Mostly healthy, and while most of it was in the minors it was a solid season, and when he was up he showed a little punch at the plate. And still only 23. Not bad, and far from too late to put together a career. At 23 most players haven't reached the majors, and he's already got parts of four seasons in the bigs.

I still don't understand why it was necessary to cut him loose. He'd be the starting RF going into 2013 if he was still on the roster.

The scouting report on Becerra sounds pretty good-- of course, not a guy you're going to plan the future of the franchise around, but having talented OFs in the system is better than not.

If they're moving Nickeas, are they going to bring in another C? D'Arnaud doesn't start in the majors, right?

why the hell not? He'll be 24 in February and he's already played in AA and AAA

How many here noticed Fernando! having himself a nice little bit of a year for Houston?

Umm, no?
He had a real good 2+ weeks in September
His career MLB OPS+ is all the way up to a lofty 74

.314/.367/.507 in AAA looks nice, until you notice that the league hit .278/.345/.430, he was about the 4th best hitter on his own team. 44th in the PCl in OPS,

Not hopeless, but looking more and more like a 4th OF/ starter on a bad team type

but looking more and more like a 4th OF/ starter on a bad team type

Sure. So he'd be a good fit for the current Met team. In fairness, I think there was some cause for hope with the Mets OF situation coming into 2012. No one really took a step forward though, and Puello stagnated. Den Dekker managed to take a step forward and then one back in the same season, as did Nieuwenhuis. Duda showed he can't hit enough to carry his glove, and Bay cratered even more than could be expected.

Jeff Francoeur would be our starting RF.

why the hell not? He'll be 24 in February and he's already played in AA and AAA

I'd give him at least a month in a AAA park that's not on the moon, he's only had 67 games there. That said, I just realized I have no idea where the Mets' AAA team is since they pissed off the Bisons, did they get banished to the PCL?

Oh, heh. Nevermind then, they're in Las Vegas now.

Jeff Francoeur would be our starting RF.

He'd be starting in both RF and CF. At the same time.

D'Arnaud still needs to prove his health. Season ending injury. Set back the arb clock. No reason to rush him.

No one really took a step forward though

On the whole Den Dekker... didn't regress :-)

and... I really cannot find a Met minor league OF at any level who played better in 2012 than before...
not a one...

Not an OF but Aderlin R was showing signs of life...

and oh, lookie, they have the second coming of Thole already, Camden Maron...

Cory Vaughn was a bit better in 2012, but has a long way to go before he looks like a major leaguer.

Cory Vaughn was a bit better in 2012, but has a long way to go before he looks like a major leaguer.

Where's Sam M. when we need him?

Cory Vaughn was a bit better in 2012, but has a long way to go before he looks like a major leaguer.

21st in the FSL in OPS at age 23, and I made fun of FMart for being 44th in the PCL at age 23...

Does anyone know anything about Wil Tovar, all I can see is that he's young and seems to have a decent eye...

How many here noticed Fernando! having himself a nice little bit of a year for Houston?

Umm, no?
He had a real good 2+ weeks in September
His career MLB OPS+ is all the way up to a lofty 74

.314/.367/.507 in AAA looks nice, until you notice that the league hit .278/.345/.430, he was about the 4th best hitter on his own team. 44th in the PCl in OPS,

Not hopeless, but looking more and more like a 4th OF/ starter on a bad team type

Hater.

So the 100 PAs he had with a 38 OPS+ as a 20 year old sits big with you, huh?

a nice little bit of a year

a 105 OPS+ fits that definition, for a 23 year old. Now tell us how his solid minor league OBP, long a weakness, is meaningless.

Fucking Mets fans. You guys have to piss all over prospects even after they leave the team and start picking up speed.

####### Mets fans. You guys have to piss all over prospects even after they leave the team and start picking up speed.

Were you unable to read Russlan's #47?

One of Fernando's biggest problems is that he hits a bunch of ground balls. It's hard to find very many batters that have above average power while showing a significant ground ball tendency. We know that as batters approach their offensive peaks their power increases along the way, and along with that comes an increased fly ball tendency. Fernando has shown no such increase in FBs as the years have gone by.

Players are capable of a sudden shift, and if Fernando has one while maintaining his extra-base rate per FB, he would be pretty interesting but you could say that about a whole lot of guys...

So the 100 PAs he had with a 38 OPS+ as a 20 year old sits big with you, huh?

no,

He's a corner OF whose brightest bright spot (statistically) of the past 3 years was a measly 130 PAs in Houston last year

Now tell us how his solid minor league OBP, long a weakness, is meaningless.

His walk rate still sucks, his 2012 OBP in AAA was driven by a BABIP spike.

Happy now?

You guys have to piss all over prospects even after they leave the team and start picking up speed.

I don't piss over all prospects, just the ones I think others are overrating, don't even get me started about Puello...

picking up speed? His time in AAA, adjusting for park/league does not show any improvement over 2009-2011
his k/bb/PA is remarkably consistent- unfortunately it's been consistently poor

OTOH, he's not obviously regressing like Marte was at the same age, but you really gotta worry about the stagnation

Oh, heh. Nevermind then, they're in Las Vegas now.

