7/29/10

Cutnpaste: - Fernando Martinez, Wilmer Flores, Jimmy Fuller, Jefry Marte:... and Mets Farm System

Fernando Martinez:



7-29 from: - link  - Fernando Martinez - OF (Mets) Dominican Republic 7.325 - Fernando signed for $1.3 million but has had trouble staying healthy. He has always contributed with the bat even though he is one of the youngest players in the league. The concern is that he is not a true centerfielder, and may not hit for enough pop to fit offensivly in left field.


Wilmer Flores:



7-29 from: - link  - He’s still only 19, but he’s showing the Class A Advanced Florida State League is not much of a challenge, hitting .345 (49-for-142) with 20 RBIs in 33 games with St. Lucie. The native of Valencia, Venezuela has committed eight errors ion 32 starts at shortstop. There have been times when Flores’ game, for one reason or another, has been criticized. You know what? I give the kid a pass on all of that because he was placed in a ridiculous situation. The Mets’ way under the former farm-system regime was to rush young prospects like Flores, who took his first swing in Class-A South Atlantic League at 17 after debuting at Kingsport of the Appalachian League at 16. He also was the only Mets prospect ever to play at Brooklyn at age 17.



Jimmy Fuller:



link  - When the Mets promoted two pitchers drafted in 2008 from Savannah, it was kind of telling to see which two they chose: Cohoon and Moore. At the time, Fuller had a sub-2.00 ERA and was possibly just as dominant as the other two. But Cohoon went to Double-A and Moore to St. Lucie, while Fuller was left to hold the line in Savannah. And it's really for that reason why I have Fuller's stock staying steady. While Church has seen his role expanded this season, Fuller is still perceived by the organization as a Sally League starter, despite that ERA. And Fuller's pitching legitimately well: the strikeout rate is strong, walk rate's just fine; his FIP is a very good 2.93, his BABIP a very reasonable .302. No obvious warning signs. Well, except one, and it's the single most common one you'll see in finesse pitchers in the minors: he's allowed just one homer in 93.1 IP. That's well under 1% of his outfield flies for those wondering. And that just won't hold up as he advances, and it's probably the most significant reason for attrition in otherwise solid pitching prospects. There's a large number of pitching prospects in the minors who repeatedly put the ball in the air but don't have the home run rates to match. It's just not a repeatable skill for the vast majority of pitchers, and it'll probably hurt Fuller as he advances. Still, he's a lefty with a decent slider, so there's still a chance of him becoming a reliever, which is exactly what I would have told you last year.

Jefry Marte:


7-29 from: - link  - Jefry Marte 3B (Mets) Dominican Republic .175 - He doesn’t quite have the tools as Wilmer Flores so if Wilmer moves to third Jefry may have to find another position. He makes good contact so he will hit for high average, take his share of walks and hit for average power.



Mets Farm System:



I7-28 from: - link  - t's mediocre. It ranks in the bottom third among farm systems, and that's the result of going cheap in the draft for so many years, which is just inexplicable considering the Mets' resources. They've also been less aggressive international than they were at the start of Omar Minaya's reign. The strength of the system is international players, as Flores and Mejia are the clear blue-chippers in the system. I don't think they've built up particular depth at any position, and they don't have much in the way of solid big league contributors who are ready to step in.

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