MMN Top 100 Prospects: #61-65 Led By Toolsy De Aza

61. SS Yeffry De Aza

Ht: 6’0″ Wt: 205 lb 2016 Level: Kingsport & Brooklyn

B/T: R/R Age: 1/14/1997 (20) Age Dif: -1.5 (Kingsport)

Acquired: Signed as IFA out of the Dominican Republic in 2013 ($475,000 signing bonus)

2016 Statistics: 47 G, 181 PA, 172 AB, 9 R, 32 H, 7 2B, 3B, 12 RBI, 4 CS, .186/.221/.238

Profile: After a promising stint in the Gulf Coast League during the 2015 season, De Aza struggled, if not over-matched, while playing in rookie ball. Still, despite these struggles, De Aza showed some offensive promise.

He has good bat speed which suggests he could one day hit for power. Naturally, that is going to depend on his improve on making contact and utilizing the whole field like he did back in the Gulf Coast League.

Defensively, he’s an average shortstop with decent speed and an above average arm. The Mets are likely to keep him at shortstop until he proves he can no longer handle the position. It’s also possible he moves to either second or third, both positions he has played during his three seasons in the Mets minors.

2017 Outlook: De Aza should return to Brooklyn where he ended the season. He will have an opportunity to show he is not only capable of being a shortstop, but also a much improved hitter. He should get that opportunity at least until the Mets next draft class begins signing and getting assigned to Brooklyn.

62. RHP Joe Shaw

Ht: 6’3″ Wt: 240 lb 2016 Level: Columbia & Binghamton

B/T: R/R Age: 12/20/1993 (23) Age Dif: 0.1 (Columbia)

Acquired: 2015 12th Round Draft Pick out of Dallas Baptist University

2016 Statistics: 8-10, 4.49 ERA, 24 G, 24 GS, 140.1 IP, 140 K, 1.397 WHIP, 9.0 K/9

Profile: At some point, the Mets are going to have to break down Shaw’s mechanics and build him back up if he’s ever going to have a long term future in the Mets farm system.

When Shaw is right, he’s capable of dominance. He can throw his fastball as high as 97 MPH. He has a curveball that has a nice late break. He can generate a number of swings and misses with both pitches. However, he doesn’t always because his mechanics are a mess.

Interestingly enough, he has both a high leg kick and a short stride putting a lot of stress on his arm. Due to his delivery, he has a tendency to fly open at times and throw across his body others. Ultimately, that’s the main issue with Shaw: he’s maddeningly inconsistent. With his inconsistency, his fastball velocity is all over the place as is the break he gets on his curveball.

With these mechanical issues, Shaw is probably best suited to moving to the bullpen where he can stick to pitching out of the stretch. The hope there is he can have a simpler, cleaner, and repeatable delivery. If he can get there, he will become a dominant reliever.

2017 Outlook: Despite his spot start in Brooklyn, Shaw will likely start the year in the starting rotation for St. Lucie. Pitching coach Marc Valdes will have his work cut out for him in trying to improve Shaw’s delivery in the hopes of getting the most out of a pitcher who can throw the ball in the upper 90s and who has a good curveball.

63. 2B Vinny Siena

Ht: 5’10″ Wt: 200 lbs 2016 Level: Columbia & St. Lucie

B/T: R/R Age: 12/24/1993 (23) Age Dif: -0.7 (St. Lucie)

Acquired: 2015 14th Round Draft Pick out of the University of Connecticut

2016 Statistics: 111 G, 472 PA, 384 AB, 73 R, 103 H, 23 2B, 4 3B, 27 RBI, 10 SB, CS, .268/.391/.349

Profile: Looking at Siena, there are a number of things he does very well that gives an indication he could one day become a major league player.

Siena is an extremely disciplined hitter at the plate that has a knack for finding his way on base. Despite the high level of strikeouts, he typically gives his team a good at-bat. When he does get on base, he has shown good speed and the ability to steal a bag. He’s efficient in stealing bases because he’s a smart player.

Siena’s speed also helps him in the field. Siena is a a smooth defender with good range and a good arm. While he may not become an everyday player with better regarded prospects ahead of him, he has the tools to eventually become a quality utility player. Certainly, his skills should allow him to handle possibly third and the outfield.

Overall, in a Mets system bereft of top tier second base talents, Siena certainly stands out as a quality fielder and a promising hitter.

Ultimately what holds Siena back is his almost complete lack of power. In two years, he has yet to hit a home run. Unfortunately, he does not have the type of speed you are looking for to offset the lack of homers. Still, with this quick hands at the plate, he could possibly develop the ability to hit some type of power that could improve his stock as a prospect.

2017 Outlook: Given the difficulty in hitting for power in the lower levels of the Mets farm system, Siena is not likely going to hit for any type of power next year. Still, he has the chance to work with Luis Natera to hit for more power which would allow him to improve his stock as a prospect.

64. RHP Chase Ingram

Ht: 6’3″ Wt: 215 lbs. 2016 Level: Columbia

B/T: R/R Age: 4/17/1995 (22) Age Dif: -0.9

Acquired: 2015 6th Round Draft Pick out of Hillsborough Community College (Tampa, FL)

2016 Statistics: 8-9, 4.60 ERA, 25 G, 25 GS, 131.0 IP, 132 K, 1.511 WHIP, 9.1 K/9

Profile: What is surprising about Ingram is pitchers like him usually thrive in the lower-levels on the minor leagues, but with him, the stats just aren’t there.

Ingram has a smooth overhand delivery that allows him to get on top of both his fastball and his curveball. While his fastball typically sits in the upper 80s, he does generate some sinking action with the pitch. His curveball and changeup also have a nice sinking action and break.

Perhaps, the main reason Ingram struggles is he has trouble locating these pitches effectively. With better location he can maximize his repertoire, reduce his walks, and go deeper into games. If he can do this, he projects to be a back-end starting pitcher.

2017 Outlook: Ingram should be a starter for St. Lucie next season. During the year, he needs to work on his command and hopefully add some velocity to his fastball.

65. RHP Alex Palsha

Ht: 6’1″ Wt: 190 lbs 2016 Level: Columbia & St. Lucie

B/T: R/R Age: 5/10/1992 (24) Age Dif: 2.1 (Columbia)

Acquired: 2014 27th Round Draft Pick out of California State University

2016 Statistics: 5-4, 2.98 ERA, 42 G, 18 SV, 57.1 IP, 1.186 WHIP, 10.2 K/9

Profile: With Palsha, it is hard to gauge if his success is due to his pure talent or the fact that he has typically been too old for each level of the minor leagues he has pitched.

Regardless of the opinion, the fact he is has had success, and he does have talent. He throws a low to mid 90s fastball he can locate, and he has a good curveball. Palsha utilizes both pitches to not only to get a good number of strike outs, but he also uses both pitches to generate a high number of ground balls.

This combination, and a certain level of grit we see with anyone who is a successful closer, gives real reason for optimism as Palsha advances through the Mets farm system.

2017 Outlook: After being a successful closer in both Columbia and St. Lucie, Palsha should get an opportunity to close for Binghamton next season. With a higher level of competition, it’s possible Palsha’s strikeout numbers may dip, but the ultimate results may not vary much because of his ability to generate groundballs.