Bontemps’ scout didn’t like Flores at all:

“I was not impressed at all. . . . In fact, I was kind of shocked.  I was expecting an outstanding player, and I saw the exact opposite. I expected to go in there seeing a superstar player, like when I saw Jose Reyes playing in the minors.

“He’s a long way off, let me tell you. For me, when I watched him, he’s the fringiest of fringy prospects, and I’m not the only one thinking that. I thought I might not be looking at this kid right, but other people are thinking of him the same way.

“… from what I saw he was not the player he is hyped up to be.”

Couple of thoughts here. Of course he’s a long way away, he’s 17!

There’s no comparison between Reyes and Flores.  Reyes is an outstanding athlete whose tools (especially his speed) will immediately grab a scout’s attention.  Flores does not currently have a plus tool.  Lets review the five classic tools and Flores’ rough current grade in each:

Speed: Well below average;  Fielding (hands & range): well below average; Arm: average at best; Hitting: below average; Power: below average

Flores is just not a shortstop and is unlikely to play a premium defensive position.  However, if you believe in him, you believe in his ability to become an above average hitter and grow into above average power.  Of course he doesn’t have either of those tools fully developed yet, he’s 17.  Scouts generally don’t like guys who are all bat, but simple hitting ability is the most important skill.  And in this respect, hitting .269/.309/.347 at his age in the SAL is fairly outstanding.  Note too that Flores is in the midst of a slump, having gone just 7-for-41.  If the scout did see him recently, perhaps he’s seeing a tired kid.

Bontemps quotes Adam Wogan essentially to rebut the scout’s take on Flores

“The most impressive thing for him is his control of the strike zone (56 strikeouts in 394 at-bats). . . . Regardless of age, he’s a really difficult player to strike out.”

The unnamed scout did like 3B Jefry Marte and threw an Aramis Ramirez comp on him.  (Sidenote: Ramirez has been criminally underrated for years.  Did you know that he has an OPS+ above 126 in every season since 2004? He’s dope.  Go check his stats.)

On Marte:

“I liked his bat, and I liked the way he went about his business. He has a long swing, but he takes a good cut, and can go to all fields. His defense certainly needs work, but I do think he could stick there.

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This is a disappointing group, statistically as three of its five members have struggled with injuries and the other two have been rushed.  Havens and Moviel are the guys to watch in St. Lucie in the season’s final two months.  Can Francisco Pena keep up his recent hot streak?

ALL STATS IN TABLES ARE AS OF JULY 14, 2009.

#6 SS Reese Havens

Stock: Down (injury)

Havens stock is down largely because he hasn’t been able to stay on the field.  He pulled his quad and missed three weeks, returned only to get plunked on his hand.  Baseball America reports that again, his quad is barking, keeping him off the field again.  Health is a skill, and it’s one that Havens has yet to master.  None of his other skills will improve until he learns how to play everyday.  Repeated injuries are a bad way to start a career.

#7 C Francisco Pena

Stock: Down

I could use this space for a rant regarding the Mets philosophy of rushing their young latin players, but really, why should I?  Pena has been rushed having started in the SAL at age 17 where he was exposed behind the plate and older pitchers took advantage of his propensity to chase pitches.  However, there may be glimmers of hope now after two and a half years in the system.  His strikeout rate of 16% is his lowest as a professional.  Pena has hit .273/.333/.667 in July with three walks against four strikeouts, more evidence that he’s beginning to control the strike zone.

On the other hand, Pena’s walk rate has decreased for the second straight year, but his extra base hit rate is up over his first professional season, and roughly similar to 2008.  He should repeat the FSL in 2010 as a 20-year old.

#8 3B Jefry Marte

Stock: Down

It’s not Marte’s fault that the Mets sent him to the SAL when he was 17 coming off a very good 2008 season in the GCL.  His walk and extra base hit rates are half of what they were a year ago, and his strikeout rate is up by 50%.  His troubles extend into the field too, where he’s committed 33 errors.

What does this say about his future prospect status?  Mostly just that he should repeat the SAL next year and shouldn’t have been there in the first place this season.

#9 RHP Scott Moviel

Stock: Down (injury)

It’s really hard to move up in the mid-season rankings when an injury wipes out the first two and a half months of a player’s season.  Moviel missed time with surgery on his knee.  There’s really not much to pick at in the FSL numbers from this year other than that Moviel’s throwing again, which is good, and throwing strikes, which is also good.

#10 RHP Dillon Gee

Stock: Down (injury)

It appears that Gee was never really healthy with Buffalo this year before he hit the disabled list in May with a labrum strain.  Adam Rubin erroneously reported that Gee had surgery.  According to a reader, Gee has started throwing this week and feels great.  That means he could make a few starts with Buffalo before year’s end.  Perhaps the Mets will send him out to the AFL to keep him pitching or permit him to go down to the Caribbean again.

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A: SAVANNAH SAND GNATS (5) @ Augusta GreenJackets (1)
After scoring eighteen runs on Saturday, the Gnats bats stayed hot. SS Wilmer Flores (Pictured) was 3-for-4 as his average climped to .359 (14-for-39). 3B Jefry Marte was 2-for-4 with a run scored and a walk. Meanwhile on the mound RHP Eric Beaulac made his first start of the young season and was impressive. He went five shutout innings, yielding just two hits and a walk while fanning six. RHP Kyle Allen pitched the final four, allowing just one run, to pick up his first save.

