It has been less than two weeks since the Mets announced their round of minor league callups, ans so far at the AA level, both Steven Matz and Dilson Herrera are tearing it up, albeit in a small sample size.
Saturday night, Matz was the talk of the farm system, coming up with coming up with six shutout innings against the Altoona Curve, striking out nine while walking just one.
When I wrote about Matz back in September 2013, I said one of the main things to look for was how he would respond when faced with higher level competition. He has answered the call, and is succeeding in the upper levels of the minor leagues.
As for Herrera, all he has done is hit .389/.436/.556 in 39 PA with the B-Mets. Our friend Toby Hyde over at Mets Minor League Blog did a terrific article on Herrera a few days ago. I highly recommend giving that a look if you have some time (link opens in new tab).
The most exciting thing, is that both are doing this damage against significantly older competition. Herrera, just 20 is 4.7 years younger than the average player in the Eastern League, and is the youngest player in the whole league. Matz, for the first time in his career is facing older competition, is a full 1.8 years younger than the average player.
Yet despite this large age gap, both players are off to fast starts with the B-Mets and are bound to begin creeping up prospect lists if their success is sustained against higher-level competition.
Hmmm, I wonder if the Wilponzian gang is thinking of trading Niese and Murphy in a year or so, substituting Matz and Herrera for them?
Herrera, although 1-2 years away, is a good reason not to hesitate on a Murphy trade. Herera’s young age and reduced K% is the reason I am confidant that he will be an above average major league player in the future. He does have speed, some pop in his bat and I believe I read that he was the best fielding second baseman in the SAL in 2013. He sounds like he has a nice package of tools.
Gotta love this. Ill be more excited when both prove not to be just new shiny things, and therefore difficult to for other pitchers and hitters to solve. The track record is great…and imagining both continue on in Bingo through the season, do both make Queens in ’15?
Chris F –
By August, if Herrera is within 75 OPS points of where he is today – and he can field – I have zero issue with him taking grounders in Queens.
We won’t be one iota closer to understanding how much better he is from time in LV. Its said, time and again, that the real step up occurs at AA, not AAA.
Bring him. Make him a major leaguer. As the late great Micky Mantle once wrote,”those that can, do. Those that can’t, teach.”
I think it’s worth getting him time with Wally, and against some mlb or near mlb level pitching. I agree, there is a genuine step up at AA, and even of it is a smaller jump at AAA, I don’t have an issue with him getting time in Vegas. He doesn’t even have 50 AA ABs yet. Mike Trout had 350 AA ABs. Even if he has a quick pass through in LV, I’m plenty happy with The Dilson riding out the rest of the season in Bingo, starting in LV and making the show next year.
As for Mickey…I’m pretty sure Wally can actually do and teach!