In what was a very successful
year for the Mets Minor League teams, there were a few disappointments. From
injuries, to lack of production, to unsigned draft picks, to entire lineups who
failed to produce, here marks the disappointments of the Mets farm system in
2012:
10. The 2012
Draft and Signability
Many are already calling the
2011 draft one of the best in Mets history. But as of now, it doesn’t appear
that Paul DePodesta and the Mets’ Minor League brain trust followed suit in
2012.
The Mets were only able to
sign 19 of their 40 picks in 2012, losing 21 players to college commitments. By
comparison, in 2011, they signed 37 of their 50 picks, including their top 12
selections and 19 of their top 20 picks. That’s a percentage drop-off from 74%
down to 45% this year.
The biggest individual failure
in the 2012 draft was the Mets inability to sign 2nd round pick,
Teddy Stankiewicz. The 6-foot-4-inch righty was projected to be a legitimate
Major League starter, but instead opted to play college ball for Arkansas after
the Mets’ offer wasn’t enough to woo him to the pros.
Another significant
deficiency in the 2012 draft was that the team did not acquire a single
left-handed pitcher, a commodity that the Big League club could certainly use
at this point.
9. Pedro Zapata,
OF
The prospect window is
beginning to close on Pedro Zapata, who will be 25 years old on Opening Day.
The tall Dominican has shown flashes of Major League potential in his six-year
Minor League career, but struggled mightily in 2012, posting an OPS of just
.543 in his first crack in Double-A.
Zapata’s main asset is his
combination of size and speed. He stole 36 bases in back-to-back years in 2010
and 2011 and shows a very nice glove in the outfield.
It did take him two years to
figure out rookie ball and the Florida State League, so the Mets will likely
give him one more crack at Double-A before letting him loose. Zapata batted .329 during his second season in
Kingsport and .292 with 36 stolen bases in his second year with St. Lucie. If he can duplicate that second-year success
in Binghamton this season, Zapata could enter the discussion as the Mets’
fourth or fifth outfielder come 2014.
But long before that happens,
Pedro must prove he can hit upper-level pitching, because all of his numbers
were downright dreadful in 2012.
Pedro Zapata
8. Joe Tuschak,
OF
Tuschak was considered a
steal in the sixth round of the draft last year out of Pennsylvania’s Northern
High School. Described as a “lottery ticket,” the Mets took a chance on the
athletic centerfielder, but so far the returns have not been had.
Tuschak is hitting a lowly
.197 in his first two years of rookie ball, clubbing just one home run in 78
career games between the Gulf Coast League in 2011 and Kingsport this season.
The other major issue is his
strikeout rate. Tuschak fanned in 32.5% of his plate appearances this year, the
third worst figure in the entire Mets organization.
He does walk a good amount,
but the former high school quarterback has not been able to turn his elite
athleticism into baseball success as of yet.
Joe Tuschak
7. Branden
Kaupe, SS
It’s not often you hear of
top draft picks coming from Hawaii, but Kaupe fits that description. A 4th-round
pick out of Baldwin High School in Wailuku this year, Kaupe’s play has matched
his sketch, looking indeed like an 18-year-old who hasn’t yet been exposed to elite
competition.
And that’s exactly what Kaupe
was in the Appalachian League: exposed. Branden batted a frightening .173 with
Kingsport, coupling his average with only two extra-base-hits in 133 at bats,
adding up to a SLG% of .195. Yes, that’s his slugging percentage.
But the 5-foot-7 Kaupe is contact hitter, right? Well not exactly. He struck out in 25.7% of his plate appearances, 44 times in 50 games.
Kaupe is clearly extremely young
and extremely raw, so it’s probably
best to disregard the numbers from his first pro season and let him work to get
better. On the bright side, he possesses
blazing speed, good plate discipline and plays what Baseball America called an
energetic game.
The Mets are hoping Kaupe is
on the same learning curve as fellow teenage shortstop Phillip Evans, a similar
player who had a great season in Brooklyn in his second year after being
drafted out of high school.
Kaupe is essentially Evans
with less power, or a Ruben Tejada / Wilfredo Tovar type with more speed.
Branden Kaupe
6. Matt Koch,
RHP
It’s rare to find a Mets
pitcher who disappointed in 2012, especially with the Cyclones, but Koch falls
into that category.
His numbers weren’t that bad, but relatively speaking and
considering he was a second round pick, he was definitely a disappointment.
Koch posted an ERA a shade
above five in his professional debut, allowing 13 runs in 23 and one-third
innings. His strikeout to walk ratio was 19:7, so like I said, his numbers
weren’t that bad.
The Mets hope Koch was simply
worn down from his 22 appearances at Louisville before arriving in Brooklyn.
