I know we are a Mets Blog but I figured baseball fans in general (Mets fans included) might find this interesting.
According to Baseball America if the Mariners end up pulling off this Lee for Montero trade to the Yankees they will then have 3 of the top 11 prospects in baseball. They would be,
- 5. Jesus Montero, c/dh, Yankees (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)
- 7. Dustin Ackley, 2b, Mariners (Double-A West Tenn)
- 11. Michael Pineda, rhp, Mariners (Triple-A Tacoma)
30 comments
stickguy
7/9/2010-3:08pm at 3:08 pm (UTC -4)
Not a Mariner fan. But it is hard to get that excited about a 20 YO that is struggling a bit in AAA, and that has no position to play. If he had actual catching skills, then he would be a much better prospect. And those lists do take into account positional difficulty.
Take a guy ranked as a catcher and rerank him as a DH, and he will plummet down the list.
So if he is already ranked as a bat only, then he much have one hell of an upside with the stick!
Mr North Jersey
7/9/2010-3:11pm at 3:11 pm (UTC -4)
Dude all i can tell you is that Baseball America has been doing this for a long time and are highly respected when it comes to rating prospects. Does that mean they are without flaws? No. But #5 in all of baseball I think would mean this kid has some ability.
trs86
7/9/2010-3:11pm at 3:11 pm (UTC -4)
Incredible power. They need a 1B.
stickguy
7/9/2010-3:15pm at 3:15 pm (UTC -4)
can he play 1B? I have no idea, just racting to some of the various reports from earlier that he can’t catch, and was really a DH.
trs86
7/9/2010-3:18pm at 3:18 pm (UTC -4)
“Scouts are still convinced that Montero can hit, so he may end up playing first base like former catchers Paul Konerko and Carlos Delgado.”
oleosmirf
7/9/2010-3:18pm at 3:18 pm (UTC -4)
what catcher bats 17 HR and 70 RBI at 19 y/o in A+ and AA.
next season he’ll start off in AAA and tear it up and be called up in June ala Carlos Santana of the indians…
trs86
7/9/2010-3:19pm at 3:19 pm (UTC -4)
Uh… maybe. Or perhaps not. That’s why he’s a prospect.
youngvalerawest
7/9/2010-4:09pm at 4:09 pm (UTC -4)
Montero started off slow this season but has been on fire in June and July.
GravediggerHebner
7/9/2010-3:18pm at 3:18 pm (UTC -4)
Tweets are saying Pineda has been bumped from his scheduled AAA start tonight, theory is it’s because he’s going to the majors to start in place of Lee.
trs86
7/9/2010-3:19pm at 3:19 pm (UTC -4)
I think that’s best regardless if the deal gets done today. Lee would have to have a lot on his mind.
GravediggerHebner
7/9/2010-3:23pm at 3:23 pm (UTC -4)
I know that the Mets farm system is on the upswing (and I’ll repeat just cuz I like it so much that the Mets got credit from multiple pundits for going over slot to sign 24th round pick Erik Goeddel) but it did sting a little bit to read that updated top 50 list and see zero Mets on it.
Mr North Jersey
7/9/2010-3:24pm at 3:24 pm (UTC -4)
Same here Grave.
trs86
7/9/2010-3:25pm at 3:25 pm (UTC -4)
Well our best prospects are no longer prospects. Davis and Niese would be more likely to be on there if still in AAA right?
GravediggerHebner
7/9/2010-3:30pm at 3:30 pm (UTC -4)
Understood, just noting that the lack of any current Mets prospects ranked that highly shows that while it’s impossible to ignore or even repudiate that the Mets system has improved, there is still a talent gap. They’re better, but they are not “there” yet. This gap prevents the Mets from being true players in these rumored prospect deals. The Mets can be outdone even when offering up any of their top 5 or 10 prospects. Thole’s nice, Ramos is better, Montero better still, and so on…
Meanwhile the Mariners call up the #11 prospect and still have 2 in the top 10. I give credit to the Mets for improving but I believe they would tell us they’re not satisfied or resting on laurels. There is more system improvement work to be done.
