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Prospect Spotlight: L.J. Mazzilli Having a Solid Season in Brooklyn

By Fan Shot

September 4, 2013 1 Comment

mazzilliWhen his name was called in last June's draft, a lot of Mets fans were wondering whether it was an underslot pick or if it was because he's the son of a former Met. Not many fans took into account that L.J. Mazzilli's talent was the reason why the Mets took him in the fourth round, and he's already starting to pay dividends with the Brooklyn Cyclones.

The second baseman plays in one of the toughest parks in Short-season Class-A, and you can tell that from his splits, as he’s more successful on the road than at home. At MCU Park, L.J. hit .264/.307/.343 with one home run and 16 RBIs.  While on the road, Mazzilli put together a .300/.354/.431 line with three home runs and 18 RBIs.  L.J. was named to the New York Penn League All-Star team, and  even though he could be considered old for the league, he has talent that Mets fans have been taking notice to.

Offensively, you can tell he is in total control of each at-bat. He has gap power, allowing him to collect a lot of doubles. As he continues to develop, that power could hopefully turn into some more home runs down the road. He rarely swings at bad pitches, moves the runner over when necessary, and he has the pop to drive the ball for extra bases and be a run producer. When seeing him hit, whether it’s a fast ball or breaking ball, his swing is level and his wrists move quickly through the zone. The one thing that L.J. needs to work on is the slider away; he sometimes get fooled with that pitch.

As a second baseman, he is smooth and steady, and has the range to track down any ball that is hit towards his position on the field. From watching L.J. play defensive, it’s easy to see he has a solid baseball I.Q. When the ball is hit, he shows a quick first step that allows him to field his position cleanly. He has no fear of oncoming runners when turning double plays, and his arm is strong enough to hang on the bag as long as possible to make sure of the first out before flipping it over to first.

Overall, this has been a very good year for L.J. With the talent and approach he has for the game, L.J. should be able to make a smooth transition as he moves through the minors, and I’m excited to see him with a full season affiliate in 2014.

Thoughts From Satish R. 

It just so happens that I was bothering Jessica Quiroli, NYPL Reporter, on Twitter this week when she was having an MiLB question session. She, as most of us at MMN are, is a fan of L.J. Mazzilli. I asked her for two reasons that Mets fans should like him — and her response was quick: gap power and defense. Later on, she also commented on his consistency and said he could coach first base.

It’s really easy to like LJ for a number of reasons, but the telling stories will be how he plays as he advances through our minor league system. The Mets could play aggressive and push him to St. Lucie next year, but Dilson Herrera will likely be seeing time at 2B there. In any case, we wish Mazzilli the best of luck on his path to the majors.

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