Buffalo Bison (3-1) vs. Rochester Red Wings (2-2) – 7:05 p.m.
Garrett Olson (0-0, -.–) vs. Samuel Deduno (0-0, -.–)
Gameday | Boxscore | Listen

Erie SeaWolves (1-2) vs. Binghamton Mets (1-2) – 6:35 p.m.
Ramon Garcia (0-0, -.–) vs. Greg Peavey (0-0, -.–)
Gameday | Boxscore | Listen

Charlotte Stone Crabs (3-0) vs. St. Lucie Mets (2-1) – 6:30 p.m.
Braulio Lara (0-0, -.–) vs. Yohan Almonte (0-0, -.–)
Gameday | Boxscore | Listen

Rome Braves (0-3) vs. Savannah Sand Gnats (2-2)  – 7:05 p.m.
Carlos Perez (0-0, -.–) vs. Tyler Pill (0-0, -.–)
Gameday | Boxscore | Listen

Buffalo Bisons 5 – Rochester Red Wings 3

Jeremy Hefner was very economical with his pitches, throwing under 90 pitches over seven frames. Hefner allowed three runs although one of them was an unearned run thanks to a misplayed ball by Adam Loewen out in right field. Earlier in the game Loewen hit a two-run homerun so he decided to giveth and taketh away on Easter. Matt Tuiasosopo followed Loewen with a solo shot to go back-to-back. Val Pasucci gave the Bisons the lead with a solo homerun in the 8th inning and then the Bisons taked on another run in the 9th on a Bobby Scales two-out single. Jordany Valdespin actually walked for those who are curious.

Binghamton Mets (OFF)

St. Lucie Mets (OFF)

Savannah Sand Gnats 5 – Augusta Green Jackets 8

Domingo Tapia had a respectable first outing for the Sand Gnats. He only allowed four hits and one walked, but struggled in other areas. Tapia hit a batter in the 3rd and 5th inning that would both come into score and seemed to hit a rough patch where he threw two wild pitches in one at-bat. Estarlin Morel blew got beat up and blew his second save already.

Aderlin Rodriguez hit a bomb for his second homerun of the season and more importantly committed no errors! Baby steps. Luis Nieves had the only multi-hit performance, everyone except Greg Pron got on base at least once, and Camden Maron scored a run and recorded an a RBI on a sac fly. He has now done a little something to help the team in all three games (3 runs and 2 RBIs).

Buffalo Bison (1-1) vs. Rochester Red Wings (2-0) – 4:05 p.m.
Chris Schwinden (0-0, -.–) vs. Daryl Thompson (0-0, -.–)
Gameday | Boxscore | Listen

Akron Aeros (2-0) vs. Binghamton Mets (0-2) – 1:05 p.m.
Steven Wright (0-0, -.–) vs. Darin Gorski (0-0, -.–)
Gameday | Boxscore | Listen

Bradenton Marauders (1-1) vs. St. Lucie Mets (1-1) – 6:30 p.m.
Jameson Taillon (0-0, -.–) vs. Greg Peavey (0-0, -.–)
Gameday | Boxscore | Listen

Augusta Green Jackets (1-1) vs. Savannah Sand Gnats (1-1)  – 7:05 p.m.
Adalberto Mejia (0-0, -.–) vs. Alex Panteliodis (0-0, -.–)
Gameday | Boxscore | Listen

Buffalo Bisons 2 – Pawtucket Red Sox 1

It wasn’t a very pretty start for Jeurys Famila but it was an effective one. He struggled throwing strikes with just 56 of his 95 pitches being over the plate and more important just 13 of the 22 batters he faced saw a first pitch strike. That number could be worse but it needs to be better for Familia. Even with struggling with his command Familia allowed just one to score in the 1st inning on back-to-back two-out hits. Fernando Cabrera let things get exciting with two walks in the 9th inning but worked out of trouble to save the game.

Zach Lutz singled with one out in the 9th, went first to third on a Raul Reyes single, and then was pulled in favor of Bobby Scales as a pinch runner. Scales went on to get thrown out at home on a ground ball to third base by Rob Johnson. That is not how you win the favor of your manager. Luckily for the Bisons Omar Quintanilla came through with the two-out single to put them ahead.

Binghamton Mets 1 – Akron Aeros 2

Not a particular long or great start from Zack Wheeler. Wheeler threw 55% of his 71 pitches for strikes and wound up walking three in three innings of work with two runs scoring on a double in the 3rd inning. Brad Holt did a nice job in his inning of work to strikeout two and get the ball over to Josh Edgin for a scoreless inning in the 9th to keep the game close.

