Here’s what John Sickels had to say about Cesar Puello in his MiLB Gameday thread…

***New York Mets prospect Cesar Puello went 1-for-3 with a double for Double-A Binghamton yesterday, giving him a season line of .332/.401/.571 with 16 homers and 23 stolen bases. He’s been particularly hot lately, hitting .361 in his last 10 games with five doubles, a homer, four steals, and a 6/7 BB/K ratio.

Tools have never been the problem with the 22-year-old Puello, but he’s been slowed by injuries and poor plate discipline. He’s healthy this year, has tripled his 2012 walk rate, and is now hitting the hell out of the ball. He’s flashed this before but didn’t sustain it, but this season he got hot in late April and has stayed that way. I didn’t have him in my recent Top 75 Prospects update, but he’d definitely be in the 80-100 range and if he keeps playing like this he’ll certainly be in the Top 50 for next year.

Well, alright then! There are many things to consider when looking at Cesar Puello. The numbers alone don’t tell the whole story — he still has trouble with plate discipline and recognition of breaking pitches. However, he has worked to improve that, and is actually drawing walks at the plate right now. That might sound sarcastic, but it is extremely important to see him drawing walks at a better rate — it is demonstrative of his improved plate discipline.

His potential is finally turning into performance this season and it’s great to see him look like the 20/20 threat I always had him pegged to be. His MLB batting average may not be pretty, but he’s surely working on improving his outlook.