Credit to @ZacharyLucy
This group is a nice mix of young players with great potential and a couple we could see in the near future as role players.
30. 2B L.J. Mazzilli
Ht: 6’1 Wt: 190 Level: St. Lucie (A), Binghamton (AA) Age: 9/6/1990 (25) Age Diff: -0.4
Acquired: Drafted in 2013 (4th Round)
2015 Stats: 91 G, 374 PA, 335 AB, 20 2B, 2 3B, HR, 25 RBI, 50 Runs, 35 BB/57 K, .261/.332/.342
Profile: Mazzilli followed up a great 2014 season with an underwhelming one that saw him suspended for the first 50 games of the 2015 season for a positive drug of abuse test. He showed power during batting practice but it failed to translate to in-game going the whole season without a homerun. He did show good strike-zone awareness while limiting his strikeouts.
He is also a very athletic player who improved his defense at second base last year where he played all but one game. Mazzilli does have some experience at third base (one game) and shortstop (14) in the minors. He will have to be more versatile to find playing time with the Mets upper level depth up the middle. Has average speed which would allow him to play some corner outfield if need be.
Level: Will most likely start back in Binghamton because of stacked infield at Las Vegas.
Image by Galveston County Daily News
29. LHP Jake Simon
Acquired: Drafted in 2015 (11th Round)
Ht: 6’2 Wt: 175 Level: GCL Mets (Rookie)
Age: 1/21/1997 (19) Age Diff: -2.2
2015 Stats: 9 G, 16 IP, 2.81 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 5 BB/12 K
Profile: The lanky lefty signed with the Mets for $400,000 bonus (300K over slot) to keep him away from his commitment to Rice University, the biggest over slot bonus the Mets handed out in the 2015 draft. Already hitting 89-92 MPH with his fastball, he has the frame to build on that velocity.
He is a good athlete that played quarterback for Ball High School in Galveston, Texas and played in the field on his pitching off days. Perfect Game had him ranked as the 39th best high school LHP in the 2015 class. Throws a curveball and changeup with both needing work but it’s tough not to get excited about a 19-year old lefty already hitting 92 that has smooth and an easily repeatable delivery.
2016 Level: Likely to see him start the season in Kingsport.
28. SS Andres Gimenez
Ht: 5’11 Wt: 158 Level: Did not play B/T: L/R Age: 9/4/1998 (17)
Acquired: Signed on 7/2/2015 to $1.2M bonus
Profile: Gimenez is new to the organization after agreeing on July 2nd to a $1.2 million signing bonus with the Mets. He was listed as Baseball America’s #2 prospect heading into the 2015 International signing period behind Vlad Guerrero Jr. Andres was considered the top hitting shortstop prospect in Venezuela while displaying the arm and range to stay at the position long-term.
He has earned high praise from scouts both for his left-handed bat and ability to stick at shortstop according to Baseball America. He also has above average speed and could potentially be a top of the lineup bat.
2016 Level: Should start his pro career in the Dominican Summer League while getting a taste of baseball in the US before the season is over.
27. LHP Josh Smoker
Ht: 6’2 Wt: 195 Level: Savannah/St.Lucie/Binghamton
Age: 11/26/88 (27) Age Diff: +1.4
Acquired: Signed as Minor League FA on 4/2/2015
2015 Stats: 41 G, 49 IP, 3.12 ERA, 1.184 WHIP, 19 BB/60 K
Profile: Smoker was a supplemental first round pick (31st overall, six slots ahead of Travis d’Arnaud) of the Washington Nationals in 2007 out of Calhoun High School in Georgia. He had to sit out the entire 2013 season after having the second shoulder surgery in his career (first one in 2008).
I watched Josh pitch multiple times this season for the B’Mets and his stuff will definitely play at the Major League level. He gets his fastball up to the 96-97 MPH range and even hit 98 when I watched him. He has a very good split-change that makes him effective against right-handed hitters and isn’t afraid to throw it down in the count. Lefties actually hitter better against him with a .641 OPS compared to a .547 OPS for righties last season. He has been working on a slider to try and counter the success lefties have had against him.
2016 Level: Will start in Vegas, should be him in Flushing soon after team added him to 40-man.
Photo by @ZacharyLucy
26. 2B Jeff McNeil
Ht: 6’1 Wt: 165 Level: St. Lucie/Binghamton B/T: L/R Age: 4/8/1992 (23) Age Diff: -1.4
Acquired: Drafted in 2013 (12th round)
2015 Stats: 123 G, 545 PA, 483 AB, 18 2B, 6 3B, HR, 40 RBI, 80 Runs, 16 SB, .308/.369./.377
Profile: Jeff is coming off a strong year with the bat that helped him being named to the Florida State League midseason and post-season all-star teams. He led the league in hitting for a good chunk of the season and ended up with a .312/.373/.382 slash line for St. Lucie. As you can see he has limited power but gets on base and struck out only 61 times last season.
Big part of his value comes from the ability to play multiple positions pretty well defensively. Last season he played 34 at shortstop, 59 at second base, 28 at third base, two at first, one in center, and got some exposure to left field during the Arizona Fall League. He reminds me quite a bit of former Met Jeff Keppinger who went on to play nine seasons in the Majors. He is a little more athletic than Keppinger, he has stolen 44 bases in his first three pro seasons.
2016 Level: Binghamton, question will be what position.
Previously: 35-31, 40-36, 45-41, 50-46, 60-51, 70-61, 80-71
Thank you for these ranking Michael.
It is wonderful to see some of the not so well known names and find out about them. I like the fact that you point out some of the guys who, while not destined to be stars, could be very productive at the major league level. Guys like Mazzili and McNeil could have nice careers helping off the bench.
I also did not realize the Mets signed the #2 rated IFA in Gimenez. It is good to know the Mets are actively going after the higher rated talent. While still a crap shoot, getting the more talented guys in can only help them in the future. Ultimately, the numbers do work out if you bring in enough quality.
I think it is important to note that not all prospects are going to be MLB regulars or in the rotation but that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t have value in to the 25-man roster. McNeil and Mazzilli could both end up having good careers off the bench and those type of players are important too especially from the farm so you don’t have to spend $4-5M on a bench piece.
Gimenez has been overlooked because he didn’t get as big of a bonus that Guerrero did while actually being rated higher by some. Both have tremendous upside and it is nice to see the Mets not afraid to spend money on international talent.
love the projection on that young lefty…they drafted 3 interesting HS LHP in 2015 (throw in Blake Taylor) and that’s a nice stockpile of LHP that should be coming of age in the next 3-4 years, right when our young guns now could be getting too expensive
Drafted a few nice lefty relievers too in Torres, Conlon, and Davis. I liked the 2015 draft. Really think the Mets have some good young arms that will be interesting to see how they develop.