Photo by Ed Delany, MMN
The St. Lucie Mets are looking to capture their seventh division title and sixth Florida State League title. In his third season as manager, Chad Kreuter will seek to accomplish these goals with this roster:
Pitchers (13): Yezio Campos, Briam Campusano, Joe Cavallaro, Tony Dibrell, Ryley Gilliam, Carlos Hernandez, Conner O’Neil, Marcel Renteria, Kevin Smith, Blake Taylor, Josh Walker, Kyle Wilson, Tommy Wilson
Catchers (2): Mitch Ghelfi, Nick Meyer
Infielders (6): Cody Bohanek, Luis Carpio, Carlos Cortes, Manny Rodriguez, Blake Tiberi, Jeremy Vasquez
Outfielders (4): Quinn Brodey, Desmond Lindsay, Hansel Moreno, Matt Winaker
The St. Lucie roster features a number of players who are looking for big comeback seasons to get them back on track to being again regarded among the top end talent in the organization. Lindsay is hoping his retooled swing will lead to the same success as he had in the Arizona Fall League. Carpio will be looking to repeat his big July. Brodey needs to show the hitting ability which led to him being a third round pick.
The roster also features an aggressive promotion for players from the 2018 draft class: Cortes (third round), Gilliam (fifth), Meyer (sixth), Smith (seventh), Rodriguez (10th), Wilson (19th). Seeing them begin the year in St. Lucie potentially accelerates the clock as to when they may be able to reach the Majors. Notably, Gilliam was considered one of the more Major League ready prospects from this draft class and some believed he would be the first 2018 draft pick to reach the Majors.
With the team have a number of recently drafted players, it should come as no surprise this team includes a number of the Mets top 50 prospects. According to MMN‘s Top 50, Lindsay (11) is the top rated prospect. The other top prospects on the roster are Dibrell (15), Carpio (22), Cortes (25), Gilliam (31), Winaker (33), Cavallaro (38), Smith (40), Moreno (45), and Meyer (48).
Perhaps, the most interesting aspect of this roster will be the starting rotation. The rotation features four-fifths of the 2018 Columbia starting rotation which was third in the league in strikeouts. That includes Dibrell who was the league leader in strikeouts. The other starter is Smith, who was 4-1 with a 0.76 ERA, 0.761 WHIP, and a 10.6 K/9 in three starts and nine relief appearances for Brooklyn last year.
The talented roster of players who need and are primed for breakout seasons begins Thursday hosting the Pirates Florida State League affiliate Bradenton Marauders.
