New York Mets 2015 Top Prospects: 11-15

Michael Fulmer, GOTC’s #13 Mets Prospect, pitching in a game for the St. Lucie Mets (Credit: Bryan Green)

Perhaps 2015 will be the season that the Mets finally return to the playoffs, and it would be an elite farm system, not free agent dollars, that will power the Amazin’s  to promise land once again.

The New York Mets’ system is still flush with talented arms such as Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard, however, the emergence of a bevy of surprisingly talented position players has catapulted the system into Top-5 range in 2014.

As far as prospects #11-15 are concerned, Matt Reynolds, Akeel Morris, and Jhoan Urena, all who were left off any sort of prospect lists last offseason, stunned the Mets’ Brass with stellar play and earned higher standing within the organization.

Without further adieu, let’s get into the top 11-15 prospects in the Mets’ organization, the number 6-10 prospects will be coming out tomorrow.

#15

Matt Reynolds – SS

Age: 24

B/T: Right/Right

H/W: 6’1”/198 lbs

2014 Stats:

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Analysis: Booked as a glove-first potential utility infielder, Reynolds’ prospect stock hit rock bottom after he posted an abysmal .226 batting average for the High-A Savannah Sand Gnats in 2013.  Despite his struggles in Savannah, the Mets aggressively pushed Reynolds to Double-A Binghamton to start the 2014 season, and it was in Binghamton where the young shortstop turned his career around.  He opened the season hitting a scorching .355, to go along with a .430 OBP and 75 hits in just 58 games.  His performance earned him a promotion to Triple-A Vegas by midseason, and there, in 68 games, Reynolds continued to flourish by batting .333 with an .864 OPS at the minor league’s highest level. .

2015 Prognosis: Scouts and analysts close to the Mets say that Reynolds may have a shot to break camp in Queens as a backup infielder, however, his lack of power (5 and 6 home runs in 2013 and 2014, respectively) and minor league experience will likely limit him to Triple-A, at least to start the 2015 season.  Should Ruben Tejada and/or Wilmer Flores struggle, Reynolds would be the next man up on the depth chart.  In the worst-case scenario, the Mets call him up in September.

MLB ETA: 2015 as a backup infielder or even a starter should the other Mets’ internal options fail.

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#14

Akeel Morris – RHP

Age: 22

H/W: 6’1”/170 lbs

B/T: Right/Right

2014 Stats:

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Analysis: It was only two years ago that Akeel Morris concluded the worst season of his young pro career by posting an 0-6 record and 7.98 ERA as a starter for the Kingsport Mets of the Rookie League.  That implosion may have been the best thing for the young right-hander, however, as Morris has become a lights-out hurler in the pen, finishing the 2013 and 2014 seasons with a 1.00 and 0.63 ERA, respectively.  Some of this excellent work may be due to his pitching repertoire, which plays up from the ‘pen.  A 95 plus mile per hour fastball accompanied by a “defined curve” allowed Morris to toy with Single-A hitters in the last two seasons.

2015 Prognosis: Double-A is often the level which separates the real prospects from the busts, and that is likely where the 22-year-old Morris is headed in 2015 since the Mets’ front office added him to the 40-man roster before the Rule V Draft.  Should he continue his success in Binghamton, there is no reason Morris can’t refine his game and ascend to Triple-A Vegas by the end of the 2015 season.

MLB ETA: Late-2015 may be a bit too optimistic, but Morris could break camp with the Mets as a member of the bullpen in 2016. 

#13

Michael Fulmer – RHP

Age: 21

H/W: 6’3”/200 lbs

B/T: Right/Right

2014 Stats:

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Analysis: The Mets selected Michael Fulmer in the supplemental first round of the 2011 draft, and the big righty proved his worth right out of the gate. In his first full season of pro ball, Fulmer posted a stellar 2.74 ERA, with 101 strikeouts and only 38 walks for Single-A Savannah. But after tearing his meniscus during spring training the following year, he fell off the prospect radar and became an afterthought behind more impressive Mets pitching prospects like Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard.

