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A Number of Mets Minor Leaguers Appear in BA’s “Best Tools” Series

By Former Writers

August 7, 2013 6 Comments

cesar puello Baseball America released a series of articles yesterday that listed which players had the best tools in each level of the minor leagues, from Low-A up to Triple-A.

In the Low-A article, there were two appearances by Mets prospects, one a current Sand Gnat, and another a former Sand Gnat.

Gabriel Ynoa was crowned with the honor of having the best control in the South Atlantic League. The right-hander won his 13th game of the season last night, and big surprise, he didn’t walk a batter in 6.2 shutout innings. In 116.2 innings pitched this season, Ynoa has only issued 14 walks, good for a 1.1 BB/9 rate. Through four seasons in the minor leagues, Ynoa’s career BB/9 is 1.0.

Jayce Boyd, now in High-A with the St. Lucie Mets was named the best defensive first baseman in the South Atlantic League. His .361/.441/.494 line at the plate caught a lot of attention, but the right-hander put together a .993 fielding percentage at first base, making just three errors in 451 chances.

The High-A article was headlined by Noah Syndergaard, who has since moved up to Double-A Binghamton. Managers and coaches voted him as the best overall pitching prospect, and having the best fastball. An upper-90s fastball will do that.

Not to be outdone from what he did in the Florida State League, Syndergaard earned the same honors in the Double-A article. His B-Met teammate and recently suspended Cesar Puello earned the honor of being the most exciting player in the Eastern. He showed why he was this year with a .328/.405/.550 line with 16 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases.

Zack Wheeler has been in the big leagues since June 18th, but he’s left a lasting impact on his opponents in Triple-A; he earned the titles of best pitching prospect and best fastball. Again, that upper-90s heat always helps. In 68.2 innings pitched for Las Vegas, Zack went 4-2 with a 3.93 ERA, 27 walks, and 73 strikeouts.

Not to be outdone by the minor leaguers, both David Wright and Matt Harvey earned honors in the MLB edition of the best tools. Wright has two Gold Gloves in his trophy case, but his defense has been even better than that over the past two seasons. He was crowned the best defensive third baseman in the National League.

Meanwhile, Matt Harvey didn’t win any categories, but he came close in more than one. He placed second in the best fastball category, third in best slider, and second in best pitcher in the National League. That’s pretty damn good.

Let’s hope these minor leaguers are able to continue developing their tools to eventually help Harvey, Wheeler, and Wright in the big leagues soon!

(photo credit: Gordon Donovan)

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