Now that I’ve been doing this for a couple months, I’ve decided to debut a new idea to the blog – one that I hope becomes a staple as time goes by. The first Monday of each month, we’ll unveil our current list of the top 10 prospects in the Mets and Yankees organization. The list will consist of players with limited major league experience. So without further ado, here’s the list:
1. Fernando Martinez, OF: After getting off to a rough start with Double-A Binghamton, the 19-year-old star of the Mets system was hitting .395 (15-for-38) in his last ten games before suffering a strained hamstring in mid-May. If it wasn’t for the injury, there’s little doubt Martinez would be in the majors instead of Nick Evans right now.
2. Eddie Kunz, RHP: His numbers are inflated a bit by back-to-back bad outings against Reading, but Kunz has put together a nice season out of the bullpen for Binghamton, picking up 13 saves in 22 appearances. Possibly the Mets future closer, Kunz could have a role with the major league club sometime this year, and seems like a lock to begin 2009 in Citi Field’s new bullpen.
3. Danny Murphy, 3B: Along with Nick Evans and Mike Carp, Murphy has helped form a murderous 3-4-5 combination in the middle of Binghamton’s lineup. Currently hitting .329 with eight homers and 43 RBI.
4. Nick Evans, 1B/OF: Had a great start in Binghamton (.291, 8 HR, 31 RBI), earning himself a shot when injuries decimated the Mets outfield. With Ryan Church starting tonight and Moises Alou due back by the end of the week, Evans will likely be back in Double-A by Saturday – unless the Mets want him to move up to Triple-A instead.
5. Mike Carp, 1B/DH: As we mentioned earlier, Carp has been great with Binghamton (noticing a trend here?), hitting .335 with six homers and 25 RBI. The Mets don’t seem to have enough positions for these three to play over the long haul, so it will be interesting to see who makes the cut.
6. Jon Niese, LHP: A couple of bad outings have skewed his numbers, like Kunz, but Niese has been pretty good this year for Binghamton, going 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA, striking out 52 in 59-2/3 innings. He has potential to fit into the Mets rotation next spring, depending on what happens with Pedro and Perez in the offseason.
7. Michael Antonini, RHP: The 22-year-old lefty has shown well so far this year (4-3, 2.94 ERA in 12 starts), albeit in Low-A ball. He turns 23 in August, but in his first full season in pro ball, Antonini has gotten off to a great start, and if he continues could become a factor in the Mets plans down the road.
8. Francisco Pena, C: The son of current Yankees first base coach Tony Pena, Francisco has had a solid season (.254, 2 HR, 21 RBI) with Low-A Savannah. Consider that he doesn’t turn 19 until October, as well as his bloodlines, and the Mets have to feel good about his progress.
9. Angel Calero, LHP: Someone who doesn’t even show up in Baseball America’s preseason Top 30 prospect list. But he’s arguably been better than Antonini (2-5, 2.87, 4:1 K:BB), and is an entire year younger, not turning 22 until September. I don’t know anything about him, admittedly, and you may never hear of him again, but he’s had a nice year so far.
10. Brant Rustich, RHP: Rustich entered the season as the Mets No. 3 overall prospect after the Santana trade. But after missing the first month of the season for undisclosed reasons, Rustich has gotten off to a slow start with Savannah (0-1, five earned runs in 8-1/3 innings). He has gone 3-2/3 innings over his last three appearances without allowing a run or hit, striking out six and walking one, so he could be getting things figured out.