INCLUDES RETURNING PLAYERS IN 2013 ONLY
10. Zach Lutz, INF
In his second full season in
AAA, the 5th rounder out of Alvernia proved he could handle any
challenge the Minor Leagues might present. He finished the season one point shy
of a .300 campaign, with a .410 OBP and a slugging percentage a shade under
.500.
Lutz has some of the best
plate discipline in the organization and has the power to boot, posting home
run and walk rates that ranked top ten in the organization. However, he has two
major problems. One: the injury bug. Lutz has yet to play a full season in his
professional career and missed half the season in 2012. Two: the organization
he belongs to. Lutz plays corner infield,
the two positions the Mets are most secure with at the Major League level.
His .321 average against
lefties could land him a Major League platoon job at the very least. But
unfortunately, that opportunity may have to come with another team.
Zach Lutz
9. Cory Vaughn
It took him nearly two years
to figure out the Florida State League, but Cory Vaughn had a productive,
healthy season in 2012. His final totals rank top-10 in the organization in ten
offensive categories, including home run rate, walks and stolen base rate.
Vaughn possesses Major League
power and has tremendous plate discipline, which is why you can find him on
several prospect lists. But his .243 batting average is why he’s rarely at the
top of those lists.
If he can get more consistent
with his swing and learn how to limit his slumps, Vaughn has all the tools to
be a legit Major League corner outfielder.
Top 10 in
org. in HR, RBI, BB, R, TB, SLG, SB, XBH%, SB rate, and HR%
Top 10 in Ks
8. Phillip
Evans
It had been a full calendar
year since Phillip Evans had played in a real game when he debuted in the New
York-Penn League in 2012, but he showed no signs of rust, batting .280 in his
first month and playing every day at shortstop for Class A Brooklyn.
Evans spent that year training
in Port St. Lucie after being drafted in the 15th round out of La
Costa Canyon High School in California.
He showed a great eye,
drawing 31 walks and stroked five home runs, which is a good number for a
5-foot-10-inch 19-year-old in just 73 games. But the most impressive numbers in
Evans’ first season, was that he struck out in only 10% of his at bats, which
ranks third best in the entire Mets organization. Keep in mind Evans was only
19 and playing in a league where he should be outclassed by former college stars.
Phillip has bulked up since
going pro and has shown an above-average glove at shortstop. He had more at
bats than any other short-season player (294). With that amount of early
exposure and a positive response at such a young age, Evans could be well ahead
of schedule.
Led Short
Season players in G, H and ABs
Top 10 in Short Season HR, RBIs, BBs, R and TB
Phillip Evans
7. Matt Den
Dekker, CF
It was the tale of two
seasons for the former Florida Gators centerfielder, but when you put it all
together, 2012 was still a very productive year for Matt den Dekker.
He led the organization in
triples and stroked 56 extra-base-hits. That’s a very strong number for any
baseball player, and when you combine that with his jaw-dropping defense, den
Dekker still has to be considered a prospect.
His Double-A numbers were
spectacular: .340/.397/.563, with eight home runs in 58 games. But after the
June promotion to Buffalo, den Dekker struggled mightily. He batted just .197
in his first two months in Triple-A.
The good news for Matt is
that he’s shown steady offensive improvement at every stop along his career. He
got that .197 clip up to .248 in August and finished comfortably over the
Mendoza line.
If he keeps improving, he
could be a factor in Flushing soon. But with a .220 average in Triple-A, you
may be wondering how den Dekker finds his way onto this list.
The reason is that his
overall output was very productive.
He was top ten in the
organization in triples, homers, RBIs, doubles, runs, total bases, stolen base
rate, stolen bases and slugging percentage.
Led
organization in strikeouts and had low BB rate (6.0%)
Top ten in hits, HRs, RBIs, 2B, Runs, TB, SB
rate, SBs, and SLG
6. Daniel
Murphy
There’s not much to say about
Daniel Murphy. They guy can hit, that’s all there is to it. Murphy’s .291
average is right on-par with his career average of .292.
I don’t know how he does it,
his swing appears long and loopy and can fall victim to some pretty bad slumps,
but for the most part, Murph finds ways to shoot singles and doubles all around
the ballpark.
The big concern with Murphy
in 2012 was his lack of power, only connecting on six home runs, and not
getting his first until June. But in reality, he is a prototypical number two
hitter and still managed to drive in 65 runs and stroked forty doubles. So the
production is still there and I’m not complaining.
Daniel has been nothing short
of a blessing through these tough years, and will man second base again this
season. It seems the Jacksonville native has found a home there after seemingly
not having a position for so many years.
