Josh Satin, the 28-year-old first baseman from Hidden Hills, California, has displayed his prowess at the plate in 86 plate appearances with the New York Mets this season in the big leagues. He can thank Ike Davis getting sent down for the opportunity to show what he’s made of, compiling a .343/.465/.514 slash in the bigs. He was drafted in the sixth round by the Mets in the 2008 MLB draft, after putting together a huge season with the University of California (.379/.500/.723, 18 home runs). As a fifth-year senior at Cal, he didn’t have a lot of room to wiggle in negotiations with the Mets, and signed for just $25,000.

John Sickels of SB Nation’s Minor League Ball decided to highlight Satin as today’s Prospect of the Day. He ran through his minor league numbers at each level, and they all looked very impressive. In fact, through six seasons on the Mets’ farm, the right-hander has put together a .303/.398/.465 line, and has hit wherever he’s been assigned to. I really love how Sickels started his article on Satin:

“What do you call a guy who hits .303/.398/.465 in his minor league career, and .305/.416/.442 in his first 113 major league at-bats? How about ‘not a prospect?’ Seems odd, yes, but for a long time New York Mets rookie Josh Satin had just that problem, lacking cachet as a prospect despite excellent performance.”

Sickels went on to pinpoint some of the reasons why scouts and talent evaluators have continually overlooked him as he tore up opposing pitchers at each level of the minor leagues. One reason was his age; he spent five years at the University of California because of a injured freshman year, allowing him to get an extra year of eligibility. Every time he put up gaudy offensive numbers, people would discount them because of his older age.

The other reason Satin got overlooked was due to his lack of defensive skills. Similar to Wilmer Flores (but not on the same level), his offensive ability wasn’t in question, but he didn’t really have a position. He came up as a second baseman, but a so-so arm and not great range ended up moving him to first base. He has played well there, but his 60 career homers in 2,256 minor league at-bats doesn’t get scouts excited to put him at that position, which is viewed as one of the premier power spots on a baseball field.

It looked as though he was destined to not truly get his chance, but he certainly made the most of his opportunity this season while Ike Davis was sent back to Triple-A to work on his swing. His patience and incredible eye at the plate has always been prevalent (five seasons of 60+ walks), but his approach and swing have improved drastically. He cut down on his movement before the pitch, and has seen his swing take a shorter path through the strike zone. He’s making more consistent contact, while staying selective. This has equaled fantastic results, as we can all see.

What’s next for Satin? No one really knows. Is he a little old for a rookie? Yes, being 28-years-old is more advanced than most rookies who are putting up the numbers he’s put up over the last couple months. However, as long as he continues to hit, someone will have to find a spot for him in the lineup, whether it’s with the Mets or somewhere else.