Minors: Manuel Chats Mets Prospects
Following his work writing the Mets Top 10 Prospects at Baseball America, John Manuel conducted a chat about the system, answering questions from readers for over an hour.
…i got three questions answered, so thanks, john… here are a few of his responses…
Regarding Francisco Pena, the 18–year-old catcher who the Mets signed out of the Dominican last summer for $750,000, Manuel writes:
“I decided to give him a mulligan but it was a brutal year. Ismael Cruz, the Mets’ int’l scouting director, told me that his father also signed Tony Pena and insists Tony Pena was build like Francisco at the same age, i.e., he had cankles and wasn’t looking like an athlete…He’s got to get in better shape to be a prospect though; I left him in the 11-20 range.”
On Fernado Martinez and possible overhyping, he writes:
“I don’t think we’re hyping him; we’re saying he has the highest ceiling of anyone in the system, but we consistently present his flaws as well…I thought he did very well offensively this year considering his age and league…Also, he had a hand problem. It sounds like I’m making excuses but I’m presenting the facts. Let’s see what he does healthy over a full year. I believe he’s going to resemble Carlos Lee more than anyone else; I know that’s an odd comp, but I saw Carlos in the Sally League in 1995, and he could run, he was a lithe athlete…now he’s a big league masher, and all his value is in his bat. F-Mart for me will be that kind of player.”
Lastly, on the system as a whole, Manuel writes:
“I’m a bit higher on the Mets than I thought I would be but that’s because I went hard after the younger Latin prospects in my research and reporting. They are probably in the 15-20 range because they have talent but it’s all quite far away.”
…a very, very informative chat… manuel covered the system top to bottom, discussing everyone from pelfrey and milledge to the new class of caribbean signings…
