooklyn, but 2013 is his first year as a starter in professional ball. If I had to take a guess, Bowman will likely stay in High-A the remainder of the season. However, I’m real interested to see how the 22-year-old Maryland native will adjust to Double-A hitters once promoted.

On the flip side, it boggles my mind that Wilmer Flores is considered a fringe prospect at this stage in his development. Yes, it’s tough to find a position on the field for him to play, but this kid can hit. He’s been around for so long, we forget he’s only 21-years-old and currently ripping up Triple-A pitching. The 51s second baseman was elected to the PCL/International League All-Star game this year, and used a strong month of June to bring his season statistics to .317/.356/.515 with 10 home runs, 64 RBIs, and 27 doubles.

Despite his torrid June, Cistulli points out that Flores’ walk (3.4%) and strikeout (15.3%) rates last month were drastically different from his successful seasons in St. Lucie and Binghamton last year (7% and 10%, respectively). While those are big differences from what he did last year, if Flores keeps that lower walk rate and higher strikeout rate, I’d be fine with it if he continues to hit .342/.364/.586 like he did in June.

What I found interesting was that Cistulli notes that Flores’ home run, walk, and strikeout rates are similar to that of top prospect, Oscar Taveras, who also plays in the PCL, and is also 21-years-old. So once again, I’m not sure why Flores is considered a fringe prospect, but that’s just me.

At the end of the Fringe Five piece, they keep a running tally of how many times players show up there, as well as in the Next Five, which is a similar feature. Flores ranks second on the list, showing up in the FF eight times, and the NF three more times. One would imagine he’s on the radar at this point if he’s been showing up that consistently since April. Bowman has appeared in the FF three times, including the last two weeks.

It’s nice to see Flores get some love in this feature, especially since he hasn’t been getting much from anywhere else (which is beyond me). Plus, it’s cool for Bowman to continue getting recognized for his solid performance this season. Time will tell before we find out if these “fringe prospects” will end up making an impact on the major league level.

The post Met Prospects Wilmer Flores and Matthew Bowman On Fringe Five appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

I actually believe that Rafael Montero is the least likely to be traded among all pitching prospects in the organization right now, at least as long as this front office is in place.

There´s a pretty obvious pattern. The front office wants pitchers who throw a lot of strikes and control the strike-zone. They want hitters who only swing at strikes and control the strike-zone.

That (and an emphasis on coachability / work ethic – however you want to measure that) has been a common theme for them when targeting prospects.

Montero is the biggest strike thrower of them all – though it seems that Matthew Bowman and Matt Koch also have pretty good control, even if their stuff isn´t as crisp as Montero´s and their command not as good (yet) either.

Noah Syndergaard & Michael Fulmer actually fit that mold too. They have posted unusually low walk rates for very young pitching prospects.

More likely trade bait could be someone like Domingo Tapia or Cory Mazzoni or even – eventually – Zack Wheeler if he doesn´t improve his control in a similar fashion like Matt Harvey has from the minors to the majors.

That´s the mantra – for pitchers: “Throw Strikes and good things will happen” ; for hitters: “Don´t swing at Balls and good things will happen”.

And I´d assume that this will also be an assumption as part of trades – unless an organization is really willing to pay a high price. If the Rockies want Montero and are willing to give up Dexter Fowler, sure, he´s gone. But all things equal, the Mets would try to use Tapia or DeGrom or Mazzoni or even two of them instead of Montero, I´m quite sure.

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

The post Which Young Arm Do The Mets Trade For A Bat? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Righthander Noah Syndergaard, second baseman T.J. Rivera and outfielder Dustin Lawley have been selected to represent the St. Lucie Mets for the Florida State League All-Star Game to be played on June 15 game at Dunedin.

TC Palm writes:

Syndergaard, 20, is 2-3 in 11 starts with a 2.81 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings. He was acquired by the Mets in the offseason in a trade involving Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey.

Rivera, 24, is batting .297 with 13 doubles and 25 RBIs in 51 games. He hit a combined .320 with nine home runs and 66 RBIs in stints with St. Lucie and the South Atlantic League’s Savannah Sand Gnats last season.

Lawley, 24, is batting .242 with 11 home runs, 16 doubles and 40 RBIs in 54 games. Lawley ranks third in the FSL in home runs, fourth in RBIs, second in extra-base hits and fifth in total bases.

Rivera is fast becoming one of my favorite hitting prospects in the system. His gritty play and intensity is trumped only by his all-around talent and skill set.

