Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A)

Pitcher: Justin Dunn

After a disappointing full-season debut in 2017, Dunn returned to the Florida State League looking to rebound on what was essentially a lost season. In 2016, the Mets’ first rounder had a 5.00 ERA and walked 48 in 95.1 innings with Port St. Lucie before a shoulder injury ended his season. His second go-around went much smoother, with Dunn earning a well-deserved promotion to Binghamton after dominating FSL hitters to the tune of a 2.36 ERA and 51 strikeouts against 15 walks in 45.2 innings.

Dunn’s showed well in Binghamton thus far, striking out more than a batter per nine while keeping his walk rate in check. Jeffrey Paternostro, our lead prospect writer over at the main site, saw Dunn with Binghamton and thought his stuff was actually a tick down from where it had been previously. Instead of the mid-90s fastball, the pitch was sitting more in the 91-94 range. Dunn’s been thought to have a plus fastball, but that’s merely average velocity for a starter nowadays. He’s essentially a two-pitch pitcher at present, with a slider that flashes above average as well. Dunn is also working on developing his change, a needed part of the repertoire if he wants to succeed as a starter in the big leagues.

Although his numbers have been significantly better this season, it’s hard not to be a little disappointed with the reports on Dunn. His stock has increased from last season, but he looks like more of a No. 4 or 5 starter or a late-inning arm rather than a potential top of the rotation arm.

Hitter: Tomas Nido

Old friend Tomas Nido garnered some hype in the offseason as a potential major league caliber catcher, but was called into duty far too quickly due to injuries and struggled mightily in his first extended taste with the Mets. Nido’s likely always going to be glove before bat, but he’ll need to improve on a .446 OPS if he ever wants to stick around in the majors.

Nido returned to Binghamton, where he started the season, and has actually put up a decent line of .273/.297/.453 in almost 140 at-bats. He’s got 14 doubles and three home runs, fairly good numbers for a player who struggled severely a couple months ago.

Here’s where it gets worrisome: Nido has drawn just three walks this season and is repeating the level. While he’s not striking out an exorbitant amount, he’s not getting any free bases either. That’s a problem for a 24-year-old who’s never shown power numbers that may excuse that type of walk rate in the minors. Nido might and likely will have a career as a glove-first backup, but the bat isn’t anything to get excited about, limiting his potential impact at the major league level.

Pitcher: Harol Gonzalez

The aforementioned Jeffrey Paternostro loves him some Harol Gonzalez. The 23-year-old right-hander had a Jacob deGrom experience of his own in Port St. Lucie, winning a single game and losing six with a 2.82 ERA. With higher level affiliates in need of starting pitching, the Mets promoted Gonzalez to Vegas for a single start, and now to Binghamton, where he’ll presumably spend the rest of the season.

Gonzalez has a fringy fastball and his secondary offerings aren’t anything to write home about, but he’s had success at every stop in the minors, sort of like Nabil Crismatt. Crismatt’s got the better stuff, but both have a long track record of success. With Crismatt’s promotion to Las Vegas, Gonzalez took his spot in the Rumble Ponies rotation. He’s only made one start thus far, but this is the level where we’ll find out about whether his stuff can one day play in a major league rotation, or even the bullpen.

Port St. Lucie (Advanced-A)

Pitcher: David Peterson

Peterson’s first six starts in St. Lucie haven’t gone as expected. He’s got a 17:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 6.82 ERA, uninspiring numbers for a player many thought should be a level higher at this stage of his career. Part of the appeal in last year’s draft with Peterson was his polish as a college lefty who could move quickly, but it’s now unlikely he even moves to Binghamton before the end of the season.

The reports on his stuff as a whole have been down a bit since last season, and the peripherals back that up. Peterson’s still the best pitching prospect in the system, but the reports and results have been a little discouraging for the left-hander. He’s too good to struggle like this in Advanced-A though, so we’ll check back in a couple more starts to see if anything’s changed.

Hitter: Jeremy Vasquez

A sleeper name who got off to a great start in the Sally League, Vasquez was promoted to St. Lucie less than two weeks ago. He’s off to a rough start but it’s only been 11 games, far too small of a sample. The left-handed hitting first basemen is a hit-before-power prospect, a tough profile that puts a lot of pressure on the hit tool, especially for a 1B-only guy.

