Mets’ minors not just about the pitchers anymore .... As the Mets look toward 2015 and beyond, a seismic shift could be occurring within their farm system. After several years of pitchers — specifically right-handed, power arms — dominating the organization’s landscape, the Mets finally have a crop of position players who could become the focal point of the conversation. Paul DePodesta (Mets’ vice president) listed catcher Kevin Plawecki, shortstop Matt Reynolds, outfielder Brandon Nimmo, outfielder Michael Conforto, second baseman Dilson Herrera, third baseman Jhoan Urena, shortstop Amed Rosario, first baseman Dominic Smith and shortstop Gavin Cecchini as the position players who made the biggest splash within the minor league system this season. The 20-year-old Herrera was a September call-up to the Mets from Double-A Binghamton, and Plawecki, Reynolds and Nimmo could be in position to make their major league debuts at some point in 2015, according to DePodesta. Maybe the biggest strides were made by the 21-year-old Nimmo, who was the organization’s top draft pick in 2011. Nimmo was promoted to Double-A Binghamton at midseason after hitting .322 with four homers and 25 RBIs in 62 games for Single-A St. Lucie. For Binghamton, the lefty-swinging Nimmo hit .238 with six homers and 26 RBIs in 65 games. Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jacob deGrom and Rafael Montero are the young power arms who have arrived for the Mets over the last three seasons, and the organization’s top pitching prospect, Noah Syndergaard, likely will make his major league debut in 2015. The race to become the first position player drafted during general manager Sandy Alderson’s regime to reach the major leagues is probably between Plawecki and Reynolds (with the edge going to the latter because the Mets already have Travis d’Arnaud behind the plate). Conforto, the Mets’ top draft pick in 2014, had a .403 on-base percentage in 42 games for short-season Single-A Brooklyn and might be the best pure hitter of the group. The Mets are expecting him to move fast within their minor league system. Urena hit .300 with five homers and 47 RBIs in 75 games for Brooklyn. (Urena is a switch-hitter with power who plays a good third base.). The Mets will have representatives in the Dominican Republic on Sunday to watch Cuban slugger Yasmani Tomas’ showcase, according to an industry source. But early projections suggest Tomas might land a deal worth upward of $100 million, and that could leave the Mets as merely interested observers. DePodesta, speaking in general terms, indicated the Cuban market has been difficult for the Mets to penetrate, partly because of the prices. “The dollars to this point have been beyond our reach or beyond our appetite,” DePodesta said. “But we’re going to continue to do what we’ve done, which is sort of be prepared proactively, and when these guys do become available, we’ll be there and see whether or not it’s something that makes sense for us.” Mets’ top prospects: After ushering a bumper crop of pitchers through the minor league system recently, the Mets now are turning their attention to a group of solid position players, led by these five: Pictured Below: Michael Conforto, OF Age: 21 Kevin Plawecki, C Age: 23 Brandon Nimmo, OF Age: 21 Matt Reynolds, SS/2B Age: 23 Jhoan Urena, 3B Age: 19
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 23:55:21 +0000
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