What do Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz all have in common? Besides the fact that they are all on the Mets, none of them have actually been drafted by Sandy Alderson. Matz was drafted by Omar Minaya in one of the deepest left-handed starting pitching drafts ever (2009), Harvey and deGrom were part of the last draft class by Minaya (2010), and Wheeler & Syndergaard were acquired from the Giants and Blue Jays, respectively. While every Alderson hater knows this fact and continues to point it out, they fail to recognize the fact that Alderson has actually drafted a few quality pitchers. Here are a few notable examples: (Disclaimer: none of these pitchers have anywhere near what the aforementioned group have)
Those who have reached the Major Leagues:
Rafael Montero:
Signed: January 20th, 2011
Season Stats (MLB): 1 Start 10 innings 4.50 ERA 13K
Every Mets fan knows this guy. Montero made his name in the Mets minor league system by having impeccable control and a knack for simply retiring batters. He has struggled since his promotion to AAA and Major Leagues, but has shown flashes of brilliance. He stands as the best pitcher to come out of the Alderson factory. Look for him to rebound from his injury and become a quality major league pitcher.
Logan Verrett
Drafted: 3rd Round of the 2011 Amateur Draft (101st Overall)
Season Stats (MLB): 0 Starts 15.2 innings 4.02 ERA 9K
As another one on this list that has cracked the majors, Verrett has also been known to maintain a low walk rate and have the ability to retire hitters. Clearly the Mets were focused on their depth when they exposed him to the Rule 5 draft, but the Rangers were unhappy with him. In the end, Verrett may not amount to much but is producing as a long-reliever. He also appears to be here for a while with the absences of Buddy Carlyle and Erik Goeddel.
Jack Leathersich
Drafted: 5th Round of the 2011 Amateur Draft (162nd Overall)
Season Stats (MLB): 0 Starts 11.2 innings 2.31 ERA 14K
The only “natural” reliever on this list is constantly being criticized for his bloated walk rates, but loved for his insane K/9 rates. Leatherisch has always been one of my favorite prospects because of his potential and he has lived up to it. Before getting sent down on Sunday, he had been a solid piece of the dynamic Mets bullpen. With the inability of Carlos Torres to actually throw a strike, there is no question that “The Leather Rocket” will be back to join Sean Gilmartin as one of the lefties in the bullpen.
The Next “Big Five” Coming Through the lower minors:
Michael Fulmer
Drafted: 1st Round of the 2011 Amateur Draft (44th Overall)
Season Stats (Across A+ St. Lucie and AA Binghamton): 10 Starts 57 innings 2.84 ERA 48K
Fulmer is consistently one of the most overlooked prospects in the Mets system because of his inconsistency on the mound. After a dominant 2012 season in which he posted a sparkling 2.74 ERA over 108.1, Fulmer suffered a knee injury in 2013 which limited him to a 3.33 ERA over 46 innings. Last season, Fulmer’s surface numbers didn’t look great (4.39 ERA over 98.1 innings) but from his fourth start to his second-to-last start he posted a 2.84 ERA over 82.1 innings. This year he is duplicating that success from last season as he is pitching well in AA Binghamton and looking for a promotion to Las Vegas. Overall, Fulmer might be a huge steal at the 44th pick with his continued progression and overall talent.
Robert Gsellman
Drafted: 13th Round of the 2011 Amateur Draft (402nd Overall)
Season Stats (Across A+ St. Lucie and AA Binghamton): 13 Starts 80 innings 2.70 ERA 59K
Gsellman is another pitcher who has gone unnoticed by a ton of fans and most likely the front office. This 13th round pick has been one of the best minor league starters for this organization since 2013 by posting an ERA under 2.60 in every season. His walk rate seems to be average, while his strikeout rate is low, but his homerun and hit rates are quite nice looking. He may not be a big piece, but his minor league numbers look quite legitimate.
John Gant
Drafted: 21st Round of the 2011 Amateur Draft (642nd Overall)
Season Stats (Across A+ St. Lucie and AA Binghamton): 12 Starts 68.1 innings 3.56 ERA 62K
The Mets really struck gold in the 2011 draft with a number of quality pitching prospects and John Gant is another example. He has been a solid contributor in the Mets minor league system since 2013, with fairly high strikeout and walk rates. He appears to be a workhorse type of pitcher who can pitch deep into games- evidence of his 123 innings in 2014. Overall, his ceiling appears to be a middle-of-the-pack starter.
