; ;

2016 Breakout Candidates: 2B Vinny Siena

By Jacob Resnick

January 25, 2016 2 Comments

Vinny Siena

(Brooklyn Cyclones/Dustin Satloff)

Profile

All Vinny Siena really knows is hitting. The 22-year-old hit .362 in his junior season at the University of Connecticut, and then got off to a scorching hot start with Brooklyn after being selected by the Mets in the 14th round of the 2015 draft.

Siena recorded a base hit in 20 of his first 22 games on Coney Island, and his batting average reached .367 in the middle of July before hitting a slump in August that took him through the remainder of the season. The Woodbury, Connecticut native led an offensively depleted Cyclones team with 69 hits and was rewarded with a promotion to St. Lucie on September 3.

Siena was stable in the field throughout the season, committing eight errors in 313 chances exclusively at second base in his first season playing on the artificial turf at MCU Park. He displayed good range and fluidity and, being older than most of his opponents, made the smart plays. He did steal nine bases in 12 chances, but there isn’t much there to commend in terms of the run game.

Why he may be a candidate:

Besides Dilson Herrera, there isn’t much to be excited about when it comes to second basemen in the Mets system. T.J. Rivera will back up Herrera in Las Vegas, and L.J. Mazzilli (who Siena replaced as UConn’s starting second baseman in 2014) will share the duties with Jeff McNeil in Binghamton, but that’s about it. Siena will definitely have the opportunity to become that guy in 2016 with St. Lucie. In an infield that will include Luis Guillorme and Jhoan Ureña, Siena will have legitimate bats around him in the lineup that should allow him to relax and drive the ball into the gaps like he did in college.

Other Breakout Candidates in our series include Right-hander Chris Flexen as well as 3rd Baseman Jhoan Urena, and 3rd Baseman David Thompson 

Latest Comments
  1. Out of place Met fan
  2. Mayo's Mets