Mets360 Top 50 Prospects: Players 41-39

Welcome to the fourth edition of our look at the top 50 prospects. If you’ve missed any of the previous installments you can see them here: 50-48, 47-45, 44-42.

41 – Ivan Wilson

What do you like in your prospects, safety or upside? If you like safety, you’ll hate this pick. If we were to assign odds of players on this list to make the majors, Wilson would be the biggest longshot. After all, last year in a short-season league, Wilson put up a .642 OPS. And it’s not like he was adjusting to either life in this country or life in pro ball. The Louisiana native was a 2013 draft pick and he made his debut that year in the Gulf Coast League.

So, why is he on this list and not just the last name on it, either? Quite simply, Wilson has tools. At 6’3 and 200 pounds when he was drafted out of high school (where he was also a wide receiver), Wilson has size and speed. A center fielder with a strong arm, Wilson has been successful on 17 of his 19 steal attempts in pro ball. But the real reason he’s on this list is power. He led the Appalachian League last year with 11 home runs. That’s a homer every 17.1 ABs or the same rate at which Lucas Duda hit them out last year.

Much like with Champ Stuart in the last installment, Wilson has serious contact problems. What are the odds that a guy with a 46.9 K% learns to make consistent contact? Let’s just say you wouldn’t want to wager on it happening. Yet somehow if it does, that power-speed combo would be fantastic. Hey, someone has to win the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes.

40 – Matt Oberste

A three-sport star in high school, Oberste went to junior college before landing at Oklahoma. The Mets drafted him in the seventh round of the 2013 draft after he put up a nice .373/.458/.622 line as a senior. After a forgettable pro debut for Brooklyn (.532 OPS), Oberste turned in a solid year at Lo-A Savannah, putting up a .754 OPS.

On first glance, it might be natural to assume more good things to come from Oberste, as SAV is a notorious pitcher’s park. But he had an .803 OPS in Grayson Stadium, compared to a .714 mark in road parks. To make things even more confusing, when Oberste had the platoon advantage, he had just a .606 OPS yet against RHP, he posted an .811 OPS.

Lo-A is hardly the ideal place for a college senior to be performing the year after he’s drafted. But Oberste did just enough things well last year to be worth watching in 2015. He’s limited defensively to 1B/DH, which hurts, especially operating at the same level as Dominic Smith. In 2014, Oberste’s main strength was that there were no glaring shortcomings. He’ll need to take a step forward and define what type of hitter he’s going to be if he’s to remain on this list next year.

39 – Erik Manoah

While not projected to be a first-round pick, there was some buzz around Manoah heading into his senior year of high school. But a disappointing final season of his prep career had him slide to the 13th round, where the Mets nabbed him and gave him a $300,000 deal to turn down his scholarship to Florida International. That’s $200,000 overslot, which should make anyone sit up and take notice.

Manoah had a strong pro debut, winning all three of his decisions and putting up a 2.63 ERA in 24 IP in the Gulf Coast League. However, with an unimpressive 1.80 K/BB ratio with just a 6.75 K/9, it’s unlikely that Manoah is on the fast track. Expect another short-season assignment in 2015. If it’s Brooklyn, we’ll know the Mets think he’s progressing well, as they handle the New York-Penn League as a more advanced stop than the Appalachian League.

Listed at 6’2, 215 pounds, Manoah has a good pitcher’s build. Prior to his senior year of high school, scouting site Perfect Game had him in the low 90s but according to Amazin’ Avenue, he was not throwing that hard by the time the Mets drafted him. Since both sites have him throwing a curve and change, the lower velocity would jive with the sub-7 K/9 in the Gulf. If he gets back into the 92 mph range, Manoah could be someone to watch.