When you look at Koch’s
resume, it screams reliever. He was a reliever at Louisville, and a good one at
that, giving up just 17 hits in 32 and one-third innings. He throws in the
mid-90s, and can touch 97, but lacks good secondary stuff.
But for some reason, the Mets
insist on making him a starter. Koch informed me in July that the team was slowly
transitioning him to starting pitching, which was evident by his two starts to
round out the season with Brooklyn.
Even though it was only two
starts, his ERA was an even 9.00 and I still can’t fathom why the change is
being made. The Mets need bullpen help at the Major League level and Koch can
get there quickly if he can develop one plus secondary pitch. On top of that,
the Mets have a logjam of starters who will be fighting for spots this spring.
Why not just let Koch stay where he’s comfortable?
Matt Koch
5. Darrell
Ceciliani, OF
Unlike the other nine players
on this list, Darrell Ceciliani finds himself in the disappointment category,
not because of his play, but because of his lack of it.
Ceciliani missed more than 80
percent of the season due to various hamstring issues. It’s something Darrell
will always have to deal with, similar to what Jose Reyes went through during
his career.
Thing is, whenever Ceciliani
plays, he’s been good. In 85 at bats this year, the Oregon native batted .329
with eight extra-base-hits and ten walks. Ceciliani also picked up 66
additional at bats in the Arizona Fall League this October, posting an OBP of
.402.
Some other strengths of the
former 4th-round pick include his strong glove, good speed and
ability to hit to all fields.
Despite the injuries,
Ceciliani still possesses considerable upside. His positive attitude, jubilant
personality and young age (22) should aid his adjustment to the upper-levels of
the Minor Leagues.
He just needs to stay on the
field.
Darrell Ceciliani (Kid's a clown)
4. Cesar Puello, OF
Like his St. Lucie teammate
Ceciliani, Cesar Puello spent considerable time on the shelf with hamstring
problems in 2012.
He played nearly half the
season (66 games), but was only O.K. in his second season in the Florida State
League.
The Dominican-born outfielder
batted .260 and drove in only 21 runs. He did have 21 extra-base-hits, but only
four were round-trippers. As a top-10 prospect each of the last two years, the
Mets believed Puello could develop Big League pop, but that has yet to be seen.
The most alarming part of
Puello’s game is his inability to draw walks. He drew just seven free passes in
nearly 240 plate appearances in 2012. That equates to a walk rate of 3.0%, good
for dead last in the entire Mets organization.
Cesar Puello
3. Savannah’s
Offense
While the Sand Gnats’
pitching staff led the South Atlantic League in ERA (by a lot), the offensive
numbers appeared on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Savannah batted just .244 as
a team and was one of only two squads that failed to steal 100 bases.
19 of the 21 players to don a
Gnats uniform in 2012 hit under .300, with Cam Maron and T.J. Rivera as the
only exceptions.
The main culprits, all of
whom had over 200 at bats, were Albert Cordero (.194), Yucarybert De La Cruz
(.195), Brandon Brown (.222) and Charley Thurber (.223).
The SAL is known as a
pitcher-friendly league, but a team that ranks in the bottom four of almost
every offensive category is disappointing at any level.
Offensive Ranks (Out of 14
Teams):
Runs Scored: 575 11th
Runs Scored: 575 11th
AVG: .244 11th
OPS: .691 11th
SB: 98 13th
2. Akeel Morris, RHP
Morris was considered one of
the purest raw pitching talents in the Mets’ system prior to his American debut
in 2011, but he pitched his way to prospect purgatory in 2012.
His electric stuff and high
strikeout numbers should have progressed him through the lower levels with
ease, but Morris has yet to pitch above rookie ball, tossing to the tune of a 7.98
ERA in Kingsport this year. The largest contributing factor was surely Akeel’s 22
walks in 38 and one-third innings.
However, following a ten-run
debacle on July 24, the Mets moved Morris to the bullpen. The move worked
wonders and Morris was considerably better pitching in relief. He gave up just
two earned runs in his final 16 innings, despite still issuing ten free passes
over that span.
The former 10th round
pick out of the Virgin Islands still has a long way to go, but it seems the new
role may be of great benefit.
Akeel Morris
1. Albert
Cordero, C
There was no bigger
disappointment in the Mets farm system in 2012 than Albert Cordero.
It all started this spring when
the Mets chose NOT to promote Cordero to High-A after his strong 2011 season in
Savannah, excelling in a league known for pitching with a slash line of
.286/.324/.382.
But the Mets’ decision proved
appropriate, as Cordero regressed with a capital R. That line dropped to
.194/.276/.270 in 2012.
23-years-old and still
fumbling around in low-A ball, Cordero’s hourglass is about to run out.
The shame in all of it is
that Albert is widely considered the best defensive catcher in the system, with
Baseball America donning him that honor earlier this month despite the
struggles at the plate.
Albert Cordero
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