MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect News: Lazo, Soler, Mejia

• The Marlins don't have a lot to be excited about this spring, but another Cuban defector in the organization is sure to help generate interest in the heavily-Cuban Miami population.  Left-handed reliever Raudel Lazo could be the latest Marlin to fit that mold in the majors, as he's looked impressive early on in camp, says Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post.  Lazo is slated to begin the season in Double-A, but as a 23-year-old reliever, he could move quickly.
• Cubs outfield prospect, and a Cuban defector of his own, Jorge Soler, put on an impressive display of power in batting practice over the weekend, reports Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune.  Everyone who follows prospects loves player comparisons, and Cubs manager Dale Sveum compared him to "a right-handed Cliff Floyd," for whatever that's worth.  In his first season stateside, the 20-year-old Soler hit .299/.369/.463 while splitting time between the Arizona Rookie League and Peoria of the Midwest League.
• Despite jerking him back and forth between roles to the point that he hurt his arm, the Mets insist that they still view Jenrry Mejia as a starter, according to MIchael Baron of MetsBlog.com, despite all evidence in his repertoire pointing to the contrary.  The Mets will likely argue that using him as a starter will help him make up for the lost developmental time he missed while out rehabbing, but the time has come for them to pick a role Mejia can stick in and work at, and it's a stretch to believe that starting will be that role.

The Future Role of Jeurys Familia

Much as they did with Jenrry Mejia, the New York Mets appear to be undecided on how they plan to use pitching prospect Jeurys Familia in the future, and continue to bounce him back and forth while they make up their mind.

The Mets gave Familia a start on Monday, and the result was disastrous, as the right-hander walked six batters in three innings and threw more balls than strikes, notes Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.com. It may have been just one start, but it serves as a season-ending microcosm of what Familia offers as a pitcher - great possibility but a poor reality.

At this point in his professional career, it is unlikely that Familia is going to make great strides with his command and off-speed pitches. Sure he turns just 23 next week, but the kind of development Familia needs to make in order to be a major league starting pitcher rarely take place in Triple-A or the majors. Incremental progress can be made, but Familia needs more than that.

Nonetheless, Familia will be working as a starter this winter, reports Michael Baron, despite origionally being slated to relieve in the Dominican Winter League. The change is being made at the request of his winter ball team, not the Mets.

Often times, the major league organization of a player doesn't have the final say on how their players are used in winter leagues, but they typically do have some influence, and if any GM has influence in Latin America, it's Sandy Alderson, who has worked for years with Major League Baseball to clean up the amateur signing process in the area. If the Mets are allowing Familia to start this winter, I'm guessing it's because they want him to.

The Mets are right in their strategy to try and allow their prospects, and especially their high ceiling ones, to try to become starters if there is any possibility of that happening, but they must get quicker at pulling the plug when the development stagnates. Their indecision is wasting talented arms and preventing them from developing in either role successfully.

 

 

Jerry Mejia Wants to Start, Should the Mets Let Him?

Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com reports that Mets pitching prospect Jenrry Mejia wants to be a starter in the majors. His outing on Saturday night didn't help him make his case very well.

Mejia got lit up in his first start since 2010 and fourth career start, lasting just three innings and allowing five runs without striking out a batter. He also walked five during the outing.

All in all, it was a disastrous start for Mejia, who couldn't find the plate or miss any bats. As Baron put it in another article after the outing, Mejia "appeared to be just throwing, rather than pitching. He predominantly threw fastballs and cutters although his cutter looked a lot like his fastball with significantly less velocity."

Baron is more forgiving of Mejia than I am, giving him a pass for it being his first major league start in two years. I would be too if the Mets hadn't been yo-yo-ing him back and forth for the past three seasons, basically tearing Mejia's UCL themselves and eliminating any chance of him being an effective major league starter.

