by Richard Douglas
The Mets the last few years have been the ultimate sign of frustration and futility. Years of bad contracts, big name stars with injury filled years and the owner losing 162 million in a ponzi scheme have helped bring win totals down dramatically to just 74 last year. The team has also been trying to trim its payroll, last year letting cornerstone Jose Reyes walk away and needing to trade surprise star RA Dickey. That trade though helped to replenish a farm system that had completely whiffed on the 2009 draft by bringing in Travis d'Arnaud. The high end backstop signed out of high school, and has consistently posted above a .350 OBP in his 6 minor league seasons. Last year at AAA Las Vegas he easily had his best season, slugging .595 and getting on base a ta .380 clip. As a catcher he had 21 doubles and 16 home runs, giving the hope that he will be a solid power hitter. His defensive ability has improved along with his bat, throwing out 30% of base stealers last year and showing good athletic ability to get in front of pitches. He OPSed a respectable .872 this spring, but will head back to AAA for a little more seasoning.
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The Mets got their other top prospect in another trade, this time for an aging Carlos Beltran. Zack Wheeler was taken out of high school in 2009, Wheeler possesses a fastball that Baseball America rates as a 70 on the 20-80 scale. It sits at about 95 mph and can reach into the upper 90s. His tall frame allows him to be deceptive with pitches, as suggested by his .205 average allowed last year in Buffalo. His secondary pitches are also solid, especially his upper 80s slider, and a solid upper 70s curveball that drops heavily near the plate. He's improved his control each year walking just 16 batters in his 33 innings last year while striking out 31.
Domingo Tapia is a well built Dominican righty with excellent arm strength. His heater lives in the mid 90s, and can reach up to 98. He has also flashed some ability to turn it up even more, in his pro debut in 2010. His changeup is a good out pitch as well, in large part because his size as well helps with the deception He does lack a true breaking pitch, since his slider really has some command issues. He posted a 2.68 FIP last year, and a solid 2.65 BB/9. He has a long wind up and action which might pose issues going forward against runners. This spring he struggled quite a bit, allowing a .444 average and posting just .67 ground outs to fly balls, giving up a pair of home runs.
Gavin Cecchini is just 19 years old, but was the Mets top pick in 2012. Cecchini has good bloodlines since his brother also got drafted by the Red Sox. He plays solid defense and has good arm strength and possesses a good eye at the plate. Jack Leathersich is a pitcher who doesn't fit the typical build, measuring in at 5'11 and weighing 205 pounds. His fastball only lives in the low to mid 90s, but he strikes batters out with it at a 14.8 K/9 rate so far in his career. His curveball is a solid second offering, but his changeup has to develop more. He's also only allowed a .188 average against, with a 2.35 FIP last year. He pitched only a single inning this spring.
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