2013 Mets Prospect Report: Week 3 (4/18 - 4/24)

Top Pitching Prospect of the Week

Rafael Montero, SP (AA) - 6.0 IP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

I do what I can to mix it up when selecting the top prospects of the week, but Montero is making that difficult. Another strong outing this week brings his season line to 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA, a .71 WHIP, and a 27 to 1 K:BB ratio. In his first 4 starts he's carving up the Eastern League like he's a big leaguer. And in light of his success and the Mets' starting pitching woes, there are many fans calling for just that. But as good as he's been, now's not the time. I expect Montero will remain in AA for at least another month before they even consider moving him up to AAA. But every dominant start makes it a little more likely that we could see him in Queens before the year is out.

Age: 22
Acquired: 2010-11 International Period
Signing Bonus: $80,000
MLB ETA: 2014... (or sooner?)

Honorable Mention:

Steven Matz, SP (A) - 5.0 IP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Luis Cessa, SP (A) - 6.0 IP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Domingo Tapia, SP (A+) - 7.0 IP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Jack Leathersich, RP (AA) - 4.1 IP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

Top Positional Prospect of the Week

Jayce Boyd, 1B (A) - 29 PA, .478/.586/.652, 5 R, 4 2B, 9 RBI, 6 BB, 1 K

Boyd follows Brandon Nimmo and Kevin Plawecki as the 3rd straight hitting prospect of the week culled from the Sand Gnats' lineup card. Like Plawecki, Boyd is crushing South Atlantic League pitching like a polished college hitter should. He's leading the league in batting average (.411), hits (30), and OBP (.506), and ranks 2nd in OPS (1.081) and RBI (19). The tall righty is also rocking a 14:9 BB:K ratio. There really isn't much more Boyd can do, other than wait until the powers that be are ready to make some roster moves. I expect we'll see Boyd in that first wave of promotions to St. Lucie, probably in early June. But if an injury creates a need before then, he might get a head start. We won't really have much of an idea whether Boyd has a Major League future or not until at least AA. Since 1984, just two Mets' 6th rounders have cracked a big league roster (Josh Satin '08 & Chris Basak '00). But if he does beat the odds, we're probably looking at a 2016 call-up.

Age: 22
Acquired: 2012 Draft (Round 6, Overall Pick 200)
Signing Bonus: $150,000
MLB ETA: 2016

Honorable Mention:

Kevin Plawecki, C (A) - 27 PA, .364/.444/.591, 2 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Cory Vaughn, OF (AA) - 32 PA, .355/.375/.613, 6 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 SB
Juan Lagares, CF (AAA) - 20 PA, .333/.400/.722, 4 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 SB
Allan Dykstra, 1B (AA) - 30 PA, .318/.500/.545, 5 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 7 BB, 6 K

Top Non-Prospect (Age 27+) of the Week

Andrew Brown, RF (AAA) - 19 PA, .389/.421/.611, 5 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K

Prior Weeks

Week 2: Jacob deGrom, Brandon Nimmo
Week 1: Rafael Montero, Kevin Plawecki