LHP Michael Antonini – R/L – 6’0” 190 – 18^th Rd ’07 – b. 8/6/85

Antonini had a great year, earning his promotions first to St. Lucie and then to Binghamton.

The night I saw him in Binghamton, Antonini worked off a fastball that was 87-91, but mostly 88/89. He commanded it to both sides of the plate. He faced a lineup with eight batters who hit from the right side and featured his changeup as his second pitch. It was inconsistent, without great movement and often elevated. He allowed a homerun on an elevated changeup at 83 mph. He was cautious about throwing his slider to the RHH, and with good reason, since it was a little sweeping.

Note that once Antonini reached AA, his homerun and walk rates spiked, while his strikeout rate was 6.3 K/9, the lowest of any of his three stops in 2008.

Likely 09 Start: AA

RHP Nicholas Carr – R/R – 6’0 200 lbs – 41^st Rd ’05 – b. 4/19/87

The Mets skipped Carr over the SAL straight from Brooklyn in 2007 to the Florida State League in 2008, and the results were simply ugly early. Through June 5, he was 0-7 with a 7.19 ERA, when the Mets sent him down to Savannah to get right. Life was a little better in the SAL, but he was forced back to the FSL in early July when the system was short on arms due to a number of injuries.

However, Carr finished 2008 by making his last two starts his best of the year. In his last 12 innings, Carr didn’t allow a run, gave up seven hits, walked three and struck out 13.

Carr still has a big-time arm. He throws 90-95 and was sitting at 92-93. However, in July in the FSL, he had only a slight idea where the ball was going when it left his hand. He threw his below average slider (~80 mph) and change (~84/85 mph) sparingly.

I’d suggest that Carr’s future is in the bullpen, but I’d like to see him repeat the FSL as a starter in 2009, and experience some success, and pick up more repetitions, before moving to AA.

Likely 09 Start: A+

Nick Carr Fastball

RHP Stephen Clyne – R/R – 6’2” 215 – 3^rd Rd 07 – b. 9/22/07

Clyne was the third college reliever the Mets picked in 2007, behind Eddie Kunz and Brant Rustich. Like Carr, Clyne was promoted directly from Brooklyn to St. Lucie, and like Carr, struggled early. Clyne gave up 25 runs in his first 20 innings in St. Lucie. However, he turned a corner in June yielding just five runs in his next 18 innings before being sent down to Brooklyn to help out the Cyclones.

Clyne is a potentially very good middle reliever. His fastball was 91-93 and scouts saw his slider as a potentially plus pitch.

I wrote about Clyne making a mechanical adjustment here.

Likely ’09 Start: A+, although with a strong spring, AA is not out of the question

RHP Dillon Gee – R/R – 6’1” 195 – 21^st rd ’07 – b. 4/28/86

Gee had a successful run in the Florida State League posting a great strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 5 (4.95). It’s worth pointing out that like Carr, Clyne and Owen, he jumped straight from Brooklyn to St. Lucie and thrived. However, I’m suspicious of pitchers who experience success at the advanced A level without fanning a batter an inning.

In July, Gee was throwing 89-91 with his fastball which he spotted reasonably well. I had heard reports of slightly better velo at other times. His second best pitch was a changeup with some nice run. His soft curve was his third pitch.

Likely 09 start: AA

RHP Dylan Owen – R/R – 5’11” 203 lbs – 20^th rd ‘07 – b. 7/12/86

Owen and Gee were back-to-back picks in 2007. In 2007, Owen led the NYP in wins and ERA while earning the team’s Sterling Award. Both pitchers hopped right from Brooklyn to the FSL. Like Gee, Owen had great success in the FSL by throwing lots of strikes with a superb K/BB rate (3.51). Unlike Gee, Owen’s first taste of AA did not go well.

Owen throws a fastball that’s mostly upper 80s, a slider and a changeup.

Likely 09 start: AA

RHP Tobi Stoner – S/R – 6’3” 203 – 16^th rd ’06 – b. 12/3/84

Another late round pick made good, Stoner found AA a whole lot tougher than A-ball. His K/BB rate declined from 5.33 to 2.03 as he moved up a level while his strikeout rate dropped from 8.31 K/9 to 6.72 K/9.

Likely 09 start: AA. AAA is a possibility as dictated by organizational need in spring training, but I view AA as the likelier scenario.