Shortstop Amed Rosario came in at #5.
The team over at Baseball Prospectus released their Mets top 10 prospects list today in a series entitled “Prospects Will Break Your Heart”. Here’s a look at the list:
- 1. Noah Syndergaard, RHP
- 2. Travis d’Arnaud, C
- 3. Wilmer Flores, 3B
- 4. Rafael Montero, RHP
- 5. Amed Rosario, SS
- 6. Dominic Smith, 1B
- 7. Cesar Puello, OF
- 8. Kevin Plawecki, C
- 9. Brandon Nimmo, CF
- 10. Marcos Molina, RHP
It’s a pretty standard list. Most of the names we’re used to seeing, just in a different order– until you get to the end. Marcos Molina, who’s mostly an afterthought to every other person ranking Mets prospects has apparently caught the eye of Baseball Prospectus, and namely their head prospect guru Jason Parks. Here’s some of what Parks had to say about the right-hander:
“Plus-plus athlete; physically projectable; fast-twitch; big arm strength; very quick arm; routinely worked 91-96 in the GCL; good feel for filling up the zone; turns over a promising changeup; excellent late action on the pitch; commands it; slurvy breaking ball shows some bat-missing potential; slower slider action; highly competitive on/off the mound”
“Still transitioning from thrower to pitcher; erratic stuff; flashes of brilliance followed by inconsistency; more control than command at present; turns over a quality changeup but can get deliberate in the delivery; breaking ball is inconsistent; more slurve than clear slider; lacks a tight rotation and shows limited depth.”
“When discussing Molina, it was mentioned that if the 18-year-old were available for inclusion in the rule 4 draft, the highly athletic 6-foot-3, 190 lb. righty would be considered a first-round talent.”
The inclusion of Molina, while probably a shock to most, doesn’t really shock me. Is that because I too believe in Marcos Molina? No. I haven’t seen Marcos Molina or spoken to anyone who has. The reason I’m not surprised is because I’m a longtime fan of Parks. I’ve followed BP and listened to his podcasts long enough to see something like this coming. Park admittedly loves upside. He’ll take a guy with huge upside yet high likelihood of failure over the safe bet any day. That’s why you won’t find Gavin Cecchini on this list. And I can respect that. High upside is why I do this. It’s what gets me in my car to drive 2-3 hours to watch a minor league game in some small town. So kudos to Jason for sticking his neck out there for a guy he believes in. I know I’ll be sure to keep an eye on Molina in 2014 now.
Head over to Baseball Prospectus to check out what Parks had to say about the rest of the Mets prospects (premium subscription required and highly recommended). Also check out BP’s “Fringe Average” podcast that features Jason and Mike Ferrin.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