While he has shown doubles power, Vasquez hit just six home runs in almost 300 at-bats for Columbia. Vasqeuz should finish the season in St. Lucie and may possibly begin 2019 down in Florida as well. He’s a name to follow, I suppose, but expectations should be minimal. The reality is that as a 28th rounder out of college, reaching Double-A would be a win for the organization.

Hitter: Desmond Lindsay

The expectations for a second rounder are far higher than they are for a 28th rounder, and Lindsay has been a severe disappointment this season. The oft-injured center fielder has only taken 685 at-bats in four seasons and is struggling in St. Lucie to the tune of a .621 OPS. Lindsay’s striking out 26% of the time with a walk rate of 12.1%, but his slugging percentage is actually lower than his on-base percentage. He’s hitting just .208/.311/.309 this season and while the FSL does suppress offense, this is a new low for one of the Mets’ top prospects. All that being said, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that he wasn’t listed in our BP Mets midseason organizational review.

Lindsay has stayed mostly healthy this season – a win in and of itself – but it doesn’t really matter if his tools don’t start showing up in games. He’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft next season and the Mets will have an interesting decision on their hands. If I had to guess, Lindsay’s unlikely to be protected unless he starts to show some signs of becoming the major league caliber player the Mets thought he could become.

Photo credit: Gregory Fisher – USA Today Sports

Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A)

BP Mets writer Tyler Oringer has been hammering the table for a Drew Smith call-up, so I figured who else better to bring in to write Smith’s Prospect Watch debut than him.

Pitcher: Drew Smith

Little has gone right for the 2018 New York Mets and before this somewhat historic offensive draught, the bullpen was what seemed like the main cause of concern for Sandy Alderson, Mickey Callaway and Co.

Still, the bullpen has wavered significantly. But luckily, help may be on the way soon in the form of the right-handed Drew Smith.

Smith, who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Lucas Duda trade last year, has been straight-up dominant in Triple-A and has limited opponents to no earned runs, six hits and four walks in his last 14 innings, as well as fanning 14 batters.

After being drafted in the third round of 2015 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers, it was clear after his first two years in the minors that Smith projected to be at least a serviceable set-up man. Now, following a strong 2017 campaign where he finished with a combined 1.65 ERA in mostly High-A play, it is clear that he is an advanced caliber arm.

2018 has seen him jump from Double-A immediately to Triple-A after 4.1 innings of near-shutdown ball. Smith has excelled against PCL hitting and improved his already plus fastball and secondary slide-curve, which seems to garner more break with each year. He is explosive off of the mound and comes aggressively towards the plate with a violent over-the-top motion. Smith will lift his left knee above his belt buckle, allowing him to get nice extension for power pitches from his back leg. He has struggled with command this year, but has shown improvement recently and clearly has professional stuff.

Smith’s fastball sits around 95 miles per hour, but can get up to 98 on the somewhat rare occasion. Factored in with his ability to deceive batters with his motion, it is no surprise he has compiled an eye-popping career 1.95 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 171 minor league innings.

The prize of the Duda trade currently sits in Vegas, likely awaiting a call despite limited Triple-A action, but once the phone rings – Smith should be ready to perform.

Hitter: Jeff McNeil

The 26-year-old McNeil finally got healthy and tore through the Eastern League this season, hitting .327/.402/.626 with 14 home runs and a 23:22 strikeout to walk ratio. It’s easy to look at his age relative to the league (1.7 years older than the average player) and dismiss his performance, but McNeil hasn’t been this healthy in years. Injuries took a major toll on him the past two seasons, robbing him of valuable at-bats and developmental time, but he looks major league ready right now.

The Mets finally chose to promote McNeil, along with teammate Peter Alonso, to Triple-A Las Vegas Thursday, a move long overdue in this writer’s opinion. While it’s nice to see McNeil and Alonso rewarded for their stellar play, the promotion feels like too-little-too-late. There isn’t a single good argument to be made as to why both are toiling away in the minors while the major league club can’t score a run if Jacob deGrom’s life depended on it. At the least, McNeil’s an upgrade on Jose Reyes as a useful utility man with some pop from the left side.  The Mets are sorely lacking capable hitters and McNeil’s age and current talent level mean this move would make too much sense.

