Jayce Boyd, First Base
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 185 lb.
Position: First Base
Age: 22
ETA: 2015
2013 MMN Top Prospect Rank: NR
Boyd was selected in the sixth round of the 2012 draft out of Florida State University. He played both third and first base while attending FSU, and put up very impressive college numbers. He ended his career at FSU with a .349 average, 20 home runs, and 160 RBI. He was a second team All-American in 2012, and after deciding to forego his senior season at FSU, he signed with a Mets and received a $150,000 signing bonus.
“I don’t see any problem with Jayce handling the minor leagues,” said the Mets area scout. “… I honestly see him in the big leagues in three, three and a half years.”
That quote should really be resonating with fans right now, as Boyd has been hammering the ball so far in 2013, and is showing no signs of struggling in the minor leagues at this point. Not at Single-A, anyway. Through his first four games this year with Savannah, Boyd has accumulated eight hits (two three hit games), three doubles, and three RBI. He also has four walks and is hitting a ridiculous .571. Those are video game numbers.
Boyd is a plus-defender over at first base — he has soft hands, a strong arm, excellent footwork, and good range. Offensively, he makes good contact, and will profile as a guy that will hit a ton of doubles and always have a solid batting average. He is armed with a smooth, effortless swing and the bat always seems to find the ball. The biggest knock on Boyd seems to be his inability to produce the deep fly, and when you stand 6 feet 3 inches tall, the scouts have a certain expectation when it comes to home run numbers. It doesn’t mean that the power isn’t there. Boyd has excellent power, but it is reserved for the gaps, as Boyd is a doubles machine.
It will be interesting to see how the Mets handle Boyd going forward. Ike Davis was another guy that came out of college and had a similar offensive profile to Boyd. Davis was known for a high batting average, and not really for the long ball in college. The power was there, but it never manifested into home runs. The Mets evidently didn’t see value in having a guy that can hit for a .320 batting average with twenty home runs, so they have virtually turned Ike into a home run or nothing type hitter. Hopefully they will leave well alone when it comes to Boyd.
Boyd has the potential to be a twenty plus home run guy at the big league level. Hopefully the Mets will not look at his size and see that as a disappointment, and let Boyd continue making noise with his bat at the plate.
Boyd is definitely a player that Mets fans will want to keep an eye on as he develops over the next couple of years. He could be at Citi Field by 2015, and should be climbing up everyone’s top prospect charts in the meantime.