26. RHP Nabil Crismatt

Ht: 6’1″  Wt: 200  Level: Brooklyn Cyclones (Short-A), Columbia Fireflies (Full-A), Binghamton Mets (Double A)

B/T: R/R  Age: 12/25/1994 (22) Age Dif: -3.5 (Double A)

Last year: #50

Acquired: Signed by the Mets as a non-drafted free agent on Aug. 3, 2011

2016 Statistics: 13 G, 65.2 IP, 1-4 W/L record, 2.47 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 74/7 SO/BB

Profile: The 22-year-old right-hander was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Colombia in 2011, and spent the first four years of his professional career playing with the rookie levels of the Mets’ minor league system (DSL Mets, GCL Mets, and Kingsport Mets). During that time, Crismatt was utilized mainly as a reliever, except for eight starts he made in 2015 with Kingsport. Crismatt posted a record of 6-1 with a 2.90 ERA in 62 innings in 2015, and ranked third in the Appalachian League in strikeouts (63) and in WHIP (1.03).

Crismatt opened the 2016 season with the Brooklyn Cyclones, appearing in eight games, three of them starts, and posted a 3.19 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP, along with 35 strikeouts to only four walks. Had he qualified, Crismatt would’ve been second in the New York-Penn League in WHIP.

He earned a promotion to Columbia on August 5, and pitched in four games with the Fireflies as a starter. He pitched at least 6.2 innings in each game, and had two double-digit strikeout performances (August 13 and 26). He held opponents to a .191 average, and continued to impress with his strong strikeout to walk numbers, averaging 10.05 K/9 and 0.63 BB/9, (a career best). He finished the year in Binghamton, making one start, allowing one run over six innings with seven strikeouts.

Mike M adds…

Crismatt is a personal favorite of mine because he attacks hitters and has a plus changeup that he will use in any count. Also has clean mechanics that are easily repeatable and has shown the ability to pitch effectively in any role. His 26.2 K-BB% was 20th among 1,877 minor league pitchers who threw at least 50 innings in 2016.

2017 Outlook –

The Mets have steadily increased his workload, as Crismatt pitched the highest number of innings this past year (65.2) of his five-year career. He’s shown that he has excellent control (9.7 K/9 to 2.0 BB/9 for his career), however, he’s not a hard thrower, routinely sitting in the 88-92 MPH range. If he can continue with his success limiting walks and adding a strong third pitch to go along with his fastball and changeup, then he could be an arm to keep an eye on during his progression through the system. He should open the year with Columbia, and could reach Binghamton before the 2017 season concludes.

27. SS Luis Guillorme

Ht: 5’9″  Wt: 190 Level: St. Lucie Mets (Advanced-A)

B/T: L/R  Age: 9/27/1994 (22) Age Dif: -1.7

Last Year: #16

Acquired: Selected by Mets in 10th round of the 2013 Draft from Coral Springs (Fla.) Charter High School.

2016 Statistics: 123 G, 441 AB, 16 2B, 2 3B, HR, 46 RBI, 47 R, 43 BB, 63 SO, .263/.332/.315

Profile: Luis Guillorme’s claim to fame even before he was selected in the 10th round of the 2013 Draft by the New York Mets was his superb defense up the middle. Praised for his accurate arm, speed, and soft hands, Guillorme has excelled at shortstop during his four-year career thus far.

His breakout performance came in 2015, where he spent the entire season with the Savannah Sand Gnats as a 20-year-old, earning the South Atlantic League’s Most Valuable Player Award with a slash line of .318/.391/.354, with 67 runs scored, 55 RBI, and 18 stolen bases in 122 games. Guillorme was 4th in the SAL in OBP (.391), 2nd in average (.318), and 2nd in hits (142). His splits were also solid against both righties and lefties, as he posted an OPS of .743 against RHP, and .752 against LHP. His impressive numbers in ’15 may have partially been attributed to his rather high BABIP (.374), a career high for the Florida native.

The high BABIP in ’15 came back down in 2016 with the St. Lucie Mets, as Guillorme saw decreasing stats in all the main categories, slashing .263/.332/.315 in 123 games. Guillorme continued to post strong strikeout to walk numbers though, as he drew a walk 8.5% of the time, and struck out 12.5% (down from 13.4% in his MVP ’15 season). He did finish the season strong in Florida, in his final 14 games he posted a .306/.364/.347 line.

Guillorme split his time between shortstop and second in ’16 to accommodate Mets top prospect Amed Rosario, the first season he’s played anywhere besides short in his professional career.

2017 Outlook –

With fellow shortstop and top prospect Amed Rosario inching his way closer to the majors, Guillorme’s best chance at sticking with the Mets might be to move to second permanently moving forward or in a utility role. His defense is what scouts rave about, as he grades well above average and is routinely chosen as the Mets’ best fielding shortstop in the minor leagues.

