J.D. Davis is a problem, but it’s not his fault

He's a right-handed hitter with power who can especially mash lefties. He's a great clubhouse guy, affordable, and can play multiple positions, but none of them well. Fans and teammates love him and his enthusiasm, thump, and versatility make him a valuable bench piece. But, as a starter he gets exposed. His glove is a [...]

What should the Mets do with Wilmer Flores?

There is no argument that Wilmer Flores possesses one of the most potent bats in the Mets minor league system, earning him a spot in every Mets top 10 prospect list that has been published this offseason. The 21-year-old Flores made great strides in his game last year, finishing with a .309/.349/.479 slash line splitting [...]

Maximizing Wilmer Flores’ positional value

Not all positions are created equal.  Many positions have a higher value to a farm system because they are, frankly, harder to play.  For a given position a player must be naturally gifted with 1 of 4 abilities: Arm, Hands, Range and/or Smarts. Arm: Is pretty straightforward.  Accuracy is good but for positions like Shortstop, [...]

Mets Minors: End of season wrap-up

The regular season for Mets minor leaguers ended on Labor Day and the Class A St. Lucie Mets were eliminated in the championship series of the Florida State League playoffs and Savannah is one win away from a low Class A title in the South Atlantic League. With the offseason quickly approaching, now is a [...]

Mets Minors: Wilmer Flores the next David Wright or Fernando Martinez

Although I’m sure the New York Mets’ brain trust won’t admit it, there must be a little concern over Class A shortstop Wilmer Flores, who entered 2010 as the Mets’ finest young hitting prospect and one of the best youngsters in the lower levels. Flores hit .269/.309/.380, not bad for a kid who just turned [...]

Mets Minors: Updated Top 10 list

With the Mets seemingly on the verge of a salary purge over the next few months and going to have to rely on the farm system more over the next several years, let’s look at an updated top-10 prospect list for the embattled organization. The farm system lacks top-end talent and depth. Injuries this season [...]

Mets 2011 Top 10 Prospects

One of the reasons cited for getting rid of Omar Minaya was that he did not build a strong farm system. Last year, six players who made my top prospect list contributed to the Mets and no longer have rookie eligibility. This includes Jenrry Mejia and Fernando Martinez, both who lost their rookie status because [...]

Untouchable prospect Wilmer Flores

When the Mets had discussions with the Seattle Mariners about lefthander Cliff Lee, talks stopped when the Mariners inquired about Wilmer Flores. Why, at first glance, Flores’ numbers don’t blow anybody away. The shortstop had an ugly .637 OPS in the low Class-A South Atlantic League in 2009 and was batting .306 with eight homers [...]

2010 Top Prospects

General manager Omar Minaya has come under a lot of fire for not having more prospects in the farm system ready to step in and contribute when the Mets were hit by all of the injuries last year. There is some validity to that criticism. However, given the condition of the Mets farm system when [...]