Baseball America - Top 10 Prospects: New York Mets

Top Ten Prospects: New York Mets
Complete Index of Top 10s

By J.J. Cooper
December 30, 2004

Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2005.

Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects (Subscribers only) -- Click Here to Subscribe

Live Chat! J.J. Cooper takes
your Mets questions at 2 p.m. ET

Pre-Order the 2005 Prospect Handbook
for 30 scouting reports on every team

TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Lastings Milledge, of
2. Yusmeiro Petit, rhp
3. Gaby Hernandez, rhp
4. Ian Bladergroen, 1b
5. Ambiorix Concepcion, of
6. Alay Soler, rhp
7. Shawn Bowman, 3b
8. Victor Diaz, of
9. Jesus Flores, c
10. Matt Lindstrom, rhp

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average	Aarom Baldiris
Best Power Hitter	Jamar Hill
Best Strike-Zone Discipline	Jeff Keppinger
Fastest Baserunner	Wayne Lydon
Best Athlete	Lastings Milledge
Best Fastball	Matt Lindstrom
Best Curveball	Robert Paulk
Best Slider	Brian Bannister
Best Changeup	Blake McGinley
Best Control	Yusmeiro Petit
Best Defensive Catcher	Joe Hietpas
Best Defensive Infielder	Shawn Bowman
Best Infield Arm	Corey Ragsdale
Best Defensive Outfielder	Lastings Milledge
Best Outfield Arm	Bob Malek

TOP PROSPECTS
OF THE DECADE

1995 Bill Pulsipher, lhp
1996 Paul Wilson, rhp
1997 Jay Payton, of
1998 Grant Roberts, rhp
1999 Alex Escobar, of
2000 Alex Escobar, of
2001 Alex Escobar, of
2002 Aaron Heilman, rhp
2003 Jose Reyes, ss
2004 Kazuo Matsui, ss

TOP DRAFT PICKS
OF THE DECADE

1995 Ryan Jaroncyk, ss
1996 Robert Stratton, of
1997 Geoff Goetz, lhp
1998 Jason Tyner, of
1999 Neal Musser, lhp (2nd round)
2000 Billy Traber, lhp
2001 Aaron Heilman, rhp
2002 Scott Kazmir, lhp
2003 Lastings Milledge, of
2004 *Philip Humber, rhp
*Has not signed

LARGEST BONUSES
IN CLUB HISTORY

Scott Kazmir, 2002	$2,150,000
Lastings Milledge, 2003	$2,075,000
Geoff Goetz, 1997	$1,700,000
Paul Wilson, 1994	$1,550,000
Aaron Heilman, 2001	$1,508,750

Apparently, the worst thing that could have happened to the 2004 Mets was a little success. They began July 30 with a 49-52 record, six games back in the National League East and seven behind in the NL wild-card race. Nevertheless, the Mets decided their future was now. Rather than wait for some of its best prospects�lefthander Scott Kazmir, righty Matt Peterson and catcher Justin Huber�to mature and join David Wright and Jose Reyes in the majors, New York dealt them away to make a playoff run.

But even before their widely panned trades for Kris Benson and Victor Zambrano, the Mets were beginning to fade. New York went 22-39 the rest of the way to record its third straight losing season.

Before the season began, owner Fred Wilpon proclaimed he wouldn�t trade away the team�s future. Four months later, the Mets did exactly that. They gutted their minor league depth for no short-term benefit. They also overpaid Benson (three years, $22.5 million) on the free-agent market rather than face the stigma of dealing away prospects for a rental.

There still was plenty of embarrassment. As the industry wondered why the Mets would trade Kazmir to get Zambrano, the club offered a variety of excuses. One was that Kazmir wasn�t nearly ready to contribute at the major league level. But then he looked like a future ace at times after the Devil Rays called him up in late August.

Worse, the Mets� front office turned out to be in chaos, with members jockeying to get the ear of Wilpon�s son Jeff, the club�s chief operating officer, and undermining general manager Jim Duquette. After the season, the Mets hired Expos GM Omar Minaya for the same role in New York, where he previously had been a senior assistant GM.

Duquette now works under Minaya as a senior vice president of baseball operations. Assistant GM Gary LaRocque had the scope of his duties reduced from director of baseball operations to overseeing only scouting. Russ Bove, a national crosschecker with the Expos under Minaya, became the new director of amateur scouting, replacing Jack Bowen, who remains with the club.

The scouting department has had its hands tied in recent years as the Mets surrendered their second- and third-round picks in both 2002 and 2003 as free-agent compensation. They also had yet to sign Rice righthander Philip Humber, the third overall pick in the 2004 draft, though negotiations are ongoing.

As Minaya tried to retool the Mets during the offseason, he realized the farm system wasn�t going to provide much immediate help. So he re-signed Benson, lavished a four-year, $53 million contract on Pedro Martinez, and continued to pursue more free agents and trades.

Maybe New York will be improved in 2005. More certain is that its fans will cringe every time Kazmir takes the mound for Tampa Bay. The Mets� future is now playing elsewhere and the present doesn�t look too appealing.

Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects

(Subscribers only) -- Click Here to Subscribe