McNeil has worked incredibly hard to get to this point, a testament to his work ethic, and is more than deserving of an opportunity in the big leagues. When that opportunity will come, no one knows, but there’s no denying he’d be a welcome midseason addition to a Mets team in dire need of a spark.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A)

Hitter: Patrick Mazeika

Take one look at Mazeika’s triple-slash this season with Binghamton, .212/.311/.359, and you’d likely assume the 24-year-old catcher is struggling for the first time in his professional career. A career .305/.414/.402 hitter, Mazeika is running an incredibly low .206 BABIP this season, a number more than .100 points below his career BABIP. Add in the fact that he’s running a 20:18 strikeout-to-walk ratio and Mazeika’s 2018 looks a lot better than it does on the surface.

Mazeika’s already launched six home runs this season after hitting just seven with Port St. Lucie last year. Once his BABIP normalizes, likely around .280, Mazeika is going to be a guy we talk about as a potential 2019 contributor. If the BABIP stays in the low .200s for the remainder of the season, he’ll be one of my sleeper prospects this offseason.

While he’s going to turn 25 this October, Mazeika still looks like an offense-first backup at peak. I don’t think he’s quite a good enough defender behind the plate to be a regular there, but the bat should play well enough for him to stick as a backup, likely be as the strong side of a platoon. The only concern is the lack of pop, but if Mazeika, who’s run a career 144:130 strikeout-to-walk ratio, can keep his approach, he’s going to provide positive value.

Pitcher: Adonis Uceta

After a breakout 2017 (1.51 ERA across three levels), the 24-year-old Uceta was promoted to Binghamton. Uceta has a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and a change that flashed plus in the past, but his stuff has backed up a bit. He was sitting 92-95 for me with a change that didn’t flash better than average. One of the names to watch prior to the season in a loaded Binghamton bullpen, Uceta’s development has stalled a bit, and I have questions about whether he can be a major league reliever. While I do think his stuff is better than his current results (4.26 ERA), the lack of fastball command and the inconsistency on the changeup is concerning. Uceta has been comfortably passed on the totem pole by Eric Hanhold, Drew Smith and even Tim Peterson. I think he’s likely to repeat Double-A next season, and shouldn’t be counted on when Sandy Alderson and co. are constructing the 2019 roster.

Port St. Lucie (Advanced-A)

Pitcher: David Peterson

What exactly was a former Pac-12 lefty drafted in the first round in part due to his impressive track record against good competition doing in A-ball? I don’t know either. Peterson dominated in the Sally League, to the tune of a 1.82 ERA and 57 strikeouts against 11 walks in 59.1 innings.

It’s par for the course though, and Peterson received a long-awaited promotion to Port St. Lucie last week. I, for one, have a hard time understanding the fascination with a polished college starter if you don’t plan on moving him quickly. If the Mets were looking for an arm to develop for a couple of years, why not draft a prep pitcher instead of Peterson? Realistically, Peterson should be in Double-A by now. Instead, the Mets messed with his timeline by starting him in Columbia. Yet another puzzling decision for an organization oh so prone to them.

Columbia Fireflies (Low-A)

Hitter: Jeremy Vasquez

Vasquez has cooled off mightily after a hot April and that, my friends, is why we don’t jump to rash conclusions so quickly. There was talk that Vasquez was in the same tier as Alonso and Dominic Smith, but that line of thinking is honestly quite absurd. While the Mets do like Vasquez and believe in his ability to hit, he’s a soon to be 22-year-old with an OPS below .800 in A-ball.

While he’s still running a respectable strikeout-to-walk ratio (48 to 35), the complete lack of power (three home runs in 210 at-bats) is concerning for a first base prospect. In 447 career minor league at-bats, Vasquez has hit just 11 home runs. If the Mets truly want to learn what they have in last year’s 28th rounder, they should send him to Port St. Lucie after the All-Star break. Until we see him perform at the upper levels of the minors, I’ll remain skeptical that Vasquez is anything more than a role 3.

 Photo credit: Steve Mitchell – USA Today Sports

BP Mets writer Tyler Oringer joined me this week to offer his opinions on former Prospect Watch players Luis Guillorme, Justin Dunn and Jeremy Vasquez.

Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A)

Pitcher: Gerson Bautista

Bautista started the year in Binghamton but he’s already pitched at three levels this season, including a brief ride on the Mets bullpen shuttle. He was part of the return from Boston for Addison Reed and fits in the same mold as the other relievers that were acquired during the 2017 sell-off. Bautista has a live arm and is mainly fastball-slider, but he mixes in a below-average changeup as well. The fastball sits in the high 90s and regularly touches 100; it’s already a legitimate 70, a plus-plus pitch. The problem for Bautista is his fastball’s so good that he hasn’t had to develop his secondary offerings to get minor league hitters out. This season marks the first time Bautista’s pitched above A-ball and his lack of another quality offering has gotten him into some trouble. In his cup of tea in the majors earlier this season, Bautista threw his fastball an astounding 86% of the time. He’s more comfortable throwing his slider than his changeup (11% and 3%, respectively) but neither is even an average offering at this point. That’s a big problem for a potential high-leverage reliever, especially considering Bautista has poor command as well. I’m extremely doubtful that Bautista can be an effective high-leverage guy throwing his fastball almost 90% of the time. In order to pull that off, he’d need to add a couple more ticks to the fastball, which seems unlikely at this point. The Mets sent Bautista to Las Vegas to work on developing his secondaries further, but he’s struggled with his command and has been hit hard. Here’s my biggest gripe with Bautista: I’m concerned his 70 fastball is going to play down in the majors because of how often he throws it. Bautista has great velo but ultimately it’s nothing major league hitters haven’t already seen. It’s extremely hard to throw your fastball by major league hitters that know you throw a fastball nine out of every ten pitches. I’m lower on Bautista than most due to the lack of secondaries and poor command, but he’s still young and should get plenty of opportunities to keep developing his off-speed.

Hitter: Luis Guillorme (*Called up to New York Mets*)

I did a scouting report a few weeks back on Guillorme and Alex briefly discussed him in a prior Prospect Watch.

The most impressive defensive Mets prospect (and my favorite) has been called up to the big league club.  His surge in Triple-A over the last two weeks is just a small sample size of what he has done his entire minor league career.

I’ll get to his aforementioned future Gold Glove defense in a second, but his hitting and approach to the plate forced Sandy Alderson’s hand following the injury of Todd Frazier.

On April 28, Guillorme was slashing just .213/.333/.279. However, these numbers were bound to change as his quick yet through-the-zone swing and knack for recognizing pitches led to an absolute tear. By May 7, the day of his promotion, the middle infielder was raking .300/.390/.433 with seven doubles, a triple and a home run. He’s been clutch in that time, versatile in the order and even showing a bit more speed. For context, if I had to compare Guillorme’s initial bat and approach to someone in the Majors right now it would be Greg Garcia of the Cardinals with less power. The similarities are actually glaring. This is all in addition to his second-to-none glove.  Though he is just 5’10”, he gets to balls that he should not be able to get to and moves with a Major League smoothness.

I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but he projects as an 80 second baseman and 70-75 shortstop. High praise, but well deserved.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A)

Pitcher: Joshua Torres

Originally a member of the Milwaukee Brewer’s organization, Torres was released in March 2016 and signed a minor league free agent contract with the Mets in December of the same year. Like Bautista above, this is his first season above A-ball in his seven-year minor league career and he’s off to quite the start. In just 10.2 innings for Binghamton thus far, Torres has been really impressive with his 0.84 ERA and 16 strikeouts against four walks. He’s always had decent strikeout numbers, but he struck out 77 in 63 innings last year at High-A Port St. Lucie in what was his best professional season to date. Torres was old for the level, but he’s shown much of the same strikeout prowess in Binghamton so far. I’ve gotten a couple of live looks at Torres this season and to be honest, his stuff is pretty underwhelming for a relief prospect. He sits just 91-94 with his fastball and it’s just an average pitch, but the results have been good so far. Here’s the bad news: Torres is an extreme flyball pitcher in an era where you really don’t want to be one. He’s currently running a pathetic 17.4% groundball rate this season and his HR/FB of 0.0% makes him a prime regression candidate. I haven’t even mentioned that he’s stranded 93% of base runners this season, a mark that should level off near his career average of 73.1% sometime soon. This is a classic case where the results are not indicative of the stuff, and a reminder that there’s more to scouting than just the stat line. I don’t think Torres will be more than organizational depth at Triple-A, but he’s someone to keep an eye on this summer until his underlying numbers catch up to his results.

