By John Manuel
November 9, 2007

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, 2008.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Fernando Martinez, of 2. Deolis Guerra, rhp 3. Carlos Gomez, of 4. Kevin Mulvey, rhp 5. Eddie Kunz, rhp 6. Brant Rustich, rhp 7. Philip Humber, rhp 8. Jon Niese, lhp 9. Nathan Vineyard, lhp 10. Robert Parnell, rhp

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Fernando Martinez Best Power Hitter Fernando Martinez Best Strike-Zone Discipline Ruben Tejeda Fastest Baserunner Carlos Gomez Best Athlete Carlos Gomez Best Fastball Brant Rustich Best Curveball Philip Humber Best Slider Kevin Mulvey Best Changeup Deolis Guerra Best Control Dylan Owen Best Defensive Catcher Mike Nickeas Best Defensive Infielder Jose Coronado Best Infield Arm Wilmer Flores Best Defensive Outfielder Carlos Gomez Best Outfield Arm Carlos Gomez

PROJECTED 2011 LINEUP

Catcher Francisco Pena First Base Fernando Martinez Second Base Greg Veloz Third Base David Wright Shortstop Jose Reyes Left Field Lastings Milledge Center Field Carlos Gomez Right Field Carlos Beltran No. 1 Starter John Maine No. 2 Starter Oliver Perez No. 3 Starter Mike Pelfrey No. 4 Starter Deolis Guerra No. 5 Starter Kevin Mulvey Closer Eddie Kunz

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2007 1998 Grant Roberts, rhp Out of baseball 1999 Alex Escobar, of Nationals 2000 Alex Escobar, of Nationals 2001 Alex Escobar, of Nationals 2002 Aaron Heilman, rhp Mets 2003 Jose Reyes, ss Mets 2004 Kazuo Matsui, ss Rockies 2005 Lastings Milledge, of Mets 2006 Lastings Milledge, of Mets 2007 Mike Pelfrey, rhp Mets

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2007 1998 Jason Tyner, of Twins 1999 ^Neil Musser, lhp Royals 2000 Billy Traber, lhp Nationals 2001 Aaron Heilman, rhp Mets 2002 Scott Kazmir, lhp Devil Rays 2003 Lastings Milledge, of Mets 2004 Philip Humber, rhp Mets 2005 Mike Pelfrey, rhp Mets 2006 ^Kevin Mulvey, rhp Mets 2007 *Eddie Kunz, rhp Mets * First round supplemental ^ Second round

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Mike Pelfrey, 2005 $3,550,000 Philip Humber, 2004 $3,000,000 Scott Kazmir, 2002 $2,150,000 Lastings Milledge, 2003 $2,075,000 Geoff Goetz, 1997 $1,700,000

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Advance scouts descended on the Mets in September, as other contenders sent in their top evaluators to check out the team bound to win the National League East. As late as Sept. 12, New York led the Phillies by seven games.

But the team scouts saw in September wasn't a playoff team. A listless team that played without enough energy, a manager in Willie Randolph who couldn't find the right spark for his team, a bullpen constructed by general manager Omar Minaya that gave Randolph few if any reliable middle-relief options . . . the Mets were a mess. A team that spent 140 days in first place didn't finish there, as Philadelphia won 13 of its last 17 games while New York was going 5-12.

It was a historic collapse, but the Mets didn't suddenly become a bad team in September. In fact, they had been a .500 team since the calendar turned to June. New York went 34-18 in the season's first two months and just 54-56 the rest of the way.

The Mets faltered in part because they got old in a hurry. Carlos Delgado and Paul LoDuca had the worst full-season numbers of their careers. Moises Alou remained productive but couldn't stay healthy. On the mound, Tom Glavine got bombed in his final three starts and Billy Wagner blew three saves down the stretch.

More disconcerting, however, was that some of New York's young building blocks struggled. Franchise cornerstone Jose Reyes wilted in the second half, hitting just .251 after the all-star break and .205 in September. Mike Pelfrey, who signed for a club-record $3.55 million bonus as a first-round pick in 2005, went 3-8, 5.57 and failed to keep the No. 5 starter's job. Philip Humber, a first-rounder whose $3 million bonus ranks second in club history, got hammered by the Nationals in his lone start during the season's final week.

Scouts from other organizations say the Mets have little immediate help on the way in the farm system. The jury is still out on how much Pelfrey and Humber can be counted on, and there's not much in the way of upper-level position players behind outfielders Lastings Milledge and Carlos Gomez.

The lack of talent reflects New York's decision not to wield its large-market resources to acquire talent the last two years, particularly in the draft. The Mets have surrendered their first-round choice as free-agent compensation in each of the past two drafts, and haven't tried to compensate by exceeding MLB's bonus guidelines with other picks. Minaya said that could change in the near future.

"We've adhered to the commissioner's slot recommendations," Minaya said. "We've been good citizens. But not all the teams have done that, and the competitive balance is not fair. We have to take that position under review as an organization."

New York did sign 15 players internationally in the summer of 2007, more than any other organization, and has tried to use that market to find impact talent. The Mets have aggressively pushed prospects such as Dominican outfielder Fernando Martinez and Venezuelan righthander Deolis Guerra—the top two prospects on this list—and they've handled it well. A third, Dominican catcher Francisco Pena, faltered in full-season ball as a 17-year-old in 2007.

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