Pedro Zapata did a great job setting the table at the top of the order with a single, double, and walk but with Matt Den Dekker and Juan Lagares struggling behind him today the offense wasn’t able to get going. Allan Dykstra doubled to leadoff the 4th inning and came in to score the only run on a Jefry Marte double.

St. Lucie Mets 5 – Bradenton Marauders 1

Gonzalez ‘Show me some respect’ German took the mound against the highest paid player in the HiA, A.J. Burnett. German actually outdueled the former Yankee by holding the Marauders to one run over six innings. He only really faced adversity in his last two innings of work as a he was dominant early on doing a terrific job keeping the ball on the ground. Only three strikeouts but no walks and 11 ground ball outs, gotta love it. Interestingly Taylor Whitenton was used in relief and walked and struckout a two in an inning of work.

Cory Vaughn gave the Mets the lead in the 6th inning with a double to score Darrell Ceciliani and later came around to score on a Richard Lucas two-out single. Lucas added onto his RBI total in the 8th when he singled with the bases loaded to bring home two more runs and give the Mets a comfortable four run lead. Wilmer Flores was 0-for-5 and Cesar Puello and Wilfredo Tovar each went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Savannah Sand Gnats 5 – Augusta GreenJackets 6

Rafael Montero had a nice day at the office in his first start as of full-season ball. He was dominant throughout and didn’t allow a runner to advance past second base until the 6th inning. He hit the leadoff man in the 6th, got into trouble, and wound up allowing a run to score on a fielder’s choice and two-out single. Tyson Seng came came in to strikeout the final batter and strand the runner of base. Jack Leathersich filled out the scoresheet with two hits allowed, two hits batters, and three strikeouts in two innings of work. He also allowed an unearned run to score thanks to an error from who else, but Aderlin Rodriguez—his FOURTH of the season. He is clearly trying to break some records this year… Estarlin Morel came on for the save in the 9th and completely imploded allowing three runs to score on three hits and a walk to cough up the lead.

Offensively, Rodriguez had the biggest blow of the night clearing the loaded bases with a two-out double in the 5th. That is all nice and well, but he has to start showing the slightest bit of aptitude at fielding. Can he even handle first base? I’m not even sure of that at this point. Dustin Lawley had a nice game with a pair of hits and a walk.

Akron Aeros (0-0) vs. Binghamton Mets (0-0) – 6:35 p.m.
Paolo Espino (0-0, -.–) vs. vs. Collin McHugh (0-0, -.–)
Gameday | Boxscore | Listen

St. Lucie Mets (0-0) vs. Bradenton Marauders (0-0) – 6:30 p.m.
TBD vs. Colton Cain (0-0, -.–)
Gameday | Boxscore | Listen

Augusta Green Jackets (0-0) vs. Savannah Sand Gnats (0-0)  – 7:05 p.m.
TBD vs. TBD
Gameday | Boxscore | Listen

Den Dekker is just 3-for-19 (.158) so far in spring, although two of his hits (double, triple) have gone for extra bases. He does have three walks already, however, he also has six strikeouts which is a major concern of his.

The fact that Terry is saying there is a legitimate chance Den Dekker makes the club confirms my suspicions that the Mets are almost exclusively looking for defense out of their center fielder because of the problems they will have defensively at the corner positions. That is also why I do not think Kirk Nieuwenhuis would even be a legitimate option if he was not hurt at the moment, even though he makes much more sense than Den Dekker of a couple different levels. I felt that Torres’s defense was a major motivation for the Angel Pagan trade and Den Dekker is the next best defensive option we have so I do understand why Terry would make the comment from that perspective, but…

Let’s be honest, there is no real reason for Den Dekker to be in this conversation. I like him as a prospect, but with a subpar half-season at Double-A and poor spring under his belt, it is pretty clear he is not ready to handle major league pitching. He does not make enough contact right now and needs some more seasoning in the minors to work out those kinks.

It also makes no sense since he is not currently on the 40-man roster. It is not that I would object to releasing a say D.J. Carrasco to make room for him, but it just doesn’t seem like a move the Mets would make.

The only thing he has on his side is his defense. He is head and shoulders above the other players competing in spring (Mike Baxter, Adam Loewen, Jordany Valdespin) and considerably better than Jason Bay and Scott Hairston. There is no doubt he would be able to help out Lucas Duda defensively, but I’m not sure that could make up for how much he could wind up crippling them offensively.