Mr North Jersey
7/9/2010-3:32pm at 3:32 pm (UTC -4)
Nice theory but sorry to say that Davis and Niese were not on the Top 50 before the season started either.
The Highest Mets back on Feb 23rd was
56 JENNRY MEJIA
62 IKE DAVIS
77 FERNANDO MARTINEZ
88 WILMER FLORES
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/top-100-prospects/2010/269554.html
trs86
7/9/2010-3:36pm at 3:36 pm (UTC -4)
Before the season started. Saying they would be mid-season.
GravediggerHebner
7/9/2010-3:38pm at 3:38 pm (UTC -4)
Who knows? Can’t really prove it either way. Ask Baseball America’s opinion and I’ll agree with whatever they answer.
trs86
7/9/2010-3:40pm at 3:40 pm (UTC -4)
I have no idea either. Just logically thinking that they would be higher on the list. Assuming they were producing in AAA comparable to how they are in the MLB.
GravediggerHebner
7/9/2010-3:50pm at 3:50 pm (UTC -4)
I follow the logic and I agree completely that Niese would be ranked higher given his current performance but the fact is he wasn’t in the top 100 to begin with so to make it to the top 50 based on 1/2 a season is a tough assumption for me when I consider the reasonable likelihood that other prospects ranked between wherever he was and the top 50 would have improved as well.
As for Davis while I like him a lot and hope he’s around for a long time, based on WAR he’s the 20th ranked 1B in MLB and 13th in the NL, based on OPS he’s 23rd in MLB (between G. Jones & Overbay) and 14th in the NL.
I believe he will be good but I don’t think his current MLB production if comparable in AAA would make him move up much.
Mr North Jersey
7/9/2010-3:53pm at 3:53 pm (UTC -4)
Well look at Flores for example. He was ranked 88 before the season and has been on a torrid pace this season yet he didn’t even crack the top 50.
GravediggerHebner
7/9/2010-6:30pm at 6:30 pm (UTC -4)
UPDATE:
Baseball America admits mistake in not including Flores in latest Top 50
oleosmirf
7/9/2010-3:32pm at 3:32 pm (UTC -4)
All i know is if the Mets get Lilly we will most likely have 5 SP with an ERA under 3.75 and we will not have to give up any of our top prospects to do so.
njstuckintx
7/9/2010-3:32pm at 3:32 pm (UTC -4)
Is it possible that the deal goes down today, and they bump the yanks pitchers back a day and throw lee against his old team? Yanks and mariners are playing each other, right?
trs86
7/9/2010-3:37pm at 3:37 pm (UTC -4)
Part of the deal, rumored, was that the Yanks would not do that. Most likely same thing in that Lee would not pitch tonight either way.
njstuckintx
7/9/2010-3:39pm at 3:39 pm (UTC -4)
I was hoping for Joel Youngblood, part 2!
GravediggerHebner
7/9/2010-4:04pm at 4:04 pm (UTC -4)
Oh what a shame the Lee to the Yankees deal that was “almost done” is now undone.
Mr North Jersey
7/9/2010-4:05pm at 4:05 pm (UTC -4)
You think he is going to the Phillies?
Mr North Jersey
7/9/2010-4:05pm at 4:05 pm (UTC -4)
GravediggerHebner
7/9/2010-4:12pm at 4:12 pm (UTC -4)
Just poke me in the eye with a pointy stick and get it over with, Jeesh!
But seriously as you probably know already the hot rumor is the Texas Rangers at this second anyway.
stickguy
7/9/2010-4:18pm at 4:18 pm (UTC -4)
had to figure that the M’s spent the day shopping the Ynaks offer, with a “give us your best and final right now or forever hold your peace” time limit!