Mets Minors: Some new (and old) names to learn

Brandon Nimmo – You’ve likely heard of Nimmo who was the Mets most recent #1 pick out of Wyoming.  The physically gifted youngster is SUPER hard to project as his frame is large enough to add power but who currently is more of a speed asset.  I’d be willing to bet that Nimmo doesn’t stick in Center Field because his larger build makes him so suited to adding muscle and becoming a corner slugger.  If I were making the personel decisions I’d say he’s young enough that keeping him out of the longer season leagues would be advisable and I’d assign him to Brooklyn but I’m getting the inkling that he could wind up in Savannah to start the year.  If he does, do not expect his power to show up, as Savannah is not a place conducive to hitting homers.

Cory Mazzoni – A second round pick, Mazzoni was one of those nice Risk/Reward options that Matt Harvey represented (in a grander way) in 2010.  His heat is real, sitting in the low 90s but topping out at 97, he can bring the heat, but the drawback is that his pitch is flat.  He also possesses a curveball that has a good amount of drop… but lacks consistency.  All and all, he’s a work in progress with a high-ish ceiling.  How high?  Well the Mets seem eager to through him into the deep end, after working as a reliever in 2011 he’ll move back into the rotation and it seems that Port St. Lucie might be the destination.  Further, it seems that he’s one of the guys that Met brass is eager to talk about.  He’s definitely a name to watch.

Gilbert Gomez – He’s a “Toolsy” Outfielder who has a mix of speed and light power (similar to Cesar Puello) but he sorta came on faster than most people thought.  He finished 2011 strongly in Port St. Lucie coming all the way up from the lower levels of the minors in a hurry.  Hitting over .300 with some power and some speed along with good defense got more than a few people pretty excited.  What intrigues me is the potential outfield trio for Port St. Lucie of Gilbert Gomez LF, Darrell Cecilianni CF and Cory Vaughn RF.  That is a trio with a lot of range and pretty solid defensive chops.  I guess someone has to make up for the infield that should include Wilmer Flores, Aderlin Rodriguez and Robbie Shields.

Michael Fulmer – A sandwich pick in 2011, Fulmer was actually a sorta safe option after the Mets took a risk with Brandon Nimmo.  His fastball is solid, but unlikely to be a WOW pitch like Harvey, Wheeler or Familia’s.  The pitch that has the scouts buzzing is his slurve.  Some see the pitch as more of a slider and some see it as more of a curve but the big and most important aspect of it is that he throws it well and consistently for strikes.  I expect Fulmer to have a good showing for the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2012 as having a reliable breaking pitch at that level should put him ahead of the pack.  2013 is likely to be the larger proving grounds as he could be asked to skip Savannah… but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Cam Maron – It’s rare that a 34^th round pick is touted as the #1 or #2 positional prospect in an organization.  Well… the Mets don’t exacltly have Travis D’Arnaud, Wilin Rosario or Yasmani Grandal to throw around.  After Albert Cordero (Who is likely 1-2 seasons away from being a great backup catcher) Cam Maron is the best catching prospect in the Met system.  Where Cordero earns praise for his defense first, Maron’s bat is what made scouts sit up and take notice.  He really put on an impressive showing in Rookie ball in 2011.  There is a shot that Maron could start the season in Port St. Lucie but I think that Savannah is the safer bet by far.

Steven Matz – There are some Met fans who rue the day the Mets drafted Matz.  He had questionable mechanics that some scouts thought would lead to injury… and since the 2009 draft… he’s mostly been injured.  Good news is that he’s healthy now and pitching again.  Bad news is that he’s 21 and no longer a highly touted prospect.  The expectation is that he’ll go to Savannah and I’d expect him to start for only part of the year (like Chase Huchingson in 2011) to keep his innings under control.  He’s a lefty with a little bit of flash to his arm but Met fans would be wise to temper their expectations in the first real showing that Matz will have in the minors.

Cory Vaughn – Some Met bloggers have cooled off on Greg Vaughn’s son because of a disappointing year in Port St. Lucie.  To tell you the truth I also had trouble trying to sing his praises in 2011.  Now that it’s 2012 I am psyched to see his rebound and it looks like Cory is eager to accommodate my desire.  He’s off to a fast start this spring, popping with some nice power that makes him one of the few OF prospects in the system who would only ever hit enough to play CF.  Vaughn should start the year back in Port St. Lucie but should get a call to Binghamton if he continues to roll with his strong Spring.