Full Name: Gavin Cecchini
School: Barbe HS (LA)
D.O.B.: 12/22/93 (18-years-old)
Height: 6’1″ ft.
Weight: 180 lbs.
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Position: SS

Stats:

Accolades:

• 2011 COPABE 18U/AAA Pan American Championships All-Tournament Team
• 2011 USA Baseball 18U Team
• 2011 Under Armour All-American Game American Team MVP
• 2011 1st Team ESPN Rise Underclass All-American
• 2011 Baseball America 2nd Team All-American
• 2011 LSWA Class 5A All-State
• 2011 Under Armour All-American
• 2011 American Press All-Southwest Louisiana
• 2011 MaxPreps All-American 2nd Team
• 2011 Gatorade State Player of the Year
• 2011 Louisiana Coaches Assoc. 5A All-State
• 2011 Perfect Game Underclass 1st Team
• 2011 Perfect Game Underclass 2nd Team

Video:

Scouting Report:

Cecchini has a very athletic frame and well proportioned body that shouldn’t be too much of a concern to outgrow the shortstop position.

He is a pretty good defender and is expected to be able to stick at shortstop because of his instincts and athleticism. He has a strong arm, decent range, and is an above-average runner (6.6 60 yard dash), but it is his superb instincts that really give him a legitimate shot at remaining at short.

At the plate he keeps things pretty simple. He has a fair amount of pre-swing noise, but minimizes movement just as he gets ready for the pitch. His leg kick isn’t anything drastic and he keeps his hips closed well. He creates torque and then explodes with hip rotation creating the source of his power. His power is currently gap power, but in part because of quick hands and strong wrists this projects to grow into more homerun as he matures physically. He can make a few adjustments to smooth out his mechanics, such as lowering his hands, but overall his mechanics are relatively clean.

Cecchini is not described as a hacker, but could benefit from being more selective. His short swing allows him to keep the strikeouts to a minimum, but a better overall approach would bring his offensive game to the next level.

He has plus makeup without any major red flags and is considered an extremely hard worker.

Summary:

He comes from a very athletic family (his brother Garin is a top Red Sox prospect) and has one of the more complete skill sets of all the shortstop prospects in the draft. His offensive game is probably a notch below that of his brother who was a 4th round pick and hit .298/.398/.500 last year, but what makes Gavin more intriguing is the fact that Garin had to switch to third base already and Gavin looks like a shortstop long term.

Cecchini is far enough away where he would not help the Mets short term questions trying to replace Jose Reyes, but he would immediately become the top shortstop prospect in the system and could move fairly quickly for a high school bat.

He has a commitment to Ole Miss along with his good friend Stryker Trahan, but being where the Mets would draft him he would be expected to sign.

Projected: Top 20 picks

Notes: Sac fly, (2) HBP. He looks fine to me.

	Jake Barrett, RHP			College: Arizona State B/T: R/R | HT: 6-3 | WT: 220 Projected: 1st supp. – 2nd Round
	IP………..H……..R……..ER……..BB………SO……..GO…….FO……..NP……..NS 1.2……….3………2……….2……….0…………2……….1……….2…………-………..-

Notes: I would have to think his stock has taken a hit with the move to the closers role, especially when he hasn’t been completely dominant even picking up his second loss of the season coming in for relief of Brady Rodgers this weekend.

	Andrew Heaney, LHP			College: Oklahoma State B/T: L/L | HT: 6-2 | WT: 174 Projected: 1st supp. – 2nd Round
	IP………..H……..R……..ER……..BB………SO……..GO…….FO……..NP……..NS 9.0……….3………0……….0……….0…………8……….13……….6………91……..61

Notes: He has an effortless delivery which is a plus, but I just don’t love his mechanics. That doesn’t take away from what he has accomplished this season. With a 89-91 mph fastball and average curveball and changeup Heaney has gone 4-1 with an 0.92 ERA. He also has an impressive 8:52 BB:SO ratio. He is already challenging Brian Johnson as the top left-handed college pitcher.

	Nolan Fontana, SS			College: Florida B/T: L/R | HT: 5-11 | WT: 190 Projected: 2nd – 3rd Round
	AB……..H……..2B……..3B……..HR………RBI……..R…….SB……..K……..BB 10………2………0………..0………..0…………2……….3………0……….0………2

Notes: Not a strong weekend from him, but I will forever remain intrigued.

