The “Full Season” minor leagues start getting in swing this weekend and I’ll start to give you the highlights each Monday. In the meantime here are some storylines that I’m looking forward to.
AAA: Las Vegas is Overloaded with Talent
Looking around the locker room of the Las Vegas 51s you’ll see multiple Top 100 prospects for 2015, and even more players that people expect to make big splashes once they reach the majors. Noah Syndergaard headlines the list with his “Ace Pitcher” potential but he is hardly alone. Steven Matz will be keeping him company and is my personal favorite prospect to make a heavy impact in 2015 with the big-league club. Still on the pitching side you can keep an eye on Matt Bowman, Darin Gorski and Jack Leathersich who all have the potential to work their way into MLB contention. On the offensive side of the stat sheet you’ll be looking at catcher Kevin Plawecki who, with Travis d’Arnaud hitting like a champ, is looking like prime trade bait and Dilson Herrera who is regarded as a future perennial All-Star. Don’t forget about some long-time favorites like Eric Campbell “Soup”, Danny Muno and Travis Taijeron. A name you should hear plenty about it Matt Reynolds who looked very impressive during spring training. Reynolds is in consideration as a long-term solution to the Mets’ shortstop conundrum.
AA: Top Prospects or High Draft Picks
There are two big names in AA. One of them was picked to be the shortstop of the future. He was supposed to have a relatively high “floor” and a relatively low “ceiling” but he was supposed to be a “sure thing” as a player to reach the majors. Frankly, I haven’t seen him hit enough at any point in his progress to think that he will be as good as Ruben Tejada. He is running out of time to show me he worth much of anything. On a similar but slightly different track is Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo was a high pick who was all potential when Sandy Alderson drafted him. Nimmo has flashed some good potential but never really overwhelmed me. I still have faith that Nimmo could be the right fielder of the future for the Mets, but he needs to show me some power, speed and consistent hitting first.
A+: The All-Futures Team
Las Vegas has a lot of talent but Port St. Lucie has the longest list of “names to watch”. First and foremost is Michael Conforto who I believe will end the year in AA and be a contender for the roster next spring. He’s a much more well-rounded hitter than his draft profile suggested and he does have plenty of power. Next on my list is Amed Rosario who has the ceiling to be an elite hitting shortstop with an above average glove. The question with Rosario is if he can become a hitter and not a swinger. Dominic Smith is the 3rd top talent in Port St. Lucie and the biggest roadblock to his future is demonstrating power. He’s out of Savannah and now is the time to start showing he can drive in runs. Jhoan Urena is also on the roster, an embarrassment of riches. Urena could profile as the eventual replacement for David Wright. Rob Whalen headline the pitching which lacks the larger stars of the higher levels and Akeel Morris should look to turn some heads with his work as the likely closer for the team.
A: Daimonds in the Rough?
There are two names on the Savannah roster that I am particularly intrigued by: Vicente Lupo and Wuilmer Becerra. Lupo tore up the DSL in 2012 to an absurd degree. His 2013 was a tremendous letdown but in 2014 he rebounded well in Kingsport. There is some reason to hope that Lupo could reclaim his 2011 “prospect to watch” stock. Becerra was included in the R.A. Dickey trade and was a long way from the majors. He’s still a long way away, but he’s a big kid with some good hitting ability. My bet is that he slots into the heart of the Sand Gnat’s order and my hope is that he makes a heck of an impact. There are some promising pitchers in Savannah. They will all pitch well. Almost every Met pitcher succeeds in Savannah.
In your AA segment you write about a SS but you do not say his name. Who are you talking about?
The Double-A shortstop is Gavin Cecchini.
To me, one of the biggest shocks was seeing Marcos Molina skip Savannah and head to St. Lucie. He had such a great year for Brooklyn that I think he’ll handle it just fine but it’s not a move this version of the Mets have made many times.
AAA may be gutted if Matz, Noah, and Reynolds all get call ups…soon.
If Reynolds hits well the next few weeks, and Flores does not, and continues to make errors…
If Matz and Noah pitch well, and Gee and Niese do not…
It could be interesting.
I am keeping an eye on how fast St Lucie Mets Michael Conforto moves: will he be promoted quickly (he is off to a good start) to AA or might he even jump AA to Las Vegas by June?
Looking for Leathersich to step up this season. I feel like I’ve been hearing about this guy for a long time, and although we have Blevlins and Torres, I’d like to see Leathersich make some noise this year.
I think there is a lot of talent in the minors system, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Mets go for Tulowitzki some point in the season, and the trade would probably take a good amount of talent away.
The AAA squad has four players (Syndergaard, Matz, Herrera and Plawecki) that should become very good major league players and possibly become all stars.The sign of a good minor league system is having players like this that can replace good current players on the major league roster.
Very nice summary David. The Mets have so many good starting pitchers in their system that at least one or two that were unlisted in the article will emerge this year and stand out from the pack.
If Alderson does trade Plawecki, what does he go after? Bullpen arm? Outfielder?
SS