Photo by @ZacharyLucy
The guys over at 27outsbaseball.com released their list of the Top 27 hitting and pitching prospects to watch in the 2016 season. The list included two Mets prospects, utility player Jeff McNeil and catcher/first baseman Patrick Mazeika.
McNeil was a Florida State League midseason and post-season all-star in 2015 after being a midseason all-star in the South Atlantic League in 2014. He hit .312/.372/.383 with 16 stolen bases and 80 runs scored in 119 games for the St. Lucie Mets this season before receiving a cup of coffee (4 games, 3-15 at plate) with the Binghamton Mets.
Jeff also played in the Arizona Fall League this year and while he struggled with the bat (.230/.309/.246 with 4 stolen bases), he did show off versatility playing shortstop, second base, third base, and left field.
The Mets selected the left-handed hitting Mazeika this June in the 8th round out of Stetson University. He started hitting the day he stepped on the field for the Kingsports Mets batting .354/.451/.540 with a league leading 27 doubles. He also had five homeruns and was 2nd in league with 48 RBI behind teammate Dash Winningham who had 51.
Patrick shared the Mets Sterling Award for Kingsport with teammate Kevin Kaczmarski who was drafted the round after him. He was also the Player of the Month for August in the Appalachian League and was a post-season all-star too. He caught 31 games this season while playing eleven at first base.
The SS and C depth down on the farm these days is pretty impressive. This is the best way to play the lottery of player development – get as many “tickets’ as you can.
Catchers and SS’s wind up playing all over the field by the time they get to the Majors.
McNeil has a very nice smooth swing, he’s very nimble in the field and on the bases and his LH bat would make a nice addition in the infield if he makes it up.
1B is another position of great depth with Smith, Garcia and Winningham. Mazeika will have to make it as no worse then a 3rd catcher with versatility to play a couple other positions unless he was in the AL.
Good point. I always think that about SS, but need to think the same about catchers. I guess I’d even add Urena to 1B, only because I’ve seen reports that don’t like his glove at 3B.
I would add Thompson to 1B but not Urena. That was an early misconception with him because of his size but Jhoan is a pretty good defensive 3B.
Well that’s good to hear. I hope he sticks it at 3B, I imagine him to be Wright’s longterm heir apparent there.
I love Mazeika. If I had control over such things, he would be learning to play the outfield now. I think position flexibility is going to be highly valuable in the coming years, the new economics of baseball demand it.
Likewise, Eudor Garcia has some good power but not sure he sticks at third ultimately. Interesting to see where Garcia and Urena start next season.
I think where guys start is probably dominating the front office than what free agents to sign – which surely has to annoy some Mets fans, ha. But it’s very important, and to be honest, can be quite a headache too.
Why the outfield though? The ability to play first is already a huge plus for a catcher.
For one, there are plenty of candidates within the Mets system for first (Smith, Garcia, Winningham, Oberste). Secondly, the rarity of ability to catch and play OF makes him much more useful to a ballclub. The best team is often the one who optimizes the 25 man roster the most. Certainly, reason 1 leads into reason 2. Mazeika, with his bat and the ability to catch and play the OF, would be huge boon not only for the Mets, but also for him.
I see what you are saying but his potential offense would have the most value behind the plate. No reason to move him unless he starts showing that he can’t catch defensively.
An important point to remember about Pat is his not being age-appropriate for Kingsport. He was much older than other guys in the league. That made me question why the Mets put him there in the 1st place, when his age made him better suited for Brooklyn at least.