Hitter: Jeff McNeil

McNeil was a 12th round draft pick of the Mets in 2013 and has played at pretty much every level of the system throughout his six-year minor league career. Primarily a second baseman, McNeil projects as a super-utility type based on his ability to play all over the diamond. He’s the owner of a gorgeous left-handed swing and has an opposite field approach at the dish. While he does have six home runs already this season, McNeil has never had much pop and isn’t likely to add that to his game now that he’s 26. The Mets system is light up top but seemingly full of interesting relievers and utility players, and McNeil looks like a major leaguer bench piece for someone. He’s currently slashing .276/.364/.609 in just under 90 at-bats for Binghamton and could get a call to Las Vegas if Luis Guillorme is up for an extended amount of time. The age is obviously an issue here, but our own Jeffrey Paternostro saw McNeil this week and thinks he’s still a low-risk bench player for some organization. It’s hard to see a path to playing time for McNeil with the Mets anytime soon, but I prefer him to Phil Evans, who I wrote about in last week’s Prospect Watch and is already on the 40-man. My reasoning for preferring McNeil is quite simple: I think McNeil’s a better defender and more likely to hit for average than Evans. I’ll be getting my first live look at McNeil next week and will have a more in-depth look in my next scouting notes piece.

Port St. Lucie Mets (High-A)

Pitcher: Justin Dunn

Alex discussed Dunn in Week One of the Prospect Watch, but I am here to expand a bit on his evaluations.

The 2016 first round pick out of Boston College, Dunn was expected to be a massive part of Mets future.  He flashed an explosiveness when pitching for Boston College that caught many scouts’ eyes. He was initially a reliever and then closed for BC, eventually being moved into the starting rotation. The 6’2”185-pound lanky righty extends fairly far to the plate out of the windup, something that was very deceptive for hitters that faced him in 2016 in short season A-ball and throughout his time in college.  With the Brooklyn Cyclones, Dunn notched a 1.50 ERA and 1.17 WHIP while striking out 35 in 30 innings pitches.

Alarming though, Dunn struggled mightily in 2017 at high-A.  The concerns about his lack of command and ability to find an outpitch other than his slider led to his beatings against lefties versus whom he got absolutely rocked. He walked 48 batters in 95.1 innings pitched and finished the season with a 5.00 ERA. After an abysmal and scary year for his career, Dunn needed to show Mets brass and scouts alike that his first round value was no fluke.

In 2018, so far, kind of good. But certainly better. The former BC Eagle’s fastball runs from 92-95 and can reach 96-97 on rare occasion.  Due to his deceptiveness strictly due to the extension of his motion, his slider has fooled opposing hitters. Now at High-A St. Lucie again, Dunn’s adjustments are noticeable: He has improved his pseudo-curve/slider and changeup a bit and is mixing his pitches better. In five starts thus far this year, the former first rounder has compiled a 2.13 ERA, and is clearly pitching to contact more often.  However, because of this, he has given up 29 hits in 25.1 innings pitches.  Impressively, he has still struck out 28 batters while walking nine – but his proneness to serving up hittable pitches is a bit frightening. Of course, though, now he is on the DL with a minor injury.

Dunn can be a solid number three starter if he expands on his third and fourth pitches, but at the moment is worthy of future backend rotation/long relief consideration with his current attributes. Initially, he struck me as someone who may be converted into a late-inning long reliever to closer type due to his college experience and two-pitch repertoire, but with his new tendencies and high WHIP, I think he’ll be relied on as just a starter as planned.

Columbia Fireflies (Low-A)

Hitter: Jeremy Vasquez

Alex discussed Vasquez in Week Two of the Prospect Watch, but I am here to expand a bit on his evaluations.

If you’re a Mets fan, the name Dominic Smith has been drilled into your head as the next “guy” at first base for the past few years.   However, it is appearing more and more likely that Smith is not what he was once touted to be. Now, Peter Alonso is shaping up to be the favorite in the organization. But there is another impressive first baseman looming. Jeremy Vasquez, the 2017 Round 28 pick, is tearing up Single-A pitching and making a case for a promotion if Alonso finds himself in Triple-A or even the majors.

The lefty Vasquez transferred to Nova Southeastern after two productive years at the University of Florida and has really impressed so far in 2018. Though he does not fit the profile of a typical first base prospect or even typical first baseman for that matter, the 6’1” 205-pound former Gator has the tools to make some sort of impact at the highest level. Last season, Vasquez slashed .266/.368/.430 – nothing too special. Yet, his swing and eye were noticeably advanced for the level he was playing at.

