MMN Top 100 Prospects: #46-50 With Two 2016 Draft Picks

Photo Credit: Ed Delany

46. RHP Kevin McGowan

Ht: 6’5″ Wt: 235 lb 2016 Level: St. Lucie, Binghamton, & Las Vegas

B/T: R/R Age: 10/18/1991 (25) Age Dif: -0.5 (Binghamton)

Acquired: 13th Round in 2013 from Franklin Pierce University

2016 Statistics: 5-1, 2.35 ERA, 42 G, 4 GS, 2 SV, 84.1 IP, 83 K, 1.091 WHIP, 8.9 K/9

Profile: McGowan had that rare arm out of NCAA Division II that could throw his fastball in the mid to high 90s. With his clean repeatable delivery, plus change-up, and command, the Mets justifiably tried to develop him as a starting pitcher.

However, with his inability to develop a consistent breaking pitch, he struggled in the rotation leading the Mets to move him to the bullpen this past season.

McGowan thrived. He reduced his walk rate while increasing his strike out rate. Naturally, his ERA and WHIP dropped considerably. With that, McGowan went from a struggling pitcher to one with a clear path to the major leagues. While it was not enough to garner him being added to the 40 man roster, he is a non-roster invitee to big league camp which will permit the Mets to get a closer look at him.

2017 Outlook: McGowan should begin the year in the bullpen for Las Vegas. Given the fact that he has two pitches already well developed, there is strong reason to believe he will build upon his success from last year. If so, we may very well see McGowan pitching out of the Mets bullpen next season.

47. 3B Blake Tiberi

Ht: 5’11″ Wt: 205 lb 2016 Level: Brooklyn Cyclones

B/T: L/R Age: 2/16/1993 (23) Age Dif: -0.1

Acquired: 3rd Round in 2016 Draft from University of Louisville

2016 Statistics: 56 G, 225 PA, 196 AB, 21 R, 46 H, 6 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 24 RBI, .235/.316/.316

Profile: Put aside the stats from a player who probably suffered from fatigue after a long college season; this guy knows how to hit.

Tiberi can seemingly make contact with any pitch thrown near the zone. He is adept at going the other way with a pitch, and like most hitters his age, he needs to learn how to pull the ball with more authority. Due to his ability to make good contact, he tends not to strike out often, and he tends not to draw many walks. The real key for Tiberi going forward is if he develops the power many people believe he may very well have.

And Tiberi is going to need that power. While he has the tools to be a good major league hitter, he has limited range in the field. Now, he makes up for that with a strong arm, and a quick first step.

However, without the power profile it is unlikely he can stick at third offensively. While his bat would play well at second, there is a legitimate question if he could slide over to second with his range.

2017 Outlook: Tiberi will likely start the season in Columbia which is not the best place for him developmentally. Both the Sally League as a whole as well as Spirit Communications Park tend to depress power numbers. As a result, players like Tiberi tend to stick to their all fields contact approach rather than learn to turn on the ball only to make some loud outs that die in the outfield.

48. OF Ranfy Adon

Ht: 6’3″ Wt: 185 lbs 2016 Level: Gulf Coast Mets

B/T: R/R Age: 8/2/1997 (19) Age Dif: -1.5

Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent from Dominican Republic in 2014

2016 Statistics: 40 G, 153 PA, 133 AB, 22 R, 26 H, 4 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 9 SB/4 CS, .195/.289/.271

Profile: Overall, Adon has everything you are looking for in a projectable major league player. He has a strong build with still time to mature physically. He’s a terrific athlete who’s a fast runner that can cover a lot of ground in the outfield. He also has a strong throwing arm to boot.

He has the tools at the plate as well, especially since he has raw unteachable power. However, at this point, he still needs time to put together his offensive game. As seen from his Gulf Coast stats, he struggled at the plate. Still, he should be better for the experience, and he is a good bet to improve next season.

2017 Outlook: Adon will likely begin the year with Rookie League Kingsport where he will have an opportunity to better develop his game.

Photo by Ed Delany

49. RHP Joseph Zanghi

Ht: 6’3″ Wt: 225 lbs. 2016 Level: Brooklyn

B/T: R/R Age: 12/1/1994 (22) Age Dif: -0.4

Acquired: 2016 Minor League Free Agent Signing

2016 Statistics: 1-0, 1.23 ERA, 23 G, 8 SV, 29.1 IP, 45 K, 1.193 WHIP, 13.8 K/9

Profile: Zanghi was the Reds’ 24th round draft pick in the 2015 draft out of Cumberland County College, but he did not sign with the team. With Zanghi available to be signed as a free agent, the Mets moved and signed the promising arm.

Zanghi is relatively new to pitching with his splitting time between catching and starting as a freshman in college. It was not until the 2015 season that Zanghi focused solely on pitching. It proved to be a smart move as Zanghi has excelled on the mound.

Zanghi can throw in the mid to upper 90s with a fastball that tops out around 97 MPH. He combines that pitch with a circle change. With that combination, Zanghi was able to generate a lot of strikeouts. It should also be noted with him being relatively new to pitching, he is still raw. He has a tendency to be wild as evidenced by his high walk rate and seven wild pitches last year.

Once Zanghi is able to harness his pitches, his career is going to take off. If he is able to develop a breaking pitch, such as a slider, he should rocket through the Mets farm system.

2017 Outlook: Zanghi should begin the year in Columbia where he will work with Jonathan Hurst in order to control his pitches better while also not losing that strikeout ability. Depending on how quickly and how well he progresses, he should finish the year in St. Lucie.

50. 2B Michael Paez

Ht: 5’8″ Wt: 175 lbs 2016 Level: Brooklyn Cyclones

B/T: R/R Age: 12/8/1994 (22) Age Dif: -0.1

Acquired: 4th Round in 2016 Draft from Coastal Carolina University

2016 Statistics: 46 G, 201 PA, 179 AB, 18 R, 34 H, 11 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 8 SB, 6 CS, .190/.270/.285

Profile: Despite being the shortstop for the 2016 NCAA Champion Coastal Carolina University, Paez transitioned to second base in Brooklyn due in large part to presence of fellow 2016 draft pick Colby Woodmansee. While you can make the case Paez still has the range to play shortstop, his future is likely at second with his size, his mediocre arm, and the Mets system being loaded with shortstops.

What makes Paez stand out in this muddled group of shortstop prospects is his power at the plate. In his senior season, Paez slugged an impressive 15 home runs. Now, as we saw in Brooklyn, the issue with his swing at the moment is he has a high strike out rate, and he does not walk often. At least in the New York Penn League, his power did not translate. In reality, short of Peter Alonso power hitting collegiate prospects power rarely translates to the league.

Still, both Paez and the Mets know he has real power that can play well in the middle infield. At this point in his career, he just has to find the best way to harness it.

2017 Outlook: Like his Brooklyn teammate Tiberi, Paez should begin the year in Columbia. However unlike Tiberi, Columbia may prove to be exactly what Paez needs from a developmental standpoint. In a league where pure power hitters typically struggle, Paez should be forced to adapt his approach at the plate to be more contact oriented than what his seemingly all or nothing approach was in Brooklyn.