With a dominating season across two levels of the minors, Steven Matz has clearly established himself as the top left handed prospect in the Mets organization. Matz owns a 9-8 record and an excellent 2.27 ERA in 22 starts for Double-A Binghamton and Advanced Single-A St.Lucie. Matz has been so successful this season that many believe that he will be strongly considered to rank inside the MLB’s top 100 prospects.
Although the Mets do not have another left hander who has the ability of Matz, they do have several who can become solid contributors. Here is a breakdown of the top 5 left handed prospects after Matz.
Height/Weight: 6’3, 220 lbs.
Age: 19
The Mets acquired Taylor as a player to be named later in the Ike Davis trade earlier this season, and he appears to be a nice find for New York. Taylor’s fastball sits in the low 90’s, and he has solid secondary offerings with a good curveball and a newly developed changeup. While Taylor has struggled with a 5.13 ERA in Kingsport, this is mainly due to the fact that he is one of the youngest players in the Appalachian League. As he gets older and gains more experience, he has the talent to emerge into a top prospect for New York.
Height/Weight: 5’11, 200 lbs.
Age: 24
Leathersich quickly became fan favorite due to his exceptional strikeout rates throughout the minor leagues. Leathrsich has struck out 324 batters in 192 career innings, which translates into an incredible 15.2 K/9 However, Leathersich’s stock dropped dramatically after a disastrous stint in Triple-A Las Vegas last season where he posted a 7.76 ERA and 29 walks in 29 innings. Leatherisch still has the potential to become a solid reliever despite these struggles, but he needs to show better results in Triple-A soon in order to live up to his former hype.
Height/Weight: 6’1, 170 lbs.
Age: 25
Alvarez is one of the biggest surprises in the Mets minors this season with a 1.17 ERA and 14.0 K/9 in 69 innings. While he has pitched mostly against weaker hitters in Single-A ball for the Savannah Sand Gnats, his performance this year has been too good to ignore. Alvarez did not allow a single run in 23 of his 26 appearances while pitching for Savannah. The Mets aggressively promoted Alvarez to Double-A Binghamton recently, and his performance there will be pivotal. If he is able to dominate hitters in the Eastern League, he will be an intriguing option for the Mets bullpen in the near future.
Height/Weight: 6”0’, 150 lbs.
Age: 19
The Mets signed Almeida as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2012. While most fans have not heard of Almeida yet , he has shown a lot of promise this season at the rookie level with the Gulf Coast League Mets. In six starts, he has a strong 1.80 ERA and 9.8 K/9. His control has been problematic though with 21 walks in 35 innings, but he is someone fans should monitor as he climbs up the Mets system.
Height/Weight 6”4’, 210 lbs.
Age: 26
Gorski first grabbed the attention of minor league analysts after being named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Year in 2011. For the St. Lucie Mets that season, Gorski posted a 11-3 record with an outstanding 2.08 ERA. In the years that followed however, he has not been as successful. He had a mediocre 4.00 ERA in Double-A in 2012, and was demoted from Triple-A early in the season in 2013 after several sub-par outings. While some consider him a non-prospect because of his age and these setbacks, I think he could prove these skeptics wrong. He is a crafty and intelligent pitcher on the mound, and he has rebounded nicely this season back in Double-A with a 2.22 ERA.