The official roster for the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s was announced this week.
The Mets are entering their third year with the 51s and are quickly approaching the end of a contract that takes them through the 2016 season, where I hope this connection ends.
The ballpark itself can hurt pitcher development as less moisture in the air reduces overall break which leads to hangers and fat pitches over the plate. In addition, it is an extreme hitter’s environment, more so than the rest of the PCL, as the thin air also causes the ball to carry more and move faster off the bat.
As if that was not enough — for someone like myself who enjoys watching prospects, the feed is one anchored camera on an angle pointing down on the field. If you’re a subscriber to MILB.TV, my personal recommendation is that you avoid the home games and watch the away feeds if you really want to catch the game. Russ Langer is very enjoyable to listen to on the radio, however, if that suits your fancy.
As for the players, the team promises to be interesting right off the bat with four top prospects in Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, Kevin Plawecki, and Dilson Herrera all on the roster and a phone call away.
Outside of the big names, pitchers like Matthew Bowman, Jack Leathersich and Hansel Robles and position players like Wilfredo Tovar, Darrell Ceciliani, Kyle Johnson, and Travis Taijeron are all going to garner some interest throughout the season as well. With that all being said, here is your player-by-player breakdown of the 2015 Las Vegas 51s Opening Day roster.
Pitchers
Noah Syndergaard – Known as Thor, the man who the baseball gods came down and blessed as a small child, Syndergaard stands atop most prospect lists for the New York Mets. He throws 94-99 MPH with a knee-buckling curveball and an improving change-up. He commands all three pitches quite effectively.
Spring Training with the MLB team exposed a main problem with Noah — he becomes predictable and too reliant on his fastball in jams, and this has become a knock on him. He is also slow to the plate, which hurts considering we know our starting catcher right now struggles with throwing runners out. He was hammered in the first half of the AAA season last year to a 5.31 ERA in 16 games, but his last 10 games produced n excellent 3.54 ERA. His batting average against dropped .026 points from .303 to .277, and his IP/9 rose slightly too. Syndergaard needs to mix his pitches and control a better running game. He improved significantly in the second half last season, but needs to pitch more innings per start which is normal for one so young. I expect him to continue to improve and develop and eventually work his way up to the Mets this year.
Steven Matz – I’d name him the 2nd best Prospect in the Mets Org, but only by a sliver. His injury history is the only thing holding me back. The 2009 Mets top draft pick disappeared for two years with Tommy John Surgery and then a setback. Matz has done nothing but dominate in the Minor league since he returned in 2012. Last year between A+ and AA, he pitched to a 2.24 ERA in 24 games and 140 innings. He averaged 5.8 innings pitched per start, but that’s likely due to an innings limit. At A+ he did not let up a single home run. Matz goes from 92-95 and touches 97. He has a great changeup, and a curve that has had people in spring training buzzing. His control is very good, sporting a 2.2 BB/9 last year.
Matthew Bowman – One of my favorite and underrated pitchers in the Mets org, Bowman has done nothing but perform. Drafted out of Princeton, the former shortstop throws 88-92 and touches 95 at times, using a Lincecum-like delivery. He also has 3 above average breaking balls including a Curve, Slider, and Changeup, and all for strikes. He induces a lot of ground balls, but gives up quite a few hits. He stymied Washington’s starting lineup in spring training with ease. He could definitely be a bullpen ace type of guy if he does not crack an MLB rotation.
Tyler Pill – Lost in the shuffle of all the pitching depth the Mets have in their system is Tyler Pill. Pill does not throw hard, and generally sits in the low 90s, but has great control and mixes up a four-pitch arsenal well, consisting of a curve, slider, and change-up alongside his fastball. For what it is worth, he is a great hitting pitcher, batting .400/.400/.650 last year with two doubles and a home run.
Darin Gorski – Left-handed tosser who has found moderate success in the minors with an okay slider and good control/command. He used to be able to get it up to 94 MPH, but sits more in the high 80s now. He stands as AAA depth because of that.
Jack Leathersich – Leathersich has some of the best natural stuff in our entire system and delivers a ridiculous strikeout rate, posting a 15.4 K/9 last year. Unfortunately, he also struggles with control, as evidenced by his 4.6 BB/9 last year. If he can manage some more control, he will be an excellent reliever some day.
Zack Thornton – Thornton was part of the Ike Davis deal and struggled in the PCL last year. We will see if he can shed the idea of just being depth with a successful 2015.
Erik Goeddel – Inconsistent in general, but has always possessed good stuff. We will get a closer look at him in the MLB for a couple weeks as he will be called up to fill the roster spot vacated during Meija’s DL stint.
Chase Bradford – Bradford is a guy who saw some time in AAA last year and has steadily risen through the MiLB ranks while pitching effectively at each stop. His heat sits in the low 90s.
Scott Rice – Good ol’ Scott Rice is not much more than LHP depth here in AAA.
Hansel Robles – A starter turned reliever, Robles has been turning heads in his new role. Robles has always had great stuff, so he is one to keep an eye on for sure.
Cody Satterwhite – Hard-throwing Satterwhite helps round out our bullpen. He’s coming off a solid 2013 where he pitched to a 2.33 in 58.0 innings with a 9.8 K/9 rate.
