7/27/10

STOCK UP: - Chase Greene, Javier Rodriquez, and Angel Cuan

Chase Green:



7-27-10: - Greene busted out Monday night against Princeton, going 3-5, including a double and home run. Greene only has 39-Abs so far this season, going .333/.366/.487/.853. He hit .290 last season, but only got 62 at bats from the same team he’s playing for this season. Can’t a .300 hitter get a full time gig?



Old stuff on Greene, who is currently #100 on The Keepers list::



Greene was drafted in the 16th round of the 2009 draft.


From: http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/ : - "On the other side of the clover leaf complex was Jupiter High School against West Boca Raton. West Boca’s Chase Greene played center field today, though he’s usually the shortstop. We have Greene ranked as the #50 high school prospect in the state and #242 in the country. Greene is a speedster who probably fits best in the outfield, anyway. He didn’t catch any fly balls when I was watching, but he really scooted to a single that went into the gap. There are a lot of scouts who question his ability to stay in the infield. I believe he’d have a chance at second base, but he has better upside in center. Though his arm is well below-average, he has a chance for plus range out there. Though I didn’t get a good running time in this game, he would grade out as a 65 runner on the 20-80 scale. The 5-9, 160 righthanded hitting Greene will have to figure out a pesky offensive game to take advantage of his speed; he doesn’t project as a big power guy or middle order hitter. The bat-speed and raw power isn’t quite there for that. In the two at-bats I watched, Greene struck out and flew out. He didn’t look comfortable against the curveball and that will be something that might come on in the coming years. Greene has committed to the University of South Florida."


From http://www.tampabay.com/ : - USF's draft picks are moving quickly -- signee Chase Greene, the speedy prospect from West Boca, had already gotten an offer Wednesday night after being drafted in the 16th round by the Mets. Greene had hoped to go between the third and sixth rounds, but said the Mets have offered him "fifth-round money." He said last week it would take a signing bonus of at least $150,000 to keep him from going to USF -- he'd be draft-eligible after his sophomore year. The Mets have already offered that $150,000, plus more than $50,000 toward college tuition, but Greene said he hasn't made a decision. "I'm still deciding," Greene said, but it doesn't hurt the Mets that he'd open his pro career in Port St. Lucie, less than two hours from home."


From: http://www.homeannapolis.com/: - Greene signed a contract with the Mets a few weeks ago, but has not been allowed to report to the rookie league club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., because Major League Baseball is reviewing the contract. Lorna Greene said her son received a signing bonus equivalent to that of a fifth-round draft pick and that such deals must be approved by MLB.


Greene started out late this year, but put up the following stats over 63-AB: .286/.361/.397/.758.


1-1-10 Forecast: By my count, eight outfielders from either Kingsport of the GCL mets could wind up in either Brooklyn or Savannah. Green is one of them, but there’s a good chance he might not start above Kingsport because of his lack of at bats this past season. So far, the draft pick looks to be a good one.



Javier Rodriquez:



7-27-10: - J-Rod continues to impress this season. Last night, he went 3-5 and raised his seasonal stats to: 132-AB, .318/.345/.500/.845, .371-BABIP, .182-ISOP. I like the slow speed the mets are using here. Rodriquez was a very quiet second rounder who didn’t play the year he was signed. He’s only 20-years old, but he’s obviously way ahead of the rest of the players at his level. I expect him to play Lucy next season and possibly get a reward bump to Savannah before the end of this season.



Old stuff on The Keepers #12 Mets prospect:



The Mets drafted Rodriguez in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft. In June 2008, BA did a post-draft adjustment of their top 10 Mets prospects and Rodriquez was ranked #9, with the comments: “9. Javier Rodriguez, of - 2008 second-rounder is a lean athlete with speed and projectable power.”


In 2008, Rodriguez batted .193 for the GCL Mets.


In February 2009, Toby Hyde said: #15 - CF Javier Rodriguez - Why Ranked Here: Athleticism, athleticism and athleticism. The lanky Rodriguez lopes across centerfield with plus range already. It’s like he’s built with springs in his cleats. As Mets fans who watch and appreciate Carlos Beltran’s play should know, playing center is not just about being a burner and Rodriguez already gets good reads of the bat. Rodriguez’s long swing prevented him from making good consistent contact, although once underway, he showed fine batspeed. He has room to fill out on his wiry frame, which will bring more power into his game. 2008: Hitting .193/.258/.237 is fine in a 38 game professional debut in the GCL, but would be acceptable for a prospect in almost no other league. Projected 2009 Start: Savannah with a good Spring Training. XST is a possibility as well.