	Michael Wacha, RHP			College: Texas A&M B/T: R/R | HT: 6-6 | WT: 200 Projected: 1st Round
	IP………..H……..R……..ER……..BB………SO……..GO…….FO……..NP……..NS 5.1……….11……..9……….8……….3…………5……….4……….5……….100……..67

Notes: Even with this hammering Wacha’s ERA is just at 2.90 for the season. This game looks like an aberration more than and his stock still remains up with me.

	Hudson Randall, RHP			College: Florida B/T: R/R | HT: 6-3 | WT: 180 Projected: 2nd Round
	IP………..H……..R……..ER……..BB………SO……..GO…….FO……..NP……..NS 6.2……….6………2………..2……….0…………6……….8……….6………..86………61

Notes: Randall also threw a wild pitch in route to his 3rd victory to improve to 3-0 on the season. Randall hasn’t been terrific this year, but he does have an outstanding 1:23 BB:SO ratio in 31.1 innings for the season.

	Jeremy Baltz, LF			College: St. Johns B/T: R/R | HT: 6-3 | WT: 205 Projected: 2nd-3rd Round
	AB……..H……..2B……..3B……..HR………RBI……..R…….SB……..K……..BB 11………..5………0………..0………..1…………3……….4……..4………..0………..2

Notes: Baltz is more regarded as a power guy so the four steals in one weekend is pleasantly surprising. He has a shorter stroke than most power guys and while he hasn’t hit for a ton of power this year he has still displayed an ability to make hard, consistent contact.

	Preston Tucker, 1B/RF			College: Florida B/T: L/L | HT: 6-0 | WT: 220 Projected: 3rd-10th Round
	AB……..H……..2B……..3B……..HR………RBI……..R…….SB……..K……..BB 11………..4………0………..1………..2…………6……….4……..1………..3………..2

Notes: Tucker’s season long tear continued with his 7th and 8th homeruns of the season. His decision to come back looks real good right now.

	Josh Elander, C			College: Texas Christian B/T: R/R | HT: 6-1 | WT: 215 Projected: 1st supp. – 2nd Round
	AB……..H……..2B……..3B……..HR………RBI……..R…….SB……..K……..BB 12………..3………1………..0………..0…………4……….3……..1………..2………3

Notes: He is having a very meh season up to this point. He needs to start tapping into that power more often.

	Travis Jankowski, CF			College: Stony Brook B/T: L/R | HT: 6-3 | WT: 190 Projected: 1st Round
	AB……..H……..2B……..3B……..HR………RBI……..R…….SB……..K……..BB 10……….6………3………..0………..1…………2……….5……..3………..2………3

Notes: (HBP). He grows on me each and every week. He is recognized as a speedster, but I think his offensive game is a little more complete than that.

	Brian Johnson, LHP			College: Florida B/T: L/L | HT: 6-3 | WT: 235 Projected: Top 20
	IP………..H……..R……..ER……..BB………SO……..GO…….FO……..NP……..NS 6.0……….2………0………..0………..1………..9……….4………..5………..88………..56

Notes: By far Johnson’s best start of the season. He has had some inconsistent results that has worried some scouts, but it is games like this which keep them positive in a weak left-handed pitching class. He also went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and hit by pitch at the plate.

	Chris Beck, RHP			College: Georgia Southern B/T: R/R | HT: 6-3 | WT: 235 Projected: Top 15
	IP………..H……..R……..ER……..BB………SO……..GO…….FO……..NP……..NS 7.2……….9………3………..2………..3………..9……….-………..-………..114………81

Notes: This was one of Beck’s better starts of 2012. He hasn’t performed like a top notch guy so far going 2-2 with a 3.89 ERA and he needs more games like this to keep his top 10-15 pick stock.

	Dane Phillips, C			College: Oklahoma City B/T: L/R | HT: 6-1 | WT: 195 Projected: 2nd-3rd Round
	AB……..H……..2B……..3B……..HR………RBI……..R…….SB……..K……..BB 16……….6………3………..0………..1…………4……….3………0………2………1

Notes: Phillips is a bit of a wild card in this draft. He was on the Oklahoma State squad and tried to transfer to Arkansas, but didn’t receive a waiver to play immediately. Instead he transfered to OCU where he is facing lesser competition. Phillips has absolutely killed the ball for his new team hitting at a .410/.504/.850 clip with 10 doubles and 10 homeruns. It is hard to tell how legitimate those stats are and he has been playing some outfield as well, which would limit him, but he is going to get some more buzz if he continues at this torrid pace.

