Champ Stuart was drafted by the Mets in 2013. He was an interesting prospect in that he had tremendous physical gifts, but he also came with limited baseball experience. He struck many people as being similar to the Brandon Nimmo who had been raised in Wyoming. Stuart’s origins are a little warmer. What is it that makes this young outfielder from the Bahamas so special?
Stuart’s main asset is his tremendous speed. It both allows him to zip around the outfield and make spectacular plays and to swipe more than his share of bags. The question remains if he can achieve results in the major leagues.
In his first two seasons as a professional he’s shown some promise. In both Kingsport and Savannah he has shown his natural speed and ability to do damage once on base. He has stolen a base in over a third of the games he has played and he has used the same speed to take additional bag here and there. His major blemish is patience. He has more strikeouts than games played in both of his minor league seasons and speed is entirely useless if you can’t put the ball in play.
Four games and fourteen at bats into the 2015 season and I’d love to tell you that Stuart has made a breakthrough. Four games is not enough to tell you that, but you can still feel good about what he’s accomplished. Through four games he’s amassed 6 hits, 4 walks, 1 home run and 5 stolen bases. The only bad news is that he has 4 strikeouts to go along with it. The hope is that Stuart can advance from Port St. Lucie to Binghamton by the merits of his own play. If he continues to play like this, it won’t take that long.
AAA:
Eric Campbell Shows He Belongs on the Big League Roster – His OPS is 1.315 right now and it isn’t surprising at all. Campbell outplayed many in spring training and belongs on a major league roster.
Steven Matz Solid Through First Start – We will see more strikeouts from Matz in the future but 5.1 IP and only 3 hits is a pretty good starting point.
AA:
Gavin Cecchini Off to a Good Start – Cecchini is off and hitting in AA and that is more than I expected from a prospect I don’t expect anything from.
Luis Cessa was Masterful – The 22 year old’s first start in 2015 was as good as any start that anyone could hope for. 7 IP, 1 hit and 8 strikeouts is pretty amazing.
Rainy Lara and Gabriel Ynoa Also Good – They were not quite as good as Cessa but still worthy of mentioning.
A+:
Michael Conforto Hasn’t Missed a Beat – The top draft pick from 2014 has hit the ground running. He’s already got a homerun under his belt and he’s proving that he’s a top hitting talent.
A:
Wuilmer Becerra is Showing Power – In Savannah, power hitting is almost unheard of. In 4 games he has only 4 hits but 2 of those are doubles and 1 was a homerun. If he can hit for power in Savannah he’s truly got a lot of power.
I enjoy minor league raps…thanks. A few thoughts:
a. Steve Matz…a few more starts and a call up? I hope so.
b. Agree about Eric Campbell. He could be the ultimate utility player.
c. Conforto: I thought we would boldly start him in AA. I think that he is in AAA by August and maybe a September call up, but I still will not discount the possibility that he joins the roster before the call up, should he hit consistently. June AA and late July AAA could pave the way.
d. I hope Matt Reynolds heats it up.
good article…thanks.
Quote of the day:
“We have huge expectations but we’re not afraid of it.”
Terry Collins
a) Only if there is a need in the rotation. Right now there isn’t one.
b) Campbell is pushed out by a numbers game. The Mets will also want another lefty should a spot open up. Unless the Mets sour on John Mayberry, Campbell has no spot on the team.
c) Conforto is playing in Port St. Lucie. He will not end the year in the majors.
d) I hope for that to. I still hope Wilmer Flores heats up.
Herrera went from starting in A+ to the MLB in 2014 🙂
Of course, it took injuries and the need to be added to the 40-man for that all to come together (in addition his performance last year).
Still, I’d be plenty shocked to see Conforto see any MLB time this year.
Great round-up Dave!
Never really thought about Champ Stuart in the outfield, as I have pictured Conforto, Nimmo and Lagares out there, however it sounds that Stuart may be a great fourth outfielder.
Patience can be improved upon and it comes with baseball experience. He may never walk that much, but he will only improve his offensive game if he hits the pitch he’s looking for, rather than hitting the pitcher’s pitch.
I hope Matz gets called up soon, and I’m looking forward to Syndergaard’s debut. Campbell should be on the big league roster, as he’s a great utility player, and seems to be a great clubhouse guy.
I saw Champ Stuart quite a few times last year and liked his athleticism but his stats didn’t reflect his ability. He is very,very, fast!
When a team is looking for a 25th man then Soup is on. On the major league roster he hits enough but his versatility would allow the Mets to use Recker as a PH when one swing of the bat could put some runs on the board.
Those AA pitchers were what I was referring to in the last minor league post. Some real pitching depth in the farm system.
I’d rather have Campbell on the team than Tejada. And that isn’t meant as disrespect to Tejada, as I think he’s a great bench player. He simply offers less versatility, and less power.