David Peterson, LHP: Prior to the draft I was asked who, of my short-listed players, I would be most happy with the Mets drafting.  Without hesitating I answered David Peterson.  Most people agreed that the Mets would be targeting college players and that pitching was going to be a primary concern.  With other options on the table the Mets chose to go with University of Oregon’s towering lefty and for a number of reasons, it looks like a good decision.

 

The Stuff: Depending on your scouting report his Fastball ranges from 90 – 94 MPH with plenty of life.  He has a good slider and changeup combination and a curveball “work in progress” that may or may not be scrapped by Met coaching.  His mechanics are good and his ¾ arm slot seem to not draw any injury concerns from scouts.

 

The Plan: Peterson will almost certainly be heading to Brooklyn where he will be showcased for the local fans.  Assuming he is successful in 2017 he would proceed to Port St. Lucie in 2018 with a major league debut optimistically scheduled for 2020.

 

Mark Vientos, SS/3B: One of the youngest players in the draft the Mets look at Vientos as a long term solution to the third base position.  His offensive upside is extremely high but fans need to set expectations accordingly as he will have a long road to the majors.  The Mets appear confident that he will sign with the team and forgo his commitment to Miami University.

 

Quinn Brodey, OF: None of Brodey’s offensive stats really scream off the page.  Scouts like his contact oriented swing and think that he’ll develop some power over time.  He doesn’t have the range to play center field and his arm is a little too weak for right limiting his options defensively.

 

Tony Dibrell, RHP: Armed with a 96 MPH fastball and an above average slider and changeup Dibrell factors as more than a depth pitching pick for the Mets.  His fastball will need better movement and control to take advantage of his natural gifts.

 

Matt Winaker, OF/1B: Scouts like Winaker’s swing mechanics and approach at the plate.  He also has the athletic ability to play in the outfield despite being used as a first baseman for most of his college career.  He has a good eye but was only starting to swing for power this past year.

 

Marcel Renteria, RHP: Boasting a fastball that can reach 99 MPH you might begin to worry about the arm of this pitcher, who is only 5’11”.  He has an above average curveball and a simple delivery that may keep away the injury bug but an eventual shift to the bullpen might be in his future.

 

Conner O’Neil, RHP: Another college starter but one of a mold unlike most Mets of recent memory.  O’Neil’s best pitch is not his low 90s fastball but instead his curveball is rated as his “best” pitch.  O’Neil doesn’t have a high ceiling but does look good enough to reach the majors if his offerings translate.

 

Trey Cobb, RHP: Yet another college pitcher, Cobb throws in the mid 90s grading out as having a reasonable amount of potential.  One reason he may have been selected this late is that his throwing mechanics are unusual and may need to be corrected.

 

Cannon Chadwick, RHP: Despite the name, he doesn’t throw very hard.  His fastball sits in the high 80s and he relies more heavily on breaking pitches.  Similar to O’Neil, he features a breaking pitch (slider) as his best offering.

 

Stephen Villines, RHP: The 7th college pitcher in the Met draft and joins O’Neil and Chadwick as a new crop of breaking ball specialists.  Villines’ mechanics generate a lot of movement which has generated surprisingly good power pitching numbers for a guy whose fastball doesn’t hit 90 MPH.

 

AAA: Las Vegas 51s

 

Amed Rosario not forcing Met’s hand – While one could argue that Rosario belongs in the majors now, he’s no longer crushing the ball like he was earlier in the season.

 

Dominic Smith a steady bat – While Rosario swings hot and cold, Smith seems to always have a steady ability to get hits.

 

Gavin Cecchini in the majors.

 

Kevin Plawecki shows how different the PCL is – .896 OPS in AAA and a .381 OPS in the majors.

 

AA: Binghamton Rumble Ponies

 

P.J. Conlon still getting it done – Nothing phenomenal about his numbers but he’s gotten through 7.0 innings in his last two starts.

 

Chris Flexen looks brilliant – In his last start, he managed 7.0 innings, only gave up 5 hits and struck out 8 batters.

 

David Thompson remembers he has power – He has three home runs in his last 2 games.

 

Kevin Kaczmarski earning some praise – While he probably grades out as a 4th outfielder, he’s almost major league ready.

 

Marcos Molina promoted to AA.

 

A+: Port St. Lucie Mets

 

Justin Dunn appears on a more even keel – He’s not mowing anyone down but things are no longer looking grim.

 

Wuilmer Becerra more whiffs – Mets need to improve his plate discipline before he can become anything.

 

Peter Alonso struggles continue – Looks like Alonso was not ready to skip Columbia.

 

Patrick Mazeicka struggles through June – In April .964, in May, .853 and now in June he has a .654 OPS.

 

Jhoan Urena not super slow – He’s not a base stealer but he has stolen a few bags this season.

 

Nabil Crismatt simply masterful – 9.0 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts in his last start.

 

A: Columbia Fireflies

 

Desmond Lindsay much better – Guess who is hitting .303 over his last 10 games?

 

Thomas Szapucki step by step – He’s not reached dominant numbers but he’s quickly getting in gear.

 

Jordan Humphreys should we be concerned? – He’s pitched 6.0 innings in his last two starts and only given up 10 hits and 2 earned runs in that time but the strikeout numbers are stiffly down.

 

Merandy Gonzalez could be Mr. Consistency – He looks like a future rotational workhorse.

 

9 comments on “David Peterson and the next crop of Mets prospects

  • Brian Joura

    Peterson is a little similar to Justin Dunn – really became a first rounder with one strong season. Maybe that’s what’s available when you pick at 20. I was a big fan of the Dunn pick last year. I’m kind of ambivalent about this one. Maybe that’s not consistent – or fair – of me. But for me, this pick is like the Dominic Smith one. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.

    My preference is a top pick with upside so I like the Vientos pick. Hopefully they can sign him.

    • David Groveman

      Vientos indicated that he wanted to be a major leaguer as soon as possible and I believe the Mets made some safe picks to free up slot money.

      When you pick at 20 there aren’t “sure fire” options. Based on the list of probably names I liked Peterson as the least suspect option.

  • Mike Koehler

    Any idea when we may see Dominic Smith in Flushing?

    • David Groveman

      The next Lucas Duda injury

      Trade deadline (if Mets are sellers and trade Duda)

      Next season

      • Chris F

        fascinating answer. Do you see Smith reaching the Show possibly before Rosario?

        One thing on Rosario, and we hear about this kind of thing: Is AAA just too easy that he has lost the drive a bit? Harvey and Noah sort of went through blah spells in AAA having no longer been pressed and feeling overlooked by the FO.

        • David Groveman

          Dominic Smith could come up to the majors first but neither is likely to come up shortly. It’s entirely based upon what happens to Lucas Duda.

          I am not able to say, regarding Rosario but I would suggest that he’s slumping. It’s just that his slump is merely him hitting around .270 and not him hitting .200 and striking out 18 times.

  • Metsense

    Tomorrow night I’ll be attending the SAL All-Star Game with five Fireflies on the roster. Jordan Humphreys is rumored to be the starting pitcher and I hope Merandy Gonzalez gets to pitch also. Max Kuhns, a relief pitcher was selected but is on the disabled list.(a true Met). First Baseman Dash Winningham with his 11 homer runs and Michael Paez , a 2B-3B, with a team leading .885 OPS rounds out the Fireflies players. Rain is in the forecast so I hope it doesn’t wash out my road trip.

    • Chris F

      Awesome!! Have a great time.

  • MattyMets

    Has Molina turned the corner? Organization was very high on him before he got injured a few years ago.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 100 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video, document, spreadsheet, interactive, text, archive, code, other. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here