Led
organization in games played and was 2nd in doubles
Top 10 in
organization in SO% (13.5%), H, ABs, AVG, RBIs and TB
Daniel Murphy
5. T.J. Rivera
TJ Rivera was never drafted,
and he’s starting to prove to every Major League team that they made a mistake
in passing him up.
Rivera came out of nowhere to
have an outrageous season with the bat in 2012. The former Troy University star
finished in the top 10 in the organization in hits, at bats, RBIs, doubles,
triples, runs scored, total bases, OBP, OPS and SO%. That’s 10 categories.
His final line was
.320/.369/.444, proving he can produce at a high level for a full season.
Rivera wasn’t phased after his promotion to High-A St. Lucie either, hitting at a .306 clip in his FSL debut.
After 64 games and 255 at
bats with St. Lucie, it’ll be interesting to see if the Mets think that was
enough to start Rivera in Binghamton.
4. Brandon
Nimmo
At first glance, Nimmo’s
basic stats may seem like nothing special: .248 with 6 HRs and 40 RBIs. But if
you look at his extended numbers, compare it to the rest of the league and
consider that he’s 19-years-old facing pitchers that are two or three years
older than him, Nimmo was much more productive than it seems.
The blue-chip prospect from
Wyoming led all Mets short-season hitters in RBIs, walks, doubles runs and
total bases. He also was top ten in the entire organization in OBP and walk
rate.
If you extrapolate Nimmo’s
numbers to a full MLB season, he would have hit about 15 HRs, 100 RBIs, 50
doubles, and drawn about 115 walks, which would have easily led the Majors.
Again, Nimmo is 19,
projectable and has great athletic ability. Combine that to his numbers and
positive, humble attitude, and the Mets possess a very promising outfield prospect.
Led
SS affiliates in RBI, BB, 2B, Runs and TB
Top
5 in SS in G, H, AB, HR
Top
10 in org. in OBP and BB rate (14.7%)
Brandon Nimmo
3. Wilmer
Flores
It was a great first year in
the upper-levels for infield prospect Wilmer Flores. After his first lackluster
season in 2011, Flores bounced back with a .300 average and 18 home runs in
2012.
More importantly, he proved
he can hit AA pitching, posting a slash line of .289/.336/.463 in his first try
in Binghamton.
He finished in the top-10 in
the organization in almost every category, most importantly in home run rate,
SO% and slugging. He rarely strikes out, draws many walks and can still hit for
immense power. Very few players offer all three of those characteristics in one
package.
Flores’ defense is still a
work-in-progress as he transitions away from shortstop. However, he isn’t a
terrible defender and could probably play another infield position adequately.
The upside to Flores is
tremendous, as he is the only potential impact bat that could arrive in
Flushing in the near future.
He has tremendous hands and
terrific natural strength. At just 21-years-old, Flores continues to fill out
and display the tools that makes him a pure and natural hitter.
Wilmer Flores
2. Ike Davis
Despite Ike’s horrific .170
average through the first two months of the season, he somehow managed to
become the second most productive hitter the Mets owned in 2012.
He finished his first full
Major League season with 32 home runs and 90 RBIs. No other Met has hit 30 home
runs since Carlos Delgado in 2008. You may not be surprised to find out that
Davis also led the organization in both homers and home run rate.
As you also might expect, Ike
did most of his damage away from Citi Field, with 21 of his 32 dingers coming
on the road.
Excluding April and March,
Davis hit over .250 with 27 homers and 69 RBI. That’s in four months. If Ike
can figure out lefties (he batted .174 against them) and stay on that slugging
pace, he can be one of the best perennial power hitters in the game.
Biggest
power threat in organization (6.2% HR rate)
Also led
org. in HRs with 32
Top 10 in
XBH%, SLG, ABs, RBIs, BB, TB
Ike Davis
1. David Wright
I know what you’re thinking.
Without any thought or analysis, I automatically just plugged Default David
smack into the number one spot.
But I didn’t. After further
review, he flat out deserves this spot, not just because he’s David Wright, but
because his numbers back up the fact that he’s the most productive hitter in
the system.
He led all Mets hitters in
hits, walks, doubles, runs and total bases, and finished top-4 in home runs and
top-10 in OBP, OPS and extra base hit percentage.
When the Mets were relevant
through the first four months, David was batting .330 with 15 dingers and an
RBI pace well over 100.
But when Wright slowed down,
so did the team, which further exemplifies his value to the organization. And
when you factor in everything else he provides, Wright belongs in the #1 slot
in just about every subjective category.
Led
organization in G, H, ABs, RBIs, BBs, 2Bs, R and TB
Top 10 in org.
in AVG, HR, SLG, SB, OBP, OPS, XBH%
David Wright
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