Photo Credit: Allen Greene Photography
71. RHP Adonis Uceta
Ht: 6’1″ Wt: 225 lb 2016 Level: Kingsport
B/T: R/R Age: 5/10/1994 (22) Age Dif: 1.0
Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2012
2016 Statistics: 3-6, 4.99 ERA, 12 G, 11 GS, 61.1 IP, 63 K, 1.516 WHIP, 9.2 K/9
Profile: After a promising stint in the Gulf Coast League, Uceta really struggled in his first full reason in the Rookie Leagues. This could be part of an adjustment for a player transitioning to a higher level of competition, but it should be noted Uceta was old for the level. Overall, the main issue for Uceta was he seemed to lose his control walking more batters than he did last year and throwing 10 wild pitches.
Despite the struggles, there is reason to believe he will have success next year. While he had control issues last year, they should be easily fixed as Uceta had been known for having good control prior to last season.
He has a mid 90s fastball with a good change-up. Over the past four years, Uceta has been working on a slider, but unfortunately, he has yet to master the pitch. With that said, his fastball and change-up combination would translate well to the bullpen. If he does move to the bullpen, and he returns to being a pitcher with good control, Uceta could find himself a fast riser in the Mets farm system.
2017 Outlook: Uceta will likely open the year in the Brooklyn Cyclones rotation.
72. SS/3B Kenny Hernandez
Ht: 6’1″ Wt: 200 lb 2016 Level: Gulf Coast
B/T: L/R Age: 8/13/1998 (18) Age Dif: -2.5
Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent out of Venezuela in 2014 ($1.0MM signing bonus)
2016 Statistics: 16 G, 65 PA, 59 AB, 5 R, 12 H, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, .203/.262/.288
Profile: The young Hernandez has the tools to become a truly special player for the Mets one day. At the time he was signed, he was seen as one of the best pure hitters out of Venezuela that year. He’s seen as a hitter who not only promises to hit for power, but also one that has good plate discipline. For him to fulfill that promise, he is going to have to cut down on his strikeouts.
Defensively, while he is a shortstop now, many believe as Hernandez continues to mature physically, he will grow out of the position. As a corollary to that, as he matures physically, we should begin to see him start hitting for power. At the moment, the Mets seem to be transitioning him to third with Hernandez splitting time between short and third.
2017 Outlook: Given his relative struggles in his shorts stint for the Gulf Coast Mets, Hernandez will likely repeat the level while continuing to split time between short and third. If Hernandez shows the improvement we can reasonably expect from him, he could be playing in Brooklyn by the end of the year.
73. 1B Dash Winningham
Ht: 6’2″ Wt: 225 lbs 2016 Level: Columbia
B/T: L/L Age: 10/11/1995 (21) Age Dif: -1.4
Acquired: 2014 8th Round Draft Pick out of Trinity Catholic HS (Ocala, FL)
2016 Statistics: 125 G, 504 PA, 465 AB, 41 R, 109 H, 31 2B, 2 3B, 12 HR, 69 RBI, CS, .234/.284/.387
Profile: Like most of the Fireflies roster, Winningham had difficulty hitting last year. That should not come as much of a surprise as both Spirit Communications Park and the Sally League in general is pitching dominant and suppresses power. In short, these conditions are not conducive to a power hitting prospect.
And Winningham has power. He showed it in high school, and he showed it in the Gulf Coast League. While there are holes in his swing, Winningham can really give a pitch a ride when he gets a hold of it.
Unfortunately, with the holes in his swing and his lack of plate discipline, Winningham may not be able to fully capitalize on his power potential. And keep in mind, he’s going to need to as physically he is best suited to either first base or DH.
2017 Outlook: Due to Peter Alonso having an abbreviated season in Brooklyn, Winningham should get the opportunity to play in St. Lucie, which while still not hitter friendly, is a much better environment than the one he found in Columbia.
74. C/1B Carlos Sanchez
Ht: 6’0″ Wt: 210 lbs. 2016 Level: Gulf Coast
B/T: R/R Age: 6/6/1996 (20) Age Dif: 0.5
Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent out of Venezuela in 2013
2016 Statistics: 38 G, 157 PA, 142 AB, 16 R, 45 H, 8 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 2 SB, CS, .317/.382/.444
Profile: Sanchez is an interesting prospect who certainly profiles well as a catcher. He has the athleticism behind the plate with a big strong arm.
However, he is raw as a receiver leading some to question what position he is best suited. In fact, the Mets have had him split time between catcher and first base in his brief professional career. He has also had limited exposure to both second and third. Overall, this speaks to his athleticism.
If he stays behind the plate, Sanchez could be a special player because he knows how to hit. He has shown a good approach at the plate, and he has promising power. As he matures, Sanchez could wind up hitting for even more power than he has already exhibited.
2017 Outlook: After what was a terrific season in the Gulf Coast League, Sanchez has shown he is ready to play in either Kingsport or Brooklyn. No matter which affiliate he lands, the Mets should give Sanchez more time behind the plate to maximize what he could be as a player.
75. 1B/3B Matt Oberste
Ht: 6’2″ Wt: 240 lbs 2016 Level: Binghamton
B/T: R/R Age: 8/9/1991 (25) Age Dif: -0.3
Acquired: 2013 7th Round Draft Pick out of the University of Oklahoma
2016 Statistics: 124 G, 462 PA, 413 AB, 53 R, 117 H, 21 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 54 RBI, .283/.340/.409
Profile: While Oberste has been blocked in some ways by being in the same draft class and typically on the same teams as Dominic Smith, he has received regular at-bats with him predominantly serving as a DH. His offensive numbers and approach are a bit of a mixed bag.
Oberste has shown himself to be a much better hitters against left-handed pitching hitting .323/.417/.424 off of them. Conversely, he tends to struggle against right-handed pitching. This may be the result of his having both a wide stance and a big stride at the plate. The combination may also explain why he has yet to truly develop power. Still, he is a smart hitter that typically finds his way on base, and he takes advantage of younger pitchers.
Defensively, he has the tools to be a good first baseman. While he has the range to play an effective third base, he really doesn’t have the arm strength to play there regularly. This is problematic for a player who at this point projects to be a major league utility player. Ideally, he should work on both second base and the corner outfield positions to make himself as versatile as possible. With that said, it is questionable at best if he has either the speed or range to handle the positions.
2017 Outlook: Oberste would be best served by repeating Binghamton as there will not be many at-bats available for him in Las Vegas. At a minimum, he should receive regular at-bats once again as a DH. Ideally, the team will try to expose Oberste to a number of positions to try to find what exactly he could be at the major league level.
2017 MMN TOP 100 PROSPECTS
26-30 Two Possible 2017 Mets Bullpen Pieces
31-35 Batting Champ Tops Strong Group
66-70 Features Three 2016 Draft Picks
Dash Winningham still intrigues me because of the power.
Oberste continues to scream American League to me.
I just don’t see anything more than Josh Satin in Oberste and he doesn’t even have the versatility he had. Dash would have to show off some serious power to be a legit ML prospect. His defense at first isn’t great and I don’t see him being a high OBP guy.
Looking at these lower level prospect really gives more of an insight in what it is to be a minor league player than simply looking at the top end prospects.