As of now, he profiles more as a solid bench or role player, though, if he can continue to get on base at a solid clip (career .355 OBP), and fill out and add a bit more power to his game, he could be an enticing top of the order hitter. He should begin the year with Binghamton in 2017 as their starting shortstop.

28. RHP Corey Taylor

Ht: 5’11″  Wt: 245  Level: St. Lucie Mets (Advanced-A)

B/T: R/R  Age: 1/8/1993 (24) Age Dif: -0.1

Last Year: N/A

Acquired: Selected by Mets in 7th round of 2015 Draft out of Texas Tech University

2016 Statistics: 45 G, 53 IP, 4-5 W/L record, 1.87 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 45/13 SO/BB

Profile: Corey Taylor got his career off and running in 2015 with the Brooklyn Cyclones, mere weeks after he was selected in the 7th round of the ’15 Draft out of Texas Tech (just the 5th player out of Texas Tech that the Mets have drafted in team history). Taylor tossed 18 innings in Brooklyn, posting a 1.50 ERA along with a 1.00 WHIP, and averaging 8.0 K/9.

Taylor’s journey wasn’t an easy one at times, he didn’t draw many college offers out of high school, instead attending Cisco Junior College for his freshman year. Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock saw Taylor while he was playing in a regional at Texas Tech’s campus. When Taylor went to play for Texas Tech in his sophomore year, he went 2-5 with a 7.18 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in 52.2 innings pitched. Taylor transitioned more and more to the pen following his sophomore year, appearing in 40 games between his junior and senior seasons, while starting only 7 of them. In his final year in college, Taylor impressed, posting a 4-0 record with a sparkling 0.31 ERA and 0.85 WHIP over 57.1 innings.

Taylor followed up his strong ’15 season with Brooklyn by posting similar numbers just over more games in 2016 with the St. Lucie Mets as the team’s closer. In 45 games, Taylor posted a record of 4-5 with a 1.87 ERA (10th in the FSL), a 1.25 WHIP, and held opponents to a .252 batting average. Taylor saved 20 games out of 23 chances. Taylor was selected to the Arizona Fall League following the conclusion of the ’16 season, and in nine games Taylor posted a 1.93 ERA with 17 strikeouts and one walk in 14 innings pitched. He was also selected to the AFL All-Star Game.

Mike M adds…

Taylor really impress in the AFL flashing a plus sinker that topped out at 96 MPH and an improved that slider has become a swing and miss pitch for him. He will be in big league camp with the Mets and I wouldn’t be shocked for them to fast track him to the majors. Hitters have a tough time barreling up Taylor’s sinker, he’s allowed only two home runs in 71 innings.

2017 Outlook –

The sizable righties’ arsenal consists of a sinker, slider, and changeup, sitting in the low 90s with his fastball, and at times can reach back at 95 MPH. Since Taylor is an older prospect (just turned 24 in January), the Mets might be inclined to push him through the minors a bit more, pushing him and testing him at higher levels. Taylor should begin the season with Binghamton.

29. RHP Andrew Church

Ht: 6’2″  Wt: 200  Level: Columbia Fireflies (Full-A), St. Lucie Mets (Advanced-A), Las Vegas 51s (Triple A)

B/T: R/R  Age: 10/7/1994 (22) Age Dif: -2.1 (St. Lucie)

Last Year: #79

Acquired: Selected by Mets in 2nd of 2013 Draft from Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada.

2016 Statistics: 16 G, 95.2 IP, 7-4 W/L record, 2.92 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 78/25 SO/BB

Profile: For his first three professional seasons, Church had a hard time finding consistency while also battling injuries. The second round selection in the 2013 Draft had an especially tough time limiting hits (12.6, 12.5, and 10.7 in 2013, ’14, and ’15), coupled with low strikeout totals (5.3 his career high in 2014). Church told Michael Mayer in an exclusive interview on MMN, that he found it difficult to repeat his delivery and during every start “something didn’t feel right”. Church underwent hip surgery following the 2015 season, and it seemed to do wonders for the 22-year-old right-hander in 2016.

Church opened the year with Columbia, starting in two games and winning both, tossing 12.2 innings while allowing just two runs, one earned, along with 15 strikeouts. He was promoted in early June to St. Lucie, where Church made six starts, going 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 35 innings. His strikeouts were down and walks were up while with St. Lucie (22-14 SO/BB), and was subsequently demoted in July back to Columbia. In seven starts from July 16 to August 24, Church went 3-2 with a 2.66 ERA while limiting the opposition to a .582 OPS. His first start back with Columbia on July 16 was a masterful complete game, one-hit shutout against the Rome Braves, with just one walk and 10 strikeouts, a career high.

