Minors: Prospectus’s Top 11 Mets Prospects
Prospect guru Kevin Goldstein continues his countdown of each organization’s Top 11 Prospects, today unveiling his list for the Mets at Baseball Prospectus.
…thankfully, this list was constructed after the Mets sent four of their top prospects to Minnesota in the Johan Santana trade, so 
we get, in effect, four extra scouting reports….he reviewed the prospects the Mets sent to the Twins last week…
Like every list, OF Fernando Martinez leads the pack, of whom Goldstein writes:
“To hit .271 in Double-A when you are as old as most high school seniors is an impressive feat. Martinez has outstanding bat speed and tremendous power potential to go with a rapidly improving approach, and could develop into a middle-of-the-order force if everything falls right.”
After Martinez, the list looks like:
2. Jon Niese, LHP
3. Eddie Kunz, RHP
4. Wilmer Flores, SS
5. Brant Rustich, RHP
6. Nathan Vineyard, LHP
7. Scott Moviel, RHP
8. Bobby Parnell, RHP
9. Dan Murphy, 3B
10. Ruben Tejada, SS/2B
11. Stephen Clyne, RHP
…it was a bit of a surprise to see flores, the team’s top Latin signee this season, that high on the list…a monster 6’3” at age 17, he’s clearly projectable…
Regarding Flores, Goldstein comments:
“Flores has a huge frame and the potential for plus-plus raw power to go with the hitting skills to make consistent hard contact. Defensively, he has soft hands and an above-average arm. He’s an average runner.”
As for the system as a whole, Goldstein isn’t so high on it, but sees reason for optimism:
“As one official with the team put it, the recent Johan Santana deal “ripped the heart” out of the Mets system, but at the same time, New York just added the best pitcher in baseball to the organization. This is one of the worst collections of talent as it stands right now, but it’s also bad in a very different way from, say, the Astros. Right now, the Mets’ system might be just as bad, but at the same time, it does have more young players capable of taking a step forward this year and making the organization look better 12 months from now.”
…which is as much as you could ask for, given all the recent free agent signings and the santana trade…this year’s three first round picks should prove very important to rebuilding the system…