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Flores and Marte were both impressive today. … From his face to his body, Flores looks every bit like a player who didn’t turn 17 until the last month of the 2008 season—until he steps into the batter’s box. The righty-batting Flores stays quiet at the plate with little hand movement, showing natural hitting ability with excellent hands to drive the ball to all fields. In his first at-bat against 2008 Marlins’ second-rounder Brad Hand, Flores ripped a line drive over the third baseman’s head for a double, then hit the ball hard in the rest of his at-bats.

Flores played shortstop, but it’s hard to imagine him staying at the position given that he’s a below-average runner whose range will be even more limited once he fills out his 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame. Today, however, Flores fielded balls cleanly, showing a strong arm and a very quick release that could fit well at third base.

Marte tends to somehow get lost in the shuffle of international prospects, but he was one of the top 2007 international signings and hit .325/.398/.532 in 44 games in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2008. At 6-foot-1, the righty-hitting Marte isn’t as tall as Flores, but he is thicker. He made loud contact all game, including on a double—based on my unofficial scorer’s discretion, since the ball bounced off the ranging right fielder’s glove—that he smashed to right field. Scouts have questioned Marte’s defense in the past, but he fielded cleanly each of several balls hit his way and showed a strong arm, though Flores’ arm strength is a tick better.

Marte doesn’t get lost around here…

Badler also saw Nick Carr shut down powerful Marlins prospect Mike Stanton.

Carr worked quickly and effectively mixed three pitches, an 88-92 mph fastball, a breaking ball and a changeup.

After a very poor 2008, Carr pulled things together with two dominant starts to end the year.  Badler’s observation on Carr that he was mixing three pitches is both surprising and … um excellent.  Carr had big time trouble throwing his slider for strikes last year and his changeup was not a factor.

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broke down their Top 100 Prospects list by position and looked at the best tools at each. They came to the conclusion that

Some of highlights from the Met organization include:

• Jonathon Niese is listed as the 8th best left-handed starter (77th overall).
• At third base, Wilmer Flores was listed fifth (47th overall) and Jefry Marte eleventh (although not in the Top 100).
• At the corner outfield position, Fernando Martinez is fifth (30th overall).
• Brad Holt was listed 21st amongst right-handed starters (94th overall).

At each position they also listed X-Factors (players not on the list, but who could move up onto the radar). At second, they mentioned Reese Havens. He too currently plays shortstop, but a move to the other side seems probable. Baseball America writes:

“A modest but injury-plagued pro debut by Mets’ ‘08 first-rounder Reese Havens, 22, included just two games (out of 23) in the field, both at shortstop. His range may ultimately be a bit, ahem, short for the position, but his lefty bat, offensive instincts and grinder mentality will play at second.”

I definitely agree with them in regards to Reese… in the long run he’s probably not athletic enough to be a shortstop and would be a better fit at second…

Also listed as an X-Factor is Ike Davis at first… The big left-handed hitter, whom the Mets drafted in the first round out of Arizona State in 2008, had a difficult pro debut in 2008 and never really seemed to get adjusted… he’ll most likely begin an important 2009 season in St. Lucie…

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Bats/Throws:

Height/Weight: 6’1”, 187 lbs

Acquired: NDFA (7/2/07)

Born: 6/21/91 (La Romana, DR)

Why Ranked Here: The well built Marte has the potential to be a middle of the order run producer at third base in baseball’s version of the distant future. The fact that the Mets are well stocked at third does not matter to Marte’s value at this point. Marte showed bat speed, strength and pull-side power while leading the Gulf Coast League in OPS as a 17-year old in 2008. Marte has the arm for third, but as he matures, it is possible that he will lose the first-step quickness that the position demands. However, he will continue to play third for the foreseeable future in the hope that he develops at the position where he has the most value.

2008: Marte had a very successful 2008. He hit just .250/.357/.375 in 24 AB against lefties, while maiming righties at a .338/.405/.562 clip. Young hitters often just don’t see quality LHP when they are growing up. Marte drew one walk in his first 35 AB, and then 12 in his next 119, a strong rate for such a young player.

Dr. Pangloss Says: Marte, who has shown power, patience and contact ability at a very young age, has a chance to be an above average regular at third base who derives most of his value from his bat.

On the Flipside: Marte is years away from the big leagues.

Projected 2009 Start: Savannah, based on the Mets history of aggressive assignments for their most talented players.

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R – GCL: Jefry Marte 3B
G-GCL: .325/.398/.532 14 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 13 BB, 20 K

Marte’s .930 OPS led the GCL.

What he is: A 17 year old 3B with precocious pop.

Where he came from: signed as a NDFA 7/2/07 from La Romana, DR

When he grows up: In a perfect world, Marte, who already shows impressive pull power becomes a middle of the order run producer. However, like Flores above him, he’s just 17 and years away from the big leagues. Marte committed 19 errors in 44 games, so it’s possible his future is somewhere else besides third.

Other Good Candidates: Again, Marte was the obvious choice. Cesar Puello had a nice year, but it wasn’t anywhere close to Marte’s level. Also, RHP Jenry Mejia (3 GS) and LHP Robert Carson (5 GS) were excellent, and proved quickly they were ready for challenges beyond the GCL.

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The most interesting thing he wrote about Marte:

“He already has a good swing and a strong body, but I can see him growing and getting even bigger and stronger,” GCL Mets manager Bobby Floyd said. “He is going to have some real power.”

On Puello:

Puello is a physical prospect who projects to have average tools across the board. He’s an instinctive player who learns quickly. He fits best as a right fielder with a strong arm and the requisite power for the position.

I like Marte a lot. And I think Puello is a fine prospect considering that he’s just 17. However, I also like CF Javier Rodriguez, who didn’t hit much this year. At this moment, I have Rodriguez ranked ahead of Puello.

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