For the purpose of our series of posts, we define the word fringe as any prospects, which we considered, that were absent from MMN’s own Top 40 Prospect lists. The purpose of the series is to identify prospects that are showing promise above what fans might expect and what their futures will hold within the Mets organization.
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Jared King, OF
DOB: 10/12/1991
Bats/Throws: Both/Left
2013 Total Stats: 264 plate appearances, .266/.365/.347, 1 HR, 5 SB, 13.3 BB%, 18.6 K%
2013 Review
The Mets drafted Jared King in the fifth round out of Kansas State University in 2013. Upon signing he was sent to the NY-Penn affiliate Brooklyn Cyclones. King would get off to a hot start, hitting .305 in the month of July. He would fade a bit down the stretch, potentially due to a long season that started in college ball and ended in the minors. For the season, King posted a solid .266 batting average and showed an impressive eye at the plate, leading to a .365 on-base percentage.
Prospect Outlook
When considering the rigors of the college baseball season and the adjustment to pro-ball and wood bats, King had a solid season. There’s really no standout tools, except perhaps plate discipline. He’ll probably never hit for much power, but he’s a hard working player who can produce by using his instincts. He’ll swipe some bags despite being just an average runner. Defensively he’s a more than capable left fielder who can play center in a pinch.
2014 Prediction
My guess is that King’s advanced college approach will lead to an aggressive assignment that will see him skip Savannah and start the season in St. Lucie. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares against better competition. Despite being naturally left-handed, he fared far better from the right-side last season and it’ll be interesting to see if that trend continues. Perhaps in his first full season the Mets will attempt to alter his contact-oriented swing to see if they can tap into some more power from the solidly built 6’1, 210 pounder. Even if he doesn’t show more power, I think he’s an intriguing prospect who could see his stock jump up this year.
Prospects On The Fringe:
(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)