Most Met prospects have NEVER played in any offensive environment as hitter friendly as LV (NCAA not included) -
I mean we were in New Orleans a few years ago- but that is the absolute worst hitter's park in the PCL hands down- so that wasn't much better - from a raw numbers POV, than Norfolk

but Las Vegas?

Guys like Zack Lutz, Eric Campbell and Josh Satin could put up some real nice looking numbers there- it won't really mean anything of course...


The guy to really watch there is Flores of course (if he starts there)- he seems to have this even/good, odd/bad year [pattern going on, 2013 would be a real good time for him to break that pattern

OTOH, he's not obviously regressing like Marte was at the same age, but you really gotta worry about the stagnation

Do you mean Jefry Marte who just got traded? If so he's Oakland's problem now.

I think he meant Andy Marte, the guy who was supposed to be the next great Braves star.

I don't like that Marte deal. Cowgill is just filler, someone you should be able to sign as a minor league free agent. Marte is not a great prospect at this point but he was 21 in AA ball last year. Ugh.

I don't like that Marte deal. Cowgill is just filler, someone you should be able to sign as a minor league free agent. Marte is not a great prospect at this point but he was 21 in AA ball last year. Ugh.

My thoughts to the letter. Though I have a feeling Cowgill will get around 400 ABs for the 2013 Mets.
==

I mean we were in New Orleans a few years ago- but that is the absolute worst hitter's park in the PCL hands down- so that wasn't much better - from a raw numbers POV, than Norfolk

I don't like them being in an extreme hitter's environment-- it can't be good for the development of either the hitters or the pitchers. I've had this problem following the Jays' system since they relocated. That said, it would be awesome if Flores put up gaudy numbers there.

I sort of missed the story-- how did the Mets end up as the last one standing in AAA musical chairs? Seems like with the population density in the northeast they could find a closer home for their AAA squad. Kick the Nats out of Syracuse, or something.

I don't piss over all prospects, just the ones I think others are overrating, don't even get me started about Puello...

Puello's the future of the franchise. What's not to like?

####### Mets fans. You guys have to piss all over prospects

Huh? As a group, Mets fans around here are the biggest prospect fanboys we've got. In particular, FMart love was rampant.

Do you mean Jefry Marte who just got traded? If so he's Oakland's problem now.

no, I was talking about FMart who seems to have stagnated from 2009-2012...
I guess that could also apply to Marte, but Marte's on field performance has never been vaguely interesting-

If FMart improved by 10%- he might actually be an interesting young player- if Marte improved by 10% he'd, well he might be able to help a AA team...

Regarding Cowgill... did you know that league average in the PCL in 2011 was .286/.359/.448?
Did you know that Dan's minor league park multiplier fro Reno in 2011 was 1.13?
You have to take those factors into account when looking at Cowgills' 2011 line in Reno (.354/.430/.554)
basically adjusting for league and park he wasn't quite as good as FMart was in Oklahoma in 2012- and even adjusting for league and park 2011 was an outlier for Cowgill- whereas that's pretty much what FMart does in AAA.

So if someone wants me to say something good about FMart- here goes, he's much much much better than Cowgill

Puello's the future of the franchise. What's not to like?

He's a poor man's version of Carlos Gomez (and I still can't believe that CarGom was the centerpiece of the Johann deal- sure Santana's arm ended up falling off, but still...)

I think he meant Andy Marte, the guy who was supposed to be the next great Braves star.

yes, Jefry hasn't reached FMart's current age yet

Huh? As a group, Mets fans around here are the biggest prospect fanboys we've got. In particular, FMart love was rampant.

As a Mets fan I've always felt the need to rain on other Met fanboys' parades, since they are usually so irrationally exuberant- I particularly hate when the fanboys get all googly eyed at the speedy tools goof de jure...

Of course I'm not down on all Mets prospects, I was irrationally exuberant towards Milledge and Jacobs when they were prospects, Mike Carp...

He's a poor man's version of Carlos Gomez (and I still can't believe that CarGom was the centerpiece of the Johann deal- sure Santana's arm ended up falling off, but still...)

That's the best you can do?

I think Puello has Carlos Beltran written all over him. Your turn.

I think Puello has Carlos Beltran written all over him. Your turn.

That was a strnge tatoo for him to get.

Were you unable to read Russlan's #47?

Not a fan of parody, I see.

####### Mets fans. You guys have to piss all over prospects

Huh? As a group, Mets fans around here are the biggest prospect fanboys we've got. In particular, FMart love was rampant.

So much for omitting the " /sarcasm " tag in the future. I did find the past adulation a bit much, but now that he just had, in light of his longstanding weaknesses (durability and getting on base), a season where he was mostly healthy, and where he improved his ability to get on base, it seemed odd to not acknowledge that, and odd to point to 100 terrible ML PAs at an age when most guys are in A ball as though those PAs had any bearing at all on his current status.