Robert Whalen
Drafted: 12th Round of the 2012 Amateur Draft (380th Overall)
Season Stats (A+ St. Lucie): 12 Starts 73.1 innings 3.19 ERA 52K
Drafted in the 2012 draft, Whalen has been dominant as a teenager while in the minor leagues. He has posted back-to-back seasons with an ERA under 2.00 and is having a solid season in 2015, as well. He had impressive strikeout rates in 2013 and 2014 while keeping the walks down. This year he has lowered the strikeout rate, but upped the walk rate. He has kept the hits down, which should limit the damage and propel him to eventually get a promotion to AA.
Casey Meisner
Drafted: 3rd Round of the 2013 Amateur Draft (84th Overall)
Season Stats (Across A Savannah and A+ St. Lucie): 13 starts 83 innings 2.06 ERA 72K
Meisner is an absolute monster. He stands 6’ 7” and weighs 190 pounds while featuring great control and overpowering stuff. He appears to be having another good season on the mound while in the lower levels of the minors. The biggest concern will be his ability to limit the amount of homeruns (6 homeruns is a lot in Savannah).
The Shining Star for Alderson
Marcos Molina:
Signed: 2012
Season Stats (A+ St. Lucie): 6 starts 32.2 innings 4.41 ERA 32K
After getting mentioned as one of the prospects in the Mets system before the 2014 season (seemingly out of nowhere), Molina did not fail to deliver as he obliterated his opponents to the tune of a 1.78 ERA and 91K’s in 76 innings. He struggled this season, with the concern not on his performance but rather his health. Molina has been out since May with the possibility of Tommy John Surgery looming… stay tuned.
So what have we learned about Alderson’s choice of pitching prospects? Not much. Most of the draftees were taken out of high school and have yet to even come close to the Major Leagues. That being said, some of those pitchers appear to be on track to the big leagues. Any of them could end up being a bust, or perhaps could be a late-round surprise- just look at the Cardinals. People who criticize Alderson about his drafting skills relly don’t have much leverage because there have clearly been some surprises- and I did not even mention some of the offensive pieces he drafted in the first round (all of which are having great years).
We should note that Minaya’s staff did the vast majority of leg work on Montero.
It’s encouraging the results Fulmer has gotten this year. He was kind of the forgotten guy of the bunch coming into the year.
And I still hope for something for Jose Medina, the guy who excelled in the DSL a couple of years ago. But he’ll probably be the pitching version of Vicente Lupo.
Until someone he drafts does something meaningful in the majors people have a lot of leverage questioning his drafting skills. Time will tell, to declare success at this point is crazy.
What this front office has clearly demonstrated is an ability to develop front line pitching. Everything else remains either an incomplete or a failure.
Nice to know we have more arms coming up. Colon won’t be back next year, Niese might get traded, Wheeler may need a few months like Parnell and Thor hasn’t had the near requisite TJ surgery yet.
The Met farm system is loaded with pitching. Three starters , Luis Cessa, Rainey Lara, and Matt Koch are all major league possibilities along with relief pitchers Akeel Morris, David Rosebloom,Beck Wheeler and Paul Sewald. I don’t know who is responsible for drafting them but I do know that Sandy is now responsible for trading them. Any of these pitchers along with the ones you mentioned should be used to “sweeten” a major league deadline deal.
The critics still don’t get this guy. Every off season since Alderson has been the GM the names of every single starting pitcher currently on the major league roster have been requested by other teams in trade talks. Every single time Alderson has turned down the request. To suggest that Alderson has ridden Minayas coat tails is ridiculous. Aldersons drafting skills in Oakland were never in question. My suggestion to the disclaimers is to simply write the following: I love this team. Events are not unfolding on my schedule. I am frustrated. Deal with this don’t make up nonsense about Aldersons ability to run a front office. He demonstrated that ability with three consecutive American League pennants and a World Series victory. I want this as much as anyone who posts on this site so I do understand the desire to lash out and vent spleen. Our GM is doing the right thing in spite of the marginal misfires like the Cuddyer signing.
This isn’t Oakland and here he doesn’t have Billy Beane’s coat tails to ride either. Just Omar’s. Instead of this article focusing on fringe and marginal prospects who’ll likely never sniff the majors, how about Sandy’s first round picks? 2011- Brandon Nimmo from a HS with no baseball program. Wouldn’t you rather he have drafted Sonny Gray, Jose Fernandez, Joe Panik or Kolton Wong? All were available. 2012- Gavin Cecchini a light hitting no range SS instead of Michael Wacha, Marcus Stroman, Devin Merrero (SS) or (SS) Corey Seager (Baseball Americas #5 top prospect)?. Heck his 2013’s pick isn’t even ranked let alone close to the majors. Sandy’s the worst GM in baseball. And BTW: We’re stuck with Cuddyer for 2 years and lost this past years #1 pick. At least last year’s error of overpaying Chris Young 7 million only lasted a year and didn’t cost a pick. Worst GM in Mets history.
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