Even considering his lost 2013 season, Fulmer is still one of the more exciting arms in the Mets’ system. In his 2014 return, he sported a solid 3.97 ERA and walked only 31 batters with the St. Lucie Mets, eventually earning a promotion to the B-Mets before a shoulder strain ended his season in August. While the Oklahoma native allowed far too many hits in 2014 (118 in 98.2 innings), there’s nevertheless a lot to like about this former top-100 prospect. His fastball still reaches 95 MPH and his put-away slider has the potential to be an above-average major league pitch.

2015 Prognosis: If Fulmer can stay healthy and continue his success with Double-A Binghamton in 2015, he should be able to earn a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas by season’s end and become a number-three starter or a valuable trade chip for the Mets as soon as 2016.

MLB ETA: Injuries will hold Fulmer back from reaching the big club next season, but mid-2016 as a reliever or Opening Day 2017 as a member of the starting rotation are not out of the question.

#12

Gabriel Ynoa – RHP

Age: 21

H/W: 6’2”/158 lbs

B/T: Right/Right

2014 Stats:

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Analysis: A quick look at Ynoa’s Earned Run Average from the last three seasons (2.23, 2.72, 4.07) shows a concerning trend as the young righty climbs the minor league ladder.  However, Ynoa’s stellar walk ratio (1.5, 1.4, 1.6 BB/9) has stayed constant from his time in the New York-Penn League to last season’s campaign in Double-A Binghamton, proving that he has not and will not relinquish his calling card, control, as he continues to get closer to the big leagues.  Furthermore, Ynoa was 3.6 years younger than the average Eastern League ballplayer, so even his seemingly pedestrian 4.21 ERA in Binghamton is impressive.  Gabriel does not possess elite talent, however, his age, minor league numbers, and pitching poise make him a good candidate to quickly ascend from unknown prospect to a starting-caliber major league talent, just like the rise of Rafael Montero in 2013-14.

2015 Prognosis: Ynoa will likely begin the 2015 season with Double-A Binghamton, but considering he already pitched decently in 66.1 innings with the B-Mets last season, a strong performance should lead him to a midseason promotion to Las Vegas.  The elite arms ahead of Ynoa on the depth chart (Syndergaard, Matz, Montero) will keep him from reaching the bigs in 2015, barring an injury epidemic, but trades or injuries could open up a spot for Ynoa on the Mets roster by midseason 2016

MLB ETA: Midseason 2016 as a reliever, 2017 as a starter

#11

Jhoan Urena – 3B

Age: 20

H/W: 6’1”/200 lbs

B/T: Switch/Right

2014 Stats:

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/26/2014.

Analysis: I’ll be honest, before Jhoan Urena’s breakout showing in Brooklyn in 2014, I had no idea the Mets possessed such a talented infield prospect.  Urena did hit .299 for the GCL Mets in 2013, but his lack of power (6 doubles, 0 home runs) left the teenager mostly off the prospect map heading into the 2014 season.  But after finally reaching the .300 clip, smacking 20 doubles, and posting a career-high .787 OPS along with 85 hits in just 75 games, Urena has skyrocketed up Mets prospect lists and established himself as a legitimate positional prospect within a pitching-rich Mets system. 

2015 Prognosis: Exciting bat speed and control manifesting in a 20-year-old kid has to excite the Mets about the potential to develop a long-term replacement for David Wright at the hot corner or Daniel Murphy at second.  Given his youth, I don’t expect the Mets to push Urena to High-A St. Lucie to open the 2015 season, but rather have the youngster continue on his level-per-year track, which would ticket Urena to start 2015 in Single-A Savannah, his first full season of ball.

MLB ETA: Late-2017 or midseason 2018:  at this point Murphy will likely have left in free agency or trade and Wright will be around 35 years old.