Syndergaard is also making quite a name for himself since joining the Mets and I’ve even heard from more than few people who think that ultimately he will be the prize from the Dickey trade and not Travis d’Arnaud. Of course there’s a better than 50/50 chance that the Mets will trade some arms for an outfielder at the trade deadline and if that’s the case, Syndergaard could be the one to go. I hope not.

Can I just say that I’m baffled that Dustin Lawley got selected over Travis Taijeron? I don’t want to take anything away from Lawley, but Taijeron is batting .303/.399/.573 in 185 at-bats with 20 doubles and nine home runs. He leads the team with a .972 OPS which is over 150 points higher than Lawley. I guess the MLB All Star selection process isn’t the only one that’s flawed.

I also wanted to point out the excellent season by RHP Matthew Bowman. Matt kind of fell through the cracks because he’s only made five starts for St. Lucie since being promoted from Savannah. In those starts Bowman is 3-0 with a 2.81 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. Overall the 22-year old righty is 7-0 with a 2.73 ERA. His strikeout to walk ratio is off the charts and in 62.2 innings he’s racked up 61 strikeouts while walking only 9 batters.

Okay, I’m done complaining. 🙂

Congratulations to Syndergaard, Rivera and Lawley!

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Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas dropped to Reno, 6-5.
• Binghamton topped Altoona, 8-5.
• St. Lucie game was postponed due to rain. 
• Savannah defeated Greenville, 8-3.

Prospect Pipeline

• Welcome back Brandon Nimmo! Nimmo finally returned from his stint on the disabled list, and was in the lineup for Savannah last night batting second, and playing center field. It was his first game back since April 29, and it showed. Nimmo was 0-for-5 at the plate, extending his hitless streak from before going on the DL to 0-for-25.
• Noah Syndergaard was perfect last night before the St. Lucie game was suspended by rain. The game will continue today but we’re not sure who will be pitching when the game resumes.
• First Base Watch: I noticed Ike Davis re-positioned his hands during last night’s game — he isn’t holding them over his head anymore, and they’re closer to his shoulders now (he must have read my piece on Fixing Ike Davis the other day). However, he is still dropping his hands way too low as he loads up his swing. This will take time to fix, as it’s all muscle memory, and he has to leave his comfort zone to re-train the muscles. In the meantime, two potential replacements for Davis, Josh Satin and Wilmer Flores, have been raking. Both had three hits in last night’s game. (By the way, MMO’s analysis is just as good as the stuff you see on TV from the “real analysts.” We had the Ike Davis fix a day before everyone else, and they basically repeated everything we said on ESPN and in the SNY booth.)
• In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Zack Wheeler alluded to the fact that he is ready. Wheeler said “I’m just waiting on time. I think I’m ready, but it is really not my decision.” There is no doubt that Wheeler’s stuff is dynamite, and good enough right now to get major league hitters out. However, I’m still concerned about the command issues, which have reared their ugly heads again since his short trip to the DL.
• Jayce Boyd is still lighting up the SAL, has surpassed Kevin Plawecki in batting average, and he now leads the league in hitting (.354). Boyd has played the past ten games as a designated hitter due to a shoulder injury.
• Omar Quintanilla is not on the 40-man roster, but how much longer will the Mets allow Ruben Tejada to struggle while Quintanilla tears it up in Las Vegas? Quintanilla is hitting .328 for the year, and over his last ten games is hitting .483. I wonder if Tejada can hear the footsteps?
• Jack Leathersich has ice water in his veins. He inherited two runners in the eighth inning of last night’s game, allowing neither of them to score. He struck out five of the six batters he faced for his third save of the season. Awesome. Check out MMN for a Prospect Spotlight on Leathersich.
• Congratulations to MMN’s Pitcher of the Week, Matthew Bowman, and MMN’s Player of the Week, Josh Rodriguez.
• Bill Passanno gives you all the happenings down in St. Lucie, with his Lucie Logistics over at MMN.
• Angel Cuan was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week.
• Michael Fulmer threw an inning during an extended spring training game yesterday.
• Steven Matz was pulled from his start yesterday in the fourth inning, from what we were told was a blister and fingernail issue. Before being pulled, Matz allowed two runs on four hits.
• Be sure to check out this week’s Top Ten Prospect Tracker over at MMN today.

Stat Lines of the Day

Collin Cowgill: 3-for-5, 2 R

Josh Satin: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 1 R

Wilmer Flores: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R 

Transactions

Brandon Nimmo was activated from the seven-day DL.

Zach Lutz was placed on the DL with an oblique injury.

Quote of the Day

The post Mets Minors Report 5/29: Nimmo Returns, Leathersich Slams The Door, Quintanilla’s Knocking appeared first on Metsmerized Online.