Baseball America’s John Manuel recently published rankings of the top 20 prospects in the Florida State League. Noah Syndergaard ranked sixth, the highest placed pitcher overall.
Manuel said, in part:
Scouts and managers considered him the easy choice as the best pitching prospect in the FSL thanks to a premium fastball, notable as much for its arm-side run and ability to get in on righthanded hitters as for its premium 94-98 mph velocity. Syndergaard adds a fine pitcher’s build and clean delivery, both indicative of durability.
Scouts and managers in the FSL considered his secondary stuff—he throws both a curveball and slider as well as a firm changeup—closer to average, with the change more on the fringy side. Lefthanded hitters had success against him both in the FSL (.733 OPS) and in the Eastern League (.909 OPS).
“His fastball is heavy,” Palm Beach manager Johnny Rodriguez said. “It really explodes out of his hand. He has the fastball to be a No. 1 starter, but his secondary stuff might make him more of a No. 3.”
Topping the list is Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, who hit .326/.415/.472 this season punching in 71 hits, eight triples and 22 RBI’s. The only other players above Syndergaard were Miguel Sano, Javier Baez, Gregory Polanco and Maikel Franco.
It’s funny how people keep talking about the secondary pitches of a guy who turned 21 less than a month and a half ago as if they’re already supposed to be MLB quality. He’s got big league / minor league camp and AAA next year to develop those further and, since he’s a hard worker and smart player, I would expect he does bring them along nicely before he gets here and in his first few pro seasons.