22. Luis Mateo, RHP
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 185
DOB: 03/22/1990 (Age: 23)
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Fastball: 55/65 Slider: 55/60 Change-up: 40/50 Control: 50/50 Makeup: 40/50
After making only four appearances last year, one of my favorite prospects to keep tabs on — Luis Mateo — underwent Tommy John Surgery in June. Mateo has had elbow issues in the past, so his future as a prospect is directly related to how well this surgery goes. He is also getting up there in years, as he’ll be 24 next season with only 11.1 innings of work above Brooklyn (A-) ball. His first start of the season was superb, where he struck out nine over 6.2 innings of scoreless ball. However, he would only manage two more innings in St. Lucie — and three innings in a rehab start in Binghamton before having to leave with the same elbow issue.
If Mateo is healthy, he packs a hell of an arsenal. The elbow problems scared away a few suitors, but Mateo was hitting the mid 90s with a fastball that had great late life, and his power slider worked very well with it. He even tossed in an occasional change-up and had the framework laid to be a dominant starter down the line. But if he can’t stay healthy, none of that will matter…
Outlook: It will all be about health for Mateo. It is not inconceivable to think that proper rehab will allow Mateo the opportunity to make a few starts late in the 2014 season, and the Mets will get a chance to determine how they feel about keeping him then. We can only wish him well and hope that everything goes smoothly, because Mateo had a hell of a lot of potential. Without jinxing anything, I’m pretty impressed with today’s technology, so it’s possible he’ll come back and dominate yet again. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
MMN Top 40 Prospects
22. Luis Mateo
(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)