Continuing my series on the projected lineups for the 2017 Mets Minors, we reach Port St. Lucie. Most of the players will be graduates from Columbia and Brooklyn but you start seeing more players who are being held back thanks to performance or injury.
Lineup:
1. J.C. Rodriguez, DH
2. Vinny Sienna, 2B
3. Wuilmer Becerra, RF
4. Peter Alonso, 1B
5. Patrick Mazeika, C
6. Eudor Garcia, 3B
7. John Mora, LF
8. Enmanuel Zabala, CF
9. Milton Ramos, SS
Rotation:
1. Justin Dunn – RHP
2. Ben Griset – LHP
3. Andrew Church – RHP
4. Nabil Crismatt – RHP
5. Joe Shaw – RHP
Bullpen:
1. Alex Palsha – Closer – RHP
The Outfield:
Wuilmer Becerra got on an extremely hot streak before getting cold and promptly getting injured. His lost 2016 will see him return as the headlining hitter of the 2017 Port St. Lucie Mets. Neither John Mora nor Enmanuel Zabala strike me a special players but one will likely be replaced when Desmond Lindsay is promoted in the middle of the season. Again, I’ve left Tim Tebow out of the lineup, but he will likely wind up playing in Columbia or Port St. Lucie.
The Infield:
The biggest star on the infield is easily Alonso. He managed to hit with authority in Brooklyn and gets the nod to skip up to Advanced A. Alonso will be backed up by two more solid hitters in Mazeika and Eudor Garcia creating a fairly solid 3-6 in the order. Vinny Sienna and Milton Ramos fill out the infield and provide some additional speed. Maybe Ramos can start looking like a prospect the way Amed Rosario did in 2016.
The Pitching:
The Mets introduced Justin Dunn in 2016 getting him some innings in Brooklyn. Dunn proceeds to Port St. Lucie where he joins a number of talented arms. Ben Griset was converted into a starter at the end of 2016 and saw success and Andrew Church found his groove in Columbia. The pitcher most likely to succeed in Port St. Lucie would be Nabil Crismatt, who aced his audition this summer. Alex Palsha was a solid closer for the Fireflies and is the defacto choice to close games for the Advanced A Mets.
Special Note:
I remember first looking at Jose Fernandez prior to the 2013 season and adding him to my Fantasy roster in the latter half of a very deep draft. Fernandez made me look like a genius, as he ascended to the majors and was an instant success. It is always sad when someone dies before their time but it is also sadder when the world can see the potential that someone held and how bright the future seemed to be.
2016 has been a year where it feels like we’ve lost a disproportionate number of celebrities and athletes. As sad as it is to lose all-time legends like Gene Wilder and Arnold Palmer it is incredibly heartbreaking to lose a player like Fernandez, who had yet to even reach his prime.
Dave, I don’t know most of these players and I’ve only heard of about half, but even though Dash Winningham has shown some power, you have him repeating Columbia and have a light hitting middle infielder in J.C. Rodriguez filling the DH spot in St. Lucie. Can you please expand?
Also, with Buccerra needing to be protected from Rule 5, I don’t think they bring him along this slowly when the objective when he hurt his shoulder was to let him DH this year and when he had most of the year in, have the surgery, that way he won’t miss a year. So, I think his overall success in St. Lucie will allow him to go to Binghamton and stay in his timetable.
Also want to share something pretty funny: When Colon was a rookie with the Indians, I drafted him in my fantasy team in the last round with one of the last picks, if not the last pick of the draft. First start, 12 K’s, 8 innings. Everyone is calling and asking how I knew about him. Never heard of him, but he was a projected starter who threw hard, so what the heck. Yea, those feel good.
Excellent points
J.C. Rodriguez is the best leadoff option for Port St. Lucie but he plays positions that the Mets have covered with higher profile prospects. I opted for having the better lineup guy in there over another mediocre hitter.
Dash Winningham didn’t play well in 2016 so I had trouble bumping him up to Port St. Lucie to start the year.
Concerning Becerra, know that these are lineups purely for the start of the 2017 season. Wuilmer won’t be held once he proves his health but I’d prefer to keep him in Port St. Lucie where it’s warmer, to start his year. Believe me, the outfield in AA needs him.
I think Rosario’s experience in 2016 is instructive when considering Buccera, who hit without any power due to the shoulder injury. (Travis d’Arnaud, anyone?).
Rosario was held back and many felt it was a mistake at the time. But in St. Lucie, he solidified his skills, added power, and gained confidence. Then he went up to AA and didn’t miss a beat.
I don’t think the Rule 5 issue will be factor with Buccera, who strikes me as still too far away.
I have no hope for Milton Ramos. His step forward in 2015 was virtually all BABIP. This past year that was back to normal and his K% rose. I guess the good news is that with Rosario having such a good year that he’s not really needed.