Scouting Report v2.0: Cesar Puello, OF, New York Mets
In early May, I penned an initial scouting report on Cesar Puello in the midst of a .249/.336/.302 first half in which the six-foot-two, 220ish pound outfielder did little to warrant the “Hail Caesar” cheers coming from the stands. With a few tweaks in his hitting mechanics, Puello became the talk of the South Atlantic League with a .346/.424/.430 second half prior to an injury which ended his regular season in mid-August. Just how much did his offensive outburst raise his prospect stock? Quite a bit as Puello is now considered one of the top shelf prospects in the organization and was a frequent topic of conversation amongst scouts I speak to.
Scouting Report: Armando Rodriguez, P, New York Mets
Entering the 2010 season, former New York Mets General Manager Omar Minaya compared Armando Rodriguez to Jenrry Mejia, the top pitching prospect in the entire organization. At the time, I considered the comparison pretty silly considering Rodriguez had just received his first taste of full season baseball at nearly two years Mejia’s senior. However, his impressive showing in Savannah late in 2009 earned him a little helium within the organization. While a little old for the South Atlantic League, Rodriguez followed up his 2009 debut by posting a 152/46 K/BB ratio with only 116 hits allowed in nearly 150 inning pitched. Having proven to be a durable minor league pitcher, does Rodriguez have the stuff to project as a big league contributor?
Scouting Report: Aderlin Rodriguez, 3B, New York Mets
Entering 2010, I told a number of contacts to keep an eye on Aderlin Rodriguez as a yardstick of whether or not the New York Mets would continue to aggressively push young, Latin American prospects. Selfish me wanted to see what Rodriguez could do in full season baseball at the tender age of 18, but after seeing both Jefry Marte and Wilmer Flores struggle mightily in 2009, the smart move was to start him in short season. In making the correct decision, the Mets watched Rodriguez explode in Kingsport by posting a .312/.352/.556 line earning a promotion to Savannah in a preview of 2011.
Scouting Report: Albert Cordero, C, New York Mets
In only two games, New York Mets catching prospect Albert Cordero solidified himself in my mind as one of the top-3 true catching prospects I saw in person this past season. At 20, the young Venezuelan threw out nearly half a dozen baserunners and mixed in a couple of line drive singles for good measure earning a start in what wound up being the final playoff game of Savannah’s season. Likely to return in 2011, Albert Cordero will partner with Neifi Zapata to make the best catching combination Savannah has had in years.
Scouting Report: Matt Den Dekker, CF, New York mets
Best known for his version of “The Catch” in this year’s College World Series, Den Dekker had a stellar career at the University of Florida prior to signing for a considerable bonus given his status as a fourth year senior. At 23, he’s currently sporting a .346/.404/.471 line in the South Atlantic League entering playoff action. Is this a sign of things to come? Or is Den Dekker taking advantage of lesser pitching than he faced in the SEC?
Scouting Report: Juan Lagares, OF, New York Mets
Mets prospect Juan Lagares was in the midst of a career campaign prior to suffering a broken ankle in late July which prematurely ended his season. Overall, the outfielder finished up with a line of .279/.296/.414 including twenty-five steals in thirty attempts. Whether fragile, or simply unlucky, Lagares has missed significant time due to injury leading two and a half full seasons worth of lost playing time. Having begun the season as an afterthought within the organization, Lagares was exceeding expectations prior to injury. Just how much has his prospect stock rebounded?
Scouting Report: Jimmy Fuller, P, New York Mets
With Jimmy Fuller’s long deserved promotion to Port St. Lucie, a scouting report on the left-hander seemed fitting as yet another key performer in the Savannah Sand Gnats first half championship run moves on to bigger and better things. In nineteen starts, the former 21st rounder posted a 1.93 ERA with 99 strikeouts in just over 107 innings pitched. He dominated the Sally, but so do many other older left-handed pitchers. So what makes Fuller different?
Scouting Report: Mark Cohoon, SP, New York Mets
Mets prospect followers must be wondering at this point who the real Mark Cohoon is? After posting a 1.30 ERA in thirteen starts including three consecutive strikeouts which earned national attention, Cohoon was promoted to AA with significantly less success. After four starts, a bloated 6.38 ERA has sucked some of the helium from his heightened prospect status.
Scouting Report v2.0: Wilmer Flores, SS, New York Mets
Wilmer Flores struggled through his full season debut leading many to back off the lofty expectations originally laid out for him. Miguel Cabrera comparisons quickly faded and any discussion about Flores quickly became about his not having enough bat to play a corner position (infield or outfield). It seems nobody let Flores in on the conversation as he raked to the tune of a .341/.388/.560 April quieting many of his doubters and once again making him a Mets darling. As Ike Davis powered his way through prospect eligibility, Fernando Martinez fell to yet another injury, Jenrry Mejia threw garbage innings in New York, and the big three (Kyle Allen, Jeurys Familia, and Robert Carson) in Port St. Lucie floundered, Flores was busy cementing himself as the top prospect in the organization.
Prospect Video: Tyler Matzek vs. Wilmer Flores
In another addition of “who did Wilmer Flores face this week?” Uber-prospect Tyler Matzek of the Colorado Rockies overpowered the Savannah Sand Gnats for six strong innings. However, with two hard-hit balls including a double, Wilmer Flores held his own against one of the top pitching prospects in the game. Why not use Scouting the [...]