Now adjusted to A-league pitching, the newly notable prospect is slashing .315/.426/.514. At 21 years old, he is old for the level he’s at and while this isn’t necessarily a good thing, he has proven that he’s soon to be ready for the next step. Because of his lack of power, average defense, and presence of Alonso (and Smith), Vasquez may need to shift to right field, where he played during his sophomore year at UF, at some point to carve a role with the Mets. He still needs more reps at full season A-ball, but flashes a solid hit tool and advanced eye. The first baseman needs to put more torque in his swing to truly rise the ranks of the Mets system, but is looking like a great find for New York.

Photo credit: Jasen Vinlove – USA Today Sports

Las Vegas 51s (AAA)

Pitcher: RHP Corey Oswalt

Corey Oswalt hasn’t thrown for Vegas since April 13 but he did make his major league debut last Wednesday, throwing 4.2 innings of much-needed mop-up duty against the St. Louis Cardinals. The 24-year-old righty is a former seventh-round draft pick that was named the organizations Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2017 after posting a 2.28 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 134.1 innings at AA Binghamton. Oswalt needed to be protected from the Rule 5 draft this offseason, earning him a spot on the 40-man as well as an invite to big league spring training. The 6’5,” 250-pound hurler looks intimidating on the mound and sits 90-94 mph with his fastball, but it doesn’t generate much movement, leaving Oswalt susceptible to a lot of contact. This was a bigger problem when he was in Single-A throwing an extremely hittable 95 and allowed 153 hits in 128.2 innings, but he’s added a little more sink now and it has seemed to do the trick just fine. The fastball has lost a couple ticks since last season, where he was more in the 92-95 mph range, and it averaged 90.8 mph in his 4.2 innings big league debut. In addition to the heater, Oswalt also throws a slider, changeup and a curveball, of which the slider is definitely the best of the bunch. He doesn’t possess a plus offering, although the slider is close to, if not above average, and he doesn’t have great command either. That being said, Oswalt projects as a back end of the rotation innings eater, and all things considered, that’s a great outcome for a seventh rounder. I think he’s more of a long reliever type than a guy you’re comfortable throwing every fifth day, but he’s capable of starting and his stuff may play up out of the pen.

Hitter: Gavin Cecchini

Cecchini has been on fire to start the season, batting .342/.395/.532 with seven walks against 13 strikeouts for Vegas. The former first-round draft pick in 2012 has moved over to second full time after beginning his professional career at short, a move made in part by the presence of Amed Rosario, but more so because of his limited defensive profile. Cecchini had to be moved off short mainly because of his arm, which isn’t particularly strong and became so inaccurate that he left the Mets little choice. He doesn’t possess great range or speed either, and he profiles as a below-average defender even at second. At this point, his prospect status begins and ends with his ability to get on base, which he’s showcased at every stop throughout his five-year minor league career. Cecchini has 60 hit tool at peak, but his 40 raw power leaves a lot to be desired and he’s never hit more than eight home runs in a single season. The swing is flat and is geared more for any contact rather than good contact, which is a bit of a problem for a second baseman who can’t really field. Cecchini is now 24 years old with nothing substantial left to prove in the minors, but he’s blocked by Rosario and Asdrubal Cabrera at the major league level for the foreseeable future. At this point in his career, Cecchini profiles as a utility guy who can get on base, and that’s valuable enough for a roster spot with an organization next season. I just don’t see it with the Mets, or any National League team rather, as this sort of player is much more valuable to an American League team.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (AA)

Pitcher: RHP Eric Hanhold

This is Hanhold’s first season as a member of the Mets organization and he’s gotten off to quite the start. After being acquired from Milwaukee in last season’s Neil Walker trade as the PTBNL, the Mets chose to convert him from a starter to a full-time reliever, and the move has paid early dividends. The 6’5,” 220-pound right-hander is long-limbed and has seen his velocity spike in the bullpen, as I had him sitting 94-96 and touching 99 mph in my look a couple weeks ago. The fastball is already a 60 and I’m comfortable projecting heavily on it, I think it’s a 70 at peak, due to the movement it generates in addition to the premium velo. Hanhold gets great sink and movement on the four-seamer — it even shows some two-seam run at its best — and it allows him to induce a ton of ground balls. He posted a 60% groundball rate with the Brewers organization last season and I expect similar numbers moving forward. Like every other Mets relief prospect, Hanhold throws a slider, but it’s already above average and he’s comfortable throwing it in any count. The slider sits 87-89 mph with tight break and is a great change of pace pitch that keeps hitters off his fastball. In a Binghamton bullpen full of interesting relief prospects, I think Hanhold may be the best of the bunch. I see a potential high leverage reliever that could eventually be a middle of the pack closer, which is a fantastic outcome for half a season of Neil Walker.

