MetsLogoDifferentThe Mets have played 24 World Series games, with their overall record standing at 12-12. Tonight, the Mets will begin the 5-9 day adventure on to whether or not the Mets will have a .500+ record on MLB’s biggest stage. Yes, we all eagerly await the biggest game the Metropolitans have played in over four days, but let’s put that on hold for the moment and discuss something else important – rookies! As the old saying goes, “can’t live with them, can’t live without them.” That saying might be misogynistic, but the words kind of apply to rookie athletes, too. (Note: the list only features players who debuted in 2015)

Darrell Ceciliani:

The player that once hit .351 at the age of 20 got the chance to prove himself in Queens- and that he did. Gary Cohen and Ron Darling gushed over his lack of batting gloves… that’s about it. The kid looked like the more refined version of Kirk Nieuwenhuis, but unfortunately something happened. He hit a homerun on June 14th and it was the beginning of the end for Mr. Ceciliani. Whether it was him trying to duplicate this action or Kevin Long trying to get him to duplicate it, this might have ended his big league career.

Slash line before the homerun: .270/.325/.405
Slash line after the homerun: .129/.206/.129

The good news? He was a solid defender with a 0.6 dWAR in 129.1 innings.

Sean Gilmartin:

Here’s a great success story. A Rule V draft pick that was frowned upon by a ton of Mets fans turned out to be the second-most reliable reliever in the first half, and he wasn’t bad in the second half. Gilmartin was able to solidify himself as a valuable reliever in low-pressure situations, in addition to a solid 6/7 inning-type guy. The lefty has earned a spot on the Opening Day roster next season no question about it. Hopefully he can get an inning in the postseason.

The only problem? He couldn’t do the job that Alderson and Co. wanted him to do: get lefties out.

Slash line vs. LHB: .260/.317/.344

The ironic part is that the slash line above would have batted cleanup for a Mets lineup in June.

Jack Leathersich:

This one hurts. This author was an enormous fan of Leathersich during his entire minor league career, but the infamous Tommy John surgery caught up to him. Leathersich didn’t exactly play with the team for a long time, so there’s not much on which to judge him.

He might be a nice building block in 2017… but maybe not.

Steven Matz:

Here’s where the list starts to get interesting. Matz will always somehow be linked to Omar Minaya even though he never actually pitched under Minaya. In any event, this guy has shows nothing but talent in his first eight starts. It’s hard to say if he will ever be a guy who can pitch 7-8 innings on a regular basis as he drives his pitch count up quite frequently.

It’s also hard to say that he propelled the Mets towards the playoffs this season because he missed two vital months. Regardless, Matz has been extremely solid for the Mets and looks to make a strong start later this week.

Fun fact: Matz lost his first MLB game in the playoffs

Akeel Morris:

He might have the highest ERA and BB/9 I’ve ever seen. Morris could contend for a spot in 2016, but there’s nothing to say about him 2015.

Daniel Muno

Not exactly the best rookie the Mets have ever seen. Muno just didn’t look very good from the start and seemed to hurt the team when on the field.

He could contend for a Ruben Tejada type current role in 2016. (That’s not an injury joke).

Kevin Plawecki

Well, it’s a good thing that the Mets didn’t rid of themselves of Travis d’Arnaud back in 2014 when he was sent down. Plawecki just never got his bat going – simple as that. His .219/.280/.296 slash line will just not cut it in the major leagues.

However, Mr. Plawecki was one of the best pitch framers in the National League during the 2015 season. Some of the pitches that he stole were not even close to plate.

It will be interesting to see how the Mets handle his future. Some teams will still want him, but getting rid of a talented catcher hurts too much. The crazy part is thinking of how much the Mets will be holding Plawecki back if he remains a back-up catcher.

Matt Reynolds:

What’s there to say about this guy that hasn’t already been said? An absolute stud at the plate and a wizard in the field. One word: Amazin’.

Hansel Robles:

Oh, where have the days gone? Back in 2012, this guy pitched to the tune of a 1.11 ERA in Brooklyn and appeared to be a sleeper pick for the future rotation. Unfortunately, 2013 did not serve as kindly to the fire baller, as he appeared to be another guy who could only throw and failed to actually pitch. However, 2014 introduced Robles to the relief appearance. A 1.80 ERA out of the bullpen in 2014 and a 0.00 ERA in 2015 called this kid to the majors.

Robles has been the fearless monster coming of the bullpen that it desperately needed. His quick pitches and 97+ heat has been great to watch over the past five months, and he has earned a spot on the 2016 Opening Day roster.

Robles and Gilmartin might be able to make a great middle-relief duo for the next 2-3 years.

Noah Syndergaard:

Remember that 4.60 ERA that this guy had in AAA last year? Me neither. Syndergaard has put his struggles behind him to become an ace-status pitcher. Not much to say about this kid except that he has a bright future that begins with Friday’s start.

Logan Verrett:

Another great success story in Queens. The Mets didn’t value Verrett, so they let him leave. Long story short, he’s back and ready to dominate. The guy looked very good in his four starts and might have a nice future as a change-of-pace spot starter in Queens.

Only three words can wrap up this article: Let’s Go Mets!

4 comments on “Let’s take a moment to appreciate the 2015 Mets rookies

  • Metsense

    It really was a nice rookie crop with Michael Conforto (not Matt Reynolds per your typo) leading the offensive way. He should be the starting leftfielder in 2016. I too was dissappointed in Plawecki’s bat, he still was ranked around #45 of 60 in fWAR which was still in the middle for back up catchers. Some time in the minors to get his hitting adjusted will benefit him in 2016.
    Noah and Matz will be 40% of the starting rotation next year and Robles seems in line as a set up man. Gilmartin and Goedell (who also had rookie status) are nice middle relievers. Verrett also had a 3.03 ERA spot starting and should be the AAA shuttle spot starter in 2016. Six contributing rookie pitchers on a staff is an accomplishment and there are still more on the farm.

    • Julian

      Wow, I feel embarrassed. How did I mix up Michael Conforto and Matt Reynolds?

      In any event you’re right about Plawecki, seasoning in AAA could really benefit his future.

      As I mentioned, I only used players who debuted in 2015. Erik Goeddel debuted in 2014.

      • DED

        Yes, but I applaud your decision: it’s too good a mistake to correct.

  • Matt Netter

    Banner year for Met rookies. Couldn’t have gotten here without them.

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