	Kyle Hansen, RHP			College: St. Johns B/T: R/R | HT: 6-8 | WT: 215 Projected: 1st supp. – 2nd Round
	IP………..H……..R……..ER……..BB………SO……..GO…….FO……..NP……..NS 7.0……….6………0………..0……….2………..7………..-………..-…………-…………-

Notes: The younger brother of former Red Sox great Craig Hansen, Kyle is a fine prospect of his own with a running low-to-mid 90′s fastball, power curve, and changeup. This was just his first win of the season, but he has pitched very well all year long.

	Kyle Zimmer, RHP			College: San Francisco B/T: R/R | HT: 6-3 | WT: 185 Projected: 1st Round
	IP………..H……..R……..ER……..BB………SO……..GO…….FO……..NP……..NS 9.0……….3………0………..0……….4…………11……….-……….-………..-………-

Notes: Zimmer’s stock was already on the rise before tossing this complete game shutout. He has been able to harness is power fastball/curveball combo much better this year and has a 5:36 BB:SO ratio through 30 innings. He could be moving towards the upper half of the first round at this rate.

	Brady Rodgers, RHP			College: Arizona State B/T: R/R | HT: 6-2 | WT: 198 Projected: 2nd – 3rd Round
	IP………..H……..R……..ER……..BB………SO……..GO…….FO……..NP……..NS 8.0……….10……..5………..4……….0………..2……….15………5………..-………-

Notes: This game is just further evidence he isn’t going to blow anyone away, but he has outstanding control, he keeps the ball down, and he just knows how to pitch. This game raised his ERA to a 1.38. He has been that good this year.

SETTLEMENT!

— Richard Sandomir (@RichSandomir) March 19, 2012

Rich Sandomir has reported that Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz have come to a $162 million dollar settlement over the Bernie Madoff with trustee Irving Picard.

The Mets will reportedly not have to pay any of this for three years with half of the money being paid in four years and half in five years with Wilpon and Katz guaranteeing to pay $29 million of it out of their own expenses.

Adam Rubin has also provided this KEY factor:

Victims of Ponzi scheme may get back 50 cents on dollar, expert thinks. Wilpons can recover maybe $90M as victims, pay $161M–net $71M loss.

— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) March 19, 2012

I don’t pretend to be able to understand all of this legal talk, but a few things are clear about this settlement.

While people are calling this a win for the Wilpon and Katz financially, more importantly this is a huge win for the Mets organization. Even if they would have had to pay less after the trial (which sounded like it was leaning in the Mets favor), the fact that this media circus is over and the media will no longer be able to point to this fact is huge for them.

Now that the business problems are all settled the Mets next step is having to wain the fans back over and sadly the media is a crucial factor in this. In all honesty the media is probably just as responsible for the negative feel around the team as the players themselves.

I’m not going to pretend that I love the Wilpons as owners, but I understand why the would refuse to sell the team under any circumstances because I know I would do the same if I was in their shoes.

My head is sort of spinning right now and there is so much to say about this that I can’t express everything. In the end it all comes back to one point, this is a great day for METS BASEBALL.

Things can finally go back to being about the METS instead of Wilpon, Madoff, etc. and I can’t wait for it. I am sick and tired of hearing about the finances and want to focus at the on the field issues and not the owners.

Most Wins: Collin McHugh

Call this a bit of a bold selection, but for the first time in a long time I think the Mets have their best collection of offensive talent at Triple-A. With that said, I probably would have gone with Chris Schwinden if I didn’t think he was going to have to make some spot starts for the Mets throughout the year, or have to spend a fair amount of time with the big club because of an injury to whoever it may be. McHugh had nine wins last year, four less than Matt Harvey who led the organization with 13.

Lowest ERA: Logan Verrett

Hmmm, a college arm who can throw three pitches for strikes including a very good slider? Yup, sounds exactly like the type of guy who should be able to handle the Sally pretty well. His past performance in the Cape Cod League also bode well for his transition to facing wooden bats.

Most Strikeouts: Zack Wheeler

Harvey is a very good bet to repeat here as he had better K per 9 than Wheeler last year, but I love the adjustments Wheeler made towards the end of the year with his mechanics and command and foresee a big year for him. This one should be a fun battle to watch all year.

Most Saves: Josh Edgin

This one is assuming he doesn’t make the big club out of spring training, but I am not 100 percent sure that happens at this point…

Biggest Riser: Domingo Tapia

I currently have Tapia in the last spot of the Mets top 20 prospects and I think he is poised to crack the top 10 and possible even top 5 depending on who graduates in 2012. He will have his first tase of full season ball in 2012 and if his finish to 2011 is a sign for things to come, then expect big things from the fire baller in 2012.

