; ;

Thoughts and Observations on the MLB Futures Game

By Former Writers

July 15, 2013 2 Comments

noah_syndergaard_480x270_ic04xaus_myx0eznw

I didn’t have the privilege of getting to Citi Field for the MLB Futures Game yesterday, but I had the opportunity to watch the first inning. I got a glimpse of both Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero on the hill, and I’m very happy I had the time to flip the television for that half hour.

In all reality, that’s all I was interested in seeing. I also wanted to try and watch Brandon Nimmo‘s appearance once he entered the game, but I wasn’t able to watch that much of the game. For me, the most important part of the entire afternoon was watching Syndergaard and Montero. Unlike Nimmo, these two hurlers are two of the more developed prospects in the Mets minor league system. If they remain with the organization, they’ll be making an impact in Flushing within the near future.

Each pitcher put together a very quick, scoreless inning of work in front of the Citi Field crowd. Not only are they two of the Mets’ top-ten prospects, they were given the opportunity to start against one another in the Futures Game. Instead of squandering that chance of starting in what could be their future home park, they took full advantage of it. Syndergaard and Montero showed the Mets fans in attendance the future on the mound remains bright, even with Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler already in the big leagues.

This was the first time this season my schedule matched up with their appearances, allowing me to watch them pitch. First up was Syndergaard, and he immediately impressed me with his large frame. When you say a pitcher is 6’6″, you know he’s tall, but man did he look imposing when he was on the rubber. He threw hard, which was expected, but the usage of his curve ball got me real excited. He had the confidence to throw it when he wanted, and it had great movement.

The Mets were determined to include Syndergaard in the off-season trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for all of these reasons, but it was his control that made him even more appealing. He displayed that control yesterday in Flushing, consistently hitting the outside corner with pinpoint accuracy. If he finishes 2013 in Double-A how he’s started it, he’ll be headed for Las Vegas to start 2014, and it won’t be much longer before we see him in the big leagues.

As for Montero, he was equally impressive in the bottom of the first, making quick work of Team USA in the one frame he was scheduled to pitch. He doesn’t throw his fastball as hard as his fellow pitching prospect, but the control was there, and he looked very polished for a 22-year-old pitcher. It was easy to see how he’s risen from a DSL roster to Triple-A in just two years.

The announcers were impressed with how Montero handled George Springer in the first inning, and it bears repeating. Springer is a top prospect in the Houston Astros organization, and has flashed his five-tool potential in AA and AAA this season. Through 330 at-bats in 2013, he’s hitting .315/.418/.624 with 26 home runs, 72 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases. Facing Montero in his first at-bat, he launched a pitch foul, but it hit the facing of the Acela Club in left field. What did Montero do after that? He backed him off the plate with an inside fastball at the letters.

Rick Sutcliffe was most impressed with Montero’s poise on the mound, saying that 22-year-old pitchers usually aren’t seasoned enough to do something like that in order to keep the opposing hitter in check.

All in all, I was very pleased with what I saw in that very small sample yesterday afternoon at Citi Field. Now, it will be interesting to find out who stays with the organization and who goes in a trade. Reports have surfaced saying the Mets have no intention of trading Syndergaard, and they shouldn’t.

However, Montero seems to be the one pitching prospect that could be on the block, whether it’s this month or in the winter. We’ll see if Sandy Alderson is able to complete a trade, and who we as fans will have to wave goodbye too. J.P. Ricciardi said in an interview this weekend that he could see Montero developing into a third or solid-fourth starter in a rotation. Whether or not that’s actually true, I didn’t think it was smart to verbalize that to the media. It now looks as if New York is showing their cards and trying to drive down his trade value.

We’ll see what transpires over the next few months; for right now, it was a really cool experience to see both Montero and Syndergaard start the Futures Game against one another at Citi Field.

What were your thoughts on the performances from the Mets prospects yesterday? Were you able to see the action live?

Latest Comments
  1. Phlorida_phil
  2. Matt Musico