Thirteen games into the young season for the Columbia Fireflies, Jose Lopez‘s squad finds themselves with an 9-4 record, good for first place in its division. While the team has played well in all aspects, the offense has been especially prolific, with the Fireflies at the very top of the South Atlantic League in various hitting categories.

Columbia sits atop the league in team OPS (.787), team OBP (.374), team batting average (.286), and triples (9). The sparkling offensive output has been a full team effort. The highest OPS (everyday player) on the team belongs to outfielder Quinn Brodey at .969, good for eighth in the league. But soon behind him follow Jeremy Vasquez (.966), Walter Rasquin (.908) and Blake Tiberi (.872) who rank seventh, 13th, and 17th in the league respectively.

Brodey, 22, was the Mets third round pick last season and got a taste (35 at-bats) of full season ball last season with the Columbia Fireflies. He hit .253/.302/.355 overall last season combined between Columbia and the Brooklyn Cyclones. The left-handed hitting outfielder is off to a hot start with two home runs already after only three last season.

In my looks at Brodey, the swing and miss in his game is evident, but Brodey does often make hard contact with his lefty cut that features good bat speed.

He has shown a stronger arm in right field than earlier draft reports indicated, but he will have to tap into his raw power much more if he is to profile there everyday. Brodey is not considered to have enough raw speed to be viable every day in center field, though he does take good routes to the ball.

For Blake Tiberi, 23, his first real taste of low-A ball hasn’t been much of a challenge. Tiberi was drafted by the Mets in 2016 (100th overall) out of one of the top Division I collegiate programs, the University of Louisville. Tiberi is a bit old and experienced for the competition as is, but his very solid hit tool and knack for making hard low-lying contact has him feasting on relatively inexperienced pitchers. He has been playing second base following returning from Tommy John surgery.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Vasquez, 21, is also a collegiate product, but was taken out of lesser known Nova Southeastern University with the Mets 22nd round pick in 2017. Vasquez, who is limited to first base defensively, takes a healthy cut from the left side and has driven the ball very well early on, with three doubles and one home run thus far. Even more impressive is his 9/14 K/BB ratio. From this observers eyes, Vasquez easily possesses the greatest current power tool in the Columbia lineup.

Walter Rasquin, 22, is a 2013 international signee out of Venezuela. The speedster broke the Cyclones single season record with 32 stolen bases in 2017. While Rasquin runs very well considering his somewhat stocky 5’9 frame, his speed tool is not elite, so he will have to continue to hit to continue his success. Rasquin, who profiles primarily at second base, has not only hit .324 in the early going, but he has already amassed four extra-base hits in only nine games, using his legs to leg out one triple and steal two bases as well.

While Rasquin does take a big cut from the right side to drive the ball up the gap, he can also be strikeout prone, with an early 8/3 K/BB ratio.

Another Venezuelan, Edgardo Fermin, might very well be the most interesting hitting prospect on the Columbia roster right now. A member of the 2014 Mets July 2 international free agent class, Fermin will not turn 20 until the end of May, and has acquitted himself very well in full season ball in the early goings.

While having a successful campaign for the Mets rookie ball affiliates (split between Kingsport and Brooklyn) in 2017, Fermin showed excellent bat to ball skills and barrel control. Fermin, whose 6’0 170 lb frame does not project for plus power, clearly took a put-the-ball-in-play approach. 2018 has seen some markings of interesting changes.

In 2017, Fermin struck out across 25% of his plate appearances, and he adopted a short, level swing and all-fields approach, putting the ball in play to the tune of a solid .285/.360/.375 batting line.

In 2018, Fermin’s strikeout rate has soared to an unsustainable 35%, but with the benefit of driving the ball with more authority. Fermin, through twelve games, is slugging .510 with seven extra-base hits. Fermin still should not be confused with a home run hitter, but there seems to be a clear emphasis underway on driving the ball for extra bases.

Fermin has slightly above average speed, and I have seen him on multiple occasions already, zone in on a fastball out over the plate, drive it with authority over the outfielder’s head, and leg out a triple. Fermin has tallied four triples already on the season, and is visibly taking big cuts with the intent on driving the baseball. There could be unknown hidden potential in Fermin’s all-around game, which includes solid-average defense at the middle infield positions.

Last but not least, another unsung contributor to this early season success has been catcher, Scott Manea. A former 40th round draft pick by the Seattle Mariners, Manea, 22, has enjoyed some quite unexpected success at the plate. While the backstop hasn’t been known for his offense, he clearly can put a charge into the ball, and has started the year with an OPS of 1.073 over his first 23 at-bats (did not have enough at-bats to qualify for the league leaders as of the writing of this article).

While interesting outfield prospect Wagner Lagrange has been assigned to the Fireflies as well, his season debut has been delayed due to a wrist injury. Nonetheless, Columbia’s offense has truly excelled in his absence, propelling the Fireflies into an early season division lead.