Earlier I wrote a piece on Cory Vaughn. To say the least, I’m still excited for his 2012 which is set to begin in Port St. Lucie. What I didn’t imagine was that I might be looking at two other prospect outfielders in the same ballpark. The Port St. Lucie Mets will be fielding an outfield of: Cesar Puello, Darrell Ceciliani and Vaughn which is something to be a little excited about if you get enthusiastic about prospects.
Were I to Rank Met Prospect OFs:
1. Cesar Puello
2. Kirk Nieuwenhuis
3. Matt Den Dekker
4. Juan Lagares
5. Brandon Nimmo
6. Cory Vaughn
7. Adam Loewen
8. Darrell Ceciliani
9. Gilbert Gomez
10. Gregory Pron
You see that Port St. Lucie is fielding an assortment of three of the Met top outfield prospects at the same time. Now… I believe that Puello and Vaughn could both play centerfield based upon their range so defensively you have a trio that should be able to cover that ground pretty well and prevent almost anything from dropping. If you are lucky enough to live in the Port St. Lucie area, do try to get out and watch them, as I anticipate they should be entertaining in the field.
Cesar Puello: Is a “Five Tool” player who emerged into the world of prospect relevance in 2010 with a big year in Savannah. He didn’t display much in the way of power but did manage 45 SBs and 80 runs. 2011 started with high expectations but also started poorly. Puello struggled to find his groove in the early going of his first year in advanced A. He did manage to turn things on late, starting to show the power that scouts saw his body producing down the road. While Puello COULD start in center field, it’s more likely that he’ll start in left. I expect him to be hitting 3rd, 4th or 5th in the current Port St. Lucie lineup.
Darrell Ceciliani: 2010 was a crazy good year for Darrell who rocked the New York Penn League with 12 triples in 68 games. Darrell has speed and does project as your typical speedy lead-off center fielder. He doesn’t boast tremendous power and his 2011 was far more normal and uninspiring but he still has a bright future. Look for him to be leading off for the Port St. Lucie Mets throughout most of the year.
Cory Vaughn: I profiled Vaughn earlier if you want to know more about expectations, check out this link. Vaughn is more of a power guy who should sit in the middle of the lineup. The rub is that St. Lucie has Puello, Vaughn, Flores and Shields to make out the middle of the lineup. With that assortment of talent I think it’s likely that Vaughn hits 4th, 5th or 6th.