Originally signed by the Giants in 2008, Luis Mateo’s $625,000 contract was voided because of chips in his elbow. In November he signed a deal with the Padres, this time for $300,000 but this too was voided when the MLB discovered he had lied about his age. Finally in 2011 the Mets signed the (then 21) pitcher for $150,000
He has a strong 91-94 MPH fastball that reaches 97 MPH on occasion, a power slider and a changeup. Currently, he’s pitching in Brooklyn and his results have been quite good.
In 2011 Mateo pitched for the Mets #1 DSL squad. The results are a little staggering: 2.00 ERA, 0.778 WHIP, 63 IP, 44 Hits, 14 ER, 80 Ks… 5 BBs. His K/9 was 11.4 and his K/BB was a robust 16.00. This was the DSL and perhaps it didn’t mean too much but it seemed like Mateo might have been a bargain at $150,000 already.
Now, in 2012, Mateo has pitched 3 games for Brooklyn and in 17.2 innings has proven… to be even better? 0.51 ERA, 0.509 WHIP, 7 Hits, 1 ER, 2 BBs and 22 Ks. I think that next season he’s likely lining himself up to skip Savannah and progress directly to Port St. Lucie. At 23, this is probably for the best.
Mateo could still be an Ace starter. He’s not doing anything wrong on the mound and seems to be breezing through the lower levels. Because he’s already 22 the Mets are likely to be willing to progress him a little faster but being 23 in Port St. Lucie isn’t so far off where you want people.
Around The Minors:
AAA:
Fred Lewis Looks Useful – Mets don’t need a lefty OF, but Lewis might intrigue a team that DOES. He’s hitting .305 with 14 SBs and a .860 OPS in AAA.
Josh Satin’s Power Visible – Perhaps we couldn’t see it beyond those incredible brows but Satin had a 1.323 OPS in the past 10 games while still being his usually disciplined self. (7 BBs and 6 Ks)
Matt Harvey Posts Dominant Start – It seems that I might have been right about Harvey turning the corner, 7 IP, 2 Hits, 1 BB, 9 Ks and 0 ERs.
Why Is Pedro Beato Still In The Minors? – In his last 5 outings he has not given up a run. He seems to be ready for another stint in the pros.
AA:
Wilmer Flores Not Slowing Down – Sure he only had a .961 OPS in the past 10 games… Yeah… he’s still hitting.
A+:
Rafael Montero Bounces Back – After a rough first outing in advanced A, Montero tossed 6 innings of 6 hit ball only giving up 2.
A:
Aderlin Rodriguez Awaiting Call – He hasn’t been perfect, but he’s certainly proven he can still hit in Savannah. I think it’s safe to promote him.
Michael Fulmer Turns Corner In Low A – In 3 most recent starts he has 19.1 IP and only 2 ER.
Logan Verrett Intrigues Me – He’s getting K’s. He’s not perfect but he has 41 Ks in 36.2 innings.
Brooklyn Cyclones:
Gabriel Ynoa, Hansel Robles and Rainy Lara Making Cyclone Rotation Look Mighty – Ignoring Mr. Mateo, these three have a .61, .84 and .66 WHIPs resprectively.
Kingsport Mets:
Steven Matz Pitches And WELL – 5 innings, 3 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB and 5 Ks isn’t much to write home about… but at least he pitched it.
DSL Mets:
Vicente Lupo Looks Great – 9 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 4 HRs and a 1.121 OPS for the season.
Adrian Abreu Has Power – In the past 10 games his OPS rests at 1.326!
Manuel Hilario, A Speedy Catcher? – 10 SBs on the year. He’s hitting in general, his season’s .899 OPS should prove that.
How have I never heard of Mateo before? How far up the food chain do you expect him to reach by the end of 2012?
You haven’t heard of Mateo because the DSL leagues are typically not followed too closely. Many players who succeed in the DSL never make a blip in the GCP, APP or NYP… let alone the A, A+, AA and AAA affiliates. Some do… many don’t.
Now that Mateo is turning heads in Brooklyn I’d expect him to rise up the internal rankings within reason.
I saw it suggested that he might finish 2012 in Savannah. Either way, for his stock to REALLY rise, he needs to figure out A+ Baseball by the end of 2013. Right now I’d imagine him ranked around the 13th best pitcher in the Met system and somewhere in the 20s overall.