Hello friends and welcome back once again! Well, even while stars Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are out nursing injuries rather than playing daily Grapefruit League games, spring training is nevertheless chugging along swimmingly. And as this spring training has progressed we’ve seen some pretty decent performances out of some guys, as well as some particularly forgettable ones too. And as I’ve followed the Mets this spring, if there’s one thing I can say I have learned, it would be that the barrel containing the Mets prospects isn’t quite as dry as us fans have been led to believe it is so often. Some of the club’s best performers this spring are really making the Mets farm system look not so shabby.
Three men have really stood out for the Mets this spring, and those men are outfielder Fernando Martinez, 1st baseman Ike Davis, and pitcher Jenrry Mejia. These three guys are all under the age of 23 (Ike’ll be 23 on the 23rd of this month) and are really showing everybody around the league that the Mets farm system is totally capable of producing a jewel here and there. However, people have been making separate cases for each of these guys to head north with the Mets when they break camp. Now despite me being super impressed with what I’ve seen from these three prospects this spring, I’m sorry. I just don’t believe that any of them are ready for the show quite yet. I’ve got my reasons why for each player, so let’s dive in.
We all know Fernando Martinez (.538 BA, an eye-gouging 1.615 OPS, 3 HR. 10 RBI this spring) has the potential to be a great major leaguer. We’ve been hearing it for a while now. And if his spring training display is any kind of indication of things to come, good times are certainly on tap for Citi Field in the not-so-distant future! But, as we all know by now, Fernando has one mighty mighty weakness. Though he is only 21, the dude seems practically incapable of staying healthy. He’s had a vast number of injuries, and his career is barely underway. This worries me to no end. The Mets can’t put this kind of risk on the field day in and day out. Until F-Mart proves that he is capable of staying on the field for an entire season injury-free, I just can’t buy into his enormous hype and his bloated spring statistics. He’s got proving to do in the minors. Let’s not forget last year how overmatched he looked in his cup of coffee with the big club. I say once Fernando is tearing up AAA on a regular basis without succumbing to injury, then I’ll be cool with him making regular appearances at the major league level.
Onto Ike Davis (.500 BA, OPS stands at a whopping 1.469, 2 HR 9 RBI this spring). This kid has me excited, very excited. I believe sooner or later Daniel Murphy will either turn bench player or be traded away to pave the path for Ike Davis to fulfill the prophecy and become the Mets 1st baseman of the future. Hitting-wise, he is certainly the prospect in the Mets farm system that is garnering the most hype these days, surpassing Martinez in that regard, the prospect who held that title over the past couple of years. Davis had a great season in 2009, splitting it between Class A St. Lucie and AA Binghamton, hitting a combined .298 with a .906 OPS. I feel he is the closest to the major leagues, but until I see he’s able to handle AAA ball, he should remain in the minors. I’m not a fan of rushing prospects to the majors until they earn their stripes in the minors. Is AAA a tougher stage than the Grapefruit League is? I don’t know, maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t. I think I would just feel better personally if I saw that Davis is able to handle AAA, the last stop the train makes before the majors. That said, I do think he will be able to handle it, and I would be ecstatic and unsurprised to see Davis take over the 1st base position from Murphy somewhere during the midway point of 2010.
Now for our prized pitching prospect, young Jenrry Mejia (4 G, 8.1 IP, 8 K’S, 5 H, 0 BB this spring). Bottom line, the kid has wonderful stuff. And thankfully so, cause Mike Pelfrey isn’t cutting it for me, and I want to see the next Doc Gooden desperately come from our system. The issue here with Mejia, is that the Mets don’t know what they want him to become yet. Mejia not only has potential as a starter, but also has the potential to be a dominating, lights out closer. The Mets need to work out a career plan for him, but cannot afford to do so at the major league level. Just look how Bobby Parnell performed last season when he was thrust into a role he didn’t care for as a starter. I don’t even want to remember how many games he blew for us in ’09. Anyway, despite the tantalizing line he’s posted for us this spring, the Mets shouldn’t rush Mejia and have him figure it all out with the big club. Those are the things the International League is for. If he screws up while experimenting down there, who cares, it doesn’t matter. I’m pumped up for Mejia’s eventual arrival. But I’d rather wait a little until he has a crystal clear idea of what his role with the Mets is going to be. I’d take the waiting game over seeing him confused and struggling night after night resulting in the Mets losing ground in the standings.
And those ladies and gentlemen, are my cases. Now it’s your turn to take the stand. Agree with me, disagree with me? If you were Omar and Co., what would your courses of action be for each one of these three prospects? This is a very interesting topic, so please, share your blueprints in the comment section below. I look forward to hearing from you my dear fans, and as always thank you so much for dropping on in!
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