Catchers
Kevin Plawecki – Since d’Arnaud’s callup, Plawecki has moved into the top catching prospect spot and has a stranglehold on it. Plawecki is hot on d’Arnaud’s heels, as Travis has struggled to live up to expectations at times with a slow start last year and bad defense. Plawecki’s contact-oriented swing involves little movement from his bottom half, and his great hand-eye coordination creates a hitter who does not strike out much. He likely will not hit for much power, but he might be a plus-hitter as a catcher in general. He is average on defense, both in blocking balls and throwing out runners, but both of those skills will be tested more in the MLB. He might be up if d’Arnaud underperforms or does not stay healthy this year.
Johnny Monell – Monell impressed a lot of people in Spring Training, but he’ll end up being the second string catcher for the 51s behind Kevin Plawecki. He demonstrates surprising power at the plate.
Nelfi Zapata – A 19th rounder in 2009, Zapata’s consistently been playing 3rd string catcher for the Mets MiLB teams.
Infielders
Brandon Allen – Allen simply works out to be a depth play for AAA, and he can play some corner outfield as well. In under 400 plate appearances last year, he belted out 13 home runs to show off a decent power stroke. The power has translated to his brief time in the MLB (12 home runs in 389 PAs) but his batting average has been fairly low at the show, hovering around .200.
Matt Reynolds – Reynolds plays shortstop with average range and jumped onto the scene last year after hitting .343 in the PCL. Early reports are that if Flores falters, we might be seeing a lot more of Matt Reynolds, so he is certainly a name to keep an eye on. He impressed during spring training with a smooth and balanced stroke that can produce great line drives.
Dilson Herrera – Acquired alongside Vic Black in the Marlon Byrd deal, Herrera has been nothing short of a steal to date. An excellent hitter, especially for a middle infielder, Herrera broke out in a big way at age 20, hitting .323 with 13 home runs last year. His impressive run and a Murphy injury landed him on the 40-man roster and earned him his first cup of coffee with the Mets where he batted .220 with three home runs in 18 games. I firmly believe Dilson can hit .280+ with 10-15 home runs in the MLB, and he is still widely considering one of our top position player prospects. His hands are a bit stiff defensively, so look for him to get better defensively before his inevitable callup. He does have great range and an arm that works well at second base, so be on the lookout for Dilson Herrera.
Eric Campbell – Campbell is a solid utility guy who can essentially play 1B/2B/3B/LF for you at any given time — and he’s even learning to play catcher. We saw a lot of him last year, and he was likely to make the team again had the team not decided to carry eight relievers. It is likely we will see him up with the Mets again at some point this year.
Daniel Muno – Muno impressed in Spring Training with the Mets and almost went north with the MLB team to handle second base if Daniel Murphy had been unable to make it. Unfortunately for Muno, Murphy was healthy enough to make an Opening Day start for the Mets, so he will find himself backing up the middle infield in AAA to start the year. He is a switch hitter with some pop. He was a senior sign in 2011 and worked his way up the ladder steadily.
Wilfredo Tovar – The best defensive shortstop in the Mets system (sorry Matt) is finally going to get a taste of AAA — but he will probably just end up playing backup to Matt Reynolds anyway. The narrative has often been the same for Tovar as the discussion always hinges on whether his incredible glove makes up for his light hitting.
Outfielders
Cory Vaughn– Vaughn has essentially become AAA filler, but he has as much power as anyone in our system. Inconsistency has been the story of his career as he will try to put together a solid and complete season this year in Las Vegas.
Alex Castellanos – Castellanos is AAA filler as well — and he plays both infield and outfield. He has shown some potential in recent years, including 19 home runs and 19 steals in 439 PAs in 2013, but the numbers could be a little inflated by the PCL.
Darrell Ceciliani – After hitting .351 in Brooklyn as a 20 year old in 2010, Ceciliani has been steadily moving up the ladder. He has arguably hit well at every step of the way to date and has unfortunately been overshadowed due to some of the bigger names in our system. At worst, he could provide some speed off the bench for an MLB team, and he can play all three outfield positions as well.
Kyle Johnson – Johnson was acquired in the Collin Cowgill deal a little while back. He’s got solid speed, which helps him both defensively and on the basepaths, and some gap power.
Cesar Puello – Puello is one of the most polarizing players in the entire Mets system. He is an incredible athlete — a scout one told me that he was “built like an NFL linebacker.” He has above average speed, a plus arm, and above average power. The tools have always been there with Puello — but it always been a matter of putting it together for a consistent period of time. In 2013, he torched AA with the B-Mets but has been on a downhill slide ever since. Issues off the field, injuries, and Wally Backman sitting him because “he can’t hit righties” are all on the list of the things Puello has been plagued by. He will start the season on the DL after a confusing few days where he passed through MLB Waivers, but will eventually find his way down to AAA. For many, this year is Puello’s last chance to prove himself.
Travis Taijeron – Taijeron is an exciting player because he is athletic, has good pop, and can play all three outfield positions. The question is his ability to make contact. Taij turned 26 this past January, but he is still trying to put the entire package together.
Like Savannah, St. Lucie, and Binghamton, Opening Day for the Las Vegas 51’s starts this Thursday, April 9th. It will definitely be an interesting year for them as the vie for the PCL title with a very talent laden roster.
(Photo by Las Vegas 51s)