Hitter: Patrick Mazeika

The Mets have had success drafting position players from Stetson University (see: Jacob deGrom) and Mazeika hopes to be the next major league contributor from the small school in Florida. An eighth-round pick in 2015, Mazeika has hit for a high average at every stop of his minor league career thus far. Although his hit tool far outweighs his game power, Mazeika gets on base at an excellent clip for a catching prospect. It’s not too often you find catchers with this track record of on-base ability, but Mazeika needs to show he can perform at the higher levels of the minors. He’s currently hitting .225/.304/.394 for AA Binghamton, a far cry from his 2016 and 2017 numbers. The biggest knock on Mazeika has been his defense behind the dish; he has a strong arm, but he doesn’t block particularly well and is big for the position. I’ve been able to get three looks at him behind the plate and all in all it’s been a bit of a mixed bag. I saw some positive developments in regards to his framing as well as the strong arm he possesses, but I also saw him allow a couple passed balls, not to mention a couple of steals, mainly because he’s slow to pop despite his strong arm. He only threw out 32% of base stealers last season between Single-A and Double-A and that’s going to need to improve in order for him to have a shot. Unfortunately, I think he’s a little too big and not a good enough athlete to stick behind the dish. I’m intrigued by the on-base ability though, and if I squint hard enough, I can see a big league backup catcher who’s more hit tool than defense.

Columbia Fireflies (A)

Pitcher: LHP Anthony Kay

After missing all of 2017 due to Tommy John surgery, Kay made his highly anticipated minor league debut for the Fireflies on April 8, allowing no runs in four innings to go along with four strikeouts. Kay is a local kid — he grew up on Long Island and went to the University of Connecticut — who was overworked heavily in his draft year before being selected 31st overall by the Mets. Prior to the injury, Kay projected as a solid lefty starter who could potentially move quickly through the system. He’s actually been throwing harder since his return than he was at UConn, which is unexpected but certainly a welcome development. He was 88-93 mph with his fastball in college but is reportedly now 90-94 and even touched 96 in his debut outing. Kay complements his fastball with a changeup that sits in the low 80s and flashes plus, as well as a curveball that’s fringy and slurve-like. The 23-year-old has a clean delivery that he has no trouble repeating and he works quickly. He doesn’t have great command (he’s walked seven in 20 innings so far), but it should get better with more reps and it probably settles around average or a little above. Kay already looks to be too advanced for Low-A and should get the chance to pitch in Port St. Lucie at some point this season. It’s hard to project a 23-year-old in Low-A, but Kay still looks like a future No. 4 starter for the Mets. That being said, he’s probably two years away at his point, which would make him 25 when he eventually latches on in the big leagues full time.

Hitter: Jeremy Vasquez

Vasquez has exploded onto the scene in 2018, hitting a blistering .325/.455/.545 while reaching base safely in 23 consecutive games. A 28th round pick in the 2017 draft, he split last season with Kingsport and Brooklyn and hit only .266/.368.430. The 21-year-old has more walks (20) than strikeouts (16) so far, but he’s old for Low-A Columbia and has never performed this well previously. Vasquez has below average raw power and is more hit tool than power, which isn’t a great profile for a guy who can only play first. The more highly regarded Peter Alonso faced similar questions last season as a first base-only guy who was more hit tool than power, but a swing change has allowed for his 70 raw power to play much better in games. I don’t see above-average raw power here for Vasquez, so a swing change may not do much in the way of increased power production. The expectations weren’t high to begin with — they never are with a 28th rounder — but I’ve seen Vasquez’s name thrown into the first baseman of the future conversation along with Peter Alonso and Dom Smith and frankly, that’s absolutely ridiculous. I’m extremely skeptical of Vasquez’s hot start to the season, but I’d like to see him get a chance at Port St. Lucie before I jump to any major conclusions.

Photo credit: Gregory Fisher – USA Today Sports