Mejia is extremely talented and still profiles as a good reliever, but the Mets bounced him around in roles enough over the past few years to eliminate the possibility of him starting. I chronicled the start of this saga back in 2010 when the Mets first started entertaining the possibility of keeping the then 20-year-old Mejia in the majors as a reliever, despite claiming to still want him to be a starter in the future.

Starting was always a stretch for Mejia, with his below-average command and high-effort delivery - typically two indicators of a future move to the bullpen. But I don't blame the Mets for wanting to try him in the rotation. I also dont blame them for keeping Mejia in their major league bullpen if that was going to be his long-term role.

I blame them for not making up their minds.

After keeping him in the majors as a reliever in 2010, they sent him back to the minors to finish up the year as a starter, where he made nine starts and threw more innings than he had in the majors. The next year, be began again as a starter before blowing out his elbow.

Of course we don't know that this directly caused his Tommy John surgery, but it couldn't have helped. It also couldn't have helped his development. Mejia has been a wildly talented prospect in need of refinement for as long as he's been a Met. But there are vastly different things to learn when it comes to starting and relieving, and bouncing Mejia back and forth has not helped him refine his command at all.

This start wasn't just a bad outing for Mejia. He was wild, but he's always been wild. At least the walks are usually scattered in around some strikeouts. In this outing, he didn't get one swing-and-miss.

Mejia's stuff plays way up when he's a reliever, and that's the role he should be in. The sooner the Mets make a decision on his role, the better chance Mejia has of fulfilling it.

 

Prospect Potent Potables - Gose, Mets, Szczur

• The Blue Jays have recalled outfield prospect Anthony Gose, reports Tom Dakers of BlueBirdBanter.com. Gose was up in the majors with the Blue Jays earlier this season in a largely unsuccessful stint, at least offensively. In limited playing time, the speedy center fielder hit just .183 and struck out in 39 percent of his plate appearances. Never a superior offensive player, Gose was having his finest offensive season in Triple-A in between his struggles in the majors.
  
• The Mets added hard-throwing pitching prospects Jeurys Familia and Jenrry Mejia to their list of September callups, says Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com. Familia started all season in the majors but will likely be coming out of the Mets bullpen in the final month of the season. The big right-hander battled his control all season and could be more effective in a limited role. Mejia, on the other hand, split time between starting and relieving as the Mets continued their indecision surrounding his future. He will almost certainly be a reliever this season, and likely in the future as well, although given their mishandling of Mejia, it's conceivable that they could try him in a rotation again next season.
• Matt Szczur is a good outfield prospect with a a great background story, and Noah Eisner of View From the Bleachers has an in-depth look at Szczur's background, as well as a full scouting report on him as a player. The Cubs have a number of intriguing outfield prospects, and while Szczur has his flaws as a hitter (mainly with plate discipline), his superior athleticism gives him a better chance than most to develop into a major leaguer.

 

 

Making Moves - Mejia, Familia, Iglesias, Spangenberg

• When the Mets call up additional players in September, it looks like hard-throwing right-handers Jeurys Familia and Jenrry Mejia will be among the first players to get the call, says Adam Rosenbloom of MLB.com.  Familia is 7-7 with a 4.98 ERA this season as a starter in Triple-A, but would likely be used in a relief role in the majors.  Mejia, on the other hand, has been used as both in the minors this season, and has posted a 3.22 ERA.  He is almost certain to be destined for a bullpen role in the majors.
• The injury to Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks will have no effect on the timetable of shortstop prospect Jose Iglesias, reports John Tomase of The Boston Herald.  The Red Sox could theoretically have called up Iglesias and and slid current shortstop Mike Aviles over to third base, where he's played 60 career games, but Iglesias' bat is still not major league ready.  He should earn a September call-up, however.
• After missing six weeks with concussion-like symptoms, Padres 2011 first-rounder Cory Spangenberg is back in action at High-A Lake Elsinore, notes Bill Center of The San Diego Union-Times.

 

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