Lynn Worthy of the Press and Sun-Bulletin was kind enough to answer a few questions for us here at MMN/MMO about the Binghamton Mets. He gave us some great material so we’ll break it up into parts for you. Here’s what he had to say about on the most impressive player in Binghamton — and the ones who were flying under the radar.

Which player’s performance has impressed you the most thus far and do you believe it will eventually translate well in the majors?

The most impressive so far would have to be Rafael Montero because of the command he’s displayed. Cesar Puello’s recent play has made it a close call, but Montero has performed so well all season. While his stuff isn’t at the level of Matt Harvey or Zack Wheeler, he has consistently demonstrated remarkable control beyond what I saw from either Harvey or Wheeler at this level.

It’s a very interesting question to consider how well Montero’s actual stuff translates to a major-league level. I’m not sure. I would tend to think his margin for error will be even smaller against those hitters. There could be a real possibility of him getting hit hard at times.

This certainly isn’t an exact comparison, but Collin McHugh had tremendous success and command of multiple pitches in Binghamton and also pitched well at Triple-A. His first start in the big leagues was also stellar, but he has also been hit hard at times.

Montero’s command will be a big plus, and I do think he’s shown a strong ability to work through a lineup a second or third time and keep hitters off-balance. On several occasions he has racked up the majority of his strikeouts after the first time through the lineup. It will be interesting how he gets used if/when he does reach the big league level.

With players like Puello, Leathersich, Montero, and Verrett getting a lot of attention, which B-Mets player is flying under the radar and impressing you with their play?

Darrell Ceciliani has really hit well as of late. He batted just .228 in April, but he was just under .300 in May and is hot lately. He is an exciting player at the plate because he has good speed and can blast balls into the gaps for doubles or triples. He has made some mistakes on the bases (getting picked off), and he does strike out. He is also just an energetic guy who definitely has fun playing the game.

Allan Dykstra has tremendous power as a left-handed hitter. He works counts well and draw a lot of walks. Though he’ll strike out a lot too. If he would go the other way once in a while, I think he’d be a nightmare.

Wilfredo Tovar’s defense has been eye-opening since he got here. His offense shows flashes at times, but those are flashes that come and go.

I was very intrigued by what Lynn said about Rafael Montero. He echoes the statements of the general public, in saying that Montero has pin-point control but the quality of his pitches lags behind Harvey and Wheeler a little. He seems to be less confident in Montero’s stuff than I am. Lynn’s criticism is completely valid, considering that Montero’s fastball usually sits in the low-90’s and his breaking pitches need to be effective to complement that. Montero’s control, however, and his ability to throw any pitch in any count adds to his presence on the mound. He is an intimidating presence and pitches with a bulldog mentality — something that can’t be quantified — and could definitely find success in the majors in my eyes.

Wilfredo Tovar is quite the young player. He is the most talented defensive player in our system but has trouble mustering even below-average offensive skills. If he can find his way with the bat, he would immediately jump into real prospect status in my eyes. Otherwise, I can’t say that I’m that crazy about him right now. I’m also on the fence about Allan Dykstra — but in a bit more of a positive fashion, because Dysktra has shown consistent flashes of talent. His ’11 season saw him slug 19 home runs and 22 doubles in 475 plate appearances, resulting in a .474 slugging percentage. His numbers this year have improved on that, with eight home runs and 17 doubles already through only 209 plate appearances. Although you usually hope for more power from first basemen, guys like Dykstra or Jayce Boyd could turn out to be solid stop-gaps until we get a player of that caliber.

Thoughts from Matt M.

I also found Lynn’s comments on Montero interesting. It sounds as if he’s not entirely sold on him yet, despite handling Eastern League opponents rather easily. The comparison to McHugh was intriguing; these two are obviously two different pitchers, but control is a big part of both their games, and we’ve seen how it’s translated to the majors for McHugh so far.

I really enjoyed seeing who he felt was having a great year under the radar. As the Mets are searching ever so desperately for productive outfielders, it’s nice to see Ceciliani turning some heads. The two things New York could use in the Flushing outfield are power and speed, and Ceciliani has been providing a little bit of both. His two homers aren’t eye-popping, but his 12 doubles, four triples, and 14 stolen bases certainly got my attention.

To follow Lynn’s reporting on the Binghamton Mets, you can follow his B-Mets Blog, or on Twitter: @PSBLynn.

(photo courtesy of Gordon Donovan)