; ;

Featured On MMN: Mets Organizational Depth Chart: Shortstop

By Former Writers

November 10, 2013 2 Comments


gavin-cecchini

Welcome to the fourth installment of MMN’s off-season Organizational Depth Chart. Each week, we’ll take a look at the top players at each position in the Mets organization. We hope to provide Mets fans with some insight to what the Mets currently have at the major league level, as well as some players they can expect to hear about from the minor-leagues in the coming years.

For the fourth part of the series, we’ll take a look at shortstop.

MLB

Ruben Tejada

With Tejada’s immense struggles in 2013, the team heads into the 2014 season, with one of the biggest weaknesses, the shortstop position. As the starting shortstop in 2013, Tejada hit only .202/.259/.260 in 208 at bats. Despite his struggles, and only 24 years old, it is still possible that he can rebound in 2014, and produce the way he did in the 2011 and 2012 seasons when he hit close to .290. The Mets will have to decide whether to give Tejada another shot, or acquire a starting shortstop in the off-season.

On The Farm

1. Gavin Cecchini

Even though shortstop is a weakness at the major league level, the Mets have a few talented shortstops in their farm system. Cecchini, a 1st round pick in 2012, is one of the Mets most talented on the left side of the infield. Offensively, he projects as a good contact hitter who has some extra base power. He also ranks as an above average defender at shortstop, due to his good range and instincts. Although his professional career has gotten off to a slow start, numbers wise, it shouldn’t drastically hurt his prospect status. Cecchini, at 19 years old, was one of the youngest players in the New York Penn League this season.  He has a bit of a journey ahead of him before reaching the majors; but he has the potential to become a starting shortstop in the future.

2. Amed Rosario:

While Cecchini grabs the top spot in this list, Rosario comes in a close second.  He is ranked by Baseball America as this years top prospect in the Appalachian League, and has a very high upside. The 17 year old has a quick bat, and has plus power potential for a shortstop.  Rosario doesn’t have tremendous speed, but defensively he has good hands and good range. Although he struggled in his first professional season; his potential is too hard to discount. Rosario is one of the most talented prospects in the Mets system.

3. Wilfredo Tovar:

Unlike Cecchini and Rosario; Tovar is close to contributing in the majors. He started at shortstop for Binghamton this season, and had a brief stint with the major league club at the end of the year.  With his tremendous range and strong throwing arm, he is an outstanding defender at shortstop.  He also makes consistent contact offensively and he rarely strikes out.   However, Tovar also has many significant flaws; he does not hit for power, and he has not hit above .270 in a full minor league season.

4. Matt Reynolds:

Reynolds was the Mets 2nd round pick in the 2012 draft out of the University of Arkansas, but he has yet to produce in his professional career.  In 2013, for St. Lucie, he hit a disappointing .226, with five home runs, 49 RBI’s and a .302 OBP in 117 games. Reynolds is a patient line drive hitter, but does not possess a lot of power.  He is a versatile defender who can play third base as well as shortstop. With his struggles at the plate in 2013; it seems more likely that Reynolds will develop into a utility man instead of a starter.

5. Philip Evans:

Before the 2013 season, many fans considered Evans a potential breakout candidate.  However, 2013, couldn’t have been more disappointing.  He hit just .203, with two home runs and 25 RBI’s in 106 games for Savannah.  There have also been concerns about whether he could stick at shortstop due to his lack of range.  Even with all these struggles, Evans should not be written off completely.  He has good bat speed and has the potential to hit for more power than his size indicates. At 21 years old, there is still time for him to meet some of his pre-season expectations.

Latest Comments
  1. NCMetFan
  2. NCMetFan