Kingsport Mets had their photo day, which is covered by Allen Greene photography, and was released for the fans to see. It is filled with head shots, team photos, and always gives people an idea of what the full roster for Kingsport will be. You can check out the photos by clicking here.
Here is the full roster for the 2014 Kingsport Mets, just in time for Opening Day:
Pitchers:
RHP Gaby Almonte
RHP Matires Arias
RHP Bryce Beeler
RHP Matt Blackham
RHP Nicco Blank
RHP Connor Buchmann
RHP Andrew Church
RHP Andrew Duff
RHP Ramon Estevez
LHP Yoan Gonzalez
RHP Andrew Massie
RHP Craig Missigman
RHP Christian Montgomery
RHP Yoryi Nuez
RHP Luis Rengel
LHP Ruben Reyes
LHP Dave Roseboom
RHP Ismael Tijerina
RHP Ty Williams
Catchers:
Brandon Brosher
Jose Garcia
Miguel Leal
Luis Ortega
Infielders:
2B Leon Canelon
3B Eudor Garcia
SS Luis Guillorme
2B Branden Kaupe
1B Zach Mathieu
3B Pedro Perez
UTL Jean Carlos Rodriguez
Outfielders
OF Wuilmer Becerra
OF Oswal Caraballo
OF Vincente Lupo
OF Ivan Wilson
Prospect Overview
Jose Garcia was a 6-figure bonus a few years back, and is a good receiver with a good bat that will give adequate gap power. The Mets are high on Brandon Brosher and since have converted him to catcher. He has a great arm that hits 90, with a lot of power. Eudor Garcia, you already know I gush over due to his ability to flat out hit for average and power. Luis Guillorme was the top defensive shortstop in last year’s draft, and was picked in the 10th round. His bat lags the glove by a lot so far, but he has ability to make some contact. His double-play partner is Brandon Kaupe, another 4th rounder, who is super stocky, but switch hits, and runs well.
The outfield is great, with Ivan Wilson, a raw 5-tool 3rd rounder last year, Wuilmer Becerra, the 3rd player in the R.A. Dickey deal who has a power-speed combination, and Vincente Lupo, who has plus power. They will be something to watch in this lineup.
This also means 2014 3rd round pick Milton Ramos will most definitely be in Gulf Coast League.
Draft:
There are rumors that the Mets have signed Arnaldo Berrios, their 39th rounder. Not confirmed yet, but we’ll see when the Gulf Coast League roster is released. He is an outfielder with good gap power, that came from Carlos Beltran‘s Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico.
There is nothing (yet) on Mets 2014 First Rounder Michael Conforto after Jon Heyman tweeted they were close on the 16th.
International Free Agency
The July 2nd Signing period for young Latin American prospects under 23 is in exactly two weeks, and the Mets are tied to two shortstops from Carlos Guillen‘s training academy in Venezuela. One of these two is Wilkerman Garcia, which Ben Badler of Baseball America reports:
A switch-hitter who’s better from the left side, Garcia is one of the better hitters in Latin America. He has a sound stroke, a good approach for his age and hits line drives to all fields with projectable power. Where he ends up playing in the field draws a range of opinions among scouts—some of whom even want to see him behind the plate—but he’s an offensive-minded player who will end up somewhere in the infield.
He will supposedly command more than a million dollars. Keep in mind, usually when teams are tied strongly to players, they usually sign them, especially with the new pool out, pre-July deals are more prevalent, so Garcia is a very big possibility to be announced by Mets on 7/2.
As well, the other shortstop is Kenny Hernandez, who Baseball America is unsure can stay at short:
Even though he’s still 15 and one of the youngest players in the class with an Aug. 13 birthday, Hernandez stands out for his sweet left-handed swing and ability to hit in games. He’s 6 feet, 160 pounds with a loose, compact stroke and occasional power. There’s less ease to Hernandez’s game in the field, so scouts expect him to move to second or third base.
He also figures to get about a million dollars, which would account for a majority of the Mets’ pool, like every other team, is at 2.6 million dollars. If a team goes over the pool by a significant amount, they cannot participate in top-bonus signings next year.
