Roundtable: Putting Mets rookies in their place

On Monday I turned to my friends in the Mets blogosphere and asked them the following questions:

The Mets have had a fair number of rookies play for them this year – from Juan Lagares and his 2.9 fWAR to Zack Wheeler and his 3.22 ERA to Travis d’Arnaud and his … well his exciting offensive potential. Which of these three rookies, or any other player to debut in 2013, do you think has the brightest future for the club? Also, do you see anyone from this rookie class that worries you?

These people all do great work and their names are hyperlinked to their blogs so please go ahead and click on them to check out their real stuff.

Paul Festa – Likes to pretend he’s an Ice Road Trucker when he drives on I-70

Of the players who made their MLB debut with the Mets this year, Zack Wheeler has the brightest future. He had good raw stuff when he was first recalled, but he really learned how to harness it over the span of his first 16 big league starts. He seems unflappable and in control on the mound, which is part of the reason he’s able to get out of tight situations. If the Mets ever play pennant race/playoff baseball again, he’ll be a big-game pitcher.

As for the player I’m most worried about, I’d like to mention a guy like Robert Carson, but I know that’s not the spirit of this discussion. The truth is, I have concerns about a lot of them. Jeurys Familia has great stuff, but hasn’t shown the ability to throw strikes with consistency (though he didn’t have much time to work on it before his injury this year). I’m concerned about Travis d’Arnaud’s early struggles with the bat, but I still agree with all the scouts and talent evaluators from around the league who say he will be a good hitter. I’m more concerned with the fact that his head seems to be a magnet for foul balls. I’m also worried about Wilmer Flores for his lack of a position, and the ankle injury that set back his growth as a major leaguer this year.

Howard Megdal – Refused to sell his penny-farthing to the American Pickers

Rookies are always a worry until they prove they can stay healthy and produce. But a rookie crop that includes a four-win center fielder in Juan Lagares, and a starting pitcher, Zack Wheeler, holding his own at the big league level, is cause for celebration.

Jason Fry – Understands every word they say on Swamp People

I’m excited for as much Zack Wheeler as I can get — Harvey got a lot of the pixels for being awesome and having that Seaveresque no-prisoners mentality, but Wheeler looks like he’s improving with each and every start, and his stuff might even be as good as Harvey’s. I wouldn’t be surprised if Wheeler takes a leap forward next year that’s similar to the one we enjoyed this year with Harvey. Let’s just hope the ending’s different, though.

As for rookies who worry me, ALL rookies worry me. D’Arnaud’s struggled at the plate and to stay on the field. The jury’s out on Lagares as a hitter. Matt den Dekker‘s sample size is too small to say anything with any confidence. Wilmer Flores looks like he can hit, but his audition got ruined by a bad ankle and he has no position. The league will make adjustments to Wheeler and I may think of him differently. But that’s how it goes with all young players.

John Coppinger – Laughs at the wimps they have for car guys on Top Gear

Travis d’Arnaud worries me. Well, not him per say, but his unrealistic expectations. He goes 3 for 29 and already people are picking on him for being a bust. d’Arnaud’s slow start only proves that people can be nuts sometimes. That said, if d’Arnaud does flame out and is run out of town by an impatient fan base, at least they have Kevin Plawecki in the minors for us to chew up and spit out, right?

As for who excites me? Well the obvious answer is Wheeler. But Vic Black intrigues me also, only because he’s an important step to getting that bullpen into something other than the part of the club to be filled on by five different geriatric club members every season. Big arms and swing and miss guys are the difference between a bullpen who has long stretches of suck and age, and a bullpen that can be dependable all season long and not just when the chickens have left the barn to be captured by Colonel Sanders.

Greg Prince – Booked the Santini Brothers to move him into his college dorm

Per Steely Dan’s scouting report, go back, Zack, do it again. Do it even more in 2014 and years to come. Zack Wheeler’s the only reason I’m not crying Harvey-sized tears over his prospective absence. He’s been very exciting to watch come along and he’ll be the reason I’ll count down to Pitchers & Catchers (that and habit). I also look forward to watching Juan Lagares track down fly balls for years to come, though I probably felt that way about Pat Howell, albeit from a smaller sample size.

Worries? Rookies don’t worry me. It’s when they stop coming that I’ll be worried.

Chris Walendin – Sold a Nolan Ryan RC to the Pawn Stars

I’m an optimistic guy by nature, so it’s no surprise that I like all three of those rookies. But picking just one, I’ll take Travis d’Arnaud as having the brightest future. He’s had a rough debut with the bat, for sure, but to my amateur eye, he’s looked really good behind the plate. I’m confident that the offense will come. D’Arnaud’s freak foot injury cost him most of his season, and trying to shake off all that rust AND make the jump to the big leagues in just 3 short weeks has been too tall an order. I can’t begrudge anyone who selects Wheeler here, as he may well become a frontline starter (soon, even). But I see d’Arnaud as an impact catcher on both sides of the ball, and to me, that wins. On Lagares, I’m a late adopter. I followed him in the minors, and thought he might be a Major League player, but likely in a utility role off the bench. In reality, though, his game-changing centerfield defense has probably been the most fun part of watching Mets games since Wright & Harvey went down. I’m still skeptical that he’ll hit and get on base enough to be a long-term solution, but Lagares has exceeded my expectations by plenty so far. And going into 2014, I’d have no qualms penciling him in as my everyday centerfielder.

Michael Geus – Was the inspiration for “Horny Mike” on Counting Cars

I think Wheeler has the brightest future. I feel comfortable with him as a front of the rotation starter in 2014, a very valuable commodity. Lagares on defense alone, can be a positive contributor, and so can den Dekker, who has also shown a little pop. A full season in the majors can hopefully benefit d’Arnaud, it’s not so easy hitting major league pitchers. Frankly, as a catcher the bar will not have to be too high for d’Arnaud to help the team.

Jon Springer – Once baseball season ends, joins the cast of Mountain Men

I think Wheeler has the brightest future. All young pitchers get cuffed around a little and are more inconsistent than you’d like but Wheeler has shown great stuff at times and would guess as long as he’s healthy he’s going to improve and help the team win for a while. The rest of the guys, as much as they’ve played, still make you wonder. I like Lagares a lot, but strictly as a center fielder. While his offense has been encouraging (lots of doubles and seems to be chasing fewer bad pitches than he was initially), he still makes an awful lot of outs up there. Flores is as advertised: Good swing and clumsy, but I like his potential as the kind of player who could threaten incumbents around the infield, or fill in temporarily without giving away a lot of offense. dArnaud looks a lot like a rookie who spent most of the year on the disabled list, and would guess he finds his offense over time. I worry mainly that injuries could continue to set him back.

*****

Thanks to Paul, Howard, Jason, John Greg, Chris, Michael and Jon for participating!