By Matt Eddy
November 7, 2011



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, 2011.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Zack Wheeler, rhp 2. Matt Harvey, rhp 3. Brandon Nimmo, of 4. Jeurys Familia, rhp 5. Cesar Puello, of 6. Jenrry Mejia, rhp 7. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, of 8. Michael Fulmer, rhp 9. Reese Havens, 2b 10. Wilmer Flores, ss

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Juan Lagares Best Power Hitter Zach Lutz Best Strike-Zone Discipline Danny Muno Fastest Baserunner Pedro Zapata Best Athlete Bradley Marquez Best Fastball Zack Wheeler Best Curveball Zack Wheeler Best Slider Matt Harvey Best Changeup Darin Gorski Best Control Darin Gorski Best Defensive Catcher Albert Cordero Best Defensive Infielder Wilfredo Tovar Best Infield Arm Aderlin Rodriguez Best Defensive Outfielder Matt den Dekker Best Outfield Arm Cesar Puello

PROJECTED 2015 LINEUP

Catcher Josh Thole First Base Ike Davis Second Base Reese Havens Third Base David Wright Shortstop Ruben Tejada Left Field Lucas Duda Center Field Brandon Nimmo Right Field Cesar Puello No. 1 Starter Zack Wheeler No. 2 Starter Matt Harvey No. 3 Starter Jon Niese No. 4 Starter Jeurys Familia No. 5 Starter Michael Fulmer Closer Jenrry Mejia

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2011 2002 Aaron Heilman, rhp Pirates 2003 Jose Reyes, ss Mets 2004 Kazuo Matsui, ss Rakuten (Japan) 2005 Lastings Milledge, of White Sox 2006 Lastings Milledge, of White Sox 2007 Mike Pelfrey, rhp Mets 2008 Fernando Martinez, of Mets 2009 Fernando Martinez, of Mets 2010 Jenrry Mejia, rhp Mets 2011 Jenrry Mejia, rhp Mets

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2011 Org. 2002 Scott Kazmir, lhp Angels 2003 Lastings Milledge, of White Sox 2004 Philip Humber, rhp White Sox 2005 Mike Pelfrey, rhp Mets 2006 Kevin Mulvey, rhp (2nd round) D-backs 2007 Eddie Kunz, rhp (1st round supp.) Padres 2008 Ike Davis, 1b Mets 2009 Steve Matz, lhp (2nd round) Mets 2010 Matt Harvey, rhp Mets 2011 Brandon Nimmo, of Mets

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Mike Pelfrey, 2005 $3,550,000 Philip Humber, 2004 $3,000,000 Matt Harvey, 2010 $2,525,000 Scott Kazmir, 2002 $2,150,000 Brandon Nimmo, 2011 $2,100,000

MARLINS LINKS

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Though Jose Reyes became the first Mets player in the franchise's 50 seasons to win the National League batting title, New York still finished in fourth place in the NL East at 77-85. Reyes turned in a career year, batting .337/.384/.493 with 39 stolen bases, and entered free agency at the peak of his ability.

Losing Reyes to another club would blunt the Mets' offensive attack, certainly, but the 2011 club quietly had the most productive of its three seasons at cavernous Citi Field. New York finished second in on-base percentage (.335) and sixth in the NL in scoring, actually totaling five more runs than the division-champion Phillies despite spotting Philadelphia a 45-homer advantage. The Mets certainly would have scored even more runs had injuries not cost Reyes (hamstring) a month, Daniel Murphy (knee) and David Wright (back) two months each and Ike Davis (ankle) all but 36 games.

New York faces the likely departure of Reyes, and barring the import of an impact position player, it will have to rely on the talent already at hand because the upper levels of the system are light on blue-chip hitting talent. On the positive side, Lucas Duda's .852 OPS led all major league rookies with 300 plate appearances, while Ruben Tejeda and Josh Thole played well in the second half of their sophomore seasons.

The pitching side of the equation, however, is much more complicated because Citi Field masks the staff's deficiencies. During the three years of the park's existence, the Mets have compiled a 3.65 ERA at home compared to 4.60 on the road. New York's 4.19 ERA ranked 13th in the NL in 2011, sinking any hopes the club had to contend.

The organization may be able to address its pitching woes from within because its top prospects are righthanders Zack Wheeler and Matt Harvey, the sixth (2009) and seventh (2010) overall picks in their respective drafts. Both enjoyed strong seasons in high Class A—Harvey actually spent the second half in Double-A—and both used power fastball/breaking ball repertoires to strike out more than 10 batters per nine innings.

Righthanders Jeurys Familia, Jenrry Mejia and Michael Fulmer also can bring heat in the mid-90s, though Mejia had Tommy John surgery last May and will miss the start of the 2012 season. The system hasn't had multiple power arms like this since the days of Paul Wilson, Bill Pulsipher and Jason Isringhausen in the mid-1990s.

First-year general manager Sandy Alderson emphasized the future over the present in the trades that sent Carlos Beltran to the Giants (for Wheeler) and Francisco Rodriguez to the Brewers (for Danny Ray Herrera and Class A righty Adrian Rosario). In the two July deals, New York swallowed approximately $9 million of the $15 million owed Beltran and Rodriguez for the remainder of 2011 in order to improve the club's outlook for 2012 and beyond.

New York also took a more progressive approach in the draft after years of conservative selections. It spent $6.8 million on bonuses after shelling out a combined $7.8 million in the previous two drafts. In their first draft under scouting director Chad MacDonald, the Mets exceeded MLB's bonus recommendations for 11 of its signees, including their top two picks (outfielder Brandon Nimmo and Fulmer) and late-rounders Phillip Evans and Bradley Marquez.

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