In February 2009, World of Baseball ranked J-Rod the 7th top prospect out of Puerto Rico: 7. Javier Rodriguez OF (Mets) - He’s still a teenager, drafted in the second round in 2008. His first exposure to rookie ball he only hit .193, but he shows all five tools. Whether he can put them together will decide how far he advances. Despite his poor average he only had 27 K’s in 38 games so he was making contact. A good spring will give the Mets confidence to start him in low A, otherwise he will have to play in extended spring training until the Rookie leagues begin, or Javier shows the readiness to handle low A.


In March 2009, Joe DeMayo wrote: Mets Prospect #14: OF Javier Rodriguez - Rodriguez, a Mets 2nd round draft pick in 2008 out of Puerto Rico is the one of, if not the most athletic prospect in the Mets system. At the young age of 18 he is already playing center field like a pro. Unfortunately hitting wasn’t a strength for “J-Rod” in his pro debut. He hit a mere .193 in the Gulf Coast League, but he still has immense potential. He is very rail thin at this point(163 pounds), but at his young age, he is still very likely to build up some. A major issue with Rodriguez’s offensive game is the length of his swing, which is what led to 27 strikeouts in 38 games in his professional debut. He needs to either work on shortening his stroke, or develop more bat speed or he’s going to get a real lot of strikeouts throughout his minor league career. There is no doubt though about Rodriguez’s defense and speed. I don’t like to compare anyone to Beltran, but scouts say Rodriguez has the graceful range similar to that of Beltran. He was a very high pick by the team, and they see a lot of potential in him.


http://myworldofbaseball.com/wordpress/?m=200910  - Javier Rodriguez OF (Mets) - Javier was a second round selection of the Mets in 2008. He attended the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy that was created to renew the baseball talent in Puerto Rico. His best tool should be his speed, though his stolen base totals his last two years have been just two. He only hit .230 in the Rookie Gulf Coast League this year and he struck out 39 times in 36 games. If Javier wants to take advantage of his speed he needs to improve that OBA (.285). He won’t be hitting out of the leadoff spot if he doesn’t get on base.


1-1-10: - Forecast: Many Mets sources say that J-Rod is real prospect material, though he has gotten off to a slow start. My guess would be that he is showcased in Brooklyn come next spring.



5-17-10: - Stock Up: Looks like the mets might have found another 19-year old Latin shortstop to brag about. Wilfredo Tovar comes out of the DSL system and really didn’t do anything that special last season for the GCL Mets (.243/.294/.318/.611). For some reason, he was called upon this month to go to St. Luic and start in place of Reese Havens (moved to 2B) and Luis Nieve (DL). So far, this sure is working: .400/.419/.500/.919. Yes, it’s only 30-Abs but it’s worth noting at this point in the season.


7-6-10 from: - http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100705&content_id=11953216&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp  - Appalachian League Offensive Player of the Week - Javier Rodriguez, Kingsport - .517/.517/.862, 15-for-29, 4 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 0 SB - Mets '08 second-rounder Javier Rodriguez went 3-for-6 with a double and a run scored over a week-opening doubleheader, and he banged out three more singles and a homer over the next two games as well. His Friday and Saturday performances, though, really stand out. He hit his second homer in as many games and also doubled Friday, driving in five runs and scoring twice. On Saturday, he was 4-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs and another run scored

Angel Cuan:



7-27-10: - Cuan continues to cash in on his second wind at Brooklyn. Last night, he pitched six scoreless innings, giving up only five hits while striking out three. His all-star seasonal stats are now: 4-0, 1.50, 1.04, .275-BABIP, 3.01-FIP. It will be interesting to see what the Mets do with him next season. He did pitch some relief this year for St. Lucie (0.00), but I see him as a Savannah starter next year.He’s playing this year as a 21-year old.



Old Cuan stuff:



Cuan was a 2007 International free agent signing.



In 2008, he pitched for the VSL Mets, where he led the league in strikeouts (74). He was also 10th in the league with the lowest WHIP (1.14), while going only 1-8.



In 2009, he pitched for both Kingsport (12 games, 11 starts, 1-3, 4.83) and Brooklyn (2 starts, 6.75). He had a total of 54-Ks in 67.2-IP.



1-1-09: Observation: Cuan was the top prospect out of the VSL team in 2008. I’m sure the Mets will send him stateside next spring.



7-6-10: - Stock Up: Cuan has found a second life this season with the Brooklyn Cyclones. After lackluster years in 2008 and 2009, Cuan has become the dean of the Brooklyn staff, going 1-0, 2.35, in his first four starts. This after an 0-0, 0.00 start this season with St. Lucie. Strikeouts are way down but NY-Penn batters only have a .235 BA against him so far this season.



7-17-10: - We wrote about Angel earlier this month, which means he’s doing some good things in Brooklyn. Yesterday, he aced it again: 6-2-IP, 1-ER, 0-BB, 2.00… eight of his outs were flyballs while six were strikeouts. Yearly stats to date at Brooklyn: 3-0, 2.00, 1.13, 23-K, 7-BB, 36.0-IP, .298-BABIP, 3.07-FIP.

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