Mike Antonini

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked New York Mets #15 prospect in 2009
  Antonini's baseball tutor was his stepfather John Fleming, now the head coach of NCAA Division III Neumann College in Aston, Pa. Fleming was Antonini's pitching coach through his junior year of high school, then served as interim head coach his senior year when Antonini's Cardinal O'Hara High (Springfield, Pa.) team won its first Catholic League championship in 20 years. Antonini's primary assets: He's lefthanded, he has a feel for a plus changeup and he is considered fearless and crafty with the ability to pitch inside. His fastball settles in the upper 80s and reaches 90 mph on occasion, and he has an ordinary curveball. Mets officials say in a bestcase scenario, Antonini would resemble Mark Buehrle, who has premium command and a cutter, two major separators. Scouts project Antonini as a bullpen/swing pitcher with less-than-overpowering stuff. Regardless, he's proven to be a quick riser. In his first full professional season, Antonini figured he would settle into St. Lucie for the rest of the season after receiving a promotion from low Class A in mid-June. Seven starts later, after posting a 4-0, 1.84 mark, he instead continued his rapid ascent by moving to Double-A. He's scheduled to begin the 2009 season in the Binghamton rotation. He will need to improve his curveball in order to start in the majors.
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  Ranked New York Mets #26 prospect in 2008
  The Mets may have gotten an 18th-round steal last June in Antonini, a college senior who cost them just $2,500 and could move quickly. He attended Gloucester County (N.J.) JC and helped the team to the 2005 Division III juco national championship before moving on to Georgia College & State for two seasons. He spurned his hometown Phillies as a 41st-round pick after his junior season and struggled somewhat as a senior (7-6, 3.97). However, Antonini showed the Mets three potential average big league pitches, and he has an out pitch in his changeup, which has excellent fade and helps neutralize righthanders. Big leaguer Paul LoDuca caught Antonini in an August rehab stint at Brooklyn and proclaimed his changeup big league-ready. His fastball ranges from 88-91 mph and is fairly straight, and he's homer-prone when he leaves it up in the strike zone. His slider grades out as an average pitch because he throws it with some power in the low 80s. Antonini has little room for projection but has the stuff to be a fourth or fifth starter if he can hone his command and avoid the longball. He could skip a level and jump to high Class A this year.