Biggest Sleeper: Bret Mitchell

I wanted to dig real deep to find a “sleeper” in the truest sense of the word and not a popular pick everyone is talking about like Chase Huchingson. Mitchell, the Mets 12th round pick out of Minnesota State University-Mankato in 2010, uses a curveball as his primary weapon and he compliments it with an average low-90′s fastball. The Mets have moved him along very slowly, but in two seasons spent largely in Kingsport he has posted a 27:82 BB:K ratio over 84.2 innings. I am not sure where he is going to start, but if he is given a significant amount of innings he could make a little bit of noise.

Biggest Faller: Armando Rodriguez

Someone needs the distinction and I am not extremely confident in Rodriguez’s ability to handle the jump to Double-A. He looked pretty good in three scoreless innings in spring training, but that is just a three inning sample size in one inning spurts.


Bounce Back Candidate: Robert Carson

I am not sure how much I believe in this pick myself, but if he takes well to a possible move to the bullpen he has a chance to make a contribution on the big league level so I figured he might as well get a shout-out.

First To Get the Call: Chris Schwinden

Schwinden has the ability to make contributions as a spot starter or a long man out of the pen and showed last year that he was capable of performing at a respectable level.

Top Prospect for 2013: Zack Wheeler

Get ready for the hype machine to be in full effect next year.

Hitters

Highest Batting Average: Josh Satin

Satin finished third in the running last year and has only had one season in which he hit under .300 in his brief minor league career, and in that year he hit .288. The only question is will he have enough at-bats to qualify for the crown?

Most Homeruns: Aderlin Rodriguez

As long as he makes enough contact A-Rod should run away with this category. The homerun leaders from Double-A and HiA last year are no longer in the organization and someone like Valentino Pascucci does not count for these purposes. I don’t even know if he has any real competition. Allan Dykstra? Travis Taijeron? Zach Lutz, if he could stay healthy? This one is Aderlin’s title to lose.

Highest On-Base Percentage: Camden Maron

A .434 OBP last year with 38 walks in 201 at-bats as a 20-year-old last year. He knows how to control the strike zone as well as any young player the Mets have and playing in full season ball as the Sand Gnats catcher he will have plenty of time to show off those skills.

Highest Slugging Percentage: Cory Vaughn

He only slugged .402 last year, but he reportedly played injured for most of the season and remember he was killing it through May (.333/.462/.478).  He also began struggling before the promotion, around the time of the injury, so I tend to believe the heel injury had something to do with the drop off in his numbers and it wasn’t all about the promotion to a more advanced league.

Most Stolen Bases: Pedro Zapata

He finished just one steal behind Jordany Valdespin last year, but Valdespin got caught stealing 12 more times than Zapata. Valdespin did put up more improved numbers in the winter league, but there is also the chance he loses some games playing for the Mets.

Biggest Riser: Albert Cordero

He is just outside the top 20 at No. 23 overall and I have him moving solidly into the top 15 next year. He was dreadful early last year and then completely turned around his season in June and July. He needs to learn to take a walk and some more power would be nice, but he has nearly identical splits and a strong defensive presence. I’ve been anticipating this breakout for two years now so if it doesn’t happen this year I might have to start reconsidering my outlook on him.

Biggest Faller: Juan Lagares

I have him all the way up at No. 16 because he had such a great season and he deserves it, but I don’t have a lot of faith in him to repeat that kind of success which could see him slide back down the pecking order.

Biggest Sleeper: Dustin Lawley

Lawley had a great season after being drafted in the 19th round last year, but I didn’t think much of him until the Mets decided to give him sometime at catcher this spring. The Mets have said it is not necessarily a full-time move, but if the athletic Lawley can handle the conversion he instantly becomes and intriguing prospect despite his age.

Bounce Back Candidate: Cory Vaughn

I’ve already touched on him above. I believe in this physical tools and think he can be granted a mulligan, at least for now.

First to Get the Call: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

This one essentially comes down to who do I think will get hurt first and based off this pick it looks like I have my money on Andres Torres or Jason Bay over Daniel Murphy. Definitely a close one though.

Top Prospect for 2013: Brandon Nimmo

I think he’ll do enough to retain his spot as the Mets best hitting prospect and hopefully he’ll do enough to challenge Wheeler.