Church pitches to contact and features a fastball that sits in the low 90s, slider, curve, and changeup. He works quickly on the mound, and has the old school mentality of wanting to pitch a complete game each time out. He keeps his pitch count low, only hitting 100 pitches once in ’16 (and that wasn’t even during either of his two complete games).

2017 Outlook –

After reaching career highs in innings pitched, games started, SO/9, ERA, and WHIP, it appears Church has found a consistent rhythm and routine on the mound. While he won’t be a strikeout machine, if he can continue to work quick, keep his pitch count low, and get his changeup to be a more consistent pitch for him, he could be a quick riser in the Mets’ system. While he made it all the way up to Triple-A Las Vegas in ’16 for what was supposed to be a spot start (his plane ended up requiring maintenance, and instead arrived in the third inning) he should begin the season with Double-A Binghamton in 2017.

30. LHP David Roseboom

Ht: 6′ 2″  Wt: 225  Level: Binghamton Mets (Double-A)

B/T: L/L  Age: 5/17/1992 (24) Age Dif: -0.5

Acquired: Selected by Mets in 17th round of 2014 Draft from University of South Carolina Upstate (Spartanburg, SC)

2016 Statistics: 52 G, 57.2 IP, 1-1 W/L record, 1.87 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 54/18 SO/BB

Profile: A casual fan wouldn’t necessarily expect a 17th round draft pick to garner a ton of attention and be given high praise as a potential future cog in the bullpen. That’s exactly what left-hander David Roseboom has done in his short Mets’ career.

Taken in the 2014 Draft out of the University of South Caroline Upstate, Roseboom was mainly a starting pitcher in his four years in school (65 games, 56 of them starts), and had mixed results. A career 4.67 ERA along with 10.41 H/9 and only 5.88 K/9 left much to be desired, yet the Mets took a chance on the lefty, and wanted to see how he’d respond out of the pen instead. Roseboom started his professional career off strong with Kingsport after the draft, appearing in 16 games and pitching to a 1.59 ERA, picking up four saves, and averaging 11.9 K/9.

He began the ’15 season with Savannah, in which he posted superb numbers in ERA (1.15), WHIP (0.80), and K/9 (10.1). He earned a promotion to St. Lucie at the end of June, however, his early season success would not translate in Florida, as Roseboom’s ERA rose over three runs to 4.55, and his under 1.00 WHIP with Savannah jumped to 1.61. Roseboom attributes his struggles in the Florida State League to not being very aggressive, and trying to be too fine with his pitches at times.

Roseboom opened the ’16 season with Double-A Binghamton, and took pitching coach Glenn Abbott‘s advice of attacking the bottom part of the strike zone more.

“If I ever get hit, it’s because I’m up — not because I’m walking guys and falling behind,” Roseboom told ESPN. 

Roseboom assumed the closer role for Binghamton in July, once Akeel Morris was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Kelly Johnson and Beck Wheeler earned a promotion to Las Vegas. He saved 14 out of 15 games and posted a 1.87 ERA in 52 games on the year. From July 2 to the last regular season game on September 5, Roseboom tossed 29.1 innings, holding opponents to a .130/.193/.383 slash line, and a 0.92 ERA. Roseboom was selected to participate in the Arizona Fall League, where he posted a 0.79 ERA over 11.1 innings of work, while holding left-handed hitters to a microscopic .083 batting average.

2017 Outlook-

Writer Logan Barer proposed on MMO last week that Roseboom might be a candidate to make the 25-man roster out of spring, especially considering the lack of bullpen moves the Mets haven’t made thus far. At the very least, the Mets and their staff will be able to get a good look at Roseboom and his repertoire of slider, sinker, and changeup up close. If Roseboom doesn’t make the opening day roster, I’d expect him to open the year with Las Vegas, and preparing for a potential call-up this season. Roseboom has the potential to be a solid back-end reliever, or could be a lefty specialist as MLB prospect guru Jonathan Mayo opined while watching him pitch in Arizona this past fall.

2017 MMN TOP 100 PROSPECTS

1. Amed Rosario, SS

2. Dominic Smith, 1B

3. Robert Gsellman, RHP

4. Thomas Szapucki, LHP

5. Desmond Lindsay, OF

6. Justin Dunn, RHP

7. Gavin Cecchini, INF

8. Brandon Nimmo, OF

9. Andres Gimenez, SS

10. Tomas Nido, C

11. Wuilmer Becerra, OF

12. Peter Alonso, 1B

13. Marcos Molina, RHP

14. Ali Sanchez, C

15. T.J. Rivera, INF

16. Luis Carpio, INF

17. Merandy Gonzalez, RHP

18. Gabriel Ynoa, RHP

19. Gregory Guerrero, SS

20. Chris Flexen, RHP

21-25 Led by Josh Smoker