Mets360 Top 50 Prospects: Players 20-18

We’ve finally reached the top 20 as continue on our journey upwards, examining the best prospects in the Mets farm system. In case you missed any of the other installments, check them out at: 50-48, 47-45, 44-42, 41-39, 38-36, 35-33, 32-30, 29-27. 26-24 and 23-21. Next up is:

Jack Leathersich – 20

Leathersich has yet to post a K/9 rate less than 13.88 in any of his five minor league seasons. Last year he put up a remarkable 15.46 in 46 relief innings for Binghamton before being brought up to Las Vegas to finish the season. The flip side to that sort of dominance is his aberrant BB/9 rate which usually hovers somewhere around 4.50, and is the reason why he hasn’t been able to move higher in our rankings. To be sure, Leathersich is still a very good prospect, and stands the best chance of anyone we’ve covered so far to make the big league club out of spring training.

Had Leathersich been able to curtail those walks a bit more last year, Sandy Alderson would probably not be talking about adding another lefty to the bullpen all this week at the Winter Meetings. That job would have, and still might, go to the 24-year-old Massachusetts native. Leathersich’s low-90s sinking fastball and sharp hooking curveball are devastating offerings out of the pen, and his delivery makes it hard for hitters to pick up the ball coming out of his hand. For those reasons, Leathersich is not only a likelihood to make it to New York at some point in 2015, but could become a dominant force behind the already young, vibrant Mets bullpen.

He is not necessarily a lefty specialist either, as he kept right-handed hitters to a lower average in Binghamton last year, and absolutely destroyed righties at that same level the year before as well. Leathersich right now could be in the majors, but it would be a tight rope act between walking every other guy, and striking the rest out. As Mets fans saw with Jenrry Mejia last year, that can get tiresome. If he can harness just a bit more control and keep his walks to around 3.80 BB/9, then he can probably figure the rest out in the majors. Best guess is he gets a few more reps in Las Vegas to start the year, then a call-up to NY sometime around late May or earlier June.

Travis Taijeron – 19

Taijeron is probably our biggest departure from other prospect lists. The reasons are understandable, as Taijeron has had erratic years with the bat, and consistently strikes out around once per game. However, a deeper look suggests that Taijeron has the potential to put all the pieces together and become a dynamic prospect. He boasts a minor league career OBP of .363 and a SLG of .505. Both of those numbers dropped off slightly last year in Binghamton, but it should be mentioned that team had a glut of OFs last year, resulting in slightly reduced playing time. That is not meant as an excuse, merely an observation.

Power is Taijeron’s game, and in a Mets system that does not overflow with guys who rake, he is more than intriguing. The 25-year-old has averaged around 50 extra-base hits and about 66 RBIs over the past three seasons. He seems to be average enough in right-field, but his so-so arm strength may necessitate a move to left in the future. He has the offensive potential to warrant that move, but he has to put everything together in 2015 to make those expectations a reality.

He still has to show he can completely handle pitching at the Double-A level, but if he can return to the success of 2013, he would be a prime candidate for a mid-season promotion to Las Vegas. On the other hand, he is getting long in the tooth for his level, and if he struggles in Double-A all year, that might be his last chance to make a significant impression on the Mets brass. Taijeron might be a little rough around the edges still, but that diamond in the center could make him well worth the wait.

Matthew Bowman – 18

The 23-year-old from Chevy Chase, Maryland had an outstanding year in 2013, as he cruised through A-ball and posted a 3.05 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and struck out more than three batters per walk. He continued that strong success in 2014, starting off in Double-A, where he racked up another 92 K to just 27 BB, and kept opponents to a .266 average. After his much deserved promotion to Las Vegas, that average stayed almost identical, and he collected another 32 K to a mere 9 BB. He is the picture of control and effectiveness on the mound, and he is one of the most underrated young pitching prospects the Mets have to offer.

His best tool is his control, and that has carried over from promotion to promotion, so this young man is certainly for real in that department. His Tim Lincecum-like delivery may not instill confidence is some, but it’s been effective for the slender six-footer. He offers a slider, curveball and changeup, but none of them are plus pitches. Instead, he seems to live on the edges, and his low-90s fastball is enough of an out pitch that it makes his others seem better by comparison. As he is not a dominant pitcher, that control will have to be his bread and butter moving forward, which doesn’t appear to be a problem.

As the Mets are stock full of major league ready starting pitching though, Bowman might best be served as a spot-starter or relief option. Before one game in Las Vegas last year, the last time he pitched out of the pen was 2012 in Brooklyn. While it normally might be a challenge to reacclimate a pitcher to that role, he seems up to it based on everything he’s put forth so far. He might even find some more velocity outside of the rotation, and could be a solid seventh or eighth inning man. Alternatively, he might even be moved in a deal this winter, as lots of teams could use a young control pitcher at the back-end of their rotations. Any way it works out, Bowman stands a nice chance of seeing the majors in 2015 for someone.